Auto Install

for

Mandrake Linux

8.2.0

Introduction

Summary

The Mandrake Linux Distribution provides a facility, DrakX, which allows for the automated installation on to computers that you use or manage.

The DrakX graphic installer has the capability of being used in the both interactive and automated modes. This document deals specifically with it's automated capability.

Automated Installation is intended for situations where the same 'Install' set is to be placed on multiple computers. This can be a substantial time saver for anyone. More importantly, the automation means that you do not have to sit in front of each computer filling in the blanks, picking this and that and hoping that you remember the selections you chose the previous time.

As a side benefit, it can be used as an emergency backup to re-install the same packages and basic configuration data on a computer that failed, lost everything and your normal back-ups can not be used to restore the computer.

I am sure that there are more reasons to use the automated features, but that's your experiment. Me, I was just tired of having to remember what I installed the last time. Also, this document provides me with the opportunity to give back to the Linux community something in kind.

The following sections will provide an overview of the process, details regarding the Install disks and the configuration files which drive the installation process.

Copyrights, Trademarks, Credits

Copyright © 2002 by David Eastcott.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Credits: The Staff at MandrakeSoft for providing this capability.

This document is based on the original DrakX documents provided by MandrakeSoft.

Special thanks to Pixel, Guillaume Cottenceau at MandrakeSoft for the suggestions, corrections, insight and patience.

New Versions

This document has been revised to conform with the capabilities of the 8.2 release.

You can find this document on the Mandrake Linux web site at:

http://www.linux-mandrake.com/drakx/auto_inst.html

or:

For current HTML and PDF versions as I generate them or, for older versions and my small collection of related stuff you can visit:

http://members.shaw.ca/mandrake/

If you find an error or some feature I missed you can contact me by email at david@eastcott.net

New / Changes in this version

8.2.0	2002-03-09	Initial adjustments for 8.2, re-work 'syslinux.cfg' section for new features and organization, created new section Advanced Features, updated Replay Install, updated Creating an Updated Installation CD Set for new mkcd.

Installation Methods

Overview

Installation of the Mandrake Linux distribution on a computer(s) depends on a number of things:

* Environment; is the computer connected to a network, are you trying to use the computer for more than one Operating System (Multi-Boot),

* Equipment; does the computer contain conventional hardware, or are there special considerations such as USB or PCMCIA devices

* Preferences; what works best for you or your situation,

MandrakeSoft has gone to great lengths to simplify the installation process of their distribution on a large variety of computers, yet provide you a choice of approaches.

The Mandrake Linux distribution provides support for three primary installation methods (sources):

In addition, there are a few variations that provide support for specific equipment:

And finally, if none of the above work with your hardware, there are a series of Alternatives which utilize different kernel versions for each of the above.

If you have time, read the file on the first Installation CD called INSTALL.txt and the one in the images directory called README for a bit more detail.

CD-ROM based installation is portable. With a floppy diskette and the CD-ROM set, you can install the distribution, anywhere, on any computer that has a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive.

Hard Disk based installation is more for those of you which have multiple disk drives installed in the target computer, one to hold the distribution file set and a second which will contain the installed system. This would most likely be used in situations where the computer dual boots Linux and other OS's. It is not very portable, but it does afford one the ability to install Linux without disturbing the existing OS.

Network based installation is where the flexibility of the Automated Installation process really shines. One computer holds the distribution file set, all the other computers only need network based access to the file set. Now I just carry a single disk about, insert it in the desired computer, push reset and go for coffee.

With the three options, NFS, FTP and HTTP, you can actually install files from one computer to another, anywhere in the world. However, there are performance and reliability issues which you will have to be prepared to deal with when accessing servers outside your own local world.

There are three installation modes which may be employed for each of the methods:

Manual	-	this mode is where you select every thing interactively. Most people use this method when they are installing the distribution on their personal workstation computer.
Fully Automated	-	this mode is where all selections are predetermined, the installation process is controlled, without manual intervention, by the contents of a simple configuration file and, progress is indicated by simple text messages. It is ideally suited for installations on identical computers. Although creative individuals using the 'postInstall' features can overcome most obstacles.
Replay	-	this mode is very similar to the fully automated mode, except that progress is indicated via a graphical presentation and, the configuration file provides you with the ability to manually intervene during certain steps. This one you will love for situations where the computers are virtually identical, but you would normally have created a custom install disk to deal with certain hardware peculiarities or, you have a need to perform customization with each installation.

As I indicated earlier, you are going to have to make some choices that fit your situation and environment. The beauty of all these Choices is that you are not stuck doing it one way....

Getting Started

The simplest approach is to perform a Manual Install, then generate the desired Auto Install diskette. However, before you get started, please check the Errata page on the Mandrake web site (www.linux-mandrake.com) since there may be information there that applies to your equipment. The following are a brief set of steps to get you started.

1. decide if you are going to perform a CD-ROM, Hard Disk or Network based install. If you are going to do a CD-ROM install, then skip the next step.

2. copy the contents of all three CD-ROMs, or obtain the file set via ftp and:

a) For a Hard Disk, make sure that the Mandrake Linux file set is present on one of the computers hard disks (partitions). Remember to retain the CD's directory hierarchy.

b) For network services, make sure the Mandrake Linux file set is accessible on the server you want to use. (see section Setting up a Simple NFS Server). Remember to retain the CD's directory hierarchy.

3. Create a boot floppy disk using the appropriate image file:

See the images/README document for instructions on how to create the diskette. Also you will find additional / alternate images to use which may resolve situations for your particular equipment setup.

4. Boot the computer and perform the installation manually.

5. JUST before re-booting, select 'Advanced', then select 'Generate an auto install floppy', then pick either 'Replay' or 'Automated'. This will create the needed diskette containing all the basic files you will need for the next installation.

6. Review the contents of the diskette and adjust as necessary before using. See the remainder of this document.

7. Install any where, any time and as often as you like, or until the coffee runs out.

There are a number of different and innovative approaches that you could use rather than the simplistic one above, but then that your job, eh? However, for those of you who are a bit braver or, just want to do it your self then you should see the section Scratch Built Auto Install Diskette for a basic approach.

For those of you who were so excited about installing and test driving the new Mandrake Linux release that you forgot to 'Generate an auto install floppy', no problem. Mandrake Linux now has a tool available, as part of the drakconf program (Mandrake Control Center), that will allow you to generate an Auto Install disk at any time after the initial installation, see the section Replay Install for details.

Contents of the Install Diskette

After completing the 'Generate an auto install floppy' step, you should have a diskette containing the following files:

advanced.msg

This file contains some text that describes a number of advanced options. You could customize this.

auto_inst.cfg

This file contains your selections. See the section Anatomy of the 'auto_inst.cfg' File for details. In case you were wondering, you will also find this file in the /root/drakx directory with the name auto_inst.cfg.pl.

boot.msg

This file contains a graphic image that appears as soon as you boot from the diskette. You could customize this.

help.msg

This file contains some text regarding the start up options and keys, which you can customize too. It is optional and may not be present on your generated diskette (space limitations).

ldlinux.sys

This is what booted (boot loader). Don't mess with it.

cdrom.rdz or hd.rdz or network.rdz

The file name is dependent on the Method you used to perform the manual install. It contains stage 1 of DrakX and other things which are needed for the automated install.

syslinux.cfg

This file contains information that controls the operation of the 'ldlinux' boot loader and start the installation. You may have to modify this. See the section Anatomy of the 'syslinux.cfg' File for details.

vmlinuz

This is the compressed Linux kernel image file. Don't mess with this one either.

The contents of the two files, syslinux.cfg and auto_inst.cfg, are what the bulk of this document is about, so with out further a due....

Anatomy of the 'syslinux.cfg' File

SYSLINUX is a light weight boot loader used to start Stage 1 of the Mandrake Linux installation. The file, 'syslinux.cfg', is used to specify what the boot loader is suppose to do and what options, if any, are available to an installer (you) at boot time. In addition, SYSLINUX passes parameters to the linux kernel when it loads and starts the kernel; a few of the parameters are used by the kernel and some are passed on to the Stage 1 program. Some of these parameters are specific to an installation method (as is the initial ram disk contained on the floppy).

