Chris Zubrzycki wrote:
very good idea, but I was wonering if anyone one the list has every made a custom boot cd, with specific packages and a custom kernel image/modules (xfs support, etc.)
I've done some work on mass-installing debian for a lab here, what I've come up to now is a modified set of boot floppies, (which someday I'll 'port' into a CD :). Basically a rescue floppy with a custom kernel with all netcards that we have compiled in, and a modified root floppy (added mkreiserfs and wget) with an init script that does the following:
-prompt for IP or DHCP. -set up networking -invoke fdisk to partition manually or use 'auto partition'*. -create swap and filesystem (using reiser here), mount/swapon 'em.
after this, the script: +wgets a tarball from the 'install server' and untars it upon /target +writes the IP configuration from the past prompts or dhcp into /etc/network +runs lilo if needed*. +reboots with a configured box running X ready to be used.
The tarball at the server is made of an installed prototype. All the machines have the same hardware (as far as net/video cards goes). The server is apache with basic authentication, (wget sends login/password), for truly 'basic security'.
All the installed boxes have an init script that check if there are 'updates' on the install server, which are scripts which apt-gets for security updates or new packages asked for by the students, and copy conf files into the boxes.
* 'Total' automation can be achieved if there's a dhcpd on the network and an image of the boot sector on the server that (w)gets dd'd into hda, which assumes all boxes have the same harddisk setup.
I can provide these tools if someone whishes to play with them.
