- openSUSE Autoinstall

HOWTO Create a Yast2 Autoinstall Custom CD for Network Installation (long)
by Hella.Breitkopf＠varetis.de 22 May '02

22 May '02

* CREATING AN AUTOINSTALLATION CD FOR AUTOYAST2 NETWORK INSTALLATION * V 0.001 - draft - hella.breitkopf(a)varetis.de For SuSE version: SuSE 8.0 (This description is not validated, yet. No guarantee, that it works for you.) Objective: Fully unattended installation - boot from cd, fetch installation source and installation description ("control file") from your local network You'll need: 1) NFS Server with a copy of the DVD installation source (not described here - more infos in the autoyast2 documentation) In my example: 192.168.0.10 with /install/suse8.0 2) NFS Server with a XML installation control file (not described here) In my example: 192.168.0.5 with /path/1.xml (You could try to refine this with hex-ip-named.xml's and the like, see chapter 5.2 of AutoYast2 documentation. And of course, if you keep your xml files on http or tftp, it should work too.) 3) A working DHCP server (not described here) 4) SuSE 8.0 boot cd (CD1) 5) Linux machine (I did it on SuSE 7.3) with package "mkisofs" and enough free hard disk space (2 to 3 times 640 kbytes) 6) root password on that system, or sudo rights to mount stuff on all locations .. 7) One unused system to test the auto-installation It'll only work on machines which can boot from CD, the network card should be supported .. (try a manual installation with nfs source) I) Test your bootprompt line Boot CD1 in your test system and type as kernel options following line linux autoyast=nfs://192.168.0.5/path/1.xml install=nfs://192.168.0.10/install/suse8.0 Remark1 : You don't have to type in "linux" Remark2: If you've got a German keyboard connected: "=" is on "´"(Akzent) , ":" is on "ö", "/" is on "-" This should install all things you've configured in your xml file. (Tip: Start with a minimal system - It's installed much faster.) If it works, proceed to step II .. II) Prepare CD Contend create a "working directory", I named mine "bootmedia": ~> mkdir bootmedia ~> cd bootmedia ~/bootmedia> * Get an original iso Image * We steal it from the SuSE Installation CD: ~/bootmedia> dd if=/dev/hdc of=susecd1.orig.iso ~/bootmedia> mkdir susecd1 ~/bootmedia> sudo mount -o loop ./susecd1.orig.iso ./susecd1 * Prepare the content for your own iso image * ~/bootmedia> mkdir autoinst-master ~/bootmedia> tar -C susecd1 -cf - . | tar -xvf - -C autoinst-master We need to change things, so make all files writable: ~/bootmedia> chmod +w -R autoinst-master We don't need the RPM sources, we fetch them from the network, anyway: ~/bootmedia> find autoinst-master/ -name "*.rpm" -exec rm {} \; ( 547 Mbyte less data result in a 538 Mbyte smaller iso image ) * Prepare syslinux config file Here we put the stuff which we previously had to type in at the boot prompt. Change "autoinst-master/suse/images/boot/isolinux.cfg" that it looks like this: ~/boodmedia> cat autoinst-master/suse/images/boot/isolinux.cfg #----- isolinux.cfg - syslinux config file default autoyast # default - autoinstallation with configuration settings # + installation sources from the network label autoyast kernel linux #one line from "append" - "suse8.0" !!! append initrd=initrd ramdisk_size=65536 autoyast=nfs://192.168.0.5/path/1.xml install=nfs://192.168.0.10/install/suse8.0 # nfs installation: manual installation with sources from the network label nfsinstall kernel linux append initrd=initrd ramdisk_size=65536 install=nfs://192.168.0.10/install/suse8.0 implicit 0 gfxboot suselogo display message prompt 1 timeout 100 readinfo 2 framebuffer 1 #---- end of isolinux.cfg III) Create Your Own ISO Image The tricky thing is to get a bootable cd image. This is done by using the "El Torito" technique: a floppy boot image is included ... luckily we can orientate on the way SuSE did it. The nice thing with iso images created with the tool "mkisofs": one can see the options with which they were created. Just do a ~/boodmedia> head susecd1.orig.iso # (or take a look with some editor, the konqueror, whatever) and look at that line: mkisofs 1.14 -p CD-Team, feedback(a)suse.de -P SuSE GmbH, suse(a)suse.de -r -T -J -pad -sort /var/tmp/m_cd-Wbjzkb -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -b suse/images/boot/isolinux.bin -c suse/images/boot.catalog -A SuSE-Linux-Professional-DE-i386-8.0.0#0 -V SU8000.001 -o ../../iso/SuSE-8.0-Prof-i386-de-RC4-CD1.iso /var/tmp/m_cd-YiiVui CD1 We use (mostly) the same options - with other values. For full information on all this options look in the man-page of mkisofs ! one line: ! ~bootmedia> mkisofs -p your.email@domain -P "company+department info" -r -T -J -pad -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -b suse/images/boot/isolinux.bin -c suse/images/boot.catalog -A SuSE-Linux-Professional-DE-i386-8.0.0#autoinstall0 -V SuSEautoinst.001 -o autoinst1.iso autoinst-master Remark: suse/images/boot/isolinux.bin is the "floppy-boot-image" for El Torito. IV) Write ISO Image on CD If you've got your boot CD iso-image (here named autoinst1.iso), you can burn it with any cd record tool you want - if it can do iso images (Most do). (I did it on windows with nero, since my cd-rw drive is not here, yet. On Linux "cdrecord" whith option "-data" should do.) POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS: - Probable one can solve this much more elegant. But it did work, on my side. - One might make the iso image smaller with deleting more (not needed) files. - No slide-show ( Or own slide show ) NEEDED IMPROVEMENT: ->> How to integrate the autoyast updates? SUGGESTIONS: are highly welcome! ---- Regards, Hella Breitkopf