Consequently, the Auto Install diskette that you created (at the end of your initial installation or from the Mandrake Control Center on a running system) is set up to match the installation method that was originally used. If you are planning to install multiple computers the same way, then you are all set.

However, if you intend to change the installation method, you will have to create your own Auto Install diskette (see the section Scratch Built Auto Install Diskette). The reason for this is due to the flexibility needed to support a variety of installation methods and options. You just can not get it all on one diskette. This is not as bad as you may think, since the most important file, 'auto_inst.cfg', is independent of the installation method.

The following are going review the contents of the 'syslinux.cfg' file as used by MandrakeSoft. For an in depth description of the capabilities of SYSLINUX see the web site: http://syslinux.zytor.com.

General

The contents of the 'syslinux.cfg' file are a set of directives which control the actions of the boot loader. These directives can be divided into two groups; global directives and section specific directives. The global ones control the operation of the boot loader, whereas the section directives are only effective when the installer (you) selects them (selection is accomplished by typing the name of the sections' label in response to the boot prompt).

The following is a fragment extracted from a 'syslinux.cfg' file used with a Network Services:NFS install.

NOTE: All the text starting with 'append' through '788' are on ONE line.

The global directives usually occur at the beginning of the file and specify things like which section is selected by default, how long to wait for the installer to enter a section label, etc.

The section specific directives are identified by a line containing label <name> and followed by two lines which specify the kernel image to load and, what parameters (append) to pass to the kernel (and the Stage 1 program). The <name> parameter is the value that an installer would type in at the boot prompt to select a specific section other than the default one.

Directives

The following details the purpose of the directives that you can use in the 'syslinux.cfg' file. You should check out the Syslinux web page for more information regarding its capabilities and the options that are available to you. MandrakeSoft only uses a subset because they are generating "general purpose" files. You, on the other hand, are not as limited. Besides, if you want flashy color or graphics then you will find the pertinent information there.

Global Directives

The Global Directives are not method or mode specific, rather they affect all methods/modes the same.

default linux - if the user presses ENTER or the optional timeout expires, this tells the loader to locate the section label linux and begin booting the kernel as defined by the lines after the label.

prompt 1 - this tells the loader to prompt the user to enter an alternate label rather than just using the default one. You can have several different boot scenarios in this file, which is the reason that the generated file has so much in it. This parameter is optional, removing it means the installer will not have the ability to select an alternate boot section.

timeout 50 - this tells the loader to give the user 5 seconds to begin entering another label before using the default one and continuing on with the boot/install process. This parameter is optional and is not necessary if prompt is not used.

display boot.msg - this tells the loader to display the contents of the specified file before presenting a prompt. This is optional, but it may be a good idea to remind the installer what is being installed.

F1 help.msg - if the user presses the F1 key, then display the specified file's contents. This parameter and associated file are optional.

F2 advanced.msg - if the user presses the F2 key, then display the specified file's contents. This parameter and associated file are optional.

F3 boot.msg - if the user presses the F3 key, then display the specified file's contents. This parameter and associated file are optional.

label linux - this names a section that defines specific information that the loader uses for booting Stage 1 of the installation process. The value associated with any section label can be typed by the user at the prompt to instruct the loader to find the specific section, rather than use the one named by the default directive.

Section Directives

Section directives are preceded with the label directive. In this case, a section contains a kernel and an append directive (see the section Advanced Features for special options).

kernel vmlinuz - this is the name of the file containing the compressed kernel image to load and start.

append=... - this is a list of space separated parameters passed to the kernel when the loader starts it.

If you look in the file that was generated, you will find a number of sections (choices) that an installer could select. Each has a different effect or purpose which the following table briefly describes:

vgalo, vgahi, vga16	Are just different resolutions for graphic installs
text	Is a text based install
expert	Has the advantage of disabling Automatic Hardware Detection
rescue	Allows you to repair an already installed system using the CD-ROM.
patch	Allows you to install a patch from a floppy diskette.
preinst, oem	Allows you to pre-install the distribution on a hard disk, ready for a customer.
lnx4win	Allows you to install the distribution for execution under Windows
auto	Alternative way to start the auto install when using a stock file from the images directory and the auto_inst.cfg.pl file is on the source media rather than the floppy diskette. (see Advanced Features). This option expects that the auto install file is located in the directory Mandrake/base and is called auto_inst.cfg.pl.
all	Allows for installation via a PCMCIA device.
ackbar	Guessing?, Mandrakes' test machine for testing a new distributions' install?

'append' Parameters

NOTE: You are going to get caught with this one so I will tell you now; the kernel will only pass a maximum of 256 characters from the 'append' line through to the Stage 1 installer, so be careful.

DrakX supports a substantial number of parameters that can be used to control its operation. This document will describe just the ones that affect the Automated Install.

General Parameters

The following are common and not related to a specific method or mode:

kickstart=floppy - required, do not change. This actually causes the installer to look on the floppy diskette for the 'auto_inst.cfg' file.

An interesting tidbit; if you omit this option and set the automatic= option, you can do GUI based installs without having to enter the method information each time. Of course the auto_inst.cfg file, if present, is ignored.

ramdisk_size=32000 - required, do not change.

root=/dev/ram3 - required, do not change.

vga=788 - required, can be changed. Generally, this parameter affects the GUI installation, but it does have interesting effects when used in the Automated install. If you want details, then check out the kernel documents: Documentation/svga.txt and Documentation/i386/boot.txt

text	80x25 text
vga16	80x25 text, 640 x 480 GUI
785	80x30 text, 640 x 480 GUI (frame buffer)
788	100x37 text, 800 x 600 GUI (frame buffer)
791	130x48 text, 1024 x 768 GUI (frame buffer)
794	158x64 text, 1280 x 1024 GUI (frame buffer)

Others you can play with:

0x0f01	80x50 text
0x0f02	80x43 text
0x0f03	80x28 text
0x0f05	80x30 text
0x0f06	80x34 text
0x0f07	80x60 text
0x0122	100x30 text
Ask	prompt for desired video characteristics to use. Yoc can use this to determine the selections actually available for your video card.

initrd=network.rdz - required, changes based on the type of method being used:

cdrom.rdz	for CD-ROM
hd.rdz	for Hard Disk
network.rdz	for Network Services
usbnet.rdz	for Network Services accessed via a USB device
pcmcia.rdz	for PCMCIA devices

Method Parameters

The 'automatic' parameter is used to select the install method type (cdrom, disk, nfs, ftp or http) and to specify additional parameters as necessary. Any additional parameters are appended after the method type, with each being separated by a COMMA (,) rather than a SPACE. It uses the following general form:

automatic=method:<type>,

The following are a summary of the method parameters grouped by method type along with any special notes. The additional parameters are simply concatenated together to form a single comma separated string.

CD-ROM

automatic=method:cdrom,

NOTE: for those of you that are using CD-ROMs as the source media, the option interactive (see the section Anatomy of the 'auto_inst.cfg' File) is especially pertinent to package installation from more than the first CD.

domain:eastcott.net, - allows you to preset the domain name for the computer.

hostname:linux1, - allows you to set the host name for the computer.

Disk

automatic=method:disk,

directory:Mandrake/mandrake/8.2, - root directory where the files are found or, it may also specify the location and name of an ISO image (this image must be the 'first' CD's ISO image).

NOTE: If you specify an ISO file name, then you will be limited to installing ONLY those packages which are available in that ISO image. You will not be able to install packages from the other ISO images which form the complete set.

disk:hda, - disk drive containing the directory or ISO image.

domain:eastcott.net, - allows you to preset the domain name for the computer.

hostname:linux1, - allows you to set the host name for the computer.

partition:hda6, - partition name of specified disk drive containing the directory or ISO image.

