NAME
Tazlito - SliTaz Live Tool.
SYNTAX
tazlito [command] [list|iso|flavor] [dir]
DESCRIPTION
Tazlito is a small utility to extract a LiveCD, rebuild the ISO image and regenerate the root filesystem of the LiveCD. Tazlito can also generate a distribution from a list of packages previously downloaded. To run, Tazlito uses the configuration file /etc/tazlito/tazlito.conf or an easily generated tazlito.conf found in the current directory. It specifies the name of the ISO, volume, maintainer and the paths of the packages to distribute and the generated ISO. Tazlito can also set up a directory containing additional files which will be copied to the LiveCD when generating the distribution.
Tazlito is distributed under the free GNU licence GPL V3, installed by default on SliTaz and installed/sucessfully tested on Debian GNU/Linux. You will find additional information about creating a LiveCD in the Handbook.
COMMANDS
usage
The 'usage' command displays a summary of available commands with a short description:
# tazlito usage
stats
Stats displays the configuration variables, the paths to the various files and directories, and information on the ISO image:
# tazlito stats
gen-config
The 'gen-config' command allows you to generate a configuration file ready to be edited. By default the file is created in the current directory, but can be in another directory if specified via the command line:
# tazlito gen-config # tazlito gen-config /path/to/distro
configure
This command configures the system configuration file or one found in the current directory:
# tazlito configure
gen-iso
The 'gen-iso' command can generate a new LiveCD image following modifications and additions to the root filesystem of the cdrom. To function, this command needs a directory containing the distro-tree of the Live system. This tree can easily be built with the 'extract-distro' command, modified and rebuilt via:
# tazlito gen-iso
gen-initiso
The 'gen'initso' command will do the same work as 'gen-iso', but it rebuilds the initramfs compressed system prior. The initramfs contains the root filesystem and must be rebuilt if modified:
# tazlito gen-initiso
list-flavors
The 'list-flavors' command downloads (if necessary) and displays a list of the different flavors available. You can force the download with the --recharge option:
# tazlito list-flavors # tazlito list-flavors --recharge
get-flavor
The 'get-flavor' command downloads (if necessary) and prepares the files for 'gen-distro' to generate a flavor:
# tazlito get-flavor particular-flavor
show-flavor
The 'show-flavor' command displays the description of the flavor and its size after regeneration. The options --brief and --noheader reduce the output displayed:
# tazlito show-flavor particular-flavor # tazlito show-flavor particular-flavor --brief # tazlito show-flavor particular-flavor --brief --noheader
gen-flavor
The 'gen-flavor' command creates a description file of a new flavor from the results of generating a distro (gen-distro). The .flavor file can then be sent to slitaz.org:
# tazlito gen-flavor new-flavor
gen-liveflavor
The 'gen-liveflavor' command creates a description file of a new flavor from the results of generating a distro based on the current system. The --help option provides more information:
# tazlito gen-liveflavor # tazlito gen-liveflavor --help
upgrade-flavor
The `upgrade-flavor' command refreshes a flavor file by updating the list of packages with the latest versions available:
# tazlito upgrade-flavor this-flavor
extract-flavor
The 'extract-flavor' command converts a flavor into an easily modifiable tree structure in /home/slitaz/VERSION/flavors which can be managed with mercurial: http://hg.slitaz.org/flavors. For example on cooking you will have the work directory in /home/slitaz/cooking.
# tazlito extract-flavor this-flavor
pack-flavor
The 'pack-flavor' command converts a tree structure in /home/slitaz/VERSION/flavors into a flavor file (.flavor). It is inverse of 'tazlito extract-flavor':
# tazlito pack-flavor this-flavor
extract-distro
The 'extract-distro' command is used to extract an ISO image from the LiveCD to rebuild the structure of the root cdrom and system. It is then possible to make the desired changes or additions and rebuild the ISO image via 'gen-iso' or 'gen-initiso'. Example of use:
# tazlito extract-distro slitaz-cooking.iso
gen-distro
The Generate Distribution command can generate the distro-tree and an ISO image via a list of packages. To function, this command needs a list of packages, a directory containing all the (.tazpkg) packages on the list, and a directory to generate the distribution. The list of packages can be extracted from a flavor with the 'get-flavor' command. If one uses the LiveCD, the options --cdrom and --iso= permit the regeneration of packages that place files in /boot without being obliged to download them and recovers the additional files of the LiveCD. The path to the various directories are configured in the configuration file and packages can be downloaded from the SliTaz mirrors or generated by Cookutils. To generate a distribution:
# tazlito gen-distro # tazlito gen-distro --cdrom # tazlito gen-distro --iso=slitaz.iso # tazlito gen-distro package-list
clean-distro
Removes all files generated or extracts of the structure of the LiveCD:
# tazlito clean-distro
check-distro
This command simply verifies if files installed by the packages are present on the system:
# tazlito check-distro
writeiso
