Ubuntu – Unattended Offline Edubuntu 14.04 Install

edubuntukickstartofflinepreseedsystem-installation

I am looking for a way to do this offline with Edubuntu 14.04 desktop. It would install much faster and better for large-scale deployments. It seems that contrary to some guides, kickstart is no longer required. These resources got me really close.

I have gotten pretty far with the Edubuntu ISO and the following files.

isolinux/isolinux.cfg

# D-I config version 2.0
include menu.cfg
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 30
ui gfxboot bootlogo

isolinux/txt.cfg

default unattended-EBA-install
label unattended-EBA-install
  menu label ^Install for EBA unattended
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/EBA.seed keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us and console-setup/ask_detect=false boot=casper automatic-ubiquity noprompt initrd=/casper/initrd.lz --
label live
  menu label ^Try Edubuntu without installing
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/edubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label live-install
  menu label ^Install Edubuntu
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/edubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label check
  menu label ^Check disc for defects
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  boot=casper integrity-check initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label memtest
  menu label Test ^memory
  kernel /install/mt86plus
label hd
  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
  localboot 0x80

preseed/EBA.seed

#### Contents of the preconfiguration file by Kevin McCormack for Edubuntu 14.04
### Localization
# Preseeding only locale sets language, country and locale.
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US

# Keyboard selection
# Disable automatic (interactive) keymap detection.
d-i console-setup/ask_detect boolean false
d-i keyboard-configuration/xkb-keymap select us
#d-i console-setup/layoutcode string us
# d-i keyboard-configuration/toggle select No toggling
#d-i keyboard-configuration keyboard-configuration/layoutcode string us
#d-i keyboard-configuration keyboard-configuration/layout select English (US)
#d-i keyboard-configuration keyboard-configuration/variant select English (US)
#d-i keyboard-configuration keyboard-configuration/xkb-keymap select us

### Network configuration
# Disable network configuration entirely. This is useful for cdrom
# installations on non-networked devices where the network questions,
# warning and long timeouts are a nuisance.
d-i netcfg/enable boolean false

# netcfg will choose an interface that has link if possible. This makes it
# skip displaying a list if there is more than one interface.
d-i netcfg/choose_interface select auto

# To pick a particular interface instead:
#d-i netcfg/choose_interface select eth1

# To set a different link detection timeout (default is 3 seconds).
# Values are interpreted as seconds.
#d-i netcfg/link_wait_timeout string 10

# If you have a slow dhcp server and the installer times out waiting for
# it, this might be useful.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_timeout string 60
#d-i netcfg/dhcpv6_timeout string 60

# If you prefer to configure the network manually, uncomment this line and
# the static network configuration below.
#d-i netcfg/disable_autoconfig boolean true

# If you want the preconfiguration file to work on systems both with and
# without a dhcp server, uncomment these lines and the static network
# configuration below.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_failed note
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_options select Configure network manually

# Static network configuration.
#
# IPv4 example
#d-i netcfg/get_ipaddress string 192.168.1.42
#d-i netcfg/get_netmask string 255.255.255.0
#d-i netcfg/get_gateway string 192.168.1.1
#d-i netcfg/get_nameservers string 192.168.1.1
#d-i netcfg/confirm_static boolean true
#
# IPv6 example
#d-i netcfg/get_ipaddress string fc00::2
#d-i netcfg/get_netmask string ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::
#d-i netcfg/get_gateway string fc00::1
#d-i netcfg/get_nameservers string fc00::1
#d-i netcfg/confirm_static boolean true

# Any hostname and domain names assigned from dhcp take precedence over
# values set here. However, setting the values still prevents the questions
# from being shown, even if values come from dhcp.
d-i netcfg/get_hostname string unassigned-hostname
#d-i netcfg/get_hostname string "$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)"
#d-i netcfg/get_hostname string $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)
d-i netcfg/get_domain string unassigned-domain

