4 ms·

Mkosi – Build Bespoke OS Images

68 points by leetrout 1y ago

NewJazz 1y ago
I've been meaning to try this other tool https://github.com/osbuild/bootc-image-builder https://github.com/osbuild/bootc-image-builder
- jordemort 1y ago
  I've been having great success with this one at my day job. Being able to apply all the container workflows to VM images has been a boon.
jauntywundrkind 1y ago
Does seem to support cross-architecture image building, which is a feature that's kept me on Debian's multistrap and now mmdebstrap. I should give this a go! The README's reference page has some good write-ups et cetera! There's a good "re-introduction" on Lennart (creator of systemd, mkosi) site, from the current maintainer. https://github.com/systemd/mkosi?tab=readme-ov-file#references https://github.com/systemd/mkosi?tab=readme-ov-file#referenc... https://0pointer.net/blog/a-re-introduction-to-mkosi-a-tool-for-generating-os-images.html https://0pointer.net/blog/a-re-introduction-to-mkosi-a-tool-...
pmarreck 1y ago
is this another case of "something that nix already definitively solves, but for the rest of us"?
- bsammon 1y ago
  Or "something that nix already solve, but with documentation"
  - bketelsen 1y ago
    Normally I'd nod and smile at the nix documentation joke, but mkosi's documentation is the man pages, or the man pages.
    - jraph 1y ago
      It seems quite well written and easy to follow.
mring33621 1y ago
What's the use-case for this?
- mhitza 1y ago
  Most likely context I'm going to try it is in a systemd-nspawn context. Lightweight process namespace ("containers") closer to the native modern linux server runtime (systemd all the way).
- its-summertime 1y ago
  one image to deploy mostly without additional tooling on any systemd-based OS (which mounts the image and integrates the units from it), on a VM (just use it), or on bare metal (probably needs to be built on a full image but still can just use it assuming that is the case).
- af78 1y ago
  It is used by the systemd team to test systemd on a bunch of distros. https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/.github/workflows/mkosi.yml https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/.github/workflo...
miladyincontrol 1y ago
Yeah, systemd's particleOS relies on it. Pretty neat stuff
deanputney 1y ago
Does this work for Raspberry Pi? Say for example I wanted to make an image that would auto-connect to my Tailscale network, or pre-install some software, would this be able to achieve that?
- sl-1 1y ago
  I use [pi-oven](https://github.com/keichi/pi-oven https://github.com/keichi/pi-oven) for my raspberry images. Not perfect, but kind of works and removes a lot of hassle for the provisioning. Could not quickly find out from the project page an example on how to bake rpi images with mkosi, but the descriptions do point towards somewhat similar use case :shrug:
- klysm 1y ago
  I've checked on this several times over the years, and I think the answer will probably be no for a long time, or forever. The RPi boot process is a bit arcane and specific. Systemd's philosophy seems to want to target the 95% use case, but maybe the sheer size of the RPi sphere will provide enough pressure.
  - ChocolateGod 1y ago
    If you install a UEFI bootloader on the Pi, I don't see why it couldn't work.
- written-beyond 1y ago
  Use RPIOS [pi-gen](https://github.com/RPi-Distro/pi-gen https://github.com/RPi-Distro/pi-gen), it's pretty versatile and stupid simple, I could not wrap my head around Yocto and Buildroot. Even set it up in CI so GitHub would build the image and id just get the final tar.gz file as an artifact. It's all just bash scripts and you can basically strip the entire image down. I had no window manager and no display server I was using DRM to show my UI.
- thebruce87m 1y ago
  Balena could do that for you. You make a usb stick for a fleet and anything flashed with the stick joins the fleet and downloads the latest release. The releases are dockers via docker compose. You can manage all devices via a web interface too.
klysm 1y ago
I really wish this worked for raspberry pi

68 points by leetrout 1y ago

I've been meaning to try this other tool https://github.com/osbuild/bootc-image-builder https://github.com/osbuild/bootc-image-builder

jordemort 1y ago
I've been having great success with this one at my day job. Being able to apply all the container workflows to VM images has been a boon.

jauntywundrkind 1y ago

Does seem to support cross-architecture image building, which is a feature that's kept me on Debian's multistrap and now mmdebstrap. I should give this a go! The README's reference page has some good write-ups et cetera! There's a good "re-introduction" on Lennart (creator of systemd, mkosi) site, from the current maintainer. https://github.com/systemd/mkosi?tab=readme-ov-file#references https://github.com/systemd/mkosi?tab=readme-ov-file#referenc... https://0pointer.net/blog/a-re-introduction-to-mkosi-a-tool-for-generating-os-images.html https://0pointer.net/blog/a-re-introduction-to-mkosi-a-tool-...

pmarreck 1y ago

is this another case of "something that nix already definitively solves, but for the rest of us"?

bsammon 1y ago
Or "something that nix already solve, but with documentation"
- bketelsen 1y ago
  Normally I'd nod and smile at the nix documentation joke, but mkosi's documentation is the man pages, or the man pages.
  - jraph 1y ago
    It seems quite well written and easy to follow.

mring33621 1y ago

What's the use-case for this?

mhitza 1y ago
Most likely context I'm going to try it is in a systemd-nspawn context. Lightweight process namespace ("containers") closer to the native modern linux server runtime (systemd all the way).
its-summertime 1y ago
one image to deploy mostly without additional tooling on any systemd-based OS (which mounts the image and integrates the units from it), on a VM (just use it), or on bare metal (probably needs to be built on a full image but still can just use it assuming that is the case).
af78 1y ago
It is used by the systemd team to test systemd on a bunch of distros. https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/.github/workflows/mkosi.yml https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/.github/workflo...

miladyincontrol 1y ago

Yeah, systemd's particleOS relies on it. Pretty neat stuff

deanputney 1y ago

Does this work for Raspberry Pi? Say for example I wanted to make an image that would auto-connect to my Tailscale network, or pre-install some software, would this be able to achieve that?

sl-1 1y ago
I use [pi-oven](https://github.com/keichi/pi-oven https://github.com/keichi/pi-oven) for my raspberry images. Not perfect, but kind of works and removes a lot of hassle for the provisioning. Could not quickly find out from the project page an example on how to bake rpi images with mkosi, but the descriptions do point towards somewhat similar use case :shrug:
klysm 1y ago
I've checked on this several times over the years, and I think the answer will probably be no for a long time, or forever. The RPi boot process is a bit arcane and specific. Systemd's philosophy seems to want to target the 95% use case, but maybe the sheer size of the RPi sphere will provide enough pressure.
- ChocolateGod 1y ago
  If you install a UEFI bootloader on the Pi, I don't see why it couldn't work.
written-beyond 1y ago
Use RPIOS [pi-gen](https://github.com/RPi-Distro/pi-gen https://github.com/RPi-Distro/pi-gen), it's pretty versatile and stupid simple, I could not wrap my head around Yocto and Buildroot. Even set it up in CI so GitHub would build the image and id just get the final tar.gz file as an artifact. It's all just bash scripts and you can basically strip the entire image down. I had no window manager and no display server I was using DRM to show my UI.
thebruce87m 1y ago
Balena could do that for you. You make a usb stick for a fleet and anything flashed with the stick joins the fleet and downloads the latest release. The releases are dockers via docker compose. You can manage all devices via a web interface too.

klysm 1y ago

I really wish this worked for raspberry pi