I’m wanting to create a centralized repository to keep base images of operating systems to be installed on new laptops or workstations bought/used in my household with my local CA already installed, configured to authenticate with my local FreeIPA instance, network configurations already configured, etc.

What do you all use to accomplish this? I’m only free/libre/open source software for my home lab, so that’s a requirement as well.

Ideally I’d like to be able to buy a computer, flash the latest and greatest from my repository onto a bootable thumb drive, install onto the computer, and be ready to go without any further configuration.

  • vividspecter@lemm.eeEnglish
    12·
    2 years ago

    This is something NixOS excels at, but there is a bit of a learning curve. Maybe ansible as a non distro specific approach although I haven’t used it myself.

  • mattreb@feddit.itEnglish
    7·
    2 years ago

    Clonezilla. I usually prepare images in virtual machines and restore them on physical drives.

    • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      How do you deal with the hardware differences between a virtual machine and actual hardware?

      • mattreb@feddit.itEnglish
        2·
        2 years ago

        I only tried this with windows which works fine: on restore Clonezilla has an option to rescale partitions on the fly to fit the destination drive. For drivers, windows detect changes and update them the first time is started on the physical machine.

  • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    5·
    2 years ago

    I just have a bash script I run after the installation to configure things and install the software I use.

    • nehal3m@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      I set this up for production on a factory floor for others to use. It’s nice, works extremely well once set up. Importing and exporting images could be easier.

  • emhl@feddit.deEnglish
    3·
    2 years ago

    If you want to use OpenSUSE leap as your OS autoyast is made for that: automatic installation and configuration of new systems without (or with minimal) attendence

    Or you could write an bash script that makes all those configurations and just run it after finishing the Install.

    An ansible playbook would be another option to do these configurations semi-automatically

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.worldBannedEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      I didn’t actually implement it, but it looked like the winner last time I looked. I’d also recommend starting there.

      For work it’s all Windows so we use MECM.