Easily build your own Linux distribution

Many people who want to build their own Linux distributions may find it interesting or useful to learn more about Linux, or because they have a very formal problem to solve. But the secret is that it's not difficult to build a perfect release. In fact, we've collected several ways to use these methods, everyone, yes, even you-can build a personalized Linux version that meets your needs, just apply some of the changes you want-that's your Linux, your style.

Mainstream Linux distribution developers have to make decisions that affect thousands of potential users. Should they add or remove a special software package? Should they apply a patch that could disrupt the compatibility of the old model computer? These issues were heated up in the forum and the Flames were raging, and project leaders had to debate for their own decisions and a sharp dissident.

But you personally do not have these concerns. You can install or remove packages as you wish, and choose to install free software or non-free software on your system. Why do you have to endure Community decisions when you can get Linux to work the way you want it to? At the same time, the distribution you install may contain drivers or components that you do not want to install on your system. Not only that, every software you want to install on your new system will have to be downloaded in time and effort, and will need to be installed one at a time.

That's why we're here, and if you spend more time programming than playing games, you can replace the game package with your favorite IDE. Or why not save your hard drive space by removing hardware drivers that you will never use. One of you has found that with the settings in the article "Get Your Linux Faster", the Linux speed has improved, allowing Linux to auto-throttle at the installation stage.

"We used to talk about how to build our own Linux distributions from scratch," but this time we're more interested in how to use different methods to derive existing Linux distributions to get what you want. We start with the simplest, the hardest end, sounds good? Then let's get started!

Ubuntu Custom Toolbox
Difficulty level: simple; time required: 30 minutes; personalization Level: Low

If you're tired of installing the same components every time you install Ubuntu, you'll find that this is the easiest way to install packages on a custom CD. You need 5GB of remaining disk space, an Ubuntu ISO image and a custom toolkit that you install from the installation package Manager.

Once you have these resources, just start Ubuntu customisation Kit (UCK) and follow the instructions on just one page. You'll find that the most common steps you've made before you edit your Live CD have been automatically loaded. Adding this interface to the GUI makes it obvious that anyone with some personality can quickly and easily customize their Ubuntu copy. You can edit your Ubuntu at will (see pop-up tips) but you'll be the one to call the shooter.

A common pitfall in the UCK step is to miss the default options that allow you to decide which packages will be covered and which ones will be omitted. The result is that you end up with a custom name for the production of an independent Ubuntu installation disk, but found it completely useless! To ensure that you have access to the newly established permissions, answer "Yes" when asked if you want to customize your CD during the build. This will give you a dialog to open a new stand or a terminal, or to continue the installation.

To decide or decide

In our example (nickname Bobbuntu) we have installed the Medibutu software repository (see our "Installing third-party software guidance in Ubuntu" for more information) by opening the terminal from the session, run the following command:

wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/jaunty.list--output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/ Medibuntu.list

You can install the GPG key of the warehouse by entering:

Apt-get Update && apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && apt-get Update

Third-party repositories give us access to non-free software such as Adobe Reader,skype and limited-format decoding packages. Select New from the dialog, and when you search for Skype it will show that it is available (you will need to reload the package list).

In the Bobuntu we also removed the OpenOffice.org, with AbiWord and Gnumeric instead. Removed Ekiga and replaced Firefox with Epiphany. You can choose your own software from a LAUNCHAPD PPA source and any third-party repositories, or you can remove software that you rarely use by selecting or not checking the box.

You are free to choose the installation package you need by getting the new one.

Once you click "Apply" to submit your changes, then you will be in the build phase, at this stage your Live CD image will be generated in ~/tmp/remaster-new-files/, called Lived.iso. When the build is over, you can burn your CD or use a virtual machine like VirtualBox to try your own personal Ubuntu derivative version.

UCK has a very good set of features. You can easily select packages, desktop and local resources, and if you are building a release version for Windows users, you can add Wubi. However, Uck lacks the ability to add additional tools or services. For example, without a terminal extension applet, you cannot define the look and feel of your Ubuntu derivative version, and you cannot create a boot image for LIVEUSB (although you can create it from a new live environment).

You are also limited to your main system must be Ubuntu, your final derivative version is a variant of Ubuntu. Despite these shortcomings, UCK is still a good release build environment and a classic tool that you need when you want to simply copy your Ubuntu and build your favorite work environment.

Ubuntu Variant version

Ubuntu is a well-known release that can be easily customized, and for this reason you can see the absurd number of variations that dot the Internet, such as Nubuntu,xubuntu or even a demon version.

