RE: Kickstarting to VM via ISO image

["Shabazian, Chip" <Chip Shabazian bankofamerica com>]

Have you looked at Revisor?  You should be able to spin your RHEL 5 install quickly and easily using Revisor:

http://revisor.fedoraunity.org/

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From: kickstart-list-bounces redhat com [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces redhat com] On Behalf Of gene huft wachovia com
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 11:44 AM
To: kickstart-list redhat com
Subject: Kickstarting to VM via ISO image

Kickstart Gurus, 

I have a fully contained ISO image of the 
original RHEL5.1 32-bit source tree, along with some additional RPMs & a 
custom ks.cfg file.  The goal is to totally automate the build to a VMware 
VM via mapping the ISO file to a virtual CDROM.   

I have modified the default isolinux/isolinux.cfg file as 
follows: 

default xander 
prompt 1 
timeout 600 
display 
boot.msg 
F1 boot.msg 
F2 options.msg 
F3 
general.msg 
F4 param.msg 
F5 rescue.msg 
label xander 
  kernel 
vmlinuz 
  append initrd=initrd.img 
ramdisk_size=8192 ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg 
label 
text 
  kernel vmlinuz 
  append initrd=initrd.img text 
label ks 
  kernel vmlinuz 
  
append ks initrd=initrd.img 
label 
local 
  localboot 1 
label memtest86 
  kernel memtest 
  append - 


In my 
kickstart file, I of cource specify "cdrom".  The ISO image will boot the 
VM into RedHat's initial screen, but when hit return or let it time out it, it 
complains that it cannot find the install media on any cdrom.   

I also tried to put the kickstart file into 
the initrd.img by uncompressing image, copying ks.cfg into it, modifying 
isolinux.cfg to: 

append 
initrd=initrd.img ramdisk_size=8192 ks=file:/ks.cfg 

Then recompressed it, moved it into proper place & 
re-generated ISO image. Again, the ISO will boot the VM to initial RH screen, 
but soon there after get the "cd not found" error. 
Is this just a VMware thing?  My coworker has no 
trouble with SuSE builds working....am I overlooking something simple? 

Thanks in advance. 

Gene