Kickstart %include directive and %pre script issues

[Christian.Rohrmeier at SCHERING.DE]

Hello Dear Kickstarters,

I'm running RHEL 2.1, 3, and 4, all of which need to be served by the
kickstart script in question.

I have found a problem with the "%include" directive when including a file
that is created by the %pre script.

What I want to do: dynamic disk partitioning. A great example of this can
be found on page 56 of the RHEL 3 System Administration Guide. The idea is,
in your %pre script you check out the disk situation, or ask the user
something, and write the apropriate kickstart partitioning commands (as
they would normally be found in the commands section of the kickstart
script) into a file. This file was already included (via the %include
directive) in the commands section of the kickstart file.

And thats the catch: while anaconda parses the kickstart script, it
encounters the %include before it executes the the %pre script, and it dies
a horrible death, spewing python errors, because it can't get to those
precious "part" commands.

Alternatively, if one places the "%include" line alllllllll the way at the
end of the command section, as the very last item before the %pre script
starts, then Anaconda doesn't die. Its runs the %pre script no problem,
which in this case write the file that is included via %include. However,
it then starts asking about how to partition the drive. This means that
anaconda failed to include the %include.

Position of the %include directive in the command section of the kickstart
script is therefore obviously important. Unfortunately it is not documented
where, relative to other commands and the entire kickstart script in
general, the %include directive must be placed in order to successfully use
it to include partitioning information gleaned from a %pre script.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Christian

_________________
Christian Rohrmeier
Schering AG
Corporate IT - Infrastructure and Services
Computer Systems and Operations
System Administration - Research and Development
Tel +49 30 468 15794
Fax +49 30 468 95794