MinimalOS

Description

Debian-based minimal OS for web-based applications.

Requirements

• Debian-based Linux distribution (net-install)
• xserver
• chromium or firefox browser
• git
• lshw (for hardware information)
• w3m (to view lshw output) optional

Manual Setup

Updating debian sources

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Add contrib and non-free

deb https://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main contrib non-free
deb-src https://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main contrib non-free
deb https://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
deb-src https://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
deb https://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
deb-src https://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye-updates main contrib non-free

Update & Upgrade

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

Install basic packages

sudo apt-get install -y ufw fail2ban git lshw w3m network-manager firmware-iwlwifi chromium

Core xserver packages

sudo apt-get install -y xserver-xorg-core xinit x11-xserver-utils

Use lshw to get hardware information

sudo lshw > lshw.html

Look for display drivers needed for hardware( usually somewhere at the beginning of the list)

Example:

    *-display UNCLAIMED
             description: VGA compatible controller
             product: Wrestler [Radeon HD 6250]
             vendor: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]
             physical id: 1
             bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
             version: 00
             width: 32 bits
             clock: 33MHz
             capabilities: pm pciexpress msi vga_controller bus_master cap_list
             configuration: latency=0

• xserver-xorg-video-intel (intel)
• xserver-xorg-video-nouveau (nvidia)
• xserver-xorg-video-openchrome (via)
• xserver-xorg-video-radeon (amd)
• xserver-xorg-video-vesa (generic display driver)

cat lshw.txt

Input packages (optional)

• for mouse and keyboard

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-mouse xserver-xorg-input-kbd

• for touchpad

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

Additional packages (optional but recommended)

apt-get install xfonts-100dpi xfonts-75dpi xfonts-base xfonts-scalable libgl1-mesa-dri mesa-utils

Configure xserver

Create a guest account

• Create user account

   sudo useradd  -m -s /bin/sh guest

• Set password

   sudo passwd guest

• Switch to guest account

   su guest

• Change into home directory

   cd ~

• Create .bash_profile

   touch .bash_profile

  • Add following to .bash_profile, This will initialize startx on user login on tty1 w/o mouse cursor.
  • remove -- -nocursor from startx command to enable mouse cursor.

     if [[ -z $DISPLAY ]] && [[ $(tty) = /dev/tty1 ]]; then
       startx -- -nocursor
     fi

• Create a .xinitrc file

   touch .xinitrc

  • Add following to .xinitrc ( change localhost to your web address)

     #!/bin/sh
     xset -dpms
     xset s off
     xset s noblank
     chromium localhost --window-size=1920,1080 --start-fullscreen --kiosk --incognito --noerrdialogs --enable-features=OverlayScrollbar,OverlayScrollbarFlashAfterAnyScrollUpdate,OverlayScrollbarFlashWhenMouseEnter --disable-translate --no-first-run --fast --fast-start --disable-infobars --disable-features=TranslateUI --disk-cache-dir=/dev/null  --password-store=basic

• Exit to default user account

   exit

Setup autologin

sudo systemctl edit getty@tty1.service

• Add following to [Service] section

  [Service]
  ExecStart=
  ExecStart=-/sbin/agetty --noissue --autologin guest %I $TERM
  Type=idle