Hey Sean, * Sean Sprague (sks at cvok.co.uk) wrote: > Glenn, > > >>The last statement from Nick is AFAIK correct. I suspect that you > >>are not using Auto Install to commission SPARC systems.. IPS cannot > >>commission/install, but it can update. > >> > >>I would suggest that then *-ai-* Auto Install downloadable images be > >>given a new naming convention away from "*.iso"; as this does indeed > >>suggest that they are a (possibly bootable) ISO image. > >Except, that once the Bootable AI project puts back then the AI images > >will in fact be bootable stand-alone automated installer images. Which > >is to say you can take one (sparc or x86), put it in a cd/dvd drive, > >boot it and then supply an AI client manifest (or use the default AI > >client manifest included on the media) and perform an automated > >installation (without having to setup a webserver and dns and everything > >else that AI currently requires). You will also of course be able to > >take the bootable AI images and use them to provision network > >installations just like AI does today. > > Fantastic answer as always, Glenn. Maybe the "Bootable AI" project > has not been (well) advertised thus far.
Yeah, the bits are flying pretty fast and furious over here in Install land :-) It's been talked about *some* what on caiman-discuss (design and code review, etc), but unless you're watchful it's easy to miss things. It's a very cool enhancement imho. It'll allow greater flexibility than the gui interactive installer. The VMC (Virtual Machine Constructor) project is the first real consumer of it. Personally, I'm looking forward to using it for my own myriad of machines as a customized automated installer. I'll build my own image which includes all of the packages I want (and none of the ones I don't) that I can plop into a machine, boot and walk away for 15-30 minutes (more or less, depending on network connectivity to an IPS repo) and then come back to an installed machine mostly tailored the way I want it :-) > Many thanks... Sean. Sure thing. Someone's got to spread the good word ;-) -- Glenn