FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) vs OSDCloud
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation)
fai-project.orgOSDCloud
osdcloud.comSide by side
| Figure | FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) | OSDCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · OS Deployment Software | 7.9 (#10) | 7.2 (#21) |
| Integrations | The maker documents receiving configuration over HTTP, NFS, SVN or Git, and adding SSH public keys from GitHub, GitLab, Debian Salsa or a custom URL in FAI.me. | The FAQ describes preparing devices for Windows Autopilot and replacing deployment tools such as MDT or ConfigMgr. |
| Purpose | FAI automates unattended mass deployment and configuration of Linux systems and software on computers and virtual machines. | OSDCloud deploys Windows 11 over the internet without local deployment infrastructure. |
Plans
In their own words
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation)
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) automates unattended deployment and configuration of Linux systems and software on physical computers and virtual machines. It is free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later and can scale from a few computers to several thousand. The project lists Debian, Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Linux Mint, RHEL, and SUSE among supported distributions. Installations can use PXE network boot or unattended CD media, retrieving configuration through HTTP, NFS, SVN, or Git. Classes group similar machines, while hooks customize installation stages. FAI can partition disks, create file systems, and configure software RAID or LVM. It automates virtual-machine installation and customized cloud images for OpenStack, KVM, Azure, EC2, and GCE. FAI.me builds custom installation or live media and bootable disk images without local FAI installation, with settings for SSH keys, repositories, packages, scripts, and first-boot actions. Targets include desktops, servers, notebooks, clusters, server farms, and Linux labs or classrooms. The default large CD image includes full Debian XFCE and GNOME packages but fetches many other distribution packages over the network.
OSDCloud
OSDCloud deploys Windows 11 through the internet from a WinPE environment, without local deployment infrastructure. It runs with the OSDCloud or OSD PowerShell modules and supports Windows 11 versions 23H2 through 25H2 on amd64 and arm64 systems. Windows images are downloaded from Microsoft during deployment. Drivers and firmware can come from Microsoft Update Catalog, while driver packs are available from Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft Surface. The FAQ says any UEFI device compatible with Windows should work. After deployment, local PowerShell modules are updated so the device can enter OOBE and be prepared for Windows Autopilot. A WinPE function can authenticate to Azure with device code flow. Provisioning packages may be placed on ISO media or USB and applied to the offline operating system. Requirements include a WinPE boot image, suitable drivers, internet access, PowerShell, and the OSDCloud or OSD modules. The Community Tool plan is free.