Dayton Linux Users Group September Meeting: The Reproducible Workstation
Details
Presentations/Topics:
Rebuilding or replacing a Linux machine often means more than simply reinstalling the operating system. Over time, most of us accumulate our own preferred collection of tools, configuration files, command-line utilities, scripts, and other customizations — all of which need to be recreated when moving to a new system.
For this month’s presentation, Eric Bentley will look at one approach to treating that environment as a reproducible build artifact rather than something that has to be reconstructed by hand. After recently rebuilding several machines at home, Eric developed a process for recreating his preferred Linux workstation environment in a repeatable way, using the same approach to create a live USB system containing his tools and configuration.
This is not a presentation about a particular package or turnkey solution. Instead, it will look at the problem as a development process: deciding what needs to be reproduced, organizing and automating the pieces, and developing a solution that works for the individual user. It should provide plenty of ideas for anyone who has ever set up a new Linux machine and thought, “Now how did I configure all of this last time?”
As always, we’ll also have discussion time for Linux and Open Source news, projects you’re working on, and questions for the rest of the group.
Where:
Wright State University
Russ Engineering Center, Room 302 (or 348)
(Room right across the hall from the elevators.)
If we can arrange it, we will also have an online presence via the Zoom web conferencing service.
If joining a meeting from a Windows PC, the Zoom client will automatically download and attempt to install. For those using Linux, you can download the free (not Free) Zoom client from this page. It’s available for a variety of distributions.
For those attending in person, we will most likely adjourn to Milano’s afterward for food and socializing.
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The Dayton Linux Users Group, a Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Dayton Microcomputer Association, meets the 3rd Thursday of the month Online.
At our monthly meetings, we may have one or more presentation topics planned, or we simply discuss news and projects of interest to our members. (We’re working on planning presentations for more of our meetings, and could use some volunteers — hint, hint!). Our attendees include anyone from experienced Linux system administrators to those who have been hearing about Linux and want to learn more.