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I'm investigating the logistics of migrating to another production server using a new operating system (currently on CentOS). The candidates are Debian, Ubuntu, and openSuse. Virtualbox was used to test the install and a windows manager wasn't installed. Debian and Ubuntu (and CentOS for that matter) install in a matter of minutes, whereas openSuse takes about 30 minutes to install (net install)! Installing from a DVD isn't much better either. Is there any reason for the install taking so long? I can't imagine that such a long install process is acceptable, especially if you have to deploy to multiple servers. I would like to give openSuse a fair shot, especially for the zypper tool and native BTRFS, which seems to be a differentiating point for openSuse. I'm well aware that I can utilize these tools in other distros, but it's nice to have the functionality by default.

Things I've tried

  • Using a wired connection
  • Selecting the minimal/text mode install.
  • Deselecting "Update packages from internet" (or something like that)

Main Questions

What is openSuse doing that makes it take longer to install than the other distros? Is there a way to shorten the installation time?

notorious
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  • Have you examined how much data each install is putting down on disk? – EEAA Feb 22 '16 at 21:07
  • Yes, the minimal install is about 1 Gb – notorious Feb 22 '16 at 21:07
  • "I can't imagine that such a long install process is acceptable, especially if you have to deploy to multiple servers." <--- why not? If you're deploying to multiple servers, you either bake a single "golden" image and deploy that or you use a configuration management system to install and configure your servers completely hands-off. – EEAA Feb 22 '16 at 21:17
  • It's by design, or you could re-write the install routine.... (you can ask them directly there; http://lists.opensuse.org/ tehe) – yagmoth555 Feb 22 '16 at 21:19
  • @EEAA Baking a golden image was my plan (ie. install base OS w/ tools, then ``dd`` to the other hard drives, then simply manage packages via ``ansible``). I guess I've been spoiled by how quickly I can get CentOS and Ubuntu up and running with all your necessary tools. – notorious Feb 22 '16 at 21:27
  • A few disconnected thoughts: I don't know who SuSE is intended for, but it's been a long time since I heard of anyone seriously using it. They might not have enough fast download mirrors. A 1GB "minimal" install is plainly ridiculous. Btrfs still isn't ready for prime time; use it at your own risk of data loss. Also consider Fedora Server, if [early access to software](http://serverfault.com/a/547456/126632) is important to you. – Michael Hampton Feb 22 '16 at 23:47

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