[Tech] Partimus / PXE unattended install solution

Christian Einfeldt einfeldt at gmail.com
Fri Mar 20 15:01:13 PDT 2015 

Hi,

Bottom posting...

On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 2:40 PM, Tai Kedzierski <dch.tai at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'll certainly have a look at Chrome problems once we have the basics in
> place. If I can replicate the issue I /may/ be able to solve it, otherwise
> we need to look at what the problems w other browsers are and if the trade
> off is worth it.
>

Thx!

> I should mention privately that I am totally willing to set up this system
> for them and Partimus, as it is learning exp for me too, and I commit to
> provide the best result to my abilities;
>
> However for anything that relates to troubleshooting and tech support
> outwith the direct project, I am happy to muck in initially, but may have
> to meet a professional upsell point, or pass the flame... of course, I'll
> /never/ seek to charge anything without prior agreement - keep this
> paragraph as testament!
>
Thanks, we understand that you need to make a living, and we will never
expect you to commit to doing volunteer work.  We all are volunteers with
jobs, which is why we appreciate your help!


> I'm signing off now as I have started the Friday evening at a party and
> want to not send inebriated emails...! So please pardon radio silence ...
>
heh, enjoy!


> I would be interested in having a quick talk with you over skype or
> similar, and also with volunteer team on this project - I can set up a
> Mumble VoIP server if preferable. Twould be evening UTC , morning PST
>

I can do skype on Tuesday, March 24 at 10 am PST time, which is 5:00 pm
Edinburgh time.  Does that work for you?  Thanks!


