mini Debian

It is a small system for maintenance and rescue, and its size is about 50 MBytes.

Specification

All system files are packed in An initramfs (initrd.img).
The root file system is tmpfs. So after the system boots up, no storage medium is used.
Of cource it is CUI only system.
The /sbin/init adopts busybox init.
Merged /usr.
This system is created by copying system files from the base system.
Debian 12 "Bookworm" is supported as a base system.

Requirements of machine to operating

X86 machines, 64-bit and 32-bit
256 MB RAM or more

Preparation

Make sure you have make package installed, as we will use make below to install the required packages and build mini Debian. If make is not installed, install it as follows.

sudo apt install make

Building a mini Debian

First, git clone this repository, or somehow get it and extract it into a working directory.

Run the following as root in the working directory.

Required debian package installation

Make sure non-free and non-free-firmware components are specified in /etc/apt/sources.list.

make prepare_package

Create mini Debian initrd

If you want to change the default RTC and/or Time-Zone settings, uncomment the appropriate export lines in main.sh script in advance.

make

Copy kernel and the initrd

Copy /boot/vmlinuz-6.1.0-N-XXX and initrd.img-minideb-6.1.0-N-XXX to target.
Enable booting with grub or syslinux.
No kernel boot option required.

For example, to install mini Debian on your Debian system, do the following with root privilege.

Copy it to boot directory

cp (build dir)/initrd.img-minideb-6.1.0-3-amd64 /boot/

Edit /etc/grub.d/40_custom

menuentry 'mini Debian' {
    search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
    linux   /boot/vmlinuz-6.1.0-3-amd64
    initrd  /boot/initrd.img-minideb-6.1.0-3-amd64
}

Update grub.cfg

update-grub

Now, reboot and select 'mini Debian' from the grub menu to boot mini Debian.

Boot options

There is a mini Debian specific boot option rootfssize=. Specify if there is a problem with the default value. See man 5 tmpfs for how to specify it. e.g. rootfssize=60% or rootfssize=256m If you have a computer with a small amount of memory, you should specify it. If the installed memory is 1GB, specify around 85% to 90%, and if it is 512MB, specify around 70% to 80%.

You can also specify general kernel command line options. (May need to be specified.)

If the console display is blank during boot, try specifying the nomodeset option.

If you want to limit the SATA speed, specify the libata.force= option. e.g. libata.force=3.0 or libata.force=1.5

If you are doing a network boot, you may need to specify the initrd= option.

Login accounts

root/minidebian
user/mini

All commands of mini Debian

$ ls -l /usr/sbin/ | sed 's/\ \+/ /g' | cut -d ' ' -f 9-

acpid -> busybox
adjtimex -> busybox
arp -> busybox
arping -> busybox
blkdeactivate
blkdiscard -> busybox
blkid
blockdev -> busybox
brctl -> busybox
busybox
cfdisk
chroot -> busybox
cryptsetup
debootstrap
depmod -> /bin/kmod
devmem -> busybox
dhclient
dhclient-script
dmidecode
dmsetup
dmstats -> dmsetup
dump
dump.exfat
e2fsck
fatlabel
fdisk
findfs -> busybox
freeramdisk -> busybox
fsck
fsck.exfat
fsck.ext2 -> e2fsck
fsck.ext3 -> e2fsck
fsck.ext4 -> e2fsck
fsck.fat
fsck.msdos -> fsck.fat
fsck.vfat -> fsck.fat
fsfreeze -> busybox
fstab-decode
fstrim -> busybox
gdisk
getty -> busybox
halt -> busybox
hdparm
httpd -> busybox
hwclock -> busybox
ifconfig -> busybox
init -> busybox
insmod -> /bin/kmod
invoke-rc.d
ip -> /bin/ip
ipneigh -> busybox
iw
iwconfig
killall5
klogd -> busybox
ldconfig
linux32 -> busybox
linux64 -> busybox
loadfont -> busybox
loadkmap -> busybox
logread -> busybox
losetup
lsmod -> /bin/kmod
mkdosfs -> busybox
mke2fs
mkfs.exfat
mkfs.ext2 -> mke2fs
mkfs.ext3 -> mke2fs
mkfs.ext4 -> mke2fs
mkfs.fat
mkfs.msdos -> mkfs.fat
mkfs.ntfs -> mkntfs
mkfs.vfat -> mkfs.fat
mkhomedir_helper
mkntfs
mkswap -> busybox
modinfo -> /bin/kmod
modprobe -> /bin/kmod
mount.lowntfs-3g -> /bin/lowntfs-3g
mount.ntfs -> mount.ntfs-3g
mount.ntfs-3g -> /bin/ntfs-3g
nameif -> busybox
ntfsclone
pam-auth-update
pam_getenv
parted
partprobe -> busybox
pivot_root -> busybox
poweroff -> busybox
rdate -> busybox
reboot -> busybox
resize2fs
restore
rfkill
rmmod -> /bin/kmod
route -> busybox
service
sfdisk
sgdisk
smartctl
start-stop-daemon
swapoff -> busybox
swapon -> busybox
switch_root -> busybox
sysctl
syslogd -> busybox
tune.exfat
tune2fs
udhcpc -> busybox
udhcpd -> busybox
unix_chkpwd
unix_update
vconfig -> busybox
watchdog -> busybox
wpa_cli
wpa_supplicant

