Customise ubuntu 20.04 server iso add .deb packages to iso

[raossabe]

I'm attempting to add .deb packages to the ubuntu-server 20.04.2 ISO file for an offline installation.

I have tried the instructions at the following URL:s but to no success.

https://www.neteye-blog.com/2018/06/custom-ubuntu-iso-image-for-unattended-and-offline-installation/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization#Modify%20pool%20structure%2 0to%20include%20more%20packages

Are there any better/newer documentation that describes how to add .deb packages to an iso file?

[tea for one]

You may wish to explore Cubic (Custom Ubuntu Iso Creator)

https://launchpad.net/cubic

[MAFoElffen]

A tip from experience on doing that and creating my own distro's in years past.

What helped me and what I migrated to for doing installs in the dark:
- I gave up on doing the work on a live machine. It added a lot to my day-to-day machine that added a lot of "bloat". I ended up creating a VM(s) to do the work on.
- For those Images, that were meant for "me", to install without a network connection, I added a pointer in the source.list to a local repo.
- Once I created those install images, I added them to an Easy2Boot drive.
- On that Drive, I created a local repo, which for all my images, there was only one local repo to keep updated... That saved my soooo much work and upkeep.

That way, I could install a myriad of flavors locally, without an active internet connection, and have "current" repo files... Without having to update those images just because of repo updates.

Just a thought...

[raossabe]

You may wish to explore Cubic (Custom Ubuntu Iso Creator)

https://launchpad.net/cubic


My end goal is to be able to use the iso as a repository. I've looked into cubic and it doesn't seem to have the ability to add packages to the iso-pool it just has the ability to install packages to the environment that is being installed.

[MAFoElffen]

My end goal is to be able to use the iso as a repository...
The full repository for a release or your own collection of favored packages?

Like I said, I do on an USB drive... The reason why? Because a release repo is between 280GB to 300GB. I use apt-mirror for that...

Then if I want something lighter, I take the packages I want (a subset) and add them to a compresed repo package file with apt-scanpackages, piped through gzip into Packages.gz... That utility will take any deb you put into a "directory", and put it into a package file.

Either way, you can point a line in the sources.list to the local repo as trusted (because it's local) with a file pointer.

At least that's the "summarized version." I can go into details if you are interested.

If you look at the old Repo to CDROM page in the Ubuntu Wiki, I think it still says for 10.04 that it took over 39 disks. But that was back when the repo was a lot smaller. That's why I went to USB drives. LOL