Create an antiX/MX LiveUSB
sudo apt-get update # if needed
sudo apt-get install git # if needed
git clone https://github.com/BitJam/live-usb-maker
git clone https://github.com/BitJam/cli-shell-utils
cd live-usb-maker
sudo ./live-usb-maker
Usage: live-usb-maker [<options>] [default|expert|simple|gui]
Create a live-usb from an iso-file, another live-usb, a live-cd/dvd
or a running live system. You will be prompted for information that
is not supplied in the command line options.
default: default "no" to some questions.
expert: default "yes" to some questions.
simple: skip some questions
gui: non-interactive, disable progress bar, enable progress file
Uses ext4 as the filesystem for the main live-usb partition and adds
a small fat32 file system for booting via UEFI.
This will destroy any existing information on <usb-device>. The default
partitioning scheme is msdos (due to a bug in some Dell BIOSes). Use
the --gpt flag to get gpt partitioning instead.
--from="iso-file" Enter an iso file to use as the source
--from="clone" clone a running live system.
--from=clone=<dir> clone from a mounted live-usb or iso-file.
--from=<dev> copy from a livecd/dvd or live-usb
Options:
-b --bios-size=<xx> Size of BIOS boot partition when using encryption
-c --cheat=xxx Add these cheatcodes to the live-usb
Use "off" or "no" to disable cheats menu.
Use "on" or "yes" to show cheat menus without asking
Otherwise you will be asked.
-C --color=<xxx> Set color scheme to off|low|low2|bw|dark|high
-E --encrypt Set up to boot from an encrypted partition
--encrypt=<flag> Phasephrase option:
ask Enter the passphrase via the keyboard
first-boot Force user to set phrase on first boot
file=xxx Read phrase from file <xxx>
random Generate a random passphrase
random=N Generate a random passhphrase containing
N words (1 -- 20 allowed)
-e --esp-size=<xx> Size of ESP (uefi) partition in MiB (default 50)
--ext-options=<xx> Use these options when creating the ext4 filesystem
-f --from=<xxx> The device, cdrom, or file to make the live-usb from
Use "clone" to clone the current live system or use
clone=<xxx> to clone another live-usb
-F --force=<xxx> Force the options specfied:
usb: Ignore usb/removable check
ultra-fit: don't warn about SanDisk utra-fit devices
makefs: Make the ext4 filesystem even if one exists
automount: temporarily disable antiX automounting
all: All of the above (dangerous!)
-- --gui-progress All remaining args are used as a gui progress bar program
Example: --gui-progress yad --progress --auto-close
-g --gpt Use gpt partitioning instead of msdos
-G --graphic-ui Use the new graphics user interface (default)
--gpt-pmbr Set pmbr_boot disk flag (prevents booting via UEFI)
-h --help Show this usage
-i --initrd=<file> Start with <file> for making encrypt enabled initrd
-I --ignore-config Ignore the configuration file
-k --keep-syslinux Don't replace the syslinux files
-L --label=Name Label ext partition with Name
-m --msdos Use msdos partitioning (default) instead of gpt
-n --no-prog-bar Don't show progress *bar* when copying
-N --numeric-ui Use the legacy numerical user interface
--pause Wait for user input before exit
--pause=initrd Pause after unpacking the initrd.gz file
--percent-prog Show progress percentage but no bar
-p --pretend Don't run commands that affect the usb device
-P --progress Create /var/log/live-usb-maker.progress progress *file*
-q --quiet Print less
-R --reset-config Write a fresh config file with default options
-s --size=XX Percent of usb-device to use (default 100)
-S --save-boot Save original boot directory when updating a live-usb
-t --target=<xxx> The device to make into a new live-usb
-u --update Only update an existing live-usb
-v --version Show version information
-V --verbose Print more, show command outputs
-VV --very-verbose Also show commands
-W --write-config Write a config file preserving current options
Notes:
- short options stack. Example: -pv is the same as --pretend --verbose
- options can be intermingled with commands and parameters
- config file: /root/.config/live-usb-maker/live-usb-maker.conf
- the config file will be sourced if it exists
- it will be created if it doesn't exist
The --verbose and --pretend (which implies --verbose) options
were meant to make it very clear what the script is doing. They also
helped in debugging. You can control which steps are done with the
commands. The command all does everything. There are a few
failsafes built in but they can be disabled with --force and
--force-ext.
