%include syntax and usage

[Coe, Colin C.]

/path/to/file refers to the machine you are kickstarting.  I thought
this was abvious.  So, if your packages file is on your web server, you
need to somehow copy it to the local machine, which is probably why Chip
generates his package list 'on the fly'.  I also generate my paclages
file on the fly:

If some_condition
  echo pkglist > /tmp/packages.cfg
Else
  echo pkglist1 > /tmp/packages.cfg
Fi

That's /tmp on the machine you are building...

CC

-----Original Message-----
From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com
[mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Robert Denton
Sent: Thursday, 14 September 2006 6:39 AM
To: Discussion list about Kickstart
Subject: Re: %include syntax and usage


Right, I see what you mean about the documentation.  I would love for  
one of the maintainers of kickstart to pipe in regarding how to use  
include in kickstart scripts.  Where does the "/path/to/file" need to  
live in order for the install to see it.  That is very confusing.

I have high hopes for this list so I am very encouraged to hear you  
speak well of it. I have been using my same kickstart script with  
only minor modifications accross several versions of redhat/fedora  
and I really like kickstart in general.  It is only now that I really  
want to take it to the next level, and I hope to make better use of  
its options, including %include f possible.

Anyone have any idea what /path/to/file means in terms of a lickstart  
include? The docs all just summarize include syntax as:

%include /path/to/file

Robert Denton
Network Administrator
Headsprout
800.401.5062 x1305
www.headsprout.com

On Sep 13, 2006, at 1:00 PM, Shabazian, Chip wrote:

> Anaconda and kickstart aren't exactly known for their vast amounts of
> documentation.
>
> I had to figure out 80% of what we do in our builds via trial and  
> error.
> What I found to be the most useful was to put sleep 999999999  
> statements
> in the %pre and %post everywhere I wanted to try something different,
> then go to the Alt-F2 terminal bash prompt and poke around and try  
> stuff
> manually.  Once I got it to work manually, I would then incorporate it
> into the mainstream kickstart build that we use globally.
>
> All that said, I realize most people don't get to spend weeks fine
> tuning the kickstart process for their environment.  If the usefulness
> and numbers of servers you need to build justify it, then jump in and
> hack away.  If on the other hand, you are building a few dozen servers
> or less, it probably won't be worth it to go through the extensive
> process I did.
>
> This list is a great place to get help and ideas.  Very rarely do I  
> see
> a problem that someone on the list hasn't resolved, or can't point you
> to a solution.  It might not be the exact solution you want (such  
> as the
> one I gave you), but you can usually get something done that will
> accomplish what you need.
>
> The other solution that I am aware of, that could help you is server
> side generated kickstart files.  This is going to be much more  
> complex,
> and requires a cgi on the server to accept the request and generate  
> the
> kickstart file, either on the fly or after a subsequent reboot, but  
> this
> is another solution I have seen deployed successfully.
>
> Chip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Robert Denton
> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 9:42 AM
> To: Discussion list about Kickstart
> Subject: Re: %include syntax and usage
>
> Hi Chip, thanks for the response!!  I didn't mean to disparage your
> comment at all.  I appreciate any and all suggestions. I understand  
> that
> the size of even the largest kickstart config file is trivial compared
> to the overall build but I was hoping to keep it short and neat  
> anyway.
> Are you aware of any thorough documentation discussing the include
> directive?  I cannot even find that, other than a few missives here  
> and
> there that state the syntax is:
>
> %include /path/to/file
>
> the /path/to/file is apparently a little trickier than it looks.
>
> Robert Denton
> Network Administrator
> Headsprout
> 800.401.5062 x1305
> www.headsprout.com
>
> On Sep 13, 2006, at 12:35 PM, Shabazian, Chip wrote:
>
>> Sorry, you didn't explain WHY you were doing it, you just asked for a
>> solution.
>>
>> My kickstart file also has a very large exclusion list, that is used
>> for all kickstarts.  I then include some packages back into the build
>> for certain builds based on the decisioning logic that is in the % 
>> pre.
>>
>> Yes, this is all stored in the kickstart file, but it allows me to  
>> use
>
>> one kickstart file to build thousands of distributed servers a year
>> with differing requirements.  At the end of the day, if the kickstart
>> file is huge, it's still very small compared to the number of  
>> packages
>
>> you will have to transfer across the wire, and it should have no
>> impact on how long it takes to build a box.
>>
>> Chip
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com
>> [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Robert Denton
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 9:07 AM
>> To: Discussion list about Kickstart
>> Subject: Re: %include syntax and usage
>>
>> Hm..  But if you build the list dynamically in the %pre section,  
>> isn't
>> this still in the kickstart config file?  I am trying to separate out
>> the packages because I have a long list of packages and package
>> exclusions.
>>
>> Robert Denton
>> Network Administrator
>> Headsprout
>> 800.401.5062 x1305
>> www.headsprout.com
>>
>> On Sep 13, 2006, at 12:02 PM, Shabazian, Chip wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> The way I do this is to create the file I want, along with the
>>> decisioning logic in %pre.
>>>
>>> Example
>>>
>>> if xxxxx ; then
>>> cat << EOF >> /tmp/pkg2include
>>> pkg1
>>> pkg2
>>> etc
>>> EOF
>>>
>>> Then in the %packages, I use
>>> %include /tmp/pkg2include
>>>
>>> I think I ran into problems when the file doesn't exist, so I added:
>>> touch /tmp/pkg2include
>>> at the end of the %pre so the file was there, even if it was empty.
>>>
>>> Chip
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com
>>> [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Robert  
>>> Denton
>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 8:40 AM
>>> To: kickstart-list at redhat.com
>>> Subject: %include syntax and usage
>>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I am hoping someone can help me with this.  I am trying to
>>> separate my
>>> %packages list into a different file using the %include directive.
>>> I am
>>> finding that no matter what I try, the install aborts due to not
>>> being
>>
>>> able to see the packages file.  Hhere si the set up:
>>>
>>> I build the linux computers via http, typing this at the boot  
>>> prompt:
>>>
>>> linux ks=http://10.10.10.52/ks.cfg
>>>
>>> This points the install to the kickstart config which is located  
>>> here
>>> on my webserver:
>>>
>>> /var/build/linux/ks.cfg
>>>
>>> Also in that directory is 'packages'
>>>
>>> /var/build/linux/packages
>>>
>>> In the kickstart file I have tried all of these and none have  
>>> worked:
>>>
>>> %include packages
>>> %include ./packages
>>> %include /var/build/linux/packages
>>> %include http://10.10.10.52/packages
>>>
>>> Could someone give me some pointers on the syntax?  Thanks!
>>>
>>>
>>> Robert Denton
>>> Network Administrator
>>> Headsprout
>>> 800.401.5062 x1305
>>> www.headsprout.com
>>>
>>>
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>>
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