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Hello and welcome to the FAI wiki.
Hello and welcome to the FAI wiki.


This is a public wiki for [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI - Fully Automatic Installation].
This is a public wiki for [http://fai-project.org FAI - Fully Automatic Installation].
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]].
It is a place for users and developers of FAI to share information. If you have some information on FAI to share, please register [[wiki registration]]. Also, please read [[editing rules]].


= About FAI =  
= About FAI =  
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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.
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 functioanlity.
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 FAI =


= getting FAI =
* download the FAI CD from: http://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):
* download the packages from: http://fai-project.org/download/
* download it from: http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/
* check out the sources from git:  
* 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>git clone git://github.com/faiproject/fai.git</pre>
<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 unstable koeln
</pre>
* 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")


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 ==
* [http://fai-project.org/guide/ FAI guide]
* [http://fai-project.org/doc/man/ Manpages in HTML Format]
* [[Variables]] List of useful variables inside FAI


== official - from the FAI developer team ==
== FAI in the real world ==
* Main documentation for FAI is the fai guide - it's available in multiple languages, <b>but they are all outdated, except the english version.</b>:
* [http://fai-project.org/reports User reports] by filling out the [http://fai-project.org/questionnaire FAI questionnaire]  
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/fai-guide/ english]
* [[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/fai-guide-fr/ french]
** [http://pc.debian.ro/fai/ romanian]
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/index.html#doc Search the fai guide]
* [ http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/doc/man/ Manpages in HTML Format]
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI Homepage]


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


* [[Howtos]]
* [[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)
* [[reporting bugs]] and also maybe find fixes for problems.
* [[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 =
= Developer information =
* This has all been moved to [[Developers information]]
* Moved to [[Developers information]]


= Wiki Information =
= Wiki Information =
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* [[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

Revision as of 13:08, 14 February 2014

Hello and welcome to the FAI wiki.

This is a public wiki for FAI - Fully Automatic Installation. It is a place for users and developers of FAI to share information. If you have some information on FAI to share, please register wiki registration. Also, please read editing rules.

About FAI

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 (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.

Getting FAI

git clone git://github.com/faiproject/fai.git

Documentation and examples

Official - from the FAI developer team

FAI in the real world

User contributed in this wiki

Developer information

Wiki Information