Differences between revisions 32 and 33
Revision 32 as of 2012-01-01 22:13:54
Size: 17468
Editor: HolgerLevsen
Comment:
Revision 33 as of 2012-01-13 01:45:55
Size: 17587
Editor: JustinBRye
Comment: proofreading
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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Be sure to read the [[[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/GettingStarted]]] chapter of this manual though, as it explains how to login for the first time.

Even more [[http://www.debian.org/releases/squeeze/installmanual|information about the Debian Squeeze release]] is available in its installation manual.
Be sure to read the [[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/GettingStarted|getting started]] chapter of this manual, though, as it explains how to log in for the first time.

Even more information about the Debian Squeeze release is available in its [[http://www.debian.org/releases/squeeze/installmanual|installation manual]].
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The multiarch DVD ISO image is 4.4 GiB large and can be used for installation of amd64 and i386 machines. To download it, use any of these methods:  The multi-architecture DVD ISO image is 4.4 GiB large and can be used for installation of amd64 and i386 machines. It can be downloaded over FTP, HTTP or rsync via:
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The Sources are available via The sources are available via
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For those without a fast internet connection, we offer to send you a CD or DVD for the cost of the CD or DVD and shipping. Just send an email to cd@skolelinux.no and we will discuss the payment details (for shipping and media) :) For those without a fast Internet connection, we can offer a CD or DVD sent for the cost of the CD or DVD and shipping. Just send an email to cd@skolelinux.no and we will discuss the payment details (for shipping and media) :)
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When you do a Debian Edu installation, you have a few options to choose. Don't be afraid; there aren't many. We have done a good job hiding the complexity of Debian during the installation and beyond. However, Debian Edu is Debian, and if you want there are more than 15000 packages to choose from and a billion configuration options. For the majority of our users, our defaults should be fine.
When you do a Debian Edu installation, you have a few options to choose from. Don't be afraid; there aren't many. We have done a good job of hiding the complexity of Debian during the installation and beyond. However, Debian Edu is Debian, and if you want there are more than 15,000 packages to choose from and a billion configuration options. For the majority of our users, our defaults should be fine.
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 * On i386/amd64 boot-options can be edited by pressing the ''tabulator-key'' in the boot menu.
  * The multiarch DVD defaults to use
amd64-installgui on x86 64-bits machines, and installgui on x86 32-bits machines.
  * If you want to boot the amd64 text mode with the multiarch DVD it would be {{{amd64-install}}}.
  * Likewise you can choose {{{amd64-
expertgui}}} to get the GUI version on amd64.
  * If you want to boot the i386 mode with the multiarch DVD on an amd64 machine you need to manually select {{{install}}} (text mode) or {{{expertgui}}} (graphical mode).
  * If you have already installed the mainserver profile on a machine, you can use its http proxy service to speed up the following installations from CD. Add {{{mirror/http/proxy=http://10.0.2.2:3128/}}} as additional boot parameter.
  * to install the '''GNOME''' desktop instead of the '''KDE''' desktop, add {{{desktop=gnome}}} to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, but not from DVD.
  * to install the '''LXDE''' desktop instead, add {{{desktop=lxde}}} to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, but not from DVD.
On i386/amd64, boot options can be edited by pressing the TAB key in the boot menu.

