9. Installing the generated ISO image

chapter-9

Installing the generated ISO image

ISOs created by eggs, can use two differents system installer:

• calamares system installer: a GUI installer;

• krill system installer: a TUI installer inside eggs.

calamares Installer (GUI)

calamares is a graphical installer framework that provides a user-friendly interface for installing your distribution.

It offers a visual systematic installation process, making it easier for users who prefer a graphical interface.

To use the Calamares installer, you can run the eggs calamares command. This command allows you to configure, install, or configure Calamares.

krill Installer (TUI):

krill is a command-line interface (CLI) system installer provided by eggs.

It offers a text-based installation process, allowing you to install your distribution without a graphical interface.

The krill installer is designed for users who need a command-line installation experience, it's little, but it's look and feel take very much from the giant calamares, just little and CLI. Also his name: krill. come as an omage to the big calamares project.

To use the krill installer, just run: eggs install command.

considerations

• calamares let you to get dual boot (Windows/Linux), it's generally safe and it's the most diffused GUI installer;

• calamares, as GUI software, need the presence of a GUI interface - both X or Wayland, it's not available on CLI systems;

• as external software, calamares must to be installed before produce the ISO;

• krill - as part of eggs - is always availabe, for CLI and GUI systems;

• if calamares is present, krill rely on calamares configuration under /etc/calamares, without calamares, krill generate it's own configuration on /etc/penguins-eggs.d/krill.d;

• calamares and krill can install and remove packages during system installation, using the same module: packages.conf, the same is valid for partitions.conf module.

• sometime is convenient to use krill, in place of calamares, when we don't need dual boot, becouse is light and fastest, with the possibility to get unattended system installation with various parameters;

calamares installer (GUI)

Calamares is an open-source installation framework designed to simplify the installation process of Linux distributions. It provides a user-friendly, modular, and customizable graphical installer for Linux operating systems. Calamares aims to be distribution-agnostic, meaning it can be used by various Linux distributions with different desktop environments. The main goal of Calamares is to provide an easy-to-use installation experience for both novice and experienced users. It offers a simple and intuitive interface that guides users through the installation process, allowing them to configure various aspects of the system, such as disk partitioning, user accounts, localization settings, and more.

Calamares is written in C++ and uses the Qt framework for its graphical user interface. It is designed to be highly customizable and extensible, allowing Linux distributions to tailor the installer to their specific needs. Distribution developers can customize the appearance, behavior, and functionality of Calamares by creating or modifying modules, which are individual components that handle specific installation tasks. By using Calamares, Linux distributions can provide a consistent and user-friendly installation experience, making it easier for users to install and try out their operating systems. It abstracts away many of the complexities of the installation process, making it accessible to a wider range of users and contributing to a more welcoming Linux ecosystem.

calamares views

These are the commonly view in a typical Calamares installation:

• Welcome: This module provides an introduction and overview of the installation process. It may include information about the distribution and its features.

• Location: This module allows users to select their geographic location, which is used to set the system's time zone.

• Keyboard: This module enables users to choose their preferred keyboard layout or input method.

• Partitions: The partitions module allows users to configure disk partitions for the installation. It provides options for automatic partitioning or manual partitioning, including the ability to create, resize, or format partitions.

• Users: This module allows users to set up user accounts and configure user-related settings, such as usernames, passwords, and user privileges.

• Summary: The summary module provides a summary of the chosen installation settings and allows users to review and confirm their choices before proceeding with the installation.

• Install: This module handles the actual installation process, copying the necessary files to the designated partitions and configuring the system accordingly.

• Finish: The finish module marks the completion of the installation process and may prompt users to reboot their system.

Additionally, there are optional modules available in Calamares, which are used for specific use cases or distributions:

calamares installation

Calamares is a great tool and can be found on Debian, Devuan, Manjaro and Ubuntu original repositories, but not on Arch repositories.

Due the need to find it and configure it's policy to remove the need to introduce root password to start the installation from the live, the right way is to install i by eggs.

sudo eggs calamares --install

Wait for the installation process to complete. The package manager will download and install Calamares along with any necessary dependencies.

