Install extra packages with preseed

[jbygden2]

I'm starting to think I'd just have to accept the fact that I'll just have to go with what I have at the moment.
Which is a partly working preseed for a basic install.
And then install puppet or ansible and finish the setup that way...

[MAFoElffen]

Sorry. Been overwhelmed with work related. Haven't even had time to spend on my own projects. Some of these things you are going through, are relevant to what I need to go through with one of my own projects (The Ama-Gi Project). In that I need to produce LiveCD ISO's that have the option to install as a derivative Distro. The last time I created a LiveCD was over 8 years ago, and many things have change since then.

Your past few posts... Here are some things that had been running around in my head. About just using a Server Install, and installing the Desktop on it... Let me back up a bit to answer some of your questions.

Yes, The 20.04.x Server Install is the new Live Installer. The 20.04.x Desktop is the old, and now outdated installer. Supposedly, by 22.04, the Desktop Edition with be fully on the Live Installer. I had heard that Desktop first uses the new Live Installer in 21.10, but honestly. IDK. But yes, the older installer is out. So starting something new, for it is... Well...

Without going into detail, we are forced to use the Live Installer. It is here and not going away. It is not well documented yet (because it is new). We are finding a lot wrong with it. But with the "yaml" file structure, it does have a lot of potential for trying to install a systemd based system. If you search on "LHammonds", he has a thread, trying to keep track of and on top on trying to deal with the problems and limitations of, as well as the work-arounds we have found for it.

20.04.1 Server was the first ISO to include use the new Live Installer... But for you, has some oddities about getting LUKS to work as "full disk" encryption. Even if you install it manually.

As you mentioned with puppet and ansible play books, I had come up with my own post-installation scripts to deal with things in the meantime. I, myself, am still trying to learn the new Live Install automatic install system and how to use it. I cannot say I fully understand it. Honestly, it feels like I am stumbling around with everyone else on it.

[jbygden2]

Yes, The 20.04.x Server Install is the new Live Installer. The 20.04.x Desktop is the old, and now outdated installer. Supposedly, by 22.04, the Desktop Edition with be fully on the Live Installer. I had heard that Desktop first uses the new Live Installer in 21.10, but honestly. IDK. But yes, the older installer is out. So starting something new, for it is... Well...

I haven't looked at the Server Install, since I'm not installing servers - I'm updating desktop clients from Fedora. And I'm bound by requirements to look at the LTS, and hence haven't looked at anything newer than 20.04.

[jbygden2]

I'm now at a state where I have created an ansible-playbook to do most of the config after installation, however - to be able to run it 'openssh-server' needs to be installed, and I'd really like that to be installed during the initial install.
Do you have ANY tips on how I might accomplish that?

[ActionParsnip]

Could use chef or puppet to deploy things too

[jbygden2]

Could use chef or puppet to deploy things too

Just like ansible, that I've chosen this time, both of those require components to be installed before deploying anything with them - and my main problem is the inability to install extra pkgs during install...

If I just could get 'openssh-server' installed by the main installer - I'd have most of my problems solved...

[MAFoElffen]

Like I started tp hint at and suggest... Maybe install from a Server Edition ISO. That is an ISO, histtorically, where you do preseeds and autoinstalls. More frequently than Desktop.

On Server Edition, you can go full or minimal. Minimal would be core services:

Package openssh-server is a default installation application... Add package ubuntu-desktop. I install from that ISO because of that one difference. From that ISO, I can deploy any flavor or variant. And if it is going to be visualized, I can use cloud init, to help it along.

This is what I do with my own Support LiveCD, then install packages and configs from there. Do not think of "Server" as just being server, but as a Linux core system instance, with the potential and waiting to be "something".

The only thing peculiar about it, in the transforming of Server ISO installs to Desktop, after the ubuntu-desktop package is installed... Is to tell it to use Network Manager, instead of NetPlan, as the networking managing service. So that users can manage nw connections graphically. But that is just one extra command after that package is installed.

To me, it is like using the old "Ubuntu Minimal ISO", where you installed a core, then made it into something. The Minimal ISO does not exist anymore, but there is still the Net Install and Server ISO's that do the same functionally.

There is one command to transform a Desktop to a Server, and 1 (+1, the additional network config related command I noted above) to turn server into a Desktop Edition. But doing that, openssh-server stays there.

[tea for one]

I'm now at a state where I have created an ansible-playbook to do most of the config after installation, however - to be able to run it 'openssh-server' needs to be installed, and I'd really like that to be installed during the initial install.
Do you have ANY tips on how I might accomplish that?

Perhaps this application will help you to include openssh-server in your source ISO?

https://launchpad.net/cubic

[MAFoElffen]

@Tea For One

I did a quick search on that:
https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/0...inux-mint.html
https://ubunlog.com/en/cubic-iso-personalizada-ubuntu/
https://ostechnix.com/how-to-create-...ge-with-cubic/

I think that will also help me with the Ama-gi Project LiveCD. Thank you.

Started reading the walk throughs... Lots of CLI manual work for me. CLI inside of it's chroot inside of it. Still a possibility for me. May be a problem for the OP.

Another possible for him though is what I originally was going to use for the Ama-Gi project, which is SystemBack 2.0. Create one system (I did in virtual), then create a LiveCD out that system using SystemBack... Which in turn, the LiveCD has an install, to install that to Live metal. This is my fallback for my project. My project being that way, I can install, debug and test everything on a running, live system, to see what is happening. And do it on both Legacy and UEFI.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/systemback-2021/

[jbygden2]

I'm trying out Cubic to build a customized install ISO now