Re: (very) remote install
On Thu, Oct 14, 1999 at 08:13:01PM -0400, paul wrote:
> I've been asked to install Debian on a server that resides several
> thousand miles from where I am (I am in Philadelphia, the server is in
> Korea). Is it possible for me to replace the current RH installation with
> Debian from my present location? Where are docs pertaining to this?
Alas, there are none. The one time I had to do something similar, I ended
up having them ups me the hard drive, I did the install, and then upsed it
back. They'd gotten the system into a completely wedged state though, and
trying to do it remotely wasn't an option.
> The owner of the machine (call him john) wants to avoid the reboot, and
> does not know (or trust) anyone at the remote location. I BELIEVE I could
> do this by installing and configuring a (minimal) base system complete
> with his root password here, and then gzipping it, telnet to the remote
> host as root, chroot to a ramdisk, reformat /dev/hda, install the gzipped
> and ready base system (configured for remote root access and RARP), start
> a script that will reboot the machine after I have logged off, then
> john can telnet to his server, log in as root, change root's password and
> run dselect to install the rest of his system.
All this really depends on their disk partitioning situation. If they have
enough free space on /home, you could move all the /home/whatever directories
into /home/saved and then untar a working minimal system into it. I'd do a
quick make bzDisk though so you can reboot off a floppy if you run into
any >1024 cylinder problems and still get into the debianized partition.
Once you're running off the debianized /home, you can then nuke the old /
and rerun lilo again and be ready to go.
> John does not think this will work he should know, he's had 20+
> years working with Unix and Ive only two years on Linux. But he has not
> suggested any other method.
If you do manage to get it switched, it'd be nice if you wrote up exactly how
you did it.
jpb
--
Joe Block <jpb@creol.ucf.edu>
CREOL System Administrator
Social graces are the packet headers of everyday life.
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