Installing Ubuntu (hardy) from Etch Server

[Christian Quast]

Hi,

I am trying to install Ubuntu from a server running etch / fai-3.2.7. After 
some (actually a lot of) tinkering I got it to work. Things I had to do:

- I fixed fai-make-base-tgz from the lazyboy svn to work with hardy's 
debootrap (empty --ex/include parameters aren't supported anymore). Furthmore 
the base.tgz is now directly created in CONFIGSPACE/basefiles, named 
CLASS.tar.gz. After 'countless' installation still using base.tgz and reading 
the sources I figured out that the name may be one of CLASS.tar, 
CLASS.tar.gz, or CLASS.tar.bz2 but not CLASS.tgz as mentioned in some mails 
and on some internet pages.
 
- I wrote all necessary CLASS configs.


With the setup I created I am basically able to install Debian etch as well as 
Ubuntu Hardy from the same NFSROOT, leaving me with only one problem 
concerning the sources.list that is used during the installation. I placed a 
template in	
  CONFIGSPACE/files/etc/apt/sources.list/CLASS, as well as in 
  CONFIGSPACE/files/fai/etc/apt/sources.list/CLASS,
but the installer always uses the sources.list found in 
  NFSROOT/live/filesystem.dir/etc/apt/sources.list
Looking into the sources (/usr/lib/fai/subroutines-linux:228ff) lets me assume 
that this is hardcoded for a 'normal' installation. Though, I am not sure 
under which circumstances 'do_init_tasks' is set.

After the installation I find the following line in fcopy.log:
  etc/apt/sources.list    UBUNTU_HARDY    # preserved (literal)
I guess this tells me that CONFIGSPACE/files/etc/apt/sources.list/CLASS is the 
right location to place the template. Is there any reason why this template 
is not used during the installation and only copied afterwards?

This is the only thing which keeps me from using the same NFSROOT to install 
both dists used at the place I am working (debian etch and ubuntu hardy).


Another question regards installation on different architectures (x86 vs. 
x86_64). Am I right to asume that I definitely need two NFSROOTs one for the 
32bit installation and one for the 64bit installation, since the 32bit host 
cannot run the 64bit NFSROOT and the 64bit host using the 32bit NFSROOT 
cannot 'execute' the 64bit CLASS.tar.gz?


thanks for creating FAI
  Chriss