[rhn-users] bare metal provisioning

[Michael Barrett]

On Wed, Mar 19, 2008 at 4:09 PM, Máirín Duffy <duffy at redhat.com> wrote:

> Hi Michael,
>
> Michael Barrett wrote:
> > All of that just talks about PXE boot and kickstart.  To say something
> > does bare metal provisioning implies that the software can remotely
> > trigger a boot on the hardware without an OS installed with the intent
> > to install an operating system.
>
> The product can absolutely do that, and it uses PXE and kickstart in
> order to do so. You can align specific ip addresses or ranges to
> particular kickstart profiles for ip-based customization, and use a
> customized bootcd or PXE to point all booting baremetal systems to one
> single Satellite address that then determines which kickstart file to
> provide to the system base on Satellite-side configuration.
>
> > That it has service processor
> > knowledge.  (ie) it logs into the service process and issues the correct
> > boot command when the user in the application (RHN satellite) selects
> > that target (the service processor) and issues an OS provisioning job.
>
> What do you mean by service processor? Is this something specific to
> your hardware?
>
> > Does RHN Satellite do any of that?  Or does it expect me to remotely
> > trigger the PXE boot via the service processor outside of it?
>
> I'm not quite sure I understand what you're asking enough to answer the
> question.


There is a difference between remote OS provisioning and bare metal
provisioning.  It seems to me RHN Satellite can do remote OS provisioning
but cannot facilitate bare metal provisioning.  Bare metal provisioning
implies RHN Satellite can (1) remotely boot a box causing it to search for a
kickstart server without an OS installed and (2) trigger a OS provisioning
task over the network.  I have not seen where is does #1.  I see where it
does #2.  To achieve #1 people use the service processor native to the
hardware or impose terminal server networks with expect scripts.  To say RHN
Satellite can do number #1 means it has commands the user can select that
will interact with these things (service processors or terminal server
networks).  To date in order to achieve bare metal provisioning with RHN I
have to setup the provisioning task and then leave the application and do
something (ie boot the box so that it PXE boots)  at the host.  That's not
bare metal OS provisioning...that's remote OS provisioning.


>
>
> ~m
>
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