====== Create an ISO Installer ======


After creating one or more flash images (''.img.gz'' files) using **[[devdoc:devdoc_create_image|Create a Flash Image]]**, you can wrap those images in a Hybrid ISO (''.iso'' file) that can be directly booted when dd'ed to a USB flash drive, booted in a Virtual Machine, or mounted as an ISO disk.

The input ''.img.gz'' file(s) will be placed unaltered on the resulting ISO in the ''os/'' directory along with generated ''.img.gz.sha1'' files.  Additionally, the current AstLinux changelog file will be included on the ISO.

The process is quite straight-forward, but does require the **[[devdoc:documentation|Development Environment]]** to be installed.

  $ ./scripts/build-runnix-iso
  Usage: ./scripts/build-runnix-iso install_image.img.gz|install_image_dir [serial]

The first argument can be a single ''.img.gz'' file or a directory containing ''.img.gz'' files.

The optional second argument ''serial'' will create a serial console using 19200n8, without it the default is a VGA video console for the installer.

!!Note ->!! The resulting ''.iso'' file will be output to the current directory.

If your build system currently has an AstLinux build in the ''output/'' directory with it's ''.config'' file, the ''./scripts/build-runnix-iso'' script will save and restore that data while building the "runnix-iso" build.  This process can take 10-30 minutes, so if you want to run the ''./scripts/build-runnix-iso'' script multiple times in a row you can remove your current AstLinux build first as follows:

  rm -rf output/
  cp runnix-iso.config .config

In this case the ''./scripts/build-runnix-iso'' script will not have an ''output/'' directory to restore, so it will retain the "runnix-iso" build ''output/'' directory.  Additional ''./scripts/build-runnix-iso'' calls will execute very quickly.

Finally, to see how this ISO installer can be used, follow **[[userdoc:new-install|New Installation]]** for the process.