Re: [pve-devel] [PATCH v3 00/30] add automated/unattended installation

[Christoph Heiss <c.heiss@proxmox.com>]

Rebuild an (PVE) ISO to contain the new auto-installer with an
appropriate GRUB entry setting `proxauto` on the kernel commandline.

What I've tried:

- Using a few different values for `global` options
- Install on ext4, xfs, Btrfs RAID1 and ZFS RAID1
  (with different values in multiple runs)
- Using DHCP and static IP
- Fetching answer from a HTTP source, getting the URL from DHCP
- Trying out the `proxmox-autoinst-helper` tool for assembling udev
  rules and validating files.
- Using the `post_command` to create some files in the newly installed
  system.

I didn't play around all that extensively the udev filters.

Some notes:

- When using ext4 or xfs as filesystem, `disk_list` happily takes
  multiple disks (but really only installs on the first disk, of
  course). Should probably be another sanity check there.

- As for the `proxmox-autoinst-helper answer` command, might `validate`
  or `validate-answer` be a better name?
  `answer` alone seems a bit confusing at first, as if e.g. the tool
  would give me an answer file or similar.

- `{pre,post}_command` in the answer file should be spelled plural, as
  it is an array of commands after all.

- While trying out different configurations, I wondered if for the
  network something like this would be better for static IPs:

    [network.manual]
    cidr = ".."
    dns = ".."
    [..]

  .. keeping the `network.use_dhcp` option as before. Would simplify
  some checks now and provide good future-proofing for any new options
  that might get added.

  Thereby basically modelling
  `proxmox_auto_installer::answer::NetworkSettings` enum nearly 1:1 to
  the TOML config.

Nitpicking at this point, I know, but changing the answer format
afterwards would be a quite a PITA :^)

Overall very nice! and

Tested-by: Christoph Heiss <c.heiss@proxmox.com>

in any case.

