Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

Oftenet · 2025-09-19 14:44:00

Hello guys!

I hope you all are doing alright. Right now I'm studying A Vocational Training Diploma in IT Systems and Networking
(IT Support Technician). It's a 2 year program in Spain which is called "Grado formativo medio" and I'm planning to continue my studies once I finish this year.
The thing is I need to present a final project by the end of this course. I've been thinking about creating an Arch environment from scrap, oriented to cibersecurity: installing all the tools by myself, all the packages, etc. I will start doing so in a VM on VirtualBox and then export it to an ISO (Which will let you decide whether using Live version or simply install i)
Also I will complement the project by creating a web where I will be able to present all the documentation about how I made it.
What do you guys think? Is it a good idea to present as a final project? I know it's complicated, but will it be enough? Can you guys give me some advices before starting?

Thank you for your help.

Skeleton2323 · 2025-09-19 22:04:41

sounds like an interesting project but are you referring to creating a linux distro from scratch with LFS or something and having the end product be the exact same as arch with extras?
also keep in mind that these forums cannot support users who are using your creation

Head_on_a_Stick · 2025-09-20 08:30:20

I think this sounds like a good idea but I have no qualifications in IT so my opinion probably isn't worth much.

Skeleton2323 wrote:

these forums cannot support users who are using your creation

+1

seth · 2025-09-20 10:28:28

"Cybersecurity" - you're aware of https://www.blackarch.org/ ?

Succulent of your garden · 2025-09-20 14:45:24

I don't think is a good idea for the following reasons:

1) You came late to the party. This has been already done, like blackarch or kali Linux. Unless you want to do that anyways just for fun ^^ which is a valid option.

2) Only noob and retarded people uses pentesting distros as a daily driver. The whole concept for these kind of distros is probably just for getting an usb with the pentest iso to check a computer or system in an auditory, and then throw it away or use it again in another pentest. I also think that you can create your own custom iso with just the right tools on it, for some people kali is not needed at all if you view it from a certain point of view. Pointless distribution ? I guess is how in a hurry you are to do an auditory, but I don't think that kind of things should be made in hurry way.

Probably a good idea is to create a custom arch iso for container usage that checks systems. You can in someway create a dockerfile with an arch Iso, download all the tools needed and execute some script made by you. Then you can publish that in dockerhub or in other repo for container images. The arch iso probably is going to have all the tools for making the auditory in their latest release. Maybe for example you can create an Arch based container that checks the connectivity in a docker or kubernetes network of containers, and or can detect miss configurations from inside the cluster.

Puedes hablarme en español si quieres por aquí https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewforum.php?id=30 . So people around here can help you wihtout seeing and using ñ and accents

Oftenet · 2025-09-20 20:13:31

Hello! Thank you all for your replies!

Skeleton2323 wrote:

sounds like an interesting project but are you referring to creating a linux distro from scratch with LFS or something and having the end product be the exact same as arch with extras?
also keep in mind that these forums cannot support users who are using your creation

The idea I have on mind is using Arch to create my own environment, pretty much like black arch linux or kali.

seth wrote:

"Cybersecurity" - you're aware of https://www.blackarch.org/ ?

Yes, I know about blackarch. But the thing is I don't really know most of the tools they use.

Succulent of your garden wrote:

I don't think is a good idea for the following reasons:
1) You came late to the party. This has been already done, like blackarch or kali Linux. Unless you want to do that anyways just for fun ^^ which is a valid option.
2) Only noob and retarded people uses pentesting distros as a daily driver. The whole concept for these kind of distros is probably just for getting an usb with the pentest iso to check a computer or system in an auditory, and then throw it away or use it again in another pentest. I also think that you can create your own custom iso with just the right tools on it, for some people kali is not needed at all if you view it from a certain point of view. Pointless distribution ? I guess is how in a hurry you are to do an auditory, but I don't think that kind of things should be made in hurry way.
Probably a good idea is to create a custom arch iso for container usage that checks systems. You can in someway create a dockerfile with an arch Iso, download all the tools needed and execute some script made by you. Then you can publish that in dockerhub or in other repo for container images. The arch iso probably is going to have all the tools for making the auditory in their latest release. Maybe for example you can create an Arch based container that checks the connectivity in a docker or kubernetes network of containers, and or can detect miss configurations from inside the cluster.
Puedes hablarme en español si quieres por aquí https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewforum.php?id=30 . So people around here can help you wihtout seeing and using ñ and accents

1. It's for fun! I know those distributions and they're pretty cool!

2. You got my point! The idea is creating my own environment so I can work around it.

(Muchas gracias por tu mensaje, lo tendré mucho en cuenta)

So I know about blackarch and Kali. But I believe if I create my own custom environment, I will know exactly how it is done and how it works. For example, if I download BlackArch or Kali, I will know some of the tools but not all of them, and I'll miss most of the usable part of the distro, if that makes sense.
If I create my own distribution, I'll force myself to understand these tools, research about them, and basically improve all my knowledge. Instead of using what others created, create it by my own so I can fully understand how it works and operates.

How do you guys see it now that I've explained more or less?
Your replies and advices are really good for me.
If you like the idea, what things do you recommend me to keep in mind?
If you don't, how would you improve my idea?

Thank you all.

Succulent of your garden · 2025-09-20 21:05:20

Mmmm it's going to depend on how you like to approach it. I mean if you make your setup for a specific propose that make sense and also you can create a container on it for doing quick task. Remember that you can use the shell of the container inside. So probably first you would like to specify what are going to do your project and which things don't, since security it's a gigantic topic. If you have some ideas maybe we can help you more.

oftenet wrote:

(Muchas gracias por tu mensaje, lo tendré mucho en cuenta)

Vale! de nada. Que te vaya bien en tu projecto ^^

Last edited by Succulent of your garden (2025-09-20 21:06:04)

Arch Linux

#1 2025-09-19 14:44:00

Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#2 2025-09-19 22:04:41

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#3 2025-09-20 08:30:20

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#4 2025-09-20 10:28:28

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#5 2025-09-20 14:45:24

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#6 2025-09-20 20:13:31

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

#7 2025-09-20 21:05:20

Re: Creating an Arch distribution as a final project for my studies

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