Bug 27660

Summary: Turn the classic installer into hybrid installation
Product: Mageia Reporter: Omer I.S. <omeritzicschwartz>
Component: InstallerAssignee: Mageia Bug Squad <bugsquad>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX QA Contact:
Severity: enhancement    
Priority: Normal CC: fri
Version: 7   
Target Milestone: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
See Also: https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=27645
Whiteboard:
Source RPM: CVE:
Status comment:

Description Omer I.S. 2020-11-24 11:01:46 CET
Providing hybrid installation can reduce the .iso file a lot. The hybrid installation should install the core packages and kernel offline and install the additional packages online. Full-offline installation is still important, but not recommended because the big file size. The hybrid installation is more recommended because it contains only the needed files and an option to install more packages online.
Comment 1 Morgan Leijström 2020-11-25 04:04:23 CET
Such installer iso would anyway need be loaded with lots of hardware drivers, and after a while kernel and other stuff is not is latest version.

Why not use netinstall iso - it will give you smallest possible total download, install the system using the newest package versions in one shot with nothing unused ever downloaded.


  Two things i do not understand about your suggestion:

Why is it important to install a base system offline, just to then boot it up and need online connection to finish?

Why do you need an installer after the target system is booted up?  - Why is urpmi not sufficient?



Another kind of hybrid is this:
Put then netinstall iso on a USB stick, then a partition containing full mageia repos (and you can rsync them up occasionally)  Then you can install "anything" offline without additional downloads per machine, except more recent updates.

CC: (none) => fri

Comment 2 Omer I.S. 2020-11-25 18:30:48 CET
The classic installation is not recommended because its file size is big (it can be TOO big sometimes), and the network installation is not recommended because users without perfect internet connection cannot install using it.
The point of hybrid installation is to provide the users a small .iso file that can preform minimal installations without internet.
The hybrid installation is for installing the base system correctly with an option to connect to the internet for full installation in the installer.
The hybrid installation should be simple for new users, and with less file size.
Comment 3 Morgan Leijström 2020-11-25 21:06:08 CET
You have a point in that a smaller installer iso with packages included could be useful in a few cases.  We have had CD size years ago.  Example the 1GB dual arch installer of Mageia 4 that had both 32 and 64 bit packages: https://www.mageia.org/ast/4/download_index.php.  IIRC believe Mageia 3 dual did fit a CD.

For various reasons, like comparing how many actually download them, and the extra work, it was decided to drop them.  Our limited resources need be put on other things.

Anyhow, once booted to desktop you have MageiaWelcome, and Mageia Control Center, and if you like to use cli, urpm*.  Yet another installer would be just using resources to create yet another competing tool.

This is not to discuss in a bug, and it have been up now and then during the years.  Thus closing as wontfix as that have already been decided so earlier, again and again.

It may change if some enthusiast(s) join to help though :)

- And of course you are welcome!

https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Contributing

This is not my cup of tea, but I believe the main tool and manual is this:
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Drakclassic

You are free to try.

Resolution: (none) => WONTFIX
Status: NEW => RESOLVED

Morgan Leijström 2020-11-26 16:55:43 CET

See Also: (none) => https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=27645