[opensuse-autoinstall] autoyast from command line/shell ?
hi, i am trying to build a multi-distro installer (loaded via pxe) and want to invoke autoyast from command line/shell passing the autoinst.xml file to drive the install. i have the following questions: 0. is this possible? because i've always seen autoyast being invoked via "linuxrc". looking up linuxrc source it seems quite a fair bit of setup needs to be done before invoking autoyast. i dont (and cannot use) "linuxrc" as my "init" program. 1. if its possible, is there a doc or link that describes the environment (files/directory structure/shell-vars etc.) that needs to be setup before invoking autoyast? 2. what should the command line look for the invocation: something like: # yast ??? if all this is already mentioned in some document, i'd be more than glad to go thru it. link please? thanks a lot in advance s. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
1. if its possible, is there a doc or link that describes the environment (files/directory structure/shell-vars etc.) that needs to be setup before invoking autoyast?
If you mean on the server side, then all you need to do is create a website e.g. http://yourname/your/path/susex.y/ Where "susex.y" directory contains the entire contents of the distro DVD That's it. I can't help with the rest of your questions. -- "Aikido has but one principle - the universal reality of life" - Mitsugi Saotome -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
On 9/28/07, Alan McKay
1. if its possible, is there a doc or link that describes the environment (files/directory structure/shell-vars etc.) that needs to be setup before invoking autoyast?
If you mean on the server side, then all you need to do is create a website e.g.
No, I meant on the client side i.e. on the node where i intend to install the OS. I plan to pxe boot the node into a linux shell and then execute the required installer (autoyast for suse) depending on the required distro... thanks s. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
No, I meant on the client side i.e. on the node where i intend to install the OS. I plan to pxe boot the node into a linux shell and then execute the required installer (autoyast for suse) depending on the required distro...
Hmmm, I'd be interested in what you come up with for sure! May even be able to help you out with it on work's dime. Though I'm not sure you can do that. I know in the reading I did for Anaconda/Kickstart, it said that one of the first checks it does is whether the boot CD you are using to invoke the kickstart is of the same distro as the one you are trying to install. So you can't even e.g. use a FC5 CD to install FC6. Though I guess you might be able to figure out how to spoof it. I am still trying to figure out client-side for SuSe. Apparently you can boot off a USB stick with an "info file" but I still have not sat down to give a good try at it - still haven't found a good example. So for the moment I'm still using CD #1 and typing in that gawd-awful command line with "install=" and "autoyast=" -- "Aikido has but one principle - the universal reality of life" - Mitsugi Saotome -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
On 9/28/07, Alan McKay
No, I meant on the client side i.e. on the node where i intend to install the OS. I plan to pxe boot the node into a linux shell and then execute the required installer (autoyast for suse) depending on the required distro...
Hmmm, I'd be interested in what you come up with for sure!
The end goal is to have a pxe based loader, which gives a nice menu with different distro's to install and then fire off the required installer. My initial attempt was to hack linuxrc. Tried reading thru the messy source to figure out how it actually launches yast or try and fire linuxrc from the shell. But as I said earlier it behaves differently when running from the shell as compared to when its launched as "init". and i could not clearly understand the enviroment that yast needs (and linuxrc sets up) for auto-installs reading the source. So the plan now is to pxe load a tiny linux distro (that has the required installer for each of the real/main distro) and then fire the real installers... this IMO is a better approach and easily extendable to cover more distros. But for that i need to know the correct environment need for yast to run in autoinst mode.... -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
On Fri, Sep 28, 2007 at 04:47:16PM -0700, abhijit wrote:
The end goal is to have a pxe based loader, which gives a nice menu with different distro's to install and then fire off the required installer.
It sounds like you're trying to re-invent the wheel. You can already do this with basic pxelinux and the stock autoyast installer system that comes with suse. Granted it's text based, but can be done. Use display <file> to print out a screen (you can add in escape codes to color code. Use Fn <file> where n=number of F key (like F1, F2, etc) to allow a user to display a different message. Use label names in the file to make it easy to start the install. We've got a setup where the default pxelinux file displays a main screen, different F keys can display rhel, solaris, suse, (even windows.. kicks into altiris). Different names/numbers start the different install. There's a wiki up with examples: http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/PXELINUX#Custom_Menu_Example_with_s... FYI, as of the kernel that came with sles/sled10-sp1 (2.6.16.46-*) they've added the patch to bump the default 256 char cmdline limit to 2048.. so you can pass all kinds of info on there now. Makes it a lot eaiser to fit autoyast= install= and other directives we use. -- Mike Marion-Unix SysAdmin/Staff IT Engineer-http://www.qualcomm.com UNIX - live it,love it,fork() it ! -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
On Saturday 29 September 2007 00:47, abhijit wrote:
The end goal is to have a pxe based loader, which gives a nice menu with different distro's to install and then fire off the required installer.
I've done this with syslinux and the graphical menu program vesamenu.c32. The docs on the syslinux site (http://syslinux.zytor.com and http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/Menu) , and some of the slides from my presentation at brainshare last year (http://www.suse.de/~ug/presentations/TUT226.odp) should help you get started, but shout if you need more help. -- Simon Crute IS&T. Bracknell. UK. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
On 10/9/07, Simon Crute
On Saturday 29 September 2007 00:47, abhijit wrote:
The end goal is to have a pxe based loader, which gives a nice menu with different distro's to install and then fire off the required installer.
I've done this with syslinux and the graphical menu program vesamenu.c32.
The docs on the syslinux site (http://syslinux.zytor.com and http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/Menu) , and some of the slides from my presentation at brainshare last year (http://www.suse.de/~ug/presentations/TUT226.odp) should help you get started, but shout if you need more help.
thanks for the pointers. i have started looking at pxe/syslinux and the menuing system it provides. will bug you folks back in case i get stuck. thanks again all.
-- Simon Crute IS&T. Bracknell. UK. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
-- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-autoinstall+help@opensuse.org
participants (4)
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abhijit -
Alan McKay -
Mike Marion -
Simon Crute