Odd question, but how would one build their own Illumos ISO with custom software without relying on OpenIndiana's distro building tool?

BarryBenson: At Oxide, we use github.com/illumos/image-builder

There aren't really docs for the tool right now, but you can look at how we use it at: github.com/oxidecomputer/helios-engvm/tree/main/image

image/make_new_installers.sh in that repository generates ISOs that contain ramdisk boot images, in particular

Taking a look at the source code right now, I ultimately think I'll roll my own image builder to specifically suit my own needs, but to see this is very cool because it can help me, thank you

I took the function at github.com/illumos/image-builder/blob/main/src/main.rs#L319 to make a MKISOFS command that I am using to build an ISO file. It seems to be working, thank you so much

Another odd question, my ISOs tend to hit the GRUB menu and not load the OS, what could I be missing in the build process? I am trying to build `illumos-gate` directly, and turn it into an ISO

I've never built an OS before, sorry if these questions are stupid

BarryBenson gate is not self containing, you will need number of external packages as well (like libxml2 etc - I do not have complete list)

tsoome_: arm64-gate prior to the omnios packages arriving contained the bare minimum

idnkit, libressl or openssl, libstdc++, libxml2, nspr, zlib

and parts of illumos that need to already exist to bootstrap itself, which probably doesn't apply elsewhere

that's not a complete list, but it's a list that makes an approximately bootable system appear at the far end

smartos' "strap" is probably a closer list, but it contains extra bits

s,nspr,nss/nspr,

sort of unfortunate that we need two different TLS stacks.

mostly because of ldap IIRC

out of curiosity: I know about openssl, but what's the other one?

NSS/NSPR ("Netscape Portable Runtime", "Network Security Services")

thanks!