GRML live dist and Debian grml-packages

rbh · 2023-08-23 22:48:44

"GRML provides an excellent selection of software packages for installation, deployment and system rescue."
Debian has some grml-packages to interact with the GRML iso

The GRML iso

You can download the iso from [https://grml.org/download](https://grml.org/download)
Choose between a x86 and an amd64 version depending on your needs or just grab the multiboot ISO grml96.

When you have booted, it halts to give you chanse runing grml-quickconfig.
You can set keymap de, et, ch, es or us. If you have other keyboard layout, boot to x and set the layout in the terminal (command: "setxkbmap xx", where xx is the code for your layout.)

GRML uses the light fluxbox as window manager. Just right-click to get the menu. It is sparse. Most tools is for the terminal.
Gparted is installed though not in the menu.
Grml-user does not need to enter password when runing system application with sudo.
You can open a root terminal with: "sudo nohup x-terminal-emulator &". Nohup, so root terminal wont close if user terminal where it was started, is closed.

Some applications on the iso

[grml-debootstrap] is a wrapper around debootstrap for installing plain Debian. The target can be other arch (amd64 or i386) than the host and other release.

grml-chroot. Wrapper around chroot with proc/sys/pts/dev filesystem handling.
Very usefull if you need to repair grub or system is unbootable due to packages uninstalled by misstake or...

When grml boots, it creates an fstab containing the filesystem of the target. Check directory /media. If your damaged system is on /dev/sda1, you can mount it as root, with command "mount /media/sda1".
Now chroot to the system:

# grml-chroot /media/sda1 /bin/bash

/bin/bash if your system has bash as default shell.

Now, reinstall grub, packages etc.

grml+TAB, list some other grml-specific applications. It is well worth to read ther manpages.

To salvage data from failing disk, there is testdisk and myrescue. Remember, if you are to salvage data, do not mount the failing disk. Make sure you havre just as much diskspace to save, that is damaged.

Debian grml-packages:

[grml-rescueboot](https://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=rescueboot)
Grml-rescueboot ease isoboot of live dist from the harddisk.
After installing the package grml-rescueboot, if you have downloaded latest grml iso, copy it to /boot/grml.
Run command "sudo update grml-rescueboot". The script, will check that you have latest grml-iso. If not it will download it and then rewrite grub.
If you run "update-grub2", system wont check for grml-iso, but rewrite grub if grml-iso is newer.

From now on, whenever your system is unable to boot, you do not need to search for your iso-stick.
Grml-rescueboot, fixes isoboot for all isos that have en /boot/grub/loopback.cfg file. That is most Debian derivates, like our Bunsenlabs Boron or Finnix, but also for example archbased SystemRescue.

grml2usb script to transfer grml-iso to usb stick.

#1 2023-08-23 22:48:44