NFS Network Services

automatic=method:nfs,

interface:eth1, - specifies the ethernet interface to use (eg. eth0, eth5, etc.). It is only required when there is more than 1 ethernet interface. This feature can only be used if DrakX can auto detect ALL the ethernet cards.

The trick when installing with multiple network card is convincing the computer that the ethX you specify is the same one it thinks is ethX. If you do not use the interface parameter, DrakX will ask you which one you want and then it will prompt you for the relevant information based on your specified method.

server:fileserver, - machine where the installable files are located, can be an IP or a host.domain (or host).

directory:/mnt/mass/Mandrake/mandrake/8.2, - root directory where the files are found.

network:static, - means you are going to specify the necessary IP information;

ip:192.168.5.202, - what is it for this machine.

netmask:255.255.255.0, - what is it's netmask. This is optional and is only required if you are using a non-standard netmask.

gateway:192.168.5.253, - what is the gateway's IP. This is optional and should only be included if the specified fileserver is not located on the same subnet.

dns:192.168.5.253, - what is the IP for the DNS server. Up to three DNS servers can be specified, each IP is separated by a comma. This is optional and should not be included if you do not have or use a DNS server. If it is not included, then the server: option must contain an IP address instead of a name.

or

network:dhcp, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the dhcp server. Depending on how the dhcp and DNS servers are configured, the host name and domain name may also be supplied.

or

network:adsl, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the ADSL service provider when you connect.

adsluser:my_adsl_name, - user name, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

adslpass:my_password, - password, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

NOTE: If you have selected network:adsl, be aware that ONLY the PPPoE protocol is currently supported.

domain:eastcott.net, - optionally allows you to preset the domain name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the domain name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

hostname:linux1, - optionally allows you to set the host name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the host name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

FTP Network Services

automatic=method:ftp,

interface:eth1, - specifies the ethernet interface to use (eg. eth0, eth5, etc.). It is only required when there is more than 1 ethernet interface. This feature can only be used if DrakX can auto detect ALL the ethernet cards.

The trick when installing with multiple network card is convincing the computer that the ethx you specify is the same one it thinks is ethx. If you do not use the interface parameter, DrakX will ask you which one you want and then it will prompt you for the relevant information based on your specified method.

server:fileserver, - machine where the installable files are located, can be an IP or a host.domain (or host).

directory:/mnt/mass/Mandrake/mandrake/8.2, - root directory where the files are found.

network:static, - means you are going to specify the necessary IP information;

ip:192.168.5.202, - what is it for this machine.

netmask:255.255.255.0, - what is it's netmask. This is optional and is only required if you are using a non-standard netmask.

gateway:192.168.5.253, - what is the gateway's IP. This is optional and should only be included if the specified fileserver is not located on the same subnet.

dns:192.168.5.253, - what is the IP for the DNS server. Up to three DNS servers can be specified, each IP is separated by a comma. This is optional and should not be included if you do not have or use a DNS server. If it is not included, then the server: option must contain an IP address instead of a name.

or

network:dhcp, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the dhcp server. Depending on how the dhcp and DNS servers are configured, the host name and domain name may also be supplied.

or

network:adsl, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the ADSL service provider when you connect.

adsluser:my_adsl_name, - user name, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

adslpass:my_password, - password, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

NOTE: If you have selected network:adsl, be aware that ONLY the PPPoE protocol is currently supported.

user:anonymous, - user name, as required, for ftp login.

pass:david@eastcott.net, - pass word, as required, for ftp login.

domain:eastcott.net, - optionally allows you to preset the domain name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the domain name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

hostname:linux1, - optionally allows you to set the host name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the host name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

HTTP Network Services

automatic=method:http,

interface:eth1, - specifies the ethernet interface to use (eg. eth0, eth5, etc.). It is only required when there is more than 1 ethernet interface. This feature can only be used if DrakX can auto detect ALL the ethernet cards.

The trick when installing with multiple network card is convincing the computer that the ethx you specify is the same one it thinks is ethx. If you do not use the interface parameter, DrakX will ask you which one you want and then it will prompt you for the relevant information based on your specified method.

server:fileserver, - machine where the installable files are located, can be an IP or a host.domain (or host). This is only required for nfs, ftp or http methods.

directory:/mnt/mass/Mandrake/mandrake/8.2, - root directory where the files are found. This is only required for nfs, ftp, http or disk methods. For the disk method, this may also specify the location and name of an ISO image.

network:static, - means you are going to specify the necessary IP information;

ip:192.168.5.202, - what is it for this machine.

netmask:255.255.255.0, - what is it's netmask. This is optional and is only required if you are using a non-standard netmask.

gateway:192.168.5.253, - what is the gateway's IP. This is optional and should only be included if the specified fileserver is not located on the same subnet.

dns:192.168.5.253, - what is the IP for the DNS server. Up to three DNS servers can be specified, each IP is separated by a comma. This is optional and should not be included if you do not have or use a DNS server. If it is not included, then the server: option must contain an IP address instead of a name.

or

network:dhcp, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the dhcp server. Depending on how the dhcp and DNS servers are configured, the host name and domain name may also be supplied.

or

network:adsl, - means the IP, netmask, gateway and dns parameters are provided by the ADSL service provider when you connect.

adsluser:my_adsl_name, - user name, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

adslpass:my_password, - password, as required, to login to your ADSL service provider.

NOTE: If you have selected network:adsl, be aware that ONLY the PPPoE protocol is currently supported.

domain:eastcott.net, - optionally allows you to preset the domain name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the domain name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

hostname:linux1, - optionally allows you to set the host name for the computer. This parameter is only required if the stage 1 installer can not obtain the host name from your DNS Server for the IP address that you specified.

DHCP Notes

Documenting how you should use the network:dhcp option and the related domain and hostname options is difficult since they are highly dependent on the characteristics and interactions of your DHCP and DNS servers. In addition to the conventional servers, there are a number of devices capable of acting as DHCP servers for a LAN which are designed primarily for use in the “Windows” world and may require a bit of effort on your part to get it working.

More ...

Method Parameter Aliases

The problem of the 256 character line length can be mitigated somewhat by the use of aliases for some of the parameters as follows:

Full name	Alias
adslpass	adslp
adsluser	adslu
directory	dir
disk	dis
domain	dom
gateway	gat
hostname	hos
interface	int
method	met
netmask	netm
network	netw
pass	pas
partition	par
server	ser
user	use

By rewriting the example from the beginning of this section using the aliases, you get the following:

NOTE: All the text starting with 'append' through '788' are on ONE line.

For those of you who noticed, this example is now passed through to the Stage 1 installer intact (which, by the way, the original example is not).

Anatomy of the 'auto_inst.cfg' File

The automated installation feature of DrakX is controlled by the contents of a file named 'auto_inst.cfg'. This file is generally located on the boot floppy diskette that you create manually, at the end of the initial installation process or, using the Mandrake Control Center (drakconf) from an installed system. However, it can be located in a sub-directory of the method installation source media (see the section The 'auto_inst.cfg' File Location).

The contents of the auto_inst.cfg file are comprised of a Perl Scalar Structure declaration (o) and an optional Perl code fragment (NOTE: the perl code fragment is being removed and replaced with the option interactiveSteps).

The declaration $o = {...}; is used by the DrakX program to preset various options and selections. Within the opening/closing braces are a series of simple and/or compound declarations (representing your selections).

During a manual install, the various declarations are created and the appropriate fields filled in as you made choices from the various screens. Then when you created the Automated or Replay diskette, selected portions of this structure were simply dumped to a file that will control the actions of DrakX when an Automated or Replay install is done.

An Automated Install requires that all the choices be pre-selected using either the file generated by the install program or, manually by you. Me, I am a bit lazy so I generate an initial diskette at the end of the install or using drakconf, then modify it to suit my requirements.

The optional Perl code fragment is present in the file, after the o$ declaration, but only if you created a Replay install diskette and it will look something like the following:

It defines the install steps that you want to manually redo. Have a look at the section Replay Install for more details regarding this Perl code fragment and discover the possibilities it can open for you. Also, check the option interactiveSteps. NOTE: selecting steps for manual intervention may result in the corresponding options in the $o declaration being ignored, so be careful.

