Re: KNOPPIX as an installer for Debian
on Fri, Mar 28, 2003 at 02:11:31PM -0800, Craig Dickson (crdic@pacbell.net) wrote:
> sean finney wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Mar 28, 2003 at 09:56:05AM -0800, Craig Dickson wrote:
> > > > (from a knoppix boot up)
> > > > # fdisk /dev/hda
> > > > # mkdir /target
> > > > (mount all the hard drive partitions into /target, /target/usr, etc...)
> > > > # debootstrap sid /target
> > > > (you can do woody instead of sid if you want stable)
> > > > # chroot /target dpkg -a --configure
> > > > # chroot /target
> > > > # apt-get install stuff
> > > > (don't forget to include a linux kernel and run lilo)
> > >
> > > What is the advantage of doing it this way from Knoppix rather than just
> > > booting from a Debian install CD? Is it just that you can set up a sid
> > > system directly, without having to install stable or testing first?
> >
> > it autoconfigures itself, you can sit on a kde desktop, listen to your
> > favorite ogg vorbis collection over an smbmount (or streaming from the
> > net), and play a few rounds of frozen-bubble while you wait :)
>
> I must be failing to understand something here. Knoppix will certainly
> autoconfigure itself when it boots off the CD, but I don't see anything
> that causes that configuration to be remembered for later when you boot
> your new Debian installation directly from the hard disk.
While this is true, you can certainly look at the configuration selected
by Knoppix and manually implement this. Largely a matter of noting
which modules are loaded. If you want to record the parameters for
later use, there's the 'si' tool (a Debian package) or the system-info
script I wrote:
http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/LinuxSystemInfoScript
> Nor do I see anything that puts the Knoppix autoconfiguration into
> your hard disk installation. What I see is that you booted Knoppix,
> partitioned your hard disk, mounted the partitions, set up a default
> base unstable system with debootstrap in a chroot, ran dpkg in the
> chroot to configure that base system (which doesn't benefit from what
> Knoppix knows about the hardware, does it?),
Ah, but it does:
- Odds are that by booting Knoppix, you've got a fully configured
system. You only need to wrestle with one demon -- getting Debian
onto the box -- rather than two: figuring out how to boot the box.
- If you're in a networked environment (and for most useful
Knoppix-assisted installs, you are), you have a networked box, with
various download tools, and full-featured web browsers, running
under X. This allows you to browse for support on issues and
downloads necessary to complete your installation (if needs be).
- You have a working system. Depending on your sitation, this may be
quite valuable. If the system you're installing on is the only
available system you've got, this can be very useful. Even if
you're only "babysitting" an install within a LAN, with other
systems available, you can work on documents locally, surf, ssh to
other boxes, or access a remote desktop via VNC or rdesktop.
> then used apt-get in the chroot to add more Debian unstable packages
> to it.
Don't underestimate the utility of this. I'm doing all of the above at
the moment.
> And you added a kernel and made the system bootable. Does your
> "include a kernel" mean copy Knoppix's kernel over and build a
> modules.conf based on the set of modules Knoppix decided to load? If
> so, then I'd say you glossed over a critical detail.
Fair enough. That would be a neat hat trick....
Peace.
--
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
What Part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
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