Some of these editions include a special landscaping that adds to the experience. The ultimate version, for example with additional tools: GDM Maker and Usplashmarker, use these tools to create your own login and splash screen, and there is also a special version preinstalled for the player. Themes and selected standalone installers (free software and non-free software) are considered to build a "ultimate release".

To the other end of the balance. For example, Mundus OS, bind aliens to install non-Ubuntu software packages, with a pre-installation program to load. dmg files, the rest is vanilla Ubuntu ISO, you can download from the community site.

Whether you want to launch a new package in a radical way or just an interesting wallpaper, you can change it. Who knows, if people like what you're doing, you'll soon see your influence on the DistroWatch.


Whatever you need, there is always a version of Ubuntu variant to meet you.


SUSE Studio
Degree of difficulty: simple; Duration: 30 minutes; customization: Medium
Novell has recently launched a SuSE Studio service that allows you to create openSUSE from any browser. At that time, we reported that this service is very exclusive, it is strictly enforced only to be invited to use, however, you can request an invitation via www.susestudio.com.

Even in the second place, this is a powerful, easy-to-use tool. The main purpose of this service is to enable you to generate a virtual program, for almost all purposes the program is based on SuSE, but for our purposes we can also use it to build our own distribution derivative version. There are a number of ways to tailor your release version at the beginning. You can choose which version of SuSE to use, and then you need to select a base package that defines which desktop and hardware platform your derived version is on. This may be to choose to include Gnome,kde or LXDE as your desktop, or decide that you want to use it on a single server. We recommend that you select openSUSE as your platform and choose a service that is more suitable for home use, although you can choose the Enterprise version if you want.

Further options allow you to define which software is included or rejected, and by using a search tool at the bottom of the page, you can also add repositories and custom RPMs by clicking on RELATED links. Each option interface is as logical and surprising as the base browsing server.

Create a SuSE Studio app


Application: You can choose the desktop, hardware platform and SUSE version here, just click the radio button.


Choose a name: Your computer's stats are now in the right border, updated as you select each step.


Software: Here you can use the search tool to search for packages you want to install or remove. You can also add repositories or upload your own RPMs by clicking on the relevant links.


Configuration: Very free to change the specifics of your system, including adding, localizing, launching applications or any scripts you want to include.


Design: In the same configuration table you can choose the logo and wallpaper, or upload your own. The window at the bottom of the page shows your app's effect.


Build: We choose to build an ISO image, but you can also set up a virtual machine that can be used in your memory to use virtual applications and mirrors.

Custom file Storage
You can customize the visual effects of your derivative release by selecting or uploading logos and wallpaper, giving it a personal feel. Uploading files contained in the/home directory to your derivative release is also a painless experience. This can bring extra benefits, and it's scary if you feel like uploading a big music collection every time you reinstall.

The configuration options are also very extensible, allowing you to define localization, whether you want 32-bit or 64-bit operations, the applications and services you want to execute at startup, or even virtual drives, if you are creating an application instead of a live CD. The flexibility and foresight of this service is excellent and is one of the simplest ways to build a personalized SuSE derivative version that suits your needs.

Although you can configure all of the options, SuSE creates a sensitive default setting based on the base package you choose, so you just change the part you want to change without worrying about being constrained. SUSE Studio is easier to use than any standard restricted site, and by navigating you can easily go back to creating a memory step by clicking on the label on the right.

An excellent service?
Compared to UCK, SUSE Studio gives you more freedom to customize your derivative version, especially if you can start the service on any host through a browser. However, if you do not have a very fast network connection, then downloading your completed app or Live CD is a big disadvantage. You will be immersed in an extraordinarily radical idea, and there will be other official tools that can be used to achieve the same goal.

If you have a fast enough network to use this service, you will feel embarrassed that you can only create a derivative version of SuSE, even though this is the service you expect from Novell (owning and controlling SuSE). However, the code behind SUSE Studio will be released as an open source protocol when it releases the beta version, so we can also see that a similar build-out service will be springing up in the near future. SuSE is a powerful enterprise, and the service supports a very good Linux community. But if you die and you want to derive another release, then Instalinux is the better choice for the next two (see box below)

Other custom Tools


Revisor:
If you like the UCK interface but you have a choice of fedora, you are lucky. Simply download the Revsior using the Package Manager and you can build your derivative version directly. The Revsior does not require an ISO source to work because the package automatically generates a new ISO image that can be burned, can be booted, or can be installed using live USB, although this also means that you need an available Internet connection to download the package core.


Instalinux: If you like the method of use studio, but you can't wait to invite, you can try www.instalinux.com. The interface is not as sophisticated as SuSE studio, and you may miss the setting to add your own style and build virtual apps. Unlike SuSE studio or UCK, however, you can build your own derivative version based on any version of the network, and the resulting image is very small.


