AlmaLinux Live Media

This git repository contains Kickstarts and other scripts needed to produce the AlmaLinux Live DVDs. You can build live media using the automated build-livemedia.sh script (recommended) or manually with livemedia-creator commands on an AlmaLinux system.

Using Live media

Live media ISO files are available for download from the official AlmaLinux repositories:

AlmaLinux 8:

x86_64: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/8/live/x86_64/

AlmaLinux 9:

x86_64: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/live/x86_64/
aarch64: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/live/aarch64/

AlmaLinux 10:

x86_64: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/10/live/x86_64/
x86_64_v2: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/10/live/x86_64_v2/
aarch64: https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/10/live/aarch64/

AlmaLinux Kitten (Development):

x86_64: https://kitten.repo.almalinux.org/10-kitten/live/x86_64/
x86_64_v2: https://kitten.repo.almalinux.org/10-kitten/live/x86_64_v2/
aarch64: https://kitten.repo.almalinux.org/10-kitten/live/aarch64/

For faster downloads, use mirrors at https://mirrors.almalinux.org to find a location closer to you. Refer to the project wiki https://wiki.almalinux.org/LiveMedia.html#about-live-media for detailed installation and usage instructions.

Build Live Media

Building AlmaLinux Live media requires an AlmaLinux system (physical or virtual). The build process takes 20-50 minutes depending on CPU cores and internet speed. You need minimum 15GB workspace for temporary files. Resulting ISO size ranges from 1.4GB to 2.4GB depending on desktop environment.

Build Environments

This project contains number of KickStart files to build live media for AlmaLinux. It uses anaconda and lorax packages for the ISO file build process. The recommended approach is to use livemedia-creator with the lorax backend.

Prerequisites

AlmaLinux system (physical or virtual) with minimum 15GB workspace
Build process takes 20-50 minutes depending on CPU cores and internet speed
Root or sudo access required

Install Required Packages

For AlmaLinux 8:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install -y --enablerepo=powertools lorax lorax-templates-almalinux anaconda unzip zstd

For AlmaLinux 9:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install -y --enablerepo=crb lorax lorax-templates-almalinux anaconda unzip zstd libblockdev-nvme

For AlmaLinux 10:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install -y --enablerepo=crb lorax lorax-templates-almalinux anaconda unzip zstd libblockdev-nvme

Note: For AlmaLinux 10, you may need to temporarily set SELinux to permissive mode:

sudo setenforce 0

Quick Start with Build Script

For a simplified build process, use the included build-livemedia.sh script that automates environment setup and media creation:

# Make the script executable
chmod +x build-livemedia.sh

# Build AlmaLinux 9.7 GNOME Live Media
sudo ./build-livemedia.sh 9 GNOME

# Build AlmaLinux 10.1 KDE Live Media
sudo ./build-livemedia.sh 10 KDE

# Build AlmaLinux Kitten GNOME-Mini Live Media
sudo ./build-livemedia.sh 10-kitten GNOME-Mini

# To build media with x86_64_v2 packages for AlmaLinux 10+ (optional)
BUILD_X86_64_V2=1 sudo ./build-livemedia.sh 10 KDE

# Show all available options
./build-livemedia.sh --help

Features:

Automated setup: Installs required packages and prepares build environment
Smart versioning: Automatically maps major versions to current releases (8→8.10, 9→9.7, 10→10.1)
Architecture detection: Supports x86_64, aarch64, and x86_64_v2 automatically
Comprehensive logging: Creates detailed logs in ./results/ directory
Error handling: Validates inputs and provides helpful error messages
Checksum generation: Automatically creates SHA256 checksums for built ISOs

Supported combinations:

Versions: 8, 9, 10, 10-kitten
Desktop Environments: GNOME, GNOME-Mini, KDE, XFCE, MATE
Architecture: Version-specific support (see table below)

The script handles all the complexity shown in the manual examples below and follows the same build process used in the CI workflows.

Manual Build using `livemedia-creator`

For advanced users or custom builds, you can use livemedia-creator directly. The following examples show manual commands for building AlmaLinux Live media. The kickstart files are organized by version and architecture in the kickstarts/ directory.

Note: The build script above handles all these steps automatically. Use these manual commands only if you need custom configuration.

