# Qcom Deb Build Image > Build a Qualcomm Linux Debian image (trixie by default, forky also supported) from qcom-deb-images using its debos recipes and Makefile targets: rootfs.tar, disk-ufs.img / disk-sdcard.img, and the flashable flash__ asset directories, with optional local kernel / U-Boot debs and desktop/overlay options. Covers most QLI PoR boards (RB1, RB3 Gen 2, the ride and EVK kits) and the Arduino Qualcomm boards (UNO Q, VENTUNO Q). Use when asked to "build a Debian image for the RB3 Gen2 / RB1 / UNO Q", "build qcom-deb-images", "make a trixie image for a Qualcomm board", "build the debos image", or "build disk-ufs.img". Do NOT use for Yocto/QLI images (see qcom-yocto-build-image), for flashing or QEMU-booting the result (see qcom-deb-flash-boot), or for the standalone kernel cross-build (see qcom-kernel-qcom-next-build). - Skill: `qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-build-image` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-build-image` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-build-image/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: qualcomm-linux (https://skillmd.com/u/qualcomm-linux) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-build-image --- # Build a Qualcomm Linux Debian image with debos Builds the Debian (trixie) images from [qcom-deb-images](https://github.com/qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-images) the way the project's CI does: [debos](https://github.com/go-debos/debos) recipes driven by the repo's `Makefile`, which sets the memory/scratchsize that the recipes need. Prefer the Makefile targets over calling `debos` by hand — the raw defaults are too small for these recipes. ## Prerequisites - A qcom-deb-images checkout (`git clone https://github.com/qualcomm-linux/qcom-deb-images`). - **debos ≥ 1.1.5** (needs the sector-size support). If `debos` is not on PATH, the Makefile auto-falls back to running the `ghcr.io/go-debos/debos:latest` container via Docker (`USE_CONTAINER=auto`); force it either way with `USE_CONTAINER=yes|no`. - Image build-deps on the host (native builds): ```bash sudo apt -y install debian-archive-keyring make mmdebstrap mtools python3-pexpect \ python3-pytest qemu-efi-aarch64 qemu-system-arm xmlstarlet python3-defusedxml ``` - A fast debos backend. The Makefile picks `--fakemachine-backend kvm` when `/dev/kvm` exists, else `qemu`. Building arm64 under QEMU emulation on an x86 host is **slow** — expect a long first build. - Tens of GB of free disk plus network access to the Debian archive and to Qualcomm/CodeLinaro boot-binary downloads (fetched during `make flash`). ## Build stages The build is three ordered Makefile targets. Run them from the checkout root. ### 1. Root filesystem + DTB tarballs — `make rootfs.tar` Produces `rootfs.tar` and `dtbs.tar.gz` from `debos-recipes/qualcomm-linux-debian-rootfs.yaml`. ```bash make rootfs.tar ``` Common rootfs options, passed via `EXTRA_DEBOS_OPTS="-t key:value"`: | Option | Effect | |---|---| | `xfcedesktop:true` / `gnomedesktop:true` | install a desktop; default is console-only | | `overlays:` | rootfs overlays from `debos-recipes/overlays/`; default is `qsc-deb-releases` (adds the delta apt repo + `fastrpc-test`); `none` disables all | | `kernelpackages:` | apt kernel packages; default is Debian's `linux-image-arm64`; set `none` when supplying a local kernel deb | | `suite:` | Debian suite; default `trixie` (e.g. `forky` for the next release, or `sid`/`unstable`) | | `snapshot:` | build against a snapshot.debian.org archive for reproducibility | To fold in a **locally built kernel** (see step 0 below), drop the `.deb`s in `debos-recipes/local-debs/` and disable the apt kernel: ```bash EXTRA_DEBOS_OPTS="-t localdebs:local-debs/ -t kernelpackages:none" make rootfs.tar ``` ### 2. Disk images — `make disk-ufs.img` / `make disk-sdcard.img` Builds a partitioned disk image from `rootfs.tar` via `debos-recipes/qualcomm-linux-debian-image.yaml`. ```bash # default: UFS image, 4096-byte sectors make disk-ufs.img # SD card / eMMC boards: 512-byte sectors make disk-sdcard.img ``` Image options (`EXTRA_DEBOS_OPTS`): `imagetype:ufs|sdcard` (the Makefile sets `sdcard` for you on the sdcard target), `imagesize:` (default `6GiB`), `dtb:qcom/.dtb` to have systemd override the firmware-provided device tree (e.g. `qcom/qcs6490-rb3gen2.dtb`). `make all` builds both `disk-ufs.img` and `disk-sdcard.img`. ### 3. Flashable assets — `make flash` Downloads the per-board boot binaries + CDT, combines them with `dtbs.tar.gz` and the disk images, and writes one `flash__/` directory per supported board (from `debos-recipes/qualcomm-linux-debian-flash.yaml`). ```bash make flash # only some boards (comma-separated; see the board list below): EXTRA_DEBOS_OPTS="-t target_boards:qcs615-ride,qcs6490-rb3gen2-vision-kit" make flash # include a locally built RB1 U-Boot (see step 