I'm collaborating with my IT team to replace Windows-based web kiosks with Linux systems. My expertise is primarily in virtualizations, so I'm a bit out of my depth here. Our IT manager is concerned about scaling these deployments, particularly since we're looking at up to 100 machines. I need to find a way to create a bootable USB that not only installs the OS but also runs an Ansible playbook for additional setup. Is this feasible, or am I asking for too much in terms of simplicity?
5 Answers
Using Debian's preseed combined with a setup script is a seamless way to go about this. We’ve deployed over 60 machines this way without any issues. You can easily update the Ansible file as needed too!
If you're deploying RHEL-like systems, consider using osbuild. It allows you to create custom images which can simplify deployment. It's been effective for us!
The easiest way to manage this deployment would be using PXE booting, but if that's not an option due to network constraints, you can definitely configure USB installers to do the heavy lifting. Most Linux distros make unattended installs pretty straightforward. For post-install customization, you could simply add a script to run from `/etc/rc.d/` or even create a package to handle your configurations. Ansible or Puppet could work for the orchestration, but might need some setup to kick off at the right time.
I've had good experiences with iPXE, which helps bypass the need for complex DHCP/TFTP setups. A minimal boot ISO works well, allowing you to grab what you need via HTTP. With preseed for Debian and kickstart for RHEL, everything runs pretty smoothly. Plus, you can configure the tiny iPXE ISO to load different setups depending on your network needs!
Absolutely! Grub2 supports netbooting as well, which can be super handy.
And yes, using Ansible for post-install configurations is a game-changer!
You have various options here! One effective approach could involve setting up an unattended install on a web server accessed via a netboot image. If a remote machine fails, booting with a USB stick could allow you to continue installation smoothly. Check out resources like FAI or Cobbler for tools that help with this setup. And don't forget to explore hardware solutions like KVM over IP for remote management.
FAI seems like a great option, thanks for pointing it out!
Don't forget about FOG as another option for deployment!
That's a solid suggestion. I'd prefer to skip PXE too; it seems unnecessary for my setup right now.