The remainder of this section describes the options available for the o$ declaration.

As always, if you want the gory details regarding how and what, look on the CD-ROM (or installation source media) in the directory Mandrake/mdkinst/usr/bin/perl-install for the actual perl modules. MandrakeSoft has made the DrakX installer code available for public inspection via their CVS repository (see http://www.linux-mandrake.com/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/). In addition to the source code, there are a variety of documents and text files that contain things you may be interested in.

Options Summary

There are a substantial number of options (choices) that are available to you and the following is a brief summary of the ones that you can preset (just to wet your appetite). You will find detailed descriptions for each, along with examples, on the subsequent pages.

	authentication		mkbootdisk
	autoExitInstall		mouse
	autologin	C	netc
C	bootloader		nomouseprobe
	compssListLevel		partitioning
C	compssUsersChoice		partitions
	default_packages		postInstall
	desktop		postInstallNonRooted
N	excludedocs		printer
	interactive		security
N	interactiveSteps	C	services
	intf		superuser
	isUpgrade		timezone
C	keyboard	M	users
C	lang	C	useSupermount
M	manualFstab		wacom
	miscellaneous		X

There have been some additions and a number changes to the various options since the previous release of Mandrake Linux. I have added an indicator: N (new), C (important changes to content) or M (modified – add or delete capability) to left of each affected option listed above.

authentication

This option is used to specify how user logins are authenticated.

Descriptions:

'shadow' - Indicates if shadow passwords are used

'md5' - Used to specify if md5 encryption is to be used for passwords

'NIS' - Indicates if a NIS server is to be used for authentication

'LDAP' - Indicates if a LDAP server is to be used for authentication

By default, Mandrake Linux installations enable md5 and shadow. Also, you will probably have noticed that the GUI based install no longer gives you the ability to select/de-select these two, rather the Local files selection is used to indicate them.

If you select either NIS or LDAP, you will have to add NISDOMAIN or LDAPDOMAIN to the option 'netc'.

Related Option Entries:

netc

autoExitInstall

This option is used to direct the installation process to automatically exit and re-boot the computer when the installation is complete.

Descriptions:

'autoExitInstall' - what you want to do

NOTE: When you do a manual install, the auto_inst.cfg.pl file created in /root/drakx has this value set to 1. If you generated an Automated or Replay diskette, the auto_inst.cfg file also has this value set to 1.

CHANGE it to 0, otherwise the computer will re-boot and start the install all over again.

Related Option Entries:

none.

autologin

This is used to have the system automatically login a specific user, rather than having the usual login prompt. This feature can be used with a single user only and, the user should be defined (see the option users).

If the auto-login feature is not desired, then do not include this in your file.

Descriptions:

'autologin' - specifies the name of the user that the system is to automatically log in as. Change it as you desire, but to a valid user only.

The installation process creates the file /etc/sysconfig/autologin and places USER=<your user name> along with a few other values in it.

Related Option Entries:

desktop, users

bootloader

This option allows you specify the boot loader to be installed and the associated parameters that it requires. The general structure and relevant parameters for each loader are presented and explained in their own section, rather than trying to show you the whole thing and adding comments indicating which parameter is valid for which boot loader. Also, check the notes at the end of each section for tidbits.

The following is specifically for the x86 architecture.

LILO / GRUB

DrakX is capable of installing either the Lilo or Grub boot loaders for 'x86' type computers. The following causes DrakX to install the Lilo boot loader and create the file /etc/lilo.conf. You really want to look at 'man lilo.conf' for the correct explanation for some of the following.

Descriptions:

'methods' - this entry defines the boot loader options; for x86 and IA64 computers this must be 'lilo' and optionally 'grub'.

'lilo' - can be one of:

DrakX creates all the necessary files that lilo is expecting.

'grub' => 1 - if present, the Grub boot loader is installed rather than Lilo. In addition, DrakX creates all the necessary files and directories that grub is expecting. NOTE: 'lilo' => 'lilo-menu' must be used.

'append' - if present, it is placed in the lilo.conf and used as lilo's default for any per image entry that does not contain an 'append'. It is used to specify parameters to be passed to the kernel. eg. 'mem=128M console=ttyS0,9600n8'.

'boot' - this allows you to specify the disk drive that it to be used as the boot device. Do not include the partition number. eg. '/dev/hda' or '/dev/hde'.

'compact' => 1 - if present, says to try and merge read requests for adjacent sectors. This is seldom used.

'crushMbr' => 1 - if this is present, it means replace (crush) the existing Master Boot Record and install the lilo equivalent.

'default' - this is used to specify the default kernel image to boot. The value here is the 'label' value for one of the defined 'entries'. eg. 'my_linux'.

'install' - this is used to specify the file containing the new master boot record. eg. '/boot/boot.b'.

'lba32' => 1 - if present, says to generate 32 bit Logical Block Addresses instead of sector/head/cylinder.

'linear' => 1 - if present, says to generate linear sector addresses instead of sector/head/cylinder. This is seldom used. In fact, if 'lba32' is present then it is ignored.

'map' - this is the name and location of the map file created by lilo. eg. '/boot/map'.

'message' - this allows you to create a customized boot message. It is optional and if included, causes the file /boot/message to be created containing your string (don't forget to include '\n' where appropriate. Also use double quotes (") ). If it is not included, then DrakX creates a default message for you.

'password' - if present, it specifies a pass word string (clear text) used to protect booting of all images. eg. 'dickie'.

'perImageAppend' => '' - if this is present, then DrakX uses the values here as the append for each entry it automatically creates. Note, DrakX creates this if it detects that there are any IDE CDRW or CD Burrners installed, if the 'miscellaneous' => { 'HDPARM '} is set, if it detects that you used mem= at the boot prompt or, if the syslinux.cfg file contains mem= in the append directive.

NOTE: If console=ttyS0,9600n8 is present somewhere in the value, then DrakX will automatically add serial=0,9600n8 to the lilo.conf file. You can set the parameters for the console= to what ever you require, the previous was just an example. However, if you do use the console= , you might want to consider adding it to the 'append' as well.

'restricted' => 1 - if present, reduces the boot up password enforcement so that the user must enter a pass word only if the user enters additional parameters. 'password' must be present if 'restricted' is present.

'timeout' - the time, in seconds, to wait for the user to enter a desired image. eg. 'my_linux'. Also, this forces a prompt for the image name to boot. Note: DrakX changes the value from seconds to tenths of a second for placement in lilo.conf. If you do not want a prompt, then set the value to 0.

'vga' - if present, this is used to set the default video mode and can be:

'entries' - this is an array of 'per image' entries describing selectable boot images. Normally you should not need to add any since DrakX installs a number of default entries which represent your computer's equipment. However if you do add a new one, then use any label except: linux, linux-2.2, linux-hack, failsafe, failsafe-2.2, failsafe-hack, floppy, default, linux-up, linux-2.2up, linux-hackup, linux-nonfb, linux-2.2nonfb, linux-hacknonfb, NT, dos, windows otherwise DrakX will rename yours to old_... when it inserts its own. So be careful.

Each entry has one of two forms:

'type' => 'image' - specifies that this image describes a Linux kernel image to boot.

'kernel_or_dev' - specifies the location and name of the kernel image to boot. eg. '/boot/vmlinuz'.

'label' - specifies the name associated with this image. eg. 'my_linux'.

'root' - specifies the partition to be mounted as 'root'. eg. '/dev/hda6'.

'initrd' - if present, specifies the location and name of the initial ram disk to be loaded. eg. '/boot/initrd.img'.

'append' - if present, specifies the kernel parameters for this image. eg. 'ramdisk=8192K'. NOTE: the 'perImageAppend' is NOT used for any entries you add. If you need special options, then use this to specify them.

'vga' - if present, specifies the video mode to be used with this image. ( See 'vga' above.).

