Profile based installation (not based on MAC address or hostname)

[Peter Bittner]

(Sorry in advance if this question is completely basic and I should have
found out myself... I didn't find a solution in the documentation.)

I need to set up a FAI server that provides a - what I believe - rather
flexible installation service based on profiles, not on host names, or
MAC addresses.

  1. The system administrator should plug in a virgin PC an let it boot
from the network;
  2. While the PC broadcasts its MAC address the administrator would
open a web interface on the FAI server which lists the MAC address of
the PC requesting installation;
  3. The administrator selects the MAC address, and specifies what to
install on this PC: an installation profile (e.g. "DEVELOPMENT",
"TERMINAL", "CALCNODE", etc.), an IP address, a hostname.

With my current knowledge of FAI I would solve the installation task on
the FAI server side as follows, for every single installation request:

  i. Create an entry in the /etc/.../dhcpd.conf (maybe /srv/... may be a
better place in future as the file will grow in size) adding an entry
for the MAC address and the specified IP address and host name;
  ii. Use fai-chboot to create a network boot configuration profile for
the client to-be-installed, specifying the requested installation
profile;
  iii. When the client boots FAI will install, and at the end of the
successful installation the FAI server removes the reference to the
bootloader file from the host specification in /etc/.../dhcpd.conf for
the installed client, and removes the previously created network boot
configuration profile.

Is this the recommended way to go? If not, what do you suggest?

Sorry again *if* this topic *is* covered by the documentation. (In this
case please let me know where to find it.)

Thanks for your help and suggestions,
Peter