 * The multi
-architecture DVD defaults to using amd64-installgui on 64-bit x86 machines, and installgui on 32-bit x86 machines.
 * If you want to boot the amd64 text mode with the multi-architecture DVD, that would be {{{amd
64-install}}}.
 * Likewise you can choose {{{amd64-expertgui}}} to get the GUI version on amd64.
 * If you want to boot the i386 mode with the multi-arch DVD on an amd64 machine you need to manually select {{{install}}} (text mode) or {{{expertgui}}} (graphical mode).
 * If you have already installed the mainserver profile on a machine, you can use its HTTP proxy service to speed up subsequent installations from CD. Add {{{mirror/http/proxy=http://10.0.2.2:3128/}}} as an additional boot parameter.
 * To install the '''GNOME''' desktop instead of the '''KDE''' desktop, add {{{desktop=gnome}}} to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, not when installing from DVD.
 * To install the '''LXDE''' desktop instead, add {{{desktop=lxde}}} to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, not when installing from DVD.
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 * Choose a keyboard keymap (usually the countrys default is fine)  * Choose a keyboard keymap (the country's default is usually fine)
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   This is the main server (tjener) for your school providing the following services: file, print, intranet, proxy, DNS, DHCP, LDAP, backup, nagios, sitesummary, and munin. All services are pre-configured to work out of the box. You must only install one main server per school! This profile does not include a graphical user interface. If you want a graphical user interface, then select Workstation or Thin-Client-Server in addition to this one.    This is the main server (tjener) for your school, providing the following services: file, print, intranet, proxy, DNS, DHCP, LDAP, backup, nagios, sitesummary, and munin. All services are pre-configured to work out of the box. You must only install one main server per school! This profile does not include a graphical user interface. If you want a graphical user interface, then select Workstation or Thin-Client-Server in addition to this one.
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   A computer booting from its local hard drive, and running all software and devices locally like an ordinary computer, but the user login is authenticated by the main server, where the users files and desktop profile are stored.    A computer booting from its local hard drive, and running all software and devices locally like an ordinary computer, except that user logins are authenticated by the main server, where the users' files and desktop profile are stored.
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   Same as workstation but captable of authentication using cached credentials, meaning it can be used outside the school network. The users files and profiles are stored on the local disk. Notebooks/ Laptops should select this profile and not 'Workstation' nor 'Standalone' as suggested in earlier releases.    Same as workstation but capable of authentication using cached credentials, meaning it can be used outside the school network. The users' files and profiles are stored on the local disk. Notebooks and laptops should select this profile and not 'Workstation' or 'Standalone' as suggested in earlier releases.
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   Thin client (and diskless workstation) server, also called LTSP server. Clients without hard drives boot and run software from this server. This computer needs two network cards, a lot of memory, and ideally more than one processor or core. See the chapter about [[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/HowTo/NetworkClients|networked clients]] for more information on this subject. Chosing this profile also enables the workstation profile (even if it is not selected), a thin client server can always be used as a workstation, too.    A thin client (and diskless workstation) server, also called a LTSP server. Clients without hard drives boot and run software from this server. This computer needs two network cards, a lot of memory, and ideally more than one processor or core. See the chapter about [[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/HowTo/NetworkClients|networked clients]] for more information on this subject. Choosing this profile also enables the workstation profile (even if it is not selected) - a thin client server can always be used as a workstation, too.
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   An ordinary computer that can function without a main server, ie. doesn't need to be on the network. Includes laptops.    An ordinary computer that can function without a main server (that is, it doesn't need to be on the network). Includes laptops.
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 The first 3 profiles can all be installed on the same machine. That means the main server can be a thin client server and also used as a workstation. This is the default choice, since we assume most people will install [[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/Installation#Installationoverthenetwork.28PXE.29andbootingdisklessclients|via PXE]] afterwards.
 * Say yes or no to automatic partitioning
  * Be aware that saying yes will destroy all data on the harddrives! Saying no on the other hand will require more work and one will need to make sure that the required partitions are created and are big enough.
 * Please say yes to submit
information to http://popcon.skolelinux.org/ to allow us to know which packages are popular and should be kept for future releases. Though you don't have to, it is a simple way for you to help. :)
 * Wait
  * i
f thin client server is among the selected profiles, then the installer will spent quite some time at the end, "Finishing the installation - Running debian-edu-profile-udeb..."
 The first three profiles above can all be installed on the same machine. This means the main server can be a thin client server and also be used as a workstation. This is the default choice, since we assume most people will install [[DebianEdu/Documentation/Squeeze/Installation#Installationoverthenetwork.28PXE.29andbootingdisklessclients|via PXE]] afterwards.
 * Say "yes" or "no" to automatic partitioning. Be aware that saying "yes" will destroy all data on the hard drives! Saying "no" on the other hand will require more work - you will need to make sure that the required partitions are created and are big enough.
 * Please say "yes" to submitting information to http://popcon.skolelinux.org/ to allow us to know which packages are popular and should be kept for future releases. Although you don't have to, it is a simple way for you to help. :)
 * Wait. If the selected profiles include Thin-client-server then the installer will spend quite some time at the end, "Finishing the installation - Running debian-edu-profile-udeb..."
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As a general advice: if you choose manual paritioning and your system fails to boot, try automatic partitioning first.

