dist-get is the successor of the Ultilex project. It allows you to create and manage set of live Linux distributions in easy way, with just few console commands.
Ultilex is 100% hand made and each new version required trmendous amount of time. On top of that, even though Ultilex provided the users with tons of boot options, many users requested either more/different options or entirely different set of distributions to be included in the compilation set. And there was no option to update any of these distributions once they were installed.
That's why I and Petar Chakalov started dist-get with the idea to create a command line tool which automatically creates bootable ISO files out of live Linux distributions and manages the lifecycle of these distributions (update and remove distributions without touching any other distribution in the compilation set).
Currently the project is in proff of concept phase but it is still fully functional. It is designed to behave in the same way both on Linux and Windows machines. Here is the list of all currently supported dist-get commands:
*** dist-get help page ***
Available options:
help Displays the current screen.
about Displays information about the contributors
to this project.
prepare URL_META_FILE [local] Downloads and prepares a metadata bundle for
certain distribution. The URL_META_FILE can
be HTTP/HTTPS location or a local file.
If it is a local file, you need to use the
'local' parameter at the end of the command.
list Displays a list of all prepared and installed
distributions.
install DISTRO_NAME [ISO_FILE] Installs the DISTRO_NAME distribution. This
requires active internet connection unless
you provide a previously downloaded ISO file
as additional parameter.
update DISTRO_NAME [ISO_FILE] Updates the DISTRO_NAME distribution. Please
note that you have to retrieve the metadata
file fisrt by executing 'dist-get prepare'.
Update requires active internet connection
unless you provide a previously downloaded ISO
file as additional parameter.
remove DISTRO_NAME Removes the DISTRO_NAME distribution.
reorganize Builds the boot menu. This command is executed
automatically after install, update and remove.
cleanup [DISTRO_NAME] Removes all temporary metadata. You can remove
meta data for DISTRO_NAME by providing it as
additional parameter. This command is executed
automatically before usbinstall or makeiso.
usbinstall Makes the current USB device to be bootable.
makeiso Creates a single CD ISO image which contains
all installed distributions.
Just a basic execution:
dist-get ERROR: Required parameter is missing. Use 'dist-get help' for more information on how to use the command.
We have empty list of available metadata and distributions:
dist-get list Available meta data: --nothing-- Installed distributions: --nothing--
Let's prepare one of the distributions that we have as "proof of concept".
dist-get prepare ..\..\..\__metadata\tinycore.zip local Processing archive: ..\..\tinycore\temp\dist.zip Extracting add.cfg Extracting includes Extracting menu.cfg Extracting meta Everything is Ok Files: 4 Size: 1029 Compressed: 912
Now let's list again:
dist-get list Available meta data: tinycore Installed distributions: --nothing--
Now we can install tinycore. Note that in this example we have already downloaded the 2.x version (the project is PoC and it's old, so...):
dist-get install tinycore ..\..\..\..\tinycore-current.iso
..\..\tinycore\temp\add.cfg
..\..\tinycore\temp\includes
..\..\tinycore\temp\menu.cfg
..\..\tinycore\temp\meta
4 File(s) copied
1 file(s) copied.
7-Zip 9.20 Copyright (c) 1999-2010 Igor Pavlov 2010-11-1
Processing archive: ..\..\tinycore\temp\tinycore.iso
Extracting boot
Extracting boot\bzImage
Extracting boot\isolinux
Extracting boot\isolinux\boot.cat
Extracting boot\isolinux\boot.msg
Extracting boot\isolinux\f2
Extracting boot\isolinux\f3
Extracting boot\isolinux\isolinux.bin
Extracting boot\isolinux\isolinux.cfg
Extracting boot\tinycore.gz
Extracting [BOOT]\Bootable_NoEmulation.img
Everything is Ok
Folders: 2
Files: 9
Size: 10144885
Compressed: 10528768
..\..\tinycore\temp\tinycore\\boot\bzImage
1 File(s) copied
..\..\tinycore\temp\tinycore\\boot\tinycore.gz
1 File(s) copied
If we list again, we will see the following:
dist-get list Available meta data: tinycore Installed distributions: tinycore
This means that we have Tiny Core in our set of live Linux distributions and we can either bootable ISO file or try to make the current media bootable (useful if we have dist-get on USB flash drive). Let's create ISO file:
dist-get makeiso mkisofs 2.01 (i686-pc-cygwin) Scanning . Scanning ./boot Scanning ./boot/isolinux Scanning ./boot/syslinux Scanning ./tinycore Scanning ./tinycore/isolinux Scanning ./tinycore/meta Scanning ./ultilex Scanning ./ultilex/bin Scanning ./ultilex/cfg Scanning ./ultilex/stuff Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/extlinux Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/isolinux Excluded by match: ./ultilex/stuff/isolinux/isolinux.boot Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/syslinux Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools/WIN Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools/WIN/7z Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools/WIN/mkisofs Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools/WIN/properties Scanning ./ultilex/stuff/tools/WIN/wget Writing: Initial Padblock Start Block 0 Done with: Initial Padblock Block(s) 16 Writing: Primary Volume Descriptor Start Block 16 Done with: Primary Volume Descriptor Block(s) 1 Writing: Eltorito Volume Descriptor Start Block 17 Size of boot image is 4 sectors -> No emulation Done with: Eltorito Volume Descriptor Block(s) 1 Writing: Joliet Volume Descriptor Start Block 18 Done with: Joliet Volume Descriptor Block(s) 1 Writing: End Volume Descriptor Start Block 19 Done with: End Volume Descriptor Block(s) 1 Writing: Version block Start Block 20 Done with: Version block Block(s) 1 Writing: Path table Start Block 21 Done with: Path table Block(s) 4 Writing: Joliet path table Start Block 25 Done with: Joliet path table Block(s) 4 Writing: Directory tree Start Block 29 Done with: Directory tree Block(s) 21 Writing: Joliet directory tree Start Block 50 Done with: Joliet directory tree Block(s) 20 Writing: Directory tree cleanup Start Block 70 Done with: Directory tree cleanup Block(s) 0 Writing: Extension record Start Block 70 Done with: Extension record Block(s) 1 Writing: The File(s) Start Block 71 58.33% done, estimate finish Sat Mar 14 14:07:12 2015 Total translation table size: 2048 Total rockridge attributes bytes: 10148 Total directory bytes: 41554 Path table size(bytes): 280 Done with: The File(s) Block(s) 8354 Writing: Ending Padblock Start Block 8425 Done with: Ending Padblock Block(s) 150 Max brk space used 19000 8575 extents written (16 MB) New ISO should be created now.
The final ISO image is ultilex.iso and it is generted in the main repository folder.