FAI of custom linux OS

[Tim Cutts]

On 15 Jan 2010, at 5:49 pm, Thomas Neumann wrote:

> hiya
>
>> Actually, you can, but the extent to which you can rather depends on
>> the OS being deployed.
>
> Even if VMware ~could~ fully customize linux VMs I still wouldn't  
> use it.
>
> Why?
>
> Because it still can not manipulate Xen- / Hyper-V VMs or even  
> physical
> hosts.

Indeed not, but conversely I can't use FAI to deploy arbitrary x86  
operating systems; I know it can be persuaded to do pretty much any  
Linux flavour, after varying degrees of work.  Don't get me wrong, I  
love FAI too, and we've been using it for years.  I was merely  
responding to Thomas' saying that he didn't think VMware could modify  
machines as it cloned them.  It's not something I do often, and then  
only when cloning Windows machines.  Our Linux servers are done with  
cfengine, which has its problems but runs on pretty much everything,  
which is why I use it.

> P.S.: Is it okay if I found a new religion based on worshipping  
> FAI? ;)

But of course.  There's nothing wrong with a bit of open source  
evangelism.  :-)

Tim



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