The developers of the openSUSE project have invited users to participate in testing the new D-Installer. Installation images have been prepared for x86_64 (598MB) and Aarch64/ARM64 (614MB) architectures. The downloaded image allows for the installation of three platforms: the stable release openSUSE Leap 15.4, the continuously updated openSUSE Tumbleweed build, and the Leap Micro 5.2 edition, built on isolated containers (only for x86_64). In the future, the new installer is planned to be used in products based on the ALP (Adaptable Linux Platform), which is set to replace the SUSE Linux Enterprise distribution.
The new installer is notable for separating the user interface from the internal YaST components and providing the ability to use various frontends, including a frontend for managing installations via a web interface. The installation of packages, hardware checks, disk partitioning, and other necessary installation functions continue to utilize YaST libraries, over which a layer has been implemented to abstract access to the libraries through a unified D-Bus interface.
The basic interface for managing installations is built using web technologies and includes a handler that provides access to D-Bus calls via HTTP, along with the web interface itself. The web interface is written in JavaScript using the React framework and PatternFly components. The service for binding the interface to D-Bus, as well as the built-in HTTP server, is written in Ruby and built using ready-made modules developed by the Cockpit project, which are also used in web configurators by Red Hat. The installer employs a multi-process architecture, allowing the user interaction interface to remain responsive while other tasks are being performed.
Among the goals of developing D-Installer is to address the existing limitations of the graphical interface, expand the possibilities for utilizing YaST functionality in other applications, move away from reliance on a single programming language (D-Bus API will allow for building add-ons in different languages), and encourage the creation of alternative settings by community representatives.
Izvor: opennet.ru