Calamares configuration

After installing calamares, the configuration files can be found in the following path:

/etc/calamares

/etc/calamares/

In this directory, you will find various configuration files that allow you to customize and fine-tune the behavior of Calamares during the installation process. These files include:

/etc/calamares/settings.conf

This file serves as the main configuration file for calamares. It contains global settings and options that determine the behavior of the installer. You can modify various parameters such as the theme, language, keyboard layout, partitioning scheme, and more.

sequence

The provided sequence of steps and exec in the settings.conf file appears to be a configuration for an installation or deployment process. Here's a breakdown of the sequence and their corresponding actions:

show:

• welcome

• locale

• keyboard

• partition

• users

• summary

These are steps to display various screens or prompts to the user during the installation process, including welcome messages, language/locale selection, keyboard configuration, partitioning options, user account setup, and a summary of the installation choices.

exec:

This section contains a series of actions to be executed during the installation process. Each action represents a specific task or operation:

• partition: Handles partitioning of the disk.

• mount: Mounts the necessary file systems.

• unpackfs: Unpacks the file system.

• sources-yolk: Configures software sources.

• machineid: Sets the machine ID.

• fstab: Configures the file system table.

• locale: Sets the system locale.

• keyboard: Configures the keyboard layout.

• localecfg: Configures locale-related settings.

• luksbootkeyfile: Handles LUKS boot key file setup.

• users: Sets up user accounts.

• displaymanager: Configures the display manager.

• networkcfg: Configures network settings.

• hwclock: Handles hardware clock configuration.

• services-systemd : Configure systemd

• bootloader-config : configura bootloader

• grubcfg : configure grub

• bootloader: install grub

• packages: install/remove packages

• luksbootkeyfile:

• plymouthcfg: configure plymouth

• initramfscfg: configure initramfs

• initramfs: create inittramfs

• dpkg-unsafe-io-undo

• removeuser: remove live user

• sources-yolk-undo: remove sources-yolk

• cleanup: cleaup

• umount: umount filesystem

/etc/calamares/branding

This directory defines the branding information for Calamares. It allows you to specify the name, logo, and other visual elements that will be displayed during the installation process. By customizing this file, you can create a consistent branding experience for your distribution.

The branding directory in Calamares allows you to define the branding information for your distribution during the installation process. By customizing this file, you can create a consistent and personalized branding experience. Here is what you can specify in the branding.desc file:

/etc/calamares/branding/branding-name/branding.desc

• name: You can set the name of your distribution or customize the name that will be displayed during the installation. This helps users identify your distribution throughout the installation process.

• logo: You can specify the logo or icon that represents your distribution. This image will be displayed in various places during the installation, such as the installer's welcome screen or progress bar.

• Visual Elements: Apart from the name and logo, you can also define other visual elements to create a cohesive branding experience. This may include specifying colors, fonts, or any other design elements that align with your distribution's brand identity.

By customizing the branding.desc file, you can ensure that the installer reflects the unique identity of your distribution. It helps create a consistent and recognizable experience for users during the installation process.

/etc/calamares/branding/branding-name/show.qml

The /etc/calamares/branding/branding-name/show.qml file refers to a specific QML (Qt Meta-Object Language) file used in the Calamares installer framework. This file is typically located in the /etc/calamares/branding/branding-name directory.

The purpose of the show.qml file within the branding directory is to define the graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying screens or pages during the installation process, specifically for a particular branding or customization of the Calamares installer.

By modifying the show.qml file, you can customize the appearance, layout, and behavior of the installer's user interface to match a specific branding or theme. This allows Linux distributions and system integrators to tailor the installation experience to their desired look and feel. Please note that the specific contents and structure of the show.qml file can vary depending on the branding or customization being applied. The file may contain QML code that defines the layout, styling, and interactive elements of the installer screens, such as labels, buttons, input fields, and progress indicators.

