Re: [gentoo-user] automated install || stage4? rapid deployment?
On Monday 11 May 2009 10:21:56 pm James wrote: Not a bad idea, Jerome. I imagine you create a new DVD every year or so so that you don't have to wait forever when updating all packages on your system? -j Hi James, Actally, I update the dvd pretty regularly. I'm a real bug about staying current with the kernel, glibc and gcc. Have a good one -- * From the desk of: Jerome D. McBride 18:42:11 up 11 days, 10 min, 3 users, load average: 2.18, 0.61, 0.21 *
[gentoo-user] automated install || stage4? rapid deployment?
Folks,
I'm curious how other sysadmins rapidly deploy a slew of new Gentoo
systems? In this case I'm setting up many dozens of Gentoo servers
inside of VMware ESX and having to destroy and redeploy said systems
regularly.
The hardware (virtual, of course) varies ever so slightly, so
cloning (via ESX or dd) is not an option. I'm looking for a rapid
installation method similar to that of the Ubuntu server (just a few
steps in an ncurses-driven menu and everything is up in short order).
Or better yet, an automated Anaconda installation such as the one
available for Red Hat.
Gentoo is an absolute joy to use, so moving to another distribution
isn't an option. ;) I'm simply looking for a much simpler method in
automatically deploying / installing systems.
Some things I've looked at before:
- writing my own installation script (worked okay but I had to
update it and make changes to keep up with portage regularly)
- sought other automated / scripted installation methods
- GLIS is ancient and I'm not sure it's being maintained (or if it
even works)
- it seems others have tried and failed in creating a popular
installation method
I've thought about creating my own stage4 (manually) but it makes more
sense to somehow automate an installation method so that the nightly
stage3 builds that Gentoo distributes will be used. Otherwise my
stage4 will become out of date somewhat regularly.
Metro (drobbin's catalyst replacement) has piqued my interest and
seems *almost* right for the job. But Metro doesn't seem as though my
standard slew of configuration files (fstab, make.conf, etc.) can be
automatically placed inside of the stage{3,4} tarball during the
scripted generation of the stage3.
Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?
-j
RE: [gentoo-user] automated install || stage4? rapid deployment?
I'm curious how other sysadmins rapidly deploy a slew of new Gentoo systems? In this case I'm setting up many dozens of Gentoo servers inside of VMware ESX and having to destroy and redeploy said systems regularly. The hardware (virtual, of course) varies ever so slightly, so cloning (via ESX or dd) is not an option. Different hardware shouldn't preclude this approach. Just make sure all the relevant modules are built and the OS should load what it needs.
Re: [gentoo-user] automated install || stage4? rapid deployment?
On Monday 11 May 2009 08:14:07 pm Adam Carter wrote: I'm curious how other sysadmins rapidly deploy a slew of new Gentoo systems? In this case I'm setting up many dozens of Gentoo servers inside of VMware ESX and having to destroy and redeploy said systems regularly. The hardware (virtual, of course) varies ever so slightly, so cloning (via ESX or dd) is not an option. Different hardware shouldn't preclude this approach. Just make sure all the relevant modules are built and the OS should load what it needs. I keep a master copy of a generic gentoo install on a dvd. It's configured and compiled as x86, i686 for both the applications and kernel. I build all the kernel drivers I would ever need and update it as needed with each new round of hardware purchases or driver updates. Then when I need to put another gentoo box online, I simply copy the contents of the dvd to the new harddrive, run grub and install the boot loader onto the new drive and I'm done the hard part. Once done, I pop the new drive into the new computer and boot it up. At the commandline I finish tailoring the install by tweaking USE in make.conf and recompiling, but only as necessary. Add in whatever drivers is needs and I'm done... It's worked everytime I've done this... YMMV. :') Saves tons of time building a box from scratch via the stages... -- * From the desk of: Jerome D. McBride 21:13:43 up 10 days, 2:41, 4 users, load average: 2.04, 1.96, 1.92 *
Re: [gentoo-user] automated install || stage4? rapid deployment?
Not a bad idea, Jerome. I imagine you create a new DVD every year or so so that you don't have to wait forever when updating all packages on your system? -j On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 9:27 PM, Jerry McBride mcbrid...@comcast.net wrote: On Monday 11 May 2009 08:14:07 pm Adam Carter wrote: I'm curious how other sysadmins rapidly deploy a slew of new Gentoo systems? In this case I'm setting up many dozens of Gentoo servers inside of VMware ESX and having to destroy and redeploy said systems regularly. The hardware (virtual, of course) varies ever so slightly, so cloning (via ESX or dd) is not an option. Different hardware shouldn't preclude this approach. Just make sure all the relevant modules are built and the OS should load what it needs. I keep a master copy of a generic gentoo install on a dvd. It's configured and compiled as x86, i686 for both the applications and kernel. I build all the kernel drivers I would ever need and update it as needed with each new round of hardware purchases or driver updates. Then when I need to put another gentoo box online, I simply copy the contents of the dvd to the new harddrive, run grub and install the boot loader onto the new drive and I'm done the hard part. Once done, I pop the new drive into the new computer and boot it up. At the commandline I finish tailoring the install by tweaking USE in make.conf and recompiling, but only as necessary. Add in whatever drivers is needs and I'm done... It's worked everytime I've done this... YMMV. :') Saves tons of time building a box from scratch via the stages... -- * From the desk of: Jerome D. McBride 21:13:43 up 10 days, 2:41, 4 users, load average: 2.04, 1.96, 1.92 *
