Creating CDs from the Command Line

In Linux, creating a CD at the command line is a two-step process. You first create the ISO9660-formatted image, and you then burn or write the image onto the CD. The ISO9660 is the default file system for CD-ROMs.

Use the mkisofs command to create the ISO image. The mkisofs command has many options (see the man page for a full listing), but use the following for quick burns:

matthew@seymour~:$ mkisofs -r -v -J -l -o /tmp/our_special_cd.iso /source_directory

The options used in this example are as follows:

-r—Sets the permission of the files to more useful values. UID and GID (individual and group user ID requirements) are set to 0, all files are globally readable and searchable, and all files are set as executable ...

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