FC5T3 x86-64 terse install report (with one install bug?)

[David Timms]

Josh wrote:
>> I will be installing FC5T3 on a few more systems and laptops next
>> week :)
> if installing on hundreds of machines  i would be using dhcp,  and i
> would be using kickstart to automate the installs
> 
> I would have considered this if all systems were on the same network,
> at the same location and upgraded at the same time.
Upgrading at the same time shouldn't be a problem with kickstart; you 
have to get the machine to boot the installer (from ftp/cd/disk/etc), 
which only happens when you cause it (I are ready to install).

I believe the kickstart file can be on a floppy disk or some network 
location (ftp,http). So if your scattered sites have internet access, 
you could have them kickstart'ing from a hidden ks.cfg on your own web 
site. This would get around messing with floppy discs etc.

One of the kickstart options is whether or not to perform interactive 
install; interactive means dialogs will be filled in with you cfg 
settings, but you still need to click the next button. This means you 
can still customize eg partitioning to not overwrite existing.

I found that separating the user data (/home) helps because you can 
install without re-formating that drive (backing up the important 
data/etc/configs first).

All this with a warning: unless you are really sure that you want the 
installer to partition and format the disks automatically (wiping any 
info held within), make doubly sure that the partitioning bits are 
commented out of the ks.cfg file.

DaveT.