Arch Linux

alexondi

Member

Registered: 2008-06-06

Posts: 8

Preconfigured automatic installer

Hi!

Prompt me, please, is it possible to do an preconfigured automatic (without participation of user) installer for Arch?
And this must be not live cd.

Thank you!

Daenyth

Forum Fellow

From: Boston, MA

Registered: 2008-02-24

Posts: 1,244

Re: Preconfigured automatic installer

You probably should look into FOG, make an arch image configured the way you want it to be configured, and network boot the target machines, pushing the image to them. This is assuming that you are setting up multiple machines, otherwise you'll want something else most likely. You'll still need to install and configure it once.

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[git] | [AURpkgs] | [arch-games]

alexondi

Member

Registered: 2008-06-06

Posts: 8

Re: Preconfigured automatic installer

I do it! )
I change in installer.sqfs setup script : preconfigure network, partitions, install all package and configured system and user must only press two (three) times Enter - and OS is on your computer.

alexondi

Member

Registered: 2008-06-06

Posts: 8

Re: Preconfigured automatic installer

Hi!
Ok what I do.
0. change into BOOT aviable images of RAM-disks (delete all except archlive) and change boot/grub/menu.lst - I have 3 items - install, shutdown, reboot)
1. Unpack installer.sqfs
2. Change setup script
   - use static IP in network configuration
   - use standard disk partition table (DEFAULTFS="/boot:32:ext2:+ swap:256:swap /:7500:ext3 /home:*:ext3")
   - select all packages (change script to do this)
   - install packages
   - install GRUB into mbr
   - reboot
3. Unpack DEFAULT-CONFIG.SQFS
4. Change default inittab to run on tty1 setup script
5. pack all images back into squash fs
6. replace on cd-image of Arch by my images
7. Burn and Run
Result - user must press few times by press Enter and he(she) become installed OS

TODO
1. I have static IP but in network I need setup only one IP per PC.(without dhcp)
2. I will change packages list (I create some programs which run on QtEmbedded and they must run on destination PC)

alexondi

Member

Registered: 2008-06-06

Posts: 8

Re: Preconfigured automatic installer

what tools I use
1. windows as host OS
2. Arch as guest OS (VMWare) (+mc)
3. squash-tools packages in Arch to unpack squash images
4. UltraISO to change iso images
5. Another Arch guest OS (vmware) to debug my scripts
6. One week

alexondi

Member

Registered: 2008-06-06

Posts: 8

Re: Preconfigured automatic installer

But I check out now how can I setup Arch without any interaction with user from my preconfigured installed server (user must insert cd with archlive and boot, then ...?)