Profile structure

A Parch ISO profile is one git repository per edition. This page walks through every file and directory, then documents profiledef.sh, the file that ties the profile together, in full.

Repository layout

parch-iso-<edition>/
├── build.sh                      # Root-required build wrapper
├── README.md
└── iso/
    ├── profiledef.sh             # Profile definition sourced by mkarchiso
    ├── packages.x86_64           # Live-system package manifest
    ├── bootstrap_packages.x86_64 # Package manifest for the upstream bootstrap buildmode
    ├── pacman.conf               # Repository configuration used during the build
    ├── public.key                # Parch repository public key material
    ├── airootfs/                 # Overlay tree copied into the live root filesystem
    ├── efiboot/                  # systemd-boot configuration (UEFI bootmodes)
    ├── grub/                     # GRUB configuration
    └── syslinux/                 # Syslinux configuration (BIOS bootmodes)

The repository is deliberately self-contained: cloning it and running sudo ./build.sh is enough to reproduce the ISO, with no files fetched from anywhere except the package repositories configured in pacman.conf.

What each piece does

build.sh

The supported entry point. Both flavors require root (mkarchiso needs to create device nodes and mount filesystems), install their own dependencies, then run mkarchiso -v iso/:

• Template flavor installs the stock archiso package, builds, then packs out/ into 7z multi-volume archives and writes an md5sums.txt.
• Desktop-edition flavor (for example Plasma) installs git, wget, github-cli, p7zip, reflector, rsync, and Parch's custom archiso-99-1 package, then builds.

iso/profiledef.sh

A bash file sourced by mkarchiso. It defines the ISO's identity, image compression, boot modes, and end-of-build permission fixes. Full reference below.

iso/packages.x86_64 and iso/bootstrap_packages.x86_64

Plain-text package manifests, one name per line, comments with #. packages.x86_64 is the authoritative list of what is installed into the live system; bootstrap_packages.x86_64 feeds upstream's bootstrap buildmode (not used by a plain buildmodes=('iso') build). See Package lists.

iso/pacman.conf

The repository configuration used during the build, not your host's. It mirrors a normal Arch pacman.conf with one crucial addition: the Parch [world] repository listed before [core] and [extra], so Parch packages take precedence:

[world]
SigLevel = Never
Server = https://github.com/parchlinux/world/raw/refs/heads/main/x86_64/

SigLevel = Never means packages from [world] are trusted without signature checks. Keep the repository above [core]/[extra], pacman resolves to the first repository that carries a package name.

iso/public.key

GPG public key material shipped with the profile, available to the build's pacman keyring setup for Parch-signed packages. Because [world] is currently consumed with SigLevel = Never, the key is not strictly exercised by today's builds; profiles keep it for the signed-repository work proposed in Release automation.

iso/airootfs/

The live root filesystem overlay, mirrored onto installed packages after they install. This is where autologin, networking, sudo, pacman hooks, the Calamares configuration, and live-only scripts live. See airootfs customization.

iso/efiboot/, iso/grub/, iso/syslinux/

Bootloader configuration trees. The bootmodes array decides which ones mkarchiso actually materializes into the ISO. See Bootloader configuration.

profiledef.sh reference

Everything mkarchiso reads from the profile is a bash variable assignment. Here is a real-shaped example matching the Parch profiles:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# shellcheck disable=SC2034

iso_name="ParchLinux"
iso_label="PARCHLINUX_$(date +%Y%m)"
iso_publisher="Parch Linux <https://parchlinux.com>"
iso_application="Parch Linux Live/Installer DVD"
iso_version="$(date +%Y.%m.%d)"
install_dir="arch"
buildmodes=('iso')
bootmodes=('bios.syslinux.mbr' 'bios.syslinux.eltorito'
           'uefi-x64.systemd-boot.esp' 'uefi-x64.systemd-boot.eltorito')
arch="x86_64"
pacman_conf="pacman.conf"
airootfs_image_type="squashfs"
airootfs_image_tool_options=('-comp' 'xz' '-Xbcj' 'x86' '-b' '1M' '-Xdict-size' '1M')
file_permissions=(
  ["/etc/shadow"]="0:0:0400"
  ["/root"]="0:0:750"
  ["/root/.automated_script.sh"]="0:0:755"
  ["/usr/local/bin/choose-mirror"]="0:0:755"
  ["/usr/local/bin/Installation_guide"]="0:0:755"
  ["/usr/local/bin/livecd-sound"]="0:0:755"
)

Key-by-key

file_permissions

The array maps an absolute path inside the built airootfs to ownerUID:ownerGID:mode. mkarchiso applies these settings after all copying and package installation, so they are the final word on those files' metadata, regardless of what your git checkout or your host umask did to them.

Why it exists: the live environment ships scripts in /usr/local/bin (for example choose-mirror and Installation_guide) that must be executable, and security-sensitive files like /etc/shadow must be locked down, even though neither property can be guaranteed by a git clone alone.

Rules of thumb:

• Every executable script you add under airootfs/usr/local/bin/ must get a matching ["/usr/local/bin/your-script"]="0:0:755" entry, or it will land in the ISO non-executable.
• Modes are written as octal strings, use four digits for restrictive modes (0400, not 400) so the value cannot be misread.
• Only list what needs fixing; there is no globbing, each entry is one path.

Expected results

• grep '=' iso/profiledef.sh shows all keys above; nothing references removed repositories.
• bash -n iso/profiledef.sh (syntax check) exits cleanly, mkarchiso sources the file, so bash syntax errors abort the build.
• Changing iso_name or iso_version changes the filename in out/ on the next build; changing iso_label changes the label the initramfs searches for.

Troubleshooting

• profiledef.sh: line N: unexpected token, a bash syntax problem (often a broken array). Validate with bash -n iso/profiledef.sh.
• Boot fails with "root device not found" / label errors, iso_label was changed after the bootloader configs were last regenerated, or the label exceeds 32 characters. Rebuild so %ARCHISO_LABEL% is re-substituted, and shorten the label.
• install_dir too long, mkarchiso rejects values longer than 8 characters or containing invalid characters. Stick to arch.
• Script not executable in the live system, add the file_permissions entry.

Related pages

• Build your first ISO, put this profile to work.
• Package lists, the manifest behind phase 4 of the build.
• Bootloader configuration, the configs the bootmodes generate.