'read-write' => 1 - if present, indicates the root file system is to be mounted read-write. If it is NOT present, then the root file system is mounted read-only.

or,

'type' => 'other', - specifies that this image describes an arbitrary operating system to boot.

'kernel_or_dev' - specifies the device to boot. eg. '/dev/zip' or '/dev/hdb'.

'label' - specifies the name associated with this image. eg. 'my_linux'.

'unsafe' => 1 - see man lilo.conf.

'table' - see man lilo.conf.

'mapdrive' - see man lilo.conf.

YABOOT

This loader is used on PowerPC computers. The following causes DrakX to create the file /etc/yaboot.conf. You really want to look at 'man yaboot.conf' for the correct explanation for some of the following.

Descriptions:

'methods' - this entry defines the boot loader options the PowerPC and must be 'yaboot'.

'append' - if present, it is placed in the yaboot.conf and used as yaboot's default for any per image entry that does not contain an 'append'. It is used to specify parameters to be passed to the kernel. eg. 'mem=128M serial=0,9600n8'.

'useboot' - this allows you to specify the disk drive that it to be used as the boot device. Do not include the partition number. eg. 'hda' or 'hde'.

'delay' - the time, in ??? seconds, for the Open Firmware Delay.

'default' - this is used to specify the default kernel image to boot. The value here is the 'label' value of one of the defined 'entries'. eg. 'my_linux'.

'defaultos' - is one of 'linux', 'macos', 'macosx' or 'darwin'.

'enablecdboot' => 1 - enables booting from CD.

'enableofboot' => 1 - enables booting using Open Firmware.

'initmsg' - this allows you to create a customized boot message. It is optional and if included, will causes the file boot loader to display your string. Also use double quotes (").

'message' - this allows you to create a customized boot message. It is optional and if included, causes the file /boot/message to be created containing your string (don't forget to include '\n' where appropriate. Also use double quotes (") ). If it is not included, then DrakX creates a default message for you.

'perImageAppend' => '' - if this is present, then DrakX uses the values here as the append for each entry it automatically creates. Note, DrakX creates this if it detects that there are any IDE CDRW or CD Burrners installed, if the 'miscellaneous' => { 'HDPARM '} is set, if it detects that you used mem= at the boot prompt or, if the syslinux.cfg file contains mem= in the append directive.

'timeout' - the time, in ??? seconds, to wait for the user to enter a desired image. eg. '10'. Also, this forces a prompt for the 'label' name to boot.

'entries' - this is an array of 'per image' entries describing selectable boot images. DrakX installs a number of default entries and normally you should not need to add any. However, if you add a new one, then use any label except: linux, linux-2.2, linux-hack, failsafe, failsafe-2.2, failsafe-hack, default, linux-up, linux-2.2up, linux-hackup, linux-nonfb, linux-2.2nonfb, linux-hacknonfb otherwise DrakX will rename yours to old_... when it inserts its own. So be careful.

Each entry has one of two forms:

'type' => 'image' - specifies that this image describes a Linux kernel image to boot.

'kernel_or_dev' - specifies the location and name of the kernel image to boot. eg. '/boot/vmlinuz'.

'label' - specifies the name associated with this image. eg. 'my_linux'.

'root' - specifies the partition to be mounted as 'root'. eg. '/dev/hda6'.

'initrd' - if present, specifies the location and name of the initial ram disk to be loaded. eg. '/boot/initrd.img'.

'append' - if present, specifies the kernel parameters for this image. eg. 'ramdisk=8192K'.

'read-write' => 1 - if present, indicates the root file system is to be mounted read-write. If it is NOT present, then the root file system is mounted read-only.

or

'type' => 'other' - specifies that this image describes a Linux kernel image to boot.

'kernel_or_dev' - specifies the ???.

'label' - specifies ???.

Examples (for x86):

This first one is the simplest and I use it on a server to obtain a simple text based boot prompt, rather than the default graphic one. This also lets DrakX fill in all the auto detected stuff for me.

NOTE: I use the 'crushMbr' here to make sure that whatever is on the disk is replaced with lilo's boot loader. This may not be suitable for everyone (such as dual boot or if you want to keep the existing MBR). Your installation needs may be different, so use with caution.

This one adds an additional boot image that I use on my test machine to increase the size of the default ram disk.

If I had wanted to make this new image the one which is automatically booted, then I would have added 'default' => 'bigdisk', just before the 'entries'.

Related Option Entries:

miscellaneous

compssListLevel

This option is only to be used in conjunction with 'compssUsersChoice'. It allows you to install packages based on their relative importance and has the following is its general form:

Descriptions:

'compssListLevel' - the desired rating value can be one of:

Mandrake has taken most of the installable packages (*.rpms found in Mandrake/RPMS ...) and categorized them, hierarchically, into Groups (eg. Office, KDE) and then refined it a bit further into sub-groups (packages which should only be installed if corresponding tag has been selected) and then finally applied a numerical rating (1 through 5) to each package. If you look in the file Mandrake/base/rpmsrate, you can see the group/sub-group tags, followed by the rating levels and each package assigned to that level.

When you use 'compssListLevel', DrakX will install every package which has a rating greater than or equal ( '>=' ) to the value you specify with this option, regardless of the group or sub-group they have been listed in.

NOTE: Since the Mandrake Linux distribution comes on a varying number of CD's, you may find packages listed which are not found on the ones that you downloaded or bought - not to worry, DrakX knows this and will only attempt to install packages that you actually have.

Examples:

See the section 'compssUsersChoice' for examples. Using this option without 'compssUsersChoice' will not produce the result that older versions (earlier than 8.1) did.

Related Option Entries:

compssUsersChoice, default_packages

compssUsersChoice

This option is an alternate package selection method and, if used 'compssListLevel' must be defined as well. These two options used together closely mimic the GUI based install where you selected which package groups to install. It has the following general form:

Descriptions:

'<group_tag>' - is one of the following:

NOTE: The indented tags indicate that there are packages in the corresponding Group which will only be installed if the indented tag is specified as well. If you look in the file Mandrake/base/rpmsrate, you can see the group/sub-group tags, followed by the rating levels and packages that are assigned to that level.

Before you get too carried away, remember that DrakX is going to install what it considers an essential minimum set of packages, then it looks at your selections and adds any extras that you selected and, any additional packages that are needed for your choices to operate properly.

Examples:

How do you select things? Well, have you ever tried the game 'Rubics Cube'; its kinda like that but with a bigger block.

First pick the features you want, then select the desktop you want to use. Then create a list of tags. Or you can look at the file Mandrake/base/compssUsers to see how Mandrake grouped things for the GUI Group Package selection screen and go from there. Finally, you have to set the package rating level you want as the minimum using 'compssListLevel'.

The following are some simple examples:

This is what would be selected if you were using the GUI install and selected the icons for Game station, Multimedia Station, Console Tools and KDE:

This example is basically the same, except the rating level includes almost everything possible for these groups. The 'default_packages' option lets me add package(s) which would have been excluded.

Kinda like the individual package selection of the GUI install. Except that the rating level gives you a bit more control on the basic package set installed.

This example is a short way to install almost everything.

Related Option Entries:

compssListLevel, default_packages, excludedocs

default_packages

This option is used to explicitly specify which packages are to be installed. It is simply a list of package names. For an example, see the file 'auto_inst.cfg.pl' that was placed in your /root/drakx after a graphic install. The general form is as follows:

Descriptions:

'<package-name>', - name of the package to be installed, not including the version, release, architecture and filename extension. eg. if the package file name is acon-1.0.4-5mdk.i586.rpm then use 'acon',.

If you are not sure of the name for the package you want installed, then use the following:

rpm -qp --queryformat %{NAME} <filename of package>

This will give you the name that the install is expecting.

After viewing the contents of the auto_inst.cfg or auto_inst.cfg.pl files, you may have noticed that the list does not contain all the packages that are installed in a system (rpm -qa | sort). This because a new approach is being used in an attempt to reduce the size of the files on the diskette. Basically, this means that packages 'required' by the listed ones are not included in the list.

