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Install LamBoot

Homelab, Linux desktop with Secure Boot, or Proxmox zero-touch. v0.15.2.

GET LAMBOOT

Install from a package channel

LamBoot 0.15.2 installs from three package channels, plus the GitHub release. Installing stages LamBoot under /usr/share/lamboot and does not modify your EFI System Partition. You then deploy it and register the boot entry with sudo lamboot-install (the configurations further down).

Debian, Ubuntu, and Proxmox (apt.lamco.ai)

apt.lamco.ai
curl -fsSL https://apt.lamco.ai/key.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/lamco.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/lamco.gpg] https://apt.lamco.ai stable main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/lamco.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install lamboot

Arch and derivatives (AUR)

AUR
yay -S lamboot-bin
# or: git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/lamboot-bin.git && cd lamboot-bin && makepkg -si

Fedora, openSUSE, and the RHEL family (OBS)

dnf / zypper via OBS
# Fedora (42 / 43 / 44)
sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile=https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/lamco-development:/lamboot/Fedora_44/home:lamco-development:lamboot.repo
sudo dnf install lamboot

# openSUSE Tumbleweed (or openSUSE_Leap_16.0)
sudo zypper ar https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/lamco-development:/lamboot/openSUSE_Tumbleweed/home:lamco-development:lamboot.repo
sudo zypper refresh && sudo zypper install lamboot

# AlmaLinux / Rocky / RHEL (9 or 10)
sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile=https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/lamco-development:/lamboot/AlmaLinux_9/home:lamco-development:lamboot.repo
sudo dnf install lamboot

GitHub release tarball

GitHub release
curl -L -o lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz \
  https://github.com/lamco-admin/lamboot/releases/download/v0.15.2/lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz
tar xzf lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz && cd lamboot-0.15.2
sudo ./lamboot-install

Download lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz → (signed; verify with the release .asc and .sha256).

After installing from any channel

  • Installing stages LamBoot under /usr/share/lamboot and does not modify your EFI System Partition. Deploy it and register the boot entry with sudo lamboot-install.
  • Under Secure Boot, enroll the signing certificate first: sudo mokutil --import /usr/share/lamboot/lamboot-signing.der (see the MOK enrollment guide).
  • Available for x86_64 today. arm64 is in progress.
  • Especially relevant for Proxmox hosts, which are Debian-based.
DEPLOY WITH LAMBOOT-INSTALL

Then deploy it: pick your configuration

Once LamBoot is installed from a channel above, lamboot-install deploys it to the ESP. Pick the configuration that matches your machine.

HOMELAB / SECURE BOOT OFF

30-second install

The fastest path. Secure Boot is off, so every binary runs without verification. Good for a lab, not for production.

30-second install (Secure Boot off)
# Download the release tarball from GitHub
curl -L -o lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz \
  https://github.com/lamco-admin/lamboot/releases/download/v0.15.2/lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz

tar xzf lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz && cd lamboot-0.15.2
sudo ./lamboot-install

# Reboot, then pick LamBoot from the firmware boot menu.

The trust log still writes to \loader\boot-trust.log with verified_via: sb_disabled records. GRUB stays in place as a secondary UEFI entry.

LINUX DESKTOP / SECURE BOOT ON

Secure Boot with MOK enrollment

Standard Linux practice: signed binaries, shim stays in the chain, and MOK enrollment is the one-time interactive step. v0.15.2 boots stock distro /boot on ext4 end to end through the native ext4 reader and native PE loader. UKI on the ESP also works first-class.

signed install with MOK enrollment
sudo ./lamboot-install --signed

# Reboot into MokManager (blue screen), Enroll MOK,
# enter the passphrase, Continue, reboot.

What the installer does under --signed

  • Deploys the signed LamBoot binary.
  • Places it at the shim chainload-target name, so the shim chain resolves.
  • Stages LamBoot's certificate for MOK enrollment.
  • Registers a UEFI boot entry that chains shim into LamBoot. GRUB stays a separate boot entry.
PROXMOX / CONFIG 4

