NAME

autoinstall.conf — automatic installation configuration

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

autoinstall.conf configures sysinstall(8) to do an automatic operating system installation(7).

The system administrator can automate operating system installations by following release-iso-modification(7) to embed the /etc/autoinstall.conf file into the release cdrom filesystem. Existing installations can similarly be automatically upgraded using autoupgrade.conf(5).

Each line is formatted as question=answer which provides an answer to a question asked during installation. Alternatively question+=answer appends to an existing answer (if any) separated by a space, and question++=answer appends another line to an existing answer (if any). Empty lines and lines starting with ‘#’ are comments and are ignored. Otherwise whitespace is significant. The empty answer accepts the default answer (if any) and is different from no answer, which makes sysinstall(8) ask the question normally. Installations can be made fully non-interactive using accept_defaults.

Each question has a counterpart question suffixed with ‘!’ which contains a sh(1) script that is executed before the question is asked. If the original question isn't answered, then the script's standard output is used as the answer to the original question. The installation aborts if the script exits unsuccessfully. These scripts are useful to customize the installation with arbitrary code.

The questions in chronological order are as follows:

accept_defaults=[no | yes] (default no)

Accept the default answer (if any) to questions that were not configured in autoinstall.conf? This feature makes installations entirely automated even if unexpected questions are asked, although the essential questions must be answered.

countdown=seconds (default 10)

Count down for this many seconds with a warning that an automated installation is about to happen? The countdown happens if accept_defaults=yes or if the ready question is answered and either the disked or confirm_install questions are answered.

ignore_missing_programs=[no | yes] (default no)

Ignore if the installer environment does not have the needed ports installed? This situation ordinarily does not happen.

ready=affirmation

Are you ready to begin the installation process? This is a human readable positive affirmation of your choice that you're ready to install, useful for fully automated installations. Not answering this question is useful for semi-automated installations where one would acknowledge the installation before it's begun. It also provides the opportunity to escape to a shell before installing.

The ready! question is convenient for running shell commands before the installation begins.

kblayout=[default | layout] (default default)

Switch to this keyboard layout using chkblayout(1)? The choice is remembered as the kblayout(5) system default.

videomode=[no | yes | WIDTHxHEIGHTxBPP] (default yes)

Interactively select a graphics resolution using chvideomode(1) or non-interactively set it to the specified resolution? The choice is remembered as the videomode(5) system default.

If the installation is non-interactive with accept_defaults=true, then the default is instead no.

grub=[no | yes]

Install the GRUB bootloader onto the device containing the /boot filesystem (if it exists, otherwise the root filesystem)?

On BIOS, this is an essential question that must be answered for automatic installations. The default is yes if any existing installations are found with GRUB enabled or if no filesystems were found, otherwise the default is no.

On EFI, the default is yes.

grub_distributor=[BOOT | sortix | ...] (default BOOT)

On EFI systems, what /boot/efi/EFI subdirectory should the bootloader be installed into?

If BOOT is selected, then a removable EFI installation is made and the non-volatile memory is not modified. Otherwise this subdirectory scheme lets bootloaders from different operating systems live side by side.

Note: EFI variables are not implemented yet, and this variable currently defaults to BOOT, but will change to sortix once EFI variable support is implemented.

grub_password=[no | yes] (default yes)

Protect the bootloader with a password to avoid unauthorized root access via the advanced bootloader features? The standard bootloader menu options don't require a password. The password is set in the grub_password_hash question.

If the installation is non-interactive with accept_defaults=true, then the default is instead no if the grub_password_hash question is not answered.

grub_password_hash=hash

The bootloader password as hashed by the grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2(1) program? The password is asked interactively if this question is not answered. The choice is remembered in grubpw(5).

Although it's discouraged to place unhashed passwords in autoinstall.conf, the grub_password! question could be answered with grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 -p password to dynamically hash the bootloader password.

grub_password_empty=[no | yes] (default no)

Allow an insecure empty bootloader password typed interactively?

kernel_options=options

What kernel(7) options should be set in grub(5) with GRUB_CMDLINE_SORTIX? This question is asked only the GRUB port is installed, if the kernel was booted with explicit options or this question is set.

disked=commands

Commands to create partitions and filesystems with disked(8)? The ++= syntax is useful to append multiple lines to the disked answer. A root filesystem must be mounted in order to install the operating system. The mountpoints are remembered in fstab(5).

This is an essential question that must be answered for automatic installations.

The disked! question is convenient for running shell commands before the partitioning step, or to generate dynamic partitioning commands on the standard output if the original disked question is unanswered.

missing_bios_boot_partition=[no | yes] (default yes)

On BIOS, attempt disked(8) again if the GRUB bootloader is installed but the /boot directory's filesystem is inside a GPT partition table that doesn't have a biosboot partition?

missing_esp_partition=[no | yes] (default yes)

On EFI, attempt disked(8) again if the GRUB bootloader is installed but no EFI System Partition was mounted on /boot/efi?

confirm_install=[no | yes | exit | poweroff | reboot | halt] (default yes)

Install the operating system or abort the installation? This is the final confirmation before the operating system is installed, after the partitioning has taken place.

The confirm_install! question is convenient for running shell commands before the installation step, after partitioning has happened, but before the filesystems are mounted.

hostname=hostname

Hostname for the installation? The choice is remembered in hostname(5).

This is an essential question that must be answered for automatic installations. If it isn't answered and accept_defaults=yes, then the current (and likely default) hostname is used.

password_hash_root=hash

Password for the root user as hashed with crypt_newhash(2)? The empty string sets the password to the empty string (insecure) and a literal x disables password login for root. The choice is remembered in passwd(5).

