Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-factory (422 mails)

[Ladislav Slezak <lslezak@xxxxxxx>]

Hello!

Birger Kollstrand wrote:

> I don't get it. It sets up a ftp/http/nfs share and that's it.

Yes, the functionality is very basic, it sets up a selected network service and
copies CDs/ISOs to the shared directory.

A small add-on in SLP service configuration.


> No information on how it's ment to be used on the booting client is given in
> the yast module. Do I need a boot disk? If so , then there definately should
> be a wizzard assisting with that.

You need to boot the target machines via different mechanism (mini-ISO, USB 
flash,
local HDD, PXE...) and and use the install server as a package source.

> It definately does not set up a network boot as I was expecting. there is
> no atftp or tftp server set up. I would like to "Press F12 for network boot"
> and install from there. We use this at work in conjunction with autoyast and
> it's fabulous. but horribly hard to set up and maintain.

That's true :-(


> Sorry that I did not test teis earlier and I do not think it looks usable for
> anyone but hardcore users.

That's because to set up an installation server is complex and the 
configuration also
depends on the target machines (special boot parameters like vga=???). Autoyast
installation makes the config even more complicated.

We should find a compromise between simple but limited PXE config and generic 
but
hard to use (and implement) approach.


Currently there is "Announce as Installation Service with SLP" check box. I 
could add
a new check box "Add to PXE boot config" there.

In short, these steps are required to setup the boot server:
- install needed packages (tftp, syslinux)
- configure tftp service and start it (yast2-tftp-server package can be reused 
here)
- copy PXELINUX to /tftpboot dir
- create initial PXELINUX config file

(Yast should check if the boot server has been already set up and should not 
change
it in that case.)

These steps are needed when a new product is added
- copy the kernel and initrd from CD/ISO to /tftpboot (there might be more 
kernels
available, ask user which should be added?)
- add a new boot entry to PXELINUX config (with possibility to edit the kernel
command line)

The PXELINUX config must be updated when
- a product is renamed (different path in the installation URL)
- the network service is changed (e.g. from NFS to FTP install server)


It looks not too hard to implement it yast instserver (I think that the PXELINUX
config update will be the most problematic part).

Any comments/ideas?

--

Best Regards

Ladislav Slezák
Yast Developer
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