* Make CDRom #1 a fully live image, allowing the system to boot into a complete environment. Include various additional tools on the CDRom, including X. * Split a normal installation into two stages. Stage 1 is responsible for FDISK and basic partitioning (/, swap, and /usr), and simply copies the CDRom to the hard drive and reboots. Stage 2 is responsible for the more sophisticated aspects of the installation. Both stages will use the same scripts, languages, & utilities and such to do their work since both the CDRom boot and the HD boot will have a full environment to play in. * Choose a set of tools to build the installation GUI. Desired features are to be able to run the installation from a character terminal, from a graphical environment, from a serial port, from a remote character terminal or graphical environment via the network, or totally automated. What I am currently proposing: * Place Apache, PHP4, lynx, and some sort of browser (if we can get it to fit) on the live CD. * Use Apache and PHP4 as the backend to the installer, lynx as the character terminal frontend, or a browser as the graphical frontend. The installation code would be written primarily in PHP4. * The PHP4 code could make use of a simple database and the existing RCNG scripts to hold onto persistent data and execute its various functions.(end quote)
Matt Dillon summarized what he's been thinking so far for the system installation process:
(Quoted directly from his post)