[22:42] <legogris_> Hello! I am trying to setup an automated install on 12.04 using preseeding and it just won't not crash on me right before installing the bootloader
[22:46] <CarlFK> legogris_: what kind of crash?
[22:47] <legogris_> CarlFK: syslog: http://pastebin.com/4STvrjjR
[22:47] <legogris_> CarlFK: It tells me that the installer crashed and the it proceeds with crafting an error report to submit
[22:48] <legogris_> I have no prior experience here, but looking at the end of the syslog I think it looks like something's up with installation of language packs
[22:48] <CarlFK> oh.. is this installing from the live cd?
[22:50] <legogris_> I am using Black lab imager if you are familiar with it... It's what became of remastersys
[22:53] <CarlFK> sorry, no help.  I have been doing preseeded net installs
[22:54] <legogris_> Ah, thanks anyway!
[22:54] <legogris_> CarlFK: I went with this way because it seemed like a good idea.. But do you have any ideas of better approaches of automating desktop installs?
[22:55] <legogris_> Going to have identical edubuntu installs on a couple of hundred computers that need shredding beforehand and custom packages :P
[22:56] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/README.txt
[22:58] <legogris_> CarlFK: Thanks, but sadly network does not seem lika an option for us
[22:58] <CarlFK> do exactly that first. it is easy.  boot a box, at post hit F12 or whatever to get it to pxe boot.  let it do the install (about 30 min)  make sure it actually works as is
[22:58] <CarlFK> oh.
[22:58] <CarlFK> why not?
[23:01] <legogris_> Because we only have a 100/100 switch and we figured it will just take way too much time compared to using USB sticks
[23:03] <CarlFK> I seem to remember 100 being faster than installing from a CD
[23:04] <CarlFK> and I suspect most of the time is decompressing and configuring (or whatever is going on after the .deb has landed )
[23:04] <legogris_> Hmm, maybe it's worth a try. So what tool should I use to prepare the installation?
[23:05] <CarlFK> 1. start with a vanallia Ubuntu box.
[23:05] <CarlFK> any flavor from the last 5 years.
[23:05] <CarlFK> that just hosts the dhcp and pxe server
[23:05] <CarlFK> er.. pxe server = tftp and squid
[23:06] <CarlFK> I only run that script once a year, maybe twice
[23:08] <CarlFK> You should have the first full install in 30  - 45 min, and most of that time will be watching the "installing packages" progress bar
[23:08] <legogris_> Oh, so it will make clones of the system running the server?
[23:10] <CarlFK> no.
[23:11] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/www/d-i/oneiric/preseed_local.cfg
[23:11] <CarlFK> that should look familiar ;)
[23:11] <legogris_> indeed!
[23:13] <CarlFK> btw, setup the server on a throw away box.
[23:13] <CarlFK> not your current production server
[23:13] <legogris_> of course :)
[23:15] <CarlFK> sudo ./install.sh
[23:15] <CarlFK> that will install/config the server.
[23:16] <CarlFK> hmm
[23:16] <CarlFK> hows your networking skills?
[23:17] <legogris_> I guess it's a similar approach to this but with a different setup and using puppet here? http://www.colinmcnamara.com/setting-up-cobbler-pxe-auto-deployment-for-ubuntu-server-12-04-precise/
[23:17] <CarlFK> 6. disconnect from primary lan ... that's not completely true.  it needs to be a gateway/router to the internet
[23:17] <legogris_> Ah, we don't have internet
[23:18] <legogris_> Which makes it a bit of a hassle because no packages can be fetched from internet
[23:18] <CarlFK> bummer
[23:20] <CarlFK> so.. something I have done a total of 2 times: setup the server where you do have net, install one node (target box) and then drop this in squid.conf:
[23:20] <CarlFK> "offline_mode" : http://www.squid-cache.org/Doc/config/offline_mode/
[23:20] <CarlFK> hmm
[23:21] <CarlFK> er, offline_mode=on I guess
[23:21] <CarlFK> anyway, it won't call out looking to see if there are updates, it will just use what is in the cache
[23:22] <CarlFK> but we are getting kinda thin now
[23:24] <legogris_> so i setup one node where i have net access and then the server will cache the stuff needed? Sounds doable ^^
[23:24] <CarlFK> that's the plan
[23:24] <CarlFK> but..
[23:25] <CarlFK> you are going to want to do a few test installs
[23:25] <CarlFK> like I am guessing you want saucy or trusty
[23:25] <legogris_> Nah, we'll go for LTS
[23:25] <CarlFK> isn't trusty lts?
[23:26] <legogris_> Oh, you're right :)
[23:27] <legogris_> But anyway, 12.04 is what we've been rolling with so far so I think that's what will happen
[23:27] <legogris_> Most of them won't see internet for years, if ever, anyway
[23:27] <CarlFK> is that presice ?
