I don’t have spare peripherals like a monitor and a keyboard. How do you suggest I do a bare-metal install of Debian on a computer (meant to be a server)?

  • AlexanderESmith@social.alexanderesmith.com
    95·
    3 months ago

    You’ll waste more time trying to figure out how to do this than it would take to move a monitor and keyboard to the server, do the install, and plug the monitor and keyboard back into your main computer. Once the server is up, you can administer it over the network via ssh.

    • tburkhol@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27·
      3 months ago

      Definitely agree for a single install. If OP has a bunch of these installs to do, then editing an install USB to configure networking and enable sshd might be worth the effort. Do the install over ssh and hope the machine starts up as desired, but even then, if it doesn’t just magically appear on the network, he’s going to need a monitor to see where the startup failed.

      Raspberry Pi’s disk imager will let you pre-configure networking, accounts, and ssh, so you just write the image to an SD card, plug it in, and go. That’s a great solutions for systems usually meant to be headless and removable media. If OP’s client hardware allows, he could plug in the M2 or SATA drive meant to be the server’s startup, install Deb there, and. transfer to the server hardware. That’s definitely more work that just swapping the keyboard & monitor, but it accomplishes OP’s stated goal. (Otherwise, a lot of this thread follows the linux meme of “How do I [X]?” “[X] is dumb, do [Y] instead.”)

      • AlexanderESmith@social.alexanderesmith.com
        3·
        3 months ago

        Agreed on all counts.

        My reply initially had a “if you had a fleet of these things…” addendum, but OP’s post read (to me) as though he was converting commodity hardware into a makeshift home server, so I removed it because it was almost certainly not relevant.

    • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      True, it’s just that I’d like to avoid purchasing more useless stuff. I might move in a few months and maybe carry these computers but I definitely won’t be able to take my monitor. Just going to be a waste of money, and I’m trying to be frugal.

      I am planning to build a small cheap DIY KVM using PiKVM and cheap Aliexpress parts (Raxda’s Zero 3W or the Banana Pi Zero, not sure if they are supported though) in about $25 which I can probably carry around

  • Max-P@lemmy.max-p.meEnglish
    28·
    3 months ago

    Plug drive in main computer, install Debian on it along with network config and SSH access, put drive back into server and power on.

    I guess technically you can also make an ISO that will just auto wipe the drive and install upon booting it but you still need a keyboard to get into the boot menu.

  • notabot@lemm.eeEnglish
    22·
    3 months ago

    While I agree with most people here that finding a keyboard and screen would be the easiest option, you do have a couple of other options:

    • Use a preseed file A preseed lets the installer run completely automatically, without user intervention. Get it to install a basic system with SSH and take it from there. You’ll want to test the install in a VM, where you can see what’s going on before letting it run on the real server. More information here: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed

    • Boot from a live image with SSH Take a look at https://wiki.debian.org/LiveCD in particular ‘Debian Live’. It looks like ssh is included, but you’d want to check the service comes up on boot. You can then SSH to the machine and install to the harddrive that way. Again, test on a VM until you know you have the image working, and know how to run the install, then write it to a USB key and boot the tsrget server from that.

    This all assumes the target server has USB or CD at the top of its boot order. If it doesn’t you’ll have to change that first, either with a keyboard and screen, or via a remote management interface sych as IPMI.

    • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      Once upon a time you could use a thing called debootstrap to install Debian on the hard disk in a chroot on another machine, then switch the hdd to the target machine. Not sure if that thing is still around.

      • notabot@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        Yes, that’ll work too, it does involve adding the disk to your machine temporarily though, so just be carefully which disk you format to do it. Please don’t ask why I say that, it brings back painful memories…

    • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      I did look at Preseed and it’s probably a good idea if I’m doing many installs at once. I will still look at it but I’ll likely have to purchase a monitor anyway. It is unfortunate because I don’t have any thrift stores nearby

  • megaman@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    19·
    3 months ago

    When i was doing a headless install, i spend a hour or two trying to figure out how to pre setup configs for the debian installer or how to do it over network or what before i finally lugged the new machine to the other room and plugged it into the monitor and keyboard of the main rig, installed it all (and set up ssh so i can later get into from the main rig), and unplugged it.

    My point is, even if it isnt trivial to have the keyboard and monitor, it may be much easier to get them than to really do an install without them.

      • beirdobaggins@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        I bought a 21 inch 1080p Viewsonic monitor from a thrift store just the other day for $6. I got it just for this use case.

        I had a spare for this purpose up until about a month ago when the backlight went out on one of my daily drivers.

        Also, a couple of days ago I got a pretty nice steelcase apex 3 keyboard with RGB lights for $5.

    • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      Wow that’s expensive. But thanks something to keep in mind. I’m planning to build my own $25 KVM with Chinese parts off of Aliexpress and PiKVM (if that’s possible)

  • Nithanim@programming.devEnglish
    4·
    3 months ago

    My go-to solution is to use a vm and pass it raw access to the os disk on my normal desktop. Then I just put the disk into the server.

  • changeableface@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    I use a KVM over IP.

    I made my own tiny pilot device for less than £100 and it has worked flawlessly for a few years.

    This assumes your server has a hdmi output, if not you will need a VGA to hdmi or similar converter, danger of it becoming a bit of a hodge-podge of adapters, but hey, if it works, it works!

    • vividspecter@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      There’s a bunch of other variants like PiKVM and BIiKVM as well. Even some cheap knockoffs on Aliexpress that may do the job.

    • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      I’m planning to use a Raxda Zero 3W/Banana Pi Zero for this. Do you think this will suffice? I don’t need speed or power, it just needs to be usable.

      • changeableface@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        I’ve no experience with either of those devices. So long as they’re comparable in terms of USBC features (otg) to emulate the keyboard and mouse then you should be good as the overhead of running the software seems to be minimal from my usage.

        Without that, you’ll get video without keyboard and mouse support.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      Do you have a second computer running Linux? If you do install virtual manager and then pass though the disk. (LUN passthough)

      Next boot the VM with the Debian installer and install. Finally shutdown the VM and plug it into the physical device.

      • JoeKrogan@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        Connect it to your PC or laptop and do a netinstall. Configure SSHD and a static ip. Plugin the disk to your server and then connect via ssh to admin it.

        You could also set your laptop or PC to boot from the attached disk in the bios to test the services you want to start are starting

  • Deckweiss@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 months ago

    Not sure about debian, but the archlinux iso has ssh on per default, so if you have no other bootable drives in your server other than the usb with the iso, just fire it up and try to connect to it via ssh.

    • MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      Arch linux install wouldn’t be a problem really because the way the install is done. Pretty sure I could it all over SSH. Unfortunately, Debian isn’t exactly that…

  • Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyzBEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:

    Fewer Letters More Letters
    IP Internet Protocol
    SATA Serial AT Attachment interface for mass storage
    SSD Solid State Drive mass storage
    SSH Secure Shell for remote terminal access

    4 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 3 acronyms.

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