$ ls -l /usr/bin/ | sed 's/\ \+/ /g' | cut -d ' ' -f 9-

7z
[ -> busybox
[[ -> busybox
apg
ar -> busybox
arch -> busybox
ascii -> busybox
ash -> busybox
awk -> mawk
base64 -> busybox
basename -> busybox
bash
bc
bunzip2 -> busybox
busybox
bzcat -> busybox
bzip2 -> busybox
cal -> busybox
cat -> busybox
chgrp -> busybox
chmod
chown
chvt -> busybox
ckbcomp
clear -> busybox
cmp -> busybox
cp
cpio -> busybox
cpufreq-info
cpufreq-set
crc32 -> busybox
cttyhack -> busybox
cut -> busybox
date
dc
dd
deallocvt -> busybox
df
diff
dig
dircolors
dirname -> busybox
dmesg -> busybox
dnsdomainname -> busybox
dos2unix -> busybox
dpkg
dpkg-deb
du
dumpkmap -> busybox
dumpleases -> busybox
echo
egrep -> busybox
eject
env -> busybox
expand -> busybox
expr -> busybox
factor -> busybox
faked -> faked-sysv
faked-sysv
fakeroot -> fakeroot-sysv
fakeroot-sysv
fallocate -> busybox
false -> busybox
fatattr -> busybox
fgrep -> busybox
file
find
fold -> busybox
free -> busybox
ftp -> inetutils-ftp
ftpget -> busybox
ftpput -> busybox
fuser
getopt
gpgv
grep -> busybox
groups -> busybox
gunzip -> busybox
gzip -> busybox
hd -> hexdump
head -> busybox
hexdump
hexer
host
hostid -> busybox
hostname -> busybox
id -> busybox
inetutils-ftp
inetutils-telnet
ionice -> busybox
ip
ipcalc -> busybox
iperf
kbd_mode
kill -> busybox
killall -> busybox
kmod
last -> busybox
ldd
less
lessecho
lessfile -> lesspipe
lesspipe
link -> busybox
ln -> busybox
loadkeys
logger -> busybox
login
logname -> busybox
lowntfs-3g
ls
lsblk
lscpu
lsmod -> /bin/kmod
lspci
lsscsi -> busybox
lsusb
lzcat -> busybox
lzip -> lzip.lzip
lzip.lzip
lzma -> busybox
lzop -> busybox
make
mawk
md5sum -> busybox
microcom -> busybox
mkdir -> busybox
mkfifo -> busybox
mknod -> busybox
mkpasswd -> busybox
mktemp -> busybox
more -> busybox
mount
mountpoint
mt -> busybox
mv
nc -> nc.openbsd
nc.openbsd
netstat -> busybox
nl -> busybox
nproc -> busybox
nslookup -> busybox
ntfs-3g
ntfs-3g.probe
ntfsfix
ntfsinfo
objdump -> x86_64-linux-gnu-objdump
od -> busybox
openssl
openvt -> busybox
passwd
paste -> busybox
patch -> busybox
perl
pftp -> inetutils-ftp
pidof -> busybox
ping
ping4 -> ping
ping6 -> ping
printf -> busybox
ps
pstree
pv
pwd -> busybox
readlink
realpath -> busybox
renice -> busybox
reset -> tset
rev -> busybox
rm -> busybox
rmdir -> busybox
rpm -> busybox
rpm2cpio -> busybox
run-parts
savelog
scp
sed
seq -> busybox
setfont
setkeycodes -> busybox
setpriv -> busybox
setsid -> busybox
setupcon
setvtrgb
sftp
sh -> busybox
sha1sum -> busybox
sha256sum -> busybox
sha3sum -> busybox
sha512sum -> busybox
shred -> busybox
sleep -> busybox
sort -> busybox
ss
ssh
ssl_client -> busybox
stat -> busybox
stress
strings -> busybox
stty -> busybox
su
sync -> busybox
systemd-hwdb
tac -> busybox
tail -> busybox
tar
taskset -> busybox
tcpdump
tee -> busybox
telnet -> inetutils-telnet
test -> busybox
tftp -> busybox
time -> busybox
timeout -> busybox
top
touch -> busybox
tput
tr -> busybox
tracepath
traceroute -> busybox
true -> busybox
truncate -> busybox
ts -> busybox
tset
tty -> busybox
udevadm
umount
uname -> busybox
uncompress -> busybox
unexpand -> busybox
uniq -> busybox
unix2dos -> busybox
unlink -> busybox
unlzma -> busybox
unrar -> unrar-nonfree
unrar-nonfree
unxz -> xz
unzip -> busybox
unzstd -> zstd
uptime -> busybox
usb-devices
usleep -> busybox
uudecode -> busybox
uuencode -> busybox
uuidcdef
vi -> vim.tiny
view -> vim.tiny
vim.tiny
w -> busybox
watch -> busybox
wc -> busybox
wget
which -> busybox
who -> busybox
whoami -> busybox
x86_64-linux-gnu-objdump
xargs
xxd -> busybox
xz
xzcat -> xz
yes -> busybox
zcat -> busybox
zstd
zstdcat -> zstd

Notes

It is optimized for ThinkPad X61, ThinkPad X230 and ThinkPad X250, customization is recommended. Update the following files to customize: make_system, data/*, systemfiles/*

For QEMU KVM

You can also build mini Debian for QEMU KVM. This option uses virtio modules for network and storage drivers. Run the following as root.

make MACHINE=kvm prepare_package

make MACHINE=kvm

minlearnminlearn/minidebian