Build a CD - Xeiso

Note: These instructions are for advanced users and developers. Use at your own risk.

Directions are made for an Ubuntu 8.04+ system. Building a CD takes a long time, but is almost entirely automated.

You will need to install the following packages: bzr squashfs-tools genisoimage debootstrap sbm

Next, download the build scripts with Bazaar:


bzr branch lp:xeiso-live

cd to the branch directory “xeiso-live” and then run the build script as root¹:


cd xeiso-live
sudo ./xeiso-live auto-cd

Your CD will be built entirely from scratch. It will start by creating a base chroot environment and installing essential packages into it. Afterwards, it will pack everything into a squashfs image, and then into an ISO image. The entire process takes anywhere from one to two hours, depending on your connection speed.

The resulting ready-to-burn ISO will appear in the folder you invoked xeiso-live from as xe.iso (conveniently named). Test it out in VirtualBox or VMware.

For help with xeiso-live, including the individual build processes, simply run:


./xeiso-live

with no additional arguments. Usage information will be displayed.

¹ You may run the script as a normal user and be prompted for any actions that require root privileges, but this may be inconvenient as you will be asked several times throughout the build.