On 2/8/11 5:17 PM, Glenn Stone wrote:
Google sez I should be able to install an encrypted CentOS 5.5 system from the get-go, but there wasn't the appropriate ticky-box in the text installer. It's there in the GUI installer (boo, hiss, requiring a GUI when I have to install remote in places like Panama), but you can't create a custom disk layout, you HAVE to take the default and then edit it. And LVM seems to be mandated... *sigh* I haven't messed with Deb or Ubuntu yet, though I understand you can encrypt in those installers, too, but still. The deprecation of the text interface is Not Cool... it will be interesting to see what the anaconda_ks.cfg turns out to be. If I can do this *once* and come up with a working kickstart that I don't have to worry about, that will be marginally palatable, but still. When I have to configure stuff on the other end of what in some cases can be a 56k frame relay, I don't wanna have to mouse around with it! (The fact that HP seems to have a similar bias in configuring the RAID arrays is beyond the scope of this article.) Sign me, Grumpy Old Man (get off my lawn! :)
Advanced storage configuration has become too difficult to manage UI in the newt manner. The code divergence vs the graphical installer has led to many bugs and errors over the years. The anaconda development team has decided to remove advanced storage and even package selection from the non-gui install paths. One can use vnc if remote, or kickstart for accomplishing more complicated setups.
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda/Kickstart is a very good set of documentation on what modern day kickstart can do. Some of these options are not available in CentOS 5.5, that's based on many years old installer code.
Bottom line, if you want advanced configuration, you have to use advanced input methods. Be it a graphical user interface or a kickstart file.
-- Jesse Keating RHCE (http://jkeating.livejournal.com) Fedora Project (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/JesseKeating) GPG Public Key (geek.j2solutions.net/jkeating.j2solutions.pub) identi.ca (http://identi.ca/jkeating)
