Hi
I would like to create different LFS installations to reflect different functions, eg a SNORT sensor, a firewall, a proxy server, etc. But instead of creating a wallet full of different CDs, I would like to have one CD with all the info on it, using a kind of web-like interface screen.

The idea is that:
1) the CD boots up
2) partitions the drive
3) a screen appears asking what functional role the machine will have
4) untars the appropriate install
5) asks configuration questions like IP, hostname, users, etc
6) updates the relevant config files on the extracted install
7) Reboots

Any ideas or suggestions on how I could approach doing this? Has someone already done something like this? I tried Google and this forum, but it is a little hard when I am not sure what exactly to search for.

Any help would be appreciated.

Merry Christmas!!!!

So you want to make a fully functionly, self installing self configuing linux install with multiple possibilities for the computers purpose, along with all utilities to partition hard drives and edit config files....

Has it been done?... um...

Its called a linux distro and there's a reason why large companies set dozens of people to work writing instlal programs so things can go smoothly...


If you want to install, setup and verify that you have a distro working exactly for the purpose you want it to be doing, you could try gentoo and then use catalyst to make your own live boot cd's with different set configurations...

Other than that...
Try to think a little smaller... yikes.

No, you misunderstand. I want to set up a full image of my desired install, one for each kind of function I want to perform and then tar it.
So on a CD I would for instance have ids.tar. gz, proxy.tar.gz and console.tar.gz.
Each one of those would be a pre-configured install. I add a bootimage to the cd to make it bootable, but from here on is where the challenge lies:

With most live CDs, you can boot up and configure your distro via a simple interface. I'm assuming a combination of html and perl could do this? The problem is just on how I can for instance make sure I add the right values to the right conf file after it has been extracted, eg IP address, user creation, etc.

All I want to know is if someone has done this before so I don't spend a lot of time creating work when it is re-inventing the wheel. Would this even be possible? I tried to look at what happens in an IPCOP install, but the files it uses are all compiled, so no easy way out for me there.

Oh.. that's partly different.

You could download some timy, self booting linux distro, and make a text based script that just says "Press 1 for blah.. 2 for blahblah..." and then the command for it to untar-gzip the appropriate tar...
Or possibly set it as 2 or 3 scripts...
Number 1 picks what you want to install
Number 2 asks you for username, password, and applicable settings and echo >> them into the appropriate files...
Step 3, reboot?

heh guess I will have to brush up on my scripting skillz Tnx for the reply