Why we do installs this way

 
• Cluster: requirements for the installation procedure
  • The installation procedure must require little typing.
  • The installation media must pop out in reasonable time.
  • The installation must finish in reasonable time.
  • A failed installation must be logged or recover gracefully.
• Operations: requirements for the install server
  • Few install servers must be required.
  • The installation procedure must work across subnets.
  • Installing a new install server must be quick.
  • Maintaining install servers must take little time.
  • An install server must not require a list of clients.
  • An install server should ignore non-Athena clients.
  • The installation procedure must allow flexibile disk partitioning.
• Development: requirements for install media preparation
  • Any standalone boot media required must be easy to write.
  • There must be a repeatable way to derive an image from vendor media.