On Thu, Mar 28, 2024 at 02:49:58PM +0100, Aaron Lauterer wrote:
> This patch series adds the possibility to do an automated / unattended
> installation of Proxmox VE.
>
> The overall idea is that we will have a dedicated ISO for the unattended
> installation. It should be configured in such a way that it will start
> the installation without any user interaction.
> Though the integration in the installation environmend isn't part of
> this patch series.
>
> The information for the installer that is usually gathered interactively
> from the user is provided via an `answer.toml` file.
>
> The answer file allows to select disks and the network card via filters.
>
> The installer also allows to run custom commands pre and post
> installation. This should give users plenty of possibilities to either
> further customize/prepare the installation or integrate it into a larger
> automated installation setup.
> For example, one could issue HTTP requests to signal the status and
> progress of the installation.
>
> When the installer is called with 'proxauto' in the kernel cmdline, the
> 'proxmox-fetch-answer' binary is called. It tries to find the answer
> file and once found, will start the 'proxmox-auto-installer' binary and
> pass the contents to it via stdin.
>
> The auto-installer then parses the answer file and determines what
> parameters need to be passed to the low-level installer. For example,
> which disks and NIC to use, network IP settings and so forth.
>
> The current status reporting of the actual installation is kept rather
> simple.
>
> Both binaries log into the tmp directory.
>
> There is a third binary, the 'proxmox-autoinst-helper'. It provides a
> few subcommands, from the help:
>   answer        Validate if an answer file is formatted correctly
>   device-match  Test which devices the given filter matches against
>   device-info   Show device information that can be used for filters
>   identifiers   Show identifiers for the current machine. This information is part of the POST request to fetch an answer file
>
> The fetch-answer binary is trying to get an answer file. It does so by
> first searching for a partition/FS labeled `proxmoxinst`, or all upper
> case, and an `answer.toml` in there. This could be provided by another
> USB flash drive.
> If that is not successful, the next step is to send an HTTP POST request
> to a URL to get the TOML contents in return. A POST request was chosen
> because we also send information to identify the host in JSON format.
>
> The question then is, where to get that URL from. Right now, there are
> two options implemented. The first is looking for a custom DHCP option
> and the second is querying for a TXT record in the `proxmoxinst`
> subdomain of the search domain.
>
> It is possible to provide a SHA256 fingerprint of the SSL cert used by
> the answer server. The safest option is to place a
> `cert_fingerprint.txt` file in the same `proxmoxinst` partition as where
> you alternatively would place the `answer.toml`.
> If that is not found, then it can be provided by a second custom DHCP
> option or placed as TXT record in the subdomain `proxmoxinst-fp`.
>
> This patch series now also separates the 3 binaries into their own
> crate. The 'proxmox-fetch-answer' to keep the OpenSSL dependency as
> localized as possible, and the 'proxmox-autoinst-helper' to make it easy
> to compile just that binary.
>
> The new `proxmox-chroot` utility helps to prepare everything to chroot
> into a fresh installation and clean it up once done.
> This will be useful in the post commands when further customizing the
> installation.
>
>
> Other plans / ideas for the future:
>
> * add option to define remote SSH access (password and,or public key).
>   This could make remote debugging in case of problems easier
>
>
> Regarding the patch series itself:
> 01-03 are needed to move some code into the common crate and
> make structs/functions already in the common crate accessible.
>
> I did split up the individual parts of the auto installer into their own
> patches as much as possible, and (hopefully) in the order they depend on
> each other.
>
> Patches after the `unconfigured` one (16), switch the pattern matching
> to the glob crate, add the helper tool and the fetching via HTTP.
>
> Patch 25 factors our the binaries into their own crates.
>
> Patches 26-30 are for the 'proxmox-chroot' utility and preparations for
> it to work.
>
> Areas that can be improved/extended:
> * Testing possibility integrated in the Makefile
>
> I did test it with all 3 installers, PVE, PMG and PBS and it worked.
>
> WIP: writing documentation for it. Currently intended for the Wiki
> as it can be used for all 3 products.
>
> Changes since v2:
> * don't use 'dmidecode' but check in the source locations directly for
>   identifiers
> * fixed makefile to get builds working every time
> * reworked filesystem and raid level layout in the answer file
>   definition
> * factor out binaries into their own crates
> * add 'proxmox-chroot' helper tool
>
> Changes since v1:
> * incorporated feedback (thx @cheiss)
> * the proxmox-installer-filter tool got renamed and extended to the
>   proxmox-autoinst-helper
> * added HTTP fetch functionality
> * moved the fetch_plugins/utils.rs into its own subdirectory as it grew
>   quite a bit
> * added builddeps
>
> [0] https://lists.proxmox.com/pipermail/pve-devel/2023-September/059020.html
>
>
>
> Aaron Lauterer (30):
>   tui: common: move InstallConfig struct to common crate
>   common: make InstallZfsOption members public
>   common: tui: use BTreeMap for predictable ordering
>   common: utils: add deserializer for CidrAddress
>   common: options: add Deserialize trait
>   low-level: add dump-udev command
>   add auto-installer crate
>   auto-installer: add dependencies
>   auto-installer: add answer file definition
>   auto-installer: add struct to hold udev info
>   auto-installer: add utils
>   auto-installer: add simple logging
>   auto-installer: add tests for answer file parsing
>   auto-installer: add auto-installer binary
>   auto-installer: add fetch answer binary
>   unconfigured: add proxauto as option to start auto installer
>   auto-installer: use glob crate for pattern matching
>   auto-installer: utils: make get_udev_index functions public
>   auto-installer: add proxmox-autoinst-helper tool
>   auto-installer: fetch: add gathering of system identifiers and
