%entities; ]> systemd systemd-import-generator 8 systemd-import-generator Generator for automatically downloading disk images at boot /usr/lib/systemd/system-generators/systemd-import-generator systemd-import-generator may be used to automatically download disk images (tarballs or DDIs) via systemd-importd.service8 at boot, based on parameters on the kernel command line or via system credentials. This is useful for automatically deploying an systemd-confext8, systemd-sysext8, systemd-nspawn1/ systemd-vmspawn1 or systemd-portabled.service8 image at boot. This provides functionality equivalent to importctl1, but accessible via the kernel command line and system credentials. systemd-import-generator implements systemd.generator7. systemd-import-generator understands the following kernel-command-line7 parameters: systemd.pull= This option takes a colon separate triplet of option string, local target image name and remote URL. The local target image name can be specified as an empty string, in which case the name is derived from the specified remote URL. The remote URL must using the http://, https://, file:// schemes. The option string itself is a comma separated list of options: rw ro Controls whether to mark the local image as read-only. If not specified read-only defaults to off. verify= Controls whether to cryptographically validate the download before installing it in place. Takes one of no, checksum or signature (the latter being the default if not specified). For details see the --verify= of importctl1 sysext confext machine portable Controls the image class to download, and thus ultimately the target directory for the image, depending on this choice the target directory /var/lib/extensions/, /var/lib/confexts/, /var/lib/machines/ or /var/lib/portables/ is selected. Specification of exactly one of these options is mandatory. tar raw Controls the type of resource to download, i.e. a (possibly compressed) tarball that needs to be unpacked into a file system tree, or (possibly compressed) raw disk image (DDI). Specification of exactly one of these options is mandatory. systemd.pull.success_action= systemd.pull.failure_action= Controls whether to execute an action such as reboot, power-off and similar after completing the download successfully, or unsuccessfully. See SuccessAction=/FailureAction= on systemd.unit5 for details about the available actions. If not specified no action is taken, and the system will continue to boot normally. systemd-import-generator supports the system credentials logic. The following credentials are used when passed in: import.pull This credential should be a text file, with each line referencing one download operation. Each line should follow the same format as the value of the systemd.pull= kernel command line option described above. systemd.pull=raw,confext::https://example.com/myconfext.raw.gz With a kernel command line option like the above a configuration extension DDI is downloaded automatically at boot from the specified URL, validated cryptographically, uncompressed and installed. systemd.pull=tar,sysext,verify=no::https://example.com/mysysext.tar.gz With a kernel command line option like the above a system extension tarball is downloaded automatically at boot from the specified URL, uncompressed and installed – without any cryptographic validation. This is useful for development purposes in virtual machines and containers. Warning: do not deploy a system with validation disabled like this! systemd1 systemd-importd.service8 kernel-command-line7 systemd.system-credentials7 importctl1