[CentOS] virt-install hell: how to *force* a local CD-ROM install?

Jussi Hirvi greenspot at greenspot.fi
Wed Jun 1 18:30:28 UTC 2011


On 1.6.2011 19.52, Robert Heller wrote:
> I have a CentOS 5.6 system with a AMD Sempron(tm) Processor LE-1300
> (which does not provide hardware virtualization support, so I can't use
> the --cdrom option) and I am *trying* to install FC15 as a guest O/S
> using a local FC15 DVD-ROM image.  Everything work until the installer
> *insists* on firing up the network to get the repo data, etc.  I have a
> *dial-up* Internet connection and this is a *desktop* machine and is
> thus pretty much anchored where it is. I have googled this, but it
> seems no one uses local DVD images.  (Of cource *everyone* in the world,
> except for rural America, has broadband.)
>
> I was able to install FC15 on a old IDE disk connected via a USB port
> after booting a burned copy of the DVD.  *Everything* needed to install
> the *minimual* system I want to install is there on the DVD, but I can't
> seem to get the FC15 installer to believe that.  I *don't* want or need
> the updates at this time (maybe later).
>
> Oh, and the virt-viewer is chopping off the right third of the graphical
> display. Is there any way to fix that?  It would let me resize the
> viewer window and does not provide scroll bars, etc.  Or is the FC15
> installer having a stupid idea of the virtual machine virtual monitor
> size? Can *that* be changed (the virtual machine's virtual monitor size)?
>
> The command line I am using is:
>
> sudo virt-install --name=fc15guest --ram=1024 --os-type=linux \
> 	--os-variant=fedora12 \
> 	--location=/distrocds/Fedora/Fedora-15-x86_64-DVD.iso \
> 	--disk="path=/dev/sauron/fc15guest"

I never could do a virt-install using only optical media, and I tried 
many times (couple of months ago). Also I could not get the --connect 
clause to work for me.

This kind of procedure did work:

# first, mount the DVD:
mount -o loop /root/centos56_64.iso /mnt/centos56

# then...
virt-install --name mail \
--os-variant rhel5.4 --ram 1024 \
--vcpus 2  --accelerate \
--nographics -v \
--location /mnt/centos56/  --network bridge:br0 \
--disk path=/kvmail/mail.img,size=290 \
--extra-args "console=ttyS0";

# and when the installer asks, select "http" and a repo

You can create a local http repo on the host itself and give that to the 
installer, for example http://127.0.0.1/centos/etc...

Maybe you could build a local repo using the materials on the DVD. I 
think I did not try that.

Http install with the CentOS 4 installer was *very* strict and quirky 
about slashes in the http repo address. Not sure about FC. Check this 
thread:

http://forum.nginx.org/read.php?24,193648,194173#msg-194173

- Jussi



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