# If you want to force a hostname, regardless of what either the DHCP
# server returns or what the reverse DNS entry for the IP is, uncomment
# and adjust the following line.
#d-i netcfg/hostname string somehost

# Disable that annoying WEP key dialog.
d-i netcfg/wireless_wep string
# The wacky dhcp hostname that some ISPs use as a password of sorts.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_hostname string radish

# If non-free firmware is needed for the network or other hardware, you can
# configure the installer to always try to load it, without prompting. Or
# change to false to disable asking.
#d-i hw-detect/load_firmware boolean true

### Network console
# Use the following settings if you wish to make use of the network-console
# component for remote installation over SSH. This only makes sense if you
# intend to perform the remainder of the installation manually.
#d-i anna/choose_modules string network-console
#d-i network-console/authorized_keys_url string http://10.0.0.1/openssh-key
#d-i network-console/password password r00tme
#d-i network-console/password-again password r00tme

### Mirror settings
# If you select ftp, the mirror/country string does not need to be set.
#d-i mirror/protocol string ftp
#d-i mirror/country string manual
#d-i mirror/http/hostname string http.us.debian.org
#d-i mirror/http/directory string /debian
#d-i mirror/http/proxy string

# Suite to install.
#d-i mirror/suite string testing
# Suite to use for loading installer components (optional).
#d-i mirror/udeb/suite string testing

### Account setup
# Skip creation of a root account (normal user account will be able to
# use sudo).
#d-i passwd/root-login boolean false
# Alternatively, to skip creation of a normal user account.
#d-i passwd/make-user boolean false

# Root password, either in clear text
#d-i passwd/root-password password r00tme
#d-i passwd/root-password-again password r00tme
# or encrypted using an MD5 hash.
#d-i passwd/root-password-crypted password [MD5 hash]

# To create a normal user account.
d-i passwd/user-fullname string EBA Tech
d-i passwd/username string eba
# Normal user's password, either in clear text
#d-i passwd/user-password password insecure
#d-i passwd/user-password-again password insecure
# or encrypted using an MD5 hash.
d-i passwd/user-password-crypted password $1$jofdV3Qt$MhQLCV8ollmdpIazbibYZ/
# Create the first user with the specified UID instead of the default.
#d-i passwd/user-uid string 1010

# The user account will be added to some standard initial groups. To
# override that, use this.
#d-i passwd/user-default-groups string audio cdrom video

### Clock and time zone setup
# Controls whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC.
d-i clock-setup/utc boolean true

# You may set this to any valid setting for $TZ; see the contents of
# /usr/share/zoneinfo/ for valid values.
d-i time/zone string US/Eastern

# Controls whether to use NTP to set the clock during the install
d-i clock-setup/ntp boolean true
# NTP server to use. The default is almost always fine here.
#d-i clock-setup/ntp-server string ntp.example.com

### Partitioning
## Partitioning example
# If the system has free space you can choose to only partition that space.
# This is only honoured if partman-auto/method (below) is not set.
#d-i partman-auto/init_automatically_partition select biggest_free

# Alternatively, you may specify a disk to partition. If the system has only
# one disk the installer will default to using that, but otherwise the device
# name must be given in traditional, non-devfs format (so e.g. /dev/sda
# and not e.g. /dev/discs/disc0/disc).
# For example, to use the first SCSI/SATA hard disk:
d-i partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
# In addition, you'll need to specify the method to use.
# The presently available methods are:
# - regular: use the usual partition types for your architecture
# - lvm: use LVM to partition the disk
# - crypto: use LVM within an encrypted partition
d-i partman-auto/method string lvm

# If one of the disks that are going to be automatically partitioned
# contains an old LVM configuration, the user will normally receive a
# warning. This can be preseeded away...
d-i partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm boolean true
# The same applies to pre-existing software RAID array:
d-i partman-md/device_remove_md boolean true
# And the same goes for the confirmation to write the lvm partitions.
d-i partman-lvm/confirm boolean true
d-i partman-lvm/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true

