I've been using kickstart for a while now, but today I tried to kickstart a system and it's just not working at all. I can't figure out why it's hanging.

I booted from the CentOS 4.5 CD #1 and typed "linux ks=http:// centosmirror/ks/sys20.cfg". If I check my web server's log, I can see that sys20.cfg was accessed. This file begins with the following lines:

install url --url http://centosmirror/

Looking at the text in alternate console 3 (or was it 4), I can see that it got an IP address via DHCP, got the config file mentioned above, set the hostname as specified in the config file, and then ends with the following messages:

trying to mount CD device hdc mntloop loop0 on /mnt/runtime as /mnt/source/CentOS/base/ stage2.img fd is 21 transferring http://centosmirror//./CentOS/base/product.img to a fd transferring http://centosmirror//./disc1/CentOS/base/product.img to a fd

A long time (5 minutes?) passed between the last two lines, and then the entire things repeats (with some additional output lines that I didn't bother to write down).

First, I don't have a product.img file in my base directory. In a recent thread on this list about doing an ftp install, I remember reading that copying stage2.img to product.img helped, so I created a hard link between the two. Second, looking at the webserver logs, there is no mention of product.img or stage2.img. Finally, there is no alternate console #2, so I can't get a shell prompt to poke around a little more.

I've done dozens of kickstarts in the past using this server, but I don't remember if I've successfully done a kickstart install since 4.5 came out. Are there some known issues with kickstart in 4.5? I rsync my local repo every night from one of the public mirrors.

Alfred