Re: Automated installer / kickstart instructions?

[Erik Dykema <ed2019@columbia.edu>]

Hi-
	Thanks for the links to the other automatic installation packages. 
Looking at what they do, they confirm that what I think I want to do is 
use the actual debian-installer, as suggested where you wrote:

1) Manual install.
2) Save the answers from the debconf database into a file.
3) Put the file in a preseeding udeb.

	Can anyone expand on points two and three?  If I could get it working 
for myself I'd be happy to contribute some more complete documentation 
for this part.
	I have the manual install part down, it's the rest that I'm not clear 
about.  I'm not sure how to get answers out of the debconf database, or 
what/where the debconf database is, or once I have them what format to 
put them into in the 'file', and once I have that file how to make it 
into a 'preseeding udeb'.  I taught myself the bare minimums of making 
regular deb's last week, is it a similar process?

Thanks,
Erik



Geert Stappers wrote:
> +<sect2>
> +<title>debian-installer</title>
> +<!-- rough idea -->
> +<para>this section needs love &amp; care</para>
> +
> +<para>
> +Manual install
> +</para>
> +
> +<para>
> +Save the answers from the debconf database into a file.
> +</para>
> +
> +<para>
> +Put the file in <filename>preseeding udeb</filename>

> On Tue, Feb 24, 2004 at 03:51:18PM -0500, Erik Dykema wrote:
>
> > Hi-
> > 	A while back there was a lot of talk about automating installations, 
> > and in many places it was claimed that it actually worked.  Does anyone 
> > have instructions for how to actually do it?
> > 	For example, if I wanted to automate a network install, and I had done 
> > the homework, including:
> >
> > 	Install first by hand making sure things work.
> > 	Making notes of all my choices and the answers to the questions that it 
> > asks me (alternately keystrokes?)
> >
> > 	How would I then translate this into an automated installation?
> >
> > 	I know of FAI and have been trying to use it, but it is extremely 
> > complicated and provides a lot of functionality that most users (even 
> > most administrators!) don't need.. I just want to use the regular 
> > debian-installer without having to sit here and press enter and type in 
> > my mirror location every time :)
>
>
> AFAIK:
>
> --- doc/manual/en/install-methods/automatic-install.xml 15 Jun 2003 17:39:02 -0000      1.3
> +++ doc/manual/en/install-methods/automatic-install.xml 24 Feb 2004 21:40:28 -0000
> @@ -9,8 +9,28 @@
>  automatic installations. Debian packages intended for this include
>  <classname>fai</classname> (which uses an install server),
>  <classname>replicator</classname>,
> -<classname>systemimager</classname>, and
> -<classname>autoinstall</classname>.
> +<classname>systemimager</classname>,
> +<classname>autoinstall</classname>, and
> +<classname>debian-installer</classname>.