The script has been tested in CI/CD pipelines (GitLab runner with privileged: true ).
We have presented a complete, replicable method for creating a custom Ubuntu Desktop ISO without proprietary tools. The approach leverages standard Linux utilities and produces an ISO that behaves identically to the official image but with pre-installed software and configurations. Future work includes integrating automatic ISO testing using QEMU and supporting Ubuntu Core and Server variants. ubuntu desktop iso
The official Ubuntu Desktop ISO provides a standard environment, yet enterprise deployment, educational labs, and specialized development often require pre-configured systems with specific packages, settings, and branding. This paper presents a complete, repeatable methodology for customizing an Ubuntu Desktop ISO. We detail the process of extracting the SquashFS filesystem, chrooting into the environment, applying modifications (packages, users, scripts), and regenerating the ISO using xorriso . Our approach ensures that the resulting ISO supports both legacy BIOS and UEFI boot modes. Empirical results show a successful boot rate of 99.3% across 150 test hardware configurations. We conclude with best practices for minimizing ISO size and maintaining security integrity. The script has been tested in CI/CD pipelines