bootstrap

Automated Ubuntu Server installation that calls the existing working anvil provisioning process.

What This Does

Bare Metal/VM
    ↓
autoinstall.yaml (Ubuntu Server 24.04 installation)
    ↓
first-boot.sh (runs on first boot)
    ↓
curl anvil/install.sh (your existing working command)
    ↓
Fully Provisioned System

Quick Start

Option 1: Manual Test (Existing VM)

If you already have Ubuntu installed, test first-boot.sh manually:

# On your Ubuntu VM:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Beta-Techno/bootstrap/main/scripts/first-boot.sh | sudo bash

# Check the log:
sudo tail -f /var/log/first-boot.log

Option 2: Proxmox Cloud-Init

1. Upload autoinstall.yaml to Proxmox snippets:

# On Proxmox host:
scp autoinstall.yaml root@proxmox:/var/lib/vz/snippets/ubuntu-autoinstall.yaml

2. Create VM with cloud-init:

# On Proxmox host:
qm create 9000 --name bootstrap-test --memory 4096 --cores 2 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0
qm importdisk 9000 ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img local-lvm
qm set 9000 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci --scsi0 local-lvm:vm-9000-disk-0
qm set 9000 --ide2 local-lvm:cloudinit
qm set 9000 --boot c --bootdisk scsi0
qm set 9000 --serial0 socket --vga serial0
qm set 9000 --cicustom "user=local:snippets/ubuntu-autoinstall.yaml"
qm resize 9000 scsi0 +20G
qm start 9000

3. Watch installation:

qm terminal 9000

Option 3: Custom Ubuntu ISO

Create a custom ISO with autoinstall embedded (advanced).

Configuration

Before First Use

1. Change the default password:

# Generate a new password hash:
openssl passwd -6 YourSecurePasswordHere

# Copy the output and replace the password in autoinstall.yaml line 39

2. Add your SSH public key:

Edit autoinstall.yaml line 46-47:

authorized-keys:
  - "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3Nza... your-key-here"

3. Customize settings (optional):

• Hostname (line 35)
• Timezone (line 64, 106)
• Disk layout (line 27-31)
• Additional packages (line 50-54)

Environment Variables

Override anvil install behavior via first-boot.sh:

# In autoinstall.yaml, modify the service or run manually:
ANVIL_INSTALL_URL=https://your-fork.com/anvil/install.sh \
TAGS=base,docker \
ANSIBLE_ARGS='--skip-tags docker_desktop,snap_apps' \
/usr/local/bin/first-boot.sh

Files

bootstrap/
├── autoinstall.yaml           # Ubuntu Server installation config
├── scripts/
│   └── first-boot.sh          # Calls existing anvil install
├── docs/
│   └── proxmox-setup.md       # Detailed Proxmox instructions
└── README.md                  # This file

How It Works

1. autoinstall.yaml

Ubuntu Server's automated installer config:

• Partitions disk with LVM
• Creates deploy user
• Installs base packages (curl, git, ssh)
• Downloads first-boot.sh from GitHub
• Creates systemd service to run on first boot
• Reboots

2. first-boot.sh

Runs once on first boot:

• Checks network connectivity
• Runs your existing working command:

  curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Beta-Techno/anvil/main/install.sh | \
    TAGS='all' ANSIBLE_ARGS='--skip-tags docker_desktop' bash

• Logs everything to /var/log/first-boot.log
• Creates /var/lib/first-boot-complete marker (won't run again)

3. anvil/install.sh

Your existing working ansible provisioning (unchanged).

Troubleshooting

Check first-boot status:

# SSH into the VM:
ssh deploy@<vm-ip>

# Check if first-boot ran:
ls -la /var/lib/first-boot-complete

# Check the log:
sudo tail -100 /var/log/first-boot.log

# Check service status:
sudo systemctl status first-boot.service

# Re-run manually if needed:
sudo rm /var/lib/first-boot-complete
sudo systemctl restart first-boot.service

Common issues:

"No network connectivity"

• Wait 30 seconds after boot for network to come up
• Check DHCP is working: ip addr

"curl: command not found"

• Autoinstall didn't complete properly
• Check Ubuntu installer logs

Ansible playbook fails

• Check /var/log/first-boot.log for specific error
• SSH in and run anvil manually to debug

Testing Workflow

1. Test first-boot.sh manually on existing VM
2. Test autoinstall.yaml in Proxmox
3. Verify full workflow from bare metal to provisioned

Evolution Path

Now (v1):

autoinstall → first-boot → anvil → done

Later (when mani is added to anvil):

autoinstall → first-boot → anvil → mani sync → done

Future (when flakes is complete):

autoinstall → first-boot → nix → flakes → done

Bootstrap remains the same, just the payload changes.

Security Notes

1. Change the default password before production use
2. Add your SSH key and disable password auth
3. Review ansible tags - don't install unnecessary services
4. Use HTTPS for script downloads (already configured)
5. Verify checksums for production (TODO: add to first-boot.sh)

Related Repos

• anvil - Ansible provisioning (what this calls)
• mani - Repo catalog (future: added to anvil)
• axis - Command plane (future integration)

License

MIT © Beta Technology