> --Tai
>
> // Sent from a mobile device; rogue typos may be lurking
> On 20 Mar 2015 20:50, "Christian Einfeldt" <einfeldt at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have gotten some feedback from the teacher, Abigail Rudner.  She says
>> that she has been having trouble with the Chrome browser crashing.  I don't
>> know what that is all about.  Maybe the conflicts that James Howard
>> experienced between Firefox and iTalc have been resolved, and maybe we can
>> remove Chrome as she requests:
>>
>>
>> *I am currently running:*
>> Google docs
>> GIMP
>> Blue Fish editor (html)
>> Firefox
>> Chrome (which crashes a lot and needs to get removed)
>>
>> *It would be great to have:*
>> 3d  modeling software
>> video editing software
>> sound editing softwaredrawing software
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 11:34 AM, Tai Kedzierski <dch.tai at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Christian, All,
>>>
>>> Hello :-)
>>>
>>>
>>> I'd like to get the ball rolling first by outlining what we're actually
>>> trying to do. I've added my notes to the shared document, and below.
>>>
>>> *@Christian,* please let me know if I've gotten carried away. As you
>>> haven't yet given a wishlist, I have dreamt one up....!
>>>
>>>
>>> At this point in time, the outline points are educated guesses on my
>>> part - I've looked into PXE and unattended installs in the past, and worked
>>> with some pre-setup ones in past positions, but not yet had a project goal
>>> to work to myself - hence I am taking this opportunity :-).
>>>
>>> It may be full of holes.
>>>
>>> Please do poke those holes and suggest/add any improvements/changes!
>>>
>>>
>>> If anybody has a burning desire to look into any one Task in particular,
>>> maybe let the group know/put your name next to it so we're not doubling
>>> effort - and of course, add sub/tasks as you see necessary :-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I look forward to working on this with you all!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>> Tai
>>>
>>>
>>> /============
>>>
>>> Following from my earlier notes, I would like to suggest attaining the
>>> goals outlined below, to wit:
>>>
>>> ## Goal workflow for workstation install:
>>>
>>>         * teacher inserts CD into machine and reboots it from said CD
>>>         * teacher needs to only click a couple of times to launch the
>>> install process
>>>         ---- this may also involve choosing a network name for the PC
>>>         * teacher can remove the CD and walk away, whilst the PC does
>>> its thing on the network
>>>
>>>
>>> ## Server install/maintenance
>>>
>>> Installation of the server may need sending someone onsite, or we can
>>> prepare an image that the teacher can install, with a post-install script
>>> to finish the job.
>>>
>>> The server should be able to just run headless and will probably be in
>>> command line mode unless specified otherwise (who normally performs
>>> maintenance?)
>>>
>>> System updates may or may not be installed by a remote technician, or
>>> automatically. From a break-prevention point of view I prefer the former
>>> (or a technician at the school can be trained); for the school's
>>> independence, the latter may be more relevant.
>>>
>>> At any rate, since the server is to host a master image, I'd like to
>>> insist that the machine /needs/ keeping up to date and secure from any
>>> non-authorized users in the school, or super-savvy/curious students :-)
>>>
>>>
>>> ###
>>>
>>> I propose the following deliverables:
>>>
>>>         * An install image with the required software and
>>> very-few-questions-asked
>>>         * PXE server serving the image
>>>         * Pre-seed file served from PXE server
>>>         * PXE server install image itself (in case the server needs
>>> resetting) and/or install procedure
>>>         * Delivery on DVDs for archival and off-Internet purposes
>>>         * Hopefully, a full build manual for future maintainers
>>>
>>> ###
>>>
>>> Tasks to attain this, as far as I can see, are:
>>>
>>> * Create custom "ISO" of target desktop setup (rather, dir structure for
>>> serving over the web) from Ubuntu server
>>> * Prepare the pre-seed file (which needs to include installation of
>>> Lubuntu desktop) (this is the workaround I can imagine to get around
>>> Lubuntu's lack of netboot)
>>> * Prepare a PXE server setup
>>> * Prepare an image of the PXE setup (which will include the contents of
>>> the target ISO)
>>>
>>> ===
>>>
>>> Resources I've found most relevant so far:
>>>
>>>
>>>    - UnattendedInstall CD :
>>>    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/UnattendedCD
>>>    - Custom CD incl pre-seed :
>>>    https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization
>>>    - PXE setup : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PXEInstallServer
>>>
>>>
>>> For Lubuntu, this may require using tasksel to install Lubuntu on top of
>>> a server base, as the std Lubuntu CD does not have the requisite config
>>> files ( /netboot )
>>>
>>> =============/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ===
>>> Tai Kedzierski
>>>
>>> IT Services Specialist
>>> http://helpuse.com
>>> +44 (0) 7526 963 612 (portable GB)
>>>
>>>   I use www.libreoffice.org
>>>
>>> *"Open Source Free Software is a matter of liberty, not price."*
>>> https://bitly.com/1gXkUcc
>>>
>>>
>>> On 18 March 2015 at 23:01, Christian Einfeldt <einfeldt at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>
>>>> Thanks to everyone for your replies over the past couple of days about
>>>> moving forward with the Ascend Linux lab, and thanks to each of you for
>>>> your interest in the project.  I have gotten some good feedback from you
>>>> all about this project, and I greatly appreciate what I have heard from
>>>> each of you.  I have introduced each of you in an invitation to the google
>>>> docs document, so that you hopefully might have an idea as to who everyone
>>>> is.  To that list I will add Jim Stockford, who runs a tech company called
>>>> Systemateka.com that provides a wide array of open source computer
>>>> solutions.  Jim is one of our leading volunteers in our lab projects, and
>>>> has been a major backbone of our work on our Linux labs in schools.
>>>>
>>>> Partimus has always moved forward by relying on preserving the goodwill
>>>> of the members of the projects we work on and as a board all of our
>>>> decisions thus far have been unanimous decisions, as far as I can see.  I
>>>> think the fact that our formal votes are unanimous reflects the fact that
>>>> we value the input of each of our participants, and we want to build
>>>> consensus and goodwill, rather than focus on short term outcomes.
>>>>
>>>> Partimus also tends to be a do-ocracy, meaning that people who have the
>>>> greatest passion and time for a given project tend to take the reigns of a
>>>> project, and the others tend to support them.  So if you see something that
>>>> interests you, please feel free to take the ball and run with it.
>>>>
>>>> And so at this time, it appears that Tai Kedzierski, Mike Rojas, and
>>>> Jim Stockford have the kind of time and expertise needed to bring
>>>> completion to the PXE bootable .iso project.  It seems that Elizabeth and
>>>> Grant have the expertise, but are slammed with projects at this time and so
>>>> might not be among the first responders on this project; Jim Stockford
>>>> describes himself as interested in the PXE boot project but says that he
>>>> has not done such an .iso yet, but thinks he can help out; and Eric Burke
