Installing Ubuntu (hardy) from Etch Server

[Henning Sprang]

Christian Quast wrote:
> 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). 

Great - if you give me the code, I'll put it in! (I'm lazy, and 
therefore replying late...)

> 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.

Yeah, my code was before that basefiles stuff existed and it's pretty 
rough - I don't use Ubuntu on a regular basis, so I have not much 
motivation to care for it, and I didn't get that much feedback - so I'm 
happy you're using it and tell me how it works out :)


> [...]
> 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?

I also stumbled upon this...
I don't know the reason - I guess it's just standard fai assumes a 
simple setup while we happen to have more complex scenarios - different 
sources.lists for different hosts, etc..
What I do is an explicit fcopy in a hook for the updatebase task - so 
from there on, your _right_ sources.list for the host is used.

> 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).

Should work as soon as you do the thing mention before...

> 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?

Yes, they can unpack the CLASS.tgz, but they cannot do any installation 
thereafter.
I don't have any64 bit stuff running, so I don't know much about it, but 
your guesses here are right.

Another way to avoid having two nfsroots (which isn't such a bad thing, 
but some might not like it), is to have a base image that has everything 
   necessary to boot, connect to a network, and run fai-softupdate then 
to do all the rest.


Henning