Is it feasible to install an Operating System on a dedicated server without physical access to the machine?

We're getting a new dedicated server at Dialtone Internet, and we're thinking about using Mandrake 7.2 instead of Red Hat 6.1 that their servers come with.

I think this should be feasible if you prepared the answers to all the installation questions beforehand.

RedHat uses something called kickstart to achieve this. I suppose something similar should be possible for Mandrake or any other distribution...

Eg. I know the computers in my lab can be reinstalled fresh by selecting kickstart in lilo - the sysadmins probably did some magic to help it figure out its hostname, ip, kerberos servers, etc. If that's possible, this should be too. Just don't ask me exactly how this is done :)

[Edited by pyng on 04-02-2001 at 06:35 PM]

i would not risk doing an os install remotely,
Just like doing a heart surgery with closed eyes.

what if something goes wrong.
And besides i dont know how to do it also.

Maybe u can ask dialtone they might preinstall Mandrake instead of Redhat for you. Dont know if they would charge extra to support a non standard Os.

Regards
Manish Kapadia

Originally posted by mpkapadia
i would not risk doing an os install remotely,
Just like doing a heart surgery with closed eyes.


I don't think it's that bad. It would certainly be preferable to see if you can get them to do install the OS for you (perhaps with a script you provide that tell them exactly what to type for each question of the install step).
Basic install should be over in less than an hour, so you shouldn't be more than $50-150 poorer :)

If you _had_ to do it, I'm sure you know to tes, test, test it out on a spare computer of your own first.

I am pretty sure installing an OS remotely is impossible. First of all, when you are installing an OS, it does not have all the device drivers set up and certainly not telnet or ssh running during the install menus. I don't know if I am overlooking something, but uhhh you cant use lilo unless you are physically at the server because at that time, the netowrk isnt set up or anything. The only way i can see it as remotely possible is if you had more than one hard drive in which you could possibly isntall it on the opposite drive you are using.

If I'm not mistaken, all it would take would be an installer program loaded completely into memory.

This installer program would then overwrite the disk block by block with a disk image that it retrieves over TCP/IP. The disk image would contain the new operating system. Since the installer is operating in memory and not using the disk at all, overwriting the disk will not affect the installer.

Once it's finished copying the disk image, it reboots the system and it will come back up as the new operating system.

Whether such a program like this exists in practice is another matter. :)

Originally posted by jw
I am pretty sure installing an OS remotely is impossible.

Actually JW its not that difficult at all, Solaris has had a KickStart option for years, and so does Red Hat (http://www.linux.com/howto/KickStart-HOWTO.html). I don't think Mandrake does though.

I agree with pyng is that your beswt bet is to ship your provider a CD and walk them through the install.

Originally posted by uuallan
Originally posted by jw
I am pretty sure installing an OS remotely is impossible.

Actually JW its not that difficult at all, Solaris has had a KickStart option for years, and so does Red Hat (http://www.linux.com/howto/KickStart-HOWTO.html). I don't think Mandrake does though.

I agree with pyng is that your beswt bet is to ship your provider a CD and walk them through the install.

Well, now, if you're talking about a fresh system, you THINK so? I don't think so. You have to have something on the other end, started, loaded or running to be able to do installs over networks, FTP, the 'Net, or whatever. It has to have things loaded onto it to at least have the NIC respond and allow communications for someone remote to start installing it.

Once you get that initial connection, sure, but that's usually after certain things are specified too, which you can't do or get to that point, let alone anything else, unless you have a very long arm. If we're talking about a generic boot/install disk and CD or NFS, etc. install, sure, but someone's got to run something (and possibly configure it for that hardware) to get it to get up and to the point of a remote user being able to interact with it. This can depend and some OS's, you will have to be there to do a lot of things. It surely can be impossible, but it can surely be easy too, I imagine, if someone got it to the stage (even just by loading a diskless kernel) to install remotely.

pmak0's situation isn't that bizarrely impossible - redhat will be pre-installed by dialtone if he chooses to attempt the remote install himself.