Re: Automated installer / kickstart instructions?

[stappers@stappers.nl (Geert Stappers)]

On Wed, Feb 25, 2004 at 02:25:45PM -0500, Erik Dykema wrote:
> Geert Stappers wrote:
> > On Wed, Feb 25, 2004 at 12:19:54PM -0500, Erik Dykema wrote:
> > 
 <snip what="lines we have seen before"/>
> >>
> >>	Yes, this is my proposal as well, and I concur that having just the 
> >>file with the answers would be the simplest=best way to do it.  This is 
> >>at any rate how red hat's kickstart works.
> > 
> > 
> > Where, when & how does the Red Hat installer read the file with answers?
> 
> Kickstart can get the answers in one of two ways.  First you make the 
> kickstart file.
> Then you can:
> 	put it onto the boot disk / cdrom.  When the kernel boots, it looks in 
> default places and it if finds it, it begins the installation.
> 	Or, put it somewhere on NFS, and pass the nfs location to the kernel at 
> boot time (append kickstart=192.168.1.1:/kickstart.file).  This is the 
> one that is really useful for PXE booting.
> 	Here is a redhat manual describing the process:
> 
> http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/custom-guide/ch-kickstart2.html

I have read it, but still didn't look into debian-edu
which uses debian-installer

> 
> As far as I know, what this  would require is:
> a) d-i to be able to see what the messages passed to the kernel were.
> b) Parsing out the location to the kickstart file if it exists.
FAI uses DHCP information for that purpose.

> c) Mounting that location via NFS and copying the file over.
or any other network protocol

> d) Using the instructions in the file to answer the questions posed 
> during installation, OR,
> e) using the instructions in the file to put answers into the debconf 
> database, which then would cause d-i not to ask any questions as it 
> already knows what all the answers are (not really clear on how debconf 
> works).

 See the debconf documentation packages for more information.

> 
> Erik

Cheers
Geert Stappers
-- 
Missing Sesse