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<sect1 id="automatic-install">
<title>Automatic Installation</title>
<para>
For installing on multiple computers it's possible to do fully
automatic installations. Debian packages intended for this include
<classname>fai</classname> (which uses an install server),
<classname>replicator</classname>,
<classname>systemimager</classname>,
<classname>autoinstall</classname>, and
the Debian Installer itself.
</para>
<sect2>
<title>Automatic installation using the Debian Installer</title>
<para>
The Debian Installer supports automating installs via preconfiguration
files. A preconfiguration file can be loaded from the network or from
removable media, and used to fill in answers to question asked during the
installation process.
</para><para>
The preconfiguration file is in the format used by the
debconf-set-selections command. A well documented and working example that
you can edit is in <xref linkend="example-preseed"/>.
</para><para>
The preconfiguration file is in the format used by the
debconf-set-selections command, and one way to get a complete file listing
all the values that can be preseeded is to do a manual install,
and then use <filename>debconf-get-selections</filename>,
from the <classname>debconf-utils</classname> package,
to dump both the debconf database and the cdebconf
database in /var/log/debian-installer/cdebconf to a single file:
<informalexample><screen>
debconf-get-selections --installer > file
debconf-get-selections >> file
</screen></informalexample>
</para><para>
However, a file generated in this manner will have some items that should
not be preseeded, and the file in <xref linkend="example-preseed"/> is a
better starting place for most users.
</para><para>
Once you have a preconfiguation file, you can edit it if necessary, and
place it on a web server, or copy it onto the installer's boot media. Wherever
you place the file, you need to pass a parameter to the installer at boot
time to tell it to use the file.
</para><para>
To make the installer use a preconfiguration file downloaded from the
network, add preseed/url=http://url/to/preseed.cfg to the kernel boot
parameters. Of course the preconfiguration will not take effect until the
installer manages to set up the network to download the file, so this is
most useful if the installer can set up the network via DHCP without asking
any questions. You may want to set the installation priority to critical to
avoid any questions while the network is being configured. See
<xref linkend="installer-args"/>.
</para><para>
To place a preconfiguration file on a CD, you would need to remaster the
ISO image to include your preconfiguraton file. See the manual page for
mkisofs for details. Alternatively, put the preseed file on a floppy, and
use preseed/file=/floppy/preseed.cfg
</para><para arch="i386">
If you'll be booting from a USB memory stick, then you can simply copy your
preconfiguration file onto the memory stick's filesystem, and edit the
syslinux.cfg file to add preseed/file=/hd-media/preseed.cfg to the kernel boot
parameters.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
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