install from usb disk without iso image
 

Hi,
I'd like to make an external usb disk bootable and install my system
from this disk. But i would _not_ like to copy iso images to the disk
but the content of the iso ie: images/ and Packages/ dir and a few
kickstart file. can i run anaconda to use the 'on disk' repo instead of
the iso? i can only find ftp, http and harddisk repo, but something like
file://.. repo definition would be useful.
thanks in advance.
regards.

--
Levente "Si vis pacem para bellum!"

_______________________________________________
Anaconda-devel-list mailing list
Anaconda-devel-list@redhat.com
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/anaconda-devel-list

install from usb disk without iso image
 

On Fri, 2010-08-06 at 18:20 +0200, Farkas Levente wrote:
> Hi,
> I'd like to make an external usb disk bootable and install my system
> from this disk. But i would _not_ like to copy iso images to the disk
> but the content of the iso ie: images/ and Packages/ dir and a few
> kickstart file. can i run anaconda to use the 'on disk' repo instead of
> the iso? i can only find ftp, http and harddisk repo, but something like
> file://.. repo definition would be useful.
> thanks in advance.
> regards.
>

That was removed from anaconda a couple of years ago, It was felt that
with a writeable repo, that a user could mess up the install by altering
the repo. I argued against removing that method for installs, but it
still exists for use with pre-upgrade. Think I have a workaround, add an
fstab entry to mount your usbkey at /var/cache/yum/, use an ks file that
has "install" in it, and pass ks="file location" and preupgrade at the
boot prompt.


Jerry



_______________________________________________
Anaconda-devel-list mailing list
Anaconda-devel-list@redhat.com
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/anaconda-devel-list

install from usb disk without iso image
 

On 08/06/2010 07:13 PM, Jerry Vonau wrote:
> On Fri, 2010-08-06 at 18:20 +0200, Farkas Levente wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I'd like to make an external usb disk bootable and install my system
>> from this disk. But i would _not_ like to copy iso images to the disk
>> but the content of the iso ie: images/ and Packages/ dir and a few
>> kickstart file. can i run anaconda to use the 'on disk' repo instead of
>> the iso? i can only find ftp, http and harddisk repo, but something like
>> file://.. repo definition would be useful.
>> thanks in advance.
>> regards.
>>
>
> That was removed from anaconda a couple of years ago, It was felt that
> with a writeable repo, that a user could mess up the install by altering
> the repo. I argued against removing that method for installs, but it
> still exists for use with pre-upgrade. Think I have a workaround, add an
> fstab entry to mount your usbkey at /var/cache/yum/, use an ks file that
> has "install" in it, and pass ks="file location" and preupgrade at the
> boot prompt.

preupgrade is not an install, but update. i want to install a fresh new
system.
why was it removed? is there any patch to anaconda? yes with a writable
repo suer can mess up, but a user can mess up anyway. and in this way
the advanced user has no choice?
ok the longer story. we've got a pxe + kickstart setup to install new
system with software and everything is working, but sometimes the system
has to be installed in our partner's house without pxe setup or even
internet. we've got the full repo and we can generate enerything, but we
wouldn't like to generate iso all the time (since generating iso with
revisor is always the main source of errors).
what we can do anyway?
if there us a solution for rhel-5 (which has a much older version of
anaconda-11.1.2.209-1.el5 that would be enough for us (but the best
would be some patch against the anaconda-11.1.2.209-1.el5 and
anaconda-13.21.56-1.el6)
thanks in advance.


--
Levente "Si vis pacem para bellum!"

_______________________________________________
Anaconda-devel-list mailing list
Anaconda-devel-list@redhat.com
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/anaconda-devel-list

install from usb disk without iso image
 

On Fri, 2010-08-06 at 21:22 +0200, Farkas Levente wrote:
> On 08/06/2010 07:13 PM, Jerry Vonau wrote:
> > On Fri, 2010-08-06 at 18:20 +0200, Farkas Levente wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >> I'd like to make an external usb disk bootable and install my system
> >> from this disk. But i would _not_ like to copy iso images to the disk
> >> but the content of the iso ie: images/ and Packages/ dir and a few
> >> kickstart file. can i run anaconda to use the 'on disk' repo instead of
> >> the iso? i can only find ftp, http and harddisk repo, but something like
> >> file://.. repo definition would be useful.
> >> thanks in advance.
> >> regards.
> >>
> >
> > That was removed from anaconda a couple of years ago, It was felt that
> > with a writeable repo, that a user could mess up the install by altering
> > the repo. I argued against removing that method for installs, but it
> > still exists for use with pre-upgrade. Think I have a workaround, add an
> > fstab entry to mount your usbkey at /var/cache/yum/, use an ks file that
> > has "install" in it, and pass ks="file location" and preupgrade at the
> > boot prompt.
>
> preupgrade is not an install, but update. i want to install a fresh new
> system.
yea, sorry you wound need to mount the usbkey from tty2 for an install,
never mind...

> why was it removed? is there any patch to anaconda? yes with a writable
> repo suer can mess up, but a user can mess up anyway. and in this way
> the advanced user has no choice?

To stand in the way of independent work? jk.. I guess there was a push
to limit the ability to introduce non-fedora rpms into the base install.
I really don't see the difference between having 3rd party repos enabled
then using preupgrade, passing repo=url_to_3party_repo in anaconda, or
just creating your own repo, all are froth with danger.

> ok the longer story. we've got a pxe + kickstart setup to install new
> system with software and everything is working, but sometimes the system
> has to be installed in our partner's house without pxe setup or even
> internet. we've got the full repo and we can generate enerything, but we
> wouldn't like to generate iso all the time (since generating iso with
> revisor is always the main source of errors).
> what we can do anyway?

Well, I've been able to use the repo on the usbkey, with the repo
residing in /Updates on the usbkey when I added to the ks file:
repo --name=updates --baseurl=file:///mnt/isodir/Updates
This was using the install.iso on the usbkey at the same time.

The trick would be to have the usbkey mounted /mnt/isodir before the
repos are setup by anaconda. You may want to try to use a boot.iso on
the usbkey and your repo at the same time, that might setup /mnt/isodir
for anaconda. You would be adding the above string to your ks file or
the boot prompt(edit to suit). This is untested by me.

> if there us a solution for rhel-5 (which has a much older version of
> anaconda-11.1.2.209-1.el5 that would be enough for us (but the best
> would be some patch against the anaconda-11.1.2.209-1.el5 and
> anaconda-13.21.56-1.el6)
> thanks in advance.

Good Luck,

Jerry

_______________________________________________
Anaconda-devel-list mailing list
Anaconda-devel-list@redhat.com
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/anaconda-devel-list