[2971] in SIPB_Linux_Development
Python help with Linux installer
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sam Hartman)
Mon Sep 11 14:36:36 2000
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 14:36:30 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <200009111836.OAA07281@sweet-transvestite.mit.edu>
From: Sam Hartman <hartmans@MIT.EDU>
To: alex_c@MIT.EDU
Cc: linux-dev@MIT.EDU
[linux-dev; I have added alex_c to the Athena list (and possibly later
to the sipb-cell group) because he knows Python (he's been maintaining
the locker for over a year) and volunteered to help with some of the existing tasks I don't know how to deal with easily.]
So, we are working on hacking the Redhat installer to work on installing Athena workistations.
Our tree is in /afs/sipb/system/rhlinux (and will move somewhere else
once we are done) and the unmodified tree is in
/afs/athena/system/rhlinux/redhat-6.2.
The source for the installer is in redhat-6.2/misc/anaconda although we have been modifying the installed version in RedHat/instimage/usr/lib/anaconda.
There is a text subdirectory containing the text components of the
installer and a iw directory containing the GUI.
Most of our work in the core of the installer has been limited to
installclass.py. We added an athena workstation class and wrote the
appropriate methods for this to do what we want. (Some of this code
actually needs to be migrated back into the base class so that custom
installs inherit it as well; I will do that.)
The main area where I need help is finishing fiddling with the GUI and
making the text mode installer work. In the iw/account.py we need to
remove the GUI elements that allow the user to add local users as this
will break Athena.
I'm not sure how to do this without disrupting the appearance of the
GUI.
I haven't looked at all at how to make the text mode installer work.
Also, if you could figure out if it would be possible for me to find
out what network device is being used and somehow get that information
into the call te setpostscript in installclass.py, that would be
useful.