# You can choose one of the three predefined partitioning recipes:
# - atomic: all files in one partition
# - home: separate /home partition
# - multi: separate /home, /var, and /tmp partitions
d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select atomic

# Or provide a recipe of your own...
# If you have a way to get a recipe file into the d-i environment, you can
# just point at it.
#d-i partman-auto/expert_recipe_file string /hd-media/recipe

# If not, you can put an entire recipe into the preconfiguration file in one
# (logical) line. This example creates a small /boot partition, suitable
# swap, and uses the rest of the space for the root partition:
#d-i partman-auto/expert_recipe string \
# boot-root :: \
# 40 50 100 ext3 \
# $primary{ } $bootable{ } \
# method{ format } format{ } \
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 } \
# mountpoint{ /boot } \
# . \
# 500 10000 1000000000 ext3 \
# method{ format } format{ } \
# use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 } \
# mountpoint{ / } \
# . \
# 64 512 300% linux-swap \
# method{ swap } format{ } \
# .

# The full recipe format is documented in the file partman-auto-recipe.txt
# included in the 'debian-installer' package or available from D-I source
# repository. This also documents how to specify settings such as file
# system labels, volume group names and which physical devices to include
# in a volume group.

# This makes partman automatically partition without confirmation, provided
# that you told it what to do using one of the methods above.
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

## Controlling how partitions are mounted
# The default is to mount by UUID, but you can also choose "traditional" to
# use traditional device names, or "label" to try filesystem labels before
# falling back to UUIDs.
#d-i partman/mount_style select uuid

### Base system installation
# Configure APT to not install recommended packages by default. Use of this
# option can result in an incomplete system and should only be used by very
# experienced users.
#d-i base-installer/install-recommends boolean false

# The kernel image (meta) package to be installed; "none" can be used if no
# kernel is to be installed.
#d-i base-installer/kernel/image string linux-image-586

### Apt setup
# You can choose to install restricted and universe software, or to install
# software from the backports repository.
d-i apt-setup/restricted boolean true
d-i apt-setup/universe boolean true
#d-i apt-setup/backports boolean true
# Uncomment this if you don't want to use a network mirror.
#d-i apt-setup/use_mirror boolean false
# Select which update services to use; define the mirrors to be used.
# Values shown below are the normal defaults.
#d-i apt-setup/services-select multiselect security
#d-i apt-setup/security_host string security.ubuntu.com
#d-i apt-setup/security_path string /ubuntu

# Additional repositories, local[0-9] available
#d-i apt-setup/local0/repository string \
# http://local.server/ubuntu &releasename; main
#d-i apt-setup/local0/comment string local server
# Enable deb-src lines
#d-i apt-setup/local0/source boolean true
# URL to the public key of the local repository; you must provide a key or
# apt will complain about the unauthenticated repository and so the
# sources.list line will be left commented out
#d-i apt-setup/local0/key string http://local.server/key

# By default the installer requires that repositories be authenticated
# using a known gpg key. This setting can be used to disable that
# authentication. Warning: Insecure, not recommended.
#d-i debian-installer/allow_unauthenticated string true

### Package selection
tasksel tasksel/first multiselect ubuntu-desktop ubuntu-edu-secondary
tasksel tasksel/first seen false

# Individual additional packages to install
d-i pkgsel/include string openssh-server
# Policy for applying updates. May be "none" (no automatic updates),
# "unattended-upgrades" (install security updates automatically), or
# "landscape" (manage system with Landscape).
d-i pkgsel/update-policy select unattended-upgrades
# Enable extras.ubuntu.com.
d-i apt-setup/extras boolean true

# Some versions of the installer can report back on what software you have
# installed, and what software you use. The default is not to report back,
# but sending reports helps the project determine what software is most
# popular and include it on CDs.
#popularity-contest popularity-contest/participate boolean false

### Boot loader installation
# Grub is the default boot loader (for x86). If you want lilo installed
# instead, uncomment this:
#d-i grub-installer/skip boolean true
# To also skip installing lilo, and install no bootloader, uncomment this
# too:
#d-i lilo-installer/skip boolean true