Pre-enrolled OVMF_VARS for VM templates

LamBoot's db cert is enrolled into firmware at VM-template build time, so the firmware trusts LamBoot without MokManager. Shim still rides in the chain (it is what validates the kernel against the guest's distro MOK). Zero-touch means no interactive MokManager prompt. Cloned VMs boot LamBoot under Secure Boot with no enrollment step.

on the Proxmox host
# Apply LamBoot-enrolled OVMF_VARS to the VM
cp lamboot-0.15.2/OVMF_VARS_lamboot.fd /var/lib/vz/images/<vmid>/OVMF_VARS_<vmid>.fd
inside the VM
sudo ./lamboot-install --signed --no-mok

Convert the VM to a template, and clones inherit the trust state. The Proxmox page covers the host-side monitoring story built on top of this.

REMOVAL

Removal

A clean uninstall restores the previous default boot entry and removes LamBoot from the ESP.

remove
sudo ./lamboot-install --remove
# Restores the previous default boot entry and cleans LamBoot's BLS entries.
# Add --keep-entries or --keep-logs to preserve those.
REFERENCE

lamboot-install flags

Grouped to mirror the live tool. Run --dry-run first to preview the planned actions without writing. The full reference is in the Docs portal.

Operation selectors
--updateUpdate an existing install, preserve policy.toml, skip unchanged files.
--removeRemove LamBoot, delete the UEFI entry, disable services.
--repair-blsForce-rebuild ESP BLS entries: re-derive cmdline, overwrite all, prune removed kernels.
Target and ESP
--esp PATHOverride ESP auto-detection with an explicit mount point.
--root PATHOperate against a chroot or target root, for distro-installer and installer-time use. NVRAM ops defer to first boot.
Boot entry and default selection
--set-defaultMake LamBoot first in BootOrder. This is already the install default.
--no-make-defaultLeave the prior default first, append LamBoot last in BootOrder.
--fallbackAlso install at the removable-media path. Auto-enabled under --root.
--replaceReplace an existing bootloader (backup, then make default).
Secure Boot
--signedDeploy the pre-signed binary. Required for Secure Boot.
--no-mokSkip the MOK-enrollment prompt (Config 4, pre-enrolled OVMF). Shim is still deployed.
--no-shimAdvanced. Skip the shim chain. Requires a firmware-DB-signed kernel. Pair with --kernel-firmware-db-signed.
Filesystem drivers
--with-driversInstall every applicable legacy UEFI FS driver. By default a driver is installed only for a /boot filesystem LamBoot does not natively cover.
--with-modulesInstall the diagnostic modules under EFI/LamBoot/modules/.
Removal modifiers
--keep-entriesWith --remove, keep the generated BLS entries.
--keep-logsWith --remove, keep the forensic data under reports/.
Proxmox VE host modes
--proxmox-hostCoexist install: LamBoot rides alongside Proxmox shim and GRUB via a chainload menu entry. GRUB stays default.
--replace-grubAdd BLS generation and cmdline derivation from the GRUB config. Implies --proxmox-host.
Installer protocol v1 (for distro installers)
--capabilitiesPrint the capability JSON (filesystems, signing modes, SB, flags, exit codes) and exit.
--protocol-versionPrint the protocol version integer and exit.
--jsonEmit structured JSON events on stdout instead of human text.
--no-promptNon-interactive: never prompt, exit with a documented code where input would be required.
Output and safety
--dry-runShow what would happen without doing it.
--versionPrint lamboot-install <version> and exit.
--help, -hPrint usage and exit.
DOWNLOADS

Release artefacts (v0.15.2)

The v0.15.2 release ships lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz with a .sha256 checksum and a .asc GPG signature. This is the first GPG-signed release. aarch64 UEFI is a supported target, built from source from the same tree.

Tarball SHA-256: b628146bf0b7f1f1f2ba5d1b0d2f73e3e0d2c0c6dc278f5635b01c8dfb22ad45

Verify with the Lamco release key, fingerprint CA11F781516743D5D9A1A12F17B95B68A50CD3A7:

verify the release
gpg --verify lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz.asc lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz
sha256sum -c lamboot-0.15.2-x86_64.tar.gz.sha256