Hi,

My company is slowly moving from Windows environment to Linux.
Currently, for Windows deployment, everything is automated in few click.

For example: I boot computer/server using PXE, I choose OS version from the list, set hostname, set software to install and few other settings and just click "next". After few minutes new deployment is ready to use.
That means that OS is installed, joined to Active Directory domain, member of specified groups are added to local administrators groups, additional software is installed.

I would like to build the same solution for Linux computers/servers.
Could you please give me some advice (or links to articles)?

- I can install PXE server, but I don't know which software use to have list of available OSes to choose (like ubuntu and centos)
- I don't know how to preconigure installed OS, like set hostname, IP, username password. I would like to have possibility to set those options everytime I choose OS to install via PXE.
- I don't know how to automatically join new installed Linux to active directory domain. Can I use Ansible here?
- I don't know how to set members of specified Windows Active Directory group as root users in linux
- Which software use to inventory linux machines? For Windows I use Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.


I'm think that all for now :-)
Regards

You might want to take a look at two fairly well known tools.
Puppet and Razor
Or their primary competitor, Chef
They seem to address all your needs except for the Ansible reference.

Almost any Linux distribution can be provisioned and managed through those tools, or at least that's what the wrapper says ( we do most of what you're talking about through a combination of bash and python scripting)

Part of your question. http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...tallation.html

Linux has what is called distro's or distributions. Each one has a target audience. It's user and hardware tend to be a large group. Commercial linux is used like windows and has similar tools and ways to deploy. Suse, Oracle, Ubuntu and Red Hat are examples of commercial products. They also have open source versions available that are based on those.

If this is strictly a business then use one of those maybe.

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