[et-mgmt-tools] More Cobbler, Koan and Xen questions

[Foreman, Tim]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: et-mgmt-tools-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:et-mgmt-tools-bounces at redhat.com]On Behalf Of Michael DeHaan
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 11:03 AM
> To: Fedora/Linux Management Tools
> Subject: Re: [et-mgmt-tools] More Cobbler, Koan and Xen questions
> 
> Foreman, Tim wrote:
> > I'm still trying to kickstart a Xen guest using Cobbler and Koan
> > and I'm making progress, but it's still not working right.
> >
> > I have a distro, I have a profile and I have a system. The problem
> > is that it appears to be ignoring my kickstart file and goes into
> > an interactive install. I see in the webserver logs on the Cobbler
> > box that it's requesting, and getting, the kickstart file, but it
> > appears to not be using it.
> >   
> The really best way to get what you want is to do a manual 
> install using either virtguest-install or virt-manager,
> and then look at the /root/anaconda.ks and use that as a basis, just 
> like you would for any other system. 

Right. The first time that it started up in interactive mode I did run
through it. There were no options in the anaconda.ks file that I don't
have in my kickstart file.

My kickstart file is a kind of complicated one with some scripting and
templating, but it's essentially a tweaked copy of the file that I have
been literally using for years to kickstart servers. Both from CD installs
and from Cobbler installs using PXE boot.

The only things that are different are the fact that I'm using Xen and
that I'm trying to start the process with Koan instead of a PXE boot.

> When kickstarts go interactive, it's because they miss an option they 
> need.  A kickstart file is basically an answer file
> for most of the install process. 
> > My question is this: The cobbler man page states that I should use
> > the MAC address for the system name when kickstarting a virtual
> > server, but the MAC address is randomly generated when I run Koan
> > to do a virtual install.
> >   
> Well, you don't technically have to, and I should probably 
> clear that up in the manpage. The reason you would want to use the MAC 
> address is so that you could do per-system templating, control the MAC
> address rather than getting a random one, and the like.   
> 
> This is how you tell koan to provision virt based on a system 
> definition:
> 
> koan --virt --system=AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF --server=foo.example.com
> 
> This assumes you've done a "cobbler system add 
> --name=AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF 
> --profile=virtualfoo" before.

I did a "cobbler system add --name=10.9.90.11 --profile=virtualfoo" and
used the IP address I wanted the system to end up with. 

The cobbler man page states you can use a MAC, an IP address or a
resolvable hostname for a system name.

Then I did a "koan --virt --server=servername --system=10.9.90.11"

Maybe what I need to do is run a manual install with no kickstart file
and see what's in that anaconda.ks. I might be missing something still.

--
Timothy W. Foreman ~ Security Administrator ~ tforeman at ibsys.com
(651) 365-4181     ~ Internet Broadcasting  ~ www.ibsys.com
--
The Onion: Have you decided what you want to be when you grow up?
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