If you decide to do manual partitioning for the main-server, you should consider this:

 * Make sure the directory {{{/skole/tjener/home0}}} exists, usually you will also be mounting a partition there. If you don't create that directory you will only be able to login as root. The reason is that the user creation system require this directory to exist to be able to create users home directories, and without a users home directory the user can not log in.
 * If {{{/var/spool/squid}}} is on a seperate partition, 3GiB free space is a good recommendation. Squids cache size will be set to 80% of the partition size.
As a piece of general advice: if you choose manual paritioning and your system fails to boot, try automatic partitioning first.

If you decide to do manual partitioning for the main-server, you should bear the following in mind:

 * Make sure the directory {{{/skole/tjener/home0}}} exists; usually you will also be mounting a partition there. If you don't create this directory you will only be able to log in as root. The reason is that the user creation system requires this directory to exist to be able to create users' home directories, and a user without a home directory cannot log in.
 * If {{{/var/spool/squid}}} is on a separate partition, 3GiB free space is a good recommendation. Squid's cache size will be set to 80% of the partition size.
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Most likely you will want to use the 'Roaming workstation' profile (see above). Be aware that all data is stored locally (i.e. take some extra care of backups) and login credentials are cached (i.e. your 'old' password may be needed to login if you have not connected your laptop to network and logged in with 'new password', after a password change). Most likely you will want to use the 'Roaming workstation' profile (see above). Be aware that all data is stored locally (so take some extra care over backups) and login credentials are cached (so after a password change, logins may require your old password if you have not connected your laptop to the network and logged in with the new password).
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If you install from a DVD, {{{/etc/apt/sources.list}}} it will only contain sources from the DVD afterwards. If you have an internet connection we strongly suggest adding the following lines to it so that available (security) updates can be installed: After you install from a DVD, {{{/etc/apt/sources.list}}} will only contain sources from the DVD. If you have an Internet connection, we strongly suggest adding the following lines to it so that available security updates can be installed:
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The netinst installation (which is the type of installation our CD provides) will fetch some packages from the CD and the rest from the net. The amount of packages fetched from the net varies from profile to profile:

 * Main server: 8 of 115 MiB downloaded.
A netinst installation (which is the type of installation our CD provides) will fetch some packages from the CD and the rest from the net. The amount of packages fetched from the net varies from profile to profile:

 * Main server: 8 out of 115 MiB downloaded.
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When using a USB drive to add missing firmware during install, with some RAID-controllers GRUB is installed to the USB drive. So a reboot after installation results in a GRUB-error. When using a USB drive to add missing firmware during install, with some RAID-controllers GRUB is installed to the USB drive. So a reboot after installation results in a GRUB error.
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## is this still relevant post-Lenny?
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First of all, this profile name is confusing due to historic reasons, today this profile actually installs a LTSP server environment for thin-clients and for workstations. Debian bug DebianBug:516280 has been filed to change the name of the profile into a better suited one.

By providing the kernel argument {{{edu-skip-ltsp-make-client}}} it is possible to skip the step which converts the LTSP chroot from a thin-client chroot into a combined thin-client/diskless workstation chroot.
First of all, this profile name is confusing for historic reasons. Currently this profile actually installs an LTSP server environment for thin-clients and for workstations. Debian bug DebianBug:588510 has been filed to change the name of the profile into a better suited one.

Providing the kernel boot parameter {{{edu-skip-ltsp-make-client}}} makes it possible to skip the step which converts the LTSP chroot from a thin-client chroot into a combined thin-client/diskless workstation chroot.
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This is useful in certain situations, e.g. if one wants a pure thin client chroot or if there is already a diskless chroot on another server, which can be rsynced. For these situations skipping this step will cut down the installation time considerably.

