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Is it possible to create a custom linux installer which allows me to choose a very minimal installation which bascially includes a kernel, bootloader, basic networking/core utlities, shell and some of my own C++/Java cooked applications.
I am setting up a small cluster using a couple of old computers. I may have to often delete/re-create partitions and modify my application settings to match my requirements.
I tried both Ubuntu and Fedora and even went as far as using their remastering tools. The problem is they end-up installing packages unnecessary for my work and worse they actually startup during boot. Currently, I have scripts which will have to be downloaded to these machines to do the 'clean-up' work.
I even had a look at LFS (Linux from Scratch). It was just the thing I needed, but it had no associated installer with it. Tools for automating LFS installation like nALFS and jhalfs do not have good documentation and are unsitable for this kind of work.
It would be really good if I can make an installer iso file which will do everything in the first go itself, i.e. while installing linux. Is it possible to create such a linux installer? Are there any such ready-made tools?
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Linux is the foundation of thousands of open source operating systems designed to replace Windows and Mac OS. It is free to download and install on any computer. Because it is open source, there are a variety of different versions, or distributions, available developed by different groups.
You can create a backup of the system's file and all configurations using the Systemback utility. In this section, you will create a live image of your system, then convert it into an ISO file format.
I'm a big fan of ArchLinux, a clean and flexible linux distribution.
The installer only installs the basics (no X, just a root prompt) and allows you to customize from there.pacman -Sy bash-completion openssh
It currently 7th on DistroWatch, the highest ranking "non user friendly" linux.
For your setup I recommend creating an system image with CloneZilla or an other partition clone/restore tool.
After the restore you'll just have to change the hostname to use an unique one like "node21" or something.
Setup an your own custom repository with your applications.
To update the nodes you can publish the new version of your package and use Archlinux's package manager to update the nodes.
This way you can use an "old" image and easily bring it up to date. Bypassing the whole custom installer problem.
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