Arch Linux
Degree of difficulty: average; time required: 90 min; customization: High

Arch Linux is designed specifically for users who customize it. "Big Talk", we heard someone say, "There are other things here." Of course this is true, but unlike projects like Uck and SuSE studio, Arch Linux uses rolling upgrades to patch vulnerabilities and security artifacts. Then you can have more time to choose a more appropriate desktop and Office software, without having to consider what commands each package needs to compile it to rely on the package.


This also means that arch Linux does not have a release version, and each version is automatically upgraded to the next version. When you choose your release, based on Arch Linux is a good choice, it is very stable. For this reason, Arch Linux is a good start if you want to make more of the basic choices about your release than you do in Uck or SuSE studio.

For each system, the beginning of the kernel installation is quite uniform. You have the opportunity to set which packages and drivers are to be installed, but the rest of the core installation focuses on time zone and localization settings, as well as installing the kernel and installing the boot loader on the hard disk partition. If you want to set up a file manually, but if this is your first time building Linux, you can rest assured of using the Arch Linux wiki step-by-step article description. The advantage of using a wiki login is that you can later edit the file to make your arch Linux better reflect your choices.



Arch Linux offers a large stack of stable performance, as well as a choice concept for intermediate release builders.

After rebooting from the core of the installation (see below), there are a few steps to go before installing the Desktop, window manager, and File Manager. First, enter AddUser in the console and follow the instructions to add a user who can log in with the federated password. Then we need to upgrade the system by running the following command:

Pacman-syu

You might guess that Pacman is our software manager, but this phase won't last long because you have only a small system environment at this stage.

Arch Linux uses Su by default, and if you prefer to use sudo to get root privileges, we can install it and add our users to the sudo user (sudoers) list by using the following command:

Pacman-s sudo
Visudo

In the following file, root (All) = (all) is present, adding:

User (All) = (all) all

Replace user with the login you selected in the configuration step

Installing xorg
Now you can start building a graphical user interface (GUI), an important component is x.org, enter the command below to install the binary package:

sudo pacman-s xorg

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card installed, use the following command to install the driver, configure the application and then apply it to your installation:

sudo pacman-s nvidia
sudo nvidia-xconfig
CP/ETC/SKEL/.XINITRC ~

Users of the ATI graphics card can find additional configuration extensions in Http://bit.ly/QLrGV, as each graphics card may use a different driver or require some additional configuration. Once you have completed this step using the following two lines, you can use the same method of replacing the ati-xconfig with the nvidia-xconfig to achieve the same goal.

Installing Gnome
You can install any desktop manager mentioned in arch Linux that you care about. To install GNOME and a rich set of additional tools, for example, run two lines below:

Pacman-s Gnome
Pacman-s Gnome-extra

Each time you run, you will be asked if you want to install these or the details of your installation. You can follow the onscreen instructions to install the GNOME desktop. After that you need to open the/etc/rc.conf file, find the section called Daemons, ensure it contains port mapping (PORTMAP), real-time File Change monitoring tool (fam--file alteration monitor, the original fam), and hangs the service (HAL) and so on some things. If you have ever installed GDM as your login manager (the package name is GDM), you can set it up by opening the/etc/inittab file and finding the following lines:

# Boot to console Id:3:initdefault:
# Boot to X11 #id: 5:initdefault:

Change them to:

# Boot to console #id: 3:initdefault:
# Boot to X11 Id:5:initdefault:

Then scroll to the bottom of the screen and delete the # before the following line to cancel the annotation:

X:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm-nodaemon

Save and exit. If you want GNOME to run the application or script when it starts, run the following command:

~/.config/autostart/*


Installing KDE
To install the basic KDE 4 desktop, operate:

Pacman-sy KDE

If you like Eye-candy and KDE desktop environment components, you can also install the following packages:

Pacman-s Kde-extragear
Pacman-sy qtcurve-gtk2 Qtcurve-kde4

You can build KDM by installing the following packages:

Pacman-sy kdebase Kdebase-workspace

Then open/open/inittab, like configuring Gnome to modify the file, this time with KDM to replace GDM. Finally, in order to ensure that KDE can run the application at boot time, do:

~/.kde/autostart

Expansion and Promotion
Now that you have an automatically updated, upgraded arch Linux base system, you can install any package you want on your system. Will you install OOO or choose AbiWord and Gunmeric instead? You can install Firefox with custom traces (mentioned in http://bit.ly/T8ZE4). Another wonderful possibility is to use Openbox instead of your entire desktop or use avant Window navigator to run the application. If you want to create a live CD version with your own efforts, you can use larch, a script that creates an ISO based on the image of the hard drive you have installed. The http://larch.berlios.de can be downloaded.

