[wellylug] Automatic debian installations

Richard richard at redspider.co.nz
Fri Mar 26 12:08:07 NZST 2004


> c)
> 
> i'm trying to build a fully automated debian installation cd so i can 
> easily deploy debian to a bunch of machines using a cd.
> 
> i've had a look at FAI, with limited success - has anyone used this 
> tool before? with any luck? has anyone used it to successfully create
> a booting CD of debian.
> 
> what other software can be used to create a bootable debian CD?
> 
> redhat has kickstart, which makes the task a breeze, but there
> appears to be no equivs. for debian.
> 
> any help much appreciated,

I use a small set of scripts etc that I built on top of PXE/DHCP. PXE permits
the boot image to be obtained across the network supplied by a bootp service, I
simply used the regular dhcp tools to supply an image of a kernel and a debian
installation disk initially, although it has since evolved into something rather
more complex.

In general there are only a few major steps required:

1. Get your kernel booting
2. Get a disk image loading which is capable of carrying out a few scripted
instructions
3. Execute a partitioning proggy to chop up the drive
4. Get the disk image to copy a basic debian system from somewhere and dump it onto the drive
5. Reinstall the kernel package on the drive so that lilo is re-run and things
are good.
6. Replace the init script initially with something that does a small set of
apt-get's to update the package list and install any extras.

All in all it's about a days work to put something along those lines together so
long as you're happy to hard-code things like source urls etc.

Overall I've found it of limited advantage with the exception of router builds
which are near uniform and can be heavily scripted. General systems tend to have
too much variation, the time imposed by the initial install doesn't really
register. Of course, if you're installing 20+ identical machines it may be worth
it....or it may be worth visiting Student Job Search and obtaining
Walking/Talking Learning Installation Units which can do the job for you.

-- 
Richard Clark,
Analysis and Design,
Red Spider (http://redspider.co.nz/)
(+64) 021 478 219




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