BBG: Generic Dietpi-Install-Script for Buster?

General Discussion
1

I dont understand what your Install Scrip does in detail, but when you say

" The script will convert any ‘bloated’ Debian/Raspbian installation into a lightweight DietPi system."

…I thought: Ok, lets give my Beaglbone Green a try running it on the Debian Buster image prvided by its producer and run the Generic Dietpi-Script over it…well this does not work…no LAN connection possible afterwards.

I GUESS it has to do with that Buster is no longer an option which I can select…but v11 is not yet available for the rusty Beaglebone…and when I use your v11 option, we mix up two versions which breaks the install…and I guess v11 is not offered by the guys from beaglebone for a reason…

But Buster was originally an option in the script as I read your documentation…

So, is there a link to an old script i could try on the Beaglebone making its Buster-Distro to a Dietpi-System ?

Thx so much

2

usually our installer script is supporting Buster, Bullseye and Bookworm

May guess, some packages, needed for network operation, might going to be removed. One important step on the installer script is to purge unwanted packages. But there might be something that is needed on your device.

Have a look to the script output on what packages are purged.

3

well, this is the code only for the identification…yes the script understood that my BBG is on buster…

but later i need to select what to run / install…ans there the source code only allows bullseye or bookworm:

# Distro selection
		DISTRO_LIST_ARRAY=(

			'6' ': Bullseye (current stable release, recommended)'
			'7' ': Bookworm (testing, if you want to live on bleeding edge)'

…no other choice…and if i select cancel, the whole process just stops…but we want to stay on buster and keep all the working drivers etc…, no ?

4

I just had a chat with the Developer and yes, we did not support the installation in Buster anymore. What we do is to support the upgrade from Buster to Bullseye that could be triggered via the installer.

5

…which made my beaglebone go off…i mean common guys…why take something from the table which worked sofar ? I mean, it cant become worse…make a comment you dont support buster anymore etc in the menu, but lets have it still selectable…or at least an script in the archive for people like me where the boards and the manufactureres dont support v11…

it is in the nature of those little socs that they have a long lifetime, but need old software to stay alive

6

I’m quite sure it was not the Bullseye upgrade which caused the BB go off, but likely some kernel or firmware package was autoremoved. Those vendor Debian images often contain quite custom kernel/firmware package names, which are difficult to detect and keep. Checking the installed package list of the original image should reveal the required packages (if those are packaged at all).

7

…which is far beyond my Linux skills…

The purpose of this generic DietPi script has been ?

Making things to work in Debian Buster and above for dummies like me and their old SoC…or not even old…this Rock PIS and PIE are 2022…but Buster is the version they offer…and when I choose to go to your v11 it does not boot anymore…dead end for me.

8

This is not a generic script. It’s our installer we use to build our own images. However, it’s an option for everyone who as an SBC we don’t offer an image for. But we don’t guarantee it is working on not supported SBC. Usually something people need to find out themselves. It’s nearly impossible to support each and every device availabe.

9

Yes, And this makes all sense…meaning: people…try it yourself…

but than dont force us into a debian version upgrade. We can be lucky if we have only buster that we can make a normal buster to a dietpi buster.

The upgrade completely fails. be it on BBG or Rock Pi…tried it …a complete disaster.

And we had this option. You just disabled it.

I mean…no new working solution vs. a maybe old working one…

10

There is no point discussing whether or not to allow Buster installs, as long as one cannot verify that the Bullseye upgrade actually is the issue. Since most packages are purged beforehand, it is usually not, but instead the custom/non-standard composition of the vendor Debian images is. Better use Armbian or plain Debian, where possible.

Note that Debian Buster reached EOL in August, hence is not maintained by the Debian security team anymore, but a dedicated volunteer LTS team only. And DietPi will support it (for existing DietPi systems) likely until summer next year only. So we encourge Buster users to upgrade to the stable and fully supported Bullseye now, for their own security and future-prove interest. Allowing users to create a fresh Buster DietPi image would totally contradict this.

And again, the Bullseye upgrade is most likely not the issue, but a totally reasonable step on a just purged down to minimal Debian base image.

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11

I found a reference to run Bullyseye on the Beaglebone:

and looking up his references you find a fresh beaglebone 2022 bullseye version from May:

https://rcn-ee.net/rootfs/debian-armhf/2022-05-10/

I installed it, and ran your generic script…SUCCESS !!!

You can add Beaglebone to your SoC-List of successfull DietPiimplementations.

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