This is an essential question that must be answered for automatic installations. If it isn't answered and accept_defaults=yes, then password login is disabled for root.

Although it's discouraged to place unhashed passwords in autoinstall.conf, the password_hash_root! question could be answered with echo password | passwd -H to dynamically hash the root password.

password_hash_root=[no | yes] (default no)

Allow an insecure empty root password typed interactively?

copy_ssh_authorized_keys_root=[no | yes] (default yes)

Copy the /root/.ssh/authorized_keys file (if it exists) into the installation?

copy_ssh_config_root=[no | yes] (default yes)

Copy the /root/.ssh/config file (if it exists) into the installation?

copy_ssh_id_rsa_root=[no | yes] (default yes)

Copy the /root/.ssh/id_rsa file (if it exists) into the installation?

copy_ssh_known_hosts_root=[no | yes] (default yes)

Copy the /root/.ssh/known_hosts file (if it exists) into the installation?

empty_password=[no | yes] (default no)

Allow insecure empty passwords for regular users?

enable_gui=[no | yes] (default yes)

Enable the display(1) graphical user interface? The choice is remembered in session(5).

enable_autoupgrade=[no | yes] (default no)

Enable automatically upgrading the operating system with tix-autoupgrade(8)? The choice is remembered in collection.conf(5).

enable_autoupgrade_reboot =[no | yes | when] (default no)

Automatically reboot to upgrade after scheduling an upgrade in tix-autoupgrade(8), and if so, when? If no, don't reboot. If yes, then reboot one minuter later. Otherwise, ask shutdown(8) to reboot at the time specified by when. The choice is remembered in collection.conf(5).

channel=channel (default is unchanged)

Change the release channel to channel. The choice updates the RELEASE_URL variable in collection.conf(5).

enable_ntpd=[no | yes] (default no)

Automatically get time from the network using ntpd(8)? Note this choice has privacy implications as the servers in ntpd.conf(5) file will be contacted in the background. The choice is remembered in /etc/init/local per init(5).

enable_sshd=[no | yes] (default no)

Enable the sshd(8) secure shell server? The choice is remembered in /etc/init/local per init(5).

copy_sshd_config=[no | yes] (default no)

Copy the /etc/sshd_config file (if it exists) into the installation?

enable_sshd_password=[no | yes] (default no)

Enable password authentication in the local sshd(8)? The choice is remembered in sshd_config(5).

It's strongly encouraged to answer no and instead use public key authentication. The installation environment can be seeded with the ssh keys using the release-iso-modification(7) procedure and the default answers will copy the keys into the installation.

enable_sshd_root_password=[no | yes] (default no)

Enable ssh to the root user with password authentication?

copy_sshd_private_keys=[no | yes] (default yes)

Copy the sshd private keys (if they exist) into the installation? These are /etc/ssh_host_ecdsa_key, /etc/ssh_host_ed25519_key, and /etc/ssh_host_rsa_key.

confirm_efibootmgr=confirmation

On EFI if grub_distributor is not set to BOOT, then acknowledge that you have seen the instructions telling you to manually set the EFI boot variables in the firmware or using efibootmgr(8) on another operating system?

finally=[exit | poweroff | reboot | halt | boot | chroot] (default boot)

What action should be taken when the installation is finished?

The finally! question is convenient for running shell commands once the installation is complete to customize the installation. The working directory is the root filesystem of the installation with all filesystems mounted. The chroot -d . command is useful to chroot(8) into the new root filesystem to run commands with the /dev filesystem mounted.

FILES

/etc/autoinstall.conf

Automatic installation configuration.

EXAMPLES

accept_defaults=yes
grub=yes
disked++=mktable mbr
disked++=mkpart 1 0% 100% ext2 /
hostname=dragon
password_hash_root=x

tix-iso-liveconfig --autoinstall=autoinstall.conf liveconfig
tix-iso-bootconfig \
  --liveconfig=liveconfig --default=1 --random-seed \
  bootconfig
tix-iso-add sortix.iso bootconfig -o autosortix.iso

grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 -p bootloader-password
echo root-password | passwd -H

grub_password_hash=grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.68DA[...]
password_hash_root=$2b$10$d/9pP1[...]

grub_password_hash!=grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 -p bootloader-password
password_hash_root!=echo root-password | passwd -H

accept_defaults=yes
grub=yes
disked++=mktable mbr
disked++=mkpart 1 0% 100% ext2 /
hostname=example.com
password_hash_root=x
enable_sshd=yes

tix-iso-liveconfig \
  --autoinstall=autoinstall.conf \
  --root-ssh-authorized-keys="$HOME/.ssh/id_rsa.pub" \
  --sshd-keygen \
  --sshd-key-known-hosts-file="$HOME/.ssh/known_hosts" \
  --sshd-key-known-hosts-hosts="example.com example.com,192.0.2.1 192.0.2.1" \
  liveconfig
tix-iso-bootconfig \
  --liveconfig=liveconfig --default=1 --random-seed \
  bootconfig
tix-iso-add sortix.iso bootconfig -o autosortix.iso

ssh root@example.com

  ...
  --sshd-key-known-hosts-file="sortix.hdd.known_hosts" \
  --sshd-key-known-hosts-hosts=127.0.0.1 \
  ...

qemu-img create -f qcow2 sortix.hdd 1G
qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -vga std -m 1024 \
  -hda sortix.hdd -cdrom autosortix.iso \
  -device e1000,netdev=net0 \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp:127.0.0.1:2222-:22

ssh -oUserKnownHostsFile=sortix.hdd.known_hosts -p 2222 root@127.0.0.1

SEE ALSO

autoupgrade.conf(5), upgrade.conf(5), release-iso-modification(7), upgrade(7), sysupgrade(8), tix(8)