[Mageia-dev] how to NFS+PXE

Thu Jan 3 22:14:51 CET 2013

I still had my mediabox on mdv2010.
+
+so, it was time to move on.
+
+my server was now mga2, and it's nfsroot is just a directory on the server, so 
+this should be easy
+
+I make an extra directory, do the old chrooted install:
+
+[ ]# urpmi.addmedia --urpmi-root /chroot/mga2 --distrib 
+http://127.0.0.1/mageia/distrib/2/x86_64
+[ ]# urpmi --no-suggests --urpmi-root /chroot/mga2 basesystem-minimal locales-
+en locales-nl urpmi
+
+- since the server is mga2 too, i thought that i'd be funny and copy the 
+kernel from my server.
+- alas the initrd doesn't have nfs, so i'm doing the dracut into a different 
+file, but there i get some strange stuff when the nfs module starts.
+- i was hoping to find next to the vmlinuz on the mirrors also an initrd, but 
+no, only the installer image all.rdz
+
+after quite some debugging and rddebug and stuff, i see that my usb keyboard 
+isn't loaded, so i can't debug really well, but i do see that the nfs stuff 
+fails
+
+(i also note the message "rpc.imapd: group 'nogroup' doesn't exist")
+
+ok, this marks the end of mga2, i officially give up.
+
+
+
+trying mga3...
+
+i do the same chroot install for mga3
+
+this time, i also install the kernel
+
+[ ]# urpmi.addmedia --urpmi-root /chroot/mga3 --distrib 
+http://127.0.0.1/mageia/distrib/cauldron/x86_64
+[ ]# urpmi --no-suggests --urpmi-root /chroot/mga3 basesystem-minimal locales-
+en locales-nl urpmi
+[ ]# urpmi --no-suggests --urpmi-root /chroot/mga3 kernel-desktop-latest
+
+dracut is pulled in and runs a generic image... except network is omitted
+
+i change the dracut.conf.d/50* file so that network isn't omitted
+
+i chroot and retry dracut
+
+i notice dhclient isn't there and nfs drivers are still being omitted, i 
+cancel it
+
+i install dhclient and change the dracut conf so that the nfs omitted drivers 
+are added anyway
+
+[ ]# urpmi --no-suggests --urpmi-root /chroot/mga3 dhcp-client
+
+but when retrying dracut i see that it never gets past a certain stage...
+
+i'm quite puzzle by this, why does it hang in a chroot? and why isn't urpmi 
+having any issues when using --urpmi-root ?
+
+i decide to force install the kernel itself and so trigger the dracut, but 
+apparently i had to move away the initrd for it to be triggered.
+
+[ ]# urpmi --no-suggests --urpmi-root /chroot/mga3 kernel-desktop-3.7.1
+
+now i can finally copy the initrd and vmlinuz and it actually seems to work 
+from the first time... (i didn't quite expect this, after what i've gone 
+through with mga2).
+
+of course, since this is quite minimal, there is no gfxboot and quiet is set, 
+so you see absolutely nothing (except the rpc.idmapd warning i got with mga2), 
+until you can log in.
+
+i note that dhcp didn't quite work, or might have had some timeout in systemd 
+somewhere, but i had set ip=... parameters the first time so i didn't see it 
+then. i'll have to see with more debugging.
+
+next steps are:
+ - install a splash/booting graphic (gfxboot/plymouth?)
+ - install a dm (kdm)
+ - set a root password
+ - try to do some autoconfiguring that happens during install (i forgot, but i 
+think a tool somewhere exists in drakxtools) (that should set the keyboard to 
+azerty too)
+ - install plasma-applet-launchbutton
+ - configure autologin
+ - fix the look to what i want and set up multiple launchbuttons which do the 
+purposes and install the programs
+ - fix to have dvds autoplay
+ - use the nfsmounts which have all my media
+
+... to be continued
+
+
+my biggest issues are:
+1) it would be very useful for this to have a really generic inird(without an 
+installer) to start from on the mirrors (in isolinux/alt0/ maybe?)
+2) how the hell does urpmi with --urpmi-root handle dracut? why does it work 
+like that and not chrooted?
+3) why are all these nfs drivers omitted, even though i can see nothing about 
+this in the config files and directories?
+