Getting Started with Revisor

About this Document

This document is primarily intended for users that first use Revisor. For advanced configuration options and tweaking, please refer to the Revisor Configuration - All the Options document.

Installing and Starting Revisor

Revisor is in the Fedora repositories, enabled on your machine by default. To install Revisor, use:

$ su -c 'yum -y install revisor'

To start Revisor, type 'revisor' from the console or choose 'Applications > System Tools > Revisor' from the GNOME menu. You'll be asked to give the root password, and once you've supplied that, the fun begins.

Getting Started

You'll be presented with a splash welcome screen after you started Revisor. Click the 'Get Started' button to continue. To enable advanced configuration mode with advanced options and more types of media to spin, check the "Show Advanced Configuration Options" checkbox. Currently, this box is disabled.

Selecting the Media to Compose

This is the dialog where you are asked to select the media you want Revisor to compose. Enable the media you want Revisor to compose and click the 'Forward' button. Media Revisor composes include Installation CD-ROMs, Installation DVDs, Live CDs and Live USB images.

Configure Repositories

Revisor takes a master configuration file listing what we call models. The default configuration file is /etc/revisor/revisor.conf. Each model has it's own set of configuration parameters, such as which yum configuration file to use.  Basically what a model means is that a group of settings that belong together will get you a certain type of product. The 'fc6-i386' model for example would get you Fedora Core 6 media for the i386 architecture, while 'rawhide-x86_64' would get you the latest and greatest for the x86_64 architecture.

The models listed in the configuration file you choose will be available for selection and when you press the 'Apply' button, all yum repositories for that model will be loaded. From the list, select which repositories to use and continue by pressing the 'Forward' button. Remember to select at least one of the repositories that holds the basic system software, such as the 'base', 'core', 'fedora' or 'development' repositories.

Read more on the (yum) configuration files in 'Revisor Configuration Files'.

Loading a Kickstart Configuration File

Loading a kickstart configuration file in this dialog will enable you to store configuration options you've used to compose media before, and use them again in this run.

Options to loading a kickstart configuration file include:

Use package manifest from kickstart data

Use the package manifest defined in the kickstart file, so that you have a pre-defined set of packages to be available for installation on the installation media, or as software to be available on the live media.

Customize package manifest defined in kickstart data

If you enable 'Use package manifest from kickstart data', you will also be able to further customize the package set, allowing you to select additional packages or disable some other.

Customize/Review additional options loaded from kickstart data

While the kickstart configuration file may have specified all configuration options, enabling this option will allow you to further customize the configuration in the kickstart data, using the options in the kickstart data as 'defaults'.

Include kickstart file on Installation Media 

Should Revisor include the kickstart file on the Installation Media? Only available when you've selected Installation Media to be composed. This option is not concerned with whether or not you have loaded a kickstart configuration file. If enabled though, it will walk you through the kickstart options dialogs if you have not loaded a kickstart configuration file.

Change default boot option to have anaconda load the kickstart file

Should Revisor change the default boot option so that it boots the installer with the kickstart file? Only available when you've selected Installation Media to be composed, and you've enabled 'Include kickstart file on Installation Media'.

Use additional repositories from kickstart data

NOTE: Not yet implemented
Should any additional repository configuration from the kickstart data be used? This concerns the repo --name --url statements in kickstart.

What is a Kickstart Configuration File?

A kickstart configuration file holds configuration information used with anaconda, the system installer. It can be used to configure the system beforehand, and let anaconda run unattended not asking you the regular configuration related questions. As such, a kickstart configuration file often holds a so-called package manifest, a list of packages to install on the system. It can also contain many configuration items such as which services to run on the installed system, what the X Window configuration should look like, etc. If you want to create a kickstart file, system-config-kickstart does the job.

To continue, press the 'Forward' button.

What's Next?

Depending on the options you've chosen, Revisor will either present you with some more dialogs, or start building the media you've selected to compose.

If, from the first 4 options, you've only selected to use the package manifest from kickstart data, Revisor will start building media immediately. For live media, this means that the options in the kickstart configuration file will be applied, and no further customization is performed.

If you have loaded a kickstart configuration file but chosen to customize the package manifest, or not to use the package manifest at all, Revisor will continue with the Package Selection Dialog. Revisor will also continue with the Package Selection Dialog if you have not specified a kickstart configuration file.

Package Selection Dialog

In the Package Selection Dialog, you'll be able to select certain packages to be available on the installation media or live media. The default view has Categories on the left side, and corresponding Groups on the right side. If you enable a group, you'll notice that Revisor displays how many packages from that group have been enabled. To get more details on what packages exactly have been selected, press the 'Optional Packages...' button.

TIP: If you right-click a group, you can 'Select all optional packages', or 'Deselect all optional packages' (the latter resulting in just the mandatory packages for that group being selected).

If you have selected 'Show Advanced Configuration Options', you'll be able to select certain versions of packages that would not have been available otherwise.

Continuing from the Package Selection Dialog

Again, how Revisor continues when you press the 'Forward' button depends on what options you have chosen.

If you loaded a kickstart configuration file, but:

• you've chosen not to use it's package manifest, or
• to customize it's package manifest, and
• no other options have been enabled,

Revisor will continue with building media immediately. If you've selected to customize or review the kickstart options however, you'll be presented with the a series of dialogs related to kickstart options.

If you have not loaded a kickstart configuration file, and:

• you're building live media, or
• you've selected to include the kickstart on the installation media
  

you'll be presented with a series of dialogs with options Revisor builds a kickstart configuration file from.

The Ready Screen

The Ready Screen displays you how many packages you have selected, and what the expected size of the media (in total) is going to be. Pressing 'Forward' will start composing the media.