Making a distro

Question

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster

20 Years Ago

How would I go about maing my own linux distro for me and my friends (students)? Are there any good tutorials?

linux-kernel linux:ubuntu

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Latest Post 19 Years Ago Latest Post by Member #2466

Dani AI

Generated 10 Months Ago

Practical, short roadmap to turn the work in this thread into a maintainable distro.

The biggest wins are process and repeatability. Capture every build step, installer script and configuration in a version control repo (for example git) and push snapshots off-site. That prevents a single-disk failure from losing months of work (the lesson from ). Decide scope up front: target hardware class, whether the system is a small classroom image or a maintainable desktop distro, and a single packaging model to avoid mixed-toolchain headaches.

Suggested minimal workflow

Keep a clean build environment (VM, container or chroot) and build packages there so each ISO is reproducible. Use Debian-style clean-build tools (pbuilder/sbuild) or the RPM equivalents (mock) depending on your packaging choice.
Automate repo creation and signing: produce .deb/.rpm artifacts, generate package index files (dpkg-scanpackages or createrepo), and sign them with GPG before publishing to an HTTP repo.
Make the installer a two-stage process: small initramfs that probes hardware, then a scripted chroot stage that partitions, extracts the filesystem, installs the bootloader and finalizes configuration. Keep hardware probing modular and fallback-friendly so the same installer works across varied student machines.

Operational tips, testing and legalities

Run automated builds and smoke tests (VM boots, user creation, basic desktop launch). Test on representative real hardware before release.
Create simple meta-packages that express “desktop-task” choices so you ship one minimal set and let the package manager pull deps. That keeps images small and consistent.
If reusing another project’s installer code, verify licenses and include required notices. Tag releases, keep changelogs, and publish incremental updates rather than large monolithic ISO drops.

This condenses ideas from earlier replies here (different starting points and remastering approaches) into a compact, practical plan to build, test, sign and ship repeatable releases.

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markdean 4 Junior Poster in Training

20 Years Ago

EISA...wow, I still have my old Prosigna and Proliant systems that are EISA based, but I haven't tried to install anything on them in several years so I feel for you but you don't *have* to use SmartStart, any drivers or utilities can be run by themselves and more modern Proliants have the utilities built into the ROM.

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alc6379 120 Cookie... That's it Team Colleague · Answer 1 · 2006-02-07T13:26:43+00:00

This is how to create your own bare-bones Linux distribution from scratch:

http://gok.customer.netspace.net.au/power2bash/buildMin/buildMin.html

There are also things like BYOLinux and Linux from Scratch that guide you, too. But, don't think for a second that building your own distro is not a big undertaking. You will have to make all of the init scripts, all of the packages, everything that the system needs to be installed, bootable, and functional. I usually recommend folks just stick with a distro they like, and customize it to their needs. There are ways with many distros to install additional packages at install time, or you can hack out the installer scripts to do it yourself.

njzillest 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 2 · 2006-03-30T08:20:11+00:00

This is how to create your own bare-bones Linux distribution from scratch:
http://gok.customer.netspace.net.au/power2bash/buildMin/buildMin.html
here are ways with many distros to install additional packages at install time, or you can hack out the installer scripts to do it yourself.

knoppix is very good for that. Also there is many ubuntu based break offs, such as nubuntu.

Knoppix allows you to cut down its "fat" easily

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 3 · 2006-04-20T23:38:22+00:00

I HAVE MADE IT!

Me and some schoolfriends got together and i now my own system. Our goal is to make it newb friendly :) so it only has, for example 1 of everything whereas usually there are many programs bundled with disstros that are very similar and quite unnccary.

We are now working on an HDD installer (have a lived made)
However, the downside is that as of yet, all packages must be configured from source and no nice GUI tools.

I have been using mainly LFS kit packages and some extrass but is it possible to get the source code for e.g YaST and modify it?

Oddlot1902 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 4 · 2006-06-30T17:31:42+00:00

Another option is rPath. (). They provide an online service which lets you piece together your own distribution pretty easily. rPath is a Fedora dervative.

I've used it to create a hardened appliance OS for my employer.

TheNSS 0 Junior Poster Banned · Answer 5 · 2006-07-06T21:34:27+00:00

TheNSS 0 Junior Poster

20 Years Ago

rpath doesn't make sense though. at least not to me.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 6 · 2006-07-07T02:14:28+00:00

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster

20 Years Ago

Doesnt make sense to me either. What does it do and how do you use it?

TheNSS 0 Junior Poster Banned · Answer 7 · 2006-07-07T07:09:12+00:00

so, what's your distro called, is it something cool like proliant linux? you sould call it Microlinux or Pear Linux

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 8 · 2006-07-07T07:13:55+00:00

Lol no "proliant linux" would imply it would run on a compaq prolinat server which is kinda hard to configure and hates linux.

We have now made the system into a livecd using SquashFS and there is a simple scrpit to partition and extract it all. However everything is still alpha.

TheNSS 0 Junior Poster Banned · Answer 9 · 2006-07-07T07:16:01+00:00

where can i get that script? i'm also trying to get my own distro

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 10 · 2006-07-07T16:42:12+00:00

Made it.

Here is basically steps to distro making:

Make an LFS system

Use tutorials such as "customising knoppix" and "making a livecd" to make a livecd of your system

On the livecd make a small python script (we got this off the net, cant remember where but it is VERY similar to a UNIX sysinstall) on the desktop of the root user

The only issue is it wont work on machines of different spec to the deelopment one as theres no kudzu etc....

