[rhn-users] bare metal provisioning

[Máirín Duffy]

Michael Barrett wrote:
> 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.  

I've not seen this terminology disputed in the 3+ years I've worked on 
this product but we obviously want to set expectations properly.

I do not understand why utilizing PXE doesn't qualify Satellite as 
fulfilling #1. I can certainly bring this concern up internally and try 
to understand under what rationale the current terminology was chosen 
and whether or not your assessment is agreed with being mindful of that 
rationale. If we are in agreement, then we could consider modifying the 
materials referring to bare-metal provisioning to refer to remote OS 
provisioning. How does that sound?

> 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.

I have a few questions for you, keeping in mind I'm actually an 
interaction designer and not a system administrator :) :

- Is the protocol of communicating with the service processor something 
that is standardized across hardware platforms or is it something very 
specific to the hardware vendor or even model of hardware?

- If the terminal server network method of baremetal provisioning was 
used, how would you initiate communication with the baremetal server?

- I am guessing that in the absence of an OS on your baremetal systems 
they do not fall through the bios boot ordering down to the PXE option? 
Because if they did you would not have to touch the baremetal systems in 
order to baremetal provision from Satellite - you would do some one-time 
configuration on your PXE server.

~m