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

Fri Feb 25 22:59:19 UTC 2011

Hello James:

I am still confused regarding the Kickstart issue..  Do I need to use it???

I see it referenced below, as well as a NFS server.  This is just a one-time
deal for me so setting up an NFS server is something I would seek to avoid,
but I do have root access to a datacenter linux webserver that I can use if
need be. 

My understanding is that the NFS server provides the install CD data and the
Kickstart file.

What I am envisioning is a scenario where I place the CD in the system, and
reboot.  Then the system boots to cd and then starts vnc server so that I
can remotely login from my windows machine and then proceed with install as
if I was sitting at a keyboard and monitor connected to target machine.  I
will specify mirrors.centos.org as the source (I will be installing centos
or fedora)

FYI - to answer the concern of another respondent, this system is a laptop
with a dead screen, it belongs to me, and it is on my local home network.

Thanks

Peter

From: kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com
[mailto:kickstart-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of James Harrison
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 9:52 AM
To: gwaugh at frontstreetnetworks.com; Discussion list about Kickstart
Subject: Re: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

The reason for:

   prompt 0
   timeout 0
is there is no keyboard or screen, so whats the point of having a prompt or
delay.

If the CD is accidentally used in a machine, it will boot into the red Hat
installer, but since there is no kickstart file specified, the automatic
install wouldn't happen.

A label written on top of the CD explaining its purpose will stop accidental
usage. 

James

  _____  

From: Gerald Waugh <gwaugh at frontstreetnetworks.com>
To: Discussion list about Kickstart <kickstart-list at redhat.com>
Sent: Fri, February 25, 2011 11:52:51 AM
Subject: Re: boot cd-rom network install on system with no display using vnc

/root/isolinux/isolinux.cfg file like this:

   default linux
   prompt 0
   timeout 0

The parts above allow the system to start automatically
with no operator intervention

Downside is, if anyone inadvertently puts this CD in a system
and reboots, or the system itself reboots, 
it will install! 

On Thu, 2011-02-24 at 23:18 +0000, James Harrison wrote: 

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  J

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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-- 

Gerald Waugh

Front Street Networks

  http://www.frontstreetnetworks.com

+1 318-670-8312

cell 318-401-0428

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