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

[Peter Allen]

Thanks James:

 

Two questions:

 

1.	I am creating boot disk on windows machine, which means I will be
editing isolinux.cfg file in windows.  When I open it in notepad I notice
that there are no line returns.  Will this be a problem?
2.	I now plan to install from http without Kickstart.  So I should just
remove "img ksdevice={DEV} linux"  I suppose.  Also, I can specify DHCP for
networking, right? 

 

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 3:19 PM
To: Discussion list about Kickstart
Subject: Re: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

 

Take boot.iso from the images directory in the RHEL DVD and mount it:
mount -o loop boot.iso /mnt

make a directory and copy all files from /mnt to this dir.
mkdir /root/iso
cd /mnt
cp -pr * /root/iso
cd /
umount /mnt

Look in /root/iso/isolinux

Probably want an isolinux.cfg file like this:

default linux
prompt 0
timeout 0

label linux
    kernel vmlinuz
    append initrd=initrd.img ksdevice={DEV} 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

fill in the details. Dont forget to make an NFS server.

To make the iso file use something like:
mkisofs -o "/root/iso/isolinux.iso" -boot-info-table -b isolinux.bin
-no-emul-boot -c boot.cat /root/iso/isolinux


Use this file to boot from an RSA adapter or burn a cd.

Hope this helps

  _____  

From: Peter Allen <peter.allen.5000 at gmail.com>
To: Discussion list about Kickstart <kickstart-list at redhat.com>
Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 5:43:41 PM
Subject: RE: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

Ok, I will try this and report back with results  :-)

 

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 2:25 PM
To: Discussion list about Kickstart
Subject: Re: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

 

You have to make your own boot cd and insert the information I provided into
the isolinux.cfg.

James

 

  _____  

From: Peter Allen <peter.allen.5000 at gmail.com>
To: Discussion list about Kickstart <kickstart-list at redhat.com>
Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 5:07:43 PM
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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