The New Anaconda Installer in Fedora 18

If you have tried to install Fedora 18 you’ll have seen the new Anaconda installer. Many have found major issues with its design and function. I also had some trouble with it. To learn more about it, you can watch a demo presented at FUDCon 2013: An intro to the new Fedora 18 installer (YouTube). One thing that caught my attention was that until you click “Begin Installation” no actual changes are made. Instead, as you go through the installer, steps before you click “Begin Installation” are written to a Kickstart file. This Kickstart file does the actual installation when you click “Begin Installation”.

This gives power users or those with complicated environments a big workaround to the graphical installer. You can create your own Kickstart file and just use that to complete your installation. Use the Kickstart wiki page to learn more about writing your own Kickstarts. I am playing around with a bit and it’s surprisingly easy. I’m thinking of following up with a post on how to use a Kickstart file while installing from a Fedora DVD. I’ll also try to setup a GitHub repo with various Kickstart files I create and test.

In any case, whether the graphical installer is awesome or not, having the skill to create your own Kickstart files gives you more freedom. It makes for a repeatable installation with minimal or no manual intervention. A win-win if you ask me.