[Live-demo] Re: Installing GRUB on osgeo-live?

[Hamish]

Cameron wrote:
> During the install process, I need to respond to questions
> regarding installing Grub.
> (which slows down the automated install process)

that should only happen after a security update of the package. ?
IIUC the method Alex had been using was to keep a copy of a 'fresh' VM
installed from the CD with only an initial login and the security
updates, occasionally waking it up to catch up with any new updates.
And then 'working' VMs could be cloned from that prep'ed 'master' from 
time to time and only the 'working' VMs be despoiled by our scripts.
So if it is just part of a security update it shouldn't happen more
than once or maybe twice a release cycle.


> Do you know why we are installing grub in the first place?

nope, but I happily defer all boot questions over to my esteemed
colleague Alex.


> And I wonder whether we can avoid being asked questions about it?

You can turn down the level of questions it asks you, but I suspect
that ubuntu have already set it to the bare essentials already. GRUB
is kind of important because if you choose wrong you end up not being
able to (re)boot so you might get asked about it regardless..

`dpkg-reconfigure` has a --priority= option. If you set it to "critical"
only really really important questions get asked.
see http://da2i.univ-lille1.fr/cgi-bin/man/man2html?debconf-devel+7
If you do anything like that be careful to unset it again afterwards
so anyone installing from the disc isn't left adrift.
I suspect that the grub question is considered critical.

it is also possible to preseed the answers if you know what they'll be
ahead of time:   http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/394
(usually used for setting up 10-50,000 standardized installs at once)
grub is probably a bit dynamic based on what devices are available, so
not easy easy to automate.


Hamish



ps-
"""
The following packages have been kept back:
  linux-generic linux-image-generic
"""
you might want to upgrade upgrade those by hand.