Re: apt-get configurator for boot-floppies?
* "Massimo" == Massimo Dal Zotto <dz@cs.unitn.it> wrote:
Massimo> In my bootfloppy I translate the cdrom lines of sources.list
Massimo> into the appropriate file: lines and create a script that
Massimo> mounts partitions or nfs directories on automatically created
Massimo> mount points under /var/mnt/apt. It would be nice if apt
Massimo> could handle the same source type supported by the bootfloppy
Massimo> and mount them automatically:
How does this handle multiple CDs? I thought they have to be scanned
in using apt-cdrom.
Massimo> The [A]ccess and [U]pdate actions can be totally skipped if
Massimo> you use the same access method used from the bootfloppies:
This is of cause true. If the users has the debs in the same place as
the base files, this is a elegant solution.
>> * allows easy selection of CDROMs as well as http, ftp, etc,
>> walking the user thru multi-cd scans if necessary
Massimo> The multi-cd scan can be avoided if the first cdrom contains
Massimo> the packages lists and identification of all cd's used by the
Massimo> distribution:
True. with the old multi-cd method one had to insert the _last_ CD,
which had all the info. Putting it on the first CD would have had the
same pros/cons as putting it on the last CD, but it is easier to
understand.
Massimo> <cd_root> --- install --- apt --- sources.list
Massimo> cdroms.list
Massimo> lists --- <cd_label>_Packages
Massimo> lists --- <cd_label>_Release
This will be a great simplification.
>> * can autodetect debian official CDs and respond accordingly
Massimo> It would be better to define a standard common method which
Massimo> could be used to describe any distribution on cd, file, nfs
Massimo> or http, for example:
[...]
Massimo> The installer should prepend to the paths an appropriate
Massimo> source prefix depending on the access method used from the
Massimo> bootdisk. In my automatic installed I translate a cdrom:
Massimo> sources.list into a file: sources.list. Not very elegant but
Massimo> it works for nfs and partititions, and it should also work
Massimo> for cd's.
Massimo> This could be used for any cd or network based distribution,
Massimo> official Debian or custom made, and is much better than any
Massimo> automagic detection of the cd.
All very true. We should stick to the pragma that we install from
offical CDs (or sources with the same layout), so we simply know where
every file is. We then just need some good help or tool for creation
of the file, so that resellers who can easily modify their version (by
adding another CD with tools or parts of non-free or whatever) without
screwing up. This would reflect negatively on us. I sometimes think
they don't testinstall their masters.
Some optional fields could be useful as well like default language,
timezone or such. This would allow a german vendor to set these as
default for the installation (giving the user a nice wow effect).
How do we include the Packages files for all CDs from the first D in a
way that apt-get will still prompt you to insert the appropriate CD?
Ciao,
Martin
Reply to: