How to Build an Image in Stages

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You can use distro_const command options to stop and restart the build process at various checkpoints during the image-generation process in order to check and debug your selection of files, packages, and scripts for the image that is being built.

Before You Begin

You need to have selected a manifest to use before building an installation image. See Selecting a Manifest to Use when Building an Installation Image.

Become an administrator.
For more information, see Using Your Assigned Administrative Rights in Securing Users and Processes in Oracle Solaris 11.3.

Display the valid checkpoints at which you can choose to pause or resume the build.

# distro_const build -l /var/tmp/test.xml

Checkpoint            Resumable Description
--------------        --------- -------------
transfer-ips-install          X Transfer package contents from IPS
set-ips-attributes            X Set post-installation IPS attributes
pre-pkg-img-mod               X Pre-package image modification
ba-init                       X Boot archive initialization
ba-config                     X Boot archive configuration
ba-arch                       X Boot archive archiving
boot-setup                      Setup LiveCD boot menu
pkg-img-mod                     Package image area modifications
create-iso                      ISO image creation
create-usb                      USB image creation

Note - In this sample command output, an “X” in the resumable field indicates that you can restart the build from this checkpoint.

Build the image and pause building the image at the specified checkpoint.
The following command starts building an image and pauses the build before ba-arch modifies the image area:
```
# distro_const build -p ba-arch /var/tmp/test.xml
```
Resume building the image from a specified checkpoint.
Note - The specified checkpoint must be either the checkpoint at which the previous build stopped executing or an earlier checkpoint. A later checkpoint is not valid.

The following command resumes building the image at the ba-arch stage.
```
# distro_const build -r ba-arch /var/tmp/test.xml
```
Note - You can combine the pause and resume options in a build command.
(Optional) View the log file for the build process.
The build output displays the location of log files.