Using Autoinstall with cloud-init scripts

Users
1

I have been trying to find a way to use autoinstall inside of cloud-init. Assuming i use something like this:

#cloud-config
autoinstall:
version: 1
identity:
hostname: test-vlan353

The system comes up during deployment stating that subiquity is required, so I added this:

#cloud-config
snap:
commands:
0: snap install subiquity --classic

autoinstall:
version: 1
identity:
hostname: test-vlan353

But then I get this error:
2024-11-19 15:49:04,263 ERROR root:38 finish: subiquity/apply_autoinstall_config: FAIL: Command ‘[‘systemd-run’, ‘–wait’, ‘–same-dir’, ’
–property’, ‘SyslogIdentifier=subiquity_log.4919’, ‘–setenv’, ‘PATH=/snap/subiquity/6190/bin:/snap/subiquity/6190/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbi
n:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin:/snap/subiquity/6190/bin:/snap/subiquity/6190/sbin’,
‘–setenv’, ‘PYTHONPATH=:/snap/subiquity/6190/lib/python3.10/site-packages’, ‘–setenv’, ‘PYTHON=/snap/subiquity/6190/usr/bin/python3.10’,
‘–setenv’, ‘SNAP=/snap/subiquity/6190’, ‘–’, ‘mount’, ‘-o’, ‘lowerdir=/media/filesystem,upperdir=/tmp/tmpl0u0wuyh/upper,workdir=/tmp/tm
pl0u0wuyh/work’, ‘-t’, ‘overlay’, ‘overlay’, ‘/tmp/tmpl0u0wuyh/mount’]’ returned non-zero exit status 32

Reading the other forum posts it looks like autoinstall is not really supported and cloud-init should be used. I am trying to confirm that autoinstall can be used (if so how to instantiate it) or that it cant be used.

In my environment I used snap to install MAAS and I have noticed that some things are different when using snap, so not adverse to reinstalling using apt if that provides more flexibility.

2

Hi @ericrife, thanks for reaching out with your question. I’m guessing that subiquity is required for the ephemeral install system, but if not–have you tried putting it under a user-data section (see here)?

Also, what version of Ubuntu are you trying to deploy? I’m also guessing you’re deploying Ubuntu Server?

3

What are you trying to achieve with autoinstall?

4

I am installing the standard 22.04.5 ubuntu image that comes with MAAS. The objective is to have more granular control of the system configuration. Defining networks, storage, late-commands etc. I have a more detailed autoinstall, but didnt include that in the issue. The minimum that I need for autoinstall to work should be what I pasted. The issue is that it cant even parse/start the autoinstall, so adding in additional sections still results in the same issue, subiquity crashes.

5

I did a little more research–unfortunately, subiquity won’t work with the standard images as the MAAS images don’t have the installation files that the ISO does

6

Let me try to upload the LIVE images and see if that might work better. Thanks for that information