NOTE: All packages must be in either the RPMS, RPMS2 or, RPMS3 directories. If you have added one, then see the section Creating an Updated Installation CD Set.

Examples:

The following is a simple example to illustrate the use of this option.

Related Option Entries:

compssUsersChoice, compssListLevel, excludedocs

desktop

This option is used to preset the default Desktop (Window Manager) for users.

Descriptions:

'desktop'- if this option is present, then it may be any one of the following, provided of course it was installed:

The DrakX installer places the specified value into the file /etc/sysconfig/desktop.

Default means that if you are at Run Level 3 and you type startx, then the window manager defined in the file is used. If you have a graphic Login Screen and you select default, rather than one of the indicated Window Managers, then the window manager defined in this file is used.

Related Option Entries:

autologin

excludedocs

This option instructs DrakX to inhibit the installation of any documents associated with packages being installed. Associated documents usually appear in /usr/share/docs in a sub-directory with the same base name as the package installed.

Descriptions:

'excludedocs' - what you want to do

DrakX normally installs all documentation that is available with each package.

Related Option Entries:

compssUsersChoice, default_packages

interactive

This option is used when you are doing auto installs from CD-ROM and some of the packages to be installed are on the 2^nd or 3^rd CD. Or if you would simply like a graphic display showing the installation progress, rather than the simplistic text which is the default for an automated install.

Descriptions:

The default operation of DrakX for automated installs does not allow for any interaction with the installer: Insert boot floppy, press reset and go for coffee. This approach works very well when installing via a network, but is inconvenient when using CDs and, some of the needed packages are on the second or third CD (they are skipped and you have to manually install them).

The interactive option allows you to perform a CD based auto install and have DrakX prompt you when it needs a different CD.

'interactive' - Selects the method of interaction:

Related Option Entries:

none.

interactiveSteps

This option is used when you are creating a Replay Install configuration. It replaces the old style where a perl code fragment appeared at the end of the auto_inst.cfg file.

Descriptions:

DrakX has the capability, Replay Auto Install, which can be used to assist installation on multiple computers with slightly different hardware configurations. This replay ability allows you to select one or more specific steps where you want to manually re-enter configuration selections.

Generation of a Replay Auto Install Disk and can be accomplished:

* at the end of a Manual install where you select Advanced, Generate an auto install floppy, then Reply or,

* on an installed system by running the drakconf program or,

* manually creating the disk and files on it.

To change a standard Auto Install into a Replay Auto Install, just add this option. For a more detailed description and a summary of the available steps, please review the section Replay Install.

NOTE: Mandrake is in the process of removing the old style perl code fragment from the end of a Replay Install auto_inst.cfg file and replacing it this option. So you are strongly advised to begin using this option.

Currently, you can still use the perl code fragment. In fact, the drakconf program still generates Replay Install disks with the code fragement at the end.

Related Option Entries:

none.

intf

This option is used to define the various network (ethernet or wireless) capable devices in your system.

The following is the general form for the structure:

'ethx' - used to indicate an ethernet card interface definition. The 'x' is a sequence number, beginning with 0, for each ethernet card installed. Up to 10 cards can be defined with this version of the installer.

'wireless_eth' - used to indicate that there is a wireless ethernet interface installed. Currently only a single interface is supported.

For an ethernet card, the following are valid:

For a wireless interface, the following are valid:

Descriptions:

'DEVICE' - must be the same as the 'ethx' (or 'wireless_eth') you used to start this definition with.

'BOOTPROTO' - may be one of 'static', 'dhcp' or 'bootp'.

'ONBOOT' - normally set to 'yes', but can be set to 'no' if you do not want the interface automatically started at boot up.

'IPADDR' - IP address ('x.x.x.x') for this interface, not required if BOOTPROTO is dhcp or bootp.

'NETMASK' - Network Mask ('x.x.x.x') to be used with this interface, not required if BOOTPROTO is dhcp or bootp.

'NETWORK' - base IP address ('x.x.x.x') for this interface, not required if BOOTPROTO is dhcp or bootp.

'BROADCAST' - broadcast IP address ('x.x.x.x') for this interface, not required if BOOTPROTO is dhcp or bootp.

'HWADDR' - the ethernet hardware address for the associated ether net interface card. Only required if the system is tracking the networking id (see 'miscellaneous').

'WIRELESS_MODE' - may be one of Ad-hoc, Managed, Master, Repeater, Secondary or Auto.

'WIRELESS_ESSID' - Extended Service System ID, and is a string representing the desired ID or 'any'

'WIRELESS_NWID' - Network ID or Channel Sequence number

'WIRELESS_FREQ' - Operating frequency of the wireless radio component. (eg. 2.46G)

'WIRELESS_SENS' - Receive sensitivity

'WIRELESS_RATE' - Data transfer rate (eg. 11M)

'WIRELESS_ENC_KEY' - Encryption or scrambling key

'WIRELESS_RTS' - ???

'WIRELESS_FRAG' - ???

'WIRELESS_IWCONFIG' - list of parameters to be given to the program iwconfig.

'WIRELESS_IWSPY' - list of parameters to be given to the program iwspy.

'WIRELESS_IWPRIV' - list of parameters to be given to the program iwpriv.

The entries for each interface appear in a configuration file located in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/. The configuration file name for each interface is formed by adding the DEVICE string to the end of 'ifcfg-'. In the example below, you would expect to find the file: /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0.

Examples:

See the section Network and Connection Examples for various examples.

For a computer which does not have an ethernet or wireless interface, then use the following:

If the target computer has multiple interfaces, then use the following:

If the computer has more than one interface defined, make sure the 'netc' option identifies which one is the GATEWAYDEV.

If the computer has an interface with BOOTPROTO set to 'dhcp', then see 'netc' for selecting a 'dhcp_client' to be installed. If it is set to 'bootp', then the pump package is be automatically installed.

For those of you using a Wireless interface, the following are recommended reading for additional information:

The Wireless-HOWTO at www.linuxdoc.org and,

Linux Wireless Howto Collection at www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/

NOTE: If you are trying to install ISA network cards , DrakX does not auto detect them and as a result will not update the /etc/modules.conf file with the appropriate alias. However, the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth[0-9] file is created with your specified values. To complete the installation, you will have to manually add the alias and any suitable options or, use the 'postInstall' option to make the necessary adjustments.

Related Option Entries:

netc, miscellaneous., postInstall

isUpgrade

This option is used to tell DrakX to perform an upgrade instead of a full install.

Descriptions:

'isUpgrade' - what you want to do

An upgrade will examine the currently installed packages on the computer and upgrade only those packages necessary. It will add additional new packages that are 'required' by the new packages which are replacing older ones.

Related Option Entries:

none.

keyboard

This option allows you to specify the type of keyboard you are using by specifying one of the country codes.

See file Mandrake/mdkinst/usr/bin/perl-install/keyboard.pm declaration for %keyboards which may contain a more up to date list.

