Hello,
I like to use NFS install, as it minimize the need of burning CDs to install distro. However, as far as I know, you still need to burn the disc 1 iso of the distro, to boot the system from, then specify the NFS install. So if I want to install FC 1, FC 2, FC 3, FC 4 (beta), RHEL 3, RHEL 4, I still need to burn 6 disc 1 iso, right ?.
So my question is, is there a way to make like a "universal boot disc" for all the Fedora (and Red hat) versions, so that then I can specify the NFS path (and probably distro code name for sanity check), and then the installer (anaconda? ) understand what distro I want to install based on the specified NFS path (just look at what distro is available in that mounted fs) and/or the specified distro name ?
It's not too hard to do this really. If you look in the "images" directories of each distribution's CD1, you should find a "boot.iso". If you loopback mount that image you can extract from it a kernel and initrd. These will be different for each distribution.
Grab the kernels and initrds for each distribution (these are the installer kernels and initrds) and create yourself a boot media (CD, USB key, whatever) that offers a menu with each distro's kernel/initrd. You can then use that media to boot the installer for each distro.
Paul.
