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I've been building my own Linux distribution, and I've stripped the binaries, etc. The system won't use GCC or development tools, as it will be a Chrome kiosk, so it would greatly help if I could strip down the system.

I was wondering, is there a way that I can delete all of the unused system files (like binaries, etc.) by watching what files/libraries are used during runtime? Maybe another method is preferred, but is there a way to accomplish something like this?

EsmaeelE
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Blender
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5 Answers5

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These are some things I would do:

  • Build my own kernel with no loadable modules. (Build in all the required modules.) Eliminates /lib/modules ..
  • Review the init scripts and drop any programs that are not required.
  • Use ldd on the programs that are run to identify the libaries that are required.
  • Identify which commands can be replaced by busybox, and build a custom busybox to supply only those commands.
  • Identify the programs required for support and add them in.

Consider looking at what is included in a distribution like OpenWRT to see what is required for a relatively base installation. Remove what your don't need, and add what your do. OpenWRT now has builder package which makes it easier to investigate the distribution.

BillThor
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debootstrap is the tool you want. http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/426 . It's much better to build up rather than strip down.

dan_waterworth
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start from something like damn small Linux and build up from that. dsL image is at most 50 mb

bbaja42
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For building your own Linux filesystem try Buildroot. There are a lot of tutorials on the Internet.

redbeam_
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Why bother? Is it security you're worried about, or space/memory? I would recommend: if in doubt, don't spend the time on it.