AlmaLinux 8.10 Examples

GNOME Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/8/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_GNOME \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-8.10-x86_64-Live-GNOME.iso" \
    --releasever "8.10" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-8_10-x86_64-Live-GNOME" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log \
    --anaconda-arg="--product AlmaLinux"

GNOME-Mini Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/8/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome-mini.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_GNOME-MINI \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-8.10-x86_64-Live-GNOME-Mini.iso" \
    --releasever "8.10" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-8_10-x86_64-Live-Mini" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log \
    --anaconda-arg="--product AlmaLinux"

KDE Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/8/x86_64/almalinux-live-kde.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_KDE \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-8.10-x86_64-Live-KDE.iso" \
    --releasever "8.10" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-8_10-x86_64-Live-KDE" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log \
    --anaconda-arg="--product AlmaLinux"

AlmaLinux 9.7 Examples

GNOME Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/9/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_GNOME \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-9.7-x86_64-Live-GNOME.iso" \
    --releasever "9.7" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-9_7-x86_64-Live-GNOME" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

MATE Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/9/x86_64/almalinux-live-mate.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_MATE \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-9.7-x86_64-Live-MATE.iso" \
    --releasever "9.7" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-9_7-x86_64-Live-MATE" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

AlmaLinux 10.1 Examples

GNOME Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/10/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_GNOME \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-10.1-x86_64-Live-GNOME.iso" \
    --releasever "10.1" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-10_1-x86_64" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

KDE Live Media:

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/10/x86_64/almalinux-live-kde.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_KDE \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-10.1-x86_64-Live-KDE.iso" \
    --releasever "10.1" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-10_1-x86_64" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

Architecture Support

For different architectures, adjust the kickstart path and output names accordingly:

For aarch64 (ARM64):

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/9/aarch64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_GNOME \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-9.7-aarch64-Live-GNOME.iso" \
    --releasever "9.7" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-9_7-aarch64-Live-GNOME" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

For x86_64_v2

x86-64 v2 microarchitecture, to support older hardware with features match the 2008 Intel Nehalem architecture and newer.

sudo livemedia-creator \
    --ks=./kickstarts/10/x86_64_v2/almalinux-live-kde.ks \
    --no-virt \
    --resultdir ./iso_KDE \
    --project "Live AlmaLinux" \
    --make-iso \
    --iso-only \
    --iso-name "AlmaLinux-10.1-x86_64_v2-Live-KDE.iso" \
    --releasever "10.1" \
    --volid "AlmaLinux-10_1-x86_64_v2-KDE" \
    --nomacboot \
    --logfile ./livemedia.log

Customizing Live Media

AlmaLinux Live Media can be customized by editing the corresponding kickstart (.ks) files located in the kickstarts/ directory. The specific file to edit depends on your target AlmaLinux version, architecture, and desktop environment.

Kickstart File Structure

Kickstart files are organized as:

kickstarts/{version}/{architecture}/almalinux-live-{desktop}.ks

Examples:

kickstarts/9/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks - AlmaLinux 9 GNOME for x86_64
kickstarts/10/aarch64/almalinux-live-kde.ks - AlmaLinux 10 KDE for aarch64
kickstarts/8/x86_64/almalinux-live-mate.ks - AlmaLinux 8 MATE for x86_64

Kickstart Documentation

For complete kickstart syntax and options, refer to the official Red Hat documentation: Kickstart Syntax Reference

Common Customizations

1. Package Selection (`%packages` section)

Add or remove packages in the %packages section:

%packages
# Add packages
git
htop
vim-enhanced

# Remove packages (prefix with -)
-libreoffice-calc
-evolution

# Package groups
@core
@base-x
@fonts
%end

2. Additional Repositories (`repo` instruction)

Enable additional repositories for more packages:

# Enable EPEL repository
repo --name="epel" --baseurl=https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/$releasever/Everything/$basearch/

# Enable RPM Fusion
repo --name="rpmfusion-free" --baseurl=https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/el/$releasever/Everything/$basearch/os/

# Local repository
repo --name="local-repo" --baseurl=file:///path/to/local/repo

3. System Configuration

Keyboard and Language:

# Keyboard layout
keyboard us

# System language and locale
lang en_US.UTF-8

# Timezone
timezone America/New_York --isUtc

Network Configuration:

# Enable NetworkManager
network --onboot=yes --device=link --bootproto=dhcp --hostname=almalinux-live

Services Management:

# Enable services
services --enabled=NetworkManager,sshd,chronyd

# Disable services
services --disabled=postfix,sendmail

4. Disk Partitioning

Customize the filesystem layout:

