Brisbane Install Fest

[Chris Robinson]

I don't know about setting up a local repository, but I'll see if I can work something out.  It might be as simple as enabling the local drive as a valid source as you do for the install CD, but this doesn't get around the problem of updating the package lists.  I'm not sure how that works.

There's currently over 200Mb of update downloads required for a typical  Oneiric install.  I do have a procedure for easily putting these on the target drive at install time so it gets around having to actually download them. (It's a script that you can run alongside the installer)  This doesn't get around the need to update the package lists either.  Even if we can't update the user's computer at the time of install I recommend we put the files on the target
 machine to improve the user experience when they get it home, with the warning that it's going to take 15 minutes or so to install all the updates which will have a performance hit.  Regardless, I recommend installing without updating, or even with an internet connection present.  This speeds things up _immensely_ and the updates can be done later even while the user is using the machine.


I have a brand new 1.5Gb USB drive that can be used for backing up data if necessary.  It's something I'm used to doing for PC customers for re-installs, including the mail files for Outlook, Express etc.  Of course we need to ask before backing up, but most people will not have a problem with this.  


It's important to ask the question about data and backups before doing anything to a user's computer: In my experience people can have things like years of family photos on the hard drive that they've never bothered backing up, or in some cases have little idea of how to do it.


If someone wants Ubuntu installed alongside Windows how are we going to handle this?  I haven't done a lot of that, but my recollection is that it can take some time to defrag partitions and move them around, though defragging can speed up the move/resize quite a bit.  If time is an issue we might have to be satisfied with a Wubi install, though that can benefit from defragging the Windows partition also.

Chris



________________________________
 From: Jared Norris <jrnorris at gmail.com>
To: ubuntu-au at lists.ubuntu.com 
Sent: Thursday, 29 December 2011 7:05 AM
Subject: Brisbane Install Fest
 
Good morning,

With the InstallFest just over 2 weeks away I thought I'd see if
anyone had any better ideas about the technical side of it all. I have
the ability to provide the following:
* 48 port 10/100 cisco switch
* home network gateway for internet (I'd probably only really suggest
using it to connect to the aarnet mirrors as the library wifi is only
for library members).
* power cables and power boards
* 2 desktop setups for people to come along and plug desktops in to
install if they like (I'll bring monitors, keyboard and mice)
* Install CDs and USBs
* 10 random length network patch cables

I also
 have an external USB hard drive that has a local copy of the
entire Ubuntu repository. The only problem is that I haven't had the
chance to get in and play with it so I don't have the technical
capability of setting it up on a lan as a local repository. Is there a
volunteer willing to own that pet project for the day?

Anyone else have any other ideas?

-- 
Regards,

Jared Norris JP(Qual) BBehSc(Psych)
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JaredNorris

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