Hey everyone, I'm looking for advice on how to install Linux (likely Rocky or Oracle) onto different hardware. My goal is to create an ISO that has all my software, whether it's compiled by me or installed through RPM, and then boot it on a different machine. The hardware will be the same AMD x86_64 architecture. This approach will help me automate the installation process with all the necessary software already set up. I've tried using Clonezilla, but it's been erratic and throws various errors on different systems, whether it's a desktop or a rack server. Any suggestions?
5 Answers
You might want to try using Kickstart to create a live install ISO. It's a handy way to automate installation processes. Here's a helpful resource to get you started: https://medium.com/@malbandoz/create-a-modified-linux-iso-with-a-kickstart-file-590e951afdbf
Creating a Linux replica for different hardware can be tricky. You can use tools like genisoimage or mkisofs to create a bootable ISO of your system. Here’s a command to get you started: sudo genisoimage -o /path/to/custom.iso -b /boot/grub/i386-pc/eltorito.img -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table /mnt. Also, check out these links for more detailed guidance: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Migrate_installation_to_new_hardware and https://nikvdp.com/post/cloning-a-linux-install/.
Have you considered if NixOS might be a fit for what you're trying to do? It could simplify some of your requirements around making a reproducible installation.
Instead of cloning, consider using an Ansible playbook. A simpler route is to just install the regular ISO and run the playbook from there. It’s how I provision systems and it works well!
If your architecture is the same, give ReaR a try. It’s designed for system recovery and can be useful for what you're looking for!
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