How to get HTTP preseed to work correctly on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid)?

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Ok… I’ve found the answer with experiments.

  1. Use the server or alternate ISO instead of the desktop ISO! Preseed does not work with the desktop ISO. Use the linux-generic kernel and tasksel ubuntu-desktop to get a desktop installation.

  2. The auto boot parameter does not work (at least for i386). Use auto=true priority=critical instead.

  3. In contrast to the official documentation, which states that “if the URL is missing a protocol, http is assumed”, http:// is required or the installer will not be able to fetch the preseed file.

  4. If you have multiple network cards, add interface=auto or the installer will ask you which interface to use.

Therefore, the minimum boot parameters needed are
auto=true priority=critical url=http://mydomain.com/path/preseed initrd=/install/initrd.gz

If I have time, I’ll definitely post a documentation-improvement request to launchpad.

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