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Build and Install Chromium OS dev

Jun 5, 2020
3 min read

This post is a quick start guide to get the Chromium OS source and build it.

The official guide is at: Developer Guide

These are the steps and commands I used while following the official guide:

Prerequisite: You must have any up-to-date Linux distribution on a x86_64 64-bit system with sudo access to develop Chromium OS (They recommend and offer support to Ubuntu 16.04 - Xenial)
  1. Install git revision control system, the curl download helper, and lvm tools
sudo apt-get install git-core gitk git-gui curl lvm2 \
     thin-provisioning-tools python-pkg-resources python-virtualenv \
     python-oauth2client xz-utils python3.6
  1. Clone depot_tools and add them to your PATH
git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/tools/depot_tools.git
# Add depot_tools to your PATH(probably in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):
export PATH=/path/to/depot_tools:$PATH
  1. Tweak your sudoers configuration to turn off the tty_tickets option
cd /tmp
cat > ./sudo_editor <<EOF
#!/bin/sh
echo Defaults \!tty_tickets > \$1          
echo Defaults timestamp_timeout=180 >> \$1
EOF
chmod +x ./sudo_editor
sudo EDITOR=./sudo_editor visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/relax_requirements
  1. Setup git now
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
  1. Set default file permissions (umask) in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc file
umask 022
  1. Create the directory for your source code with this command:
mkdir -p ~/chromiumos

If you are not willing to create it in your home directory, refer : Link

  1. Get the public source code

You will have a much nicer time if you also have a fast multi-processor machine with lots of memory and good internet connection

cd ~/chromiumos
repo init -u https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/manifest.git --repo-url https://chromium.googlesource.com/external/repo.git
repo sync
  1. Install the chroot (assuming you’re in chromiumos directory)
cros_sdk
  • Above command is also used to enter the chroot
  • I will use the label, “(chroot)” which indicates that you should run commands inside the chroot
  1. Choose the board for your build
(chroot) export BOARD=amd64-generic

If you are building for different board, refer

  1. Initialize the build for your board
(chroot) setup_board --board=${BOARD}
  1. Set a password for your default user, chronos
(chroot) ./set_shared_user_password.sh
  1. Build all the packages for your board
(chroot) ./build_packages --board=${BOARD}
  1. Build the Chromium OS developer image
(chroot) ./build_image --board=${BOARD} --noenable_rootfs_verification dev

You can adapt the previously built image so that it is usable by kvm

(chroot) ./image_to_vm.sh --board=${BOARD}
  • This command creates the file ~/trunk/src/build/images/${BOARD}/latest/chromiumos_qemu_image.bin
  1. Flash the image on a USB disk
(chroot) cros flash usb:// ${BOARD}/latest

#IF your USB is not recognized by cros
(chroot) cros flash usb:///dev/sdxY ${BOARD}/latest # replace with your USB parition
  1. Boot with your USB disk and install Chromium OS on your hard disk
NOTE: Installing Chromium OS onto your hard disk will Wipe Your Hard Disk Clean.
# Switch to terminal via Ctrl+Alt+F2 (F2 might appear as ->)
# Enter the username and password
/usr/sbin/chromeos-install --dst /dev/sdxY # replace with your Hard disk parition

This guide is just the creamy layer on what is possible – it is best to read the Official Developer guide

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