Remastersys

We’ve previously covered Renastersys. It’s one of a group of tools that create your ISO files using the filesystem on which it’s being run. You essentially clone your current Debian/Ubuntu install and make it into a live CD. This makes it extremely easy to customize every little thing about your distro, because you’re actually running it and can changing settings normally as you go. Because of the flexibility of the program, it’s also more complex than some of the other options.

Linux Live Scripts

This is a set of shell scripts to convert your existing system into a live CD or USB image. It works similarly to Remastersys, but does not require you to be running Debian or Ubuntu. There is no GUI here, and your distribution may require you to manually install certain kernel modules for the scripts to run.

Live-Magic

This is a Debian/Ubuntu tool that can create CD, USB, and netboot images. It’s much simpler to use than Remastersys, but it does not use your running system to build the image. Instead, you follow a “wizard” and choose your configuration options as you go. The program will pull the packages from your repositories and install them into your image. Live-Magic can be installed via the normal package managers. Ubuntu users can click here.

Revisor

Revisor is a very nice remastering tool for Fedora. It gives a wide variety of media types and includes some customization features not found some of the other graphical tools, such as package-by-package selection or browsing by category. Revisor also allows you to choose whether your creation will be a live system or an installer.

Instalinux.com

The really interesting thing about Instalinux is that it allows you to create an ISO image online. At the website, you can choose which distribution to base it on as well as the packages. Instalinux will create a small bootable ISO (approx. 30mb) which, when booted, will begin the install and fetch the other packages from the Internet. This may be the most versatile tool on the list, and the web interface makes it extremely simple to use. It won’t, however, provide you with a full live desktop environment.

SUSE Studio

Somewhat similar to Instalinux, SUSE studio allows you to use a web interface to create a custom distribution or “appliance”. It tops the charts in supported media, by including output for CD, DVD, USB stick, hard drive, VMware, VirtualBox, and Xen. Unfortunately, SUSE Studio is an invite-only program. You can request an invitation from the website. Being backed by a large company, SUSE Studio is of course much more polished than Instalinux.

If you’ve can recommend another great remixing program, let us know in the comments.

There are two thing that Remastersys can do:

1. To do a full system backup, including all installed applications, their settings and your personal data, to a live CD or DVD. You can use this live CD or DVD to restore your system or to install it in another computer. You can also bring it around and use it everywhere as a Live CD.
2. To create a custom distributable copy of your current Ubuntu system and share it with your friends.

Remastersys comes with a GUI to guide you through the process. There is little or no configuration to do. In as little as one step, you will be backing up your Ubuntu (or creating custom distributable iso) in no time. Remastersys works only in Ubuntu and its derivative such as Linux Mint.

Installing Remastersys

In your terminal,

gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Add the following line to the end of the file.

For Gutsy and Earlier

# Remastersys
deb http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/repository remastersys/

For Hardy and Newer with original grub

# Remastersys
deb http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/repository ubuntu/

For Karmic and Newer with grub2

# Remastersys
deb http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/repository karmic/

Save and exit.

Update the repositories and install Remastersys

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install remastersys

Once the installation has finished, go to System -> Administration -> Remastersys Backup

If you have any other windows or applications running, close them all. Click OK to continue.

Select the action that you want to do. If you want to create a backup of your system, including all the personal data, highlight Backup and click OK. If you want to create a distributable copy of your current system, select Dist and click OK.

Remastersys will proceed to do the task that you have specified. This will take a long time, depending on the number of applications and files in your system.

You will receive a prompt when the backup process is done. The backup cd filesystem and iso can be found at /home/remastersys/remastersys folder.

If you have Virtualbox or VMware installed, you can test the iso file by loading it in a virtual machine.

Conclusion

Remastersys is a powerful, yet simple to use application. There is no technical knowledge involved. You simply load it up, select the option and off it goes. It is ideal for backing up your system so that you can restore it in the event your system crashes. I like the feature where it allows you to create a custom distribution of Ubuntu. Over the time, I have received many queries from friends on how to install the various applications. With Remastersys, I can now create my own distro with all the applications pre-installed and distribute them to my friends.

For alternative way to create your custom distro, check out Reconstructor.