Many sysadmins still maintaining Ubuntu 10.04 LTS systems face challenges with automated installations via HTTP preseed. The desktop ISO (ubuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso) behaves particularly stubbornly with certain boot parameter combinations.

After extensive testing across multiple hardware configurations, this parameter string consistently works:

boot=casper automatic-ubiquity url=http://yourdomain.com/path/preseed.cfg 
initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash noprompt --

Key differences from common failed attempts:

• Uses automatic-ubiquity instead of only-ubiquity or auto
• Includes noprompt to prevent manual intervention
• Maintains boot=casper which is essential for desktop ISOs

Your HTTP-hosted preseed file should contain these critical directives:

d-i partman-auto/method string regular
d-i partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i partman/choose_partition select finish
d-i partman/confirm boolean true
d-i partman/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true
d-i passwd/user-fullname string Ubuntu User
d-i passwd/username string ubuntu
d-i passwd/user-password password insecure
d-i passwd/user-password-again password insecure

When troubleshooting preseed issues:

1. Check Apache logs for HTTP 200 responses
2. Add debconf/frontend=noninteractive to boot params
3. Test with a local file first (file=/cdrom/preseed.cfg)
4. Verify initrd contains preseed module: lsinitramfs /casper/initrd.lz | grep preseed

For more reliable automated installations:

wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/lucid/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/mini.iso

Then use these boot parameters:

auto url=http://yourdomain.com/preseed.cfg priority=critical vga=788 initrd=initrd.gz quiet --

Many admins struggle with the delicate balance of boot parameters when attempting automated installations via HTTP preseed on Ubuntu 10.04. The installer's behavior changes dramatically based on seemingly minor parameter adjustments, often defaulting to Live CD mode when the configuration isn't precisely tuned.

Before troubleshooting boot parameters, confirm your preseed file is actually being retrieved:

# Check Apache logs for successful GET request
tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log
# Verify file accessibility
wget http://yourdomain.com/path/preseed.cfg

After extensive testing across multiple hardware configurations, this parameter set consistently triggers automated installation:

boot=casper automatic-ubiquity url=http://yourdomain.com/path/preseed.cfg \
initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash noprompt -- 

• automatic-ubiquity replaces both auto and only-ubiquity for proper init sequence
• noprompt ensures full automation without manual intervention
• Order matters - url parameter must precede initrd specification

Your preseed.cfg needs these critical directives for desktop installations:

d-i partman-auto/method string regular
d-i partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i partman/choose_partition select finish
d-i partman/confirm boolean true
d-i partman/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true
d-i ubiquity/summary note
ubiquity ubiquity/reboot boolean true
ubiquity ubiquity/poweroff boolean false

Add these parameters to diagnose issues:

debug-installer debconf/priority=high 

View installation logs in virtual console 4 (Ctrl+Alt+F4) during the process.

For unreliable connections, include these parameters:

netcfg/get_hostname=unassigned-hostname netcfg/get_domain=unassigned-domain \
netcfg/wireless_wep=