Descriptions:

'keyboard' - specifies the keyboard type used, possible values are:

'al'	Albanian
'am_old'	Armenian (old)
'am'	Armenian (typewriter)
'am_phonetic'	Armenian (phonetic)
'az'	Azerbaidjani (latin)
'be'	Belgian
'bg'	Bulgarian
'bg_phonetic'	Bulgarian (phonetic)
'br'	Brazilian (ABNT-2)
'by'	Belarusian
'ch_de'	Swiss (German layout)
'ch_fr'	Swiss (French layout)
'cz'	Czech (QWERTZ)
'cz_qwerty'	Czech (QWERTY)
'de'	German
'de_nodeadkeys'	German (no dead keys)
'dk'	Danish
'dvorak'	Dvorak
'dvorak_no'	Dvorak (Norwegian)
'dvorak_se'	Dvorak (Swedish)
'ee'	Estonian
'es'	Spanish
'fi'	Finnish
'fr'	French
'ge_ru'	Georgian (Russian layout)
'ge_la'	Georgian (Latin layout)
'gr'	Greek
'hu'	Hungarian
'hr'	Croatian
'il'	Israeli
'il_phonetic'	Israeli (Phonetic)
'ir'	Iranian
'is'	Icelandic
'it'	Italian
'jp'	Japanese 106 keys
'kr'	Korean
'la'	Latin American
'lt'	Lithuanian AZERTY (old)
'lt_new'	Lithuanian AZERTY (new)
'lt_b'	Lithuanian number row QWERTY
'lt_p'	Lithuanian phonetic QWERTY
'lv'	Latvian
'mk'	Macedonian
'nl'	Dutch
'no'	Norwegian
'pl'	Polish (qwerty layout)
'pl2'	Polish (qwertz layout)
'pt'	Portuguese
'qc'	Canadian (Quebec)
'ro2'	Romanian (QWERTZ)
'ro'	Romanian (QWERTY)
'ru'	Russian
'ru_yawerty'	Russian (Yawerty)
'se'	Swedish
'si'	Slovenian
'sk'	Slovakian (QWERTZ)
'sk_qwerty'	Slovakian (QWERTY)
'sr'	Serbian
'th'	Thai keyboard
'tj'	Tajik keyboard
'tml'	Tamil
'tr_f'	Turkish (traditional F model)
'tr_q'	Turkish (modern Q model)
'ua'	Ukrainian
'uk'	UK keyboard
'us'	US keyboard
'us_intl'	US keyboard (international)
'vn'	Vietnamese numeric row QWERTY
'yu'	Yugoslavian (latin)

Related Option Entries:

lang

lang

This option allows you to select the language used for text presentations. The default is English US ('en_US').

See file Mandrake/mdkinst/usr/bin/perl-install/lang.pm declaration for %languages which may contain a more up to date list.

Descriptions:

'lang' - used to specify the desired language, possible values are:

'en_US'	English (US)	iso-8859-1
'en_GB'	English (UK)	iso-8859-1
'en_IE'	English (Ireland)	iso-8859-15
'af'	Afrikaans	iso-8859-1
'ar'	Arabic	iso-8859-6
'az_AZ.UTF-8'	Azeri (latin)	iso-8859-9e
'be'	Belarussian	cp1251
'bg'	Bulgarian	cp1251
'br'	Brezhoneg	iso-8859-1
'bs'	Bosnian	iso-8859-2
'ca_ES'	Catalan	iso-8859-15
'cs'	Czech	iso-8859-2
'cy'	Cymraeg (Welsh)	iso-8859-14
'da'	Danish	iso-8859-1
'de_AT'	German (Austria)	iso-8859-15
'de_BE'	German (Belgian)	iso-8859-15
'de_CH'	German (Swiss)	iso-8859-1
'de_DE'	German (Germany)	iso-8859-15
'el'	Greek	iso-8859-7
'eo'	Esperanto	iso-8859-3
'es_AR'	Spanish (Argentina)	iso-8859-1
'es_ES'	Spanish (Spain, modern sorting)	iso-8859-15
'es@tradicional'	Spanish (Spain, traditional sorting)	iso-8859-1
'es_MX'	Spanish (Mexico)	iso-8859-1
'et'	Estonian	iso-8859-15
'eu_ES'	Euskara (Basque)	iso-8859-15
'fi_FI'	Finnish (Suomi)	iso-8859-15
'fr_BE'	French (Belgian)	iso-8859-15
'fr_CA'	French (Canada)	iso-8859-15
'fr_CH'	French (Swiss)	iso-8859-1
'fr_FR@euro'	French (France)	iso-8859-15
'ga_IE@euro'	Gaeilge (Irish)	iso-8859-15
'gl_ES@euro'	Galego (Galician)	iso-8859-15
'he'	Hebrew	iso-8859-8
'hr'	Croatian	iso-8859-2
'hu'	Hungarian	iso-8859-2
'hy'	Armenian	armscii-8
'id'	Indonesian	iso-8859-1
'is'	Icelandic	iso-8859-1
'it_CH'	Italian (Swiss)	iso-8859-1
'it_IT'	Italian (Italy)	iso-8859-15
'ja'	Japanese	jisx0208
'ka_GE.UTF-8'	Georgian	georgian-ps
'ko'	Korean	ksc5601
'lt'	Lithuanian	iso-8859-13
'lv'	Latvian	iso-8859-13
'mi'	Maori	iso-8859-13
'mk'	Macedonian (Cryllic)	iso-8859-5
'ms'	Malay	iso-8859-1
'mt'	Maltese	iso-8859-3
'nl_BE'	Dutch (Belgian)	iso-8859-15
'nl_NL'	Dutch (Netherlands)	iso-8859-15
'no'	Norwegian (Bokmaal)	iso-8859-1
'nn'	Norwegian (Nynorsk)	iso-8859-1
'pl'	Polish	iso-8859-2
'pt_BR'	Portuguese (Brazil)	iso-8859-1
'pt_PT'	Portuguese (Portugal)	iso-8859-15
'ro'	Romanian	iso-8859-2
'ru_RU.CP1251'	Russian	cp1251
'ru_RU.KOI8-R'	Russian	koi8-r
'sk'	Slovak	iso-8859-2
'sl'	Slovenian	iso-8859-2
'sp'	Serbian (Cyrillic)	iso-8859-5
'sr'	Serbian (Latin)	iso-8859-2
'sv'	Swedish	iso-8859-1
'ta'	Tamil	tscii-0
'tg_TJ.UTF-8'	Tajik	koi8-c
'th'	Thai	tis620
'tr'	Turkish	iso-8859-9
'uk_UA'	Ukrainian	koi8-u
'uz'	Uzbek	iso-8859-1
'vi_VN.VISCII'	Vietnamese (VISCII)	viscii
'vi_VN.TCVN'	Vietnamese (TCVN)	tcvn
'wa'	Walon	iso-8859-1
'zh_TW.Big5'	Chinese (Traditional)	Big5
'zh_CN.GB2312'	Chinese (Simplified)	gb2312

NOTE: Not all languages are supported by all applications. The third column, above, is the character set for the language.

Related Option Entries:

keyboard

manualFstab

This option allows you to add additional entries to the /etc/fstab file on the target computer. The most notable include adding NFS mounts and Windows shares (smbfs). Possibilities include other devices which are not detected by the install program, partitions or devices which already exist on the target computer and have not been specified in the 'partitioning' option.

The fields for this option are identical to those you would see in the /etc/fstab file.

Descriptions:

'device' - a physical device (partition) such as 'hdd1' or, a nfs network device such as 'linux1:/nfscd/cdrom82' or, '//cherry/cherry-c' for smb file systems.

'mntpoint' - the file system mount point for the device. It is a good idea NOT to use a mount point that is created for the use of rpmdrake (eg. /mnt/nfs).

'type' - type of file system on the device ( eg. ext2, reiserfs, nfs,smbfs ). See man mount for a list of supported file types.

'options' - mount options for the device/file system being mounted.

'passno' - if present, the value specified is placed in the fifth (5) field (default value of 0 is used if this is omitted). See the man page for fstab (man fstab).

'freq' - if present, the value specified is placed in the sixth (6) field (default value of 0 is used if this is omitted). See the man page for fstab (man fstab).

'toFormat' => 1, - if present, causes the associated 'device' to be formatted. This selection is applicable to local devices only and is ONLY used when an EXISTING partition must be formatted prior to the actual installation (see the Note for the option 'partitioning').

Examples:

The following is a simple example to illustrate specifying a Windows Share:.

Related Option Entries:

partitions, partitioning

miscellaneous

This is where stuff goes that does not fit anywhere else.

Descriptions:

'numlock' - if present, causes the numlock package to be installed. Whether it is set to 1 or 0 does not matter, the numlock service will be started with the result that keyboards' NumLock will be turned on after boot up. If you want it off after boot up, then you will have to create a services list which specifically excludes numlock (see the 'services' option ).

