New subject: [Bug 336062] Cannot install onto an iscsi volume -> end goal pxe booted iscsi-root system

23 Oct 2007

      https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=336062

           Summary: Cannot install onto an iscsi volume -> end goal pxe
                    booted iscsi-root system
           Product: openSUSE 10.3
           Version: Final
          Platform: x86-64
        OS/Version: openSUSE 10.3
            Status: NEW
          Severity: Normal
          Priority: P5 - None
         Component: Installation
        AssignedTo: bnc-team-screening@forge.provo.novell.com
        ReportedBy: peter_greis@yahoo.com
         QAContact: jsrain@novell.com
          Found By: Customer

My end goal is to create a pxe-booted install with an iscsi root disk (e.g. no
installed hard disk).

First issue: With a running system I can enter TargetAddress, TargetName and
InitiatorName as kernel boot parameters, but for an installation these are
ignored. I would like the installer to pick these up so that the iscsi volume
shows up during the install. The pxe boot file would then look something like:

default linux
prompt 0
timeout 600
F1 boot.msg
F2 options.msg
F3 general.msg
F4 param.msg
F5 rescue.msg
F7 snake.msg

#Install linux
label linux
  kernel vmlinux-10.3_x86_64
  append initrd=initrd-10.3_x86_64 ramdisk_size=8192 splash=silent showopts
insmod=e1000 install=nfs://192.168.1.200:/opt/src/SuSE_10_3_x86_64 withiscsi=1
noresume TargetAddress=192.168.1.205
InitiatorName=iqn.1995-06.com.freethinker:vm02
TargetName=iqn.1995-06.com.freethinker:storage.disk1.sdb5

which brings us to issue two: While it is possible to mount an iscsi volume
during the install and target it for the actual installation, that information
is lost when the system sets up for the initial boot (e.g. just after the
packages are installed). If the above information were passed in to the
installation, perhaps it would make it past the package install and on to the
configuration.

If we make it that far, then the mkinitrd needs to add the proper ethernet
driver and "-f iscsi"; currently this works for me:

/sbin/mkinitrd -k vmlinuz-2.6.22.9-0.4-default -i initrd-2.6.22.9-0.4-iscsi -f
iscsi -m "e1000 r8169" -d
/dev/disk/by-uuid/2e0c7447-268d-40dc-ae32-23240b90ab4c

Note: the fstab should also use the uuid...

Here I list two ethernet drivers so that I can get an AMD64 system and a vmware
environment to both boot.

Last, once this is done the installer need to present options for getting the
kernel and initrd over to whatever is providing tftpboot services (scp, ftp,
thumbdrive).

All of this would be a "really really nice to have". Currently I can achieve
the same by using vmware to target an install, mount an iscsi volume afterward,
copy the filesystem image over, and set up the pxeboot. With this approach a
few things need to be patched up in Yast, but it works. I have also used a
small external drive to do the same.

If anyone is willing to modify the installer to pay heed to those three boot
variables, I would be more than happy to test. My motivation in all of this is
create a very lightweight, quiet frontend. One system is already built and
functions as a frontend to MythTV. For other projects I just need a booted
system (all other storage is nfs or iscsi); so a 6GB iscsi root suffices (seems
like a waste to throw an 80GB drive in the box).

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[Bug 336062] New: Cannot install onto an iscsi volume -> end goal pxe booted iscsi-root system

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