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Hello and welcome to the FAI wiki.
This is a public wiki for users and developers of FAI.


This is a public wiki for [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI - Fully Automatic Installation].
= About FAI =
It is a place for users and developers of FAI to share information. If you have some information on FAI to share, see the page [[wiki registration]] - you need to write a mail, because we can't handle the spam otherwise. Also, please read [[editing rules]].


= About FAI =
FAI is a tool for fully automatic installation of Debian and other Linux Distributions via network, custom install CD, or into a chroot environment.


FAI is a tool for fully automatic (unless you explicitly wish to get some questions on each install) installation of Debian and other Linux Distributions via network, custom install cd, or into a chroot environment. Some people also use it to install Windows.
FAI works script-based as opposed to full image based - so it is very flexible, and can be used to install very heterogeneous infrastructures. It uses a class-based system (think of classes as system types that can be combined with each other, as long as they are not technically conflicting) to define configurations in some simple textfiles.
 
FAI works script-based as opposed to full image based (if you wish so, we can also install any kind of image) - so it is very flexible, and can be used to install very heterogeneous infrastructures. It uses a class-based system (think of classes as system types that can be combined with each other, as long as they are not technically conflicting) to define configurations in some simple textfiles.


It is also used to update running systems without completely reinstalling them with the softupdate functionality - so you have one single point of configuration for installation and updates.
It is also used to update running systems without completely reinstalling them with the softupdate functionality - so you have one single point of configuration for installation and updates.


= Getting started =


= getting FAI =
* FAI CD https://fai-project.org/fai-cd/
if you want the latest and greatest version(instead of the versions contained in Debian apt repositores for the specific version of the distribution):
* FAIme build service for customized installation and cloud images https://fai-project.org/FAIme
* download it from: http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/
* add this to your /etc/apt/sources.list, as well as /etc/fai/apt/sources.list(to get the correct fai-nfsroot package into the nfsroot) - depending on which flavor you want:
<pre>
deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download sarge koeln
deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download etch koeln
deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download lenny koeln
deb http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download experimental koeln
</pre>
* the experimental builds contain patches contributed by the developers that may or may not make it into the official version; the more feedback we get on this one, the likelier it is :-) (see also the [https://lists.uni-koeln.de/pipermail/linux-fai-devel/2008q4/000636.html announcement on linux-fai-devel])
* install it within debian sid
* check out the sources from subversion:
<pre>svn co svn://svn.debian.org/svn/fai/trunk fai-sources</pre>
(will require building the package by entering the directory and do something like "dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot")
* get the sources from the '''unofficial''' [http://www.git.or.cz Git] repository provided by Sebastian Harl:
<pre>git clone git://git.tokkee.org/fai.git
git clone http://git.tokkee.org/fai.git</pre>
(this repository is automatically synchronized from the SVN repository four times a day)<br />
(as with SVN, this will require building the package by entering the directory and doing something like "dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot")


There are some [[FAI 3.2 on Etch | hints]] for getting FAI 3.2.X running - there are changes in the boot setup, and the sources.list for server and fai must fit.


= documentation and examples =
= Documentation and examples =


== official - from the FAI developer team ==
== Official - from the FAI developer team ==
* Main documentation for FAI is the fai guide:
* [http://fai-project.org/guide/ FAI guide]
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/fai-guide/ english]
* [http://fai-project.org/doc/man/ Manpages in HTML Format]
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/index.html#doc Search the fai guide]
* [[Variables]] List of useful variables inside FAI
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/doc/man/ Manpages in HTML Format]
* Some more information is also on the [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI Homepage]


== FAI in the real world ==


Translations of the fai-guide are available, <b>but they are not
* [http://fai-project.org/references/ References]
really up to date (hint: we could use quite some help here!):</b>
* [http://fai-project.org/reports User reports]
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/fai-guide-fr/ french]
* [[Success Stories]] - who is using FAI, how and why - and, when available pictures of the machines installed with FAI :)


== user contributed in this wiki ==
== User contributed in this wiki ==


* [[Howtos]] (see also: [[:Category:Howto]])
* [[Howtos]]
* [[helper scripts]] - add-on scripts that help using FAI
* [[helper scripts]] - add-on scripts that help using FAI
* [[user FAQ]] ( from questions in the mailing list and on IRC irc.debian.org #fai)
* [[user FAQ]] (from questions in the mailing list and on IRC #fai)
* [[linux-fai mailing list infos]] (Netiquette, how to subscribe and use)
* [[Developers information]]
* [[reporting bugs]] and also maybe find fixes for problems that you might encounter when using FAI.
* [[other installation tools]] - overview of other stuff seen in the wild web
 
* TODO:
** [[Resources]] - there are some information resources about FAI available &quot;out there&quot;, as well as some unofficial developer branches, that are handled somewhere else until that code is incoporated in the FAI main Branch - and we want to point to them.
 
== FAI in the real world ==
* [[Success Stories]] - who is using FAI, how and why - and, when available pictures of the machines installed with FAI :)
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/q-answers User reports] by filling out the [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/questionnaire FAI questionnaire]  (TODO: create a webform for this)
 
 
== "third party" articles ==
 
* [http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/240 a short tutorial on www.debian-administration.org]
* [http://jijo.free.net.ph/files/talks/20050914-linuxworld2005.pdf a talk on fai and debian]
* [http://www.the-greenman.net/?q=node/7 A visual overview] of how all the pieces of an FAI installation fit together.
* Articles of how people use FAI for some clusters:
** ATLAS Top 500 Cluster:
*** http://times.debian.net/#1250
*** http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/q-answers.html#atlas
*** http://www.top500.org/system/9234
** Graphical rendering: http://viz.aset.psu.edu/ga5in/DisplayWallBuild.html
** Global Optimization computing cluster: http://globopt.dsi.unifi.it/gol/cluster.html
* FAI Product Overview: http://highscalability.com/product-fai-fully-automatic-installation
* An Interview with Thomas: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6781458929811937223
* Rolling Out Unattended Debian Installations (Part 1): http://linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/5667/1/


= Developer information =
* This has all been moved to [[Developers information]]


= Wiki Information =
= Wiki Information =


* this wiki and FAI itself need a [[Logo]]
* [[wiki registration | register for this wiki]]
* [[editing rules | Editing rules]]
* [[FAIWiki:About | About this Wiki]] - info on this wiki
* [[FAIWiki:About | About this Wiki]] - info on this wiki
* [[help for editing]] (mainly mediawiki documentation links)
* [[help for editing]] (mainly mediawiki documentation links)
* [[editing rules]] - some ideas that make collaborative work here easier
* [[editing rules]] - some ideas that make collaborative work here easier
* practice wiki writing [[practice wiki writing|here]]
* [[FAI Wiki Administration Coordination]] - some infos on managing this wiki
* [[FAI Wiki Administration Coordination]] - some infos on managing this wiki

Latest revision as of 21:28, 30 January 2019

This is a public wiki for users and developers of FAI.

About FAI

FAI is a tool for fully automatic installation of Debian and other Linux Distributions via network, custom install CD, or into a chroot environment.

FAI works script-based as opposed to full image based - so it is very flexible, and can be used to install very heterogeneous infrastructures. It uses a class-based system (think of classes as system types that can be combined with each other, as long as they are not technically conflicting) to define configurations in some simple textfiles.

It is also used to update running systems without completely reinstalling them with the softupdate functionality - so you have one single point of configuration for installation and updates.

Getting started


Documentation and examples

Official - from the FAI developer team

FAI in the real world

User contributed in this wiki


Wiki Information

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