A few days ago the openSUSE development team announced through a blog post the release of the new version of its new installer «Agama 11», which introduces several improvements that optimize and improve the installation experience.
For those who do not know about Agama, you should know that this is a new installer designed to replace the traditional SUSE and openSUSE installation interface. This new installer is characterized by its modular architecture, which clearly separates the user interface from the internal components of YaST, SUSE's configuration and administration system.
The main objectives behind the development of Agama include overcoming the limitations of the current graphical interface, extend the functionality of YaST for use in other applications, reduce dependency on a single programming language and encourage the creation of alternative interfaces by the community. Functionality offered by Agama includes selection of initial packages, configuration of network, language, keyboard, time zone and locale, preparation of storage devices, creation of partitions and user management.
Main new features of Agama 11
In this new version that is presented from Agama 11, Now, after selecting the type of operating system, the option to set the root user password is immediately presented. Previously, this step required manually accessing the user setup section and then returning to the summary screen, but with this update, the process has been integrated in this way to make the installation process workflow more fluid.
In addition to this, another of the novelties that stands out is the iInclusion of the install button in all sections of the installer, allowing you to start the process from any point without having to return to the summary screen. Additionally, if there are still pending settings, the install button will display an indicator that points out what steps are missing to continue, or if there are problems preventing the installation and provides a summary of those problems pointing to the appropriate section that can be used to resolve the situation.
For those who prefer command line installation, either via scripts or in environments where the web interface cannot be run (for example due to limited resources) and other automation techniques or simply when the user prefers the good old terminal to graphical interfaces. The “–api” option has been introduced, which makes it easier to control the installation process from another computer. As well Improvements have been implemented in the automatic installation, such as the ability to embed scripts in the configuration. These scripts can be run at different times: before installation, after it is complete, or during the first boot of the installed system, providing greater flexibility in automating the deployment.
On the other hand, in Agama 11 Specific changes have been introduced for the commercial distribution "SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16", Registration steps have been added to manage access to the repositories and confirm the license agreement, thus ensuring compliance with the terms of use before installation.
Another improvement in the Unattended installation mode is the ability to automatically generate physical partitions within an LVM group, based on the disk selected as the base. In addition, the option to define in the configuration the unlocking of encrypted drives, using information stored in TPMv2 for greater security, has been incorporated.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that to facilitate testing and adoption, the new version of Agama 11 is available in the alpha version of openSUSE 16 and in the upcoming beta version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.
In addition, they have been created independent live compilations for architectures such as x86_64, ppc64le, s390x and ARM64, allowing users to install alpha versions of openSUSE Leap 16, openSUSE Tumbleweed, openSUSE Slowroll and container-based MicroOS editions. These builds offer users the opportunity to experiment with the new installer in different environments and platforms.
If you are interested in knowing more about it, you can consult the detailss in the following link.