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

Data Preservation and Migration

Packages Affected

User Interface Requirements

Outstanding Issues

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