Except for the longer installation time there is no harm creating combined chroots always and this is why this is done by default.
This is useful in certain situations, such as if you want a pure thin client chroot or if there is already a diskless chroot on another server, which can be rsynced. For these situations skipping this step will cut down the installation time considerably.

Except for the longer installation time there is no harm in always creating combined chroots, which is why this is done by default.
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Creating custom CDs or DVDs is possibly quite easy since we use the [[http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/|debian installer]], which has a modular design and other nice features. [[http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed|Preseeding]] allows you to define answers to the questions normally asked. Creating custom CDs or DVDs can be quite easy since we use the [[http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/|debian installer]], which has a modular design and other nice features. [[http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed|Preseeding]] allows you to define answers to the questions normally asked.
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=== Installation using USBsticks instead of CD/DVDs ===

Since the Squeeze release it is possible to directly copy the CD/DVD .iso images to an USBstick and boot from them. Simply execute a command like this, just adopt the file- and devicename to your needs:
=== Installation using USB sticks instead of CD/DVDs ===

Since the Squeeze release it is possible to directly copy the CD/DVD `.iso` images to a USB stick and boot from them. Simply execute a command like this, just adapting the file and device names to your needs:
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Depending which image you choose, the USBstick will behave just like a CD or DVD. Depending on which image you choose, the USB stick will behave just like a CD or DVD.
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This is how the PXE menu looks like with the '''Main-Server''' profile only: This is how the PXE menu looks with the '''Main-Server''' profile only:
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This is how the PXE menu looks like with the '''Main-Server''' and '''Thin-Client-Server''' profile:
This is how the PXE menu looks with the '''Main-Server''' and '''Thin-Client-Server''' profiles:
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This setup also allows to boot diskless workstations and thin clients on the main network. This setup also allows diskless workstations and thin clients to be booted on the main network.
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The PXE installation is using a debian-installer preseed file, and this file can be modified to ask for more packages to install. The PXE installation uses a debian-installer preseed file, which can be modified to ask for more packages to install.
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The PXE installation uses the files {{{/var/lib/tftpboot/debian-edu/install.cfg}}} and the preseeding file in {{{/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat}}}. These files can be changed to adjust the preseeding used during installation, i.e. to avoid more questions when installing over the net. Another possibility to achieve the same is to provide extra settings in {{{/etc/debian-edu/pxeinstall.conf}}} and {{{/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat.local}}} and to run {{{/usr/sbin/debian-edu-pxeinstall}}} to update the generated files. The PXE installation uses {{{/var/lib/tftpboot/debian-edu/install.cfg}}} and the preseeding file in {{{/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat}}}. These files can be changed to adjust the preseeding used during installation, to avoid more questions when installing over the net. Another way to achieve this is to provide extra settings in {{{/etc/debian-edu/pxeinstall.conf}}} and {{{/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat.local}}} and to run {{{/usr/sbin/debian-edu-pxeinstall}}} to update the generated files.
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Some settings can not be preseeded because they are needed before the preseeding file is downloaded. These are configured in the pxelinux based boot arguments available from {{{/var/lib/tftproot/debian-edu/install.cfg}}}. Language, keyboard layout and desktop are examples of such settings. Some settings can not be preseeded because they are needed before the preseeding file is downloaded. These are configured in the PXElinux-based boot arguments available from {{{/var/lib/tftproot/debian-edu/install.cfg}}}. Language, keyboard layout and desktop are examples of such settings.
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The text mode and the graphical installation are identical, only the appearance is different. The graphical mode offers you the opportunity to use a mouse.
Of course the graphical mode looks much nicer and more modern.
The text mode and the graphical installation are functionally identical - only the appearance is different. The graphical mode offers the opportunity to use a mouse, and of course looks much nicer and more modern.

