5 Supported approaches to dynamic profiles #
When dealing with the installation of multiple systems, it might be useful to use a single profile (or a reduced set of them) that adapts automatically to each system. In this regard, AutoYaST offers three different mechanisms to modify the profile at installation time.
- Rules and classes
Rules and classes offer the possibility to configure a system by merging multiple control files during installation. You can read more about this feature in the Chapter 6, Rules and classes section.
- ERB templates
AutoYaST supports Embedded Ruby (ERB) templates syntax to modify the profile's content during installation. The Chapter 7, ERB templates section describes how to use them.
- Pre-installation scripts
You can use a pre-installation script to modify or even create a brand new profile during installation. Section 4.32.1, “Pre-scripts” describes how to benefit from them.
- Asking the user during installation
As an alternative, AutoYaST can ask the user for values to use in the profile at runtime. The installation is not fully unattended in that case, but it can be rather useful to set user names, passwords, IP addresses and so on. You can find more information about this feature in the Section 4.35, “Ask the user for values during installation” section.