diff -r 33c9da611479 -r a8998bd43467 README --- a/README Mon Jan 30 13:53:34 2012 +0200 +++ b/README Mon Jan 30 14:57:25 2012 +0200 @@ -1,8 +1,115 @@ -Debian installer preseed-based bootstrapping. +PKVLM - Debian installer preseed-based bootstrapping. + +Performs unattended bare-metal installs of machines to a working state (i.e. such that Puppet can continue). Generates customized debian-installer ISO images which contain host-specific debconf preseed data, config files and scripts. -Also integrates with lvm/virt-install to create/install new libvirt-based machines based on the customized media. +Uses a customized isolinux.cfg to load the machine-specific preseed.cfg from /cdrom via kernel command line options, + +Also integrates with LVM/virt-install to create/install new libvirt-based machines on the local KVM host based on the customized media. Supports bootstrapping puppet (package + config (server, ssl certs)). +## Files + +The debian installer source image (i.e. what you download from debian.org) goes into: + + iso/debian-X.Y.Z-ARCH-netinst.iso + + XXX: hardcoded as `$INSTALLER_NAME` in pvklm-create + +The installer image is unpacked to: + + images/debian-X.Y.Z-ARCH + +From where it is copied to: + + image/debian-X.Y.Z-ARCH_HOSTNAME + +Then the preseed data is processed/copied/templated/etc from: + + preseed/... -> image/debian-X.Y.Z-ARCH_HOSTNAME/... + + (varies based on chosen options. This also configures scripts to be executed/files to be copied after install) + +And finally, the resulting customized host-specific ISO image is created at: + + iso/debian-X.Y.Z-ARCH_HOSTNAME.iso + +## Operation + +Booting from the .iso loads the syslinux bootloader (isolinux/isolinux.bin, isolinux/boot.cat), which then looks for + + isolinux/isolinux.cfg + +Our isolinux.cfg (generated from preseed/isolinux.cfg) loads the kernel/initrd from /install[.amd], and supplies the +relevant kernel command-line arguments, which are processed by debian-installer: + + auto=true priority=critical preseed/file=${PRESEED_MOUNT}/${PRESEED_NAME} preseed/file/checksum=${PRESEED_CHECKSUM} -- ${INSTALL_BOOT_CONSOLE} quiet + +This loads our preseed.cfg (generated from preseed/preseed.cfg). The preseed.cfg then contains answers to all the d-i interactive +questions. The preseed.cfg takes care of automating the installer itself. + +The preseed.cfg contains many templated variables, which are subsituted for variables defined in pvklm-create at ISO-creation time. + +The preseed.cfg also loads additional preseed files (generated from preseed/*.cfg), e.g.: + + passwords.cfg - crypted passwords; not under version control + host.cfg - configure additional software installed on the host (exim) + +The preseed.cfg can also specify additional packages to install: + + $PRESEED_PACKAGES + + (defined within pkvlm-create) + +After the main installation process is complete, the installer can also execute arbitrary script commands from our preseed.cfg +We use this to copy over configuration files from "$IMAGE/preseed-files" inside the ISO (generated from various files +in preseed/files and preseed/.../files (e.g. puppet)) to the target system. These are used for more advanced customizations than the debconf +preseeding lets us do: + + - configure serial console (/etc/default/grub, update-grub, modify /etc/inittab) + - configure puppet (/etc/puppet/puppet.cfg, pre-install ssl certs to /etc/puppet/ssl) + +Once the installer is complete, it will reboot, and the newly installed/bootstrapped Debian Linux system will start up for the first time. + +If puppet was bootstrapped, the puppet agent will start its first run immediately (in the background via /etc/init.d/puppet, as normal). + +## Usage + +Some things are hardcoded in preseed/* +Some things are hardcoded in pklvm-create (the shell script) +Some things can be specified via `foo=...` options on the command line: + + ./pkvlm-create [options] [name=[value] [...]] + ./pkvlm-create asdf domain=test.pvl puppet_master=puppet-testing.paivola.fi + +These options are defind in pkvlm-create. Not all variables in preseed/... are configureable via options. + +The only required argument is the machine's name. It is given as the first non-option argument. + +## Puppet + +Supports configuring the host as a puppet agent. Pass a puppet=yes opt: + + ./pkvlm-create asdf puppet=yes + +The puppet server can be configured via `puppet_master=...`. It defaults to 'puppet' (i.e. match puppet's default behaviour to resolve a host called +'puppet'). + +### SSL + +Supports pre-installing Puppet's SSL certificates from: + + preseed/puppet/ssl + +If the puppetmaster's CA cert is present in preseed/puppet/ssl/certs/ca.pem, it is included in the preseed-files. + +You can also pre-generate a cert+pkey pair for the machine on the puppetmaster: + + puppet cert --generate ... + scp $ssldir/{certs,private_keys}/...pem ... + +These will be copied from "preseed/puppet/ssl/{certs,private_keys}/${FQDN}.pem" to the preseed-files, and the agent +will use them to connect to the puppetmaster. +