New article: Installing Linux remotely

[Phil Meyer]

Tim wrote:
> On Wed, 2006-07-12 at 15:17 +0700, Fajar Priyanto wrote:
>   
>> I wrote an article on how to install Linux remotely using Fedora Core 
>> 5/OpenSuse 10.1. I'm sure any other modern Linux distro can do this also.
>>
>> Read the full article at:
>> http://linux2.arinet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=135&Itemid=2
>>     
>
> Interesting.  I wonder how you tell what IP to connect to, if you'd let
> it set up its network using DHCP?
>
>   
The way I have most often set it up, is to use a CGI script from a web 
server I control to tell the client how to install.  From the Fedora 
Core boot CD prompt you might type:

linux text ks=http://myserver.com/cgi-bin/Fc5.cgi?PD=sd&TYPE=developer

These arguments are enough for the web server to generate and return an 
appropriate kick-start config file.

The same principle works from a PXE server, or a DHCP server, etc.  All 
of these methods can tell the client where to get a kickstart config 
file, and that can be a cgi script.  There is no practical limit to what 
you can accomplish automatically with a well crafted kickstart config file.

SUSE however, and all other distros that I am aware of, are more limited 
in this regard.

One of the things I would love to see is a universal install method that 
encompasses the best of all of the auto installers.

For example, the Fedora based kickstart/anaconda method is KERNEL 
dependant.  That means if you roll your own Fedora based distro and 
create install CDs for it, your CDs can only install the version you 
have on the CD.

If I boot an official FC5 boot CD, and try to install FC5 Respin over 
the network, it will fail.