Talk:Alpine configuration management scripts
Automate Alpine Linux installation
I am trying to achieve unattended Alpine Linux installation. I went through the Alpine automatic installation guide via setup-alpine script, but when I follow this guide there are many manual interventions are needed during the installation!
one during writing the root user name, another time when creating the answer file (setup-alpine -c answerfileName), editing the answer file, calling the actual installation command (setup-alpine -f answerfileName) and reset the root password. Is there any way to include the answer file inside the ISO image and select the root user by default before starting the installation and set its password as well after the installation is done (something similar to the kickstart file in the debian distros) ?
— Preceding unsigned comments added by Khaled.elgohary (talk • contribs) 12:20, 7 February 2022
The [setup-alpine] section currently gives instructions that may appear to be contradictory:
"17. if installation mode selected during setup-disk was "data" instead of "sys", then: setup-lbu [/media/sdb1]
18. if installation mode selected during setup-disk was "data" instead of "sys", then: setup-apkcache [/media/sdb1/cache | none]"
One of these presumably refers to the case for "sys", but which?
---
Both are correct and refer to the same situation. If you set up a disk for "data", then the installation is "run-from-RAM", but with a disk for "data". In that case, you want to use lbu to keep the in-RAM configs on the boot media. You also want apkcache to be able to update the apks on the boot media. - nangel
update-conf Merge Rules
There is a need for an update-conf Merge Rules subheading for the update-conf section that would elaborate with useful details how to create and configure a /etc/update-conf.d/ directory with files that state merge rules, say, creating passwd.merge, and similarly for shadow, doas.conf and hosts. An artifical intelligence source flags up this facility, but details are currently limited. Apparently, rule file contents need to be in the format:
target_file:merge_strategy
Examples offered include /etc/shadow:keep or /etc/passwd:append.
Other merge strategies available include :merge (to attempt a merge, only available for certain files) and :overwrite. John3-16 (talk) 14:35, 16 December 2025 (UTC)