Server Imaging Notes

Tablet configuration notes:

• Created script to auto-configure hosts based on
  • need script to detect video device at boot
  • need script to configure wacom at boot
• Using Ubuntu's *source* 2.6.10 kernel
  • apt-get install linux-source-2.6.10
  • ln -s /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.10 /usr/src/linux
  • removed all other kernel packages (linux-image-*, linux-headers-*)
  • Patched for wacom_acpi.
  • Downloaded patches from http://www.theory.bham.ac.uk/staff/schofield/linux/tc1100/
  • linux-2.6.11-wacom_acpi.patch, linux-2.6.11-wacom_acpi_enable_future_usage.patch
    • tc1100s use wacom and wacom_acpi, tc4200s use just wacom
  • Configure kernel with following extra options:
    • IDE-related drivers static
    • ext2,3 drivers static
    • wacom_acpi driver
  • install nvidia driver via module-assistant, apt-get install nvidia-glx
  • install firmware for ipw2100 and ipw2200:
    • http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/firmware.php
    • http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net/firmware.php
• Need uEye camera software installed
  • Install uEye driver
  • apt-get install libpng3
  • Install uEye grabber software
• Make wireless, copper autoconfigured
• Get reboot/suspend/sleep to work
• Auto screen rotation
• Report IP at boot (IF using campus address)
• Edit default and root accounts, copy to /etc/skel:
  • Easy VNC access
  • Need onscreen keyboard
  • Need menu options for all custom-installed software
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • clean up /usr/custom
  • disable all default sounds
  • disable CPU intensive screensavers
  • enable power management for display
  • enable acpi support in DE
  • clean up desktops
    • KDE:
      • Disable launch notify

Server configuration notes:

• Build net-bootable kernel (I used v2.6.8.1)
  • make xconfig
    • devfs disabled
    • ext2/3 compiled statically
    • IDE chipset DMA support compiled in statically
    • b44 and tg3 modules
  • make; make modules_install

• Configure PXELinux: (http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php#config)
  • Download syslinux from http://syslinux.zytor.com/download.php

tar -xjf syslinux-3.11.tar.bz2
cp syslinux-3.11/pxelinux.0 /var/lib/tftpboot/

• • Copy the built kernel image to /var/lib/tftpboot/vmlinuz

mkdir /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

• • Edit /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default:

default linux
label linux
kernel vmlinuz
append vga=normal init=/sbin/init initrd=initrd.img.gz ramdisk_size=360000 root=/dev/ram rw --

• • Configure DHCP server
    • Install DHCP server

apt-get install dhcpd tftpd-hpa

• • • Edit /etc/dhcpd.conf:

allow booting;
allow bootp;

## These two lines required to prevent interference with other DHCP servers
deny unknown-clients;
not authoritative;

option domain-name "netboot";
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
# option domain-name-servers 192.168.0.1;
# option routers default_router;

subnet 192.168.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
    range 192.168.0.100 192.168.0.250;
    option broadcast-address 192.168.0.255;
}

group {
    next-server 192.168.0.1;
    filename "pxelinux.0";

    # Add one line per host here:
    host tc1100_12 { hardware ethernet 00:0f:20:d2:46:f9; }
}

Created debian ramdisk distro:

• This initrd image contains the network-boot OS used to image the tablets. We need the following features:
  • When tablet boots, it reports its IP address to maxwell
  • Maxwell needs to be able to log into tablet as root
  • UDPcast should be installed

• Prepare some server-related stuff for later:
  • create /root/.ssh/id_dsa.pub if it doesn't already exist:

ssh-keygen -t dsa -f /root/.ssh/id_dsa
(enter blank password)

• • create user which tablets will use to report IP addresses

adduser tabletscript
mkdir /home/tabletscript/.ssh

• • server needs a script allowing the tablet to report its IP address

• Make initrd.img:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/root/initrd.img bs=1024 count=300000
mke2fs /root/initrd.img
mount -o loop /root/initrd.img /root/m/
mkdir /root/m/sys
mkdir -p /root/m/root/.ssh
cp /root/.ssh/id_dsa.pub /root/m/root/.ssh/authorized_keys
debootstrap sarge /root/m/ ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/debian

• Create /root/m/etc/apt/sources.list with at least this line:

deb http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian testing main contrib non-free

chroot /root/m/
passwd
apt-get update
apt-get install ssh udpcast module-init-tools acpid hdparm grub

Note: (acpid is important because it operates the fans and prevents overheating)

• Configure defaults for hdparm in /etc/default/hdparm

/dev/hda
-d1

• Free up some space

apt-get remove --purge aptitude at cron anacron info ipchains exim4-config dselect ed fdutils man-db manpages netkit-inetd nvi whiptail
apt-get autoclean
rm /var/cache/apt/archives/*

• Configure DHCP in /etc/network/interfaces:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

• Create IP reporting script in /etc/init.d/reportip:

#!/bin/sh
ifconfig | ssh tabletscript@maxwell.mines.edu reportTabletIP

ln -s /etc/init.d/reportip /etc/rc2.d/S98reportip

ssh-keygen -t dsa -f /root/.ssh/id_dsa
( no password )

• Exit chroot, add image's dsa key to tablet user's auth keys:

cat /root/m/root/.ssh/id_dsa.pub > /home/tabletscript/.ssh/authorized_keys

• Copy kernel modules to image

cp -r /lib/modules/2.6.8.1/ /root/m/lib/modules/

• Fill up the rest of the image with 0, gzip

cat /dev/zero > /root/m/f
rm /root/m/f
umount /root/m/
gzip -c /root/init.img > /var/lib/tftpboot/initrd.img.gz

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