Installation

Where to find additional information

We recommend that you read or at least take a look at the release notes for Debian Squeeze before you start installing a system for production use. Please give Debian Edu/Skolelinux a try, it should just work. :-)

Be sure to read the getting started chapter of this manual, though, as it explains how to log in for the first time.

Even more information about the Debian Squeeze release is available in its installation manual.

Download the installation media for Debian Edu 6.0.3 beta1 Codename "Squeeze"

DVDs for i386, amd64

The multi-architecture DVD ISO image is 4.4 GiB large and can be used for installation of amd64 and i386 machines. It can be downloaded over FTP, HTTP or rsync via:

The netinstall CD, which can be used for installation of i386 and amd64 as well, is available via

The sources are available via

Request a CD/DVD by mail

For those without a fast Internet connection, we can offer a CD or DVD sent for the cost of the CD or DVD and shipping. Just send an email to cd@skolelinux.no and we will discuss the payment details (for shipping and media) :) Remember to include the address you want the CD or DVD to be sent to in the email.

Installing Debian Edu

When you do a Debian Edu installation, you have a few options to choose from. Don't be afraid; there aren't many. We have done a good job of hiding the complexity of Debian during the installation and beyond. However, Debian Edu is Debian, and if you want there are more than 15,000 packages to choose from and a billion configuration options. For the majority of our users, our defaults should be fine.

Select type of installation

  • Install is the default text mode installation on i386 and amd64.

  • 64 bit install does an amd64 text-mode install.

  • Select Graphical install to have the GTK installer where you can use the mouse.

  • Select 64 bit graphical install to have the amd64 GTK installer where you can use the mouse.

  • The debian-edu-expert boot-option adds the minimal profile to the profile options, and switches to manual partitioning.

Additional boot parameters for installations

On i386/amd64, boot options can be edited by pressing the TAB key in the boot menu.

  • The multi-architecture DVD defaults to using amd64-installgui on 64-bit x86 machines, and installgui on 32-bit x86 machines.
  • If you want to boot the amd64 text mode with the multi-architecture DVD, that would be amd64-install.

  • Likewise you can choose amd64-expertgui to get the GUI version on amd64.

  • If you want to boot the i386 mode with the multi-arch DVD on an amd64 machine you need to manually select install (text mode) or expertgui (graphical mode).

  • If you have already installed the mainserver profile on a machine, you can use its HTTP proxy service to speed up subsequent installations from CD. Add mirror/http/proxy=http://10.0.2.2:3128/ as an additional boot parameter.

  • To install the GNOME desktop instead of the KDE desktop, add desktop=gnome to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, not when installing from DVD.

  • To install the LXDE desktop instead, add desktop=lxde to the kernel boot parameters. This option is only available when installing from CD, not when installing from DVD.

The actual installation process

  • Choose a language (for the installation and the installed system)
  • Choose a time-zone
  • Choose a keyboard keymap (the country's default is usually fine)
  • Choose a profile:

    • Main-Server
      • This is the main server (tjener) for your school, providing the following services: file, print, intranet, proxy, DNS, DHCP, LDAP, backup, nagios, sitesummary, and munin. All services are pre-configured to work out of the box. You must only install one main server per school! This profile does not include a graphical user interface. If you want a graphical user interface, then select Workstation or Thin-Client-Server in addition to this one.
    • Workstation
      • A computer booting from its local hard drive, and running all software and devices locally like an ordinary computer, except that user logins are authenticated by the main server, where the users' files and desktop profile are stored.
    • Roaming workstation
      • Same as workstation but capable of authentication using cached credentials, meaning it can be used outside the school network. The users' files and profiles are stored on the local disk. Notebooks and laptops should select this profile and not 'Workstation' or 'Standalone' as suggested in earlier releases.
    • Thin-Client-Server
      • A thin client (and diskless workstation) server, also called a LTSP server. Clients without hard drives boot and run software from this server. This computer needs two network cards, a lot of memory, and ideally more than one processor or core. See the chapter about networked clients for more information on this subject. Choosing this profile also enables the workstation profile (even if it is not selected) - a thin client server can always be used as a workstation, too.

