14 Customizing installation images with mksusecd #
mksusecd
is a useful tool for creating a customized
installation image. Use it to modify the regular SUSE Linux Enterprise installation images,
adding and removing files, creating a minimal network installation image,
customizing boot and repository options, and creating a minimal boot image
as an alternative to booting a system from a PXE server.
14.1 Installing mksusecd #
In SLE 15, mksusecd
is in the Development
Tools
module. If this module is not enabled, you must enable it
first. Find the exact module name and SUSEConnect
activation command with zypper
:
>
zypper search-packages mksusecd
Following packages were found in following modules:
Package Module or Repository
-------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------
mksusecd Development Tools Module (sle-module-development-tools/15.4/x86_64)
SUSEConnect --product sle-module-development-tools/15.4/x86_64
To activate the respective module or product, use SUSEConnect --product.
Use SUSEConnect --help for more details.
Enable the module with SUSEConnect:
>
sudo
SUSEConnect --product sle-module-development-tools/15.4/x86_64
Install mksusecd
:
>
sudo
zypper in mksusecd
Run mksusecd --help
to see a complete list of commands.
After you create your custom image, either burn it to a CD/DVD medium using
your preferred disk-writing program, or create a bootable USB flash drive
using the dd
command. Make sure the device is not mounted,
then run the following command:
#
dd
if=myinstaller.iso of=/dev/SDB bs=4M
Then your new bootable device is ready to use.
14.2 Creating a minimal boot image #
Use mksusecd
to create a minimal boot image to start
client machines from a CD/DVD or USB flash drive, in place of starting them
from a PXE boot server. The minimal boot image launches the kernel and
initrd, and then the remaining installation files are fetched from a local
NFS server (see Section 16.1, “Setting up an installation server using YaST”).
Run the following command to create the minimal ISO image:
>
sudo
mksusecd
--create min-install.iso \ --net=nfs://192.168.1.1:/srv/install/ARCH/OS_VERSION/SP_VERSION/cd1 \ /srv/tftpboot/EFI/ARCH/boot
Replace the NFS server address with your own. Replace ARCH with the directory corresponding to the target system architecture. Also replace OS_version and SP_VERSION (service pack) according to your paths in Section 16.1, “Setting up an installation server using YaST”.
14.3 Setting default kernel boot parameters #
Rather than waiting for a boot prompt to enter your custom kernel boot
parameters, configure them in a custom mksusecd
image:
>
sudo
mksusecd --create install.iso \ --boot "textmode=1 splash=silent mitigations=auto"
Verify that your custom parameters loaded correctly after start-up by
querying /proc
:
>
cat /proc/cmdline
14.4 Customizing modules, extensions, and repositories #
SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 supports Modules (not to be confused with kernel modules) and
Extensions for different product components. These are add-ons to the
default Basesystem
, such as Development
Tools
, Desktop Applications
, and SUSE Linux Enterprise
Live Patching
. For more information refer to the
Modules and Extensions Quick Start guide.
With mksusecd
you can create an installation image
containing the additional Modules and Extensions you want. Start by
querying existing images, like this example for SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP4:
>
sudo
mksusecd --list-repos SLE-15-SP4-Full-ARCH-GM-media1.iso Repositories: Basesystem-Module [15.4-0] SUSE-CAP-Tools-Module [15.4-0] Containers-Module [15.4-0] Desktop-Applications-Module [15.4-0] Development-Tools-Module [15.4-0] HPC-Module [15.4-0] Legacy-Module [15.4-0] Live-Patching [15.4-0] Public-Cloud-Module [15.4-0] Python2-Module [15.4-0] SAP-Applications-Module [15.4-0] Server-Applications-Module [15.4-0] Transactional-Server-Module [15.4-0] Web-Scripting-Module [15.4-0] SLEHA15-SP4 [15.4-0] SLE-15-SP4-HPC [15.4-0] SLED15-SP4 [15.4-0] SLES15-SP4 [15.4-0] SLE-15-SP4-SAP [15.4-0] SLEWE15-SP4 [15.4-0] [...]
Create a new installation image that is built from the Modules, Extensions, and repositories that you select, and automatically enable them:
>
sudo
mksusecd --create myinstaller.iso --enable-repos auto \ --include-repos Basesystem-Module,Desktop-Applications-Module \ SLE-15-SP4-Full-ARCH-GM-media1.iso
This example creates an image for installation from the internet. To create
an image for offline installation, additionally add the repository of the
base product, for example SLES15-SP4
for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
>
sudo
mksusecd --create myinstaller.iso --enable-repos auto \ --include-repos SLES15-SP4,Basesystem-Module,Desktop-Applications-Module \ SLE-15-SP4-Full-ARCH-GM-media1.iso
Replace --enable-repos auto
with
--enable-repos ask
to have the installer present a dialog
for choosing modules.
When using the --enable-repos
option,
mksusecd
adds an add_on_products.xml
file for use with AutoYaST to the new image. Modules in this file do not need to
be listed in the in the AutoYaST control file.
14.5 Creating a minimal netinstall ISO #
To create a minimal installation image to launch a network installation, use
the --nano
option:
>
sudo
mksusecd --create netinstall.iso \ --nano SLE-15-SP4-Online-ARCH-GM-media1.iso
14.6 Change default repository #
To set a different repository, such as your own local repository,
use the --net
option:
>
sudo
mksusecd --create localinstall.iso \ --net "https://example.com/local" SLE-15-SP4-Online-ARCH-GM-media1.iso