MiniOS Kernel Manager 1.2.2

GTK3 and command-line tools for packaging, inspecting, activating, and removing Linux kernels in MiniOS.

Components

• minios-kernel-manager - GTK3 GUI application
• minios-kernel - CLI backend for kernel operations

Usage

# GUI application
minios-kernel-manager

# CLI commands
minios-kernel list
minios-kernel info [version]
minios-kernel activate <version>
minios-kernel package --repo <package> -o <output>
minios-kernel package --deb linux-image.deb linux-modules.deb -o <output>
minios-kernel delete <version>
minios-kernel status

All non-help CLI commands require root privileges. Add --json for structured output.

Packaging

Repository mode uses the running system's APT sources, trust configuration, and package lists. It accepts a real versioned package such as linux-image-6.12.94+deb13-amd64, never a tracking metapackage such as linux-image-amd64. Versioned split-kernel dependencies are downloaded when required. --force-update explicitly runs apt update; otherwise existing lists are used without an age gate.

Downloaded .deb files live only in the private packaging workspace and are removed after success or handled failure. Local input .deb files remain at their caller-owned paths.

Packaging produces the kernel image, initramfs, and SquashFS module. Compact dpkg metadata from the source packages is retained under /usr/share/minios/kernel-dpkg/ inside the SquashFS. When a writable MiniOS root is detected, the completed package is staged into <MiniOS-root>/kernels/<version>.

Manager-produced bundles use canonical format 1 with update_policy: frozen: the image package is manual and held, subordinate kernel packages are automatic and unheld, and no repository configuration is embedded. Activation also accepts canonical tracked bundles from 01-kernel. Legacy 1.2.1 metadata is accepted only for live activation, not as Installer-native format 1.

/lib/modules/<version> is the canonical runtime interface. On usrmerged systems it resolves to /usr/lib/modules/<version>; on older layouts it remains under /lib. The bundle records the physical path selected by the running base system. Packaging refuses an already-present same-version module tree rather than risk mixing old modules with a newly downloaded package revision.

Supported SquashFS compression methods depend on installed tools. The default is zstd; optional methods include lz4, lzo, gzip, lzma, xz, and bzip2.

Encrypted Persistence

When the running initrd advertises encrypted persistence, replacement kernels must provide dm-crypt support. The generated initramfs is checked for cryptsetup, dm-crypt.ko, and etc/minios-initramfs-crypt; packaging fails rather than activating a kernel that would make encrypted persistence unbootable.

Storage and Activation

The MiniOS root is detected from the running initramfs, mounted live medium, or supported mounted filesystems. Paths are relative to that root, for example:

<MiniOS-root>/kernels/<version>/
<MiniOS-root>/boot/vmlinuz-<version>
<MiniOS-root>/boot/initrfs-<version>.img
<MiniOS-root>/01-kernel-<version>.sb
<MiniOS-root>/boot/active-kernel

Repository and bootloader writes are confined and atomic. Activation requires a complete kernel package and GRUB configuration, updates SYSLINUX when present, and rolls back staged files if bootloader generation fails. It does not reboot the machine.

Build

make build    # Build translations
sudo make install
# Staged installation
make install DESTDIR=/tmp/minios-kernel-manager

License

GPL-3.0+

Author

crims0n crims0n@minios.dev