Debian Installer - build-simple-cdd - Support in ActiveDebianSync
Synchronizing debian-installer components required for building custom installation media, PXE boot environments, and tools like build-simple-cdd
ActiveDebianSync supports synchronizing debian-installer components required for building custom installation media, PXE boot environments, and tools like
build-simple-cdd.
Build custom Debian installation ISOs withbuild-simple-cdd
- Set up PXE boot servers for network installations
- Create offline installation media
- Maintain a complete local Debian mirror including installer components
The debian-installer feature provides:
-
UDEBs (micro-debs): Minimal packages used during the installation process
-
Netboot images: Files for PXE/network booting
-
HD-media images: Files for USB/hard drive based installation
-
CD-ROM images: Files for optical media installation
-
Enable debian-installer synchronization in your
config.json:
{
"sync_debian_installer": true,
"sync_installer_udebs": true,
"sync_installer_images": true,
"installer_image_types": ["netboot", "hd-media", "cdrom"]
}
Configuration Options
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sync_debian_installer |
bool | false |
Master switch to enable debian-installer sync |
sync_installer_udebs |
bool | true |
Download udeb packages (required for installation) |
sync_installer_images |
bool | true |
Download installer boot images |
installer_image_types |
[]string | ["netboot"] |
Image types to download |
Image Types
| Type | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
netboot |
Network boot files (~50MB) | PXE boot, mini.iso |
hd-media |
Hard drive/USB media files (~30MB) | USB installations |
cdrom |
CD-ROM boot files (~30MB) | Optical media installations |
Minimal Configuration (PXE Boot Only)
{
"sync_debian_installer": true,
"sync_installer_udebs": true,
"sync_installer_images": true,
"installer_image_types": ["netboot"]
}
Full Configuration (All Images)
{
"sync_debian_installer": true,
"sync_installer_udebs": true,
"sync_installer_images": true,
"installer_image_types": ["netboot", "hd-media", "cdrom"]
}
During Regular Sync
Debian-installer components are synchronized after regular package sync:
- Metadata sync (Release, Packages files)
- Regular .deb packages
- Contents files (if enabled)
- Debian-installer udebs
- Installer images
- GPG signing (if enabled)
Storage Requirements
Approximate storage requirements per architecture per release:
| Component | Size |
|---|---|
| UDEBs (all components) | ~500MB |
| Netboot images | ~50MB |
| HD-media images | ~30MB |
| CD-ROM images | ~30MB |
| Total (netboot only) | ~550MB |
| Total (all images) | ~610MB |
For two releases (bookworm + trixie) with one architecture (amd64):
- Netboot only: ~1.1GB
- All images: ~1.2GB