'CLEAN_TMP' - set to 1 if the /tmp directory is to be cleaned up at each boot up, 0 if not. If you forget, then you can always manually add CLEAN_TMP=0 or 1 to the /etc/sysconfig/system file.

'HDPARM' - if present, then forces the 'perImageAppend', used by the bootloader, to have ALL IDE controllers set for auto tune (eg. ide0=autotune ide1=autotune).

'http_proxy' - if used, then it is set to the URL and port for the http proxy server.

'ftp_proxy' - if used, then it is set to the URL and port for the ftp proxy server.

'track_network_id' - if used, then it allows you to enable (1) or disable (0) the ethernet interface hardware address (ethernet hardware address) tracking. It is useful for Laptops where the interface card can be removed/replaced under varying circumstances.

If you have specified entries for the 'http_proxy' or 'ftp_proxy' options, DrakX places them in two files: /etc/profile.d/proxy.sh and /etc/profile.d/proxy.csh.

Related Option Entries:

default_packages, bootloader, intf, services.

mkbootdisk

This option allows you to create a boot disk during the install process. Probably not something you want to do while doing an auto installation.

Descriptions:

'mkbootdisk' - used to specify the floppy device that is to be used:

Related Option Entries:

none.

mouse

This option is used to define the Mouse that is attached to the target computer. Use this option ONLY if you know the required information. By using this option, DrakX is inhibited from performing a 'Mouse Probe' in an attempt to automatically identify the type of mouse available. See 'nomouseprobe' for additional information.

Descriptions:

'type' - one of 'PS/2', 'USB', 'serial', 'busmouse', or 'none'. See table for mice for each type.

'device' - device file to use:

'name' - see table.

'nbuttons' - 2 or 3 for mice without a wheel, 5 for mice with a wheel (see table).

'XEMU3' - 'yes' if 2 button mouse and you want 3 button emulation, else should be set to 'no'.

'MOUSETYPE' - see table.

'XMOUSETYPE' - see table.

'FULLNAME' - is '<type> | <name>'. eg. 'PS/2|Standard'

'WHEEL' - 'yes' if mouse has a wheel, 'no' if the mouse does not.

'nbuttons'	'MOUSETYPE'	'XMOUSETYPE'	'name'
'PS/2'
2	ps/2	PS/2	Standard
5	ps/2	MouseManPlusPS/2	Logitech MouseMan+
5	imps2	IMPS/2	Generic PS2 Wheel Mouse
5	ps/2	GlidePointPS/2	GlidePoint
5	ps/2	ThinkingMousePS/2	Kensington Thinking Mouse
5	netmouse	NetMousePS/2	Genius NetMouse
5	netmouse	NetScrollPS/2	Genius NetScroll
'USB'
2	ps/2	PS/2	Generic
5	ps/2	IMPS2	Wheel
1	ps/2	PS/2	1 button (PPC only)
'serial'
2	Microsoft	Microsoft	Generic 2 Button Mouse
3	Microsoft	Microsoft	Generic 3 Button Mouse
5	ms3	IntelliMouse	Microsoft IntelliMouse
3	MouseMan	MouseMan	Logitech MouseMan
2	MouseSystems	MouseSystems	Mouse Systems
3	logim	MouseMan	Logitech CC Series
5	pnp	IntelliMouse	Logitech MouseMan+/FirstMouse+
5	ms3	IntelliMouse	Genius NetMouse
2	MMSeries	MMSeries	MM Series
2	MMHitTab	MMHittab	MM HitTablet
3	Logitech	Logitech	Logitech Mouse (serial, old C7 type)
3	Microsoft	ThinkingMouse	Kensington Thinking Mouse
'busmouse'
1	Busmouse	BusMouse	1 button (PPC only)
2	Busmouse	BusMouse	2 buttons
3	Busmouse	BusMouse	3 buttons
'none'
0	None	Microsoft	No mouse

Examples:

NOTE: If you are using an old Microsoft Bus Mouse, you MUST use this option.

The following is an example for a PS/2 non wheel mouse:

The following is an example for a serial mouse:

The following is an example for a Generic PS/2 Wheel mouse:

NOTE: Information from here is used to update the files /etc/sysconfig/mouse and /etc/X11/XF86Config(-4) Mouse section.

Related Option Entries:

nomouseprobe, wacom, X

netc

This option contains values used to configure the network parameters for the target computer. The general form is as follows:

Descriptions:

'NETWORKING' - set to 'yes' if this machine is network connected, otherwise it is set to 'no' and remove any other entries .

'minus_one' - set to 1 if any interface uses DHCP to obtain its IP information, otherwise it is set to 0.

'nb_cards' - number of ethernet capable interface cards in the computer. This is a count of the number of definitions that you specified in the 'intf' option, including the wireless_eth.

'FORWARD_IPV4' - set to 'true' if IP forwarding between interfaces is required, otherwise it should be set to 'false'.

'HOSTNAME' - fully qualified host name for the target computer. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'DOMAINNAME' - domain name for the target computer. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'GATEWAY' - IP address for the machine that processes all non-local IP messages. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'GATEWAYDEV' - device name for the interface that is to be used to access the gateway machine. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'dnsServer' - IP addresses for DNS server, up to three may be specified. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'dnsServer2' - if available, then the second DNS server's IP address. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'dnsServer3' - if available, then the second DNS server's IP address. This is not required if supplied via a DHCP server.

'NISDOMAIN' - if NIS authentication is used, then this contains the NIS domain name, otherwise it is not required.

'LDAPDOMAIN' - if LDAP authentication is being used, then this contains the Base Distinguished Name, otherwise it is not required. (eg. 'LDAPDOMAIN' => 'dc=eastcott,dc=net')

'DHCP_HOSTNAME' - if needed by the DHCP server, the name to be presented when requesting an IP address and other related values.

NOTE: this value can be different from HOSTNAME (when supplying a specific name to an ISP) and is usually just the host name (no domain name part). You should look at the file /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifup to see the effects that HOSTNAME, DOMAINNAME and DHCP_HOSTNAME have on the parameters sent to the DHCP server via your specified dhcp_client.

'dhcp_client' - if one or more interfaces specifies dhcp for BOOTPROTO then this parameter this specifies the DHCP client package to be installed; it may be one of 'dhcpcd', 'dhcpxd' or 'pump'. If this parameter is not specified, then the dhcpcd package is installed by default. If more than one dhcp client package is installed, you should add DHCP_CLIENT=<your client> to the associated ifcfg-ethx file.

You will find most of these options placed in the files /etc/resolv.conf and /etc/sysconfig/network.

Examples:

See the section Network and Connection Examples for various examples.

When you examine the /sbin/ifup script, you will see a couple other things that can be done to control the actual operation of the dhcp client (dhcpcd) that you may find useful. If you add PEERDNS=no to the /etc/sysconfig/network file, then the dhcpcd client will NOT replace your /etc/resolv.conf file (for those of you using a local DNS server). And, if you delete the HOSTNAME and DOMAINNAME entries from /etc/sysconfig/network file, the dhcpcd client can be made to update these with information it gets from the DHCP server. These fine adjustments need to be done either manually or by using the 'postinstall' option. eg.

Related Option Entries:

intf, authentication, postInstall

nomouseprobe

This option is used to prevent the install program from doing a 'Mouse Probe' on serial ports, PS/2 mouse port, etc. You would ONLY use this when the target computer has no mouse attached and you have equipment connected to the computer (typically serial ports) that would be adversely affected by the mouse probe.

If you use the 'mouse' option to define your mouse, then the mouse probe is automatically disabled and this option is not necessary.

Descriptions:

'nomouseprobe' - what to do

Normally if you want probing, then this statement is not included in the auto_inst.cfg file

NOTE: The service kudzu performs a serial port probe each time you boot your computer. If you do NOT want the probe to occur, then you must, manually or using 'postInstall', modify its' configuration file: /etc/sysconfig/kudzu and change the line SAFE=no to SAFE=yes. eg.

Related Option Entries:

mouse, postInstall, services

partitioning

This option is used to control the partitioning of the target systems' hard disk drives.