[Tech] Partimus / PXE unattended install solution

Christian Einfeldt einfeldt at gmail.com
Mon Mar 23 13:15:09 PDT 2015


Thanks, Jim.

Tai, Someone else just sent me this link, in case it is helpful, not sure:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PXEInstallServer


On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 1:13 PM, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:

>
> jim is lurking and attentive.
>
>
> On 03/23/2015 07:34 PM, Christian Einfeldt wrote:
>
>  Hi Tai,
>
>  thanks for your great work !  Also, I am cc'ing everyone, because I am
> not sure who is on the tech list, and Lyz has sent in a trouble ticket to
> Dream Host, because it has not been archiving the tech list.  I will send
> an email to the tech list asking everyone to put up their hands if they can
> see the emails coming through to that list.  Thanks!
>
> My comments are in line below.
>
> On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 10:38 AM, Tai Kedzierski <dch.tai at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>       Hi all,
>>
>>  Some notes of what I've done, and a request for advice, as well as
>> suggestions for Abigail. Please feel free to disagree and improve!
>>
>>
>>
>>  === ISO Customization
>>
>>  I had a go at the ISO customization task over the week-end.
>> Unfortunately the instructions are old, and oscillate between helpful and
>> omissive... My resulting ISO caused kernal panic before even loading boot,
>> but I think I know where to look to troubleshoot that...
>>
>>
>>  I've started constructing a bash script to automate as much of it as I
>> can (it's also a good way to re-verify knowledge ;-)  )
>>
>>  For the technically inclined, you can find that script here
>> https://github.com/taikedz/handy-scripts/blob/master/in-progress/customiso/autobuild.sh
>>
>>  Sporadic notes start at line 111 , actual steps start at line 167. It is
>> incomplete.
>>
>
>  May I share that link with Charlie Reisinger?  He said that he would try
> to reach one of his tech gurus to see if they might be willing to help us
> out, and maybe that guru would be able to offer you some additional insight
> as you have requested below.
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>  === PXE Server / machine boot (help needed?)
>>
>>  I also tried setting up a server to centrally serve ISO images over PXE
>> with a tftp server. Again, shaky tutorials abound, no end-to-end solution.
>> I had troubles with (I think) setting up an internal DNS and having my VMs
>> start there (VirtualBox does not have any "BIOS" settings as far as I've so
>> far seen)
>>
>>  If I can get this much fixed, I can put together a comprehensive guide
>> on setting up the PXE component with better documentation and caveat
>> highlighting.
>>
>>  A lot of it requires manual work so cannot be so easily automated unless
>> I prepare a template, and even then may depend on the target network
>> infrastructure.
>>
>>  **Is there anyone who could offer guidance on setting up BIOS / etc so
>> that a machine can be specifically pointed in BIOS to the PXE server?
>>
>
>  I am continuing to do outreach to try to build up a community of people
> who might be able to help you out, including Charlie Reisinger and others.
>
>
>>  I am testing on VirtualBox, but I suspect many real machines also just
>> look for the network's default DNS server... over which I have little
>> control in fact, and the teachers may hit a similar problem...
>>
>>  Alternatively, I might need to put together a PXE booting CD which has
>> the presets loaded into it (similar to what I saw at the Uni but not
>> sure...) which would be able to allow us to do away with having to even set
>> up a local DNS server
>>
>>
>>
>>  === Software requirements
>>
>>  Pulling from Abigail's list, these divide fairly nicely into two
>> categories:
>>
>> /==
>> *I am currently running:* (productivity)
>> Google docs
>> GIMP *
>> Blue Fish editor (html)
>> Firefox
>> Chrome (which crashes a lot and needs to get removed)
>>
>> *It would be great to have:* (media production)
>> 3d  modeling software
>> video editing software
>> sound editing software
>> drawing software
>>  ==/
>>
>>  Productivity - these can be added as standard to the Lubuntu machine.
>> GIMP may be a bit heavy for the older machines, and I might suggest moving
>> it into the media category. If only light image editing needs doing, I can
>> suggest gPaint which is more like MS Paint in terms of features and
>> lightness.
>>
>>  Can I suggest adding LibreOffice as well?
>>
>
>  These are elementary students that are using these machines, and so I am
> thinking that the lighter weight editing tools that come standard with
> Lubuntu might be adequate for that.  I use Libre Office myself personally,
> but I find it to be very heavy weight.  I think that Lubuntu comes with
> AbiWord preinstalled, doesn't it?  I think AbiWord is also much lighter
> weight than Libre Office
>
>
>>     It follows the goal of FOSS and works fine offline too. Also uses
>> open document standards. A good habit to instill in students once they move
>> on to using their own computers.
>>
>
