[CentOS-devel] minimal install CentOS-6 media

Mon Nov 29 14:02:27 UTC 2010
Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com>

On 11/29/10 6:30 AM, Karanbir Singh wrote:
> hi,
>
> so in order to quantify exactly what should be on the minimal install set :
>
> - support install from optical media
> - support install from usb disk
>
> - install as native platform
> + install to Xen domU
> + install to kvm VM
>
> - Functional on post-install
> + firstboot ( for hooks etc that people put in )
> + yum with the standard centos repos
> + sshd
> + selinux
> + functional dhcp client
> + functional ipv6 stack + ipv4 stack
> + iptables and ip6tables
>
> Questions;
>
> * What else should added in ?
>
> * Should we remove some more excess ?
>
> * what is the thinking on lsb state for this media ?
>
> * Finally, I am conflicted on the idea of dropping the gui installer
> completely. On one hand, we could claw back serious disk space - on the
> other hand, it drastically changes the install experience. Tbh, the
> install experience is a bigger deal. But worth pointing out.

The real constraint should be what fits on a single CD.  Ideally, the GUI 
installer including the reverse-vnc functionality would all be there if it fits. 
  It would be even better if you could make that come up working without any 
local questions in a machine with one connected network cable and local dhcp. 
This would be mostly for people who don't have pxe/kickstart infrastructure in 
the location where the install is being done, but to make the circle complete it 
should support kickstart with an http url on the command line or perhaps added 
in a modified USB version, and it should be possible to kickstart into the same 
set of packages from the full distribution with a matching package list.

I'd want it to function as the 'rescue' media as well as install, so include 
anything else needed for that functionality.  I've sometimes needed to fdisk my 
own partition layout to get things the way I like for a raid configuration, so 
include that.  Others have already mentioned network copying tools: 
ftp/scp/rsync/wget, etc., and you would need network setup and test tools 
(mii-tool, ethtool, route, ip, ping, etc.) if they aren't already needed for the 
installer.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com