Files
os-build/docs/building.md
Blake Ridgway 0361c12c07 fix: resolve grub-pc / grub-efi-amd64 "held broken packages" conflict
The edition package lists installed BOTH grub-pc and grub-efi-amd64
(+ shim-signed). Those provide the same bootloader role and conflict in
apt, so every rootfs build failed with "unable to correct problems, you
have held broken packages".

A rootfs now carries exactly ONE bootloader, chosen by the BOOT variable
(mirroring the existing --boot bios|efi deploy option):

- versions.mk / common.sh: BOOT := bios (bios -> grub-pc,
  efi -> grub-efi-amd64 + shim-signed + mokutil), exported via the
  Makefile.
- build-rootfs.sh validates BOOT early and injects the matching boot
  packages into the apt install; the static package lists no longer
  contain any grub package.
- deploy-disk.sh / build-image.sh / install.sh default --boot from the
  same BOOT variable, so a rootfs and the artifact deployed from it can
  never disagree (BOOT=efi make image-cloud produces a UEFI image).
- mokutil is now installed explicitly in the efi flavour (it was not
  pulled in because we install with --no-install-recommends).
- docs updated (building.md knob + rationale, secureboot.md note).
2026-08-21 14:15:10 -05:00

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Markdown

# Building Arcline OS
## Prerequisites
A Debian-family host (or container) with root/sudo:
```
debootstrap # rootfs bootstrap
squashfs-tools # ISO rootfs compression
grub2-common # grub-mkrescue (hybrid ISO)
xorriso cpio # ISO assembly
bash make curl git # build orchestration
go (≥ 1.21) # only needed for `make toolchain`
```
Check or install them:
```
scripts/check-host-deps.sh # report what's missing
scripts/check-host-deps.sh --install # apt-get install the missing bits
```
## Quickstart
```
make check # validate the tree (fast, offline, safe)
make rootfs-server # build just the server rootfs
make iso-server # build a bootable server ISO
make iso # build all three editions
make image-cloud # build the cloud edition as a qcow2 disk image
make toolchain # build the 11 Go tools into .deb
make vendor # build Grafana/Loki/Promtail .debs
make test # run smoke tests against built rootfs(es)
```
## Outputs
Everything lands under `build/`:
| Path | Contents |
|------|----------|
| `build/rootfs/<edition>/` | extracted rootfs (from `make rootfs-*`) |
| `build/artifacts/arcline-<edition>-<version>-<arch>.tar.xz` | archived rootfs |
| `build/artifacts/arcline-<edition>-<version>-<arch>.iso` | bootable live ISO |
| `build/artifacts/arcline-<edition>-<version>-<arch>.qcow2` | bootable disk image |
| `build/debs/*.deb` | Arcline toolchain + vendor packages |
Each artifact ships with a `.sha256` checksum file.
## Disk images & installing
- `make image-<edition>` builds a bootable **qcow2** disk image (the cloud
edition's primary output; also handy for VM-testing server/workstation).
Options: `--format raw`, `--size 4G`, `--boot efi`.
- `scripts/install.sh /dev/sdX --edition server` installs a built rootfs onto
a real disk (asks for explicit confirmation, then partitions, lays out
btrfs subvolumes, installs GRUB, and writes a real fstab). Both reuse the
shared `scripts/deploy-disk.sh`.
## Secure boot
Optional, MOK-based. See [secureboot](secureboot.md):
```bash
scripts/secureboot/gen-keys.sh
ARCLINE_SIGN=1 make iso-server
```
## Reproducibility knobs
Set these as environment variables or edit `versions.mk`:
| Variable | Meaning | Default |
|----------|---------|---------|
| `VERSION` | release version string | `0.1.0` |
| `DEBIAN_SUITE` | Debian base | `trixie` |
| `ARCH` | target architecture | `amd64` |
| `DEBIAN_MIRROR` | mirror for the base | `http://deb.debian.org/debian` |
| `ARCLINE_LIVE` | install live-boot into rootfs | unset (set by ISO build) |
| `ARCLINE_LOCK_ROOT` | lock root account (`passwd -l root`) | `0` |
| `ARCLINE_EXTRA_REPOS` | fetch grafana/loki upstream repos | `0` |
| `ARCLINE_TOOLCHAIN` | toolchain in image builds | `auto` |
| `ARCLINE_SIGN` | sign boot chain with the MOK (secure boot) | `0` |
| `BOOT` | bootloader in the image: `bios` → grub-pc, `efi` → grub-efi-amd64 + shim-signed | `bios` |
> **Why one bootloader?** `grub-pc` and `grub-efi-amd64` conflict, so apt fails
> with *"held broken packages"* if both are in a package list. Arcline ships
> exactly the one matching `BOOT` (injected by `build-rootfs.sh`). For a UEFI +
> secure-boot build: `BOOT=efi make iso-server` (or `make image-cloud` with
> `BOOT=efi`). The deployed image/install uses the same variable by default.
## Building without the Arcline toolchain
The 11 Go tools (see `docs/toolchain.md`) are **optional** in an image — a
normal `make iso-server` with no `.deb`s in `build/debs/` already produces a
minimal, toolchain-free image. This is controlled by `ARCLINE_TOOLCHAIN`:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|------|-----------|
| `auto` (default) | install the tools if `build/debs/*.deb` exist, otherwise build without them (with a warning) |
| `skip` | never install the tools, even if debs are present |
| `require` | **fail** the build if no toolchain debs are available |
Examples:
```bash
make iso-server # auto: tools in if you ran `make toolchain`
make iso-server-minimal # skip: guaranteed toolchain-free image
ARCLINE_TOOLCHAIN=skip make iso-server
ARCLINE_TOOLCHAIN=require make iso-server # release builds must ship the tools
```
Everything else — hardened base, firewall, btrfs, observability
(Prometheus/node_exporter are Debian-main packages), zero-telemetry — is
independent of the toolchain and always included.
## Notes on the ISO
The ISO boots a **live** system (via `live-boot`): the rootfs is compressed to
a squashfs and mounted on boot, so you can try an edition before installing it
to disk. The same rootfs can be installed with the btrfs layout via
`btrfs/init.sh` (the installer is follow-up work — see `docs/architecture.md`).