create your own linux OS distro howto

How to create your own linux distro based from fedora?
How to create fedora spins?
How to create and spin new CD ISO images out of fedora DVD disk or DVD ISO image file?
How to create a new fedora distro spin based from latest yum updates from net?
How to create a LIVE Media DVDs/CDs based from your own selected group packages?
How to create what-you-need-is-what-you-get packages fedora linux DVD or LIVE media installer?
How to install revisor?

Fedora linux is wonderful community-based bleeding-edge linux distro.

One very nice thing about Fedora is that it allows a user to create and repackage his own tailored made fedora linux OS installer. They called it fedora spins. This fedora spin contains selected group packages totally customized, repackaged and spawned from Fedora linux distro itself.

In other words, a user can create his own customized and repackaged fedora linux installer and save it as his own DVD/CD ISO image files, or burn it as LIVE CD installer, or burn it to DVD/CD disks!

The above can be done by using and installing Revisor.

Revisor link explains:
Revisor enables you to customize and compose your own Fedora based installation and live media. It does so by presenting you a nice GUI with all options you can click your way through designed for inexperienced users and wow, a CLI for more advanced users.

So, how do revisor finishes the packaged OS spin after selecting packages?

Simply, revisor downloads packages from Fedora base repo and update repo. This can be a real hassle for others who does not have broadband internet connection. Well, what do you know. There is a workaround with revisor.conf allowing the user to download rpm packages from DVD disk or DVD ISO image file from harddisk! That solution is posted here. More FAQS can be found here.

Great!

INSTALLATION:

How to install revisor? Issue yum as root to install revisor and download around 11MB of rpm files and dependencies.

# yum -y install revisor

LAUNCH: Ctrl+F2, revisor

CREATING FEDORA SPIN
====================

There are many ways to create and to customize a fedora spin linux distro. This entry would not cover all of that. This is just one way to have a tailor made sample of fedora OS spin. From here, I am going to make my existing selected Fedora packages as a refence for my new Fedora spin version. In other words, the selected group package that I am going to use would be the same group package I chose when I installed my existing fedora desktop. I am referring to /root/anakonda-ks.cfg file created after from last fedora desktop installation.






I need to click Forward with the first two boxes like so:





The next window prompts you to customize the spin for which architecture build type. You have a variety of choices here, simply click the dropdown menu if you wish to select a different selection. If you checked the second selection box, revisor downloads the latest update of packages before the last part of creating your fedora spin. By default, revisor downloads every package from fedora base repo and it also follows yum configuration style. See your /etc/revisor/revisor.conf .



With the next two screen, you can customize the following:
a. Default Language
b. Keyboard
c. Time Zone
d. Root Password
e. Target Architecture
f. Network Interface and IP Address
g. Authentication Configuration
h. Firewall Configuration and Security Settings
i. Video / Display Configuration
j. Live Media Settings
k. New User Setup

Additional nice options also being offered:

* Automatically login this user to the Desktop
* Add user to the group "wheel"
* Enable "wheel" group to sudo without password
* Dump current user profile (and omit /etc/skel)

I simply chose what I need from these setup and click Forward as follow






Since I have checked the box to download group package from Fedora base repo, it is now going to check for the needed dependencies via web like so



This would take some time. After all package dependencies are resolved, the summary of my new fedora spin is now being presented here before final packaging of the new spin. Take note of the RPM package payload size as this would be
the needed disk space from your hard drive too.



And now the download and build process begins...



When the build process is over, the new fedora spin ISO image is now ready. I have the option to boot from it using VMWare or burn it to DVD disk and start playing with it!

Now I have my own customized fedora spin ready to be installed and distributed from all these workstations with same specs! :p

For additional info visit revisor here.
For more revisor screenshots, click here.
Again, FAQs link can be found here.

Hope this entry serves its purpose.