>>>> has said that coding is not his forte but is interested in following the
>>>> project and is writing a doctoral thesis on open source projects; and I
>>>> absolutely suck at coding.  Please correct me if I have not correctly
>>>> stated anyone's interest or availability correctly, and my apologies in
>>>> advance if I have made a mistake.
>>>>
>>>> If anyone would like to have an IRC chat about this project, I am up
>>>> for that.  Please just remember that Tai is in Scotland.  The rest of us
>>>> are in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least right now.
>>>>
>>>> Eric has found a documentation page that might be helpful for us in
>>>> starting out the PXE boot project:
>>>>
>>>> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PXEInstallMultiDistro
>>>>
>>>> Tai has sent me an email about the Google doc that I circulated.
>>>> Elizabeth tells me that doc is actually for a specialized manual install
>>>> .iso, not a PXE-boot .iso, so again my apologies if I have started us down
>>>> the wrong road, and thanks for that correction, Elizabeth.  Here is a link
>>>> to that Google doc:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UEgt_fkGUVdANcnZ1W2S5Rv15Hx3S92Ynn9Mui3xB_E/edit?usp=sharing
>>>>
>>>> Eric Burke's link above might be a better starting point, I'm not sure
>>>>
>>>> More comments below in response to a recent email from Tai:
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 4:21 AM, Tai Kedzierski <dch.tai at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Christian
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks - I wasn't expecting the "League of Extraordinary Sysadmins"
>>>>> gathering!
>>>>>
>>>>> Good to know there are others who will be able to provide insight!
>>>>>
>>>>> Rather than muck around in the document you provided (which has the
>>>>> initial vital info!) would it be possible you share a separate empty Google
>>>>> doc to serve as a collaboration/communication area? I'll dump the following
>>>>> in it afterwards
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, Tai.  As I said above, I think I might have started us off on
>>>> the wrong document, and maybe Eric Burke's link would be better?  I don't
>>>> know.
>>>>
>>>> At any rate, the document that I circulated is a copy, it is not the
>>>> original, so if you would like to add the text below to that document, it
>>>> doesn't bother me.  If you would like to start another google document,
>>>> that would be fine as well.
>>>>
>>>> More from Tai below:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ===
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I had a quick look at PXE setup yesterday [2015/03/17] and it seems
>>>>> the straightforward setup simply serves the installation media over the
>>>>> network instead of reducing steps to install - James's notes seem to align
>>>>> with this, as in there is customization done but the teacher still has to
>>>>> manually sit through the initial install screens (select languages, accept
>>>>> partitions, choose various options etc)?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Probably what we are looking for then is an "Unattended install"?
>>>>>
>>>>> To that end I wanted to ask what the intended/acceptable workflow was
>>>>> - when I was at the University of Edinburgh IT desk, our workflow for
>>>>> installing was:
>>>>>
>>>>> * Go to physical machine
>>>>> * Reboot to special CD
>>>>> * hit enter
>>>>> * walk away with CD whilst the PC automatically downloaded from the
>>>>> network and installed everything
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ##
>>>>> Another issue I encountered was a lack of netboot/pxeboot.cfg files on
>>>>> the Lubuntu ISO which might need working around (though have not yet had
>>>>> time to check if there are alternative methods).
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm sure there's a straighforward solution however.
>>>>>
>>>>> ##
>>>>> I think Machine #3 (P4 @ 1.8 GHz + 500MB RAM) will be the target
>>>>> candidate for becoming the server.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ===
>>>>> Tai Kedzierski
>>>>>
>>>>> IT Services Specialist
>>>>> http://helpuse.com
>>>>> +44 (0) 7526 963 612 (portable GB)
>>>>>
>>>>>   I use www.libreoffice.org
>>>>>
>>>>> *"Open Source Free Software is a matter of liberty, not price."*
>>>>> https://bitly.com/1gXkUcc
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 17 March 2015 at 21:12, Christian Einfeldt <einfeldt at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> thanks for your reply, Tai.  Comments in line below....
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 12:33 PM, Tai Kedzierski <dch.tai at gmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Christian
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'll see what I can do as fastest for this.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks so much!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For proper PXE + Customized ISO it would require work to integrate
>>>>>>> it all;
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> However we can break it into PXE as first goal; and until ISO
>>>>>>> customization os done, I can certainly envisage a fully automating script
>>>>>>> for the rest of the installation of custom s.w and settings.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi, thanks for that info.  I have found some of the notes from one of
>>>>>> our Linux gurus about what he did with regard to making a Lubuntu PXE boot
>>>>>> disc for another teacher.  I have invited you to the google doc so that you
>>>>>> can see it and possibly get a little bit of a jump on the project.  In the
>>>>>> meantime, I am going to try to assemble our gurus for a chat about the
>>>>>> document, either in IRC or elsewhere, perhaps even in a chat in the
>>>>>> document itself.  I have invited you to the document, but here is a link to
>>>>>> it:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UEgt_fkGUVdANcnZ1W2S5Rv15Hx3S92Ynn9Mui3xB_E/edit?usp=sharing
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here is a link to the summary of the Ascend school's Linux lab:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_s0E7w40zs80yZNrVRqupml6jqADKjD9XoJ3uFkhQMw/edit?usp=sharing
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Can you provide them a server to serve as core PXE master, or will
>>>>>>> we repurpose a desktop PC to this end?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We will be looking for a server, but for now, we will probably
>>>>>> repurpose a desktop machine.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> How frequently do they need to do installs?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Initially, they will want to flash all 25 machines.  Then it will be
>>>>>> a couple times a month as the older machines fail.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Are you mostly installing Ubuntu derivatives?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes, that is all that we are doing.  We try to use as few distros as
>>>>>> possible, and one of our board members, Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph, is a
>>>>>> Ubuntu Community Council member.  Plus Ubuntu has good documentation, which
>>>>>> is good for a simple end user like me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for your interest!
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Christian Einfeldt
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Christian Einfeldt
>>
>


-- 
Christian Einfeldt
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