Automated install tool?

[pheph9]

Hi there,

First off, thank you for such a great OS!

I'm wondering if anybody knows of a tool for Linux Mint (Cinnamon) that is similar to the simple-ccd tool for Debian?

"Simple-cdd is a limited, though relatively easy to use tool to create a customized DebianInstaller CD. It is a wrapper around debian-cd and mirroring tools used to create a customized DebianInstaller CD image. It takes a list of packages to install, and debconf pre-seeding files to pre-configure the installation. It has some support for multiple profiles and custom post-install scripts for things that can't be configured by debconf preseeding."

The reason I ask is because I'm wanting make a preconfigured ISO image for burner laptops that uses Linux Mint.

I'd like to automate preconfiguring disk layout, locale and timezone; setting up default user/password; and `apt install` some extra packages once Linux Mint installer is finished, etc.

Any leads would be great.

Thanks!
Pheph9

[Cosmo.]

I don't think, that something like this exists for Mint.

[Pierre]

Hi pheph9,
welcome to our forum.


would you be able to use the OEM version of our LinuxMint System,
as that would be more suitable for your Burner Laptops.

[pheph9]

Thanks @Pierre for that suggestion. So I did a bit of a search on Linux Mint OEM.

I found a reference to oem-config-remaster on community.linuxmint.com, which, yes, sounds promising for what I'm looking for---i.e. "remastering a CD with additional packages and optional oem-config preseed data."

Unfortunately (and as someone else has commented on that page 10 years ago), there does not appear to be any documentation for this tool (at least none that I could also find either), so that'll be the challenge now. Do you know of any tutorials or reading that might allow me to investigate further? I have not been successful so far in finding anything, but if I do, I'll jump back on this thread.

In the meantime any further ideas/pointers much appreciated.

Thanks!

[AndyMH]

This might help:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/534210/ ... stallation
Never had the need, so good luck.

I think the tools referenced are quite old, not sure they will work in a current mint/ubuntu.

[mikeflan]

Possible option.
Create your own OS. Custom install. Bootable.
The Cubic program might be an option for you:
https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/07/h ... t.html?m=1
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=337413

[Hoser Rob]

Keep in mind that Debian is a more pro oriented distro ... if you ask the typical sort of beginner question you'd see here or on ubuntuforums.org, they tend to suggest you just install Ubuntu or Mint instead. So while that Debian wiki says that tool is "relatively easy", that doesn't mean the same thing as it would on Mint sites.

[pheph9]

So no leads on oem-config-remaster as yet? I wish there was some documentation for that.

In the meantime, Cubic sounds like a contender, thanks, especially if it has a CLI so it can be automated further by scripting with bash, say. I'll check it out.

And I should provide some more background too. I'm not looking to make a live disc, nor backup a current installation into a restorable ISO. Ideally, I'm seeking only the possibility of:

• Seeding Linux Mint installer with prefilled answers for items like disk layout, locale/timezone, username/password; that sort of thing; and
• Adding post-install script to the Linux Mint installer, to do some tasks either after the install is done, or on first boot, or on first login (preferably running a non-interactive bash script).

The ability to automate taking a Linux Mint release/each latest version and remastering it like this will be useful for me setting up burner laptops for workshops. Disk imaging isn't preferred because of the wide variance in device firmware, etc. So I'm thinking automating a clean install on each machine, preconfigured with packages and settings is the best way to go.

Worst case, and in the meantime, I've been looking at Arch Linux and its archiso tool, as that has documentation and the whole thing is entirely configurable with scripts and for non-GUI settings, and I can use Cinnamon with that to keep it similar to Linux Mint look and feel... It might not be ideal though as the underlying system will no longer be Ubuntu and that may become a problem for the workshops as things progress. And it's also a bit of a learning curve for me too, but hey, that's what this is all about