Clonezilla-SysRescCD
Custom CDs
08/02/2009 - v 3.1.0

Copyright: © 2007-2009, Spiros Georgaras <sng@hellug.gr>	Single page
Last update: 23/12/2009	Printable version

Intro [^]

Customizing the original CDs has to do with adding some features they miss. These are:

• SystemRescueCD - Adding a script to start the X server
  This is necessary to properly start the X server in machines with an ATI graphics card and TFT monitor. I have an ACER laptop with that configuration, and this is the only way to enable the graphical environment.
• Clonezilla Live
  Clonezilla Live has seen huge improvement recently, so there is no need to create a customised CD at this point. All the necessary customisation will be done through the ocs_prerun boot parameter.

The creation of the custom CD is a relatively easy process but a time consuming one. You have to boot from the original CD (which means you have to burn it to a CD-RW), create the customized ISO file and then create the multi boot CD using this customized ISO file.

If you just want to change the splash screen images and title, a much easier alternative is using patch-clonezilla-sysresccd.

Creating Custom SystemRescueCD [^]

You need to have:

• The latest create-clonezilla-sysresccd package. Download it from section "Download" and install it.
• The latest stable SystemRescueCD ISO. Download it from here: latest-sysresccd.
• A linux formatted (ext2, ext3, reiserfs, xfs, jfs) hard disk or partition with at least 700MB of free space. I will use /dev/hdb4 here; you will have to replace it with the device you will use.

Procedure [^]

This info comes from the page titled Sysresccd-manual-en How to personalize SystemRescueCd found at the SystemRescueCD site.

1. Boot into SystemRescueCD
   
   If you already have the current Clonezilla-SysRescCD on CD, just put it in the CD drive and reboot.
   
   Otherwise, you have to burn the System Rescue ISO file to a CD-RW, and reboot your system with your new CD. Note that you have to do a normal boot (no copy to RAM) for this to work. Assuming your CD writer is /dev/hdc you execute the command:

   cdrecord dev=/dev/hdc driveropts=burnfree /path/to/sysresccd.iso

   If you have to erase the CD first, execute the command

   cdrecord dev=/dev/hdc blank=fast

   When the system is fully up

2. Mount the working partition

   mount /dev/hdb4 /mnt/custom

3. If your normal root (/) partition is not /dev/hdb4, like in my case, mount this partition too. I will use /dev/hdb1 here; you may have to replace with your own.

   mkdir /mnt/r
   mount /dev/hdb1 /mnt/r

   otherwise execute the command:

   ln -s /mnt/custom /mnt/r

4. Extract the current files from the sysrcd.dat image

   cd /mnt/custom
   /usr/sbin/sysresccd-custom extract

   If there is no error, all the files of the squashfs image should have been copied in /mnt/custom/customcd/files/

5. Install the new files

   cp /mnt/r/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/startx-ati-tft /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin
   chmod +x /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin/startx-ati-tft
   cp /mnt/r/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/what-cd /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin
   chmod +x /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin/what-cd
   cp /mnt/r/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/continue-multi-cd /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin
   chmod +x /mnt/custom/customcd/files/usr/bin/continue-multi-cd
   tar -C /mnt/custom/customcd/isoroot -xzf /mnt/r/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/doc.tar.gz
   tar -C /mnt/custom/customcd/files -xzf /mnt/r/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/doc.tar.gz

6. Create the new squashfs image

   /usr/sbin/sysresccd-custom squashfs

7. Set the default keymap (optional)
   In the official version, System Rescue Cd asks you to select a keymap at startup. If you want to avoid seeing this menu and define a permanent keymap, you can run this command: /usr/sbin/sysresccd-custom setkmap <your-keymap>. The second parameter is the name or the number of your keymap in the menu.
   
   Set english keymap as default:

   /usr/sbin/sysresccd-custom setkmap en

8. Create the new ISO image
   Just type the following commands. The second parameter of the first command the volume name for the CDRom.

