CentOS - Oct 2007 - Duplicating My CentOS Install For Other Other Systems

Hello,

I have a CentOS install that has updated packages, and different users with
certain privileges and modified GNOME menus.  When a user logs in they are
very limited to what they can do. i.e. browse the internet, run some php
scripts on the local MySQL database I have set and that's about it.

I would like to take the stuff I setup and make it extremely easy for someone
to duplicate the install with the same customizations on their own hardware
with out having to answer any install questions and keeping the same security
I have set up.

My idea is to some how make a hybrid LiveCD/kickstart install.  One where a
non-technical user could put in the CD/DVD boot their system and have CentOS
automatically installed with a predetermined partitioning scheme, security,
users automatically created, packages, and etc.

Essentially I want to take an image of my configured system and have it
installed on another system with minimal input.

I've done cloning and remimaging in the past to handle this, but now I
won't
have control of the hardware that CentOS will be installed on, so I want
anaconda to take care of that.  The only thing I can say to the user is that
the computer has to be on the Red Hat Hardware compatibility list.

I've searched the Internet for some suggestions, but have come up short.  If
you have any input or direction that you could help with, I am very
appreciative.

Thanks in advance.

Antonio

Antonio Dupont wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have a CentOS install that has updated packages, and different users with
> certain privileges and modified GNOME menus.  When a user logs in they are
> very limited to what they can do. i.e. browse the internet, run some php
> scripts on the local MySQL database I have set and that's about it.
> 
> I would like to take the stuff I setup and make it extremely easy for
someone
> to duplicate the install with the same customizations on their own hardware
> with out having to answer any install questions and keeping the same
security
> I have set up.
> 
> My idea is to some how make a hybrid LiveCD/kickstart install.  One where a
> non-technical user could put in the CD/DVD boot their system and have
CentOS
> automatically installed with a predetermined partitioning scheme, security,
> users automatically created, packages, and etc.
> 
> Essentially I want to take an image of my configured system and have it
> installed on another system with minimal input.
> 
> I've done cloning and remimaging in the past to handle this, but now I
won't
> have control of the hardware that CentOS will be installed on, so I want
> anaconda to take care of that.  The only thing I can say to the user is
that
> the computer has to be on the Red Hat Hardware compatibility list.
> 
> I've searched the Internet for some suggestions, but have come up
short.  If
> you have any input or direction that you could help with, I am very
appreciative.
> 
do you mean things like these:

http://sipx-wiki.calivia.com/index.php/A_Kickstart_CD_for_sipX_on_CentOS
http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/KickStart
http://www.chekmate.org/wiki/index.php/CentOS_Locked_Down_Kickstart
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-7.3-Manual/custom-guide/ch-kickstart2.html

It may be practical to provide a script that the admin would run
manually after the system was installed (this can be done in the post
install, but this is not always the best choice. for example, the
machine may installed without networking first, but you want to do tasks
that require the network later).