mass installation options?

QNX Newsgroups (Archives) qdn.public.qnxrtp.installation
#1

Are there any tools for doing remote installation? Something along the
lines of a jumpstart server + bootable network cards…

I have a lab of 30 machines to install and I’d like to install one, tweak
it, and easily duplicate it on the other 29. (Oh and those machined don’t
have CD ROM drives, one the first one does.)

The only idea I have so far is to use Linux as the “base” and use dd to do
a raw copy of a pre-installed QNX partition.

The trouble with that is (even if it work) I won’t be able to modify any
files after I’ve copied of the QNX partition. (For example, each machine
needs a different IP address.)

An ideas would be appreciated!

Dana

–
Dana Echtner \ Real-Time Systems Administrator
dana@ece.concordia.ca / ECE, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

rw-rw-rw-: The file protection of the beast

#2

Well, if you got your solution working and used DHCP (the default)
for network configuration, you probably wouldn’t need to change
anything at all. I wonder if you can use ghost to do a qnx partition?

Kris

Dana Echtner <dana@ece.concordia.ca> wrote:

Are there any tools for doing remote installation? Something along the
lines of a jumpstart server + bootable network cards…

I have a lab of 30 machines to install and I’d like to install one, tweak
it, and easily duplicate it on the other 29. (Oh and those machined don’t
have CD ROM drives, one the first one does.)

The only idea I have so far is to use Linux as the “base” and use dd to do
a raw copy of a pre-installed QNX partition.

The trouble with that is (even if it work) I won’t be able to modify any
files after I’ve copied of the QNX partition. (For example, each machine
needs a different IP address.)

An ideas would be appreciated!

Dana

–
Dana Echtner \ Real-Time Systems Administrator
dana@ece.concordia.ca > / ECE, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

rw-rw-rw-: The file protection of the beast

–
Kris Warkentin
kewarken@qnx.com
(613)591-0836 x9368
“You’re bound to be unhappy if you optimize everything” - Donald Knuth

#3

Kris Eric Warkentin wrote:

Well, if you got your solution working and used DHCP (the default)
for network configuration, you probably wouldn’t need to change
anything at all. I wonder if you can use ghost to do a qnx partition?

Yes, I’ve considered just using DHCP for the time being, that’s not a big
deal. It’s just that’s not a solution, that’s a work-around. I want a
better, more flexible solution.

But I realize I’m asking too much here so just a vanilla remote install
would be okay! :slight_smile:

I don’t know about Ghost, I’ll ask our Ghost guru! :slight_smile:

Dana

–
Dana Echtner \ Real-Time Systems Administrator
dana@ece.concordia.ca / ECE, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

rw-rw-rw-: The file protection of the beast

#4

I haven’t gotten into RTP enough yet, so I don’t know if this is possible.
But under QNX 4 I had a boot floppy that had the OS and network driver and a
sysinit file. It connected to the file server, partitioned the hard drive
dinit’ed it, copied pertinate stuff from the file server, prompted some
relivent questions and edited appropriate files on the new system. Then you
hit reset and the new system was up and running.


“Dana Echtner” <dana@ece.concordia.ca> wrote in message
news:9eh6c3$aub$1@inn.qnx.com…

Kris Eric Warkentin wrote:

Well, if you got your solution working and used DHCP (the default)
for network configuration, you probably wouldn’t need to change
anything at all. I wonder if you can use ghost to do a qnx partition?

Yes, I’ve considered just using DHCP for the time being, that’s
not a big
deal. It’s just that’s not a solution, that’s a work-around. I want a
better, more flexible solution.

But I realize I’m asking too much here so just a vanilla remote
install
would be okay! > :slight_smile:

I don’t know about Ghost, I’ll ask our Ghost guru! > :slight_smile:

Dana

–
Dana Echtner \ Real-Time Systems Administrator
dana@ece.concordia.ca > / ECE, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

rw-rw-rw-: The file protection of the beast

#5

Bill Caroselli @ Q-TPS wrote:


sysinit file. It connected to the file server, partitioned the hard drive
dinit’ed it, copied pertinate stuff from the file server, prompted some
relivent questions and edited appropriate files on the new system. Then
you hit reset and the new system was up and running.

That sounds great, thanks!

QNX people: does this exist in RTP?

Dana

\

Dana Echtner \ Real-Time Systems Administrator
dana@ece.concordia.ca / ECE, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

rw-rw-rw-: The file protection of the beast

#6

Dana Echtner <dana@ece.concordia.ca> writes:

The trouble with that is (even if it work) I won’t be able to modify any
files after I’ve copied of the QNX partition. (For example, each machine
needs a different IP address.)

An ideas would be appreciated!

What about making your copied installation to check if there is floppy
with runnable script to update system? After that is run once, ability
to run script from floppy will be removed? It’s quick-and-dirty, but
might do what you want.

–
M. Tavasti / tavastixx@iki.fi / +358-40-5078254
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