    • Standalone
      • An ordinary computer that can function without a main server (that is, it doesn't need to be on the network). Includes laptops.
    • Minimal
      • This profile is only available when using the 'debian-edu-expert' boot option. It will install the base packages and configure the machine to integrate into the Debian Edu network, but without any services and applications. It is useful as a platform for single services manually moved out from the main-server.

    The first three profiles above can all be installed on the same machine. This means the main server can be a thin client server and also be used as a workstation. This is the default choice, since we assume most people will install via PXE afterwards.

  • Say "yes" or "no" to automatic partitioning. Be aware that saying "yes" will destroy all data on the hard drives! Saying "no" on the other hand will require more work - you will need to make sure that the required partitions are created and are big enough.
  • Please say "yes" to submitting information to http://popcon.skolelinux.org/ to allow us to know which packages are popular and should be kept for future releases. Although you don't have to, it is a simple way for you to help. :)

  • Wait. If the selected profiles include Thin-client-server then the installer will spend quite some time at the end, "Finishing the installation - Running debian-edu-profile-udeb..."
  • Be happy

A note on manual partitioning

As a piece of general advice: if you choose manual paritioning and your system fails to boot, try automatic partitioning first.

If you decide to do manual partitioning for the main-server, you should bear the following in mind:

  • Make sure the directory /skole/tjener/home0 exists; usually you will also be mounting a partition there. If you don't create this directory you will only be able to log in as root. The reason is that the user creation system requires this directory to exist to be able to create users' home directories, and a user without a home directory cannot log in.

  • If /var/spool/squid is on a separate partition, 3GiB free space is a good recommendation. Squid's cache size will be set to 80% of the partition size.

  • /boot should have its own partition.

A note on notebooks

Most likely you will want to use the 'Roaming workstation' profile (see above). Be aware that all data is stored locally (so take some extra care over backups) and login credentials are cached (so after a password change, logins may require your old password if you have not connected your laptop to the network and logged in with the new password).

A note on DVD installs

After you install from a DVD, /etc/apt/sources.list will only contain sources from the DVD. If you have an Internet connection, we strongly suggest adding the following lines to it so that available security updates can be installed:

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main 
deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main 
deb http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux squeeze local

A note on CD installs

A netinst installation (which is the type of installation our CD provides) will fetch some packages from the CD and the rest from the net. The amount of packages fetched from the net varies from profile to profile:

  • Main server: 8 out of 115 MiB downloaded.
  • Main server and Thin client server: 618 of 1082 MiB downloaded.
  • Main server and Workstation: 618 of 1081 MiB downloaded.
  • Thin client server: 618 of 1052 MiB downloaded.
  • Workstation: 618 of 1051 MiB downloaded.
  • Standalone: 618 of 1020 MiB downloaded.
  • Minimal: 12 of 83 MiB downloaded.

A note on some RAID controllers

When using a USB drive to add missing firmware during install, with some RAID-controllers GRUB is installed to the USB drive. So a reboot after installation results in a GRUB error. A workaround for this problem is to remove the USB drive after the firmware is loaded, and preferably before partitioning starts.

More information is available in Debian-Edu bug #1395 and Debian bug 516280.

A note on thin-client-server installations

First of all, this profile name is confusing for historic reasons. Currently this profile actually installs an LTSP server environment for thin-clients and for workstations. Debian bug 588510 has been filed to change the name of the profile into a better suited one.

Providing the kernel boot parameter edu-skip-ltsp-make-client makes it possible to skip the step which converts the LTSP chroot from a thin-client chroot into a combined thin-client/diskless workstation chroot.

This is useful in certain situations, such as if you want a pure thin client chroot or if there is already a diskless chroot on another server, which can be rsynced. For these situations skipping this step will cut down the installation time considerably.

Except for the longer installation time there is no harm in always creating combined chroots, which is why this is done by default.

Custom CD/DVDs

Creating custom CDs or DVDs can be quite easy since we use the debian installer, which has a modular design and other nice features. Preseeding allows you to define answers to the questions normally asked.