This command will write the current filesystem to a cpio archive (rootfs.gz) and then generate a bootable ISO image. Writeiso can be used in a HD install or in live mode and will also archive your current /home directory. This command lets you easily remaster and build your own LiveCD image, just boot, modify any files, and then:
# tazlito writeiso [gzip|lzma|none] # tazlito writeiso gzip # tazlito writeiso gzip image-name
frugal-install
Perfom a frugal installation into /boot/frugal and add a GRUB entry if needed. Frugal mode will make SliTaz work completely in memory (RAM) - useful to test a distro without burning an ISO or to have a rescue system ready to use when the computer powers on. To install all needed files from a distro tree or an ISO image:
# tazlito frugal-install # tazlito -fi slitaz.iso
check-list
Checks if the distro-packages.list is updated with the latest package versions:
# tazlito check-list
repack
Recompresses the rootfs with the best possible compression:
# tazlito repack slitaz.iso
merge
Combines several flavors like nested Russian dolls. Each rootfs is a subset of the previous. The first rootfs is extracted from the ISO image used in the third argument. The flavor will then be chosen to launch at startup according to the amount of RAM available:
# tazlito merge 160M slitaz-core.iso 96M rootfs-justx.gz 32M rootfs-base.gz
build-loram
Creates an ISO image flavor for low ram systems from a SliTaz ISO image. You can build a flavor with / always in ram or where / resides on the cdrom:
# tazlito build-loram slitaz.iso loram.iso # tazlito build-loram slitaz.iso loram-cdrom.iso cdrom
emu-iso
The emu-iso command uses the Qemu emulator to start and run SliTaz. Qemu is used to test the newly built ISO image without burning to a cdrom or booting into frugal mode:
# tazlito emu-iso # tazlito emu-iso path/to/image.iso
burn-iso
Burn-iso will guess the cdrom device and its speed, and wodim (part of cdrkit) will begin to burn an ISO image. The default ISO image is the one located in the current configuration file, but it's possible to specify a different image via the command line:
# tazlito burn-iso # tazlito burn-iso slitaz-hacked.iso
FLAVORS
A .flavor file contains just a few KB of information needed to (re)manufacture a custom LiveCD of SliTaz.
Manufacture a flavor
You can choose the flavor to (re)manufacture from among those available:
# tazlito list-flavors List of flavors ================================================================================ Name ISO Rootfs Description ================================================================================ base 6.9M 13.1M Minimal set of packages to boot core-3in1 31.5M 105.6M SliTaz core system with justX and base alternatives core 31.5M 104.6M SliTaz core system eeepc 31.2M 105.4M SliTaz eeepc system justX 16.1M 51.2M SliTaz with a minimal X environment
We will start by remanufacturing the eeepc flavor which uses 105.4M of RAM and has a CD-ROM size of 31.2M:
# tazlito clean-distro # tazlito get-flavor eeepc # tazlito gen-distro
Create a flavor
To create a flavor, you must:
- Either create an ISO image with tazlito gen-distro and then create a flavor file with tazlito gen-flavor
- Either directly create the tree structure that defines the flavor (see tazlito extract-flavor) and then create the flavor with tazlito pack-flavor
- Either use the online builder
Post a flavor
Because a .flavor file contains just a few KB; it can be easily sent via the mailing list.
The results of tazlito extract flavor can also be put in mercurial (http://repos.slitaz.org/flavors). This method is preferred because the tree will be directly visible with the mercurial web interface.
This tree includes:
-
A receipt file describing the flavor thanks to the variables:
- FLAVOR: The flavor name.
- SHORT_DESC: Short description.
- VERSION: Free format.
- MAINTAINER: Email address of maintainer.
- FRUGAL_RAM: Minimum RAM required (optional).
- ROOTFS_SIZE: Size of rootfs.gz decompressed into RAM (optional).
- INITRAMFS_SIZE: Size of rootfs.gz on the CD-ROM (optional).
- ISO_SIZE: Size of CD-ROM (optional).
- ROOTFS_SELECTION: Optional, see Meta flavor below.
- The file packages.list containing the list of packages without specifying the version (tazlito uses the latest available). This file is missing if ROOTFS_SELECTION exists in the receipt.
- The optional mirrors file containing the list of unofficial mirrors (undigest) to be added to include personal packages.
- The optional directory rootfs containing the tree to add to the root filesystem rootfs.gz (configuration files usually).
- The optional directory rootcd containing the tree to add to the root of the CD-ROM.
Adapt a flavor
It is often easier to modify an existing flavor than to create one from scratch. To adapt the eeepc flavor for example:
# tazpkg get-install mercurial # cd /home/slitaz # hg clone http://hg.slitaz.org/flavors # cd flavors # cp -a eeepc myslitaz
Files in my-slitaz can then be changed, and:
# tazlito pack-flavor myslitaz
Will simply create the new flavor.
Tip: you can skip mercurial installation by extracting a flavor. Using the previous example:
# tazlito get-flavor eeepc # tazlito extract-flavor eeepc.flavor # cd /home/slitaz/flavors # cp -a eeepc myslitaz
Meta flavor
A meta flavor contains several flavors like nested Russian dolls. The flavor will be launched at startup according to the amount of RAM available. The ROOTFS_SELECTION variable defines the minimim RAM and corresponding flavor parameters, example:
ROOTFS_SELECTION="160M core 96M justX 32M base"
A meta flavor doesn't contain a list of packages (packages.list). SliTaz kernels prior to 2.6.30 do not support meta flavors.
MAINTAINER
Christophe Lincoln <pankso at slitaz.org>