mkisofs

Create an ISO image from a directory

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] [path/to/source_directory]

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] -V "[label_name]" [path/to/source_directory]

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] -R [path/to/source_directory]

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] -J [path/to/source_directory]

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] -b [boot_image] [path/to/source_directory]

$ mkisofs -o [filename.iso] -m "*.bak" [path/to/source_directory]

mkisofs [-o filename] [-V volid] [-R] [-J] [-b bootimage] [**-m** glob] pathspec [pathspec_...]

mkisofs (also known as genisoimage) is a pre-mastering utility that generates ISO9660, Joliet, and HFS hybrid filesystem images. It creates binary images suitable for writing to CDs, DVDs, or other optical media.
The tool supports Rock Ridge extensions for Unix file attributes, Joliet extensions for Windows long filenames, El Torito for bootable media, and Apple HFS hybrid filesystems. It processes directory trees without directly communicating with disc writers.

-o _filename_

Specify output file location for the ISO image

Set volume identifier; maximum 32 characters

Generate Rock Ridge SUSP records for Unix file attributes

Like -R but normalizes ownership and permissions globally

Add Joliet directory records for Windows long filename support

Allow full 31-character filenames (not MS-DOS compatible)

Specify El Torito boot image (1200, 1440, or 2880 KB floppy)

Use no emulation boot mode for bootable ISOs

Insert boot information table at offset 8 in boot image

Exclude files matching shell wildcard pattern

Allow custom directory grafting with path=source syntax

Hide files from ISO9660 and Rock Ridge directory trees

Hide files from Joliet tree only

Minimize verbose output

Calculate and display filesystem size in sectors

Basic ISO9660 limits filenames to 8.3 format; use -R or -J for longer names. The -boot-info-table option modifies the source boot file directly; use a copy if needed. HFS and UDF support are partially experimental. Character encoding varies between platforms and may require explicit charset options.

mkisofs was originally written by Eric Youngdale and later maintained as part of the cdrtools package by Joerg Schilling. The genisoimage fork was created as part of cdrkit for Debian and derivatives. The ISO9660 standard dates to 1988.

genisoimage(1), wodim(1), cdrecord(1), isoinfo(8)