Re: Customized Remote Install
Can you explain in more detail how to make a CD boot up FreeBSD and run a script? I haven't find any good resource on google. Alternatively, if you can provide a link. -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Customized-Remote-Install-tp23165397p23171529.html Sent from the freebsd-questions mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Customized Remote Install
On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:42 PM, Scott Seekamp sseek...@risei.net wrote: I've done a lot of searching and maybe this capability doesn't exist, but I am looking to do this: I am at my company's HQ, we have a new field office that I am setting up a FreeBSD server. The technical knowledge at the site windows only, so I basically have someone I can have put a CD in a drive and power a machine on. My problem is that the default install of FreeBSD has password authentication turned off, and root SSH disabled. Being a small office, they don't have a IP KVM or some way for me to get to the box to configure it. My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). I know I can do the scripted sysinstall, but from what I could find I would need a floppy or additional CD to put the answer file on. I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! All you need is that the guy at the field office knows something about PC hardware and can type a few commands on any command line. Then there should be a phone. FreeBSD is not as silly as Linux when you move a disk from one box to another. If it is a server box (which requires no GUI) then the only changes you are likely to make are on the network configurations (ifconfig_* in rc.conf and resolv.conf) and the rest will remain pretty much the same. What I have done is that I have a prototype, which is a SATA disk. I am pretty much okay of the next machine I want to install has a SATA disk, but I am also not worried if it has PATA disk as I know I will only need a change in /etc/fstab. So what I normally do is this: Attach my prototype disk as master on the machine to install, while slaving the disk that the machine had. I enter sysinstall and disklable/newfs the slave disk. I make the disk bootable, enable softupdates on it and I normally create the root mount point (/). Once done, I change the mount point again to, say, /newdisk, so the slave disk is now mounted on /newdisk. After this: dump L0af - / | (cd /newdisk/; restore -rf -) # BTW, I have the habit of creating only / and swap! So now I have a duplicate system on the slave disk. cd /newdisk; ee etc/rc.conf ; ee etc/fstab; ee etc/resol.conf Here I change the ifconfig_ line for the network device (as seen from dmesg.boot), ensure that fstab refers to the correct device names and voila! I save, shutdown, remove my prototype disk, restore the slave disk to master position and reboot and I have a system identical to the proto. Once connected to a live network, I can ssh to it from anywhere I want using my own account and the su to root if needed, though I always prefer sudo. Now, if only you can follow my way, you only need to ship your prototype disk to the field office and get the windows lunnie to do the disk connections, type the commands, etc and you have a server running at the field office in no time! Of course tell him to pack your prototype disk safely and return it to you. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. -- Mark Twain ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Customized Remote Install
On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 07:47:43AM +0200, Polytropon wrote: On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:47:11 -0400, Jerry McAllister jerr...@msu.edu wrote: On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:51:32PM +0200, Polytropon wrote: On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:32 -0600, Scott Seekamp sseek...@risei.net wrote: My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). [...] I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! I'd like to advertize a method that I think is very comfortable in such a setting. It's worth mentioning that this method usually requires (a) modern enough PCs or (b) you to know what is the hardware profile of the PC. The method works as follows: First create a FreeBSD as you want it to be on the clients. Install and configure everything as you intend. Then dump the created partitions onto a CD or DVD and create a simple script that: 1. initializes the client's hard disk 2. slices the disk and newfses the partitions 3. dumps the partition images onto the disks 4. reboots the machine into operating state. After this, you should be able to SSH into the client and change settings that need to be changed. This works very well. I just realize that I missed something: Better than dd, I think dump restore are the preferred tools to create the partition images. When you're done on your template system, umount its partitions (in SUM) and use dump to dump them into files. These files go to the installation DVD and are later on restored onto the (empty) partitions using the restore command. This will preserve any permissions and other file properties. I have done essentially the same many times. The one thing missing is that you need to have something to set the network information -- hostname, IP address, gateway, netmask and name-server.These will be different for each machine. So, your script will have to accomodate this - read console input for these items and plug them in to the proper places before rebooting. That's correct. I always used a kind of CHANGE THIS! items to do so, or, if none are given, they are automatically created so the system boots up and runs, but then again, require service afterwards. This can be made work this way: When the incomplete system is up and running, it mails the distant administrator (or contacts him in another way) requiring him to finish the settings. But I think it's the best solution to propmt for these specific settings at installation time (read, when the restore job is done, the partitions can be mounted -o rw and the files neccessary to be changed can be created or modified). The installation will then continue and finish. Of course, the dump restore method lacks a lot of bling, blitzen, eye candy, bells and whistles, but it honours the abstinence to such stuff with speed and easyness of use. But it's still neccessary to read (and understand) and press a few keys on the keyboard. :-) the dump/restore method's best and biggest bling and bell and whistle is that it works correctly and is the most straight forward and easy. jerry -- Polytropon From Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ... ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Customized Remote Install