# This is fairly safe to set, it makes grub install automatically to the MBR
# if no other operating system is detected on the machine.
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true

# This one makes grub-installer install to the MBR if it also finds some other
# OS, which is less safe as it might not be able to boot that other OS.
d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean true

# Due notably to potential USB sticks, the location of the MBR can not be
# determined safely in general, so this needs to be specified:
d-i grub-installer/bootdev string /dev/sda
# To install to the first device (assuming it is not a USB stick):
#d-i grub-installer/bootdev string default

# Alternatively, if you want to install to a location other than the mbr,
# uncomment and edit these lines:
#d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean false
#d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean false
#d-i grub-installer/bootdev string (hd0,1)
# To install grub to multiple disks:
#d-i grub-installer/bootdev string (hd0,1) (hd1,1) (hd2,1)

# Optional password for grub, either in clear text
#d-i grub-installer/password password r00tme
#d-i grub-installer/password-again password r00tme
# or encrypted using an MD5 hash, see grub-md5-crypt(8).
#d-i grub-installer/password-crypted password [MD5 hash]

# Use the following option to add additional boot parameters for the
# installed system (if supported by the bootloader installer).
# Note: options passed to the installer will be added automatically.
#d-i debian-installer/add-kernel-opts string nousb

### Finishing up the installation
# During installations from serial console, the regular virtual consoles
# (VT1-VT6) are normally disabled in /etc/inittab. Uncomment the next
# line to prevent this.
#d-i finish-install/keep-consoles boolean true

# Avoid that last message about the install being complete.
d-i finish-install/reboot_in_progress note

# This will prevent the installer from ejecting the CD during the reboot,
# which is useful in some situations.
#d-i cdrom-detect/eject boolean false

# This is how to make the installer shutdown when finished, but not
# reboot into the installed system.
#d-i debian-installer/exit/halt boolean true
# This will power off the machine instead of just halting it.
#d-i debian-installer/exit/poweroff boolean true

### Preseeding other packages
# Depending on what software you choose to install, or if things go wrong
# during the installation process, it's possible that other questions may
# be asked. You can preseed those too, of course. To get a list of every
# possible question that could be asked during an install, do an
# installation, and then run these commands:
# debconf-get-selections --installer > file
# debconf-get-selections >> file

### Ubiquity options
ubiquity ubiquity/summary string empty
# reboot automatically, add 'noprompt' to the kernel command line
ubiquity ubiquity/use_nonfree boolean true
ubiquity ubiquity/reboot boolean true
#ubiquity languagechooser/language-name select English
#ubiquity countrychooser/shortlist select US
ubiquity localechooser/supported-locales en_US.UTF-8
ubiquity console-keymaps-at/keymap select us
ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_fallback_install booolean false
ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_ltsp_install booolean false
ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_ltsp_interface select eth0
ubiquity ubiquity/install/generate-blacklist multiselect ubuntu-edu-preschool ubuntu-edu-primary ubuntu-edu-tertiary

#### Advanced options
### Running custom commands during the installation
# d-i preseeding is inherently not secure. Nothing in the installer checks
# for attempts at buffer overflows or other exploits of the values of a
# preconfiguration file like this one. Only use preconfiguration files from
# trusted locations! To drive that home, and because it's generally useful,
# here's a way to run any shell command you'd like inside the installer,
# automatically.

# This first command is run as early as possible, just after
# preseeding is read.
#d-i preseed/early_command string anna-install some-udeb
# This command is run immediately before the partitioner starts. It may be
# useful to apply dynamic partitioner preseeding that depends on the state
# of the disks (which may not be visible when preseed/early_command runs).
#d-i partman/early_command \
# string debconf-set partman-auto/disk "$(list-devices disk | head -n1)"
# This command is run just before the install finishes, but when there is
# still a usable /target directory. You can chroot to /target and use it
# directly, or use the apt-install and in-target commands to easily install
# packages and run commands in the target system.
#d-i preseed/late_command string apt-install zsh; in-target chsh -s /bin/zsh
d-i preseed/late_command string apt-install openssh-server

How can I answer the Edubuntu installation options for gnome fallback, LTSP, and installed educational packages? Also, the keyboar layout is asked for (fixed in updated isolinux/txt.cfg).