TheNSS 0 Junior Poster Banned · Answer 11 · 2006-07-07T21:26:24+00:00

sorry i'm a stupid idiot, how to you make an lfs system, you have to use the lfs live cd from ? i tried that and it's stupid. and don't give this link for an answear: l

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 12 · 2006-07-07T23:34:12+00:00

All LFS livecd is is packages for everything (gcc, kernel, x etc....), some tools and the book which explains how to compile all the packages.

We built all the packages as per the book but got our own copies and compiled from suse

Member #2466 · Answer 13 · 2006-07-20T01:12:30+00:00

You could remaster the PCLinuxOS CD to your liking...since there are about every single window managers in the synaptic repository...you can configure your entire install and then export it into a burnable .iso file.

I've never found an easier way of rolling your own distro.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 14 · 2006-07-22T16:12:56+00:00

I have always liked PCLinux OS, will try this as a development fork.
We like our current system as it is "clean" (no bloat) nd very up to date. We just now need a package manager and we are trying to get rid of the python script and develop a GUI installer (we have decided this will be a desktop system)

markdean 4 Junior Poster in Training · Answer 15 · 2006-08-15T00:48:07+00:00

"Lol no "proliant linux" would imply it would run on a compaq prolinat server which is kinda hard to configure and hates linux."

Not to give others the wrong impression about Proliant servers and Linux, I got a datacenter about 50 feet on the other side of ths wall that has over 150 Linux servers running on both older Compaq Proliant systems as well as newer HP Proliant and blade servers, inlcluding 20 that run ESX 2.5. It has been easy since at least 1998, boot SmartStart, specify Linux, next, next,... finish, boot Linux (RHEL or compatible in our case), or point to a Kickstart server...and achieve unbelievable uptime.

Have you had bad experiences with Proliant hardware and Linux or were you just being funny?

TheNNS 112 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso · Answer 16 · 2006-08-15T11:02:53+00:00

TheNNS 112 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

20 Years Ago

I think proliant servers work well with linux.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 17 · 2006-08-20T20:22:38+00:00

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster

20 Years Ago

they do its just smartstart is a pain in the ass

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 18 · 2006-08-20T20:31:02+00:00

and its old old old proliant i have so it has EISA cards, no apm and my model is not a 686 so some distros dont work

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 19 · 2006-08-20T20:34:33+00:00

Status report:

New distro name: SourceLinux

Originally was a standard LFS system but we rebuilt with all newest stable packages optimised for the i686. Has a livecd mode with an ncurses based installer.

Am currently using some of PCLOS / mandrivas GUI installer code as a work in progress and am attempting to get APT to work as the package manager

John A 1,896 Vampirical Lurker Team Colleague · Answer 20 · 2006-08-21T07:52:52+00:00

attempting to get APT to work as the package manager

I think Portage is better, unless you're planning to use a lot of Debian binaries.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 21 · 2006-08-24T04:45:54+00:00

yeah its 1/2 EISA and 1/2 PCI lol by the way u say u have servers?
I have a mystery card (looks like a big paralell port - longer) is it external scsi or remote insigh or what?

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 22 · 2006-08-24T04:47:07+00:00

and yeah we got apt kinda working now and GUI installer is in unstable/testing phase i like APT as never really used portage and i like the debian repos selection

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 23 · 2006-08-24T20:38:42+00:00

System specifics

SourceLinux Beta 1 Features

1 LiveCD ISO
Text instillation – Graphical Coming Soon
Default Desktop is GNOME
Package Management with APT (DEB)
Built for the i686

SourceLinux Beta 1 Packages

2.4.5
alsa-lib
1.0.12
amarok
1.4.2

9.3.2
cdrtools
2.01
cups
1.2.2
db
4.4.20

3.0.4
emacs
21.4a

2.6.3
firefox

gaim
1.5.0
gcc
4.1.1
gimp
2.2.12
glibc
2.4

1.6.3
gtk+
2.10.2
httpd
2.2.3
iptables
1.3.5
k3b
0.12.17
kdebase
3.5.4

3.5.4
koffice
1.5.2
libgnome
2.14.1

linux

3.2.2
mono

mysql
5.0.24

2.14.3
OpenOffice.org
2.0.3
openssh
4.3p2
openssl
0.9.8b
perl
5.8.8
php
5.1.5
postfix
2.3.2
postgresql
8.1.4
Python
2.4.3
qt-x11
4.1.4
samba
3.0.23b
thunderbird

098
vim
7.0
xine-lib
1.1.2

2.3.14
xorg
7.1

John A 1,896 Vampirical Lurker Team Colleague · Answer 24 · 2006-08-24T23:39:52+00:00

Default Desktop is GNOME
Package Management with APT (DEB)
Built for the i686

Looks good, but why build it only for i686? Older architectures are always backwards compatible with new computers.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 25 · 2006-08-24T23:44:35+00:00

its designed to be noob friendly and fast which is why its 686 optimised. most people will have a p3 or above so its ok

John A 1,896 Vampirical Lurker Team Colleague · Answer 26 · 2006-08-24T23:46:43+00:00

its designed to be noob friendly and fast which is why its 686 optimised. most people will have a p3 or above so its ok

You could always release 2 structures, ie. i586 and i686.... (for those who still have a PII)

TheNNS 112 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso · Answer 27 · 2006-08-25T04:55:11+00:00

TheNNS 112 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

20 Years Ago

so is it released? I think I want to try it out.

jbennet 1,618 Most Valuable Poster Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 28 · 2006-08-30T03:45:50+00:00

i think we will make an i586 version as one of my friends and a co developer has a AMD K7 which it wont run on.

GUI installer is now done and so is apt and the system is now in a usable state. It is officially become a "release candidate" we expect it to be able to distribute it in about 6 weeks (docs need doing and we need a server)

Making a distro

Dani AI

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