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Root cause of USB boot failure: our xorriso used -e boot/grub/efi.img to embed the EFI image inside the ISO. This works for CD-ROM and QEMU but NOT for USB on real UEFI hardware. Fix: use the Will Haley / Debian live-build approach: - -append_partition 2 (GPT type EFI) appends efi.img AFTER ISO data - -e --interval:appended_partition_2:all:: references the appended partition - --mbr-force-bootable forces MBR active flag - grub-mkstandalone with embedded bootstrap config (searches for grub.cfg) - grub.cfg placed in both /boot/grub/ AND /EFI/BOOT/ on ISO - grub.cfg uses search --label ARCHIPELAGO to find the ISO root This is the exact approach used by StartOS, TAILS, and every production custom Debian live ISO that boots from USB. Also: iso-debug, iso-branding skills + reference docs, dev-start.sh option 0 for branding dev, improved dev-branding.sh and test-iso-qemu.sh. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Archipelago OS Image Recipes
Build scripts for creating bootable Debian Linux OS images for Archipelago Bitcoin Node OS.
Quick Start
Build the ISO
# 1. Sync latest configs from live dev server
./sync-from-live.sh
# 2. Build components
./scripts/build-backend.sh
./scripts/build-frontend.sh
# 3. Build the ISO
./build-debian-iso.sh
This creates a bootable Debian Live ISO with Archipelago pre-installed.
Write to USB
# Using dd (recommended)
./write-usb-dd.sh /dev/diskN
# Or use Balena Etcher to flash the ISO
See the ISO-BUILD-CHECKLIST.md for a comprehensive build workflow.
See the Architecture documentation for detailed system information.
What's Included
- Debian Linux Base: Stable Debian 12 (Bookworm) distribution
- Podman: Container runtime for apps (rootless by default)
- Archipelago Backend: Rust-based API server
- Archipelago Frontend: Vue.js web interface
- Systemd Services: Automatic service management
- Network Configuration: NetworkManager for easy setup
Build Output
results/archipelago-debian-12-x86_64.iso- Bootable hybrid ISO image
Supported Platforms
- x86_64: Dell OptiPlex, HP ProDesk 400 G4 DM, Start9 Server Pure, and other x86_64 machines
- Build Systems: macOS (requires Docker) and Linux (native or Docker)
Installation Methods
1. Live USB Boot
Boot from USB, run in live mode to test, or install to disk.
2. Full Disk Installation
From the live environment, run:
sudo /archipelago/install-to-disk.sh
This installs Archipelago to a target disk using debootstrap.
Directory Structure
image-recipe/
├── build-debian-iso.sh # Main ISO builder
├── write-usb-dd.sh # Write ISO to USB with dd
├── create-fat32-usb.sh # Alternative USB creation
├── archipelago-scripts/ # Scripts included in ISO
│ ├── install-to-disk.sh # Disk installer
│ └── setup-bitcoin.sh # Bitcoin Core setup
├── scripts/ # Build helper scripts
│ ├── build-backend.sh # Compile Rust backend
│ ├── build-frontend.sh # Build Vue.js frontend
│ └── check-dependencies.sh # Verify build requirements
└── results/ # Built ISO output
Requirements
- Docker (for macOS builds)
- xorriso (for ISO creation):
brew install xorriso - 7zip (for ISO extraction):
brew install p7zip