Kickstart install on AS4?

[Simon Hargrave]

>> I'm having problems running a Kickstart installation on AS4 (on a HP
>> DL360
>> server).  The symptoms are: -
>>
>> 1) If I boot from CD and specify a Kickstart file on an NFS share as in:
>> -
>>
>> linux ks=nfs:server:/share/kickstart.file
>>
>> It attempts to get a DHCP address (and fails as there isn't a server).
>> So
>> it prompts for network details, which I provide, and it fails with the
>> following: -
>>
>> tg3: eth0: Link is up at 100 Mbps, full duplex.
>> tg3: eth0: Flow control is off for TX and off for RX.
>> loader: failed to set default route: Network is unreachable
>>
>> The server at this point is not pingable from anywhere (local segment or
>> otherwise).  The tg3 messages suggest the NIC is up, however it's odd
>> that
>> it can't ping, and the default route message is bizaare!
>
> Not really.  You gave it an IP address and a netmask, but no route so
> the system has no idea how to get to the NFS server.  I've never done an
> NFS install, but did the system ask for a default route or a gateway?
> If so, then you should have specified the IP address for your router.
> Note that the address of the router AND the address you gave the NIC
> MUST be on the same network segment.

No, I did give it all the information - IP, subnet, gateway and DNS
server.  The deault gateway IS on the same subnet as the IP address, these
settings work fine with AS3.  Furthermore, they also work on AS4 if I
provide them on the boot prompt, eg:-

linux ks=nfs:server:/path ip=x.x.x.x netmask=x.x.x.x gateway=x.x.x.x
dns=x.x.x.x


>> 2) If I boot again from CD but don't specify a Kickstart file, again it
>> tries DHCP, then asks for details.  However this time it establishes the
>> LAN correctly.  I can ping it from either the local segment or any other
>> subnet.  This is with providing exactly the same details as before.
>
> What's the command line you used to do that?

No command line to do this, just the default setup.


>> 3) The Kickstart boot works fine with an AS3 CD, which we have been
>> doing
>> for some time.
>
> AS3 is a 2.4 kernel.  AS4 is a 2.6 kernel.  They work differently.
>
>> What is the difference in the way the NIC is booted up in scenario 1) as
>> opposed to scenario 2) that would cause it to fail?
>
> It may be a bug in anaconda.

I'm now believing this to be the case.  I have submitted a bugzilla.

It seems that booting on a non-DHCP network (or a machine with no RJ45
connected) comes up with the spurious default route message, unless the
details are hard-coded on the boot prompt.

You should be able to reproduce this with: -

disconnect your machine from the network
boot off CD
boot with linux ks=192.168.0.1:/test/path (the path doesn't matter it
won't reach anyway)
it will fail dhcp
provide some valid ip details, again doesn't matter as RJ45 not connected.
Watch tty4 and see the default route error after the eth0 Up messages.

Now woot again, this time with
linux ks=192.168.0.1:/test/path ip=192.168.0.10 netmask=255.255.255.0
gateway=192.168.0.254
This time it won't do DHCP, and the NIC will initialise correctly (confirm
by looking at tty4 again - no error message).  The machine is now pingable
when you plug the wire in.

I'll see what comes back from Bugzilla - either way I think it'll be a new
burn of Disk 1 ISO to fully support NFS Kickstarts!