Debian-SystemBuilderRPI for noobs or lazy users ^^ Created for semi automated 64 bits debian install on raspberry pi 4 Script to (almost) auto build a debian system on a raspberry pi external drive

For now, this script will help you to build a debian system "buster" arm64 to a pre-formatted (at least 2 partitions) usb drive connected to your raspberry pi. The script will be updated as soon as possible to be easier and configurable. Until I make it much more configurable, this script is targetting the RPI4 (as it's still not able to natively usb boot).

Let's say you have a running system on a sdcard flashed with DietPi, Raspbian, Debian, -buntu or Kali, and only 1 usb drive connected. Using gparted :

remove all partitions from the drive (UNDERSTAND = LOSING ALL DATA STORED ON IT)

create 2 partitions on the drive (the formatting command order is essential for the script to work) :

format the 1st (120 to 256mg), 256mg if you wish to later use rpi-update, as fat32 or fat16 , it should identified by gparted as sda1 .

THEN format the 2nd (at least 1Gb) as ext4 , it should identified by gparted as sda2 .

You can keep some free drive space or create one or more others partitions (exfat is a great filesystem as it can be read/write natively by macos, windows, or linux ( sudo apt-get install exfat-fuse exfat-utils ), to format partitions from a debian like desktop environment, you need : sudo apt-get install exfat-fuse exfat-utils gnome-disk-utility , and then use the " drive " app).

IMPORTANT :

HAVE ONLY the targeted drive connected on usb, having another drive may lead to issue. The 1st partition (sda1) will not be use for now, but it will usefull and easier to already have it when the rpi4 will be able to natively boot from usb.

SO IT MEANS THE /BOOT (first partition of your sdcard) will be use to boot on the usb drive, you may want to make a copy of its content somewhere else if you made your own modifications to its files or if you want to boot again on the sdcard partition 2 system.

NB : we make a copy of the /boot before deleting it, the copy will be available on the new system at /root/oldbootp

Just copy past all this code in a terminal of the rpi (can be done through ssh of course) and press enter.

Your command prompt should then display "chmod +x buildbuster.sh", press enter again and then type " sudo ./buildbuster.sh "

This will start to create the debian buster arm64 system on sda2 (the 2nd partition of your usb drive).

When this part will ended, you will be already "chrooted" in your future system (let's say you will be looged as root in your future system) you can check you are at this step easily, if the " ls " command show you the file named " buildcontinue.sh ", it seems everything ok !

from here, just type in ./buildcontinue.sh and press enter