So all you need to do is to create a preseeding file with your answers (this is described in the appendix of the debian installer manual) and remaster the CD/DVD.

Installation using USB sticks instead of CD/DVDs

Since the Squeeze release it is possible to directly copy the CD/DVD .iso images to a USB stick and boot from them. Simply execute a command like this, just adapting the file and device names to your needs:

sudo dd if=debian-edu-amd64-i386-XXX.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=1024

Depending on which image you choose, the USB stick will behave just like a CD or DVD.

Installation over the network (PXE) and booting diskless clients

For this installation method it is required that you have a running main server. When clients boot via the main network, a new PXE menu with installer and boot selection options is displayed.

This is how the PXE menu looks with the Main-Server profile only:

pxe-tjener.png

This is how the PXE menu looks with the Main-Server and Thin-Client-Server profiles:

28-Diskless-WS-GRUB_Boot_menu-PXE.png

This setup also allows diskless workstations and thin clients to be booted on the main network. Diskless workstations must be added with GOsa just like normal workstations or thin client servers.

More information about network clients can be found in the Network clients HowTo chapter.

Modifying PXE installations

The PXE installation uses a debian-installer preseed file, which can be modified to ask for more packages to install.

A line like the following needs to be added to tjener:/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat

d-i    pkgsel/include string my-extra-package(s)

The PXE installation uses /var/lib/tftpboot/debian-edu/install.cfg and the preseeding file in /etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat. These files can be changed to adjust the preseeding used during installation, to avoid more questions when installing over the net. Another way to achieve this is to provide extra settings in /etc/debian-edu/pxeinstall.conf and /etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat.local and to run /usr/sbin/debian-edu-pxeinstall to update the generated files.

Further information can be found in the manual of the Debian Installer.

To disable or change the use of the proxy when installing via PXE, the lines containing mirror/http/proxy, mirror/ftp/proxy and preseed/early_command in tjener:/etc/debian-edu/www/debian-edu-install.dat  need to be changed. To disable the use of a proxy when installing, put '#' in front of the first two lines, and remove the "export xhttp_proxy="http://webcache:3128"; " part from the last one.

Some settings can not be preseeded because they are needed before the preseeding file is downloaded. These are configured in the PXElinux-based boot arguments available from /var/lib/tftproot/debian-edu/install.cfg. Language, keyboard layout and desktop are examples of such settings.

Screenshot tour

The text mode and the graphical installation are functionally identical - only the appearance is different. The graphical mode offers the opportunity to use a mouse, and of course looks much nicer and more modern. Unless the hardware has trouble with the graphical mode, there is no reason not to use it.

So here is a screenshot tour through a graphical Main-Server + Workstation + Thin Client Server installation and how it looks at the first boot of the tjener, a PXE boot on the workstation network and on the thinclient network:

01-Installer_boot_menu.png

02-select_a_language.png

03-select_your_location.png

04-Configure_the_keyboard.png

05-Detect_and_mount_CD-ROM.png

06-Load_installer_components_from_CD.png

07-Detect_network_hardware.png

08-Choose_Debian_Edu_profile.png

09-Really_use_the_automatic_partitioning_tool.png

10-Really_use_the_automatic_partitioning_tool-Yes.png

11-Participate_in_the_package_usage_survey.png

12-Set_up_users_and_passwords.png

13-Install the base system.png

14-Select_and_install_software.png

[ATTACH]

17-Select_and_install_software.png

18-Build LTSP chroot.png

19-Install_the_GRUB_boot_loader_on_a_hard_disk.png

20-Finish_the_Installation.png

21-Finish_the_Installation-Installation_complete.png

22-Tjener_GRUB_boot_menu.png

23-Tjener-KDM_Login.png

24-Tjener-KDE_Start.png

26-Tjener-KDE_Desktop_Browser.png

27-Tjener-KDE_Desktop.png

28-Diskless-WS-GRUB_Boot_menu-PXE.png

29-Diskless-WS-KDM_Login.png

30-ThinClient-LDM_Login.png

31-ThinClient-KDE_Desktop.png

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