Re: PowerPC CHRP network install
On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 04:34, Chris Tillman wrote;
> > I don't know if anyone tried NFS installs, but they should work
> > in theory. zImage.initrd or zImage plus a separate initrd (if
> > this is possible on your arch) over bootp/dhcp/tftp/whatsoever
> > works.
> We definitely need testing in this area.
Hi there, I'm new to the list, so sorry if I'm going on about stuff
already covered in the docs.
Having installed over 100 Solaris machines via jumpstart, a handful of
RedHat boxen via kickstart and now 3 Debian boxes by FAI :-) I say
that PXE installs are magic, and perhaps the easiest of the lot to set
up. This would be the best way to operate an NFS install.
PXE is supported on most new motherboards that come with built in
network ports. I'd be more than happy to work together to make a
`debian-install-server' package or something like that, that installs
all of the relevant packages (tftp-hpa, dhcp, nfs-user-server, etc
...), as well as providing "Wizard" debconf front-ends to make it as
easy as possible to guide network admins through the fiddly process of
setting up mirrors, NFS roots, etc. It would all be focused for PXE -
as that's fast becoming a standard on x86, x86_64 and ia64 hardware.
Of course, old BOOT PROMs, and other, similar, native network boot
systems for other architectures, like Sun's `boot net - install' would
fit in too.
The idea would be to make it really easy to install one master machine
from the CD, which acts as the apt proxy, nfs server, etc for the
clients to be built. It could also serve as root servers for diskless
workstations - eg, ultra low-cost Mini-ITX systems - which support
PXE.
I've been investigating FAI recently for a network I'm in the process
of building, but I've been a little disappointed - it's quite far
behind - notably, debconf support is absent, as is the ability to
install to a chroot. I refactored the disk partitioning script the
other day to include support for setting up RAID and LVM volumes at
installation time, but no-one on the list even responded to me! The
system as it stands is IMHO like a direct thoughtless rip-off of
Solaris' Jumpstart.
What is the scope of d-i? Really, the default install process should
leave you with a file to let you perform it again automatically, a la
kickstart or Jumpstart.
I'd also like to integrate some kick-ass :-) installer into the
Vserver project (http://www.linux-vserver.net/ - like a soup-ed up
version of *BSD jails, or user-mode-linux, but with virtually no
overhead). Can d-i be used as a better version of debootstrap for
chroot servers like this?
Does d-i have a list of release goals anywhere?
--
Sam Vilain, sam@vilain.net
Nothing motivates a man more than to see his boss putting in an honest
day's work.
- from _Murphy's Laws on Technology_
Reply to: