installer/doc/design.txt

Here is an overview of the new design.

1. initial boot off of install media (floppy, cd)
  - Syslinux (or other loader) is run, and it boots the kernel
2. kernel boot
  - The kernel sets up an initrd, runs the installer.
3. installer
  - Check to see what UI's are available (already unpacked onto the
    initrd), and chooses one of them.
  - Starts up and configures the UI.
  - Configures enough so that some udebs can be retrieved.
3.5 Main installer
  - Main menu runs (see ui.txt).
4. reboot into a full debian system
  - Since the system was installed with a minimal kernel that cannot talk to
    the hard drive, an initrd must be used. The initrd has a syslinux file on
    it, and a set of modules. It just loads the modules, in a certain order,
    with certain parameters, and then lets the kernel pass control to init.
  - Set up all packages that need to be set up (timezone, password, etc, etc).
1	Here is an overview of the new design.
2
3	1. initial boot off of install media (floppy, cd)
4	- Syslinux (or other loader) is run, and it boots the kernel
5	2. kernel boot
6	- The kernel sets up an initrd, runs the installer.
7	3. installer
8	- Check to see what UI's are available (already unpacked onto the
9	initrd), and chooses one of them.
10	- Starts up and configures the UI.
11	- Configures enough so that some udebs can be retrieved.
12	3.5 Main installer
13	- Main menu runs (see ui.txt).
14	4. reboot into a full debian system
15	- Since the system was installed with a minimal kernel that cannot talk to
16	the hard drive, an initrd must be used. The initrd has a syslinux file on
17	it, and a set of modules. It just loads the modules, in a certain order,
18	with certain parameters, and then lets the kernel pass control to init.
19	- Set up all packages that need to be set up (timezone, password, etc, etc).