103 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
103 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# ISO Build Rules
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## Verify package names before use
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ISO builds take 30–60 minutes. A wrong package name wastes an entire build cycle.
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**Rule: before adding any Debian package name to the ISO config, verify it exists and check its file list.**
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Use one of:
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- `https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/<package-name>` — existence + description
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- `https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/amd64/<package-name>/filelist` — exact files installed
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- `apt-cache show <package>` inside a Debian bookworm container
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This applies to:
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- `iso/builder/config/package-lists/*.list.chroot`
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- Any package referenced in bootloader configs, hooks, or overlay scripts
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## Bootloader sync rule
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The ISO has two canonical bootloader templates whose live entries must remain
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semantically equivalent:
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| File | Used by |
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|------|---------|
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| `config/bootloaders/grub-efi/grub.cfg` | UEFI (all modern servers) |
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| `config/bootloaders/isolinux/live.cfg.in` | CSM / legacy BIOS (syslinux) |
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live-build does not derive one from the other. `lib/bootloader.sh` renders both
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templates into the final `binary/` tree after live-build has created it, and the
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ISO validator checks every live entry. Any menu or kernel-parameter change must
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still be made in both templates.
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**Canonical entry list** (both files must have all of these):
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| Label | Key params |
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|-------|-----------|
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| normal (default) | `nomodeset bee.nvidia.mode=normal` + full param set |
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| load to RAM | `toram nomodeset bee.nvidia.mode=normal` + full param set |
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| no GUI | `nomodeset bee.gui=off bee.nvidia.mode=normal` + full param set |
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| fail-safe | normal parameters plus `pci=realloc iommu.strict=1` |
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| wipe | `toram nomodeset bee.gui=off bee.wipe=all` + reduced performance params |
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**Full standard param set** (append after `@APPEND_LIVE@` / `nomodeset` flags):
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```
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net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 mitigations=off transparent_hugepage=always
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numa_balancing=disable pcie_aspm=off intel_idle.max_cstate=1 processor.max_cstate=1
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nowatchdog nosoftlockup udev.children_max=1 intel_iommu=on
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iommu.passthrough=0 efi=disable_early_pci_dma
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```
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The fail-safe entry alone adds `pci=realloc iommu.strict=1`. `pci=realloc` must
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not be copied into normal entries. Memtest and firmware-setup entries are not
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Linux live entries and therefore do not carry these parameters.
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**Historical note:** `grub-pc/` was mistakenly used instead of `grub-efi/` until v8.25.
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live-build reads `config/bootloaders/grub-efi/` for UEFI because the build is
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configured with `--bootloaders "grub-efi,syslinux"`. Directory `grub-pc` is ignored.
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## Memtest rule
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Do not assume live-build's built-in memtest integration is sufficient for `bee`.
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We already tried that path and regressed again on 2026-04-01: `lb binary_memtest`
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ran, but the final ISO still lacked memtest binaries and menu entries.
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For this project, memtest is accepted only when the produced ISO actually
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contains all of the following:
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- `boot/memtest86+x64.bin`
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- `boot/memtest86+x64.efi`
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- a memtest entry in `boot/grub/grub.cfg`
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- a memtest entry in `isolinux/live.cfg`
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Rules:
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- Keep explicit post-build memtest validation in `build.sh`.
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- Treat ISO reader success as a separate prerequisite from memtest content.
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If the reader cannot list or extract from the ISO, that is a validator
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failure, not proof that memtest is missing.
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- If built-in integration does not produce the artifacts above, use a
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deterministic project-owned copy/extract step instead of hoping live-build
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will "start working".
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- Do not switch back to built-in-only memtest without fresh build evidence from
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a real ISO.
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- If you reference memtest files manually, verify the exact package file list
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first for the target Debian release.
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Known bad loops for this repository:
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- Do not retry built-in-only memtest without new evidence. We already proved
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that `lb binary_memtest` can run while the final ISO still has no memtest.
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- Do not assume fixing memtest file names is enough. Correct names did not fix
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the final artifact path.
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- Do not assume `chroot/boot/` contains memtest payloads at the time hooks run.
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- Do not assume source `grub.cfg` / `live.cfg.in` are the final writers of ISO
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bootloader configs.
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- Do not assume the current `config/hooks/normal/9100-memtest.hook.binary`
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timing is late enough to patch final `binary/boot/grub/grub.cfg` or
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`binary/isolinux/live.cfg`; logs from 2026-04-01 showed those files were not
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present yet when the hook executed.
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- Do not treat a validator warning as ground truth until you have confirmed the
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ISO reader actually succeeded. On 2026-04-01 we misdiagnosed another memtest
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regression because the final ISO was correct but the validator produced a
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false negative.
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