The additional package openssh-server does not install. UPDATE: it works now with ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string in-target apt-get -y install openssh-server;

I'd also like to set the hostname based on the asset tag with something like

d-i netcfg/get_hostname string $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)

UPDATE: I was able to set the hostname with the following commands after ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string

if [ "$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)" != "" ]; then \
    in-target hostname $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag) ;\
    in-target sed -i "1s/.*/$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)/" /etc/hostname ;\
    in-target sed -i "2s/.*/127.0.1.1\t$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)/" /etc/hosts ;\
else \
    in-target hostname $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name) ;\
    in-target sed -i "1s/.*/$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)/" /etc/hostname ;\
    in-target sed -i "2s/.*/127.0.1.1\t$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)/" /etc/hosts ;\
fi;

UPDATE: I am able to remove packages with ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string in-target apt-get -y purge unity-scope-yahoostock but this seems inefficient since it removes packages just after being installed. Does anyone know a way of excluding packages? The Debian d-i pkgsel/exclude string unity-scope-yahoostock does not seem to work here with Ubiquity.

Best Answer

I was able to figure out all of my issues except for preseeding the Edubuntu-specific questions, so I am going to resort to an Ubuntu vanilla install with the following customizations. I will be installing the Edubuntu packages and setting more things up with bash scripts that I will run from SSH.

Keyboard layout is set with keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us and console-setup/ask_detect=false boot parameters
Packages are removed with ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string in-target apt-get -y purge package
Packages are installed with ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string in-target apt-get -y install openssh-server;
I was able to set the hostname with commands after ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string (see EBA.seed below)

isolinux/isolinux.cfg

# D-I config version 2.0
include menu.cfg
default vesamenu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 50
ui gfxboot bootlogo

isolinux/txt.cfg

default unattended-EBA-install
label unattended-EBA-install
  menu label ^Install for EBA unattended
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/EBA.seed keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us and console-setup/ask_detect=false boot=casper automatic-ubiquity noprompt initrd=/casper/initrd.lz --
label live
  menu label ^Try Ubuntu without installing
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label live-install
  menu label ^Install Ubuntu
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label check
  menu label ^Check disc for defects
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  boot=casper integrity-check initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --
label memtest
  menu label Test ^memory
  kernel /install/mt86plus
label hd
  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
  localboot 0x80

preseed/EBA.seed

#### Custom Preseed for EBA
### by Kevin 
### Ubuntu/Edubuntu 14.04
##################################################################################



### General
###################

# Preseed empty to avoid the summary page
ubiquity ubiquity/summary string empty
# reboot automatically, add 'noprompt' to the kernel command line
ubiquity ubiquity/reboot boolean true



### Localization
####################
# Preseeding only locale sets language, country and locale.
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US

# Keyboard selection
# Disable automatic (interactive) keymap detection.
d-i console-setup/ask_detect boolean false
d-i keyboard-configuration/xkb-keymap select us

ubiquity languagechooser/language-name select English
ubiquity countrychooser/shortlist select US
ubiquity localechooser/supported-locales en_US.UTF-8
ubiquity console-keymaps-at/keymap select us


### Network configuration
#############################
# Disable network configuration entirely. This is useful for cdrom
# installations on non-networked devices where the network questions,
# warning and long timeouts are a nuisance.
d-i netcfg/enable boolean false

# netcfg will choose an interface that has link if possible. This makes it
# skip displaying a list if there is more than one interface.
d-i netcfg/choose_interface select auto

