Cobbler Install Server Seeks Debian Volunteers

by Kristin Shoemaker - Sep. 15, 2008Comments (0)

On Monday, Michael DeHaan cast his net into Debian/Ubuntu waters, seeking out those who might be interested in packaging and maintaining the Red Hat-centric installation/provisioning server, Cobbler.

DeHaan states that recent additions and improvements added to Cobbler's development branch are shaping the project into a viable alternative to Debian's FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) package.

Cobbler was one of the reasons why Red Hat opened its Satellite Server code in June, and is slated to become part of Spacewalk next year. Cobbler is capable of a variety of network installation methods, including PXE, media-based network installs, and installations of virtual systems. It also features networking and package mirroring management tools.

For potential Debian Cobbler developers, maintainers, and end-users wondering if this application is simply a reinvented Fully Automatic Installation -- it doesn't seem so. FAI certainly does perform many of the same tasks, and, at least in the short term, may handle them better than a newly packaged application. However, Cobbler has some features that make it especially appealing, including virtual machine installs, kickstart templates, and a fairly robust web-based interface for configuration (though Cobbler is upfront that not all necessary installation and configuration tools are available through this interface).

DeHaan says that though there is "some work to be done" to make Cobbler as strong and feature-rich on Debian-based distributions as it is on Fedora/Red Hat systems, the remaining tweaks shouldn't be overly complex. His primary goal in seeking Debian-based cohorts is to find someone committed to maintaining the package. Though not as high on the to-do list, he does mention that anyone interested in integrating apt-mirroring with Cobbler and working with koan (virtualization and reinstallation) development in a Debian environment is more than welcome to drop by the Cobbler list to introduce themselves.


Browse Blog

Kartik Subbarao uses OStatic to support Open Source, ask and answer questions and stay informed. What about you?




Comments

image
Share Your Comments

If you are a member, to have your comment attributed to you. If you are not yet a member, Join OStatic and help the Open Source community by sharing your thoughts, answering user questions and providing reviews and alternatives for projects.