Custom ISO installers with Customized Ubuntu Core and Packages

[Xanderfoxx]

How would I go about creating an ISO image for an installer CD-ROM, that will install completely updated and customized packages?

I'm thinking there is a utility similar to Fedora Core 7's utility for creating custom installer CD ISOs.

Any ideas as to how I can do this?

I know that HP came out with something similar to what I'm talking about.

I don't know if it'll help.

What I'm thinking about is trying to have a list of really cool things to present when I start a GNU/Linux club at my college. They don't have one, and their a tech-oriented school! Ugh!

So. Any ideas, comments, clarifications, questions, answers, etc.?

Anything would be appreciated (except those trollers and flamebots- they annoy me.)

Thank you in advance.

-- Alex Maurin :lolflag:

[smartboyathome]

There is remastersys. It can make a LiveCD from an installed system.
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php/Remastersys

[Xanderfoxx]

There is remastersys. It can make a LiveCD from an installed system.
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php/Remastersys

Thanks. That's pretty interesting. So you don't know of a utility that allows you to specify what is installed, and what is left out?

Anyway, I suppose that if you do a fresh install, and then set it up all perfect from there, I guess that would be an extremely useful tool.

I like it. Thanks.

Now, all I have to do is get my hands on an unused computer.

Aha! I will use my Experimental Box 0!

That should cook their goose nice and greasy!

[driscolldb]

Would anyone be interested in starting a project that would have these custom ISOs for individual computers? For instance, I have a HP Pavillion DV 9700 64Bit, etc. etc., as soon as I bring my new comp home I check to see if someone has an ISO for this exact laptop, download and install. I know I had a heck of a time spending a week searching through forums and the net getting it all to work.

Obviously identical models have will not always have identical hardware (some will choose to upgrade the video card or what not). So there would have to be some standards such listing the hardware the ISO is set up for. Many computers do come as stock without options, or are bought in bulk

Another thing that I think would be necessary is to require the ISO to start out as a fresh install, dealing with hardware only and as close to the original Ubuntu release as possible (for instance, I drop Evolution and install Thunderbird, but on the ISO there should be no installations or removals).

This way a person would have his computer up and running with all of the hardware working right after install.

Obviously this wouldn't fix every problem, but it would give a head start on getting your computer up and running. I think it might also help someone completely new to Linux. It's really frustrating when things like wireless won't work (I'm sure you can understand a "Windows Only" mentality, when they hit a bump like this).

I guess what I imagine is a website somewhere with a searchable database of torrents. A place that you could look up your exact laptop and download a Ubuntu ISO that is already pre-configured for your machine.

This could be done for older versions of Ubuntu (if that is what is best for a certain machine), or older computers.

Problems I can see:
This would have to be done (or approved as working) for each new release.

Someone would have to do an install on each machine and "approve" it to make sure no one screwed around with the install. Maybe some kind of rating system.

It would have to be made sure that to be submitted and official that ALL of the hardware is up and running. We wouldn't want a dozen versions that all have something different up or down.

What do you think? Worth it? Too much trouble? Feel free to shoot my idea full of holes.