# MinimalLinux

**Repository Path**: ChenPi12/mlinux-minimal

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: MinimalLinux
- **Description**: A tiny Linux distribution. (DEPRECATED)
- **Primary Language**: Python
- **License**: GPL-2.0
- **Default Branch**: main
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 10
- **Forks**: 4
- **Created**: 2024-03-09
- **Last Updated**: 2025-04-11

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# DEPRECATED! DEPRECATED! DEPRECATED!

## minimal-linux is merged into the MLinux project, https://github.com/mlinux-project/minimal is the latest repo.

<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>

# MinimalLinux - Minimal Linux filesystem

## Dependencies

### For building binary

- A C runtime, compiler, linker, etc.
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native 'cc', or GCC 4.2 or newer. For building BusyBox and Linux.
  - GCC Homepage:
    <https://gcc.gnu.org>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gcc>

- A shell
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native 'sh', or GNU Bash.
  - GNU Bash Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/bash>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash>

- Awk
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native awk, mawk, or nawk, or GNU awk.
  - GNU awk Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/gawk>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gawk>

- Bc
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native bc, or GNU bc. For building Linux.
  - GNU bc Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/bc>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bc>

- Bison
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native bison, or GNU bison. For building Linux.
  - GNU Bison Homepace:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/bison>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bison>

- Core POSIX utilities
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native utilities, or GNU coreutils.
  - GNU coreutils Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils>

- Cpio
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platfrom's native cpio, or GNU cpio.
  - GNU cpio Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/cpio>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/cpio>

- Flex
  - Mandatory.
  - For building Linux.
  - Homepage:
    <https://github.com/westes/flex>
  - Download:
    <https://github.com/westes/flex/releases>

- GNU Grub
  - Mandatory.
  - GNU Grub 2.x. For install grub in the image file.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/grub>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grub>

- GNU Make
  - Mandatory.
  - GNU Make 3.79.1 or newer.
  - GNU Make Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/make>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/make>

- Grep
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native grep, or GNU grep.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/grep>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep>

- Kpartx
  - Mandatory.
  - For mounting filesystem.
  - Homepage:
    <http://christophe.varoqui.free.fr>

- libelf
  - Mandatory.
  - Must be libelf-dev. For building Linux.

- libssl
  - Mandatory.
  - Must be libssl-dev. For building Linux.

- QEMU Utils
  - Mandatory.
  - For creating disk image.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.qemu.org>
  - Download:
    <https://www.qemu.org/download>

- Sed
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native sed, or GNU sed.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/sed>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/sed>

- Sudo
  - Mandatory.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.sudo.ws>
  - Download:
    <https://www.sudo.ws/dist>

- Util-linux
  - Mandatory.
  - Homepage:
    <https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux>
  - Download:
    <https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/tags>

- Wget
  - Mandatory.
  - Either the platform's native 'wget', or GNU Wget. For getting source codes.
  - GNU Wget Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/wget>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget>

- XZ Utils
  - Mandatory.
  - For compressing image file and Linux kernel.
  - XZ Utils Homepage:
    <https://xz.tukaani.org/xz-utils>
  - Download:
    <https://xz.tukaani.org/xz-utils/#releases>

#### Install binary building dependencies on Debian

```shell
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gcc cpio xz-utils gawk grub2 make grep kpartx qemu-utils sed util-linux wget binutils libelf-dev libssl-dev bc flex bison -y
```

### For building tarball

- GNU Autoconf
  - Mandatory.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/autoconf>

- GNU Automake
  - Mandatory.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.gnu.org/software/automake>
  - Download:
    <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/automake>

#### Install tarball building dependencies Debian

```shell
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get autoconf automake -y
```

### For generating picture

- Python
  - Mandatory.
  - For `make picture` command.
  - Homepage:
    <https://python.org>
  - Download:
    <https://python.org/ftp/python>

- Python Pillow
  - Mandatory.
  - For `make picture` command.
  - Homepage:
    <https://python-pillow.org>
  - Download:
    <https://pypi.org/project/pillow/#files>

#### Install picture-generating dependencies on Debian

```shell
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pillow -y
```

Or you can using pip to install Pillow.

```shell
pip install Pillow
```

### For testing

- Tree
  - Mandatory.
  - For `make check` command.
  - Homepage:
    <http://oldmanprogrammer.net/source.php?dir=projects/tree>

- QEMU System
  - Mandatory.
  - For `make check` command.
  - Homepage:
    <https://www.qemu.org>
  - Download:
    <https://www.qemu.org/download>

#### Install testing dependencies on Debian

```shell
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install tree qemu-system -y
```

## Build source tarball

**You need to install the dependencies first, and make sure you are in source directory.**

```shell
make -f Makefile.devel dist
```

## Build rootfs, linux kernel and disk image

```shell
./configure
make -j$(nproc)
```

The compressed rootfs will be name to `rootfs.tar.xz`.
The compressed linux kernel will be name to `vmlinuz.xz`.
The compressed disk image will be name to `disk.img`.

## Configuration options

- `--with-busybox-version=X.X.X`
  - Specify the version of Busybox.
  - Default is `1.36.1`.

- `--with-linux-version=X.X.X`
  - Specify the version of Linux kernel.
  - Default is `6.7.5`.

- `--with-busybox-mirror=OFFICIAL | <URL>`
  - Specify the mirror of Busybox. If you want to use the official mirror, set it to `OFFICIAL`. Otherwise, set it to the URL of the mirror.
  - Default is `OFFICIAL`.

- `--with-linux-mirror=OFFICIAL | CDN | TSINGHUA | ALIYUN | USTC | <URL>`
  - Specify the mirror of Linux kernel. If you want to use the Tsinghua mirror, set it to `TSINGHUA`. Otherwise, set it to the URL of the mirror.
  - Default is `OFFICIAL`.

Like this:

```shell
./configure --with-busybox-version=1.36.1 --with-linux-version=6.7.5 --with-busybox-mirror=OFFICIAL --with-linux-mirror=TSINGHUA
```

## Run

**You should use origin binary file instead of XZ compressed one!!!**

Using this command to run `disk.img`.

```shell
qemu-system-x86_64 -m 1024 -hda disk.img
```

Using this command to run `vmlinuz`.

```shell
qemu-system-x86_64 -m 1024 -kernel vmlinuz
```

**This vmlinuz contians initramfs, so you can execute it directly using QEMU.**

## Copyright

The MinimalLinux is under GPL 2.0,
see file [LICENSE](./LICENSE).

## Download

<https://github.com/ChenPi11/miminal-linux/releases>

## Homepage

<https://github.com/ChenPi11/miminal-linux>