Installing mcaster appliance¶

Installation Process Overview¶

Installing mcaster in appliance mode is a fully automated process that requires no human intervention after initial setup. We provide a ready-made filesystem image that contains the installer and all necessary components for system deployment.

Mcaster can be installed in two ways: as our software appliance that runs on standard server hardware, or by reinstalling firmware on our PAK (Professional Appliance Kit) dedicated hardware. The appliance installation involves creating a bootable media and following an automated installation process, while PAK installation requires downloading and installing the latest firmware through the PAK management interface.

Obtaining the Installer Image¶

Requesting the Image¶

To obtain the installer image, you need to contact our technical support. Upon request, we provide:

• Filesystem image link - ready ISO image for USB recording
• Recording instructions - recommendations for creating a bootable USB drive
• Configuration documentation - description of configuration parameters

USB Drive Requirements¶

• Capacity: minimum 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
• Format: FAT32 or exFAT
• Speed: USB 3.0 or higher

Installation Preparation¶

Recording the Image to USB¶

1. Download the image - download the provided ISO file
2. Record the image - use specialized utilities:
3. Windows: Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager
4. macOS: Etcher, Disk Utility
5. Linux: dd, Etcher

# Example of recording image in Linux
sudo dd if=mcaster-installer.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

Configuring Installation Parameters¶

Before installation, you can configure the parameters of the future appliance by editing the autoinstall.txt file on the USB drive.

autoinstall.txt Configuration File¶

File Structure¶

The autoinstall.txt file contains configuration variables in KEY=VALUE format:

# License key
LICENSE=your-license-key-here

# Administrator credentials
EDIT_AUTH=admin:securepassword

# API key for centralized management
CENTRAL_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

# Configuration partition size (in MB)
SIZE_SETTINGS=200

# Log partition size (in MB)
SIZE_VAR=4096

Configuration Parameters¶

Recommended Settings¶

# Minimal configuration
LICENSE=your-license-key
EDIT_AUTH=admin:complex-password-123

# Extended configuration
LICENSE=your-license-key
EDIT_AUTH=admin:complex-password-123
CENTRAL_API_KEY=your-central-api-key
SIZE_SETTINGS=500
SIZE_VAR=8192

Installation Process¶

Booting from USB¶

1. Insert USB drive into the server
2. Configure BIOS/UEFI to boot from USB (usually F2, F12, or Del)
3. Select USB drive in boot menu
4. Wait for installer to load

Automatic Installation¶

After booting from USB, a fully automatic installation occurs:

1. Initialization - loading installer into memory
2. Hardware scanning - determining server configuration
3. Disk erasure - complete cleaning of system hard drive
4. Partition layout - creating partitions according to settings
5. System installation - copying filesystem images
6. Configuration setup - applying parameters from autoinstall.txt
7. Reboot - automatic restart into new system

Timeframes¶

• Installer loading: 1-2 minutes
• Disk erasure: 5-15 minutes (depends on disk size and speed)
• System installation: 10-20 minutes
• Total time: 15-40 minutes

Security and Recommendations¶

⚠️ Important Warning¶

WARNING: Booting from USB drive on a production server will result in complete data erasure and system reinstallation. This is not considered a fatal problem since production server configurations should be entered into a centralized management system.

Recommended Secure Method¶

For maximum security, it is recommended to specify in autoinstall.txt:

• License key (LICENSE)
• Administrator credentials (EDIT_AUTH)

This ensures:

• Automatic activation - server doesn't remain on network waiting for license input
• Immediate availability - system is ready to work immediately after installation
• Security - elimination of manual input of sensitive data

Installation Preparation¶

1. Backup - save important data from server
2. Document configuration - record current settings
3. Check compatibility - ensure compliance with system requirements
4. Prepare network - configure network connection for update downloads

Post-Installation Setup¶

First Boot¶

After installation, the system automatically:

• Applies license - activates mcaster
• Configures network - obtains IP address via DHCP
• Creates administrator - sets up credentials
• Connects to centralized management (if API key is specified)

System Access¶

• Web interface: http://server-IP-address
• SSH access: ssh admin@server-IP-address
• Login/password: specified in EDIT_AUTH

Installation Verification¶

1. Check web interface - accessibility of control panel
2. Check license - activation status in system
3. Check logs - absence of critical errors
4. Check network - accessibility of external resources

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Installation Logs¶

In case of installation problems, logs are saved in:

• USB drive: /logs/install.log
• Screen: display of installation process
• Network: sending logs to central server (if configured)

Conclusion¶

Installing mcaster appliance is a simple and reliable process that ensures rapid system deployment with minimal human intervention. Automatic installation guarantees configuration reproducibility and reduces the likelihood of deployment errors.