FAI How to build a i386 and x86 64 compatible FAI server on Debian Etch x86 64

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Theses procedures have only been validated on Debian Etch with FAI 3.1.8

I was installing an installserver for my company and looking for a way to build and i386 NFSROOT on a amd64 Etch and then build arch specific FAI mirrors and CD images.Thought FAI 3.1.8 was not really designed for cross architecture, it is possible to use it this way. Here is the workarounds.


FAI Configuration space hack

All the process described below relies on a hack of FAI configuration space. Normally, FAI configuration can be found under an unique directory /etc/fai. To make FAI work with multi architecture, you have to duplicate the configuration space for every architecture. Here is an exemple of such a FAI perversion :

/etc/fai-i386
/etc/fai-amd64

To be precise, the directories don't have to be really duplicated, only the make-fai-nfsroot.conf file must. Hard link can be used for the other files or directories under the /etc/fai tree.


Cross-Architecture NFSROOT

  • Step 1 : Create arch specifics FAI configuration direcories
    for dir in /etc/fai-i386 /etc/fai-amd64 ; 
    do
    	mkdir $dir
    	cd $dir
    	ln /etc/fai/fai.conf
    	ln /etc/fai/NFSROOT
    	ln /etc/fai/apt
    	ln /etc/fai/menu.lst
    	cp /etc/fai/make-fai-nfsroot.conf .
    done
    
  • Step 2 : Build a local apt_arch.conf file inside /etc/fai-i386 or /etc/fai-amd64
    • Simply add thoses lines to /etc/fai-i386/apt_arch.conf ( for /etc/fai-amd64/apt_arch.conf, replace i386 by amd64)
      APT {
      	Architecture "i386";
      }
      
    • You can create automagicaly those file running the following script
      for arch in i386 amd64 ; do
      	CONTENT='APT {\n\tArchitecture "$arch";\n}'
      	echo $CONTENT > /etc/fai-$arch/apt_arch.conf
      done			  				
      
  • Step 3 : Install fai-kernels packages for the different architectures
    • Configure and Run this little script for your different architectures
      rm /tmp/fai-kernel*
      for arch in i386 amd64 ; do
      	echo "Downloading $arch fai-kernels package"
      	echo "--------------------------------------"
      	export APT_CONFIG=/etc/fai-$arch/apt_arch.conf
      	apt-get update
      	apt-cache -f search fai-kernels
      	PACKAGE=$(apt-cache -f search fai-kernels | grep Filename | awk ' { print $2 }')
      	MIRROR=http://ftp.debian.org/debian
      	wget $MIRROR/$PACKAGE -P /tmp
      done
      	
      export -n APT_CONFIG
      apt-get update
      	
      for file in /tmp/fai-kernels* ; do
      	echo "Unpacking $arch fai-kernels package" 
      	echo "--------------------------------------"
      	dpkg-deb -x $file /	
      done
      
  • Step 4 : Configure make-fai-nfsroot.conf to be architecture specific
    • Add --arch i386 or --arch amd64 to FAI_DEBOOTSTRAP
    • Modidy KERNELPACKAGE with the good fai kernel package.
  • Step 5 : Build the arch dependant NFSROOT
    • Execute this commands
      export APT_CONFIG=/etc/fai-i386/apt_arch.conf
      make-fai-nfsroot -C /etc/fai-i386 -V vmlinuz-install-i386 -v
      
  • Step 6 : Configure network Install for a particular architecture
    • Run the command below
      FAI_CHBOOT_ARCH=i386
      FAI_CHBOOT_OPT="-k \"ip=dhcp FAI_ACTION=install \
      nfsroot=/srv/fai/nfsroot-$FAI_CHBOOT_ARCH,v3,tcp,rsize=32768,wsize=32768\" \
      -F  vmlinuz-install-i386 /dev/nfs"
      fai-chboot $FAI_CHBOOT_OPT computer
      

    Cross-Architecture FAI Mirrors

    This part describe how to make cross architecture fai partial Debian mirrors. This hack relies on the NFSROOT one described above.

    To build a cross architecture fai mirror, you just have to run the following commands :

    export FAI_ETC_DIR=/etc/fai-i386
    export APT_CONFIG=/etc/fai-i386/apt_arch.conf
    apt-get update
    fai-mirror -v /srv/fai/mirror-i386	    
    
    export -n APT_CONFIG
    apt-get update
    

    A script can be written to automatize the building of a whole architecture list. Here is an exemple

    for arch in i386 amd64 ; do	    
    	export FAI_ETC_DIR=/etc/fai-$arch
    	export APT_CONFIG=/etc/fai-$arch/apt_arch.conf
    	apt-get update
    	fai-mirror -v /srv/fai/mirror-$arch
    done
    
    export -n APT_CONFIG
    apt-get update