# Disable that annoying WEP key dialog.
#d-i netcfg/wireless_wep string
# The wacky dhcp hostname that some ISPs use as a password of sorts.
#d-i netcfg/dhcp_hostname string radish

# If non-free firmware is needed for the network or other hardware, you can
# configure the installer to always try to load it, without prompting. Or
# change to false to disable asking.
d-i hw-detect/load_firmware boolean true

### Mirror settings
# If you select ftp, the mirror/country string does not need to be set.
#d-i mirror/protocol string ftp
#d-i mirror/country string manual
#d-i mirror/http/hostname string http.us.debian.org
#d-i mirror/http/directory string /debian
d-i mirror/http/proxy string http://proxy:8002



### Account setup
####################

# To create a normal user account.
d-i passwd/user-fullname string EBA Tech
d-i passwd/username string eba
d-i passwd/user-password-crypted password ****

### Clock and time zone setup
# Controls whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC.
d-i clock-setup/utc boolean true

# You may set this to any valid setting for $TZ; see the contents of
# /usr/share/zoneinfo/ for valid values.
d-i time/zone string US/Eastern

# Controls whether to use NTP to set the clock during the install
d-i clock-setup/ntp boolean true
# NTP server to use. The default is almost always fine here.
#d-i clock-setup/ntp-server string ntp.example.com



### Partitioning
#####################

d-i partman-auto/method string lvm
d-i partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm boolean true
d-i partman-md/device_remove_md boolean true
d-i partman-lvm/confirm boolean true
d-i partman-lvm/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true

# You can choose one of the three predefined partitioning recipes:
# - atomic: all files in one partition
# - home:   separate /home partition
# - multi:  separate /home, /var, and /tmp partitions
d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select atomic

# This makes partman automatically partition without confirmation, provided
# that you told it what to do using one of the methods above.
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



### Base system installation
################################

### Apt setup
# You can choose to install restricted and universe software, or to install
# software from the backports repository.
#d-i apt-setup/backports boolean true
d-i apt-setup/extras boolean true
d-i apt-setup/multiverse boolean true
d-i apt-setup/partner boolean true
d-i apt-setup/restricted boolean true
d-i apt-setup/universe boolean true

# Use non-free packages
ubiquity ubiquity/use_nonfree boolean true

# Policy for applying updates. May be "none" (no automatic updates),
# "unattended-upgrades" (install security updates automatically), or
# "landscape" (manage system with Landscape).
d-i pkgsel/update-policy select unattended-upgrades

### Boot loader installation
# This is fairly safe to set, it makes grub install automatically to the MBR
# if no other operating system is detected on the machine.
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true



### More Fun!
#############################

#ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_fallback_install booolean false
#ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_ltsp_install booolean false
#ubiquity ubiquity/edubuntu-addon_ltsp_interface select eth0
#ubiquity ubiquity/install/generate-blacklist multiselect ubuntu-edu-preschool ubuntu-edu-primary ubuntu-edu-tertiary

# Install/remove packages, set hostname, install wifi drivers
ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string \
in-target apt-get -y install openssh-server; \
in-target apt-get -y purge unity-scope-imdb unity-scope-musicstores unity-scope-zotero unity-scope-click-autopilot \
unity-scope-deviantart unity-scope-gallica unity-scope-gdocs unity-scope-github unity-scope-googlenews \
unity-scope-launchpad unity-scope-mediascanner unity-scope-onlinemusic unity-scope-openweathermap \
unity-scope-soundcloud unity-scope-sshsearch unity-scope-yahoostock unity-lens-photos unity-lens-video \
unity-scope-audacious unity-scope-chromiumbookmarks unity-scope-clementine unity-scope-click unity-scope-colourlovers \
unity-scope-gdrive unity-scope-gmusicbrowser unity-scope-gourmet unity-scope-guayadeque unity-scope-mediascanner2 \
unity-scope-musique unity-scope-openclipart unity-scope-texdoc unity-scope-tomboy unity-scope-video-remote \
unity-scope-virtualbox unity-scope-yelp unity-webapps-service account-plugin-ubuntuone ubuntu-purchase-service \
deja-dup indicator-messages empathy gwibber thunderbird transmission-gtk pidgin; \
if [ "$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)" != "" ]; then \
    in-target hostname $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag) ;\
    in-target sed -i "1s/.*/$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)/" /etc/hostname ; \
    in-target sed -i "2s/.*/127.0.1.1\t$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_asset_tag)/" /etc/hosts; \
else \
    in-target hostname $(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name) ;\
    in-target sed -i "1s/.*/$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)/" /etc/hostname ;\
    in-target sed -i "2s/.*/127.0.1.1\t$(cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)/" /etc/hosts; \
fi; \
if [ lspci -d 14e4:4315 ]; then \
    in-target apt-get -qq install firmware-b43-installer || in-target apt-get -qq install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer; \
fi;

