Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Mario Gummies]

Hi everybody,
thanks for your  valuable feedback. 

After studying the issue a while a came to the conclusion that the initrd 
hacking method is the universal one and the other methods can be left aside 
therefore; in vast majority of use case I can think of. More over the docs say 
that these other interfaces (file, networking) do not cover all questions. (I 
have not tried it out.) Therefore for what need, to change the preseeding 
method?

The preseed docs should 1. address that clearer and 2. give a clear pointer to 
the indicated doc, which is: 
https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed/EditIso
Imho. These are my suggestion on updating the preseeding howto for most user 
good guidance.
Suggestions?

Well, diving it the question of the thread the file interface for official cd:
> Plug a USB stick into a Linux machine.
>   http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.amd64/apbs02.html#preseed-loading
>   Boot parameters to specify:
> ...
> - if you're booting a _remastered CD_:
>   preseed/file=/cdrom/preseed.cfg
>   preseed/file/checksum=5da499872becccfeda2c4872f9171c3d
>
> - _if you're installing from USB media_ (put the preconfiguration file in the
>   toplevel directory of the USB stick):
>   preseed/file=/hd-media/preseed.cfg
>   preseed/file/checksum=5da499872becccfeda2c4872f9171c3d
There are command lines example given. That is good. 

However a) the use case: Booting from CD-ROM, reading from USB is not included 
in the docs.
One could try letting the bios boot the cdrom, right? Then at the boot prompt 
one is due to enter that boot prompt manually, hopefully syntactically correct 
and correctly  divined. And then after some first questions not covered the 
preseed file is found.

b) Furthermore the docs say to the question of remastering:
>How to get the preconfiguration file included in the initrd is __outside the 
>scope__ of this document; please consult the developers' documentation for 
>debian-installer.
There is a appropriate doc for it: 
https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed/EditIso

In the end a) and b) out of reach the typical user gets lost. 

>>  Write about the journey.
questioning the preseeding journey:: 
https://qemuburopointdpkg.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/the-preseed-solution-then/ 
is a script and could be found as a tutorial about qemu/initrd/preseeding as 
well.

Tia

Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Andrew M.A. Cater]

On Mon, Sep 05, 2016 at 12:38:41PM +0200, Geert Stappers wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > Well, Question: So what could one campaign or achieve as a volunteer to
> > > > help to fix this bug in end and in these cases and after all? Boo! some
> > > > secrets!?! Some Tips from your part for on how to help it from
> > > > here? Some pointers on how to precede for such cases?
> > > > 
> > > 
> > > Just do.
> > > 
> >
> > Feel comfortable, accept the journey,
> > image being Livingstone,  Marco Polo  or another great traveller.
> > 
> > Prepare an USB storage device.
> > 
> > Boot from CDROM.
> > 
> > At the boot menu of the installation CDROM
> > tell that preseed file is available at USB device.
> > 
> > Keep feeling comfortable, overcome the nuisances.
> >
> 
> Write about the journey.

Plug a USB stick into a Linux machine.

Format the USB stick as FAT32

Copy an example preseed file to the USB stick.

Edit the preseed file as appropriate.

As Geert says above

Boot the install CD ROM - use the expert install.

It's not too complicated and is documented in the install manual, 
wiki.debian.org or, if you have a Debian system, install debian-handbook

Hope this helps,

Andy C

Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Geert Stappers]

> > > 
> > > Well, Question: So what could one campaign or achieve as a volunteer to
> > > help to fix this bug in end and in these cases and after all? Boo! some
> > > secrets!?! Some Tips from your part for on how to help it from
> > > here? Some pointers on how to precede for such cases?
> > > 
> > 
> > Just do.
> > 
>
> Feel comfortable, accept the journey,
> image being Livingstone,  Marco Polo  or another great traveller.
> 
> Prepare an USB storage device.
> 
> Boot from CDROM.
> 
> At the boot menu of the installation CDROM
> tell that preseed file is available at USB device.
> 
> Keep feeling comfortable, overcome the nuisances.
>

Write about the journey.

Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Mario Gummies]

03.09.2016, 15:55, "Richard Owlett" :
> On 9/3/2016 7:24 AM, Mario Gummies wrote:
>>  02.09.2016, 20:17, "Mario Gummies" :
>>>  Hi,
>>>  I am planning a fancy debian installation session next week on a real 
>>> machine and I want to do it with the preseeding method called "file". 
>>> Therefore I downloaded and burned a cd-image from the official server. 
>>> Please note: This is not a case of a mastered cd, I speak of. Given I found 
>>> a preseed.cfg, which I put in a parallel partition on the hd, ready to be 
>>> loaded into the installation routine.
>>>  Reading the docs here is the point, where I loose track:
>>>
>>>  This case, loading a preseed.cfg within an ordinary cd installation from 
>>> hard disk, seems not included within the examples given, does not it?
>>>
>>>  These are btw the terms I did web search for:
>>>  installing preseed from file cdrom debian-boot@lists.debian.org
>>>
>>>  Any idea or discussion on how to perform it, any pointer?
>>>  Tia
>>
>>  Hi once more,
>>  Ps: If it comes out that this feature for some reason or the other is not 
>> "covered", to say it is not implemented.
>>  The Howto does not mention it explicitly: So keeping silence should 
>> insinuate: Docs say it is not there. Right?
>>    I would, however, opt to care for its implementation instead.
>>  So: as well points for the question of 1) wish or 2)effort of the 
>> implementation of this feature are welcome.
>
> This question would be more appropriate on debian-user.
> You don't mention what documentation you are using.
> Appendix B. of the Installation Guide covers preseeding [chose
> appropriate guide at
> https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual].
> Also read the thread at
> http://lists.debian.org/508445a7.40...@cloud85.net useful.
> HTH

>> The nature of the problem is  that I have found *NO NONE NADA*
>> complete explicit instructions of  what to do when handed THREE
>> objects:
>>  1. dedicated laptop capable of running Debian
>>  2. Debian 6.0.5 DVD 1 of 8
>>  3. a USB stick which may be partitioned and formatted as required
>> on which can be placed a pressed.cfg.
>> NOTE BENE: The word "network" does not appear in that description.
>
> OK. I am not familiar with trying it this way. I've only done it by
> fetching the preseed file over the web via url= passed
> on the kernel command line to the installer.
>
>> What I have found is incomplete and conflicting descriptions of
>> portions of the procedure(s) required drawn from various Debian
>> releases.
>
> Yes. Me too.

Hi, so if the answer to that would be: 

push a the hint for "out of box kind" use cases, 
"to try it with two computers connected by internet protocol, choosing the http 
installation method instead of http as a default option"

. missing in the docs, well,  it would be false.

Now it keeps still open the question: Is not there a documentation deprivation 
or some thing? So what can one see from here is, that one is set as a user to a 
situation, in that one could not explain not even still on how to do it just: 
"automatically, but yes out of the box.". If this sounds obscene to someone, - 
could be. 

So, further news: if it is really the seemingly case, that the "file"-kind 
automatic installation method, is defunct since - ever? - 

and news over news:
the second best installation method after routing it hopefully through your 
commercial software bios, kind of no go, is waiting to the dhcp connection - on 
the bios or when some kernel install is done, do not know - or lets say nothing 
acceptable because requiring human interaction, destroys the "automatic" in the 
feature "automatic install".

In this cases it is that all the tool has already gotten to the state of 
limited, because broken, orphaned usage state, unable to basic usage, not even 
able to give notice of such lack to the docs. Has it even gotten to a point of 
"sensationally crippling", one fears. I wont like that, but wont fail to 
investigate that neither: Sorry.


Well, Question: So what could one campaign or achieve as a volunteer to help to 
fix this bug in end and in these cases and after all? Boo! some secrets!?! Some 
Tips from your part for on how to help it from here? Some pointers on how to 
precede for such cases?
If so, then thanks for it and I am really tented for acknowledging solution 
ideas for it. (;

Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Geert Stappers]