>  I think that AbiWord uses open document standards and is completely free
> as in freedom.
>
>
>>
>>
>> Media Production - Machines { 8, 19, 12 } from your spreadsheet could
>> house and handle media production suites, I'd be wary of putting it on the
>> standard install. Once I get the customization procedure down, it should be
>> easy enough to produce a second, media-oriented ISO.
>>
>
>  We are going to be delivering 15 additional machines to Abigail on
> Wednesday, March 25.  That will be the first step in replacing some of the
> older, slower machines.  Slow machines are the bane of my existence,
> because we are essentially establishing negative branding with old machines
> ("FOSS doesn't work"), when actually FOSS works much better on those older,
> slower machines; however, students and teachers just conclude if it is free
> as in free beer, then it must be junk.  So I am going to emphasize a search
> for better machines.
>
>
>>
>> As my mantra goes, it depends on the workflow and activity goals what
>> we'll be choosing in terms of specific software. I can suggest Abigail have
>> a look at the below list and see what meets her or he r tutors' needs.
>>
>>
>> *3d modelling* - *Blender* seems to be the preferred software for 3d
>> animation. The Free video "Big Buck Bunny" was created using Blender as a
>> demo of what it can achieve - plays with the quality of a Pixar short!
>>
>
>  I agree, let's add Blender.
>
>
>>
>>  For modelling-only, here's some other ones
>> http://www.techdrivein.com/2011/08/5-open-source-3d-modelling-rendering.html
>>
>>  *Video editing* - funnily enough, *Blender* has also been recommended
>> for this task on numerous reviews. Otherwise *OpenShot* and *pitivi*
>> suites are good alternatives, though this is not my area of expertise.
>>
>
>  I think that OpenShot is becoming a standard for FOSS video editing, so
> let's go with that, IMHO.
>
>
>>
>>  *Sound editing* - for sound /editing/ *Audacity* is a good choice. For
>> /music production/ a heftier suite is called for. Perhaps *LMMS*?
>>
>
>  Audacity is adequate, and has a simpler GUI, which will be better for
> the elementary school kids she is teaching
>
>
>>
>>  *"Drawing" software* - What's the use case? There are many categories
>> of "drawing" software - vector drawing (more suited to graphical design and
>> logo creation) can be done with *InkScape* (proprietary equivalent is
>> Adobe Illustrator); digital painting is well served by *Krita*
>> (proprietary equivalent... none really. Manga Studio perhaps). *GIMP*
>> also can serve this purpose but is more geared towards photo-manipulation.
>>
>
>  Yea, Krita is very good.  Let's give them both GIMP and Krita.  Krita is
> easier to use, but GIMP is more powerful.
>
>
>>
>>  My own photographic workflow makes use of digiKam and GIMP (I used to
>> use Adobe Lightroom and PhotoShop; I'm finding I don't need them anymore
>> and am now free of Apple!)
>>
>>
>>  For a full creativity set, I could aslo suggest adding *Scribus* to the
>> standard set for desktop publishing & professional layout preparation
>> (equivalent proprietary is Adobe InDesign)
>>
>
>  Okay, let's try Scribus.
>
>
>>
>>
>>  *--- A note on creativity/media production distros:*
>>
>>  Whilst Lubuntu will be perfectly fine for most productivity and study
>> tasks, you may want to consider a different distro for media.
>>
>>  I could suggest Abigail have a look at "*Ubuntu Studio*", a full media
>> production suite distro. Only customization that would be needed would be
>> to make it Unattended Install.
>> http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ubuntustudio
>>
>>  ArtistX is another distro worth a look. This too is based on Ubuntu,
>> and again, the same Unattended customization should need doing.
>> http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=artistx
>>
>>
>  My concern with these other two distros is that they will come with a
> heavy desktop, such as Unity.  Until we get her better hardware, it seems
> to me that staying with Lubuntu is a good idea.
>
>
>>
>>
>>  That's me until next week-end :-)
>>
>
>  Thank you so much for your work, Tai !!!  Please let me know if I can
> tweet your github code, as I am going to try to find other people who might
> be able to help you out!  Thanks!
>
>
>>
>>  Tai
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ===
>> Tai Kedzierski
>>
>>  IT Services Specialist
>>  http://helpuse.com
>> +44 (0) 7526 963 612 <%2B44%20%280%29%207526%20963%20612> (portable GB)
>>
>>    I use www.libreoffice.org
>>
>> *"Open Source Free Software is a matter of liberty, not price."*
>> https://bitly.com/1gXkUcc
>>
>>
>>   On 20 March 2015 at 22:01, Christian Einfeldt <einfeldt at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>  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 <%2B44%20%280%29%207526%20963%20612> (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 <%2B44%20%280%29%207526%20963%20612>
>>>>>>>> (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
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Christian Einfeldt
>
>
>


-- 
Christian Einfeldt
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