Re: apt-get configurator for boot-floppies?
>
> Hey, as you may know we're removing all non-apt acquisition methods
> from the boot-floppies, now that apt can handle them all better
> (except perhaps for wierd proxy ftp gateways).
IMHO apt is missing an important feature, the ability to download packages
from an nfs server, which is however supported by the slink boot floppies.
Obviously we can mount manually the remote directory and use a file: url,
but having this handled automatically by apt would be a great simplification.
In my bootfloppy I translate the cdrom lines of sources.list into the
appropriate file: lines and create a script that mounts partitions or nfs
directories on automatically created mount points under /var/mnt/apt. It
would be nice if apt could handle the same source type supported by the
bootfloppy and mount them automatically:
deb nfs://server/path ...
deb device://device/path ...
The advantage of using nfs over http or ftp is that you can use the same
source specification of the bootfloppy and you don't need any extra disk
space for downloading all the files before installing them.
> I'm wondering if there's going to be any sort of way that we could
> ease the configurability of apt for newbies. The [A]ccess action from
> dselect triggers one current system, which is inadequate.
The [A]ccess and [U]pdate actions can be totally skipped if you use the same
access method used from the bootfloppies:
cdrom -> cdrom: (should have all cdrom lists on 1st cd)
nfs -> file: (or nfs: when implemented)
mounted -> file:
partition -> file:
When you select an access method for the base installation the same method
can be used also to install the packages and is a very silly idea to prompt
the user for a different method to access the same media it this can be done
automatically by the installer program.
> Here would be my critical list of features:
>
> * runs in console
This is mandatory in my optinion. I have installed (automatically) debian
on machines with 256K of graphic memory, where any graphical installation
tool would be totally unusable.
> * allows easy selection of CDROMs as well as http, ftp, etc, walking the
> user thru multi-cd scans if necessary
The multi-cd scan can be avoided if the first cdrom contains the packages
lists and identification of all cd's used by the distribution:
<cd_root> --- install --- apt --- sources.list
cdroms.list
lists --- <cd_label>_Packages
lists --- <cd_label>_Release
I haven't still tried this but my automatic installer should be able to handle
it in the same way it handles partitions or nfs.
> * could be run from within dselect or not
>
> Here is my very very important list:
>
> * i18n and l10n
We can live without these for the moment...
> * can autodetect debian official CDs and respond accordingly
It would be better to define a standard common method which could be used to
describe any distribution on cd, file, nfs or http, for example:
# <source>/install/dist.conf
#
# Configuration file for dz distribution.
#
# Distribution identification
DISTRIBUTION="dz"
DISTRIBUTION_NAME="Debian/DZ"
#
# Base files
INSTALL_BASE="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/base2_1.tgz"
INSTALL_RESCUE="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/resc1440.bin"
INSTALL_DRIVERS="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/drv1440.bin"
INSTALL_EXTRA="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/extra.tgz"
INSTALL_KERNEL="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/linux"
INSTALL_INITRD="dists/dz/disks-i386/2.1.8-1999-02-22/initrd.gz"
INSTALL_CONFIGS="dists/dz/install/configs.tgz"
#
# Apt configuration
SOURCES_LIST="dists/dz/install/apt/sources.list"
CD_LABEL="Debian/DZ"
CD_ID="Debian_DZ"
#
# Cdrom description, required only for cdroms
# CD_HASH="e9e9173bdfba2ce769ba37e0d744ddee"
# CDROM_LIST="dists/dz/install/apt/cdrom.list"
# CDROM_LISTS="dists/dz/install/apt/lists/"
# PACKAGES_CD="dists/dz/main/binary-i386/Packages.cd"
The installer should prepend to the paths an appropriate source prefix
depending on the access method used from the bootdisk. In my automatic
installed I translate a cdrom: sources.list into a file: sources.list.
Not very elegant but it works for nfs and partititions, and it should also
work for cd's.
This could be used for any cd or network based distribution, official Debian
or custom made, and is much better than any automagic detection of the cd.
> * doesn't select non-free automatically (?!)
>
> Here is my "would be nice list":
>
> * has a list of standard debian mirrors, allows user to select that for
> http and ftp
--
Massimo Dal Zotto
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Massimo Dal Zotto email: dz@cs.unitn.it |
| Via Marconi, 141 phone: ++39-0461534251 |
| 38057 Pergine Valsugana (TN) www: http://www.cs.unitn.it/~dz/ |
| Italy pgp: finger dz@tango.cs.unitn.it |
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