Author Topic: Deploying properly configured ArcaOS workstations with Suntan Special?  (Read 499 times)

Alfredo Fernández Díaz

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Sometimes I feel really lazy about testing ArcaOS on a new computer, because I dread the gazillion post-install tasks that I need to carry on until a new workstation is finally configured my way. Now, I have known that Neil Waldhauer's Suntan Special exists for a long time, but I only managed to sit and install it properly just yesterday ; )

While my installation also gets stuck at the getting ftp://ftp.blondeguy.com/SuntanV6/update.zip phase, I imagine that there is not much to update anyway, so I thought I could start with the manual while that gets sorted out. The manual reads,

Quote
When you are satisfied with the sequence you have made to create the workstation or server you need, you can run it each time you need another server or workstation. If you run Suntan Special frequently, you can create a software repository on a shared hard drive and use Suntan Special to install applications from it.

which is not exactly what I had in mind and leads me to my first, admittedly not very informed question (I still need to read most of the manual):

Just like I install ArcaOS from a USB stick, can I use Suntan Special to put everything I need on a second stick (rather than "a shared hard drive") to automate installation of workstations as much as possible, but using two sticks (ArcaOS + SS) instead of one?
« Last Edit: April 22, 2026, 03:59:30 am by Alfredo Fernández Díaz »

Martin Iturbide

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Hello Alfredo

I haven't used SunTan and I'm eager to learn.

My other idea is to create rpm packages of all the free/open source that I use and just install everything with a single command line.
Just in case here a draft list of the software that I install on my Vanilla ArcaOS VM that I would love to install in one shot.
-- https://wiki.os2world.com/index.php?title=ArcaOS_Vanilla_VM_Guest


Regards
« Last Edit: April 22, 2026, 10:56:18 pm by Martin Iturbide »
Martin Iturbide
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Neil Waldhauer

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BlondeGuy computers were supplied with a Recovery DVD, thumb drive or .ISO file that could be used to backup and restore, or repair a Blonde Guy computer.

Suntan Special is included on the Recovery DVD and USB stick. I modified an ArcaOS installation .ISO to add my own text and to automatically start Suntan Special on the Maintenance screen.

Suntan Special calls various product install programs, none of which were tested in the DVD boot environment.

It's still useful to have the Suntan Special API in a Recovery DVD format. I'm working on an app to recover VirtualBox machines that don't boot anymore due to dirty drives that can't be cleaned in the boot environment. I already have an app that sets the Display Resolution on a target machine to recover from Display Resolution disasters.
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

Alfredo Fernández Díaz

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Yes, I spotted Recovering from an OS/2 Screen Resolution Disaster @ BlondeGuy.com some time ago ; ) While I would solve that particular situation with a bootable CD with an INI editor on it, I see the advantage of a specialized applet that will let you do just that.

Anyway, back to Suntan Special... reading, I bumped into
Quote from: Suntan Special manual
Master Sequence

New for version 0.69, Suntan Special includes an app called MasterSequence, which examines your fresh OS/2 or ArcaOS installation and assembles the correct sequence to install a nice suite of programs.

After you install your preferred OS/2 under VirtualBox, grab your Suntan Special DVD or .ISO, install Suntan Special, run the Master Sequence and stand back. You'll have to answer some questions and agree to licensing, but in about an hour (depending on the speed of your installation) you will have the nice suite of programs installed.

which sounds like the first thing that should be found in a readme or some splash screen, because it pretty much condenses the whole purpose of Suntan Special, especially on a fresh ArcaOS installation. I mean, it is great that you have a UI to edit install sequences, individual applications, settings, etc., but to be honest I find it a bit counter-intuitive that this very important information is buried in the thirty-odd help panel of the manual, and the necessary procedure to build and launch this "master sequence" is:
Open Suntan Special > open the "Application" tab (not the "Sequence" one, mind you), then to scroll the application list, and ignore all other controls in said panel -- just double-click on "MasterSequence", which in turn will then open another tab where you can proceed, this time much more clearly.

Will keep on reading. I just thought this might clarify things for others too.

Thank you,