I should run the live ISO, install the mkiso package there, then point the operation at my customized HD-installed Obarun installation, and the resulting ISO will be a replica of that?

Have I understood this correctly?
It doesn't necessarily need to be a live obarun image, just a 2nd system that is making the image of the system in the specific partition. There is also need to be a space adequate enough (larger) to be able to store a copy of the filesystem while it is creating it. At the end of the run this space is automatically deleted. The result is an iso image that can boot from a thumb drive, a dvd, or be used in a vm.
OK, next question: is it the used size of the fs that the space must accommodate, or the total? Cuz my Obarun partition is 100Gb+, even though only around 15Gb is being used. Cuz if it's the total, then I need to shrink this partition and make a 2nd Obarun install in order to run the mkiso. :S

That, I may not want to do. It's appealing to have a live ISO of my installed system, but not sure I want to go through all that just to have it.

Is there no way to do it without the 2nd system?
2 months later
BUMP: I never received an answer on this. It would be helpful for me to know exactly how I can take the Obarun system I have installed, and make a live USB with persistence from it.

My only remaining question about the mk-iso program is how much space I need to allow. The size of the Obarun partition is 90Gb, give or take. But that won't fit on the USB stick, so presumably I just need some space for the mkiso program to 'copy' the FS and then make an ISO from it.

So how much space do I need?

If I make an Obarun 2 partition, and run the mkiso program from there, pointing at the Obarun 1 partition, I need to have 90Gb too?
You cannot make an instant copy of your system with obarun-mkiso. Do you want your personal data on the ISO like movies? This doesn't make sense (well, for me).
The purpose of obarun-mkiso is to create a valid/configured "base" system which can be booted from an e.g. USB stick.

So, install a fresh system on your host by mounting a fake device on e.g. /mnt, than use obarun-mkiso to make an ISO from this fresh installation. The obarun-install script it sufficiently flexible do make any useful system and obviously you can modify the system by chrooting the /mnt directory before making the ISO.

To help you, this following script will create a fake device at ./mounted directory. Then you can launch obarun-install picking this directory to install a fresh system
# !/usr/bin/bash

if [[ -z "${1}" ]];then
	echo "give a name for the image to create"
	exit 1
fi

create() {
	local name="${1}"
	
	# create an empty file of 5G
	oblog "Create disk image: ${name}"
	truncate -s 5G "${name}"
	
	# format that image
	oblog "Format: ${name}"
	mkfs.ext4 -m 1 -v "${name}"
	
	# umount the previous mountpoint in case 
	# of successively use of the script
	oblog "Umount mounted directory"
	umount -R mounted/
	
	# mount it
	oblog "Mount ${name}.img to mounted/"
	mount "${name}" mounted/
	
	# same as previous, in case of successive use
	# we erase the things done previously
	oblog "Delete mounted/{boot,home}"
	rm -rf mounted/boot
	rm -rf mounted/home
	oblog "Create directories mounted/{boot,home}"
	
	# finally create the boot, home directory
	mkdir mounted/{boot,home}

}

if (( EUID ));then
    oblog -f "you need to be root"
    exit 111
fi

create "${1}"
Well, to use it, change your working directory to e.g. ~/tmp/install. Copy this script to ~/tmp/install/create_disk.sh and make executable than launch it.
It will create a fake DD device of 5G. Increase it if you need more.
Of course I do not want all of my files, no.

What I want, and what I thought/think this tool is intended for, is to copy my existing system to a live USB, along with the (very small number of) packages I have installed, my JWM config settings, etc.

So when I boot on another PC I get the same desktop, same programs.

Am I right?

I don't know what you mean about a fake system.

I have 2 Obarun installed systems:

A = the one I have spent time configuring and wish to copy
B = the one I have mkiso installed on, and am going to use to make the live USB of System A

Can you please confirm what and what will not be copied?

I understand passwords WILL be, for instance.

What about app data in the home folder? JWM settings? etc.

Thanks
so, simply mount A at B/mnt and start obarun-mkiso and pick /mnt as mountpoint on obarun-mkiso menu. The A will be copied as it on the ISO.
Thanks. Is there a way to make persistence with the live USB?

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