I've done a lot of searching and maybe this capability doesn't exist, but I am looking to do this: I am at my company's HQ, we have a new field office that I am setting up a FreeBSD server. The technical knowledge at the site windows only, so I basically have someone I can have put a CD in a drive and power a machine on. My problem is that the default install of FreeBSD has password authentication turned off, and root SSH disabled. Being a small office, they don't have a IP KVM or some way for me to get to the box to configure it. My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). I know I can do the scripted sysinstall, but from what I could find I would need a floppy or additional CD to put the answer file on. I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! Thanks! Scott Seekamp ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Customized Remote Install
On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:32 -0600, Scott Seekamp sseek...@risei.net wrote: My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). [...] I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! I'd like to advertize a method that I think is very comfortable in such a setting. It's worth mentioning that this method usually requires (a) modern enough PCs or (b) you to know what is the hardware profile of the PC. The method works as follows: First create a FreeBSD as you want it to be on the clients. Install and configure everything as you intend. Then dump the created partitions onto a CD or DVD and create a simple script that: 1. initializes the client's hard disk 2. slices the disk and newfses the partitions 3. dumps the partition images onto the disks 4. reboots the machine into operating state. After this, you should be able to SSH into the client and change settings that need to be changed. You always have your reference machine at hand, because it's exactly installed and configured as the clients. Under controlled conditions, it's even possible to build the needed system in a virtualized environment. -- Polytropon From Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ... ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Customized Remote Install
On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:51:32PM +0200, Polytropon wrote: On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:32 -0600, Scott Seekamp sseek...@risei.net wrote: My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). [...] I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! I'd like to advertize a method that I think is very comfortable in such a setting. It's worth mentioning that this method usually requires (a) modern enough PCs or (b) you to know what is the hardware profile of the PC. The method works as follows: First create a FreeBSD as you want it to be on the clients. Install and configure everything as you intend. Then dump the created partitions onto a CD or DVD and create a simple script that: 1. initializes the client's hard disk 2. slices the disk and newfses the partitions 3. dumps the partition images onto the disks 4. reboots the machine into operating state. After this, you should be able to SSH into the client and change settings that need to be changed. This works very well. I have done essentially the same many times. The one thing missing is that you need to have something to set the network information -- hostname, IP address, gateway, netmask and name-server.These will be different for each machine. So, your script will have to accomodate this - read console input for these items and plug them in to the proper places before rebooting. jerry You always have your reference machine at hand, because it's exactly installed and configured as the clients. Under controlled conditions, it's even possible to build the needed system in a virtualized environment. -- Polytropon From Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ... ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
Re: Customized Remote Install
On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:47:11 -0400, Jerry McAllister jerr...@msu.edu wrote: On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 11:51:32PM +0200, Polytropon wrote: On Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:42:32 -0600, Scott Seekamp sseek...@risei.net wrote: My hope was that I could make an automated install CD/DVD that configured all the options I want AND change some base config files so I can actually get to the box (or install an SSH key). [...] I'm open to other options if someone has gone down this road before! I'd like to advertize a method that I think is very comfortable in such a setting. It's worth mentioning that this method usually requires (a) modern enough PCs or (b) you to know what is the hardware profile of the PC. The method works as follows: First create a FreeBSD as you want it to be on the clients. Install and configure everything as you intend. Then dump the created partitions onto a CD or DVD and create a simple script that: 1. initializes the client's hard disk 2. slices the disk and newfses the partitions 3. dumps the partition images onto the disks 4. reboots the machine into operating state. After this, you should be able to SSH into the client and change settings that need to be changed. This works very well. I just realize that I missed something: Better than dd, I think dump restore are the preferred tools to create the partition images. When you're done on your template system, umount its partitions (in SUM) and use dump to dump them into files. These files go to the installation DVD and are later on restored onto the (empty) partitions using the restore command. This will preserve any permissions and other file properties. I have done essentially the same many times. The one thing missing is that you need to have something to set the network information -- hostname, IP address, gateway, netmask and name-server.These will be different for each machine. So, your script will have to accomodate this - read console input for these items and plug them in to the proper places before rebooting. That's correct. I always used a kind of CHANGE THIS! items to do so, or, if none are given, they are automatically created so the system boots up and runs, but then again, require service afterwards. This can be made work this way: When the incomplete system is up and running, it mails the distant administrator (or contacts him in another way) requiring him to finish the settings. But I think it's the best solution to propmt for these specific settings at installation time (read, when the restore job is done, the partitions can be mounted -o rw and the files neccessary to be changed can be created or modified). The installation will then continue and finish. Of course, the dump restore method lacks a lot of bling, blitzen, eye candy, bells and whistles, but it honours the abstinence to such stuff with speed and easyness of use. But it's still neccessary to read (and understand) and press a few keys on the keyboard. :-) -- Polytropon From Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ... ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org
