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Re: network-console DEBIAN_FRONTEND?



On Sun, Jan 21, 2018 at 09:15:23AM +0100, john doe wrote:
> On 1/19/2018 11:35 PM, Jack Bates wrote:
> >Thanks for your help, but when I boot with DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text,
> >it affects only the *local* console ... In other words, when I
> >boot with "DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text modules=network-console", the
> >local console does display the text frontend, but when I ssh in, I
> >still get the default frontend (newt).
> >
> >How do I choose the network-console frontend?
> >
> 
> It's not realy an answer (sorry).
> 
> I tryed the following to no avail:
> 
> $ export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text
> $ ssh installer@<ip|hostname> -o SendEnv=DEBIAN_FRONTEND
> 
> Shell prompt in the installer:
> - Exporting DEBIAN_FRONTEND=text
> - There are no file related to ssh that I can find.
> 
> 
> From what I gather online you might have more chances with the
> following (untested):
> 
> https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/apbs03.html.en

apbs03  is appendix B  section 3

Appendix B is "Automating the installation using preseeding"
Section 3 is "Creating a preconfiguration file"
 

Having a preseed file makes is it possible
to _not_ using a front end.

> Please let me know if you find a way to get the frontend as text
> when installing Debian using ssh.

What I want to contribute to this discussion:

https://superuser.com/questions/48783/how-can-i-pass-an-environment-variable-through-an-ssh-command

There are warnings/notions about ssh-client wants,
must be allowed by the ssh-server.

When it is all fine at SSH level,
then there _might be_ the dragon of DEBIAN_FRONTEND not being check,
just being set to 'newt'  :-(


> P.S. You might be better of asking on debian-user! :)

If succesfull, please report here also.
Thing is the two mailinglists have different audience.

debian-user is roughly for "it works, but how get it working"
debian-boot is for development of debian-installer.


Where I understand that newt frontend is a good default for SSH installs,
do I see several reasons for text frontend as a nice to have.

* no mis match in charcter sets between install target and ssh client.
   ( getting lots of question marks where lines or corner symbols are )
* when CPU-cycles are expensive, don't waste then on newt formatting
* getting output from the install client that is easier parsed then newt output,
  so making automation easier. ( IIRC there is HTTP frontend for automation,
  however SSH gives encrypted transmission )


Long story short:

 I think this a debian-installer  development question.
 Please keep debian-boot@l.d.o. in the loop.

Groeten
Geert Stappers
-- 
Leven en laten leven


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