How can I make my current debian install into a distribution?

duncanlinux · 12-09-2009, 04:24 PM

Ok, I have just installed the current Debian release on one machine. I used apt-get to update it with the packages that I want. Now I want to be able to duplicate it to other machines? Can I just turn my current install into a distro and burn it to a cd? Is that hard for a noob? How do I do this?

craigevil · 12-09-2009, 05:58 PM

One method of cloning debian installs is to take a current debian machine that is setup with the packages you want.

Run the command

dpkg --get-selections > ~/selectionfile

Then, after the base install on other machines use that file and do:

dpkg --set-selections < ./selectionfile && apt-get dselect-upgrade

Robhogg · 12-09-2009, 06:00 PM

Is the hardware the same on the other machines? If it is (or at least is similar enough), then the simplest way would be to use a disk-imaging tool such as Clonezilla.

linus72 · 12-09-2009, 07:07 PM

if you wanna make a livecd/usb of your install use remastersys
specifically remastersys backup
http://geekconnection.org/remastersys/debian.html

I think it only works with lenny and maybe squeeze

resetreset · 12-11-2009, 01:18 AM

Can't he just use dd? What does everyone think?

MikeP · 12-12-2009, 02:56 PM

It may be a little late now, but for any onlookers, and possibly for your existing installation,provided you kept your package cache, if you want to be assured of the absolute cleanest possible installations across multiple different hardware types, you could use aptitude to not only take care of the initial package management post first install, but to also package up all downloaded .deb files, package lists, specific binaries and all other required files to duplicate your existing installation.

install aptitude, then run as root

Code:

aptitude-create-state-bundle

to

Code:

produces a compressed archive storing the files that are required to replicate the current package archive state. The following files and directories are included in the bundle: 

 •$HOME/.aptitude 
 •/var/lib/aptitude 
 •/var/lib/apt 
 •/var/cache/apt/*.bin 
 •/etc/apt 
 •/var/lib/dpkg/status

You then copy the bundle to a removable medium, install the base Debian on another machine, install aptitude, copy the bundle to the other machine and run

Code:

aptitude-run-state-bundle

This unpacks the given aptitude state bundle created by aptitude-create-state-bundle(1) to a temporary directory, invokes <program> on it with the supplied <arguments>, and removes the temporary directory afterwards. If <program> is not supplied, it defaults to aptitude(8)

If the hardware is all mostly the same, you can simply use clonezilla or another "imaging" utility.
My favorite is ddrescue combined with pv, running from a live-CD, if the hard disk sizes are identical or the source is smaller than the destination.

Post back if you need more info.

Mike P