0): EXTRA_DEBOS_OPTS="-t u_boot_rb1:u-boot/rb1-boot.img" make flash ``` Boards whose `.dtb` is absent from `dtbs.tar.gz` are silently skipped, so confirm the directory for the board you want actually appears. ## Optional pre-steps ### 0a. Local kernel deb — `scripts/build-linux-deb.py` ```bash sudo apt -y install git crossbuild-essential-arm64 make flex bison bc libdw-dev \ libelf-dev libssl-dev libssl-dev:arm64 dpkg-dev debhelper-compat kmod python3 rsync coreutils # on a non-arm64 host, enable the foreign arch for libssl-dev:arm64 first: # sudo dpkg --add-architecture arm64 && sudo apt update scripts/build-linux-deb.py kernel-configs/*.config # mainline scripts/build-linux-deb.py --linux-next kernel-configs/*.config # linux-next scripts/build-linux-deb.py --qcom-next kernel-configs/*.config # qcom-next ``` `--qcom-next` tracks the [qualcomm-linux/kernel](https://github.com/qualcomm-linux/kernel) `qcom-next` branch (latest `qcom-next-*` tag) — often the most useful kernel for these boards, as it carries the Qualcomm platform patches ahead of mainline. `--repo`/`--ref` override the source for any other tree. Then feed the resulting `.deb`s into step 1 via `localdebs:` + `kernelpackages:none`. ### 0b. U-Boot for RB1 — `scripts/build-u-boot-rb1.sh` The RB1 (`qrb2210-rb1`) is the board that needs U-Boot built from this repo and passed into `make flash`. (Other U-Boot-based boards such as the Arduino UNO Q get their U-Boot from the downloaded boot binaries, so they need no separate build step here.) Build it, then pass `u_boot_rb1:u-boot/rb1-boot.img` to `make flash`. ```bash sudo apt -y install git crossbuild-essential-arm64 make bison flex bc libssl-dev \ gnutls-dev xxd coreutils gzip mkbootimg scripts/build-u-boot-rb1.sh ``` ## Supported boards (target_boards names) `target_boards` accepts the board names from the flash recipe; the storage suffix on the output directory follows the board's `ptool` platform: | Board name | SoC / product | Storage → flash dir | |---|---|---| | `qcs615-ride` | QCS615 | ufs → `flash_qcs615-ride_ufs` | | `qcs6490-rb3gen2-vision-kit` | QCS6490 (RB3 Gen 2) | ufs → `flash_qcs6490-rb3gen2-vision-kit_ufs` | | `qcs8300-ride` | QCS8300 | ufs → `flash_qcs8300-ride_ufs` | | `qcs9100-ride-r3` | QCS9100 | ufs → `flash_qcs9100-ride-r3_ufs` | | `glymur-crd` | Glymur CRD | nvme / spinor | | `monaco-evk` | QCS8275 (IQ-8275-EVK) | emmc, ufs | | `lemans-evk` | QCS9100 (IQ-9075-EVK) | ufs | | `qrb2210-rb1` | QRB2210 (RB1) | emmc → `flash_qrb2210-rb1_emmc` (needs U-Boot, step 0b) | | `qrb2210-arduino-imola` | QRB2210 (Arduino UNO Q) | emmc | | `monaco-arduino-monza` | QCS8275 (Arduino VENTUNO Q) | emmc | This covers most QLI PoR boards and all the Arduino Qualcomm boards. Board names, SoCs and storage change over time — always read `debos-recipes/qualcomm-linux-debian-flash.yaml` for the authoritative, current list rather than assuming from this table. ## Locate the artifacts All outputs land in the checkout root: - `rootfs.tar`, `dtbs.tar.gz` — from step 1. - `disk-ufs.img` (4096-byte sectors) / `disk-sdcard.img` (512-byte sectors) — from step 2. - `flash__/` — from step 3, each holding `prog_firehose_ddr.elf`, `rawprogram[0-9].xml`, `patch[0-9].xml` and the partition images. This is what `qcom-deb-flash-boot` consumes. Report the disk image(s) and the `flash_*` directories that were produced, with timestamps, so a fresh build is distinguishable from a stale one. ## Hand off - To flash a board or boot the image under QEMU, use the `qcom-deb-flash-boot` skill. - To validate a flashed board reaches a login shell over serial, use `qcom-boot-validate` — but note it cannot perform the first login on a fresh image. The `debian` account ships expired (`chage --lastday 0`), so the first login forces a password change, and the validator sends only one username + password before waiting for a shell prompt. Complete the password change once by hand over the console, then run `qcom-boot-validate` with `--username debian --password ''` (not the Yocto `root` credentials, and not the spent `debian` password) — see `qcom-deb-flash-boot` for the exact prompt flow. ## Notes / gotchas - Report debos failures verbatim (failing recipe + action) rather than retrying blindly; a plain retry is only worth it for transient archive/download errors. - `make flash` reaches out to Qualcomm Software Center / CodeLinaro for boot binaries; a 404 or auth wall there is an upstream-URL problem, not a recipe bug — re-check the URLs in the flash recipe. - `make clean` removes the disk images and tarballs; `make clean-debos` removes the `.debos-*` scratch dirs. Neither touches the `flash_*` dirs. - The Makefile honours `http_proxy` (from the environment or apt config) to speed up repeated archive fetches. - These are mainline-centric Debian trixie images; they are **not** the Yocto/QLI images — do not cross bundles or credentials with `qcom-yocto-*`.