   /usr/sbin/sysresccd-custom isogen my_srcd
   mv /mnt/custom/customcd/isofile/sysresccd-new.iso /mnt/custom
   rm -fr /mnt/custom/customcd

9. Synchronize your disks

   cd /
   umount /mnt/custom
   umount /mnt/r
   sync

10. Test the ISO image
    The new final ISO image is sysresccd-new.iso in /dev/hdb4. You can test it with VMWare or qemu.

Creating Multi Boot custom CD [^]

You need to have:

• The linux formatted (ext2, ext3, reiserfs, xfs, jfs) hard disk or partition with at least 700MB of free space, used when following the procedures above. I will assume /dev/hdb4 here; you will have to replace it with the device you have used. I will also assume that this partition is mounted in /data when your normal linux box is operational. Again you will have to use the corresponding mount point.

• Both the customized CD created following the procedures above and the original Clonezilla Live CD. These are:

  /data/sysresccd-new.iso and
  /data/clonezilla-live-1.2.1-39.iso

Procedure [^]

1. Boot into your normal Linux system, as root

2. Create a new profile
   Open /root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/profiles.conf in a text editor and add the lines:

   profile[3]=Multi-boot-modified
   sysCDP[3]=/data/sysresccd-new.iso
   cloneCDP[3]=/data/clonezilla-live-1.2.1-39.iso
   cfgFileP[3]=/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/menu-iso.tar.gz
   DebianLiveFolderP[3]=/data
   exScriptP[3]=/root/.clonezilla-sysresccd/files/extra-code
   outNameP[3]='full-mod'

   If you want to use a customized splash screen, create a 640x480 32-bit png image file (for example splash-screen.png) providing your logo, personal page, email address etc., save it in /data and add the line

   splashP[3]=/data/splash-screen.png

   Finally customize any other variable for profile 3, as you see them used in previously defined profiles.
   
   If sysCDP[3] is already defined (profile 3 already exists), just use the first available number. This goes for every entry in this step.

3. Create the final CD using the new profile
   Execute the command:

   create-clonezilla-sysresccd -p 3

   This will create the file /root/tmp/clonezilla-sysresccd-full-mod-3.1.0.iso. You will be asked to burn it to CD, but I would suggest not to do it right now, not before testing it.

4. Cleaning up

   cd /data
   rm clonezilla-live-1.2.1-39.iso sysresccd-new.iso
   \
   debian-live-for-ocs.iso unifont.bgf
   cd
   umount /data

5. Test the ISO image
   Now you have the file clonezilla-sysresccd-full-mod-3.1.0.iso in /root/tmp. You can test it with VMWare or qemu, if you haven't already burnt it to CD.

Using patch-clonezilla-sysresccd [^]

patch-clonezilla-sysresccd is a script which will help you create a customized version of Clonezilla-SysRescCD, by changing the splash screen images and title.

In order to use it, you have to have both the latest Clonezilla-SysRescCD ISO file and tarball archive. You can download them from the Download section.

Its help screen is the following:

# patch-clonezilla-sysresccd -h
patch-clonezilla-sysresccd - v 2.2.0
(C) 2008, Spiros Georgaras <sng@hellug.gr>

A utility to personalize Clonezilla-SysRescCD

Usage: patch-clonezilla-sysresccd [options]

Available options are:
  i [file or device]  input file or cdrom device
  o [iso file]        outpup ISO file. If not specified, implies burn ISO file (-b)
                        and delete ISO file (-d)
  s [png image]       boot splash screen
  r [png image]       restore splash screen
  t [title]           boot screen title
  p [partition]       partition to be used as temporary storage location and/or final
                        ISO file creation location (e.g -p hda)
  k                   Do not create/burn the ISO file. Just make the modified files 
                        available for further customization (optional)
  b                   burn ISO file to CD (optional)
  f                   burn ISO file to CD on the fly (optional)
  w                   writter device to use (optional)
  d                   delete ISO file after burning to CD.
                      Implies burn ISO file (-b) (optional)
  v                   print version and exit
  h                   print this screen and exit

patch-clonezilla-sysresccd requires you to provide two images, one for the splash screen of your Clonezilla-SysRescCD (parameter -s), and one that will be used by the restore CD/DVD creation procedure (parameter -r).