README for debootstrap
======================
See the manpage for (some) documentation.
Running debootstrap from source
-------------------------------
You can run debootstrap from its source tree without installing it. This
can be useful if you want a quick way to make a Debian chroot on another
system, or if you are testing modifications to debootstrap.
First, get the source.
* Either by using git
git clone https://anonscm.debian.org/git/d-i/debootstrap.git
* Or by visiting <https://packages.debian.org/source/sid/debootstrap>
and downloading the tar.gz file
Then in the debootstrap source directory:
export DEBOOTSTRAP_DIR=`pwd`
sudo ./debootstrap stable my-stable-dir
If you are running a multi-stage boot strap (for example for a QEMU
rootfs) you don't even need root:
export DEBOOTSTRAP_DIR=`pwd`
fakeroot ./debootstrap --foreign --arch=armhf testing my-testing-dir http://deb.debian.org/debian
Of course you will need to execute the second stage as root to finish the bootstrap:
(on foreign hardware)
/debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage
Future
------
* Cross-strap support - so you can bootstrap a filesystem to the
point where it will successfully boot, and finish installing itself
without having to be running the target architecture or OS yourself.
debootstrap --arch powerpc sarge ./sarge-ppc-chroot ...
on an i386 system, boot a powerpc box with sarge-ppc-chroot as its
root files system, and have it "work". The cross-hurd package does
something similar, and should be replaced by this feature.
* There should be some (better) way of telling debootstrap what "base"
packages you want to install -- this varies between making a chroot,
doing an install, and doing a buildd. Also, some installs want
different base packages (to setup networking, or kernels, eg)
NMUing
------
If there's a problem with debootstrap that you need fixed, feel free to do
an NMU to fix it. Usual rules: try not to break anything, and mail the
patch to the BTS. Don't worry about asking first though.
However, note that debootstrap is now team maintained. Anyone in d-i can do
a release without the bother of a NMU.
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