Answering

I gave it some time from originally asking my question to see if there were any other solutions, but it looks like the solution I came up with while waiting is the only viable solution I've seen so far.

Misconception

Since this was the source of a lot of confusion, I will try to clear it up. It seems that some of the answers tried to use the Ubuntu 16 Server image when I was specifically trying to create an unattended Ubuntu 16 Desktop image install. The issue arises because of the implementation differences of d-i (debian installer) and ubiquity. Since the Server image will pay attention and use all of the d-i commands in the preseed file, most of the questions I asked are irrelevant to the Server image. However, due to the implementation of ubiquity as the installer of the Desktop image a lot of d-i commands are ignored and you are very limited and a lot of documentation is missing.

Documentation Links Found

Here is the link for Ubiquity ignoring the preseed/late_command (I believe it ignores the preseed/early_command too)
Here is the Ubiquity Documentation it talks about which installer components will not be used in Ubiquity, but as you will notice even in this documentation it says the preseed/early_command but I would test that thoroughly to verify since it didn't seem to work for me (I admit I didn't test the early_command rigorously so I may be wrong).

Successful Process

Here is my process for successfully creating an unattended Ubuntu Desktop 16.04 LTS iso.

Mount Ubuntu ISO

You will need to mount the ISO files so that you can edit the pertinent files.

mkdir -p /mnt/iso
mount -o loop ~/Downloads/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso /mnt/iso

Copy ISO Files

We will need to copy the files in mounted ISO to a different directory so that we can edit them. Feel free to use any directory you like, I chose the /opt directory due to another how-to, but /tmp could just as easily be used.

mkdir -p /opt/ubuntuiso
cp -rT /mnt/iso /opt/ubuntuiso

Edit the txt.cfg File

Here we will edit the /opt/ubuntuiso/isolinux/txt.cfg file and customize our boot parameters to get a completely unattended install which will include a preseed file. Use any editor of your choice:

#default live
#label live
#  menu label ^Try Ubuntu without installing
#  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
#  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash ---
#label live-install
#  menu label ^Install Ubuntu
#  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
#  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash ---
#label check
#  menu label ^Check disc for defects
#  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
#  append  boot=casper integrity-check initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash ---
#label memtest
#  menu label Test ^memory
#  kernel /install/mt86plus
#label hd 
#  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
#  localboot 0x80

default live-install
label live-install
  menu label ^Install Ubuntu
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi
  append  file=/cdrom/ks.preseed auto=true priority=critical debian-installer/locale=en_US keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us ubiquity/reboot=true languagechooser/language-name=English countrychooser/shortlist=US localechooser/supported-locales=en_US.UTF-8 boot=casper automatic-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash noprompt noshell ---

Please take note of a few things:

I commented out all original text in the file.
I added all text after and including "default live-install" at the bottom
I named the preseed file "ks.preseed" and it will be in the top level directory of the ISO (/opt/ubuntuiso)

Use or Create a Preseed File

Use an already existing preseed file with caution! I have not found any that just work. This isn’t to say they don’t exist, I just didn’t find any with quite a bit of searching. There are many ways to configure a preseed file, but I found many options to be ignored, outlined in the Ubiquity Documentation I linked above and in the link for preseed/late_command vs ubiquity/success_command. I am including my simple working preseed file that works with the above txt.cfg file.

