Set target architecture you want to install. Defaults to the architecture you are currently running. If you’re running an amd64 kernel and want to deploy an i386 system use this option. Note: deploying amd64 from an i386 kernel does not work. Example: "--arch i386"

Enable Debian’s Backports repository via the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/backports.list configuration file. This provides the option to install Debian packages from Debian’s backports repository.

Specify appendline for the kernel. E.g. "pci=nomsi"

Use specified configuration file, defaults to /etc/debootstrap/config.

Execute chroot scripts from specified directory. This allows customisation of the chroot setup, the executable script(s) present in the given directory are executed at the end of the chroot procedure. Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/chroot-scripts/

Enable the contrib repository in COMPONENTS. By default only the main repository is enabled.

Place of configuration files for debootstrap, defaults to /etc/debootstrap.

Use specified file for preseeding Debian packages instead of using the default <confdir>/debconf-selections.

Extra parameters passed to the debootstrap command.

Execute in very verbose way. Useful for debugging possible problems with grml-debootstrap or identify what’s actually executed.

Install a default /etc/network/interfaces file (enabling DHCP for all local Ethernet, WLAN and WWAN interfaces using predictable network interface names and using eth0 as traditional interface name for backward compatibility) instead of taking over config from host system. This option is automatically enabled when using --vm or --vmfile.

Partition where EFI boot manager should be installed to. If the specified device doesn’t use a FAT filesystem yet grml-debootstrap automatically creates the filesystem. If a FAT filesystem is already present the filesystem creation is skipped. Please ensure that it’s a valid FAT32 filesystem and the partition has the boot and esp flags enabled. This option requires EFI support on the running system and the option is NOT supported for Virtual Machine deployments.

Filesystem that should be created when installing to a partition. If unset defaults to ext4. Valid values are all filesystems that can be created through mkfs.filesystem.

Skip user acknowledgement and do not prompt for user input.

Enable Grml.org’s Debian repository (http://deb.grml.org/) via the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grml.list configuration file. This provides the option to install Debian packages from Grml’s repository.

Device where grub should be installed to. Note that only the MBR (master boot record) can be used (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb,…​). Partitions (like /dev/sda1, /dev/sdb2,…​) are NOT supported because grub2 doesn’t support installation into the PBR (partition boot record) anymore. Usage example: --grub /dev/sda. Note: just do not set this option to avoid installation of grub.

Show summary of options and exit.

Use specified hostname instead of the default (being $HOSTNAME or if unset grml).

Do not overwrite user provided /etc/apt/sources.list.

Specify mirror which should be used for apt-get/aptitude. Corresponding with configuration variable MIRROR.

Skip debootstrap, only do configuration to the target.

Do not copy /etc/network/interfaces from host system to the target.

Skip installation of default kernel images. This option might be interesting for you if you want a Debian system which doesn’t need to provide regular boot, e.g. a system which provides ISOs for booting via GRUB using grml-rescueboot.

Enable the non-free repository in COMPONENTS. For bookworm and newer Debian releases also the non-free-firmware repository gets enabled. By default only the main repository is enabled.

Skip installation of packages defined in /etc/debootstrap/packages.

Do not prompt for the root password. Note: Use the --password option if you want to set the root password during an automatic installation but don’t want to use the interactive dialog.

Specify mount point that should be used for mounting the target system. Corresponding with configuration variable MNTPOINT. Note: this option has no effect if option -t is given and represents a directory.

Use specified file as list for packages that should be installed instead of the default package list file <confdir>/packages.

Use specified password as password for user root. Use with caution, as your command line might be visible in the process list and the shell history. It’s meant for automatic installation only.

Execute scripts from specified directory after executing the chroot script. This allows customisation of the system after the chroot has been set up. The environment variable $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for direct access of the chroot. Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/post-scripts/

Execute scripts from specified directory before executing the chroot script. This allows customisation of the system before the chroot has been set up. The environment variable $MNTPOINT is available inside the scripts for direct access of the chroot. Default directory: /etc/debootstrap/pre-scripts/

Specify release of new Debian system. Supported releases names: buster, bullseye, bookworm, trixie and sid. Corresponding with configuration variable RELEASE. Default release: trixie

Delete grml-debootstrap configuration files (/etc/debootstrap/*) from installed system. Useful for reproducible builds or if you don’t want to leak information.

Use locally available $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys to authorise root login on the target system. This installs $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys as /root/.ssh/authorized_keys on the target system. If a different file than $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys should be used, the environment variable AUTHORIZED_KEYS_SOURCE can be used.

Use locally available public keys to authorise root login on the target system. Similar to ssh-copy-id(1) (without the -i option) it checks if ssh-add -L provides any output, and if so those keys are appended to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys (creating the file and directory (with mode 0700)).

Target partition (/dev/…​) or directory (anything else without /dev at the beginning).

Increase verbosity.

Set up a Virtual Machine on an existing block device, which will be partitioned. This allows deployment of a Virtual Machine. The options needs to be combined with the --target option. This option automatically enables the --defaultinterfaces option. Usage example: --vm --target /dev/mapper/your-vm-disk

Set up a Virtual Machine using a regular file instead of installing to a partition/block device or directory. This allows deployment of a Virtual Machine. The options needs to be combined with the --target option (qemu-img create -f raw …​ is executed on the specified target). This option automatically enables the --defaultinterfaces option. Usage example: --vmfile --target /mnt/sda1/qemu.img

Use specified size for size of Virtual Machine disk file. If not specified it defaults to 2G (being 2GB). Syntax as supported by qemu-img (see manpage qemu-img(1) for details. Usage example: --vmsize 3G

Create an EFI boot partition for the VM.

Show version of program and exit.