Re: How to make preseed.cfg available in no-internet install?
On Fri 04 Jul 2014 at 17:26:25 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:
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> On 07/04/2014 05:07 PM, Brian wrote:
>
> > On Fri 04 Jul 2014 at 16:30:28 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:
> >
> >> I expect that (he?) wants to have the process be more-or-less fully
> >> automated - i.e., have the mouting and whatever else is necessary
> >> for the installer to recognize and use the (externally located)
> >> preseed file be handled automatically, preferably without even
> >> needing to explicitly specify the preseed-file location at install
> >> time.
> >
> > Possibly. The OP's response should clarify that. It's achievable
> > wihout touching the initrd.
>
> I'd be interested to know how. This is something I'd actually like to do
> myself, at some point, though I don't have an active need for it soon.
Use the hd-media vmlinuz and initrd with file=/hdmedia/preseed.cfg, The
partition the insatllation ISO is on is automatically mounted. (It has
to be so that the ISO can be found).
> >> Assuming the initrd used in the installer environment is
> >> customizable / tweakable, this shouldn't be impossible, but I'd
> >> have to do some research to figure out how to go about it.
> >
> > Basically: gunzip and use cpio on the initrd. Add preseed file.
> > Reverse the previous process.
>
> Yes, I know how to modify an initrd.
I suspected yuo might do but thought the OP and others might need a
nudge in the right direction. :)
> Putting the preseed file into the initrd would seem to involve baking it
> into the (potentially read-only) boot media, though, which he
> specifically indicated he wanted to avoid. What I read him as saying he
> wants to do is to have the preseed file on a separate (writable) device,
> probably a USB stick, and have it be automatically accessed from the
> unchanging boot media.
It is unclear to me why the boot medium needs to be on a CD.
> The reason I thought it might be necessary to modify the initrd is to
> add scripts to mount the appropriate device, and to specify a default
> preseed-file path which is under the resulting mount point.
Not necessary.
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