Re: Setting up to do repetitive installs on ONE machine (cf BabelBox)

[Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net>]

Richard Owlett wrote:
> I have two objectives:
> 1. Define, by experimentation, optimal installation
> parameters to meet my
> idiosyncratic concept of a "minimal install".
> 2. Determine if there are bugs in Debian Installer, the
> instructions for
> the installer, or MY reading of those instructions.
>
> I've bought the 8 DVD set of Debian 6.0.5 and have set aside
> a laptop as a testbed. I would divvy up the 80GB drive with
> 8-10GB for a quasi-static Debian install [some other
> experiments, possible supervisor for these tests] and ~40GB
> for DVD content [possibly some additional packages]. The
> rest would be for the resulting test install and possibly
> preserving some log files.
>
> [SNIP the majority of my original post]
>
> Are there other routes to my goals I should investigate?

In this thread, and others, there have been an underlying 
assumption/suggestion that I do a netinstall. I do not now, 
nor in foreseeable future, have a home network. And as my 
only web access at home is dial-up, that is out ;)

QUESTION:
Can someone point me to detailed instructions on setting up 
a client and "server" on a single physical computer. As a 
primary motivation for this whole project is learning Linux, 
I foresee lots of related reading :)

Thanks