netboot rescue disk with FAI

[Henning Sprang]

Jean Spirat wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I wanted to know if anyone use fAI to netboot a rescue disk on their
> system. I mean when a server is having issue and do not boot use the pxe
> boot and fai to use it to netboot a live system that will be used with
> parted and other filesystem tools to repair the system and chroot into
> /target etc ?

Most live cd's come with their own config and system for netbooting.
I don't see a benefit of doing this with FAI.
These systems most often have much more features than the FAI nfsroot
when you use it with sysinfo instead of install.


> It seems sysinfo FAI_FLAGS is near what i look for, anyone know how to
> duplicate the sysinfo hook with for exemple mount RW instead of read
> only etc.. 

But how to you know _what_ to mount?
Assduming you have quite a bunch of different systems and disk
configurations, it's pretty hard to know for all of them what to mount.

In case of emergency, it should be enough to boot a system, and let the
person working on the disaster recovery/debugging decide what to mount.

Again, this is easier with for example the grml live cd, which at least
prepares some mountpoints for all disks/partitions it has found on the
system.

>One important feature would be to have a root password setup
> that is different on each "netboot" etc... :)  Any ideas ?

Sorry, I don't understand anymore what you are trying to achieve here.

In case of disaster, I'd want fast and easy access to a system, not
fiddle around with some magic random password.

Sure, that way anybody who can bring a system into this mode of
netbbot/rescue system, has full access to the system, but that is the
same with access to hardware...

Henning