We want to use ext4 for our LiveUSBs due to its ruggedness and features. But we need a fat32 partition in order to boot via UEFI. So we use ext4 for the main LiveUSB partition and add a 2nd small fat32 partition for booting via UEFI. Legacy booting is done normally with the ext4 partition. The fat32 partition is only used for UEFI booting.
Each partition needs to know about the other one. We communicate this with the UUIDs of the partitions. The fat32 partition needs to know where the kernel and initrd.gz are. This is accomplished with a line like:
search --no-floppy --set=root --fs-uuid $EXT4_UUID
in the grub.cfg file.
The Live system (on the ext4 partition) needs to know about where
the Grub2 UEFI bootloader grub.cfg file is in order to be able
to save boot parameters selected by the user. This is accomplished
with the antiX/esp-uuid file which contains the UUID of the
fat32 ESP partition.
This program started out as proof-of-concept for passing along
instructions for creating ext4 LiveUSBs with a small fat32 partition
for UEFI booting. In a nutshell: copy the efi/ and boot/
directories to the fat32 partition and then record UUIDs so the two
partitons know about each other.
Legacy booting is done via the ext4 partition so it has the boot
flag set. UEFI booting is done via the fat32 partition so it has the
esp flag set. The fat32 partition only needs the contents of the
boot/ directory and the efi/ (or EFI/) directory. Some of the
contents of boot/ is not needed but this only wastes a few Meg at
most.
One complication is the format of the grub.cfg file changed between MX-15 and antiX-16.
For antiX-16, to specify the ext4 UUID you should uncomment the
following line and replace %UUID% with the UUID of the ext4
partition:
# search --no-floppy --set=root --fs-uuid %UUID%
For MX-15, you need to add the line. This script adds it before
the first menuentry line.
I've tried to optimize the ext4 file system with these options:
-m0 -i100000 -J size=32
This reduces the number of inodes, the size of the journal and sets aside no extra space reserved for root. The number of inodes scales with the size of the partition. The idea is that our LiveUSB does not normally contain many files (compared to an installed system) nor does it need extra space reserved for root. Since running out of inodes is very bad and since adding more inodes does not cost a lot space-wise, I've tried to err on the side of too many inodes while still keeping well under the default amount.
The partitioning is aligned on 1 MiB boundaries.
Here are results from using various mkfs.ext4 options. All sizes are in Megabytes. The savings are compared to the default settings. These tests were all done on an 32-Gig Samsung Fit using the default 50 Meg fat32 partition in addition to the ext4 partition. The smaller drivers were simulated using --size=25% and --size=6%.
On 32-Gig:
mkfs.ext4 options total avail savings (inodes)
----------------------- ----- ----- ------- --------
A1 -m0 -N2000 -J size=16 30522 30462 2116 (3824)
B1 -m0 -N10000 -J size=32 30504 30444 2098 (11472)
A2 -m0 -N50000 -J size=32 30493 30433 2087 (53536)
D2 -m0 -N100000 -J size=32 30481 30421 2075 (103248)
E2 -m0 -i800000 -J size=32 30496 30436 2090 (42064)
F2 -m0 -i400000 -J size=32 30487 30427 2081 (80304)
G2 -m0 -i200000 -J size=32 30467 30407 2061 (160608)
H2 -m0 -i100000 -J size=32 30428 30368 2022 (321216)
J2 -m0 -i100000 30332 30272 1926 (321216)
Z2 29933 28346 0 (1957888)
On 8-Gig (using --size=25%):
mkfs.ext4 options total avail savings (inodes)
---------------------- ----- ----- ------- --------
E3 -m0 -i800000 -J size=32 7561 7529 592 (10560)
F3 -m0 -i400000 -J size=32 7559 7526 589 (20160)
G3 -m0 -i200000 -J size=32 7554 7521 584 (40320)
H3 -m0 -i100000 -J size=32 7545 7512 575 (79680)
J3 -m0 -i100000 7449 7416 479 (79680)
Z3 7349 6937 0 (486720)
On 2-Gig (using --size=6%):
mkfs.ext4 options total avail savings (inodes)
---------------------- ----- ----- ------- --------
E4 -m0 -i800000 -J size=32 1751 1732 116 (2464)
F4 -m0 -i400000 -J size=32 7559 1732 116 (4704)
G4 -m0 -i200000 -J size=32 1749 1730 114 (9408)
H4 -m0 -i100000 -J size=32 1747 1728 112 (18816)
J4 -m0 -i100000 1747 1728 112 (18816)
Z4 1723 1616 0 (114240)