On Sat, Sep 03, 2016 at 08:40:12AM -0500, Richard Owlett wrote:
> On 9/3/2016 7:24 AM, Mario Gummies wrote:
> >02.09.2016, 20:17, "Mario Gummies" :
> >>Hi,
> >>I am planning a fancy debian installation session next week on a
> >>real machine and I want to do it with the preseeding method called
> >>"file". Therefore I downloaded and burned a cd-image from the
> >>official server. Please note: This is not a case of a mastered cd,
> >>I speak of. Given I found a preseed.cfg, which I put in a parallel
> >>partition on the hd, ready to be loaded into the installation routine.
> >>Reading the docs here is the point, where I loose track:
> >>
> >>This case, loading a preseed.cfg within an ordinary cd installation
> >>from hard disk, seems not included within the examples given, does
> >>not it?
> >>
> >>These are btw the terms I did web search for:
> >>installing preseed from file cdrom debian-boot@lists.debian.org
> >>
> >>Any idea or discussion on how to perform it, any pointer?
> >>Tia
> >
> >Hi once more,
> >Ps: If it comes out that this feature for some reason or the other
> >is not "covered", to say it is not implemented. The Howto does not
> >mention it explicitly: So keeping silence should insinuate: Docs say
> >it is not there. Right?
> >  I would, however, opt to care for its implementation instead.
> >So: as well points for the question of 1) wish or 2)effort of the
> >implementation of this feature are welcome.
> >
> >
> 
> This question would be more appropriate on debian-user.
> You don't mention what documentation you are using.
> Appendix B. of the Installation Guide covers preseeding [chose
> appropriate guide at
> https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual ].
> Also read the thread at
> http://lists.debian.org/508445a7.40...@cloud85.net useful.

In that thread is https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2012/10/msg01130.html
it says "passed on the kernel command line to the installer."

A kernel boot parameter is the link between having a CD-ROM and preseed file.

As a happy user of network installs do I lack CD-ROM install exprience ...


Groeten
Geert Stappers
-- 
Leven en laten leven


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Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Mario Gummies]

02.09.2016, 20:17, "Mario Gummies" :
> Hi,
> I am planning a fancy debian installation session next week on a real machine 
> and I want to do it with the preseeding method called "file". Therefore I 
> downloaded and burned a cd-image from the official server. Please note: This 
> is not a case of a mastered cd, I speak of. Given I found a preseed.cfg, 
> which I put in a parallel partition on the hd, ready to be loaded into the 
> installation routine.
> Reading the docs here is the point, where I loose track:
>
> This case, loading a preseed.cfg within an ordinary cd installation from hard 
> disk, seems not included within the examples given, does not it?
>
> These are btw the terms I did web search for:
> installing preseed from file cdrom debian-boot@lists.debian.org
>
> Any idea or discussion on how to perform it, any pointer?
> Tia

Hi once more,
Ps: If it comes out that this feature for some reason or the other is not 
"covered", to say it is not implemented.
The Howto does not mention it explicitly: So keeping silence should insinuate: 
Docs say it is not there. Right?
 I would, however, opt to care for its implementation instead. 
So: as well points for the question of 1) wish or 2)effort of the 
implementation of this feature are welcome. 

Re: How to preseed.cfg with official installation cdrom

[Richard Owlett]

On 9/3/2016 7:24 AM, Mario Gummies wrote:



02.09.2016, 20:17, "Mario Gummies" :

Hi,
I am planning a fancy debian installation session next week on a real machine and I want 
to do it with the preseeding method called "file". Therefore I downloaded and 
burned a cd-image from the official server. Please note: This is not a case of a mastered 
cd, I speak of. Given I found a preseed.cfg, which I put in a parallel partition on the 
hd, ready to be loaded into the installation routine.
Reading the docs here is the point, where I loose track:

This case, loading a preseed.cfg within an ordinary cd installation from hard 
disk, seems not included within the examples given, does not it?

These are btw the terms I did web search for:
installing preseed from file cdrom debian-boot@lists.debian.org

Any idea or discussion on how to perform it, any pointer?
Tia


Hi once more,
Ps: If it comes out that this feature for some reason or the other is not 
"covered", to say it is not implemented.
The Howto does not mention it explicitly: So keeping silence should insinuate: 
Docs say it is not there. Right?
  I would, however, opt to care for its implementation instead.
So: as well points for the question of 1) wish or 2)effort of the 
implementation of this feature are welcome.




This question would be more appropriate on debian-user.
You don't mention what documentation you are using.
Appendix B. of the Installation Guide covers preseeding [chose 
appropriate guide at 
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual].
Also read the thread at 
http://lists.debian.org/508445a7.40...@cloud85.net useful.

HTH