Installing Arch Linux is harder than installing UCK and SuSE Studio, and you can't globally grasp how the package is managed, but in the end you'll get a more flexible and manageable system. And this is the best way you can get your own release version without new recompiling each component from the source code ...

How to install the Arch Linux Foundation

Main Menu: Welcome to the text mode installation world! Follow the onscreen 0-7-step instructions to install the arch core.


Localization: After you have determined how you want to install it, just enter the correct code to represent your country and time zone.


Partitioning: You can use the built-in graphical user interface of the installer to divide your drive, or you can use Cfdisk to manually partition it.


Package: After selecting the kind of package you want, you can choose a separate package. Press the SPACEBAR to select/deselect and press ENTER to continue.


Configuration: Select your text editor (we recommend that new users use nano). You can download some script examples from the Arch Linux wiki. Http://bit.ly/2vWyr


Start: Select the partition you want grub to boot to when you install the boot loader. If the core installation is complete, you can start the desktop installation!

Don't Panic!

The problem that often occurs during the build phase is seeing a black screen without any visual feedback, even if your keyboard or mouse is properly controlled. Although this is a scary thing, but it does not mean to stop, but this is a good proof.

As you can see in the release version, one of the most recent changes in the X service has been the choice to remove the background pattern. For example, before the desktop loads the DSL. You can solve this problem by setting a white background:

X-wr-config xorg.conf.new

If your keyboard or mouse is not detected, try adding the following code to the xorg.conf:

section "Serverlayout"
Option "Allowemptyinput" "Off"
Endsection


You can see a large number of strings prefixed with # In between the first and second rows, just add the second row near the bottom.

However, it is annoying that the Ctrl+alt+backapce shortcut key that recently restarted X service has been removed, and this shortcut is often what you need. To restore this setting, add the following fragment at the end of your xorg.conf:

section "Serverflags"
Option "Dontzap" "False"
Endsection

Linux from Scratch
Difficulty level: high; time requirement: 200 minutes; customization: Very high

There is no more thorough way to build your own core and each important component from the core-driven selection to the default text editor, or the real Linux powerhouse that wants to customize all of their distributions, whether it's the scratch or emacs. This is the meaning of the existence of Linux from scratch. LFS is an e-book created by the online community to help people who are deeply rooted in ways to improve their computer's performance (tweaker) to help them create their own, unique release version without controversy.

The ebook itself (which can be found on the cover CD this month) contains all the details you need to know, from building a cross-platform compiler to using Chroot to build your user environment. However, there are still a lot of tricks (gotchas) to keep in mind when you create your LFS system. However, we have put forward these difficult parts, so you don't have to worry about it. The following is the essence of this ebook, LXF, each of which means that the brain is bloodshot, sweating sleepless nights for everyone. Our test is based on LFS6.3, because this stable live CD contains all the tools, packages and patches we need, but if you want the latest and most powerful LFS (we're going to publish 6.5), then all the ebooks cover how to build the LSF system with your mainstream release. Whichever path you choose, these tips will help you install without controversy!


The Linux from scratch ebook version is clearly formatted and ensures that each stage is in place.

Partition
When you start initializing Cfdisk, the most common mistake is to exit without saving your changes (people then wonder why the MKE2FS hint ' dev/hda1 doesn't exist ' error), so be sure to check your partition again for your user's system before you submit your program.

Local source

If you use the LFS live CD, all of your tools, sources and patches are stored in/lfs-sources. Once you have established a ' lfs ' user, it is recommended that you copy these sources to the $LFS/sources, as you will then be able to complete most stages correctly without the need for root permission. If you encounter any problems, check your working directory again $LFS/sources. The following command returns the/mnt/lfs:

Echo $LFS

Guide
Once you run the GCC build (using the ' bootstarp ' option), we recommend you to leave for a cup of coffee. Then go for another drink, this particular stage takes some time, because you have to compile three times gcc and then compare the third build with the second build. The point of this is to check that the second and third builds are the same, which shows that the GCC you built the first time is correct.

Skipping Bootstarp is possible, but we do not recommend it because it can add strange errors that are not easily diagnosed behind them. Users who have just contacted LFS dispersed in many forums want to know why GCC is talking so long to build and ask if this is normal. That's true, but now enough patience, there will be fewer problems in the future.

