boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

[Kovacs, Corey J.]

Peter, some machines have management ports which will allow you to get a console. HP, Dell and others have such ports. If you are lucky enough to have something like that, then you are in luck. Beyond that, your going to need at least a keyboard.

Starting to wonder if you actually own this target :)

-C
________________________________
From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com [kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] on behalf of Peter Allen [peter.allen.5000 at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 5:07 PM
To: 'Discussion list about Kickstart'
Subject: RE: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

What if the OS destination machine has no keyboard or monitor??

Peter

________________________________
From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of James Harrison
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 11:52 AM
To: Discussion list about Kickstart
Subject: Re: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc


Hi,
Start by running a vncviewer in listen mode (I use realvnc: vncviewer --listen from a command line ). Boot the machine to install linux with the cd-rom and you type:

linux  ip=xx.xx.xx.xx netmask=xx.xx.xx.xx dns=xx.xx.xx.xx gateway=xx.xx.xx.xx vnc vncconnect=xx.xx.xx.xx vncpassword=abcdef method=cdrom keymap=us lang=en_US.UTF-8

You need to specify IP, method, keymap and lang information otherwise it will ask you for this before vnc is running.

the ip address is the address you want to give to the machine your installing linux on. Can also be ip=dhcp
vncconnect is the IP address you ran the vncviewer on
vncpassword is the password. Not sure if it should be encrypted or mot
method=cdrom specify your install media

By booting from a cd-rom you unfortunately have to perform a media check. This requires output to a screen and a few key presses and I don't know if this can be disabled. The way I got round this was to use an NFS server, so the boot line is:

linux  ip=xx.xx.xx.xx netmask=xx.xx.xx.xx dns=xx.xx.xx.xx gateway=xx.xx.xx.xx vnc vncconnect=xx.xx.xx.xx vncpassword=abcdef  \
    method=nfs:xx.xx.xx:/{PATH TO LINUX_DISTRO EXPORTED FROM NFS SERVER} keymap=us lang=en_US.UTF-8

eg,
method=nfs:10.2.34.123:/export/RHEL5.4/i386

/export/RHEL5.4/i386 is the path on the NFS server to the DVD distribution on disk. You have to copy the contents of the DVD to disk.

Heres a useful web page:
http://www.redhat.com/magazine/024oct06/features/kickstart/

Hope this is of some help.

James

________________________________
From: Peter Allen <peter.allen.5000 at gmail.com>
To: kickstart-list at redhat.com
Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 1:00:18 PM
Subject: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc
Does anyone know how to do this?

Thanks

Peter

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