kickstart (undocumented) changes

[Phil Meyer]

lead2gold wrote:
> Hi guys;
> First off; i'm somewhat of a newb;  So feel free to direct me to the information I havn't yet found on my own.
>
> My problem is this:
> I'm automating the install of Fedora 8 with a kickstart; but so many features have changed from Fedora 7.  little things.... such as the keyword 'cdrom'. If i specify it; the install automatically chooses a 'cdrom' type install (which is good) but then crashes with a ton of python errors right after the gui install loads up.  If i comment out the 'cdrom' key and just choose it manually during the installation. everything works great.
> ...
> I found this message board and through a few posted kickstart examples; i was able to spot some of the issues and through trial and error get a kickstart working.  
> My questions to you guys are:
> 1. Is there a good location to reference accurate kickstart configuration and setup?
> 2. what is the 'cdrom' keyword alternative in Fedora 8?
>   

Kickstart functionality follows the version of anaconda used.
The 'closest to accurate' documentation is part of anaconda, ie:

/usr/share/doc/anaconda-11.3.0.50/kickstart-docs.txt

for Fedora 8.

 From that doc:
---

{{{install}}} (optional)

    Tells the system to install a fresh system rather than upgrade an
    existing system. This is the default mode. For installation, you
    must specify the type of installation from one of cdrom, harddrive,
    nfs, or url (for ftp or http installations). The install command
    and the installation method command must be on separate lines.

    {{{cdrom}}}

        Install from the first CD-ROM drive on the system.

---
Two things to notice from the doc:

The cdrom keyword is indented under the install keyword.  That means 
cdrom must appear in the install 'section' (after the install keyword 
and before and other major keyword)  and if it does not, anaconda can 
get confused.  Sequencing of keywords becomes more and more important as 
functionality is added.

It is good practice to form up a kickstart file with all keywords that 
are used, in the same sequence as this doc suggests.  You might even 
want to indent sub keywords to make sure they are in the right 'section'.

Secondly, cdrom is case sensitive now.  I don't think that it used to 
be, but now days CDROM != cdrom!

Also going forward, every section that begins with a %<keyword> should 
end with a %end.

ie:

%packages
...
%end

%post
...
%end

I think that this may have been the intention from the beginning, but 
not enforced, and it is broken on older anaconda versions.

Current kickstart files will NOT work with older versions of anaconda.

Good luck!