Hello,
I'm new to suse and yast2/autoyast. I've got suse professional
9.3 and want to install that on a number of machines.
I've created an autoinst.xml file (from using
"yast2 autoyast") that I've put on a 3.5" floppy
(MSDOS formatted). The autoinst.xml file passes
xmllint without comments, and it looks OK.
The floppy does not contain any info file.
The problem:
I put in the DVD and the floppy and boot.
Apparantly, the autoinst.xml file should
be detected automatically and turn the installation
into an automated one. However, it does not detect
the file (it's spelled correctly, I've checked
several times). I can see that the disk drive
flashes its LED during the first phase of the
installation, so it looks like it's at least trying
to read the floppy. It does not find it, or at
least thinks that something is wrong with it,
since it always proceeds to manual install.
If I explicitly specify autoyast=floppy, or
autoyast=floppy://autoinst.xml (in the first
installation screen) it also tries to read
the floppy, but then I end up in the ncurses installer
where I get the message "Could not find the SUSE Linux
Installation Source, Activating manual setup program".
What does that mean?
I've tried with two different floppy disks, so that
it's not the disk that is broken. The disk drive
is working under normal suse (KDE) operation, so
it does not seem like that that is broken either.
What am I doing wrong?
- Is a MSDOS-formatted floppy disk OK?
- Is the content of the autoinst.xml file wrong?
The XML syntax seems to be fine, but how can
I tell whether the installer thinks that the
contents makes no sense? How can I verify that
the *installer* thinks the autoinst.xml file is OK?
- Do I need an info file on the floppy?
- Can't I do this floppy autoinstallation with the
factory SuSE 9.3 CDs/DVDs?
The autoinst.xml file:
----------------------------------8<-----------
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE profile SYSTEM "/usr/share/autoinstall/dtd/profile.dtd">
<profile xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns"
xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">
<configure>
<groups config:type="list">
<group>
<groupname>video</groupname>
<userlist>tsslab</userlist>
</group>
<group>
<groupname>dialout</groupname>
<userlist>tsslab</userlist>
</group>
</groups>
<networking>
<dns>
Hi, this behaviour is something that has obviousely changed since SuSE 9.2, the autoinst.xml-file is no more autodetected on the floppy. The documentations says, it should work with autoyast=floppy:///autoinst.xml or autoyast=floppy as you have tried, but this also doesn't work - it has the same effects you described. BTW, please note, that 3 slashes would be required for the floppy:// - syntax, 2 for the URL-like scheme, as in http:// and one for the root-directory of the floppy (which can of course be dos-formatted), but i prefer a minix-formatted floppy. It took me lots of time to find a syntax that works, the only one i found is: autoyast=/dev/fd0/autoinst.xml but i don't know if this works with 9.3 as i only had 9.2 autoinstalls up to now. Give it a try. As the bottom line, i can only say that the documentation or the autoyast-process has to be corrected by SuSE (make the software work as the docu says or make the docu so that it matches the features of the software)... ;-) Kind regards Ing. Wolfgang Skabrond -- TWS Datensysteme Ges.m.b.H. Cobenzlgasse 32/3 A-1190 Wien Tel.: +43/1/32 9 32-0 Fax: +43/1/32 9 32-30 WWW: http://www.tws.at E-Mail: skabrond@tws.at --- Thorbjorn Jemander wrote on 04.05.2005, 11:50 ---
Hello,
I'm new to suse and yast2/autoyast. I've got suse professional 9.3 and want to install that on a number of machines. I've created an autoinst.xml file (from using "yast2 autoyast") that I've put on a 3.5" floppy (MSDOS formatted). The autoinst.xml file passes xmllint without comments, and it looks OK. The floppy does not contain any info file.
The problem: I put in the DVD and the floppy and boot. Apparantly, the autoinst.xml file should be detected automatically and turn the installation into an automated one. However, it does not detect the file (it's spelled correctly, I've checked several times). I can see that the disk drive flashes its LED during the first phase of the installation, so it looks like it's at least trying to read the floppy. It does not find it, or at least thinks that something is wrong with it, since it always proceeds to manual install.
If I explicitly specify autoyast=floppy, or autoyast=floppy://autoinst.xml (in the first installation screen) it also tries to read the floppy, but then I end up in the ncurses installer where I get the message "Could not find the SUSE Linux Installation Source, Activating manual setup program". What does that mean?
I've tried with two different floppy disks, so that it's not the disk that is broken. The disk drive is working under normal suse (KDE) operation, so it does not seem like that that is broken either.
What am I doing wrong?
- Is a MSDOS-formatted floppy disk OK? - Is the content of the autoinst.xml file wrong? The XML syntax seems to be fine, but how can I tell whether the installer thinks that the contents makes no sense? How can I verify that the *installer* thinks the autoinst.xml file is OK? - Do I need an info file on the floppy? - Can't I do this floppy autoinstallation with the factory SuSE 9.3 CDs/DVDs?
________________________________________________ Dr. Thorbjörn Jemander, Senior/RT Systems Expert Enea Epact AB, Teknikringen 8, Linköping, Sweden thje@epact.se, +46 13 465 58 67, www.epact.com
-------------------
Hi,
this behaviour is something that has obviousely changed since SuSE 9.2, the autoinst.xml-file is no more autodetected on the floppy. The documentations says, it should work with
autoyast=floppy:///autoinst.xml or autoyast=floppy
as you have tried, but this also doesn't work - it has the same effects you described. BTW, please note, that 3 slashes would be required for the floppy:// - syntax, 2 for the URL-like scheme, as in http:// and one for the root-directory of the floppy (which can of course be dos-formatted), but i prefer a minix-formatted floppy.
