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+=======
+profile
+=======
+
+An archiso profile consists of several configuration files and a directory for files to be added to the resulting image.
+
+.. code:: plaintext
+
+ profile/
+ ├── airootfs/
+ ├── efiboot/
+ ├── syslinux/
+ ├── packages.arch
+ ├── pacman.conf
+ └── profiledef.sh
+
+The required files and directories are explained in the following sections.
+
+profiledef.sh
+=============
+
+This file describes several attributes of the resulting image and is a place for customization to the general behavior
+of the image.
+
+The image file is constructed from some of the variables in ``profiledef.sh``: ``<iso_name>-<iso_version>-<arch>.iso``
+(e.g. ``archlinux-202010-x86_64.iso``).
+
+* ``iso_name``: The first part of the name of the resulting image (defaults to ``mkarchiso``)
+* ``iso_label``: The ISO's volume label (defaults to ``MKARCHISO``)
+* ``iso_publisher``: A free-form string that states the publisher of the resulting image (defaults to ``mkarchiso``)
+* ``iso_application``: A free-form string that states the application (i.e. its use-case) of the resulting image (defaults
+ to ``mkarchiso iso``)
+* ``iso_version``: A string that states the version of the resulting image (defaults to ``""``)
+* ``install_dir``: A string (maximum eight characters long, which **must** consist of ``[a-z0-9]``) that states the
+ directory on the resulting image into which all files will be installed (defaults to ``mkarchiso``)
+* ``bootmodes``: A list of strings, that state the supported boot modes of the resulting image. Only the following are
+ understood:
+
+ - ``bios.syslinux.mbr``: Syslinux for x86 BIOS booting from a disk
+ - ``bios.syslinux.eltorito``: Syslinux for x86 BIOS booting from an optical disc
+ - ``uefi-x64.systemd-boot.esp``: systemd-boot for x86_64 UEFI booting from a disk
+ - ``uefi-x64.systemd-boot.eltorito``: systemd-boot for x86_64 UEFI booting from an optical disc
+ Note that BIOS El Torito boot mode must always be listed before UEFI El Torito boot mode.
+* ``arch``: The architecture (e.g. ``x86_64``) to build the image for. This is also used to resolve the name of the packages
+ file (e.g. ``packages.x86_64``)
+* ``pacman_conf``: The ``pacman.conf`` to use to install packages to the work directory when creating the image (defaults to
+ the host's ``/etc/pacman.conf``)
+* ``airootfs_image_type``: The image type to create. The following options are understood (defaults to ``squashfs``):
+
+ - ``squashfs``: Create a squashfs image directly from the airootfs work directory
+ - ``ext4+squashfs``: Create an ext4 partition, copy the airootfs work directory to it and create a squashfs image from it
+ - ``erofs``: Create an EROFS image for the airootfs work directory
+* ``airootfs_image_tool_options``: An array of options to pass to the tool to create the airootfs image. ``mksquashfs`` and
+ ``mkfs.erofs`` are supported. See ``mksquashfs --help`` or ``mkfs.erofs --help`` for all possible options
+* ``file_permissions``: An associative array that lists files and/or directories who need specific ownership or
+ permissions. The array's keys contain the path and the value is a colon separated list of owner UID, owner GID and
+ access mode. E.g. ``file_permissions=(["/etc/shadow"]="0:0:400")``. When directories are listed with a trailing backslash (``/``) **all** files and directories contained within the listed directory will have the same owner UID, owner GID, and access mode applied recursively.
+
+packages.arch
+=============
+
+All packages to be installed into the environment of the image have to be listed in an architecture specific file (e.g.
+``packages.x86_64``), which resides top-level in the profile.
+
+Packages have to be listed one per line. Lines starting with a `#` and blank lines are ignored.
+
+ .. note::
+
+ The **mkinitcpio** and **mkinitcpio-archiso** packages are mandatory (see `#30
+ <https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/archiso/-/issues/30>`_).
+
+pacman.conf
+===========
+
+A configuration for pacman is required per profile.
+
+Some configuration options will not be used or will be modified:
+
+* ``CacheDir``: the profile's option is **only** used if it is not the default (i.e. ``/var/cache/pacman/pkg``) and if it is
+ not the same as the system's option. In all other cases the system's pacman cache is used.
+* ``HookDir``: it is **always** set to the ``/etc/pacman.d/hooks`` directory in the work directory's airootfs to allow
+ modification via the profile and ensure interoparability with hosts using dracut (see `#73
+ <https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/archiso/-/issues/73>`_)
+* ``RootDir``: it is **always** removed, as setting it explicitely otherwise refers to the host's root filesystem (see
+ ``man 8 pacman`` for further information on the ``-r`` option used by ``pacstrap``)
+* ``LogFile``: it is **always** removed, as setting it explicitely otherwise refers to the host's pacman log file (see
+ ``man 8 pacman`` for further information on the ``-r`` option used by ``pacstrap``)
+* ``DBPath``: it is **always** removed, as setting it explicitely otherwise refers to the host's pacman database (see
+ ``man 8 pacman`` for further information on the ``-r`` option used by ``pacstrap``)
+
+airootfs
+========
+
+This optional directory may contain files and directories that will be copied to the work directory of the resulting
+image's root filesystem.
+The files are copied before packages are being installed to work directory location.
+Ownership and permissions of files and directories from the profile's ``airootfs`` directory are not preserved. The mode
+will be ``644`` for files and ``755`` for directories, all of them will be owned by root. To set custom ownership and/or
+permissions, use ``file_permissions`` in ``profiledef.sh``.
+
+With this overlay structure it is possible to e.g. create users and set passwords for them, by providing
+``airootfs/etc/passwd``, ``airootfs/etc/shadow``, ``airootfs/etc/gshadow`` (see ``man 5 passwd``, ``man 5 shadow`` and ``man 5 gshadow`` respectively).
+If user home directories exist in the profile's ``airootfs``, their ownership and (and top-level) permissions will be
+altered according to the provided information in the password file.
+
+Boot loader configuration
+=========================
+
+A profile may contain configuration for several boot loaders. These reside in specific top-level directories, which are
+explained in the following subsections.
+
+The following *custom template identifiers* are understood and will be replaced according to the assignments of the
+respective variables in ``profiledef.sh``:
+
+* ``%ARCHISO_LABEL%``: Set this using the ``iso_label`` variable in ``profiledef.sh``.
+* ``%INSTALL_DIR%``: Set this using the ``iso_label`` variable in ``profiledef.sh``.
+* ``%ARCH%``: Set this using the ``arch`` variable in ``profiledef.sh``.
+
+
+efiboot
+-------
+
+This directory is mandatory when the ``uefi-x64.systemd-boot.esp`` or ``uefi-x64.systemd-boot.eltorito`` bootmodes are
+selected in ``profiledef.sh``. It contains configuration for `systemd-boot
+<https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/systemd-boot/>`_.
+
+ .. note::
+
+ The directory is a top-level representation of the systemd-boot configuration directories and files found in the
+ root of an EFI system partition.
+
+The *custom template identifiers* are **only** understood in the boot loader entry `.conf` files (i.e. **not** in
+``loader.conf``).
+
+syslinux
+--------
+
+This directory is mandatory when the ``bios.syslinux.mbr`` or the ``bios.syslinux.eltorito`` bootmodes are selected in
+``profiledef.sh``.
+It contains configuration files for `syslinux <https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=SYSLINUX>`_ or `isolinux
+<https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=ISOLINUX>`_ , or `pxelinux
+<https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=PXELINUX>`_ used in the resuling image.
+
+The *custom template identifiers* are understood in all `.cfg` files in this directory.