Centralised Dynamic Client ISO

[stuartiannaylor]

If Zentyal as a community was going to push a ZD then would the following offer more in terms of a disk based preconfigured ISO.

If Zentyal Server (ZS) held a centralised ISO that had modules to allow control of preseed options and various configurations. This would allow the sysadmin to either create (burn) a localised custom image or simply add this to a PXE boot option for network installs?

Stuart

[kernevil]

Hi Stuart

we are going to release a module to allow PXE installations as soon as possible in the 2.3 beta series. Having this feature an admin could create a custom iso to deploy the clients.

Regards.

[stuartiannaylor]

That would be great.

I just wondered if this module should allow a non sysadmin control method. Where preseed and client config could be dynamically embedded into the ISO. Selected from the Zentyal module without the need for a sysadmins knowledge in creating custom ISO's.

Stuart

[robb]

Do you mean something like the Zentyal Server software management module?

Like: create a tab for Zentyal Desktop and select the packages you want to distribute for your Zentyal clients. With 2 sections: security updates (ubuntu updates) and applications. The later with the option to add applications by the sysadmin from regular repositories.

[ichat]

it would be possible  but hard and verry time consuming also auto generating an installer iso would be  generating a lot of load on the system.  expecially if you only want this on your local network  than i would advice against it and instead provide a network installer.  or pre-build iso.  and install your additional preferences right after the installer completes... 

the 'only'  disavantage to this method over  iso-generating   is that you can not burn the disk and take it home with you...  you would instead have to bring your computer to the network,   or use other methods to create the iso...

[stuartiannaylor]

I think it could work how you say Rob. It could pass anything from modules, application selection, environ & service variables.

Not sure to hard and time consuming? In respect to generally creating client ISO's I don't see much difference.
Also I can't see why you couldn't burn off a disk at the server. As to performance I guess its a matter of hardware and a Sysadmins dictate to when he is going to use the client setup ISO.

I think the functionality can be incorporated and the only limit would be what the community dictates.

[kernevil]

The idea of "cooking" a custom installation image in the server and then assign it to network objects to be installed by PXE sounds really good for large deployments. We will evaluate for future versions...

What kind of features would you like to tune (apart from software)?

[stuartiannaylor]

Thats a really good question. You could go to a level where you might create a Sales team distribution that has everything from authentication, NAS... /home /group to application set.

It could be done and I guess its a community matter. It would be great to provide an interface to a custom ISO / preseed options that allows your general admin to create a flavour that could be simply PXE booted or burned to disk.

The idea that you could put the disk in a client and the answer jobs done would be most welcome by this sysadmin.

[ichat]

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization

aren't you afraid this may take a lot of ram usage whill building the iso (even when its only a not so big image)...??  i used the webbased remastersys once it was verry slow...

[stuartiannaylor]

To be honest not really. If you a sysadmin you can pick your time and your hardware.

I can't see this as a problem in respect to the benefits it would give. Its doesn't have to be mastered every time you use it and to pxe boot it would be a doddle.

Stuart

[ctek]

Just on opinion

An option could be to use another Zentyal box (slave) to do the cooking and thus the main server will only make the image available when is ready.
In that respect, the option of cooking and sending the image can be also in the slave box not only on the Master.
So if the setup is Master/Slave you can specify the machine (the chief). If the setup is Standalone Server the cooking will be on that server.


Regards
Bogdan

[stuartiannaylor]

Yeah I like that idea

A slave would be a good platform if you had iChat's concern.

PXE can load a boot-manager or you could retain various ISO's.
It doesn't mean you have to master an ISO everytime you boot or want an image.
Just the tools to create custom ISO's with embedded localised server environs would be great for me anyway.

Stuart

[airtonix]

Cobbler really makes this easy, it already has it's own web interface and provides a python api, it can work with koan and puppet on clients for post configuration.

highly recomendded