Shawn Walker wrote: > Mike Gerdts wrote: >> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 3:04 PM, Shawn >> Walker<swalker at opensolaris.org> wrote: >>> The current installer projects don't currently support package-based >>> installs; only 'cpio-based' installs as far as I know (which means a >>> pre-installed image). >> Not to be pedantic, but the automated installer (AI) installs from a pkg repo. What current installers don't support is installing SVR4 pkgs.
We are also looking at providing a "fatter" media to go with the text installer that would be more suitable for server installations. Your suggestions are welcome. In the mean time bootable media with the required set of pkgs can be constructed using the distro constructor. This blog <http://blogs.sun.com/nadkarni/entry/using_distro_constructor_to_add> describes how one could add a specific set of SVR4 pkgs to your image. -Sanjay >> I thought that the text-based installer handled this differently. AI >> certainly does, but you've already corrected your statement on that >> point. > > It may, but my understanding of the text installer is fuzzy at best. > >>> Finally, remember that each media product requires additional >>> resources, >>> testing, time, review, processing, etc. Since the repository images >>> are >>> needed regardless of what happens with the installation media, there >>> are >>> still additional costs in to providing additional media options such as >>> 'DVD'. >> >> Certainly. I'm not sure that it is terribly practical to distribute >> such media. What is actually more intriguing is being able to easily >> build a custom auto-install DVD image (again to present through a >> hypervisor usually) that installs the system properly including the >> various agents that are specific to my environment to meet security >> and manageability requirements. > > Which I think will be what the Distribution Constructor provides. At > least I would hope that the Distribution Constructor could be used to > create a bootable AI image someday. > >>> Also note that that the number of available packages is expanding, >>> and I >>> sincerely doubt that (in the near future) that it would be possible, >>> even if >>> you limited a DVD to x86 or SPARC files only, to fit every possible >>> package >>> on a single disc of 4.x GiB optical media. >> >> Agreed. But a single DVD image (or USB drive) that I can use with any >> platform would make it so that those that feel the need to carry one >> around to fix really broken systems or install new systems would only >> need to have one. My guess is that a CD image would be big enough to >> hold the miniroot for x86 and sparc and a large enough repo to install >> systems that look kinda like SUNWCrnet plus required management >> agents. Such media would just be the bootstraps to let the enterprise >> management tools take over to configure the system the way it really >> needs to be configured. > > You can essentially use the current OpenSolaris 2009.06 CD + a USB > stick with the repo-on-a-stick method for this now. > > What would be really cool to me would be a minimal OpenSolaris CD > using the text-based installer that could boot off SPARC or x86, and > would automatically detect and use the repo-on-a-stick if it was > mounted via USB, etc. > > There are lots of great opportunities here for community members that > have the time :) > > Cheers,
