Subject: Re: Source Install
To: Jeremy C. Reed <reed@reedmedia.net>
From: Brian Rose <lists@brianrose.net>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 06/14/2004 11:56:30
Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Jun 2004, Brian Rose wrote:
> 
>>I was wondering if there was a method or script that anyone had worked
>>on to take a Live CD and have it build an installation onto a machine's
>>hard drive, by fetching the latest sources.
>>
>>If nobody has anything like this, It looks like I may have found another
>>summer project.

> 
> Sounds interesting.
> 
> Where will the source be stored? (On a memory disk?)
> 


Here's the way I figure it'd work.

- Load in your LiveCD and boot the machine.

- Start by partitioning the fixed disk. Once the partitioning is done 
mount it as a /target or somesuch.

- Fetch the sources (user's choice as to which label to use) from the 
net and store them on /target/usr/src. Setup the build environment to 
run correctly from here.

- Build the kernel, toolchain, and programs into DESTDIR=/target

- Do any configuration (timezone, etc) similiar to a regular install.

- Reboot and be merry with the new (fresh) installed system!

I realize there are plenty of issues to solve, But it'd be a nice clean 
way to build and setup a current system. I'd also like to have it do a 
post-install configuration to fetch selected packages (like the window 
manager and select apps) and install those as well. But that can be a 
separate project.

I guess my ultimate goal is a completely automated install process that 
is directed by some top level script.

I'm sure I will generate a lot of questions with this one. <grin>

-- Brian