FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) is a free software tool for unattended, mass deployment and configuration of Linux systems and software packages, scaling from a few computers to large-scale infrastructures like clusters and cloud environments. It supports network installation, automated setup of virtual machines, creation of customized cloud images, and building of custom live ISOs. FAI is architecture independent, built only from shell, Perl and Cfengine scripts, and requires no special daemons or database setup.
What it's for
unattended mass installation of Linux on physical and virtual machinescentralized deployment and configuration managementautomated installation of virtual machines using KVM, VirtualBox and VMwarecreating customized cloud images for OpenStack, KVM, Azure, EC2, GCEcreating custom live installation media (CD, DVD, USB)setting up software RAID and LVMremote control via ssh during installationdisaster recoverycluster and Beowulf installationserver provisioning and Linux rolloutcreating customized chroot environments, including cross-architecturecloning machines using disk imagesbare-metal provisioning
Features 17
- Autodiscover of the FAI install server during network installation
- Automated installation of virtual machines using KVM, VirtualBox and VMware
- Bare-metal provisioning and virtual machine deployment
- Building custom disk images for cloud instances, including cross-architecture
- Centralized deployment and configuration management
- Cloning machines using disk images
- Creation of custom live ISOs
- Creation of customized chroot environments, including cross-architecture
- Curses based menu for selecting an installation profile
- Customized cloud images for OpenStack, KVM, Azure, EC2, GCE and others
- Easy set up of software RAID and LVM
- Every stage customizable via hooks
- FAI class concept for grouping similar machines
- Full remote control via ssh during installation
- Installs Debian, Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Linux Mint, RHEL, SUSE
- Integrated disaster recovery system
- Remote network installation of different Linux flavors
At a glance
free tieropen sourceself-hostable
DeploymentSelf-hosted
PlatformsLinux
Forsystem administrators
Integrations
AzureGCEVirtualBoxKVMEC2VMwareOpenStack
Resources
Pricing
FAI is free software distributed under the GNU GPL; no paid plans are listed.
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