Create a Custom Live Linux CD - Leveraging BusyBox

Mike Chirico ([email protected]) or ([email protected])
Copyright (c) 2005 (GNU Free Documentation License)
Last Updated: Sun Nov 13 09:07:31 EST 2005

The latest version of this document can be found at:
http://souptonuts.sourceforge.net/cdrom.htm

Create a Custom Live Linux CD - Leveraging BusyBox and OpenSSH

These steps will show you how to create a functioning Linux system, with the latest 2.6 kernel compiled from source, and how to integrate the BusyBox utilities including the installation of DHCP. Plus, how to compile in the OpenSSH package. The system will have full ssh capabilities. The techniques for compiling and installing software can be universally applied to your own packages. So, once you understand the process, you are free to recreate your own system -- there is a lot of free space.

On system boot-up a filesystem will be created and the contents from the CD will be uncompressed and completely loaded into RAM -- the CD could be removed at this point for boot-up on a second computer. You can take over any PC assuming you have configured the kernel with the appropriate drivers and the PC can boot from a CD.

QUICK INSTALL: Confirmation that Everything Works - Before Rolling You Own

Quick step 1:

Download "cdrom_linux_boot_proj1.iso" and burn this iso on your cdrom. Next, reboot the system. This is a check to see if the current kernel has been compiled with the necessary network, video, and keyboard (USB included) drivers. If critical drivers are not recognized they can be added into the kernel.

Quick step 2:

Download the complete project environment "proj1.tar.gz." This includes everything used to build and customize "cdrom_linux_boot_proj1.iso", including the BusyBox source, libraries, and ssh. The directory "_install" contains the necessary libraries for ssh, init and tcpdump. The 2.6.11 kernel ".config" can be found in the documents directory. The staging area contains a copy of the kernel bzImage,