Auto Install for Mandrake Linux
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Introduction

Summary

The Mandrake Linux Distribution provides a facility, DrakX, which allows for the automated installation on to computers that you use or manage.

The DrakX graphic installer has the capability of being used in the both interactive and automated modes. This document deals specifically with it's automated capability.

Automated Installation is intended for situations where the same 'Install' set is to be placed on multiple computers. This can be a substantial time saver for anyone. More importantly, the automation means that you do not have to sit in front of each computer filling in the blanks, picking this and that and hoping that you remember the selections you chose the previous time.

As a side benefit, it can be used as an emergency backup to re-install the same packages and basic configuration data on a computer that failed, lost everything and your normal back-ups can not be used to restore the computer.

I am sure that there are more reasons to use the automated features, but that's your experiment. Me, I was just tired of having to remember what I installed the last time. Also, this document provides me with the opportunity to give back to the Linux community something in kind.

The following sections will provide an overview of the process, details regarding the Install disks and the configuration files which drive the installation process.

Copyrights, Trademarks, Credits

Copyright © 2002 by David Eastcott.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Credits: The Staff at MandrakeSoft for providing this capability.

This document is based on the original DrakX documents provided by MandrakeSoft.

Special thanks to Pixel and Guillaume Cottenceau at MandrakeSoft for the suggestions, corrections, insight and patience.



New Versions

This document has been revised to conform with the capabilities of the 9.0 release.

You can find this document on the Mandrake Linux web site at:

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/drakx (then look for the 'kickstart' link)

or:

For current HTML and PDF versions as I generate them or, for older versions and my small collection of related stuff you can visit:

http://members.shaw.ca/mandrake/



If you find an error or some feature I missed you can contact me by email at david@eastcott.net

New / Changes in this version

9.0.1

2002-09-08

Adjust examples to reflect 9.0 changes. Modified: bootloader - revert rename of 'entires', it still renames the new ones as old_..., keyboard - added GRP_TOGGLE, services - added dm to System list.

9.0.0

2002-08-18

Initial adjustments for 9.0; syslinux.cfg uses parameter aliases by default; authentication: winbind added for PDC support, bootloader: quiet option is default and the 'linux' section name is used to engage bootsplash graphic startup and the rename of 'entries' has changed, excludedocs: added note, keyboard: structure has changed with new keywords, manualFstab: smbfs declarations with user and password behaviour changed, miscellaneous: CLEAN_TMP deleted, netc: WINDOMAIN added, nomouseprobe: removed reference to kudzu, partitions: support for RAID and LVM added, postInstall/PostInstallNonRooted: corrected syntax, services: now output to the auto_inst.cfg file, users: icon names have changed, ; and of course the usual corrections and cleanups in other areas of the document.











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