Bootdisk-O-matic
Hello,
What about the following idea:
When someone want to install Debian he looks at the debian.org site.
There he finds a small programm (for the architecture/OS he wants) that
will alow him to create a bootdisk to boot it's computer with: that
bootdisk will contain autodetection stuff only and will create a list of
(e.g) kernel modules needed for the install (and why not this detection
floppy will also find the Xserver needed the soundcard etc.). This list is
saved on the floppy itself.
Then he runs the small programm again that will read on the floppy the
hardware list and sent it to the Bootdisk-O-matic site at debian.org.
The Bootdisk-O-matic then create a custom bootdisk image with only the
drivers (kernel modules) needed to install the computer (and the hardware
list already on it: no need to recreate it).
The custom bootdisk will then be available for download and the computer
can be install with just booting on this custom floppy.
I think bout that because I do have a special hardware detection bootdisk
that allow me only to probe a new computer for hardware (before trying to
blindly install Debian on it). Then I make custom kernel to install this
computer with replicator.
The point is that it's easy to put only detection stuffs on one floppy.
And we can even imagine that the custom bootdisk can be customized online
to choose the deb sources, the disk partitioning etc.
I feel I already read this kind of proposal somewhere (maybe here) but I
don't remember any answer.
Sebastien
----
Sebastien CHAUMAT
Ecole Normale Superieure Laboratoire de Physique
46, Allée d'Italie +33 4 72 72 84 66 fax: +33 4 72 72 81 81
69364 LYON CEDEX 07 FRANCE E-mail : schaumat@ens-lyon.fr
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