For netcfg/get_hostname string and netcfg/get_domain string you can put whatever you want it to be. I used unassigned-hostname and unassigned-domain since I will just change it later through a scripting process.

For any custom command you want to run after installation you need to use the:

ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string

Followed by any command you want to run. Pay attention to continuing the strings with ";\" and using the "/target" to change anything pertaining to the new system installed.

# Partitioning
# Old style using d-i command
#d-i partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
#d-i partman-auto/method string regular
#d-i partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm boolean true
#d-i partman-md/device_remove_md boolean true
#d-i partman-auto/choose_recipe select atomic

# Newer ubiquity command
ubiquity partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
ubiquity partman-auto/method string regular
ubiquity partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm boolean true
ubiquity partman-md/device_remove_md boolean true
ubiquity partman-auto/choose_recipe select atomic

# This makes partman automatically partition without confirmation
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

# Locale
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US
d-i console-setup/ask_detect boolean false
d-i console-setup/layoutcode string us

# Network
d-i netcfg/get_hostname string unassigned-hostname
d-i netcfg/get_domain string unassigned-domain
d-i netcfg/choose_interface select auto

# Clock
d-i clock-setup/utc-auto boolean true
d-i clock-setup/utc boolean true
d-i time/zone string US/Pacific
d-i clock-setup/ntp boolean true

# Packages, Mirrors, Image
d-i mirror/country string US
d-i apt-setup/multiverse boolean true
d-i apt-setup/restricted boolean true
d-i apt-setup/universe boolean true

# Users
d-i passwd/user-fullname string User
d-i passwd/username string user
d-i passwd/user-password-crypted password yourEncryptedPasswd
d-i passwd/user-default-groups string adm audio cdrom dip lpadmin sudo plugdev sambashare video
d-i passwd/root-login boolean true
d-i passwd/root-password-crypted password rootEncryptedPasswd
d-i user-setup/allow-password-weak boolean true

# Grub
d-i grub-installer/grub2_instead_of_grub_legacy boolean true
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true
d-i finish-install/reboot_in_progress note

# Custom Commands
ubiquity ubiquity/success_command string \
  sed -i -e 's/dns=dnsmasq/#dns=dnsmasq/' /target/etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf ;\
  cp -a /cdrom/scripts/ /target/root/ ;\
  cp -a /cdrom/salt/ /target/root/

Please note these things as I left them in for illustrative purposes and they will likely be different in your preseed command.

The user/root password need to be added by you. Here is the link that shows you 3 different ways to make a crypt 3 password.
You may want to change the groups your user is assigned to.
You will definitely want to change the success_command. I left it to show how it can be formatted and how to use the /target environment.

Create New ISO

Create the ISO so you can test out your preseed file. If you use one or make your own, you will need to test it as this will LIKELY be the place your process will fail. I wrote a script for quick testing, but you could just point the preseed file at an http:// hosted preseed file and test very quickly that way.

mkisofs -D -r -V "UNATTENDED_UBUNTU" -cache-inodes -J -l -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o /tmp/ubuntu16-desktop-unattended-install.iso /opt/ubuntuiso

Feel free to change the output name and the the directory in which you will save it.

Burn ISO

I would suggest testing on virtualbox or the like and once you have it working, then burn it to a DVD. You should now have a working unattended Ubuntu Desktop 16.04 LTS install DVD.

Feedback, Corrections, Errors

I wrote this all in one go and there may be errors, typos, or things that got messed up along the way. If anyone tries this, please let me know if you encounter an error in the process. And please remember that if you create your own preseed file, I will probably not be able to answer why your unattended install is broken and not working since ubiquity likes to ignore and not do certain things in the preseed file. I hope this helpful to someone.