Deploying Debian GNU/Linux with ICE-Linux

# wget http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/etch/main/installer-

i386/current/images/netboot/gtk/debian-installer/i386/linux

# wget http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/etch/main/installer-

i386/current/images/netboot/gtk/debian-installer/i386/initrd.gz

Step 5: Enable the Debian Installer to Accept a MAC Address

Typically, a server has many network interfaces. The Debian installer expects a kernel name for the

Ethernet interface to use for installation. The kernel does not always give the same kernel name to an

Ethernet interface from one boot cycle to the next. MACs for Ethernet interfaces are used to

distinguish one Ethernet interface from another consistently across boot cycles. To enable the Debian

Installer to accept a MAC address for the network interface to use for installation, create a special file

called iram1.gz; the procedure follows:

1. Change to the Debian4-i386Boot directory:

# cd /opt/repository/boot/Debian4-i386Boot

2. Create a directory named iram and change to it:

# mkdir iram ; cd iram

3. Invoke the text editor of your choice to create a file named macfinder.

4. Copy the following bash script and paste it into the text editor’s buffer.

#!/bin/bash

# find the mac address in kernel args

mac=`expr "$(cat /proc/cmdline)" : ".*xdevice=$[^ ]*$"`

# load the net drivers

for i in pcnet32 e1000 bnx2 tg3

modprobe $i

done

# find the device with the mac address

eth=`ifconfig -a | grep -i $mac | cut -d" " -f1`

# find the preseed url in kernel args

url=`expr "$(cat /proc/cmdline)" : ".*preseed=$[^ ]*$"`

echo "----------------------------------"

echo "Hewlett Packard - DEBN4 mac finder"

echo "----------------------------------"

echo "mac = $mac"

echo "eth = $eth"

echo "url = $url"

echo "----------------------------------"

# set the interface to use

echo "d-i netcfg/choose_interface select $eth" >> preseed.cfg

# fetch network preseed cfg

echo "d-i preseed/url string $url" >> preseed.cfg

# reset the init cmd

init='busybox init'

# start the original initrd init process