How does one go about applying patches to a netboot directory?
I'd like to set things up so I can do a clean install of a machine using netboot, and I'd like to have the image pre-patched so-to-speak.
Is this possible? Has anyone done something like this already?
Long-term I'd like to use something like this to create an updated install cd/dvd.
I'm currently knee-deep in this process, as I've been building an updated OPENSTEP/Intel install CD with patch 4 applied and all drivers installed at run time. I'm not quite finished yet but the remaining steps are straightforward. You can search for threads in the forums here where others have built bootable OPENSTEP CD's, and offer great information on that process.
Applying a patch to a netboot folder requires modifying a file inside the patch to allow you to specify the install folder. The standard patch installs to the "/" folder and won't allow you to change that at run time. To modify the patch, highlight the patch package and choose "File > Open as Folder" in the Workspace menu. Look for a file with a file extension of ".info". Open this file in Edit and change the line that reads:
Relocatable NO
to:
Relocatable YES
Save the file and exit the patch package folder. Now when you run the patch with installer it will have a "Set" button that will allow you to specify the install folder. Be careful here, as a typo can leave you with quite a data mess if you install to the wrong folder. :) You can check the install log to verify that all files installed properly. I've done it quite a few times and it works well.
There's one additional step to perform if you're modifying the OPENSTEP patch 4 package. You may want to remove the "OS42MachUserPatch4.post_install" script from the package folder as it's not needed for patching a netboot install image. The script is designed to install a VBE-aware boot loader to the hard drive of Intel machines, and this will overwrite your Grub or other boot loader if you have a dual-boot configuration like mine (Ubuntu /OPENSTEP). :shock:
I'm also working on new OPENSTEP/Intel boot floppy images with the updated patch 4 mach_kernel, VBE-aware boot loader, and the VBE 2.0 display driver. I'll shoehorn as many of these files as I can into a 2.88Mb floppy image for the El Torito boot CD. This CD should allow installation on machines with no floppy drive.
I noticed some of the posts about bootable CD's; I've been thinking along similar lines to you with respect to creating an updated installer disk, however what I'd like to create is a large shell script (or maybe a nice .app) to automate the process.
Something else you touched on brings to mind another question though: are DVD's supported in any way?
A shell script to automate the creation of an updated install CD would be great. There are some good sample scripts in the NetInstallHelper.app folder that might be a good starting point.
I've tested DVD's on both NEXTSTEP and OPENSTEP, and on Black Hardware as well as White hardware, and they seem to work fine. In fact I just tossed a Fedora 10 DVD in my OPENSTEP/Intel box with an IDE DVD burner and I was able to browse the entire DVD. I haven't tested DVD's on Sun or HPPA hardware, so I can't verify those. It should be possible to build an El Torito bootable DVD with NEXTSTEP, OPENSTEP, or possibly both.