Auto install with subiquity

[dominicl]

I'm trying to auto install the 18.04 server iso image. The new 18.04 comes with subiquity and it seems the kickstart and preseed is no longer working. ie. Setting the boot option preseed/url=http://... or ks=http://.... which used to work on 16.04 is no longer working, and the subiquity still showing up and ask for manual input.

I tried to look up the documentation, but the latest LTS (which refers as 18.04 now) doesn't mention anything about how to set the subiquity file in the boot option, and still referring the preseed / kickstart way of doing thing, it seems to be identical to the old 16.04 page:
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/amd64/ch05s03.html

Also, I'm not sure about the new file format to set into the subiquity? It seems to be something like this?
https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/subiquity/blob/master/examples/answers.yaml

[dominicl]

Answering my own question, it seems we have to use the ubuntu-18.04-server-amd64.iso (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/releases/18.04/release/ubuntu-18.04-server-amd64.iso) from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/releases/18.04/release/ instead of ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso (http://releases.ubuntu.com/18.04/ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso) from http://releases.ubuntu.com/18.04/. The cdimage link has the image that still has the old debian-installer instead of the subiquity.

[zhb]

There is a answer file about the installer questions , which can control the process of installation
the postion is
/subiquity_config/answers.yaml

you can download the example file of answers.yaml at here :

https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/subiquity/blob/master/examples/answers.yaml

but how to add the file anwers.yaml to the postion /subiquity_config/ , I also don't know . does anyone know it ?

[wildmanne39]

Hello and welcome to the forum, if you need support please start your own thread instead of asking for help in someone else's thread.

Thanks

[zhb]

you can download the example file of answers.yaml at here :

https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/subiquity/blob/master/examples/answers.yaml

(1) you can unsquash the file casper/filesystem.squashfs in the ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso , and get the folder " squashfs-root", then mkdir subiquity_config in the folder of squashfs-root

(2) copy the answers.yaml into the squashfs-root/subiquity_config/

(3) repacking the folder squashfs-root into filesystem.squashfs by using mksquashfs command , and repacking the ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso by using genisoimage command

[codejamninja]

How would you add ubiquity/success_command with subiquity?

[q2dg]

Why this information isn't available in official README??

On the other hand, I second codejamninja question: if there's no ubiquity/success_command equivalent in subiquity the usefulness of doing an unattended installation is very low because, after grabbing right repositories, desktop systems can't be installed with it.

[lizaoreo2]

you can download the example file of answers.yaml at here :

https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/subiquity/blob/master/examples/answers.yaml

(1) you can unsquash the file casper/filesystem.squashfs in the ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso , and get the folder " squashfs-root", then mkdir subiquity_config in the folder of squashfs-root

(2) copy the answers.yaml into the squashfs-root/subiquity_config/

(3) repacking the folder squashfs-root into filesystem.squashfs by using mksquashfs command , and repacking the ubuntu-18.04-live-server-amd64.iso by using genisoimage command

Does the answers.yaml replace the need for editing txt.cfg, grub.cfg, and creating the preseed files? Or is it used inline with those things?