Editing Creating a template cache : Slackware or HostGIS Linux

== Creating a new Host Template Cache for HostGIS Linux 4.x or Slackware 11.x/12.x ==

This process uses VMWare to install the OS into a VM, then to trim down the VM's contents to only those items suitable for a VPS/VE environment, then to save a snapshot of the system as a host template cache for use in OpenVZ.

This document focuses on HostGIS Linux (a Slackware derivative) but aside from the specifics about installation settings, it should be 99% applicable to Slackware as well.


=== Create the VM in VMWare ===

Technically, you could probably do this on a hardware PC without VMWare, but VMWare does make it more convenient.

Start by creating a new VM in VMWare.
* The disk and RAM stats can be minimal, as the system will never see live use.
* There is no need to create the entire disk at once during the setup.
* Create the disk as SCSI.

Then install HGL.
* Create a small partition at the end of the disk for swap. Some swap is technically necessary, but since you'll never in fact be using it, a few MB should be fine.
* Set the passwords to 'password'
* Do set the timezone properly. The internal clock does not use UTC/GMT.
* Select the default mouse, but do NOT enable GPM at startup.
* Hostname:  template   Domain: internal.lan
* IP config:  as appropriate for your LAN
* Nameserver: no

Reboot into your new HGL install, and log in.


== Delete unnecessary stuff ==

A lot of packages aren't relevant to a VPS setting, e.g. floppy disk utilities and kernel modules, even getty listening on the console.

<code>

  # kernel, kernel modules, documentation, mount points
  rm -rf /lib/modules /boot /dev/.udev /usr/doc /usr/info /media

  # packages not applicable to a VPS setting
  cd /var/log/packages
  for pkg in \
     hotplug-* hdparm-* devmapper-* udev-* usbutils-* pciutils-* module-init-tools-* \
     mdadm-* floppy-* lvm2-* raidtools-* reiserfsprogs-* \
     smartmontools-* sysfsutils-* syslinux-* wireless_tools.* quota-* iptables-*
  do removepkg $pkg ; done

  # prune init's getty
  vi  /etc/inittab # delete everything after entry l6 (runlevel 6)
  init q

  # clean out the fstab and mtab files
  ( cd /etc ; rm -f fstab mtab ; ln -s ../proc/mounts mtab )
  echo "proc     /proc      proc     defaults    0  0" >> /etc/fstab
  echo "devpts   /dev/pts   devpts   mode=0620   0  0" >> /etc/fstab

  # the startup sequence and services
  cd /etc/rc.d
  rm -f rc.gpm-sample rc.gpm rc.hotplug rc.ip_forward rc.modules \
        rc.scanluns  rc.serial rc.udev rc.sysvinit
  vi rc.syslog    # delete all mentions of klogd
  vi rc.M         # delete the setterm entry
  vi rc.S         # delete the MOTD clobbering

</code>


== Fix permissions and ownerships ==

<code>

  # clear out old/dummy SSL certificates
  mv /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf /tmp ; rm -r /etc/ssl/* ; mv /tmp/openssl.cnf /etc/ssl

  # set an ownership on any unowned files
  find / -mount -nouser -exec chown root {} \; &
  find / -mount -nogroup -exec chgrp root {} \; &

  # remove the setuid bit from programs which nobody else should use
  # you may want to review this list first, as some folks want their users
  # able to edit cronjobs and to change their own passwords, etc.
  for i in \
    /bin/ping /bin/mount /bin/ping6 /bin/umount /usr/bin/chfn \
     /usr/bin/chsh /usr/bin/crontab /usr/bin/chage /usr/bin/traceroute6 /usr/bin/traceroute \
     /usr/bin/expiry /usr/bin/newgrp /usr/bin/passwd /usr/bin/gpasswd \
     /usr/libexec/ssh-keysign /usr/libexec/pt_chown /usr/bin/wall /usr/bin/write
     do chmod u-s $i ; done

</code>

== Changes to rc scripts ==

OpenVZ emulates rebooting with an external cronjob called vpsreboot and a dummy file called /reboot within the VPS, and emulates the /etc/mtab file by pointing it to /proc/mounts So, some small changes are necessary to the rc scripts.

<code>

  # somewhere in rc.6 add this command: touch /reboot
  vi /etc/rc.d/rc.6

  # somewhere in rc.M, add this command: rm -f /etc/mtab ;  ln -s /proc/mounts /etc/mtab
  vi /etc/rc.d/rc.M

</code>

== Blanking settings ==

Lastly, you'll want to delete or blank out a bunch of files so they start fresh
when the VE is booted for its first time.

<code>

  # stop all services
  apachectl stop
  killall syslogd klogd udevd crond
  /etc/rc.d/rc.sendmail stop
  /etc/rc.d/rc.inetd stop
  /etc/webmin/stop
  /etc/rc.d/rc.pgsql stop
  /etc/rc.d/rc.mysqld stop
  killall named proftpd

  # blow away the network configuration with dummy strings for later replacement
  #    replace the IP address with __IPADDRESS_
  #    replace the netmask with __NETMASK__
  #    replace the GATEWAY with __GATEWAY__
  vi /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf

  # disable the root and user accounts
  # by changing the password for root and user to a ! character.
  vi /etc/shadow

  # refresh the 'locate' cache
  /etc/cron.daily/slocate

  # blank out the system logfiles
  for logfile in \
      /var/log/messages /var/log/syslog /var/log/debug /var/log/secure \
      /var/log/maillog /var/log/spooler /var/log/proftpd.log /var/log/xinetd.log \
      /var/log/dmesg /var/log/faillog /var/log/lastlog /var/log/wtmp \
      /var/log/apache/access_log /var/log/apache/error_log \
      /var/log/webmin/miniserv.error /var/log/webmin/miniserv.pid
  do cp /dev/null $logfile ; done
  rmdir /var/log/sa

  # clear the SSH host key
  rm -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_*

  # database server logfiles
  rm -f /var/lib/mysql/*.err /var/lib/pgsql/logfile

  # delete vi backup files, bash_history files, and other small application crud
  unset HISTFILE
  find / -name '*~' \
      -o -name .bash_history \
      -o -name .gnupg \
      -o -name .lesshst \
      -o -name .viminfo \
      -o -name .rnd \
      -delete

  # anything under /tmp
  rm -rf /tmp/*

</code>


== Zipping it up into a cache image ==

A VE cache is just a tar.gz file of the entire filesystem, excluding some very dynamic stuff which gets populated by the OS at runtime anyway:

<code>

tar zcvf /tmp/HostGIS_Linux_4.2_64bit.tar.gz --exclude='/sys/*' --exclude='/proc/*' --exclude='/tmp/*' /

</code>