>     restructure code
>   auto-installer: helper: add subcommand to view indentifiers
>   auto-installer: fetch: add http post utility module
>   auto-installer: fetch: add http plugin to fetch answer
>   control: update build depends for auto installer
>   auto installer: factor out fetch-answer and autoinst-helper
>   low-level: write low level config to /tmp
>   common: add deserializer for FsType
>   common: skip target_hd when deserializing InstallConfig
>   common: add Display trait to ProxmoxProduct
>   add proxmox-chroot utility
>
>  Cargo.toml                                    |   4 +
>  Makefile                                      |  19 +-
>  Proxmox/Makefile                              |   1 +
>  Proxmox/Sys/Udev.pm                           |  54 +++
>  debian/control                                |  10 +
>  proxmox-auto-installer/Cargo.toml             |  20 +
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/answer.rs          | 257 +++++++++++
>  .../src/bin/proxmox-auto-installer.rs         | 193 ++++++++
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/lib.rs             |   5 +
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/log.rs             |  38 ++
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/sysinfo.rs         |  81 ++++
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/udevinfo.rs        |   9 +
>  proxmox-auto-installer/src/utils.rs           | 430 ++++++++++++++++++
>  proxmox-auto-installer/tests/parse-answer.rs  | 102 +++++
>  .../tests/resources/iso-info.json             |   1 +
>  .../tests/resources/locales.json              |   1 +
>  .../resources/parse_answer/disk_match.json    |  29 ++
>  .../resources/parse_answer/disk_match.toml    |  17 +
>  .../parse_answer/disk_match_all.json          |  26 ++
>  .../parse_answer/disk_match_all.toml          |  17 +
>  .../parse_answer/disk_match_any.json          |  33 ++
>  .../parse_answer/disk_match_any.toml          |  17 +
>  .../tests/resources/parse_answer/minimal.json |  17 +
>  .../tests/resources/parse_answer/minimal.toml |  14 +
>  .../resources/parse_answer/nic_matching.json  |  17 +
>  .../resources/parse_answer/nic_matching.toml  |  19 +
>  .../tests/resources/parse_answer/readme       |   4 +
>  .../resources/parse_answer/specific_nic.json  |  17 +
>  .../resources/parse_answer/specific_nic.toml  |  19 +
>  .../tests/resources/parse_answer/zfs.json     |  27 ++
>  .../tests/resources/parse_answer/zfs.toml     |  20 +
>  .../tests/resources/run-env-info.json         |   1 +
>  .../tests/resources/run-env-udev.json         |   1 +
>  proxmox-autoinst-helper/Cargo.toml            |  21 +
>  proxmox-autoinst-helper/src/main.rs           | 337 ++++++++++++++
>  proxmox-chroot/Cargo.toml                     |  16 +
>  proxmox-chroot/src/main.rs                    | 353 ++++++++++++++
>  proxmox-fetch-answer/Cargo.toml               |  22 +
>  .../src/fetch_plugins/http.rs                 | 191 ++++++++
>  proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/mod.rs |   3 +
>  .../src/fetch_plugins/partition.rs            |  32 ++
>  .../src/fetch_plugins/utils/mod.rs            |  86 ++++
>  .../src/fetch_plugins/utils/post.rs           |  94 ++++
>  proxmox-fetch-answer/src/main.rs              |  76 ++++
>  proxmox-installer-common/Cargo.toml           |   1 +
>  proxmox-installer-common/src/options.rs       |  21 +-
>  proxmox-installer-common/src/setup.rs         | 154 ++++++-
>  proxmox-installer-common/src/utils.rs         |  11 +
>  proxmox-low-level-installer                   |  14 +
>  proxmox-tui-installer/src/options.rs          |   4 +-
>  proxmox-tui-installer/src/setup.rs            | 100 +---
>  .../src/views/install_progress.rs             |   4 +-
>  unconfigured.sh                               |  17 +
>  53 files changed, 2959 insertions(+), 118 deletions(-)
>  create mode 100644 Proxmox/Sys/Udev.pm
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/Cargo.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/answer.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/bin/proxmox-auto-installer.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/lib.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/log.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/sysinfo.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/udevinfo.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/src/utils.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/parse-answer.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/iso-info.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/locales.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match_all.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match_all.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match_any.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/disk_match_any.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/minimal.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/minimal.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/nic_matching.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/nic_matching.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/readme
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/specific_nic.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/specific_nic.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/zfs.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/parse_answer/zfs.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/run-env-info.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-auto-installer/tests/resources/run-env-udev.json
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-autoinst-helper/Cargo.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-autoinst-helper/src/main.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-chroot/Cargo.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-chroot/src/main.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/Cargo.toml
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/http.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/mod.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/partition.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/utils/mod.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/fetch_plugins/utils/post.rs
>  create mode 100644 proxmox-fetch-answer/src/main.rs
>
> --
> 2.39.2
>
>
>
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