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YAST2 - using netdevice=eth1
by Hella.Breitkopf＠varetis.de 22 May '02

22 May '02

Hi List, hi Anas, Anas Nashif's great documentation of his tool AutoYast2 mentions this: Putting this to the bootcd kernel commandline, I expected the use of network device "eth1" for network setup (with dhcp): linux netdevice=eth1 install=nfs://1.2.3.4/x/suse8.0 autoyast=nfs://1.2.3.5/y/auto.xml Unluckily the information of the "netdevice" keyword seems to be ignored: ----- Trying to activate eth0 Setting up localhost...done timed out waiting for a valid DHCP server response Sending DHCP request to eth0... no/incomplete answer Ok, that didn't work; see if we can activate another network device... No further network cards found; giving up. ----- If I do a "manual Installation", I *can* choose between two network devices. And fetching dhcp information and the following installation from "eth1" works. (An installation over "eth0" works, too - if there is a cable. But there are good reasons to use eth1 in this case. ) Other parameters (I tried e.g. ip,netmask,gateway) work as expected, so why netdevice doesn't? Somebody else with this problem? Did I do something wrong? Or do I have to create an info file on my boot cd? Best Regards, Hella - my next boot cd should include that. (Somebody interested in a description, how to build a crude boot cd for network installation?)

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info-File and Floppy Drive
by assmann＠juelich-bonn.de 21 May '02

21 May '02

Hi, I have a problem with a 7.3 automatic installation. The installation boots from a CD and if there is no floppy-drive connected, the installation will halt in the "Searching for infofile" section. I think, that Yast searches for the info-file on the floppy (first?), but it will find nothing and so it crashes. What's the meaning of the readinfo entry in syslinux.cfg (the value here is 2)? Thanks, Bernhard

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simulated installation with yast2?
by Andreas Kurz 17 May '02

17 May '02

hi! thank you for the help with root on lvm. during an manuall installation of suse 8.0 i found a couple of configuration-files in /tmp. are there plans to implement a "simulation" mode for a yast2-installation. as a result you get an xml file (or something different) for an autoinstallation. i think this would be very handy, because the installation procedure is very comfortable ... and complete in contrast to the autoinstall-module of yast2. regards, andi -- Andreas Kurz IT-Services INFONOVA GmbH Seering 6 A-8041 Unterpremstätten Tel: +43 (0)316/ 8003 - 2933 Fax: +43 (0)316/ 8003 - 1080 mailto:andreas.kurz@infonova.at Web: http://www.infonova.at _______________________________________________________ Dieses E-Mail enthält vertrauliche Informationen. Falls Sie nicht der beabsichtigte Empfänger sind, dürfen Sie den Inhalt dieses E-Mails weder offen legen noch verwenden. Sofern Sie dieses E-Mail irrtümlich erhalten haben, ersuchen wir Sie, dieses an uns umgehend zurückzusenden und anschließend zu löschen. This email is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this mail in error, tell us immediately by return email and delete the document.