# Clear existing partitions
clearpart --drives=sda --all --initlabel

# Create partitions
part /boot/efi --fstype="efi" --size=512 --fsoptions="umask=0077,shortname=winnt"
part /boot --fstype="xfs" --size=1024
part / --fstype="ext4" --size=8192 --grow
part swap --fstype="swap" --size=2048

5. Post-Installation Scripts (`%post` section)

Add custom post-installation scripts:

%post --log=/var/log/ks-post.log

# Configure custom settings
echo "Welcome to Custom AlmaLinux Live" > /etc/motd

# Create custom user
useradd -m -G wheel customuser

# Configure firewall
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
firewall-cmd --reload

# Custom systemd service
systemctl enable custom-service

%end

6. Pre-Installation Scripts (`%pre` section)

Execute scripts before installation:

%pre --log=/tmp/ks-pre.log

# Detect hardware and set variables
MEMORY=$(free -m | awk 'NR==2{printf "%.0f", $2/1024}')
if [ "$MEMORY" -lt 2 ]; then
    echo "Insufficient memory for installation"
    exit 1
fi

%end

Testing Your Customizations

Edit the appropriate kickstart file for your target version/architecture/desktop
Build with your modifications using the build script:
```
sudo ./build-livemedia.sh 9 GNOME
```
Test the resulting ISO in a virtual machine before deployment
Check logs in ./results/logs/ if the build fails

Best Practices

Backup original files before making changes
Test incrementally - make small changes and test frequently
Use package groups (@core, @base, etc.) when possible for easier maintenance
Document your changes in comments within the kickstart file

Validate syntax using ksvalidator if available:

ksvalidator kickstarts/9/x86_64/almalinux-live-gnome.ks

Additional Notes

Build Tips

Recommended approach: Use the build-livemedia.sh script for automated, error-free builds
Performance: The build process benefits from multiple CPU cores and faster storage (SSD recommended)
Network: Builds require downloading packages; a stable internet connection is essential
Storage: Ensure at least 15GB free space for temporary files and output ISOs
Logs: The build script automatically creates comprehensive logs; manual builds should use --logfile parameter

Available Desktop Environments

The following desktop environments are supported:

GNOME - Full-featured desktop environment
GNOME-Mini - Minimal GNOME variant
KDE - Modern Plasma desktop
XFCE - Lightweight desktop environment
MATE - Traditional desktop experience

Architecture and Desktop Environment Support Matrix

Version	Architecture	GNOME	GNOME-Mini	KDE	XFCE	MATE
8	x86_64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
9	x86_64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
9	aarch64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
10	x86_64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
10	aarch64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
10	x86_64_v2	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
10-kitten	x86_64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
10-kitten	aarch64	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
10-kitten	x86_64_v2	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌

Troubleshooting

For AlmaLinux 10, SELinux may need to be set to permissive: sudo setenforce 0
Volume IDs are limited to 32 characters due to ISO9660 specification
Repository mirrors: Use https://mirrors.almalinux.org to find optimal mirrors

CI/CD Integration

This repository includes GitHub Actions workflows that automatically build live media images. The workflows support:

Multiple AlmaLinux versions (8, 9, 10, 10-kitten)
Multiple architectures and desktop environments
GitHub Actions artifact publishing
S3 upload and Mattermost notifications

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 186 Commits
.github		.github
ci		ci
kickstarts		kickstarts
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
build-livemedia.sh		build-livemedia.sh
gnome.md		gnome.md
kde.md		kde.md
xfce.md		xfce.md

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AlmaLinux Live Media

Using Live media

Build Live Media

Build Environments

Prerequisites

Install Required Packages

Quick Start with Build Script

Manual Build using livemedia-creator

AlmaLinux 8.10 Examples

AlmaLinux 9.7 Examples

AlmaLinux 10.1 Examples

Architecture Support

Customizing Live Media

Kickstart File Structure

Kickstart Documentation

Common Customizations

1. Package Selection (%packages section)

2. Additional Repositories (repo instruction)

3. System Configuration

4. Disk Partitioning

5. Post-Installation Scripts (%post section)

6. Pre-Installation Scripts (%pre section)

Testing Your Customizations

Best Practices

Additional Notes

Build Tips

Available Desktop Environments

Architecture and Desktop Environment Support Matrix

Troubleshooting

CI/CD Integration

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Manual Build using `livemedia-creator`

1. Package Selection (`%packages` section)

2. Additional Repositories (`repo` instruction)

5. Post-Installation Scripts (`%post` section)

6. Pre-Installation Scripts (`%pre` section)

Packages