InstallCDCustomization

[Andy Rabagliati]

Folks,

  (hope this is the right list)

  I have followed https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization
  in the hopes of creating an Ubuntu Alternate boot CD with my own
  package selection.

  I used dpkg-scanpackages to create the pool directory structure,
  organised by deb Section:, so I have the following, both in pool/ and
  in dists/dapper, with dists/stable symlinked to dapper.

  pool/main/debian-installer pool/main pool/restricted/misc
  pool/restricted/base pool/restricted/debian-installer pool/restricted
  pool/extras/ltsp pool/extras pool/admin pool/utils pool/base pool/comm
  pool/otherosfs pool/editors pool/misc pool/doc pool/net pool/text
  pool/libs pool/web pool/mail pool/perl pool/python pool/sound pool/devel
  pool/shells pool/translations

  I created apt-ftparchive-deb.conf, apt-ftparchive-udeb.conf and
  apt-ftparchive-extras.conf per instructions - a section looks like

BinDirectory "pool/mail" {
  Packages "dists/dapper/mail/binary-i386/Packages";
  BinOverride "/export/indices/override.dapper.mail";
};

  I run dpkg-scanpackages to create the appropriate Packages.gz, and
  apt-ftparchive to create the Release files.

  I copied the debian-installer/* udebs and Packages.gz files from an
  Ubuntu Alternate CD - dpkg-scanpackages seemed unable to deal with udebs.

  I copied the isolinux/* files from the Ubuntu Alternate CD, and can
  create a bootable CD. So far so good.

  I boot from the CD, I choose a server install (which points to my
  preseed file from isolinux.cfg, which sets language and keyboard).

append  preseed/file=/cdrom/preseed/wizzy.seed initrd=/install/initrd.gz \
	debconf/priority=critical preseed/locale=en_ZA \
	console-keymaps-at/keymap=us ramdisk_size=16384 root=/dev/ram rw --

  (on one line in the file).

  It still asks me the debconf/priority question, which I point to
  save on a (vmware) virtual floppy. 

  It then says "Installation step failed", failing step is
  "Execute a shell".

  It throws me back to the Ubuntu installer main menu, and offers to
  either start a shell (which works) or abort the installation - no
  other options :-(

  InstallCDCustomization says the following :-

      Installing extra packages in your preseed file

      Ubuntu 5.10 and older:

      Package installation is controlled by the
      base-config/package-selection directive in the preseed. To
      install nothing, you can leave the value blank; to instruct
      d-i to install extra packages, or a minimal set, set this
      to an aptitude pattern.

      For instance, to install an SSH server along with the standard
      installation, use this line:

      base-config base-config/package-selection string ~t^ubuntu-standard$|~n^openssh-server$

      Ubuntu 6.06 and newer:

      base-config has been removed from debian-installer, so you
      have to install packages using a different directive. Set
      preseed/early_command to run apt-install package1 package2.

  If I add "d-i preseed/early_command string apt-install ubuntu-standard"
  to my preseed file, I get
  Execution of preseeded command "apt-install ubuntu-standard" failed
  with exit code 1.

  What am I missing here ?

  I promise I will update the wiki when I get it working ..

Cheers,    Andy!