Customize Your Own Mini Linux Distro!, Make it like your own! Options

[Keo-Keo]

Customize Your own Mini Linux Distro

Requirements:
Linux OS or
Linux Server
Basic Linux knowledge
Ltools or Anyother mini linux distro..
mkfs.cramfs (do locate mkfs.cramfs if not found look online for it)

This is just a small guide for those who would like to make a mini linux distro for building an installer of some kind or just haing something you can call your own..

Step 1: Get a prebuilt mini linux distro

For this tutorial i use ltools 1.8.. You can use any prebuilt mini linux distro such as chimps tools. After you get this the only file we'll need to edit is the initrd file..

This is where all the files are stored in mini linux..


Step 2: Extract the initrd ftp it and mount it..

Open your mini linux zip folder and look for the initrd file.. If you are using linux then place it in your /home/username folder..

If you are using a linux server like me i just placed the initrd folder in /root/

now we must make a dir to mount it to..

CODE

mkdir /mnt/initrdtest

Now lets mount the initrd folder in there

CODE

mount -o loop /root/initrd /mnt/initrdtest/
cd /mnt/initrdtest/

YAY! we now have the initrd file mounted.. BUT OH NO! It's readonly!!!

Step 3: Make a new initrd folder RW

Now that we have the mini linux initrd file mounted to /mnt/initrd how do we get RW to that folder? The anwser is we don't! We create a new folder and copy the files from old initrd into it..

Lets make a new folder

CODE

mkdir /mnt/initrd

Now lets copy the files from /mnt/initrdtest/ to /mnt/initrd

CODE

cp /mnt/initrdtest/* /mnt/initrd/ -Rf

Cool now we have own RW initrd folder.. It should look somthing like This

Step 4: edit files to your likeing add new program get rid of some old one's.. Have fun!

to edit the boot up script you'll need to open the linuxrc in a text editor.. I use Joe you can use nano or vi.. Edit to your liking..

Step 5: remake your initrd file..

I wrote a small shell script to do mine.. Here i'll make one for us!

CODE

#!/bin/sh
###################################################################
###        Simple Initrd maker ha add to make a banner          ###
###            This script is for creating initrd               ###
###               Script By Keo-Keo XS Forums                   ###
### Edit this how ever you want but don't remove this THANKS!   ###
###################################################################

echo -e "Creating initrd"
sleep 1
# if your path is diffrent to the initrd folders
# or to mkfs.cramfs then make changes to match those!
/sbin/mkfs.cramfs /mnt/initrdtest/ /mnt/initrd
echo -e "Done!"
sleep 1
exit

Copy the code and paste it in a text editor.. Then save it as /sbin/cominitrd
Then type in cominitrd and it should remake your initrd file.. Comes in handy when your testing instead of manually typin all that in!..

Your new initrd file should now be in /mnt/initrd !

Good Luck

This method should work for editing files in xboxhdm as well.



This post has been edited by friedgold: Sep 13 2005, 04:17 AM

[chadkeck]

?

Is there supposed to be a link somewhere?

[Keo-Keo]

see first post

This post has been edited by friedgold: Sep 13 2005, 04:18 AM

[Stine]

so is this to make any Liinux Distro run under xbox? or just to make mini Distros for your PC?

[jcupp114]

Sorry about the pm's I didnt know about this. Noob's ness on my part. Thank you for your help and this tutorial. Awesome stuff.

Jcupp114

[Keo-Keo]

so is this to make any Liinux Distro run under xbox? or just to make mini Distros for your PC?

This is just for making mini linux.. Since we are already using a custome compiled kernal all we have to do is edit the files.. Now you can also use this method for adding files to the live debian CD.. But when you start messing with the knoppix compression (cloop) Gets to hard..

@Jcupp114

No it's okay.. I made this today actually! I figured it would help out a few people who might have the same questions as you do..

This post has been edited by Keo-Keo: Mar 2 2005, 07:12 AM

[jcupp114]

I just got the 007 game save going and did a quick backup with the 1.8.1 ltools ported to 007 and saw that when executing in linux as I selected the backup function.
The log tries to write to the ma save path instead of the 007 save path. Which folder once the initrd is mounted would have this function?
I have been through the idots folder and changed all that apply however i did let the backup of the scripts remain as I sifted the scripts. Could these backup files of the modified scripts be causing this?

Anyone???


Thank you for your time. Jcupp114

[friedgold]

Nice

I moved you tutorial so it's the first post in the thread and added it to the pinned list of tutorials.

[Keo-Keo]

Ha.. This is old look at the date.. Back when i was in development of pre beta of opendash ;-).. Thanks

[jcupp114]

The project is going very well. I did get the installer going in the 007 AUF gamesave and works very well. I am looking now into adding the nkp10 and new dualboot options along with the ndure.... We will see though....
Thankyou for your help keo keo and the nix thread.
Take care
Jcupp114