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= How to turn the FAI nfsroot into a file system for diskless clients =
= How to build a live ISO for running diskless clients =


Someone asked me about using the FAI nfsroot for a diskless
Building a live ISO:
client setup. The clients should PXE boot and mount it's whole file
system via NFS (NFS v3, v4 is not working with overlayfs) from the install server.


It's pretty easy. Tested with FAI 5.3.6 and dracut from Debian 9 (stretch).
You can create a live ISO using two FAI commands. First, you need to
 
build your own live environment, containing all software including
First add all packages you like to have for your
configuration that you like to use. Using the command "fai dirinstall"
diskless clients to /etc/fai/NFSROOT.
you do an installation using the FAI config space into a directory
 
which will become your live system. After that you create a bootable
Create the FAI nfsroot
ISO which includes this directory tree using fai-cd.
 
<code>fai-make-nfsroot -v</code>
 
Then disable some FAI specific things inside the nfsroot:


<pre>
<pre>
chroot /srv/fai/nfsroot bash
  Define the FAI classes:
rm -f /etc/init.d/rcS
dpkg-divert --package fai-nfsroot --remove --rename /etc/init.d/rcS
insserv -r fai-abort
exit
</pre>
 
This also works with XFCE and xorg running a graphical desktop.
 
 
That's it. Now, boot your client.
Since FAI is using overlayfs, the whole filesystem is writeable for the client, even it's mounted read-only.
 
 
 
== How to create a Live CD with Xfce desktop ==
 
This is tested with FAI 5.0.3, Debian 8.0 (Jessie) and dracut
044+3-3. You will have an account called demo, the pw is fai.
Just confirmed that this is also working using FAI 5.3.6 with Debian 9 (stretch) and dracut 044+241-3


  cl="DEBIAN,BOOKWORM64,AMD64,FAIBASE,XFCE,XORG,DHCPC,DEMO,LIVEISO,LAST"


<pre>
  Build the live environment directory tree:
fai-make-nfsroot -v


chroot /srv/fai/nfsroot bash
    # LC_ALL=C fai -v dirinstall -u xfce33 -c $cl -s file:///srv/fai/config /srv/xfce
rm -f /etc/init.d/rcS
dpkg-divert --package fai-nfsroot --remove --rename /etc/init.d/rcS
insserv -r fai-abort
export LC_ALL=C
adduser --disabled-login --gecos "fai demo user" demo
ROOTPW='$1$kBnWcO.E$djxB128U7dMkrltJHPf6d1'
usermod -p "$ROOTPW" demo


apt-cache dumpavail > /var/lib/dpkg/available
  Then create the live ISO:
aptitude -y install at-spi2-core locales lightdm xfce4 xterm xorg xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-input-all systemd-sysv sysvinit-core-
apt-get clean


# optional
    # fai-cd -s500 -MH -d none -g /etc/fai/grub.cfg.live -n /srv/xfce live.iso
# rm -f /etc/hosts /etc/resolv.conf* /etc/fai/fai.conf /var/lib/apt/lists/*_* /var/tmp/base.tar.xz
exit
</pre>
 
Then create the CD/USB ISO image using this command
 
<pre>
fai-cd -MJd '' -g ~/grub.cfg-diskless ~/fai-diskless.iso
</pre>
 
Adding -H to fai-cd will add some directories onto the CD, that are normally
excluded. Using FAI 5.3.6, this can only be used if you reduce this
value in fai-cd, which leads to a bigger disk image. Otherwise there
will be a no space on device error.
 
<pre>
<    count=$(($size/900))
---
>    count=$(($size/800))
</pre>
</pre>


That's it. Now, boot your client.




Here's the grub.cfg.diskless:
Hint: The FAI nfsroot is not needed when building a live ISO.
<pre>
## grub2 configuration
set default="FAI diskless client"
set timeout=3
set resolution=1024x768


if loadfont /boot/grub/ascii.pf2 ; then
  insmod png
  set gfxmode=640x480
  insmod gfxterm
  insmod vbe
  terminal_output gfxterm
fi


# make sure we can access partitions
'''Tip for beginners''': Using the FAIme web service https://fai-project.org/FAIme/live/ you can create your own customized live ISO without setting up an FAI server.
insmod part_msdos
insmod part_gpt


if [ ${iso_path} ] ; then
    set loopback="findiso=${iso_path}"
fi


menuentry "FAI diskless client" --unrestricted {
You can download an ISO image, for and example of this Live CD
    set gfxpayload=$resolution
https://fai-project.org/fai-cd/debian12-live-xfce.iso
    linux  /boot/vmlinuz rd.live.image root=live:CDLABEL=FAI_CD
    initrd  /boot/initrd.img
}
</pre>
 
 
This disk space for creating new files is limited by the amount of
free space in the disk image (created inside fai-cd in subroutine
calculate_required_size). You will have about 200MB of free disk
space. This is NO persistent storage.
 
 
After booting the machine, you must restart the network interface, for
e.g.
<pre>
dhclient -r ens3
dhclient -v ens3
</pre>

Latest revision as of 11:13, 5 September 2024

How to build a live ISO for running diskless clients

Building a live ISO:

You can create a live ISO using two FAI commands. First, you need to build your own live environment, containing all software including configuration that you like to use. Using the command "fai dirinstall" you do an installation using the FAI config space into a directory which will become your live system. After that you create a bootable ISO which includes this directory tree using fai-cd. 

  Define the FAI classes:

  cl="DEBIAN,BOOKWORM64,AMD64,FAIBASE,XFCE,XORG,DHCPC,DEMO,LIVEISO,LAST"

  Build the live environment directory tree:

    # LC_ALL=C fai -v dirinstall -u xfce33 -c $cl -s file:///srv/fai/config /srv/xfce

  Then create the live ISO:

    # fai-cd -s500 -MH -d none -g /etc/fai/grub.cfg.live -n /srv/xfce live.iso

That's it. Now, boot your client.


Hint: The FAI nfsroot is not needed when building a live ISO.


Tip for beginners: Using the FAIme web service https://fai-project.org/FAIme/live/ you can create your own customized live ISO without setting up an FAI server.


You can download an ISO image, for and example of this Live CD https://fai-project.org/fai-cd/debian12-live-xfce.iso

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