0ea8b713dd
The ISO now boots straight into a GTK installer instead of dropping to a tty. Structure: - installer/arcline-installer: small GTK3 (Python) frontend that drives scripts/deploy-disk.sh — pick a disk, choose boot mode, type the device path to confirm, watch the deploy log, reboot. Pure helper logic is tested against lsblk (lowercase keys, pseudo-devices filtered). - scripts/build-live.sh: builds build/rootfs/<edition>-live by cloning the CLEAN rootfs and layering on live-boot, a minimal X session (Xorg + openbox), the installer, and the deploy tooling under /usr/lib/arcline (deploy-disk.sh + btrfs/init.sh + edition fstabs, laid out so the scripts' own path resolution works unchanged). - overlays/live/: arcline-installer.service + session script that start Xorg on vt1 (with -allow-root) and run the installer as the X client. - build-iso.sh: builds the live rootfs for the squashfs AND stages the clean rootfs archive into isofiles/install/ — the installer deploys the clean archive, so what's installed is the hardened system, never the live session with the installer in it. - Refactor: ARCLINE_LIVE handling removed from build-rootfs.sh and configure-system.sh (now lives entirely in build-live.sh). - validate.sh now checks overlays shell scripts + installer python. - docs updated (building.md, architecture.md, installer/README.md).
91 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
91 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
# Arcline OS — architecture
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This is the foundation ("the wires") for Arcline OS: a hardened, Debian-derived
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operating system for people who run infrastructure. The landing page describes
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the product; this repository is how it gets built.
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## Design goals
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1. **Secure by default** — hardened kernel, default-deny firewall, AppArmor,
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locked-down ssh. You opt *in* to exposure, never out.
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2. **Zero telemetry** — no phone-home, no analytics, no cloud integration.
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3. **btrfs-native** — snapshots and boot-to-snapshot rollback are built in.
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4. **Production-ready from first boot** — observability pre-configured, tools
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pre-installed, everything documented.
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5. **Auditable** — every script and config is plain text in this repo.
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## How a build flows
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```mermaid
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flowchart LR
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A[editions/* metadata] --> B[debootstrap<br/>Debian trixie]
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B --> C[install edition<br/>packages.list]
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C --> D[apply overlays<br/>base + edition]
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D --> E[configure-system.sh<br/>in chroot]
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E --> F[rootfs .tar.xz]
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F --> G[grub-mkrescue + squashfs<br/>→ live ISO]
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E -.toolchain .debs.-> C
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```
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Pipeline stages live in `scripts/`:
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| Stage | Script | What it does |
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|-------|--------|--------------|
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| bootstrap | `build-rootfs.sh` | debootstrap minbase, apt sources, package install |
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| overlay | `apply-overlays.sh` | copies `overlays/base` + `overlays/<edition>` into the rootfs |
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| configure | `configure-system.sh` | runs *in the chroot*: hostname, locale, kernel cmdline, services, toolchain |
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| live | `build-live.sh` | clone clean rootfs → live session (live-boot + X + graphical installer) |
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| package | `build-iso.sh` | live rootfs → hybrid BIOS/UEFI ISO, plus the clean install archive |
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| image | `build-image.sh` | rootfs → bootable qcow2/raw disk image (via `deploy-disk.sh`) |
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| deploy | `deploy-disk.sh` | partition → btrfs layout → copy rootfs → GRUB + fstab (shared by image + installer) |
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| install | `install.sh` | scripted installer for a real disk (confirmation-gated) |
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| GUI install | `installer/arcline-installer` | GTK frontend booted by the live ISO (drives `deploy-disk.sh`) |
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| orchestrate | `build-edition.sh` / `Makefile` | wire the above to `make iso-<edition>` |
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## The source trees
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| Path | Role |
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|------|------|
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| `editions/` | per-edition **manifests**: package lists, kernel cmdline, fstab, metadata |
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| `overlays/` | **files that land in the image**, organised as layered rootfs trees |
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| `scripts/` | the **build pipeline** (all plain bash, readable top to bottom) |
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| `btrfs/`, `toolchain/`, `tests/`, `ci/` | supporting subsystems |
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| `scripts/secureboot/` | MOK key generation + boot-chain signing (optional) |
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There is no hidden magic: the Makefile is a thin wrapper, `versions.mk` /
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`scripts/common.sh` hold the single source of truth for versions and paths.
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## Zero telemetry, enforced
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- No distro telemetry packages are installed (`ubuntu-report`,
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`popularity-contest`, snapd are never in a package list).
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- apt automatic-update timers are **masked** in every edition's metadata.
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- The firewall's output chain never initiates calls on its own.
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- cloud-init is pointed only at the configured cloud datasource.
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- The smoke tests (`tests/smoke/verify-rootfs.sh`) fail the build if telemetry
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artifacts are found.
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## What "the wires" now covers
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The four original follow-up items are implemented:
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1. **Disk images** — `make image-<edition>` produces bootable qcow2/raw images;
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the cloud edition ships as a qcow2 by default.
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2. **Installer** — `scripts/install.sh <device>` installs to a real disk
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(explicit confirmation, reuses the deploy module).
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3. **Grafana/Loki/Promtail `.debs`** — `make vendor` packages them so the full
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observability stack installs without upstream repos.
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4. **Secure boot** — MOK-based signing (`scripts/secureboot/`), off by
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default, enabled with `ARCLINE_SIGN=1`.
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5. **Graphical installer** — the live ISO now boots straight into a GTK
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installer (`installer/arcline-installer`) that drives `deploy-disk.sh`,
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instead of dropping to a tty.
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## Still on the horizon
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- A signed Microsoft-KEK boot chain (only relevant for commercial
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distribution; the MOK path covers self-hosted use).
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- ARM64 (`arm64`) as a first-class arch (one-line change in `versions.mk`).
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- Boot-time verification tests for installed systems (the smoke tests cover
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the image contents, not a booted VM yet).
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