Automated Deployment - Dell · Automated Deployment of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 on Dell PowerEdge Servers Administrators of large enterprises can save time when they
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Configuring the installation serverThe installation target system can use network protocols such as
Network File System (NFS), HTTP, or FTP to access the SLES 9
installation sources over the network, rather than obtaining them
from a CD. To access installation sources, a network server must
be configured to make the sources available and must have those
sources configured as described in this section.
Setting up the installation repository. In SLES 9, setting up an
installation repository is not straightforward as it often is in other
Linux distributions. The SLES CD set comprises one SLES personal-
ity CD, five CORE CDs, and two Service Pack (SP) CDs. The first
CD of the SLES CD set is the boot CD, and the second through sixth
CDs are the CORE CDs.
Administrators must choose a network protocol for shar-
ing the installation sources over the network—the example in
this article uses NFS—and a directory from which to share the
sources. Administrators can follow the directory format shown in
Figure 4 for creating the SUSE installation source. Administrators
must create the SLES, CORE, and SP subdirectories, and then copy
the eight SLES CDs to the installation directory in the sequence
shown in Figure 4.
Creating symbolic links. After all the CDs are copied, symbolic
links to the files must be created to complete the process. These
links should reside in the installation directory:
# cd Installation directory
# ln –s SLES/CD1/boot
# ln –s SLES/CD1/control.xml
# ln –s SLES/CD1/media.1
Administrators including a Service Pack in the installation
must create one more link for the /SP/CD1/driverupdate file in
the installation directory. This will help the installer to use the
latest driver files in the installation:
# ln –s SP/CD1/driverupdate
If administrators do not plan to use a Service Pack during instal-
lation, there is no need to include the SP directories.
Creating the yast directory. After creating the symbolic links
in the directory as detailed in the preceding section, administra-
tors must create a directory and name it “yast.” This directory
will contain files that control the installation order of the SLES CD
directories. Administrators should create a file named “order” in
the YaST directory, and add the following lines to the file (press
Tab to separate the entries):
/SP/CD1 /SP/CD1
/SLES/CD1 /SLES/CD1
/CORE/CD1 /CORE/CD1
Administrators should then create a file named “instorder” and
add the following entries:
/SP/CD1
/SLES/CD1
/CORE/CD1
Once these steps are complete, the installation server has been
configured.
Setting up PXE boot After configuring the AutoYaST control file and the installation
sources, administrators should set up a PXE server to allow auto-
mated installation.1 To enable PXE booting, administrators must
perform the following steps:
1. Place the AutoYaST control file in the root level of the instal-
lation sources directory that was previously configured.
2. Locate the files named “linux” (kernel) and “initrd” in the
/boot/loader directory on the first SP CD (or SLES CD 1 if a
Service Pack is not employed), and copy them to the correct
location in the /tftpboot directory on the PXE server.
3. Modify the linuxrc.config file, which is located in the initrd
file, to define the location on the network of the installation
sources and the AutoYaST control file. This file sets variables
for the linuxrc program to use during initialization of the
installation environment.
SLES CD 1 Installation directory/SLES/CD1/
SLES CD 2 Installation directory/CORE/CD1/
SLES CD 3 Installation directory/CORE/CD2/
SLES CD 4 Installation directory/CORE/CD3/
SLES CD 5 Installation directory/CORE/CD4/
SLES CD 6 Installation directory/CORE/CD5/
Service Pack CD 1 Installation directory/SP/CD1/
Service Pack CD 2 Installation directory/SP/CD2/
Figure 4. Installation directories for Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CDs
1 For more information about setting up a PXE server using PXELINUX, see “Harnessing PXE Boot Services in Linux Environments” by John Hull, Robert Hentosh, and Rogelio Noriega in Dell Power Solutions,s June 2004;
To modify the linuxrc.config file, complete the following
steps as the root administrator:
# mv initrd initrd.gz
# gunzip initrd
# mount –o loop initrd /mnt/tmp
4. Open the /mnt/tmp/linuxrc.config file for editing. An exam-
ple of the linuxrc.config file is shown in Figure 5. Add the
following entries to the this file:
Install: network path to installation sources
AutoYaST: network path to AutoYaST file
5. Modify the existing /mnt/tmp/linuxrc.config file values with
the following values to start the installation program:
• Language: Default language in which to start the installer• Keytable: Keyboard layout• Install: Installation method• InstMode: Installation mode—for example, NFS or FTP• Insmod: Additional module to load other than auto-
detected modules• Netdevice: Device to use to start the installation• Netconfig: Mode of IP configuration—for example, DHCP• Textmode: 1 or 0 for enabling text-mode installation
• AutoYaST: Path of AutoYaST control file—for example,
floppy or NFS path
6. After completing the linuxrc.config file edit, recompress the
initrd file to its original state:
# umount /mnt/tmp
# gzip -9 initrd
# mv initrd.gz initrd
7. Finally, create an entry in one of the PXELINUX configuration
files to allow a PXE-based boot of the kernel and initrd.
Integrating the systemAfter the entire setup is done, administrators can connect the target
server to the installation server network. The target server should
boot to PXE using the linuxrc.config and initrd files hosted at the
installation server. This process will use the parameters embedded
in the linuxrc.config program to start YaST.
Before starting YaST, the linuxrc program should be able to
locate the SLES 9 CD repository. After YaST is started, it will search
for the AutoYaST control file and use the parameters found there to
continue the installation. After installation is complete, the system
will reboot in a fully configured, ready-to-use state.
A productivity-enhancing installation toolImplementing an unattended installation of Novell SUSE Linux Enter-
prise Server 9 can be helpful to system administrators who must
quickly deploy and configure operating systems. Any enterprise can
reap the benefits of this approach, but it will be especially useful for
data centers or high-performance computing cluster environments
that contain numerous servers to configure and manage.
Anoop K. is a senior engineer on the Linux engineering team at the Dell Bangalore Development Center. He has six years of industrial experience and is presently attaining his B.S. in Information Systems from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, India.
John Hull is a software engineer at Dell and is the lead for the SUSE Linux program. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Novell Linux Desktop: AutoYaST Installation Tool:www.novell.com/products/desktop/features/autoyast.html
Novell Linux Desktop Cool Solutions:www.novell.com/coolsolutions/nld
KernelPCMCIA: 1
UseUSBSCSI: 1
Product: SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9
UpdateDir: /linux/suse/x86_64_sles9
MemLoadImage 163840
MinMemory: 256
MemYaST: 64000
MemYaSTText: 64000
ModuleDisks: 0
Language: en_US
Keytable: english-us
Install: nfs://172.16.64.1/pub/nfs/suse/
sles/9/sp2/x86_64/install
InstMode: nfs
Insmod: e1000
Netdevice eth0
Netconfig: dhcp
Textmode: 1
AutoYaST: nfs://172.16.64.1/pub/nfs/
autoinst.xml
Figure 5. Example contents of a /mnt/tmp/linuxrc.config file