A Quick Look at grml [LWN.net]

GRML 0.7 (codename Bootenschnitzl) was released earlier this week. GRML is a Debian-based Live CD with software for users of text tools and system administrators. In addition to the live CD, it supports installation to a hard drive or a USB stick. When using the live CD you save configuration files to a RW-CD, to a USB stick or create a partition on the hard drive for that purpose.

The kernel in 0.7 is a vanilla 2.6.16.1 kernel with several additional patches and modules. Other packages in this version were updated to Debian unstable as of April 7, 2006, with a few minor updates added later.

The live CD boots to a root console. Another user "grml" is available in the default setup and there is a 'grml-x' script that can be used to start up X and a window manager such as fluxbox. See the screenshots page for some views of grml booting and running with fluxbox.

Although grml-0.7 is small, there is another, even smaller version, grml-small currently at 0.2. There is also a repository with over 2300 packages, with plenty of security and networking tools, data recovery and forensic tools, and more that can be added with a simple apt-get.

GRML is released under the GNU General Public License. The FAQ contains answers to most questions. All in all it looks like grml is shaping into a nice, lightweight distribution that many system administrators will enjoy having in their tool kit.

(Log in to post comments)

A Quick Look at grml

Posted Apr 13, 2006 17:28 UTC (Thu) by mika (subscriber, #30866) [Link]

Thanks for the nice review! As the project leader of grml I'd like to comment on:

There is also a repository with over 2300 packages, with plenty of security and networking tools, data recovery and forensic tools, and more that can be added with a simple apt-get.

Yes, grml includes all those tools. It's more than 2300 packages over all. But those packages are already included in the grml live-CD. You don't have to install them anymore. :) grml uses the Debian unstable pool and is completely binary compatible therefore. So you can install anything from Debian via apt-get, yes. The grml-repository just provides the packages which aren't available from Debian.

Hope you enjoy grml. Your feedback is welcome of course!

HTH && regards,
-mika-

>snrk<

Posted Apr 19, 2006 20:48 UTC (Wed) by roelofs (guest, #2599) [Link]

I hereby nominate Bootenschnitzl as the greatest codename ever. (At least, unless and until "spoo" ever gets used...)