To view the contents of the /etc/calamares/branding/show.qml file on your system, you can use a text editor or command-line tools like cat or less. For example, you can run the following command in a terminal:

less /etc/calamares/branding/eggs/show.qml

/etc/calamares/modules

This directory lists the modules that calamares should load during the installation. Each module represents a specific step or functionality in the installation process.

By enabling or disabling modules, you can control which features are available to the user during installation. EXAMPLES: of modules include partitioning, user account creation, bootloader installation, and more.

• Partitioning: The partitioning module handles the disk partitioning process, allowing users to create, resize, or delete partitions as needed.

• User Account Creation: This module enables users to create user accounts during the installation process, specifying usernames, passwords, and other account details.

• Bootloader Installation: The bootloader module handles the installation and configuration of the bootloader, allowing users to choose the boot device and configure boot options.

• Localization: This module allows users to select the system's language, keyboard layout, timezone, and other regional settings.

• Package Selection: The package selection module enables users to choose the software packages they want to install, allowing for customization and fine-tuning of the system's software selection.

• Summary and Installation: This module presents a summary of the selected options and performs the actual installation process.

These are just a few EXAMPLES: of the modules that can be included in the modules.conf file. By modifying this file, you can enable or disable specific modules based on your requirements, thus controlling which features are available to the user during the installation.

Using Krill installer (TUI)

The krill installer (TUI) in the eggs tool allows for a command-line installation experience. Here's a breakdown of the usage, flags, and descriptions provided:

The command sudo eggs install or sudo eggs krill provides various flags to customize the installation process.

  -H, --halt            Halt the system after installation
  -N, --none            Swap none: 256M
  -S, --suspend         Swap suspend: RAM x 2
  -b, --btrfs           Format btrfs
  -c, --chroot          chroot before to end
  -d, --domain=<value>  Domain name, defult: .local
  -h, --help            Show CLI help.
  -i, --ip              hostname as ip, eg: ip-192-168-1-33
  -k, --crypted         Crypted CLI installation
  -n, --nointeractive   no user interaction
  -p, --pve             Proxmox VE install
  -r, --random          Add random to hostname, eg: colibri-ay412dt
  -s, --small           Swap small: RAM
  -u, --unattended      Unattended installation
  -v, --verbose         Verbose

The command must run with administrative privileges using sudo. The description mentions that it is a CLI system installer where the °egg became a penguin,° possibly indicating a transition or transformation of some sort.

/etc/penguins-eggs.d/krlll or /etc/calamares/

krill uses for its configuration /etc/penguins-eggs.d/krlll or, if calamares is installed, exploits the latter's configuration in /etc/calamares/.

Of this configuration, the only configuration actually used is /etc/penguins-eggs.d/krlll/modules and in particular, this modules are read and used:

• partition.conf

• unpackfs: Unpacks the file system.

• sources-yolk: Configures software sources.

• removeuser: remove live user

• sources-yolk-undo: remove sources-yolk

• cleanup: cleaup

/etc/penguins-eggs.d/krill.yaml

The remain configurations of krill are stored on /etc/penguins-eggs.d/krill.yaml used for configuring the installation settings.

This is a yaml file, and can be customized. Let's go show the different sections of the configuration:

 Penguins' eggs
# krill.yaml
---
# welcome (put your language, example: it_IT.UTF-8)
language: 'en_US.UTF-8'

# location (put your location, example region: "Europe", zone: "Rome")
region: 'America'
zone: 'New_York'

# keyboard (put your values example: keyboardModel: "pc105", keyboardLayout: "it")
keyboardModel: 'pc105'
keyboardLayout: 'us'
keyboardVariant: ''
keyboardOption: ''

# partition (leave it unchanged)
installationDevice: ''
installationMode: 'standard'
filesystemType: 'ext4'
userSwapChoice: 'small'

# users (Here you can put your default user, password, etc)
name: 'artisan'
fullname: 'artisan'
password: 'evolution'
rootPassword: 'evolution'
autologin: true
hostname: ''

# network (leave it unchanged)
iface: ""
addressType: 'dhcp'
address: ''
netmask: ''
gateway: ''
domain: ''
dns: ''

image43