[Mageia-dev] how to NFS+PXE

[AL13N]

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?