
Is it still possible to start an ssh server upon boot with GRML?

I usually add a kernel arg: ssh=password If I need it and don't have access to the boot menu, I modify the bytes in the .iso and embed the arg above.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 22:55 John G. Heim jheim@math.wisc.edu wrote:
Is it still possible to start an ssh server upon boot with GRML?
Grml mailing list - Grml@ml.grml.org https://lists.mur.at/mailman/listinfo/grml join #grml on irc.freenode.org grml-devel-blog: http://blog.grml.org/

On Friday, 2025-04-18 at 22:52:55 -0500, John G. Heim wrote:
Is it still possible to start an ssh server upon boot with GRML?
For all the "cheatcode and hints" for GRML, look here: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grml/grml-live/master/templates/GRML/grml-...
There: grml ssh=password Set password for root & grml user and start ssh-server
HTH, Lupe Christoph

Maybe I should have been more specific in my question. Do those cheat codes still work? They seem not to.
On 4/19/25 7:38 AM, Lupe Christoph wrote:
On Friday, 2025-04-18 at 22:52:55 -0500, John G. Heim wrote:
Is it still possible to start an ssh server upon boot with GRML?
For all the "cheatcode and hints" for GRML, look here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grml/grml-live...
There: grml ssh=password Set password for root & grml user and start ssh-server
HTH, Lupe Christoph

Hi,
* John G. Heim [Sat Apr 19, 2025 at 11:44:08AM -0500]:
Maybe I should have been more specific in my question. Do those cheat codes still work? They seem not to.
The documented cheatcodes are supposed to work, yes. If anything isn't working as expected please let us know. :)
The ssh boot option should definitely work, we're using it all the time. But if it's invoked *without* any parameter (so "ssh" but not "ssh=yoursecret") this is known to be broken in release 2024.12 (see https://grml.org/bugs/known/ -> https://github.com/grml/grml-autoconfig/issues/22). But booting the live system with ssh=yoursecret should give you a running SSH server.
regards -mika-

I got it to work. I used my iphone with an app called SeeingAI to read the screen to me. So then I knew when the boot menu came up. After only a couple of attempts, i found that if I hit the tab key, then typed 'ssh=password', it worked.
I think the problem I was having was probably not starting to type at the right time -- either too early or too late. I wasn't really sure if i had to press tab and then type or just type. So not knowing exactly when to type and not knowing exactly what to type, I couldn't get it to work. But once I figured it out, it works fine.
On 4/21/25 11:32 AM, Michael Prokop wrote:
Hi,
- John G. Heim [Sat Apr 19, 2025 at 11:44:08AM -0500]:
Maybe I should have been more specific in my question. Do those cheat codes still work? They seem not to.
The documented cheatcodes are supposed to work, yes. If anything isn't working as expected please let us know. :)
The ssh boot option should definitely work, we're using it all the time. But if it's invoked *without* any parameter (so "ssh" but not "ssh=yoursecret") this is known to be broken in release 2024.12 (see https://grml.org/bugs/known/ -> https://github.com/grml/grml-autoconfig/issues/22). But booting the live system with ssh=yoursecret should give you a running SSH server.
regards -mika-
Grml mailing list - Grml@ml.grml.org https://lists.mur.at/mailman/listinfo/grml join #grml on irc.freenode.org grml-devel-blog: http://blog.grml.org/

Hi,
glad you managed to get it working.
There are multiple ways to get an ISO with custom boot options, to make this easier for you. What should be the easiest option to enable SSH by default, is using grml2iso from grml2usb like that:
grml2iso -b ssh=password -o grml_john.iso grml-small-2024.12-amd64.iso
The resulting grml_john.iso then automatically uses the "ssh=password" boot option.
regards -mika-
* John G. Heim [Tue Apr 22, 2025 at 10:29:49PM -0500]:
I got it to work. I used my iphone with an app called SeeingAI to read the screen to me. So then I knew when the boot menu came up. After only a couple of attempts, i found that if I hit the tab key, then typed 'ssh=password', it worked.
I think the problem I was having was probably not starting to type at the right time -- either too early or too late. I wasn't really sure if i had to press tab and then type or just type. So not knowing exactly when to type and not knowing exactly what to type, I couldn't get it to work. But once I figured it out, it works fine.

Wow! So the reason I am working so hard on this is that I am writing something up for https://www.linuxaccess.org. It sounds like GRML is even easier for blind sys admins than I realized.
Well, you have made at least one more day of work for me but thanks!
On 4/23/25 12:29 AM, Michael Prokop wrote:
Hi,
glad you managed to get it working.
There are multiple ways to get an ISO with custom boot options, to make this easier for you. What should be the easiest option to enable SSH by default, is using grml2iso from grml2usb like that:
grml2iso -b ssh=password -o grml_john.iso grml-small-2024.12-amd64.iso
The resulting grml_john.iso then automatically uses the "ssh=password" boot option.
regards -mika-
- John G. Heim [Tue Apr 22, 2025 at 10:29:49PM -0500]:
I got it to work. I used my iphone with an app called SeeingAI to read the screen to me. So then I knew when the boot menu came up. After only a couple of attempts, i found that if I hit the tab key, then typed 'ssh=password', it worked.
I think the problem I was having was probably not starting to type at the right time -- either too early or too late. I wasn't really sure if i had to press tab and then type or just type. So not knowing exactly when to type and not knowing exactly what to type, I couldn't get it to work. But once I figured it out, it works fine.
Grml mailing list - Grml@ml.grml.org https://lists.mur.at/mailman/listinfo/grml join #grml on irc.freenode.org grml-devel-blog: http://blog.grml.org/

Hi,
glad to hear and good luck with your writeup for linuxaccess.org (sounds interesting, feel free to share it here once it's ready!). Please let us know if you're aware of any problems with Grml that we could take care of to make your life as well as the ones of other blind sys admins easier.
regards -mika-
* John G. Heim [Wed Apr 23, 2025 at 09:45:44AM -0500]:
Wow! So the reason I am working so hard on this is that I am writing something up for https://www.linuxaccess.org. It sounds like GRML is even easier for blind sys admins than I realized.
Well, you have made at least one more day of work for me but thanks!
Teilnehmer (4)
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John G. Heim
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Kyle Sebion
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Lupe Christoph
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Michael Prokop