customizing a freebsd installation image

aimeec1995 · Sep 23, 2017

Is it hard to customize a freebsd installation image?
What if I want it to come with certain things in rc.conf? Would I just add those to the rc.conf in the image? How would I unpack then repack an .img file for this purpose?

skywhi · Sep 23, 2017

Hi,

You have to tell us for which purpose you will need a custom install image. Because if the only thing that you want is to update the default configuration on a handful of machines, I could suggest that you store the files in a distant repo (git or something). After a fresh install you retrieve the files and just copy them with a small shell script.

Phishfry · Sep 23, 2017

You can see from this thread where I modify /boot/loader.conf on a FreeBSD memstick installer.
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/59450
There is no reason you could not add things to your installer /etc/rc.conf especially to get unsupported devices recognised.

Simply write the freebsd.img to a memstick and boot up off it and go to LiveCD mode and modify the files as needed.

You could also mount it after you write the image out and modify from the host.

The FreeBSD Crochet project allows you to write customized images easily.
GenericI386 board file works for x86.

aimeec1995 · Sep 24, 2017

Phishfry said:
You can see from this thread where I modify /boot/loader.conf on a FreeBSD memstick installer.
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/59450
There is no reason you could not add things to your installer /etc/rc.conf especially to get unsupported devices recognised.

Simply write the freebsd.img to a memstick and boot up off it and go to LiveCD mode and modify the files as needed.

You could also mount it after you write the image out and modify from the host.

The FreeBSD Crochet project allows you to write customized images easily.
GenericI386 board file works for x86.

Thanks!

aimeec1995 · Sep 25, 2017

so im not able to modify it like that apparently
it always returns the error: read only filesystem, doesn't matter if i mount root as rw

Beastie · Sep 25, 2017

Follow these steps but lose all read-only parameters and options (-o readonly and -r).

Of course, you may choose the "hard" way:

HTH.

Phishfry · Sep 25, 2017

Instead of mounting the image why not write it to usb and mount the proper slice and edit or add files.

Beastie · Sep 25, 2017

Well, every time you need a new one, you'll have to redo all the changes. It's not efficient. But if you change the image itself (or create a brand new one), you do so once and for all.