Subject: Re: unattened boot/install question
To: None <netbsd-help@netbsd.org, tech-install@netbsd.org>
From: Adam Glass <adam@clarity.net>
List: tech-install
Date: 03/05/2003 19:04:03
> So maybe this is worth adding to sysinst:
> 
> ---
> 
> "Welcome to NetBSD sysinst. Do you want an unattended install? [N]:"
> > Y

Maybe I'm confused here, but I think you guys are almost completely
missing the point of unattended install facilities.  For anyone trying
to perform remote installs, one question requiring human intervention
is as fatal to the process as fifty: it requires human intervention
where none may be possible.  For that matter, even if you do have
physical access (and K/V/M or serial access) to machines, a single
point of human intervention -- repeated on hundreds or thousands of
servers -- is a major PITA.

I know Jason Thorpe did some work on "Quickstarts" back in his Zembu
days; I don't know where that ended up.  IIRC it did not involve PXE
boots, which is the only network booting facility in x86 hardware that
I'm aware of.  Jason, could you shed some light on this issue?

A