Re: specifiying a preseed url by dhcp
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004 11:26:41 +0100 Geert Stappers wrote:
> What I see, is that it doesn't need the "class construction"[2].
>
> For networkbooting, one has to setup two "classes",
> one class for downloading a kernel (or pxelinux.0)
> and one class for the preseed file.
Yes those are the alternatives.
I think that the "vendor encapsulated options" route is neater as we can
specify a string that maps directly onto the preseed/url string. Usint the
class constructor ant the next-server, filename options means we have to
make assumptions about the preseed download protocol. That's OK right now
but in future we have more than the http option!
> Whatever dicisssion we make about how we put the preseed information
> in the DHCP packets, there is the question
> What to do when our user
> appends preseed/url=proto://host/path/to/preseed/file at boot?
>
> My proposal is to handle it in the netcfg code:
>
> if preseed/url is not yet set
> then
> search for preseed url info in DCHP answer
> if preseed url found
> then
> create preseed/url variabele so that preseeder can find it
> put found information in preseed/url
> fi
> fi
I'd go a bit further and suggest this should be the overall effect of a
d-i run.
* Silently try and probe for network and dhcp before asking for any user
input. If preseed dhcp response Silently try and get preseed file and
preseed debconf.
* Then ask language chooser questions... these may be preseeded by now so
need no user input.
* If earlier dhcp faild try again but now report failure in the selected
language. If earlier download of preseed file failed try again and report
any error in selected language.
In other words I would like to see dhcp moved before language
chooser/keyboard questions. I understabnd the current argument that this
cannot be done as d-i does not know what language to issue error messages
in. That is why I propose a silent dhcp/preseed attempt before language
chooser etc and then a verbose dhcp/preseed attempt later when d-i knows
what language to issue error messages in!
Just my thoughts!
Alex Owen
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