Fedora Users — Re: Minimal installation

Have you ever tried this?? I have. Take the anaconda-ks.cfg from a machine that you have configured to only install basic packages. This is an option in the graph-install. In the text install choose custom install and deselect all groups. You then don't end up with a basic install!!! Check the anaconda-ks.cfg and you see that it pulled in some package groups. If I remember well it pulled in the group "Serial" and some individual packages. I you check the install-size with "df" you still have over 500Mb's.

Now on the same machine install with the previously created anaconda-ks.cfg that you have modified by taking out all the packages and groups that were defined after the "%packages" header. You see that you end up with an install size that is smaller than the first one. But if you inspect the anaconda-ks.cfg from this second installation you will find that it has still pulled in some extra packages and groups again. And still 400Mb_plus in size.

If you define basic packages as packages who either:
1. Are needed by the anaconda install process
2. Are needed to boot up the system after the install process

then you will find loads of packages in the basic install the are not in one of these categories, e.g. sendmail, syslog, iptables.

I would say these packages could well be in a basic-extended group and not in the real basic group.

Koos.

At 09:39 11-11-2003, you wrote:

Create a kickstart file for it with no package sets and minus directives
for all unwanted packages (Done for you in /root/anaconda-ks.cfg on
install).

But yes, I must say the 'minimal' RedHat/FC installation really isn't,
and it would maybe be nice if it were. :|

-AL.