Title

Status

• Created: Date(2005-04-23T02:50:00Z) by MattZimmermanBR

• Priority: HighPriorityBR

• People: MattZimmermanLead, ColinWatsonSecondBR

• Contributors: MattZimmermanBR

• Interested: JuanjeOjedaBR

• Status: BrainDump, BreezyGoal, UduBof, DistroSpecificationBR

• Packages: BR

• Depends: BR

• UduSessions: 1, 4, 8, etc BR

Introduction

Create an Ubuntu installation system which runs within the Ubuntu live CD environment and works by copying and customizing the live CD filesystem rather than installing packages

Rationale

A lot of people try the Ubuntu live CD and after some of them want to install that they are using. It doesn't make sense to say this people: "take off the CD, download another one, and then you'll be able to install Ubuntu"

Also this installation is much faster than from packages, so it's going to be less annoying process to the users. It even could be used in massive installations as a clonation system (but with proper configuration).

At this moment there are many Debian derivatives with live CD version which use this kind of installer and their users like it so much.

Scope and Use Cases

• Reuse existing installer components for configuration
• Ask all questions at the very beginning of the process
• Display one big progress bar for the rest of the process
• There could be 2 way people like to use:
  1. Install after the user test the distro
     • In this case is it really useful to ask some questions before to test or just before to install (after test)?
     • The user could like to change some information for the instalation after test well the CD.
  2. Install without test the distro (kind of clone with post configuring)
     • Some user could like to make a fast installation almost with no question and without try before the distro.
     • It's possible not to launch the live session but to start the copy and postconfiguring. We just need to skip the step where the distro is started, ask the rest of the information from the d-i, and copy and so on.
     • With this option we have no any more the limitations of the only-desktop system or for server installations

Implementation Plan

Implementation proposal (JuanjeOjeda)

We can use the debconf's frontends to do that. I propose create a udeb package for the d-i which load a debconf template into its own database and install the installer program. (I think it's better to do in the cow or cache filesystem/directory)

The template would contain all the necessary dialogs for the installation (with the translations and so on). The installer would get all the information what need (and have) from the debconf database to suggested it to the user. And show the dialogs and that information with the frontend selected by default (Gnome, KDE, Dialog, etc). We can change this frontend from the application or script who launch the installer. After to get all the information we need from the user, we would configure the corresponding packages with that information.

The debconf's frontend system is pretty good and make good job abstracting the user interface from the real program. In fact, the perl module for the Gnome frontend use Gtk2 and fancies widgets like druid to make the graphic interface. But maybe is good idea improve it (more HIG and love). Even could be good idea to rewrite this module in python (with some improvements) and use it from the program.

Also we could add to casper package an option to launch the live session or copy the distribution to the hard drive. To do better this, I guess could be good idea separate the installer in 2 stages:

1. Ask the data

Ask all the information we need to make the installation.

This one would be similar in the version from teh live session as the other one.

1. The proper installation
   • Select disk/partition and format
   • Copy the distro to the partition
   • Put the data from the first stage to the packages debconf information and reconfiguring them (with no ask, of course, because we already know the dates)

In the live session's version both stages would be with graphic, but in the other one could be anyone.

Data Preservation and Migration

Packages Affected

• casper

User Interface Requirements

• Should be simple
• Should be able to use Gnome, KDE, Dialog, text user interface
• Should be possible to customize it (Branding stuff)

Outstanding Issues

• Simple
• Faster than the other installer
• Well integrated with Debian/Ubuntu (postconfig)
• The result must be the same (or really close) than the packages installation

UDU BOF Agenda

• How to refactor existing installer components to allow them to be used in the live environment
• Custom components needed
  • Graphical partitioner
• User interface
  • GNOMEish frontend (but allow for KDEish frontend as well)
• Limitations
  • Can't be used for upgrades
  • Can't easily be used for server installations (especially not via serial console)
  • Specialized for the common case desktop installation

UDU Pre-Work

• Check out knoppix-installer

Thoughts/Suggestions