Automatically partitioning hard drives - Kickstart?

[Charles Curley]

On Fri, Sep 14, 2007 at 09:45:41AM +1000, Langdon Stevenson wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Can anyone suggest an easy way to repetitively partition a standard 
> drive set with a standard partition layout?

I'm not sure if you want just a partition layout or a partition layout
and file systems laid down in the new partitions.

If all you want is a partition layout, use sfdisk with output to a
file. Then use a rescue disty like Finnix to play the file back on new
drives. Then you get to install a file system.

Better yet, look at
http://www.charlescurley.com/Linux-Complete-Backup-and-Recovery-HOWTO.html. You
don't need the whole kazoo. I think all you need is the script
make.fdisk. You will need the install script, which builds some
directories for you. Run make.fdisk on a known good system, save the
resulting scripts and files, and run them on the targets. Those
scripts will also lay down file systems for you.

> 
> I have a hard drive partitioning scheme that I need to replicate 
> regularly when setting up new servers.  Once the partitions are in place 
> I use G4L to restore a snapshot of the server install.
> 
> I have been looking at using an Ananconda Kickstart file with the 
> required partition scheme configured in it.  This would be ideal, but I 
> don't know if it is possible to make the installer terminate before it 
> begins installing the OS.

Only by standing there and hitting reset at an opportune moment, as
far as I know.

> 
> The partition scheme includes: software raid devices and LVM devices, so 
> any solution would have to include support for creating them.

make.fdisk does handle LVM, but I have done nothing about RAID except
as is inherent in LVM. Please let me know how it works.

-- 

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