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meta devices / root on lvm with autoinstall ?
by andreas.kurz＠infonova.at 16 May '02

16 May '02

hi is there the possibility to create meta-devices automatically, and how can I create a system with root on lvm? regards, andreas -- Andreas Kurz IT-Services INFONOVA GmbH Seering 6 A-8041 Unterpremstätten Tel: +43 (0)316/ 8003 - 2933 Fax: +43 (0)316/ 8003 - 1080 mailto:andreas.kurz@infonova.at Web: http://www.infonova.at _______________________________________________________ Dieses E-Mail enthält vertrauliche Informationen. Falls Sie nicht der beabsichtigte Empfänger sind, dürfen Sie den Inhalt dieses E-Mails weder offen legen noch verwenden. Sofern Sie dieses E-Mail irrtümlich erhalten haben, ersuchen wir Sie, dieses an uns umgehend zurückzusenden und anschließend zu löschen. This email is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this mail in error, tell us immediately by return email and delete the document.

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YAST1 autoinstallation off CD
by Mike Amos 14 May '02

14 May '02

Hi, I've created a CD to auto install SuSE7.3 off CD. This process works fine and installs SuSE correctly. However when I reboot the machine, YAST1 attempts to restart as it says that it didn't complete the last time. This happens just after IP Forwarding has been enabled in the boot process. I've added rc-config values to my info file, could this be a reason? The whole installation seems to work OK, just trying to stop YAST1 always starting during boot!? Thank for the Help Mike

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Default Route Not Being Set
by John Young 14 May '02

14 May '02

I'm not sure that the default route is being set in the following situation: Relevant portion of control file: ... </interfaces> <routing config:type="list" > <route> <destination>default</destination> <device>eth0</device> <gateway>192.168.0.1</gateway> <netmask>0.0.0.0</netmask> </route> </routing> </networking> I'm installing using DHCP to initially identify the host (was having trouble with ip=). The client does not use DHCP once it is installed. My config file specifies <BOOTPROTO>static</BOOTPROTO> for all NICs. I'm guessing that DHCLIENT_SET_DEFAULT_ROUTE="yes" is being left in /etc/sysconfig/network/dhcp due to DHCP being available during initial install, and that is also causing the <route> configuration above to not take. I'm going to use a <file_path>/etc/sysconfig/network/routes</file_path> workaround for now. Please let me know if there are any additional Profile Elements not documented at: http://www.suse.com/~nashif/autoinstall/autoyast2/index.html I like autoinstall/autoyast better than ALICE (which I was just recently trying to learn after a successful history with Solaris Jumpstart). I really appreciate Anas' and anyone else's work in creating this. Thanks! John

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hostname and ip number specification
by Richard Bos 14 May '02

14 May '02

is there another way to specify the hostname and ip number, then using DHCP or the config files? I was thinking of a possibility to specify the hostname and ip number on the bootprompt when AutoYast is about to start. I don't know how many characters can be specified at the boot promp, but it seems a good alternative to the above 2. I hope this is possible and can be made part of AutoYast. The reason I'm asking is; I have no access to our company's DHCP server, and it seems to me that changing the config files for each individual workstation is not "right". -- Richard Bos Democracy cost a fortune

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Yast2 change "source of installation"
by Adam Johansson 13 May '02

13 May '02

Hi list, I've installed SuSE8.0 Pro using CDROMs here at the office (The whole office runs linux!!). After installation I copied all the 7 discs onto our fileserver for easy access when updating packages etc. When I now in Yast2 choose "Change source of installation" and point it to the fileserver either via NFS or via mounting the directory and choosing "Harddisk" as installation, I get the following error message; "Could not mount the source medium. mount: filur:/mnt/projects/suse/CD8 failed, reason given by server: No such file or directory" Of course there is no CD8..... At least my dist came with 7 CD's. I've grepped for anything mentioning a CD8 but cannot find anything. I'm beginning to doubt that Yast2 actually can set installation medium after initial installation. Gah! Any ideas or solutions on how to change source of installation. How I miss yast1.... :-/ Oh, and by the way... Yast2 always segfaults when I close it. Don't know if it has anything to do with the above problem but this is what it says; /sbin/yast2: line 149: 27487 Segmentation fault /usr/lib/YaST2/bin/y2base $module "$@" qt -geometry "$Y2_GEOMETRY" -style="$Y2_STYLE" -fn $Y2_XFONT

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[Q] creating/using package selections
by Chris Drexler 13 May '02

13 May '02

Dear Listmembers, I would like to do an autoinstall for stand-alone systems without having a network connection using the DVD. Is it possible to use as self-build package selection list for doing this. I'm thinking of giving the the source of the selection similar to the place of the info xml file. Is this possible? Second: how can I generate a package selection without having a system running on exactly the same packages? Yast2 was not that much helpful on this task or wasn't I able to do the right clicks? Thanks in advance, Chris

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