Automated Installations

A typical Linux installation is very interactive and prompts the user for various things, such as how certain hardware should be configured, the software packages to install etc.
Various flavors of Linux/Unix have different solutions for automated installations. SuSE© Linux has a solution called AutoYast?, Fedora™ and Red Hat© Linux use Kickstart, Solaris© uses jumpstart etc. As the name implies, automated installations are used to perform automated operating system (OS) installations. This functionality can be extended for other purposes as well.
The objective is usually to simplify, automate and streamline the install process. This is especially useful where are a large number of systems are involved and it is impractical or undesirable to attend to each install on an individual basis. It also offers a way of keeping systems that are similar in architecture and functionality uniform across an organization.

---