MiniOS Applications

MiniOS applications

MiniOS provides graphical and command-line tools for configuration, installation, sessions, modules, kernels, software, and image remastering. These tools are designed around the modular live architecture described in About MiniOS.

Availability

The available tools depend on the packages included in the MiniOS image. Check a running live system with dpkg-query, or inspect the image modules and package manifests.

A native installation keeps the familiar MiniOS desktop experience — its visual identity, selected desktop environment, and ordinary applications — but it does not keep the MiniOS-specific management software designed for the live architecture. Sessions, .sb modules, modular kernel management, and similar workflows no longer apply, so the installed system uses normal Debian package, kernel, configuration, and bootloader tools instead.

Graphical tools

Task	Tool	Scope	Documentation
Edit MiniOS boot-time and new-session settings	MiniOS Configurator	For the MiniOS live configuration model. It writes settings for a later live boot and does not reconfigure the running system immediately.	MiniOS Configurator
Deploy MiniOS to another disk	MiniOS Installer	Runs from a MiniOS live session. Live mode keeps the complete MiniOS live environment; native mode creates a conventional Debian desktop and removes the MiniOS-specific software intended for live operation.	MiniOS Installer
Create, select, mount, resize, save, reclaim, encrypt, or remove persistent sessions	MiniOS Session Manager	MiniOS live systems only. It can write supported RAM-backed sessions to their original store, change detached LUKS passphrases, and mount inactive container sessions for file access.	Session management
Package, activate, inspect, or remove MiniOS kernels	MiniOS Kernel Manager	MiniOS modular live systems only. Repository packaging can also add compatible drivers from the curated MiniOS DKMS catalog.	Kernel management
Install applications or build application modules from catalog recipes	MiniOS Store	MiniOS live systems. Module builds can keep a recipe level or use an explicit build-base level; recipes can require license acceptance.	MiniOS Store
Remaster an existing MiniOS image through a guided project	MiniOS Image Builder	Uses the running session, an ISO, or optical media. Session capture requires the running-session source with its complete source and active external module set; it is unavailable for separately selected ISO/optical sources.	MiniOS Image Builder
Inspect, create, activate, and select .sb modules	MiniOS Module Manager	MiniOS live systems only; module composition and runtime activation depend on the layered .sb root model.	MiniOS Module Manager
Write/read disk images, format storage, or erase a device	Drive Utility	Generic storage utility included with MiniOS. Raw image writing does not perform managed deployment like MiniOS Installer.	Drive Utility
Browse the installed documentation offline	MiniOS Help	Native GTK viewer for a precompiled documentation bundle; it does not require the website, WebKit, or a network connection at runtime.	MiniOS documentation
Show the localized first-run introduction	MiniOS Welcome	Local browser-based welcome page with Mio, project links, help, community, and support prompts. It is introductory content rather than a system configurator.	Quick start

Command-line tools

Most graphical tools have a public command-line counterpart or backend. The core manifest requests minios-tools for every edition and minios-image-compose, minios-deploy, minios-kernel, and minios-session for non-minimum variants, independently of the graphical desktop tools. Flux uses the minimum variant and does not request those four companion backends by default. Check actual installed packages; dependencies and custom images can add tools beyond the manifest.

Deployment and sessions

Task	Tool	Scope	Documentation
List target disks, preview a deployment plan, or install MiniOS non-interactively	minios-deploy	Runs from a MiniOS live session. Installation requires root and explicit confirmation; native mode, when supported, creates a conventional Debian desktop from the selected image.	Command-line deployment; man minios-deploy
Create, activate, save, mount, resize, reclaim, change encryption credentials, export, import, or remove persistent sessions	minios-session	Requires root and a MiniOS live system with a compatible persistence store. RAM-backed save, detached mounts, and backend-specific operations are capability-gated.	Session command reference; man minios-session

Kernels and images

Task	Tool	Scope	Documentation
List, package, activate, inspect, or remove kernels	minios-kernel	Requires root and a modular MiniOS live installation with a writable MiniOS root.	minios-kernel CLI; man minios-kernel
Remaster an existing MiniOS content tree from scripts or automation	minios-image-compose	Operates on MiniOS live image content and publishes a bootable ISO.	Composing ISO images from the command line; man minios-image-compose

Module workflows

Task	Tool	Scope	Documentation
Inspect modules and manage the running or next-boot module sets	sb	Module inspection also works outside a running MiniOS session. Running and next-boot operations require a MiniOS live module layout; changes require root.	Inspect and extract modules; manage running and next-boot modules; man sb
Build a module from repository packages or local .deb files	apt2sb	Requires root and a supported MiniOS live session. Packages are installed into an isolated build environment, not the running root.	Create a module from packages; man apt2sb
Build a module by running an installation script	script2sb	Requires root and a supported MiniOS live session. The script runs non-interactively in an isolated build environment.	Create a module from a script; man script2sb
Build a module interactively in a prepared environment	chroot2sb	Requires root and a supported MiniOS live session. Use it when installation needs prompts or manual changes.	Create a module interactively; man chroot2sb
Convert between a directory tree and an .sb module	dir2sb, sb2dir	Ordinary conversion is rootless and can run outside a live session. Faithful extraction and repackaging with original owners and special files require root; graphical workflows request administrator authentication.	Create or extract a module; man dir2sb, man sb2dir
Capture eligible changes from the writable session layer into a module	savechanges	Requires root and a running MiniOS live session with a supported writable-layer backend.	Capture current-session changes; man savechanges

Storage workflows

Task	Tool	Scope	Documentation
Read or write disk images, format a device, or erase storage	driveutility-read, driveutility-write, driveutility-format, driveutility-wipe	Generic disk operations. Wipe supports controller erase, discard, and host overwrite methods where the device and required tools support them. Destructive operations normally require root.	Drive Utility; man driveutility-read, man driveutility-write, man driveutility-format, man driveutility-wipe

For changes to source package lists, kernels, boot artifacts, or the complete module chain, use the source build system instead of either image-remastering tool. See Building MiniOS.