Linux Network Install Options?

verch writes "I work at a Large Corporation that is considering Linux as a competing platform to our large Solaris and Wintel install bases. One of the biggest concerns is how easily a large number of linux machines can be installed mostly unattended. For Solaris we mostly use jumpstart which allows us after minor preparation to simply remotely attach to the console of a machine and boot and install it over the network. x86 hardware tends not to be as nice, I don't know of any linux hardware that has remote console capabalities as nice as Sun's, and network boot options are limited (PXE?). Installation procedures that involve having to lood a CD or boot floppy into every machine could potentially be dealbreakers. So, what options exist for completely remote unattended installs of linux machines?" Had a similar question a while ago; have things improved since then?

Comments

System Installer Suite

[grundy]

System Installer Suite I can't say enough about how cool this project is. Plus the developers all hang out on irc.openprojects.net in #sisuite.

See the Diskless-HOWTO

[tshoppa]

Most of the questions you need to be asking at this point (especially "how do I boot a PC over the network?") are answered in this section of the Diskless-HOWTO. It discusses TFTP, BOOTP, and network boot ROM's.

It's not supposed to be that easy

[Skapare]

If you can initiate a network install from the network, then you have a security problem. I'm glad it doesn't work like that. But PXE comes close, allowing a machine to boot from the network. Redhat supports this and the support code is available from them and Intel (who created PXE, which is found in their server grade network cards). There are also some machines that have serial consoles (like Sun). The Intel ISP-1100 rack mount servers have this, and I can control the BIOS and select the boot source this way.

Tell me why installing from a CD is a deal breaker. Is it because you see it as an interactive thing, requiring you to sit at the keyboard for each machine? I'm working on the design of a CD-based headless non-interactive install system. It can either have the files to install on the CD, or on the network (uses DHCP or generates a 10.X.X.X IP address from the low 24 bits of the ethernet address). You make sure the machine is configure to boot from a CD, stick in the CD, press reset to reboot, and the CD boots up and does it's thing without any more interaction from you. You have to have pre-built your system tree (I've done this with Slackware as well as Linux From Scratch). Unfortunately, my work is still a work in progress.

Re:Mandrake 8.2 (and probably 8.1)

[sharkey]

Here you go. Mandrake's auto-install page.