[ale] Help needed for a Non-Profit project - if not Linuxthenwill go Windows

Sat Apr 5 22:19:27 EST 2003

I know that Suse has a way of making an install out of a configured pc &
Slackware has a text install file.  I will try this out once we get our
"test" machine past the customer (and I get some breathing room). Sounds
like it is as fine as frog hair.

I know that Adaptec CD Creator can create bootable CD's the same way as you
described.

Oh, btw, the Free Bytes Director can buy boxloads of modem cards on
pricewatch.com once we get the official "ok" on this project.

Thanks for all of the advice !

Greg Canter

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-admin at ale.org [mailto:ale-admin at ale.org]On Behalf Of Jonathan
> Glass (IBB)
> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 9:56 PM
> To: ale at ale.org
> Subject: RE: [ale] Help needed for a Non-Profit project - if not
> Linuxthenwill go Windows
>
>
> Another cool trick I've been meaning to try...
>
> Once you have the anaconda-ks.cfg, check out the Kickstart howto.  It
> will show you how to make a boot disk which automatically starts the
> installation process, and installs exactly what you installed the first
> time.  You can create that floppy and test like mad.  Once you've gotten
> that part working, find out exactly what you have to do to finish the
> configuration.  You may be able to include that in the post installation
> section of the ks.cfg file, and have the installer do it for you.  Once
> you have THAT working automagically, then to the fun part (I'm dying to
> try this...maybe I will once I get my server back online).
>
> Mount the Redhat ISOs read-write via a loopback device.  Delete the RPMS
> you don't need (the ones that don't appear in the list in ks.cfg), and
> insert those you want to add (autologin-1.0.0.i386.rpm, or the RPMS that
> are on the 2nd CD).  Now unmount the ISO image and burn a CD.  This CD
> won't boot and automatically run the installation yet, but it will have
> all the files you need on one disk.
>
> I'm not sure how to do the next step with Linux, but I know you can do
> it with Nero/Roxio.  You make your own ISO image, drag in the files you
> want (you already have them on the CD you just burned) then tell it to
> make the CD bootable.  It will ask you for a boot disk...insert  your
> automated kickstart bootdisk.  When the burn finishes, you have a
> bootable, self-installing CD, and if you've narrowed down the list of
> RPMS enough, it may be small enough to have everything on one disk.  The
> downside: if you leave the CD in the drive, it may reboot and start the
> installation process all over again (done this many times w/automated
> Windows installs).
>
> Does anyone else know how to replace the boot image on the RH ISOs (or
> any ISO) with your own?
>
> HTH
>
> Jonathan Glass
>
> On Sat, 2003-04-05 at 20:53, Greg wrote:
> > Thanks a million.  I really appreciate the detailed information
> > (documentation is really needed as I may have to write a full script for
> > this or we will need a full script to follow for the installers).
> >
> > Do you have any advice on modems for Linux boxes ?
> >
> > Greg
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: ale-admin at ale.org [mailto:ale-admin at ale.org]On Behalf
> Of Jonathan
> > > Glass (IBB)
> > > Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 7:05 PM
> > > To: ale at ale.org
> > > Subject: Re: [ale] Help needed for a Non-Profit project - if not Linux
> > > thenwill go Windows
> > >
> > >
> > > You'll probably want to disable CTL-ALT-BACKSPACE in X, too, although
> > > that will simply restart the auto-login/netscape|mozilla session.
> > >
> > > Jonathan
> > >
> > > On Sat, 2003-04-05 at 19:00, Jonathan Glass (IBB) wrote:
> > > > There is a KIOSK howto.  http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Kiosk-HOWTO.html
> > > >
> > > > I did this on a series of PII 233 MHz laptops w/32 & 48 MB
> of RAM using
> > > > Redhat 7.2.  I had 2 GB harddrives, so had more room to
> work, but think
> > > > it should be possible to strip down a RH7.2/7.3 installer
> to do the bare
> > > > minimums.
> > > >
> > > > The boot-to-browser is trivial, once  you've configured X...and the
> > > > RH7.2 installer seems pretty good at configuring X.
> > > >
> > > > What I did to make the "Kiosk" effect was to setup the box
> to boot to
> > > > run-level 3, have "auto-login" login as a standard user
> (testuser) and
> > > > had their .Xclients file launch Netscape in full screen
> mode (probably
> > > > want to use Mozilla, now).  Here is my
> /etc/sysconfig/autologin file:
> > > >
> > > > USER=tester
> > > > EXEC=/home/tester/.Xclients
> > > > AUTOLOGIN=YES
> > > >
> > > > If the person killed Netscape, it killed the session, and
> automatically
> > > > restarts.  To avoid switching to another console, disable
> Alt-F2 and up
> > > > in /etc/inittab.
> > > >
> > > > # Run gettys in standard runlevels
> > > > 1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
> > > > #2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
> > > > #3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
> > > > #4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
> > > > #5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
> > > > #6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6
> > > >
> > > > To avoid rebooting the box, reconfigure the
> Control-Alt-Delete trap to
> > > > do something other than reboot. (again in /etc/inittab).
> > > >
> > > > # Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE
> > > > ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/echo "Ctl-Alt-Del doesn't work here."
> > /dev/null
> > > >
> > > > Once you have successfully completed a bare-bones custom
> install on one
> > > > machine, copy the 'anaconda-ks.cfg' file, and use it to automate the
> > > > other installs via Kickstart.  If you configure X-windows during
> > > > installation, that info will be in the anaconda-ks.cfg file.  If you
> > > > setup the filesystem in a special way, that info will be in
> there, but
> > > > commented out.  Remove the comments to auto-magically partition the
> > > > drive.
> > > >
> > > > As part of the Kickstart installation, you can specify a series of
> > > > commands to run b/f the box reboots.  Here is where you can
> setup the
> > > > auto-login download and installation (if you have a network
> connection
> > > > available) and configuration of the /~/.Xclients file.
> > > >
> > > > Hope this helps. If you need more info, ask away, but I
> cannot promise
> > > > much.  I have two major projects going on right now, too.
> > > >
> > > > Jonathan Glass
> > > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Ale mailing list
> > > Ale at ale.org
> > > http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> > >
> >
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