[20:17] <James_Epp> I'm new to ubuntu deployment type of stuff. Please bear with me on this. I've got my preseed configured the way I want it. However, during select and install software it fails. "An installation step failed .. the failing step is: Select and install software". I'm using 'tasksel tasksel/first multiselect ubuntu-desktop' and 'd-i pkgsel/update-policy select unattended-upgrades'. Any ideas as to why it's failing? Most forums 
[20:56] <CarlFK> James_Epp: your post here cut off after "Most forums..."
[20:57] <James_Epp> Most forums online aren't that useful. (Sorry, using webIRC. Doesn't limit me well at all)
[21:00] <James_Epp> Another brief quesiton. Is the mailing list actively used? Looking through https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-installer/ it looks as though only linux updates are shown there. Is it worth joining?
[21:07] <James_Epp> New development: If I use the default preseed.cfg file hosted online, it all goes through perfectly. Any ideas as to where the problem lies?
[21:29] <CarlFK> James_Epp: i am kinda like you  - I fumble around and it mostly works, till it doesn't, then I try to find help, which isn't always easy.
[21:29] <CarlFK> what default preseed.cfg ?
[21:30] <CarlFK> also: trusty, utopic, vivid?  post your preseed file
[21:33] <James_Epp> CarlFK: Trusty. Default preseed: [ https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/example-preseed.txt ] (I made a couple changes so it uses the right mirror and uses my cache). My modified preseed (currently) : https://bpaste.net/show/b498b80c4c97
[21:34] <CarlFK> can you post a diff of the two?  - 'obviously' (I hope) it is one of your changes that is causing problems
[21:34] <James_Epp> I would imagine from the error message my problem lies from lines 329:358 but I don't see one.
[21:34] <CarlFK> also, maybe look at my vivid problem and tell me if you have a guess:
[21:34] <James_Epp> CarlFK: I apologize, I don't really know how :/
[21:35] <CarlFK> Feb  1 19:25:35 main-menu[266]: WARNING **: Configuring 'pkgsel' failed with error code 100
[21:35] <CarlFK> alt/preseed install on vivid stopped.  looking at syslog I can't figure out why: http://paste.ubuntu.com/10003694/
[21:35] <CarlFK> don't know how to diff?
[21:35] <James_Epp> Never had to.
[21:36] <CarlFK> what is the name of your presseed file?
[21:37] <James_Epp> CarlFK: Name of it? I named it 16preseed.cfg . Best diff I can give you: https://www.diffchecker.com/j5lhqznt
[21:38] <CarlFK> cd into the dir with 16preseed.cfg, run: diff 16preseed.cfg example-preseed.txt
[21:38] <CarlFK> or diff 16preseed.cfg /path/to/it/example-preseed.txt
[21:39] <CarlFK> that should figure out what you changed, pastebin that
[21:39] <CarlFK> oh, I see the red/green now.. good enough
[21:39] <James_Epp> give me a minute. @ work on my crappy windows system. Need to ssh in.
[21:41] <James_Epp> https://bpaste.net/show/fe1eea3b5f68
[21:55] <CarlFK> James_Epp: # out d-i preseed/late_command string echo hi > /target/home/user/hi.txt
[21:55] <James_Epp> CarlFK: I'll try. I thought that happened WAY later in the process, but I'll remove and retry. Be back in 10 or 15 minutes.
[21:55] <CarlFK> or add it to the example-preseed.txt
[21:56] <CarlFK> its the top of the list of things that look suspicious
[21:56] <CarlFK> d-i mirror/http/proxy string http://192.168.16.1:3128
[21:56] <CarlFK> what sort of proxy is it?
[21:57] <James_Epp> CarlFK: I am running a pfSense router. I have the squid3 cache package installed.
[22:02] <CarlFK> probably fine.  I use http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/squid-deb-proxy
[22:02] <CarlFK> it is squd with some config files tuned for .deb s
[22:02] <James_Epp> CarlFK: A question on that proxy setting. Does it persist right through to the installation to disk or is it only for the installer?
[22:03] <James_Epp> CarlFK: Using squid-deb-proxy looks nice, but I want minimal infrastructure.
[22:04] <CarlFK> ah right.. it gets set into the target/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/30-autoproxy (or something) that I take out in the late command script
[22:09] <CarlFK> James_Epp: https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/www/lc/late.sh#L177
[22:10] <CarlFK> and you can click around to see my setup.
[22:14] <James_Epp> Thx for the resources. Still failing in my installations however.
[22:14] <James_Epp> CarlFK: ^^
[22:16] <CarlFK> James_Epp: set Canada back to d-i mirror/country string manual
[22:16] <CarlFK> I seem to remember messing that up years ago
[22:16] <James_Epp> CarlFK: I wanted this to be no-touch. Won't that present the user selection dialogue?
[22:17] <CarlFK> no
[22:17] <CarlFK> er, let me check mine
[22:17] <CarlFK> which is no touch...
[22:18] <CarlFK> https://github.com/CarlFK/veyepar/blob/master/setup/nodes/pxe/shaz/var/www/d-i/trusty/preseed_local.cfg#L23
[22:19] <James_Epp> good enough then.
[22:19] <James_Epp> I hope it doesn't change the source of the mirror or else this test is going to take quite a whiel.
[22:20] <CarlFK> you specify the mirror, so it should be fine
[22:20] <James_Epp> oh yeah. totes.
[22:21] <CarlFK> hmm.. you specify 2 things....
[22:21] <CarlFK> d-i mirror/http/hostname string archive.ubuntu.com
[22:21] <CarlFK> d-i mirror/http/mirror select archive.ubuntu.com
[22:21] <James_Epp> does that conflict?
[22:22] <CarlFK> du no.  I seem to remember mirror/country conflicting with setting .. so maybe?  play around with the permutations ;)
[22:22] <CarlFK> I got this working around 5 years ago and fix it when it breaks
[22:22] <James_Epp> ugh man. I wish the docs were just a bit more clear about the affects. Thanks for all the wisdom. I have to take off for a while, but I'll be back soonish. Thanks.
[22:23] <CarlFK> so most of the stuff I don't remember the why, just that it worked last time I tried
[22:23] <CarlFK> see ya
[23:26] <James_Epp> CarlFK: Still failing even with that change. I'm really unsure as to what the problem is at this point. Let me do another diff.
[23:31] <James_Epp> CarlFK: IDK if you're still active, but I'll keep posting progress. Going to test this next. [ https://www.diffchecker.com/ffitcyun ] Original is on left, mine on the right.
[23:31] <CarlFK> looking...
[23:34] <CarlFK> James_Epp: all I can suggest is what I would do: start with example-preseed.txt, and change a few things at a time, test.  start with the proxy so that the rest can use it.
[23:34] <James_Epp> CarlFK: If this variant fails I'll try that.
[23:37] <CarlFK> also.. to make your file easier to read over, you should trim out all the stuff from example-preseed.txt that you aren't using.  I was surprised how little was left when I did mine.
[23:37] <CarlFK> when I want to modify a line, Ill copy it and ### one as a reminder what the original working one was