Here's the problem...
We have some machines controlled from an 'embedded' PC motherboard running Ubuntu 10.04 server.
The machines normally operate without a system console or keyboard and have a private network connection.
The problem is that if a motherboard needs to be replaced in the field, a new Ethernet driver package needs to be installed.
We would like to find a way to install the debian package without the network in fool proof way.
Without Ethernet, the only real option seems to be USB flash.
Because the system is running ubuntu server, USB devices are not auto mounted (usbmount is not installed).
To complicate things further, some machines have a USB flash license dongle.
That means to do the install manually the field service guy would need do something like:-
* Connect a system console and USB keyboard.
* Unplug any USB dongle(s).
* Plug in the USB stick with the driver.
* 'sudo mkdir -p /media/usb'
* 'sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb0'
* 'sudo dpkg -i /media/usb0/<package name>'
* 'sudo umount /media/usb0'
* Unplug the USB stick
* Reconnect USB dongle(s).
The field service manager doesn't like this because
1) It means giving root permissions to the service engineer.
2) The service engineer could make mistakes when entering the commands.
The only alternatives I can come up with are:-
1) Replace the system disk at the same time as the motherboard.
The new disk will have the required driver already installed.
This would mean having to restore the machine config and calibration files from a backup.
It also means the service engineer will need to carry a stock of replacement disks + software.
2) Create a bootable USB flash drive containing a script that would automatically run when the system is booted.
The field service manager likes this idea because it could be made fully automatic.
It does mean that the PC BIOS config may need changing to enable booting from USB.
This option effectively requires creating a custom flash bootable Ubuntu live.
How easy is this? From what I have read, it looks like a fair amount of work.
'Remastersys' looks like a possibility, but it may be a bit of an overkill.
Another option may be to add the required package and installer script using the 'uck' Ubuntu Cusomization Kit.
Is there a simpler solution?
It is possible to do something from grub?
