Main Page: Difference between revisions

From FAIWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(restructure, add some instroduction words about FAI)
Line 1: Line 1:
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] - a tool for automatic installation of Debian and other Linux Distributions.
This is a public wiki for [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI - Fully Automatic Installation].
It's 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, see the page [[wiki registration]] - you need to write a mail, because we can't handle the spam otherwise. Also, please read [[editing rules]].


== getting FAI ==
= 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 functioanlity.
 
 
= getting FAI =
if you want the latest and greatest version(instead of the versions contained in Debian apt repositores for the specific version of the distribution):
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 it from: http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/
* download it from: http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/download/
Line 18: Line 27:
(will require building the package by entering the directory and do something like "dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot")
(will require building the package by entering the directory and do something like "dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot")


== 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 - it's available in multipl languages:
* Main documentation for FAI is the fai guide - it's available in multipl languages:
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/fai-guide.html/ english]
** [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/fai-guide.html/ english]
Line 28: Line 37:
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI Homepage]
* [http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/ FAI Homepage]


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


* [[Howtos]]
* [[Howtos]]
Line 41: Line 50:




=== FAI in the real world ===
== FAI in the real world ==
* [[Success Stories]] - who is using FAI, how and why - and, when available pictures of the machines installed with FAI :)
* [[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)
* [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 ===
== "third party" articles ==


* [http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/240 a short tutorial on www.debian-administration.org]
* [http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/240 a short tutorial on www.debian-administration.org]
Line 55: Line 64:
** Global Optimization computing cluster: http://globopt.dsi.unifi.it/gol/cluster.html
** Global Optimization computing cluster: http://globopt.dsi.unifi.it/gol/cluster.html


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


== Wiki Information ==
= Wiki Information =


* this wiki needs a [[Logo]]
* this wiki and FAI itself need a [[Logo]]
* [[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)

Revision as of 14:10, 5 July 2007

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, 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 (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 functioanlity.


getting FAI

if you want the latest and greatest version(instead of the versions contained in Debian apt repositores for the specific version of the distribution):

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 developers koeln
  • install it within debian sid
  • check out the sources from subversion:
svn co svn://svn.debian.org/svn/fai/trunk fai-sources

(will require building the package by entering the directory and do something like "dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot")

documentation and examples

official - from the FAI developer team

user contributed in this wiki

  • TODO:
    • Resources - there are some information resources about FAI available "out there", 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


"third party" articles

Developer information

Wiki Information