[23:27] <legogris_> Yes
[23:28] <CarlFK> good.  you get that out of the box :D
[23:28] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/install.sh#L95
[23:28] <CarlFK> shaz/root/bin/getu.sh precise amd64
[23:29] <CarlFK> that gets the precise installer
[23:30] <CarlFK> when you pxe boot a node, you will get a menu, very much like grub's
[23:30] <CarlFK> this drives that menu:
[23:30] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default#L16
[23:30] <CarlFK> default ubuntu-oneiric-amd64-handsoff
[23:31] <CarlFK> 	append initrd=ubuntu/precise/amd64/initrd.gz root=/dev/rd/0 rw auto=true netcfg/wireless_wep= interface=auto hostname= DEBCONF_DEBUG=5 url=shaz --
[23:31] <legogris_> Ah
[23:31] <legogris_> So I basically clone the repo and replace the preseed file with what I want?
[23:32] <CarlFK> url=shaz is what tells the installer to go look for https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/www/d-i/oneiric/preseed.cfg
[23:32] <CarlFK> no - shaz/root/bin/getu.sh precise amd64 just wgets these 2 files:
[23:34] <CarlFK> http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/installer-amd64/current/images/netboot/ubuntu-installer/amd64/
[23:34] <CarlFK> linux and initrd.gz
[23:36] <CarlFK> pxe boot a node, those two files get served over tftp to the node, and the kernel gets booted with the above parameters
[23:37] <legogris_> I'm actually still quite not sure how I should customize my installation. I've never even successfully remastered an iso yet
[23:38] <CarlFK> lol
[23:38] <legogris_> That was my problem when I joined the channel, remember :D
[23:38] <CarlFK> I tried to do an iso.  I am not sure I ever got something close to working
[23:39] <legogris_> So much outdated an contraducting info everywhere online.. If I ever get this working, first thing I'm doing is a blog post about it :P
[23:39] <CarlFK> for a long time I would extract the .deb files from the iso onto the file server and use it like a repo
[23:39] <CarlFK> well.. long time .. make that a long time ago when I first got started with automated installs
[23:40] <CarlFK> I love what I have now.  the pxe/preseed is pretty standard and supported
[23:41] <CarlFK> and the late_command hook that calls a honken shell script that can do whatever is needed (assuming I can figure  out how to script it)
[23:41] <CarlFK> lucky for you I advise throwing out my late.sh script. write your own from scratch if you need to.
[23:42] <legogris_> hehe :)
[23:42] <legogris_> Thanks for all the advice! I hope I can wrap my head around it and get it working
[23:43] <CarlFK> let me give you a quick run though:
[23:43] <CarlFK> oh yeah.. getting a node to pxe boot can be a task
[23:43] <CarlFK> often you need to go into the bios to enable the network card (chips) boot rom
[23:44] <CarlFK> which means figuring out how to get into bios.  on random boxes... that can take 10 min of boot/hit random keys
[23:44] <CarlFK> anyway... one you get it to say "pxe... waiting for dhcp.. "
[23:46] <CarlFK> that is the nic's boot rom which has a full dhcp client and IP stack.  it sends a dhcp request to the lan, the dhcp server responds with an IP/netmask/gatewy (nothing new) and "server=1.2.3.4, filename=something"
[23:47] <CarlFK> bootrom code has a tftp client (t=trivial=small = fits in a little rom I guess)
[23:47] <CarlFK> it does a connect 1.2.3.4 GET someting; and executes it.
[23:47] <CarlFK> that is kinda like "bios loads boot sector from first hard disk and executes it"
[23:48] <legogris_> with you so far :)
[23:48] <CarlFK> something can be about anything you would expect to boot from boot media.  like grub, or memtest..
[23:48] <CarlFK> or something that turns around a gets a menu of more boot options
[23:49] <CarlFK> also, if you have a dhcp server, here is all you need to do to it:
[23:49] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/etc/dhcp/dhcpd-pxe.conf
[23:49] <CarlFK> filename "pxelinux.0" ;
[23:50] <CarlFK> next-server pc8 ;
[23:50] <CarlFK> where pc8 is where the boot rom will ftp to, and everything else can be on that box, so you don't need to clutter up your production dhcp server
[23:50] <CarlFK> and everyting can be on one lan.
[23:50] <CarlFK> anyway...
[23:51] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/install.sh#L33
[23:52] <CarlFK> apt-get --force-yes --assume-yes install ... syslinux
[23:52] <CarlFK> that installs /usr/lib/syslinux/pxelinux.0
[23:53] <CarlFK> and hhttps://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/install.sh#L77 moves it into place so the tftp server can serve it up
[23:55] <CarlFK> hmm.. I am making a guess now.. I guess it is hardcoded to go back to the server and get
[23:55] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
[23:56] <CarlFK> reading the comments, I guess the normal behavior is to sit at a boot: prompt
[23:56] <CarlFK> but I tell it to time out after 1.5 seconds and...
[23:57] <CarlFK> # label to use if the user hits Enter  ... UI menu
[23:58] <CarlFK> label menu	kernel syslinux/menu.c32
[23:58] <CarlFK> wow, I thought I cleaned out all those boot options :p
[23:58] <legogris_> hehe
[23:59] <CarlFK> syslinux/menu.c32 gets loaded, which makes a nice menu out of all the options .. so you can arrow up and down and hit Tab to edit kernel params