In the corresponding topic, it is common for the building process to complete your installation in such a short time that you have decided that it will take longer rather than your short memory to remember. Make sure you don't have anything to forget, or you'll have to go back and fix your mistakes later.

Core API Explorer (Hernel API headers)
The usual error is to mistakenly assume that the kernel API headers is included in your software package. This is not a problem, you need to extract the kernel source package (usually the LINUX-2.6.X.TAR.BZ2 format) and then move the extraction path based on the steps in the ebook.

The strange behavior of the shell
Before you start your LFS, it is important to understand the subtleties of Bsah. You will create a system link, write multiple lines of command (which means you see, you need to press ENTER). You can find this problem in the format of the ebook. Each line in the multi-line command for the entire ebook will not contain > (although you will see it in the terminal). Then, if you see > in the E-book, make sure you enter this character when you knock the command. We may not be aware of the accident and write like this:

Gcc-dumpspecs | Sed ' [Email protected]^/lib/[email protected]/tools&@g '
> ' DirName $ (gcc-print-libgcc-file-name) '/specs

This will cause a singular error state and the file does not exist. The second line should look like this:

> > ' dirname $ (gcc-print-libgcc-file-name) '/specs


With a lot of time and dedication, you can build a version that is as useful as Nutyx.

No typesetting (typos)
If you use the mainstream distribution as your main system, we heartily recommend using copy and Paste commands in the shell. This is mainly because there is no spelling error, and a spelling error may cause a new error in the process behind it (this problem can usually only be resolved using a completely rebuilt method). For those who must manually enter or use the Live CD, be sure to check repeatedly before you execute the command, repeatedly checking that you are using the correct type of parentheses. The manual input will make sense at the beginning, but eventually you will encounter this special Beast Command (Beast):

Gcc_includedir= ' DirName $ (gcc-print-libgcc-file-name) '/include &&
Find ${gcc_includedir}/*-maxdepth 0-xtype d-exec rm-rvf ' {} '; &&
RM-VF ' grep-l ' don't EDIT this FILE ' ${gcc_includedir}/* ' &&
Unset Gcc_includedir

We tried to enter all of this at once, accidentally using a separate parenthesis, which would erase all the things we've done right! You can either copy and paste or enter each line individually when you see &&.

Don't take it lightly
When GCC passes the second time, the configuration becomes simple and the same steps can be used to install a series of packages:

./configure--prefix=/tools
Make
Make install

However, this is not always effective, through the work environment and LFS patches you will follow the quick hit package to make them work correctly. For this reason, you have to review your ebook as often as you have time, so that you can avoid strange behavior and possible errors later on.

Transfer to Root
You should log in to the system with the user ' LFS ', but once you execute the command you should refrigerator to root. You can go back to the LFS user by holding down the ALT and RIGHT ARROW keys (you can use the arrow keys button). In this step, be sure to do the backup as described in the ebook. All of this could result in a bad RM command being executed in the wrong path, which will make you a few hours of hard work. You can create an archive with the following command (thus saving some space):

TAR-CVF--file= $LFS/tools/lfs_build.tar $LFS/tools

Then copy the compressed package to an external storage medium or you can easily restore the system to a place. Even if you're not using an archive backup, you can use it to quickly build another LFS system in the future.

Build the release of your Dreams
Linux from scratch accompanies the ebook, opening the endless possibilities of Windows beyond Linux from Scrach to build an extensible, customizable, standard LFS-based system. LFS discusses how to build a desktop environment and a general package for software package management.

To see how much Linux from scratch can do, then look at Nutyx (www.nutyx.org). This is a French website and has not been used in English so far, but this release already has a comprehensive desktop and application suite, which is very useful.

LFS The key thing is that you can fully master which patches and updates can be applied. Everything is compiled from source code, so it's as fast as lightning. You can always choose whether to upgrade the kernel, which software can, and which software can not run on your system. This may take some time to complete this release build heaven, and then learn to maintain it, but the results are worthwhile.


or the Gentoo way.
If you can't get a release with enough customization potential, it's worth looking at Gentoo. Like Arch Linux, Gentoo supports rolling upgrades, but unlike Arch,gentoo you choose Linux or BSD as the core choice. It also includes services for 300 developer-maintained 10,000 packages, which are distributed through the most advanced package management systems in the Linux world, called Portage, as required by the Gentoo community.

Gentoo compiles all the packages from source code to achieve a stable system, but the arch Linux installation binaries are designed to be the cutting-edge of free software development. Which version you use is determined by your purpose and how much you want to control, but if you can't make a choice between arch and Linux from scratch, Gentoo is worth a try.


Gentoo is a better choice for people who also like LFS and Arch Linux.

Easily build your own Linux distribution