Hi,
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server. I have both my kickstart file and my iso image for centos6.5 on my vmware datastore, but am trying to run my kickstart file from VMware guest.
Can I tell the command line to run from the datastore in VMWare? Or must I convert my kickstart file to a floppy image to run from VMware console?
I have the centos image on the DVD mounted from my datastore. Now I need to convert the kickstart file to a floppy image to mount on the server from my datastore
This is what google and VMWare keeps telling me but it does not make sense unless I am copying off a floppy.... What I am trying to do is turn the kickstart file into a floppy image so I can kickstart off the floppy in vmware.
Create a disk image from the physical drive: cat /dev/fd0 > imagefile.img
Copy image to the physical drive: cat imagefile.img > /dev/fd0
Help figuring out that silly little piece that is keeping me from building a VM guest from my kickstart file is much appreciated.
Dan
On Fri, October 17, 2014 3:55 pm, Dan Hyatt wrote:
Hi,
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server. I have both my kickstart file and my iso image for centos6.5 on my vmware datastore, but am trying to run my kickstart file from VMware guest.
Can I tell the command line to run from the datastore in VMWare? Or must I convert my kickstart file to a floppy image to run from VMware console?
I hope I didn't miss something (as I have no idea what "datastore in VMWare" means). When I install system on real machine or on virtual box virtual machine, I use kickstart that I place on some webserver, then if I don't have access to dhcp configuration, then I boot the box off any installation media, and before it load kernel (when it gives you choice run system off CD or install system) I press "escape". At this moment you have access to which kernel and with which options you want to boot. So I just point it to my kickstart file as follows:
linux ks=http://my.server.com/path/to/kickstart.cfg
(replace the URL with URL of your kickstart file). Also, in kicstart I just give the URL of our public mirror I support for our University. E.g. as URL of installation media for 64 CentOS 7 I have the following line in kickstart file:
url --url=http://bay.uchicago.edu/centos/7/os/x86_64
I hope, this helps.
Valeri
I have the centos image on the DVD mounted from my datastore. Now I need to convert the kickstart file to a floppy image to mount on the server from my datastore
This is what google and VMWare keeps telling me but it does not make sense unless I am copying off a floppy.... What I am trying to do is turn the kickstart file into a floppy image so I can kickstart off the floppy in vmware.
Create a disk image from the physical drive: cat /dev/fd0 > imagefile.img
Copy image to the physical drive: cat imagefile.img > /dev/fd0
Help figuring out that silly little piece that is keeping me from building a VM guest from my kickstart file is much appreciated.
Dan
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is relatively unique. Cannot load a barebones OS because VMWares mouse does not map to the screen. So where the mouse pointer is pointing and the buttons are not mapped correctly making impossible. Since it is not a physical server, I don't have the USB. But VMWare will allow me to "mount" a virtual floppy. So if I can create a floppy image of my kickstart file, I can kickstart my virtual iso image.
A datastore is a filesystem on a virtual server exported to the virtual guests. Because this is a blade, there is no usb or DVD physically connected. I can virtually mount a floppy and dvd from a floppy image and a dvd image.
As this is a production environment where we don't have any http servers under my control, it gets interesting. Normal blades are installed via PXE from the other groups pxe server, the other group is not being helpful at this time.
On 10/17/2014 4:20 PM, Valeri Galtsev wrote:
On Fri, October 17, 2014 3:55 pm, Dan Hyatt wrote:
Hi,
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server. I have both my kickstart file and my iso image for centos6.5 on my vmware datastore, but am trying to run my kickstart file from VMware guest.
Can I tell the command line to run from the datastore in VMWare? Or must I convert my kickstart file to a floppy image to run from VMware console?
