Use of install configuration XML file

When you do a clean install of OS just before you start the installation you can save the configuration to an XML file. I assume that’s so you can use that configuration elsewhere or at the very least on the same machine so in case your install process fails you can just pull the saved config. instead of manually doing it all over again.

I was wondering if it’s possible to similarly save the configuration on a system that’s been used for a while as well and then take that configuration and use it on a new install. Obviously it won’t be able to pick up things custom configuration in Apache etc. but even if it would pick up all the repos added over time that would be really nice to just have on a brand new install.

Anyway, does anyone know what’s possible down these lines? …essentially getting as much of your configuration onto a new machine as automatically as possible. However, I can’t go as far as cloning as one machine is a desktop and the other a laptop so they are wildly different in hardware but as much as possible to port automatically would be nice to be able to do.

On 2015-07-10 14:06, Reg gie wrote:

> I was wondering if it’s possible to similarly save the configuration on
> a system that’s been used for a while as well and then take that
> configuration and use it on a new install. Obviously it won’t be able to
> pick up things custom configuration in Apache etc. but even if it would
> pick up all the repos added over time that would be really nice to just
> have on a brand new install.

Install autoyast2, then run “yast2 clone_system”. However, AFAIK it does
not save vendor information, so as to install packages again from their
proper repositories.

YaST backup (I’m unsure if it has been removed on 13.2) does basically
the same.

YaST can export the list of installed packages, and it can be imported.
Again, no repository information.

>
> Anyway, does anyone know what’s possible down these lines?
> …essentially getting as much of your configuration onto a new machine
> as automatically as possible. However, I can’t go as far as cloning as
> one machine is a desktop and the other a laptop so they are wildly
> different in hardware but as much as possible to port automatically
> would be nice to be able to do.

Then, “autoyast”.

From a recent post on the mail list by Florian Gleixner:

+++—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
Easiest way is to create a autoyast profile from your running system.
Install autoyast2 and then run

yast2 clone_system

It takes some time and then you have a xml: /root/autoinst.xml which
contains not only rpm packages but also partition/filesystem layout,
system settings, network settings and much more.

Documentation is here:

https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/singlehtml/book_autoyast/book_autoyast.html

If you reinstall the system, you have to feed the installer with the
autoyast xml file.

Another handy tool is yast2 support. Install yast2-support and navigate
to “support” in yast2. then create a support-tarball. This contains many
information you may want to review if your system has been reinstalled.
—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-+±


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))

Very cool, thanks!

On 2015-07-10 18:36, Reg gie wrote:
>
> Very cool, thanks!

Welcome.

You will have to test the procedure. I haven’t, and I can’t currently.
But I have the strong suspicion that repository information is not saved.

Ie, there is no guarantee that multimedia packages will be properly
installed from packman, for example.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))