I need to make a custom boot CD to set up a few dozen linux servers.

All I basically want is to install ubuntu server without asking any
questions (timezone, gparted etc), and then run my shell script off a
internal website.

I installed Ubuntu server the way I want. Then I made a preseed file
by saying:

(debconf-get-selections --installer; debconf-get-selections ) > myfile.seed

I burned a custom Linux CD based on Ubuntu server. I specified my own
myfile.seed in preseed and added an entry in isolinux.cfg.

When I boot from it and select that entry, it still asks a bunch of
stupid keyboard questions.

Then it goes on and goes into framebuffer mode, at which point the
characters on the screen become garbled and the only thing I see is a
bunch of colored pipe characters "|".

Any idea what may cause this? I feel that if I could see what is going
on, I could fix it, but it is hard to fix stuff that I cannot see.

I tried disabling framebuffer by saying vga=normal in isolinux.cfg,
but it did not help.

i

Ignoramus7897 <ignoramus7897@NOSPAM.7897.invalid> wrote:
>I need to make a custom boot CD to set up a few dozen linux servers.
>
>All I basically want is to install ubuntu server without asking any
>questions (timezone, gparted etc), and then run my shell script off a
>internal website.
>
>I installed Ubuntu server the way I want. Then I made a preseed file
>by saying:
>
>(debconf-get-selections --installer; debconf-get-selections ) > myfile.seed

You should instead read the installation guide (in the
installation-guide-i386 package). Using debconf-get-selections
--installer can be a useful starting point, but it *must* be coupled
with a human editor in order to produce the results you want. I suspect
that the keyboard configuration questions are not friendly to this
approach due to details of their internals.

>Then it goes on and goes into framebuffer mode, at which point the
>characters on the screen become garbled and the only thing I see is a
>bunch of colored pipe characters "|".

I'd need more details of what else is on the screen (perhaps a URL to a
photograph), and also a look at your preseed file (with any passwords
obscured or removed). I suspect, though, that you are running into:

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=430545
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...be/+bug/127008

Assuming that you aren't willing to upgrade to Ubuntu 7.10 where this
should be fixed, your best solution is probably to arrange that your
installation is fully preseeded by reading the installation guide
carefully, at which point you can just ignore the display glitches and
let it proceed. Don't mess around with vga=; it's unlikely to help this
and may just confuse matters further.

Cheers,

--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@chiark.greenend.org.uk]

Colin, thanks a lot, your followup is a little belated. You may
recall that you actually were the person who helped me via email, a
month ago. I am eternally grateful. Installs work great, so far so
good.

I appreciate the work that you guys are putting into Ubuntu. I am
converting all my home Linux computers and many work computers into
ubuntu. I love the way I can do scripted system administration of a
bunch of machines at once.

i


On 2008-02-05, Colin Watson <cjwatson@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Ignoramus7897 <ignoramus7897@NOSPAM.7897.invalid> wrote:
>>I need to make a custom boot CD to set up a few dozen linux servers.
>>
>>All I basically want is to install ubuntu server without asking any
>>questions (timezone, gparted etc), and then run my shell script off a
>>internal website.
>>
>>I installed Ubuntu server the way I want. Then I made a preseed file
>>by saying:
>>
>>(debconf-get-selections --installer; debconf-get-selections ) > myfile.seed
>
> You should instead read the installation guide (in the
> installation-guide-i386 package). Using debconf-get-selections
> with a human editor in order to produce the results you want. I suspect
> that the keyboard configuration questions are not friendly to this
> approach due to details of their internals.
>
>>Then it goes on and goes into framebuffer mode, at which point the
>>characters on the screen become garbled and the only thing I see is a
>>bunch of colored pipe characters "|".
>
> I'd need more details of what else is on the screen (perhaps a URL to a
> photograph), and also a look at your preseed file (with any passwords
> obscured or removed). I suspect, though, that you are running into:
>
> http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=430545
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...be/+bug/127008
>
> Assuming that you aren't willing to upgrade to Ubuntu 7.10 where this
> should be fixed, your best solution is probably to arrange that your
> installation is fully preseeded by reading the installation guide
> carefully, at which point you can just ignore the display glitches and
> let it proceed. Don't mess around with vga=; it's unlikely to help this
> and may just confuse matters further.
>
>

Ignoramus17624 <ignoramus17624@NOSPAM.17624.invalid> wrote:
>Colin, thanks a lot, your followup is a little belated. You may
>recall that you actually were the person who helped me via email, a
>month ago.

D'oh! I clearly have no memory at all.

>I am eternally grateful. Installs work great, so far so good.

Glad to hear it!

--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@chiark.greenend.org.uk]