46 kick start scripts, 46 install trees, 46 boot CDs

Mon Aug 15 13:22:24 UTC 2005

Hi All,

Just a note on some things I've been trying, and how they fail:

- you can't use %include to dynamically specify the install media (url=).
So I guess it doesn't run the %pre script before it checks for install
media. Which is sad.

- you can interchangeably use WS and AS install CDs (and I assume ES as
well). Which is one boot CD less to distribute, so thats good.

- you can't switch between Update releases on the install CDs and the
install trees. Booting from RHEL 3 WS Update 4 won't let you install from
anything else than an Update 4 tree.

As Klaus suggested, bootstrapping the install CD and modifying iso.linux is
the only way.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Christian Rohrmeier

_________________
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

             Christian.Rohrmei                                             
             er at schering.de                                                
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Hi Klaus and the others that gave me your suggestions,

please let me (us) know when you have the info on the Wiki. I think that
would be a good start for how to be flexible when handling this type of
mass kickstart scripting.

Thanks,

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

             Klaus Steden
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                                                                   Subject
             12.08.2005 01:12          Re: 46 kick start scripts, 46
                                       install trees, 46 boot CDs

             Please respond to
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              about Kickstart
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>
> Hello Dear Kickstarters,
>
> Currently I support RHEL 2.1, 3, and 4, WS and AS, and X86 and X86_64
> version (except for RHEL 2.1). For each of these I have a kickstart
script
> and an install tree, and for each of these I have a boot CD to install
> from. We install by boot from a RHEL 3 WS X86 Update 5 CD, for example,
and
> entering "linux ks=http://install.server.name/install/rhel3wsx86".
>
> Recently I was asked not just to support the latest version of each of
> those RHEL versions (RHEL 2.1 Update 6, RHEL 3 Update 5, RHEL 4 Update
1),
> but to also support older updates. This because some software, such as
IBM
> Websphere, is only supported on specific update releases (for example
RHEL
> 3 AS Update 1 and Update 3).
>
> If I were to implement this support via my current methods, I calculate:
>
> RHEL 2.1 X 2 Version (WS, AS) X 7 Updates = 14 CDs, 14 install trees, and
> 14 kickstart scripts (each one has to have URL= pointing to the right
> install  tree)
> RHEL 3  X 2 Versions (WS, AS) X 2 architectures (X86, X86_64) X 6 Updates
=
> 24 CDs, 24 install trees, and 24 kickstart scripts (each one has to have
> URL= pointing to the right install  tree)
> RHEL 4 X 2 Versions (WS, AS) X 2 architectures (X86, X86_64) X 2 Updates
=
> 8 CDs, 8 install trees, and 8 kickstart scripts (each one has to have
URL=
> pointing to the right install  tree)
>
> I would have to support 46 kickstart scripts, install CDs, and install
> trees.
>
> Perhaps getting around all those install trees is not possible, but disk
> space is cheap, so thats not the problem. However, having to make 46 boot
> CDs available for installation, and making 46 kickstart scripts, that is
> just horrible.
>
> Issues:
> 1) I have found that installing from an RHEL 3 AS CD, for example,
doesn't
> allow you to install from a RHEL 3 WS tree (it complains the CD doesn't
> match the files in the tree.) The same goes for trying to install a RHEL
3
> WS Update 5 tree by booting a RHEL 3 WS Update 4 CD, for example. It
seems
> therefor that you can't make one Installer CD that allows you to install
> different releases of RHEL.
>
> 2) Unifying kickstart scripts would be just grand. There is no difference
> in the disk partitioning, package install, or other confguration between
> RHEL 3 AS or WS (well, not for me anyway.) But I have to specify the
> installation media in the kickstart script via "URL=".  Perhaps in RHEL 3
> and 4 (not in 2.1) this could be taken care of by specifying a release
> number at the boot: prompt and reading the boot: prompt options in %pre
and
> then using %include to set the proper URL= line.
>
> Problem 1 seems to be the worst of the two. If anyone has dealt with the
> same issues, I would be very interested to hear about your solutions.
>
> Thanks for any ideas,
>
Yikes.

I thought I was looking at complexity with four machine types and three
architectures ... but you my friend have quite an impressive task on your
hands.

I made some adjustments to the Anaconda/Kickstart process to get around
this
problem; I am in the process of putting together docs for the Anaconda Wiki
explaining the how, what, and hopefully why of what I did ... but
essentially,
I end up with a bootstrap CD that allows me to do something like this:

wkstn name=<name> <other params>
wkstn64 name=<name> <other params>
dev name=<name> <other params>
dev64 name=<name> <other params>
etc.

Each of these stanzas has different information written into the
isolinux.cfg
instructing the bootstrap process to pick a different target and flavour.

It would be theoretically possible to implement this relatively cleanly
using
a series of menus, each for a different OS flavour, which support the
variety
of arches you're using, but that's more something you'll have to customize
to
suit your needs.

I will hopefully have a full explanation on the Wiki within the fortnight,
and
that may be of some help.

hth,
Klaus

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