As a subscriber to Linux Format magazine (LXF) I get a DVD with each issue, containing new or updated Linux distros, which I eagerly explore as soon as I can. I’d run them first as a live DVD and if I liked the distro I’d install them on a spare computer (I have some I built from old PCs and bits from eBay) for further investigation. The PC would have 2 OSs dual-booting. Sometimes I’d be working in one OS and want something I’d done in the other, which means rebooting, which took too much time. So then I installed the new distros in a VM (VirtualBox) so that OS jumping was much easier, and ISO files didn’t need burning to disc (although most LXF distros run direct from the DVD). Also, I was thinking about teaching Linux and using a VM was a nice way to demonstrate the different distros. So then I began to think about reducing the host OS to a minimum since my everyday OS could be hosted in the VM. I tried to find if there was already such a thing, without success. But I did find that several other people had asked for it on various forums, so it seemed more like a reasonable wish!
- Minimalist OS to run VirtualBox and Launch VM
- minimal distro for launching Virtualbox VM’s
- config or distro solely to run virtualbox
- micro linux distro for virtual box
- What is the right distro for my purpose
- minimal ubuntu install to boot immediatley into a KVM and start a VM
- Bare Bones Host OS for Running Virtualbox Virtual Machine
Some respondents suggested that the best way to build it might be on the basis of a ‘minimal install’ of Debian or Ubuntu, and that is what I did. I found the Debian version more suitable.
Design Principles
- Debian based. I prefer the Debian branch of Linux distros and it is the most popular basis for other distros, e.g. Ubuntu, and the package system is easy to use, and a lot of software packages are available.
- Easy for others to re-use for their own distros, e.g. include remastersys to create ISO files for live CD/DVDs; layer the system so that others can pick an appropriate level at which to start.
- ‘JEOS’ principle (except for the ‘enhanced’ layer), i.e. minimal, no bloat, saving boot time, no useless processes, & reducing disc wastage.
I just found you via Distrowatch. Thank you for making this, It’s the “distro for distros” that I’ve been looking for, for a long time.
Thank you for letting me know! I hope you have a successful installation and can follow-up (in the forums ideally) about any issues not on the To Do list that should be, or just general suggestions for improvement. Current version is a bit ‘rough around the edges’, in particular please note you may find it hard to re-use partitions not previously made by cfdisk (in remastersys-installer)(ideally just create new ones), and the non-root user you create during installation won’t be properly created, you’ll need to login as root and then do delgroup and addgroup, both followed by the username you want.