Hello all, I have a general question about the NetBSD installation process.Background: I use NetBSD/amd64 as an operating system for appliances that I usually install on mini or industrial PCs - sometimes also as virtual machines on systems where I have access to the virtual host. I usually use a USB installation image and sysinst for this. My installation image also contains a selection of "custom" scripts, e.g. for setting up certain storage configurations (RAIDframe with LVM etc.) via the shell and then installing the system with default settings. This is done by starting the system with the USB image, but terminating Sysinst directly and then working with my scripts.
Now, for the first time, I have had the case that someone else should carry out such an installation on a VM with the help of the installation ISO. Since we had neglected to provide detailed installation instructions, several iterations were necessary until the partitioning and basic configuration were right. None of this was a disaster, but it was a pity for all involved.
I appreciate Sysinst as a generic installer that is the same for all supported platforms and allows experts to configure many details of the system already in the installation phase. I wouldn't want to miss this possibility in any case.
What I would like to know is - what about the customisability of Sysinst? Is there something like "hooks" in which you can call a script provided on the installation image, for example? I would like to extend Sysinst so that after the dialogue with the language selection, a menu appears that offers a list of "installation profiles" stored in a certain directory on the installation medium (as well as an "Expert Mode" in which the normal Sysinst then takes place). I would see the "installation profiles" in the first instance as "unattended" shell scripts for very specific hardware configurations, which are inserted into the image by a system integrator and then started by "progress" depending on the selection of Sysinst. After completion of the script, it might be practical to land in the main menu of Sysinst, from where the reboot and also the utility and config menus would be accessible.
Does something like this already exist in one form or another? Or is there interest in being able to use something like this in the future?
Many greetings Matthias
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