REQUEST: Good information on building a distro

[astralsin]

I've scoured the net for info relevant to building a distro of your own. I know lots of people know how and it takes some programming knowhow but I'd like a guide on how to actually make an installation cd. I know all the stuff about choosing packages to include, blah blah blah, thats easy.. what I want to know is what's required to make a distro based around say... Slackware. I know of Fedora's new method of making your own respins or whatever they're called and Ubuntu's "Reconstructor" program. What do I need to know to create a distro from something like Slackware or Arch, namely how do i make the cd that will ultimately install the distro with the installation program.

[oz]

Here's a remastering HowTo for Knoppix that might help to understand the process:

Knoppix Remastering Howto - Knoppix Documentation Wiki

[oz]

Oh yeah... be sure to also take a look at Rock Linux:

Main Page - RockWiki

[Agent-X]

Obtain a CD-RW or rewriteable DVD while you're at it.

[astralsin]

thanks, i'm not interested in making a livecd distro. i'm downloading rock linux now to try it out. is there any process which allows you to use Ubiquity or Anaconda? I mean, how are those methods actually used by the big boys? Seems to me like it wouldnt be that difficult to modify the source of one of those programs to make it install different packages by default

[dominator22]

Linux From Scratch is what you're looking for.

[astralsin]

im not looking to build a distro from scratch. i've tried lfs before and failed several times. i just dont have the time to devote to something like that. i'm looking for a way of making an install disc that will install exactly what i want on systems for my organization.

[bigtomrodney]

SUSE have a tool for cloning the configuration of their system. You go through the standard install but it reads he additional packages you want installed. However I think you might be better using something like Norton Ghost or Partimage. With these you can make an image of an installed machine and restore it in about 5 minutes to another. It is the quickest way to clone machines and there will be very little config as long as the hardware is supported.