Install Debian using vmdb2 (v-i) ============================================================================= This is a hack for my own amusement. It's not meant to be taken seriously. This is a rudimentary installer of Debian based on vmdb2. It has nothing to do with debian-install, the official Debian installer, known as d-i. I use d-i, but would like something better: * I'd like something I can easily modify. d-i requires building special udeb packages for any software that's to be part of the installer. v-i is happy with normal debs. * d-i uses preseeding for automating an installation. Preseeding means providing answers, in a file, to questions the package may ask during its installation. This is fine, if a little cumbersome, but only helps to answer questions the packages ask. v-i lets you have the full power of Ansible during initial installation. On the other hand, d-i is mature software and tested by thousands. v-i can just barely install my own Thinkpad x220 laptop. Architecture ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The vmdb2-installer builds a bootable disk image with Debian. The image boots with UEFI, and has everything you need to run vmdb2. You write the image to a USB drive, boot off that, and run vmdb2 in the booted system to install Debian onto the hard drive. Thus: - build system -> installer image - installer image -> USB drive - boot from USB drive - run vmdb2 to install onto laptop hard drive The image building uses vmdb2 as well. Things get a little recursive. Hacking ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main files are: * v-i.vmdb -- the vmdb2 specification file for the installer image * v-i.yml -- the Ansible playbook used by v-i.vmdb * x220.vmdb -- the vmdb2 specification file to install onto an x220; this is used from the system booted from the image built by v-i.vmdb * x220.yml -- the Ansible playbook used by x220.vmdb