Right.
It took me lots of time to find a syntax that works, the only one i found is:
autoyast=/dev/fd0/autoinst.xml
This does not seem to work under 9.3. I experimented around alot, (trying MSDOS, Minix and ext2 filesystems, both by the using /dev/fd0/autoinst.xml directly and mounting the floppy in a directory (In the shell at shift-alt-F5)) but finally, this worked: device://fd0/autoinst.xml (I used the floppy with the ext2 fs, but it probably works with any)
but i don't know if this works with 9.3 as i only had 9.2 autoinstalls up to now. Give it a try.
As the bottom line, i can only say that the documentation or the autoyast-process has to be corrected by SuSE (make the software work as the docu says or make the docu so that it matches the features of the software)... ;-)
Yes, that would have saved me a lot of work. :-) ________________________________________________ Dr. Thorbjörn Jemander, Senior/RT Systems Expert Enea Epact AB, Teknikringen 8, Linköping, Sweden thje@epact.se, +46 13 465 58 67, www.epact.com
Fine - the semantics that work really seem to change with each version, but the docu doesn't. Hmmm - OK - SuSE is now a Novell company, i think we'll have to get used to that ... BTW, thanks for the hint to the now working syntax, this will save me fortunately the same trial and error work ;-) "Who needs adventure games when there are operating systems" *ggg* Ing. Wolfgang Skabrond -- TWS Datensysteme Ges.m.b.H. Cobenzlgasse 32/3 A-1190 Wien Tel.: +43/1/32 9 32-0 Fax: +43/1/32 9 32-30 WWW: http://www.tws.at E-Mail: skabrond@tws.at --- Thorbjorn Jemander wrote on 04.05.2005, 13:33 ---
-------------------
Hi,
this behaviour is something that has obviousely changed since SuSE 9.2, the autoinst.xml-file is no more autodetected on the floppy. The documentations says, it should work with
autoyast=floppy:///autoinst.xml or autoyast=floppy
as you have tried, but this also doesn't work - it has the same effects you described. BTW, please note, that 3 slashes would be required for the floppy:// - syntax, 2 for the URL-like scheme, as in http:// and one for the root-directory of the floppy (which can of course be dos-formatted), but i prefer a minix-formatted floppy.
Right.
It took me lots of time to find a syntax that works, the only one i found is:
autoyast=/dev/fd0/autoinst.xml
This does not seem to work under 9.3. I experimented around alot, (trying MSDOS, Minix and ext2 filesystems, both by the using /dev/fd0/autoinst.xml directly and mounting the floppy in a directory (In the shell at shift-alt-F5)) but finally, this worked:
device://fd0/autoinst.xml
(I used the floppy with the ext2 fs, but it probably works with any)
but i don't know if this works with 9.3 as i only had 9.2 autoinstalls up to now. Give it a try.
As the bottom line, i can only say that the documentation or the autoyast-process has to be corrected by SuSE (make the software work as the docu says or make the docu so that it matches the features of the software)... ;-)
Yes, that would have saved me a lot of work. :-)
________________________________________________ Dr. Thorbjörn Jemander, Senior/RT Systems Expert Enea Epact AB, Teknikringen 8, Linköping, Sweden thje@epact.se, +46 13 465 58 67, www.epact.com
Op woensdag 4 mei 2005 14:12, schreef Ing. Wolfgang Skabrond:
Fine - the semantics that work really seem to change with each version, but the docu doesn't. Hmmm - OK - SuSE is now a Novell company, i think we'll have to get used to that ...
BTW, thanks for the hint to the now working syntax, this will save me fortunately the same trial and error work ;-)
Perhaps this information to the wiki dedicated to suse? http://www.susewiki.org Another howto for autoyast at http://www.susewiki.org/index.php?title=Category:Howto will be okay I would say. -- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
Op woensdag 4 mei 2005 13:33, schreef Thorbjorn Jemander:
As the bottom line, i can only say that the documentation or the autoyast-process has to be corrected by SuSE (make the software work as the docu says or make the docu so that it matches the features of the software)... ;-)
Yes, that would have saved me a lot of work. :-)
To me the software is always leading => correct the documentation. -- Richard Bos Without a home the journey is endless
On Wednesday 04 May 2005 12:48, Ing. Wolfgang Skabrond wrote:
this behaviour is something that has obviousely changed since SuSE 9.2, the autoinst.xml-file is no more autodetected on the floppy. The documentations says, it should work with
autoyast=floppy:///autoinst.xml or autoyast=floppy
as you have tried, but this also doesn't work
that's a bug and will be fixed for future releases. At the moment one has to use the device://fd0/autoinst.xml workaround -- ciao, Uwe Gansert Uwe Gansert, Server Technologies Team SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstrasse 5, D-90409 Nürnberg, Germany e-mail: uwe.gansert@suse.de, Tel: +49-(0)911-74053-0, Fax: +49-(0)911-74053-476, Web: http://www.suse.de
participants (4)
-
Ing. Wolfgang Skabrond -
Richard Bos -
Thorbjorn Jemander -
Uwe Gansert