I hope I didn't miss something (as I have no idea what "datastore in VMWare" means). When I install system on real machine or on virtual box virtual machine, I use kickstart that I place on some webserver, then if I don't have access to dhcp configuration, then I boot the box off any installation media, and before it load kernel (when it gives you choice run system off CD or install system) I press "escape". At this moment you have access to which kernel and with which options you want to boot. So I just point it to my kickstart file as follows:
linux ks=http://my.server.com/path/to/kickstart.cfg
(replace the URL with URL of your kickstart file). Also, in kicstart I just give the URL of our public mirror I support for our University. E.g. as URL of installation media for 64 CentOS 7 I have the following line in kickstart file:
url --url=http://bay.uchicago.edu/centos/7/os/x86_64
I hope, this helps.
Valeri
I have the centos image on the DVD mounted from my datastore. Now I need to convert the kickstart file to a floppy image to mount on the server from my datastore
This is what google and VMWare keeps telling me but it does not make sense unless I am copying off a floppy.... What I am trying to do is turn the kickstart file into a floppy image so I can kickstart off the floppy in vmware.
Create a disk image from the physical drive: cat /dev/fd0 > imagefile.img
Copy image to the physical drive: cat imagefile.img > /dev/fd0
Help figuring out that silly little piece that is keeping me from building a VM guest from my kickstart file is much appreciated.
Dan
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ _______________________________________________ CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
On Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 7:58 AM, Dan Hyatt dhyatt@dsgmail.wustl.edu wrote:
This is relatively unique. Cannot load a barebones OS because VMWares mouse does not map to the screen. So where the mouse pointer is pointing and the buttons are not mapped correctly making impossible.
Can't you resize the (virtual) console screen to match the geometry the installer is detecting? Or, if you can bring the network up on the guest, use the vnc install approach to control it from a remote screen: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/htm...
As this is a production environment where we don't have any http servers under my control, it gets interesting. Normal blades are installed via PXE from the other groups pxe server, the other group is not being helpful at this time.
Do you have any other equipment available, like a desktop PC? You could create a VMware image under any version (like the free vmware player) on any system that works. Then use the vmware converter tool to copy that image over to the system(s) where you want it to run.
If you really want a floppy image you should be able to use the mtools package like: mformat -C -f 1440 -v MYLABEL -i myfloppy.img to create it, then mcopy -i myfloppy.img myfile :: to put your file on it. See 'man mtools' for the details of using image files and ::
On 10/17/2014 1:55 PM, Dan Hyatt wrote:
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server.
this is on ESXI? you /could/ create a virtual network thats not routed or bridged to your actual networks, then create your own PXE/DHCP server on this virtual network, and then connect your new VM to that private virtual net for installation, switching it over to the regular networks when its done installing.... I've done crazier things on ESXI :)
My chicken and egg.
I was hoping to 1. create a baseline image that I can clone 2. get a centos image on a VM guest, have my own management servers (including pxe boot) that I own and control.
Once I have one or two, I can expand my private cloud as large as I want...and building new guest servers will take minutes.
On 10/17/2014 5:06 PM, John R Pierce wrote:
On 10/17/2014 1:55 PM, Dan Hyatt wrote:
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server.
this is on ESXI? you /could/ create a virtual network thats not routed or bridged to your actual networks, then create your own PXE/DHCP server on this virtual network, and then connect your new VM to that private virtual net for installation, switching it over to the regular networks when its done installing.... I've done crazier things on ESXI :)
On Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 9:01 AM, Dan Hyatt dhyatt@dsgmail.wustl.edu wrote:
My chicken and egg.
I was hoping to
- create a baseline image that I can clone
- get a centos image on a VM guest, have my own management servers
(including pxe boot) that I own and control.
Once I have one or two, I can expand my private cloud as large as I want...and building new guest servers will take minutes.
Please don't top-post. ;-)
1) yes, if you include the kickstart in an ISO, you'll have to modify ISOs for each release that comes out.
2) I'd suggest discounting the idea of a floppy image and go for a PXE server.
3) Your problems with a PXE server are probably for two reasons: a) you don't control the network, so the boot file is not set ; b) you don't have VMware's networking configured properly.
