iSH FS Tools

Provides a more complete Linux-like CLI environment on iSH by:

• Adding iSH-specific utilities to /usr/local/bin and /usr/local/sbin
• Supplying a custom /etc/inittab and application launcher to address iSH quirks
• Allowing extensive user configuration (e.g., which apps to install)
• Supporting deployment via Ansible

Preparation

iSH Node Setup

This step is required only if deploying directly to the iSH device via Ansible.
If you prepare the filesystem in a chroot environment, you can deploy that filesystem directly.

Installing a Minirootfs on iSH

1. Download a recent Alpine minirootfs image, for example:

   https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.22/releases/x86/alpine-minirootfs-3.22.1-x86.tar.gz

2. Transfer the image to the iOS device (via iCloud or similar if downloaded elsewhere).

3. In the iSH app, go to Settings → Filesystems → Import, select the minirootfs, then choose Boot From This Filesystem.

Configuring SSH Server on the New Filesystem

Follow instructions here:
https://github.com/ish-app/ish/wiki/Running-an-SSH-server

Deploy Node Setup

Deploy initial configurations using templates:

cp conf_templates/inventory.ini .
mkdir vars
cp conf_templates/overrides.yml vars/

Configuration Files

• inventory.ini
  Required for both remote and chroot-based deployments. For remote deployment, add each iSH node under the [servers] section using the provided name and IP address templates. For chroot-based deployment, this file must be present but typically does not require modification.
• vars/overrides.yml Edit this file to customize deployment parameters.

Deployment

Remote Deployment via Deploy Host

Run the deployment script:

./handle_servers.sh

Chroot Deployment

Download and unpack the Alpine minirootfs:

wget https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.22/releases/x86/alpine-minirootfs-3.22.1-x86.tar.gz

mkdir chroot-FS
cd chroot-FS
tar xfz ../alpine-minirootfs-3.22.1-x86.tar.gz
cd ..

Copy this repository into the chroot environment:

cp -av ish-fstools chroot-FS/opt

Running Deployment Inside the Chroot

Execute:

/opt/ish-fstools/handle_localhost.sh

Notes on mtr (My traceroute)

Recent versions of mtr (post 0.92) cannot resolve DNS names on iSH. This repository installs an older version (0.92-a from Alpine 3.10) that supports hostname resolution via /etc/hosts and IP addresses directly.