console-conf should point to assertion setup documentation on offline devices

[Oliver Grawert]

if you have a device that is not network connected there is no way to ever have it create a user since the user creation only works when an ssh key can be downloaded remotely from an SSO account.

if there is no network connected during first boot, console-conf should allow the creation of a local user instead of leaving the system completely unconfigured.

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

note that there is no way to ever get out of console-conf in this case ...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Mark Shuttleworth (sabdfl)]

I think the agreed plan was that the device would accept an assertion
containing user information for the account. In other words, you could
setup accounts offline using assertions you previously obtained online.

Mark

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Indeed, that is my understanding too. I think this qualifies as a "Won't Fix" for the subiquity task. It seems rather more fitting for this to be handled by snapd (given that it would have to know about assertions) or cloud-init (which already has some concept of preseeding).

Before I change the state, does this require UI in console-conf to allow someone to select a path for the assertion data? It seems like this may become complicated given that a device may need to be mounted before the data can be accessed. Doing so will require design input for console-conf UI if we decide it should be done via UI.

[Michael Hudson-Doyle (mwhudson)]

I think this is done now? Optimistically closing.

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

Well, it would actually be nice if an offline device where you hit enter on a console would point you to some documentation about how to apply a system user assertion to actually provision it anyway.

i'm re-opening as wishlist bug for such a text when no network devices are detected.

[Michael Hudson-Doyle (mwhudson)]

Do you mean when there are no network devices at all, or when the attempt to configure the network fails, or both?

[Oliver Grawert (ogra)]

i mean in all situations where it is predictable that the user can not use U1 it should point to some documentation URL where the user can read how to configure an offline device through a system-user assertion via USB key instead.

[Michael Hudson-Doyle (mwhudson)]

Fair enough. Is there any documentation that I could point to yet? I can't find it.