[Rule-list] Modifying the current anaconda--progress update

[Chuck Moss]

On Fri, Feb 08, 2002 at 11:15:37AM +0100, Marco Fioretti wrote:
[snip]
> 
> Back to the issue now: I think the default base install is interesting
> to check also because we might need to redefine/take out something even
> from that. For example, does it still include all the shells ever 
> invented since Charles Babbage, or library support for some unlikely
> (for old PCs, that is) hardware, or server use?

The "base" install is the bare minimum of packages that is installed with
redhat when NOTHING is selected.  It is a group of about 130 rpms that get
installed no matter what else you select.  I don't think it includes any
networking rpms.  


In my view we should take this as a starting point.  From a message on the
enigma thread(from Erik Troan): 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't blame python of the installers size. It doesn't help, but it's really a
pretty small % of the overhead. Talking about the text install, the big
overheads items are:

        1) The package list (we ship a *ton* of packages). This has to be
           held in RAM as we haven't repartitioned the disk yet.

        2) The RPM transaction

        3) The GUI

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

So if we can skip the logic that loads the package list into memory and
just load precanned configs that are a good starting point we may be able
to squeeze the install into much less memory.

I think the thing that could prevent this approach is if the installer
relies on too many things from the CD/network to do the install.  I am
hoping we can patch the anaconda portion that is  ON THE FLOPPY to bypass
some of the logic and just provide a list of packages that have been
pre-checked for dependencies.

Is anyone on the list familiar enough with anaconda and the boot process to 
say whether this approach will work?

As Wade mentioned in a later message the install does use some files
provided from the CD or network.
On the CD in RedHat/base are the following files:

comps - 20k list of packages in groups

hdlist - 1.7 MB compressed ~7 MB in ram,  RPM descriptions, some file 
information, and such

hdlist2 - 13 MB  compressed? ? MB in ram, 

hdstg1.img - 6.7 MB stage 1 of installer for install from CD

netstg1.img - 6.9 MB stage 1 of installer for install from network

stage2.img - 49 MB common stage 2 of install


If the portions of anaconda we need to patch are on the CD then the
approach I have suggested won't work and a solution involving the stock CDs
would be a much bigger project. :(

I have appended a list of the RPMS that are in the base install.
I think we would need to add networking and ssh for the machine to be at
all useful.  A non-graphic minimal desktop would be somewhat boring without
the networking capability.

Chuck
List of base packages:


  MAKEDEV		  grub			  passwd
  SysVinit		  gzip			  pciutils
  anacron		  hdparm		  pcre
  apmd			  hotplug		  popt
  ash			  lilo			  procmail
  at			  indexhtml		  procps
  authconfig		  info			  psmisc
  basesystem		  initscripts		  pwdb
  bash			  ipchains		  quota
  bdflush		  iproute		  raidtools
  bzip2 		  iputils		  readline
  bzip2-libs		  iptables		  redhat-logos
  chkconfig		  console-tools		  redhat-release
  cpio			  kbdconfig		  reiserfs-utils
  cracklib		  kernel		  rootfiles
  cracklib-dicts	  ksymoops		  rpm
  crontabs		  krb5-libs		  specspo
  cyrus-sasl		  kudzu 		  sed
  cyrus-sasl-md5	  less			  sendmail
  cyrus-sasl-plain	  libstdc++		  setserial
  cyrus-sasl-md5	  libtermcap 		  setup
  db1			  logrotate		  setuptool
  db2			  lokkit		  sh-utils
  db3			  losetup		  shadow-utils
  dev			  mailcap		  slang
  dhcpcd		  mailx			  slocate
  diffutils		  man			  syslinux
  dosfstools		  mingetty		  sysklogd
  e2fsprogs		  mkbootdisk		  tar
  ed			  mkinitrd		  tcsh
  eject			  mktemp		  termcap
  file			  modutils		  textutils
  filesystem		  mount			  time
  fileutils		  mouseconfig		  timeconfig
  findutils		  ncurses		  tmpwatch
  gawk			  netconfig		  utempter
  gdbm			  net-tools		  util-linux
  glib			  newt			  vim-common
  glibc			  ntsysv		  vim-minimal
  glibc-common		  openldap		  vixie-cron
  gpm			  openssl		  which
  grep			  pam			  words
  groff			  parted		  zlib


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