4) Simple solution (_within your control_): Make a separate bridge via VMware for a "kickstart network". Build one VM manually and set up DHCP/TFTP/DNS Forwarder/HTTP/ip_forward/NAT Masquerading. Put one NIC in your NATted VMware bridge (or another bridge that facilitates reaching the Internet (unless you run your own package mirror on that "manual VM"). Put the other NIC in that "kickstart network" bridge ... make HTTP (for pulling the config), DHCP, and TFTP listen on that interface and that interface only. Spin up your remaining VMs via PXE.
This takes some work up front, but it will save you time in the long run. Changing a kickstart config or adding a new one is painless.
On 10/17/2014 5:06 PM, John R Pierce wrote:
On 10/17/2014 1:55 PM, Dan Hyatt wrote:
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server.
this is on ESXI? you /could/ create a virtual network thats not routed or bridged to your actual networks, then create your own PXE/DHCP server on this virtual network, and then connect your new VM to that private virtual net for installation, switching it over to the regular networks when its done installing.... I've done crazier things on ESXI :)
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
On Fri, Oct 17, 2014 at 4:55 PM, Dan Hyatt dhyatt@dsgmail.wustl.edu wrote:
Hi,
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server.
Bummer.
I have both my kickstart file and my iso image for centos6.5 on my vmware datastore, but am trying to run my kickstart file from VMware guest.
Include your ks file as part of your ISO image.
Can I tell the command line to run from the datastore in VMWare? Or must I convert my kickstart file to a floppy image to run from VMware console?
The vmware datastore is not a supported medium for retrieving a kickstart file (http and others are).
Include your ks as part of your ISO .. which means unpacking, add files, and repacking the ISO.
I have the centos image on the DVD mounted from my datastore. Now I need to convert the kickstart file to a floppy image to mount on the server from my datastore
This is what google and VMWare keeps telling me but it does not make sense unless I am copying off a floppy.... What I am trying to do is turn the kickstart file into a floppy image so I can kickstart off the floppy in vmware.
Create a disk image from the physical drive: cat /dev/fd0 > imagefile.img
Copy image to the physical drive: cat imagefile.img > /dev/fd0
Help figuring out that silly little piece that is keeping me from building a VM guest from my kickstart file is much appreciated.
* And John Pierce's suggestion to create your own PXE virtual network is a flexible and more ideal scenario in my opinion.
So back to the question...
If I unpack my iso image, and add a kickstart file, then I have to do this every change I make to the kickstart file.
But if I convert the kickstart file into a floppy image, then I don't need an iso image for every build..I just have tiny kickstart images.
So back to the question, do we know how to convert a kickstart file into a floppy image. This will solve the "unsupported" datastore problem. On 10/17/2014 5:10 PM, SilverTip257 wrote:
On Fri, Oct 17, 2014 at 4:55 PM, Dan Hyatt dhyatt@dsgmail.wustl.edu wrote:
Hi,
I am still trying to get kick-start centos in my vmware5 because pxe cannot find the pxe server. I do not control the dhcp or pxe server.
Bummer.
I have both my kickstart file and my iso image for centos6.5 on my vmware datastore, but am trying to run my kickstart file from VMware guest.
Include your ks file as part of your ISO image.
Can I tell the command line to run from the datastore in VMWare? Or must I convert my kickstart file to a floppy image to run from VMware console?
The vmware datastore is not a supported medium for retrieving a kickstart file (http and others are).
Include your ks as part of your ISO .. which means unpacking, add files, and repacking the ISO.
I have the centos image on the DVD mounted from my datastore. Now I need to convert the kickstart file to a floppy image to mount on the server from my datastore
This is what google and VMWare keeps telling me but it does not make sense unless I am copying off a floppy.... What I am trying to do is turn the kickstart file into a floppy image so I can kickstart off the floppy in vmware.
Create a disk image from the physical drive: cat /dev/fd0 > imagefile.img
Copy image to the physical drive: cat imagefile.img > /dev/fd0
Help figuring out that silly little piece that is keeping me from building a VM guest from my kickstart file is much appreciated.
- And John Pierce's suggestion to create your own PXE virtual network is a
flexible and more ideal scenario in my opinion.
-
Dan Hyatt -
John R Pierce -
Les Mikesell -
SilverTip257 -
Valeri Galtsev