Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has managed to do a network install where the kickstart file is located either on an FTP site (which is also where the packages are stored) or on a USB flash drive.
I've tried starting the installer with "linux ks=/dev/sda/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=/dev/sda1/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=ftp://what.ever.Ip.address/pub/ks.cfg" but when the installer starts I just gen error (something) like "null: bad address.
I've checked the RH docs and it seems that at the very least the USB method should work.
Thanks in advance
Regards
Lee
Lee:
I'm also looking for a solution to this. I need to launch a standard image installation when a box comes up, and have been looking for a good solution.
Let me know what you find!
J
Lee W wrote:
Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has managed to do a network install where the kickstart file is located either on an FTP site (which is also where the packages are stored) or on a USB flash drive.
I've tried starting the installer with "linux ks=/dev/sda/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=/dev/sda1/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=ftp://what.ever.Ip.address/pub/ks.cfg" but when the installer starts I just gen error (something) like "null: bad address.
I've checked the RH docs and it seems that at the very least the USB method should work.
Thanks in advance
Regards
Lee _______________________________________________ CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
On 5/27/05 1:55 PM, Lee W wrote:
Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has managed to do a network install where the kickstart file is located either on an FTP site (which is also where the packages are stored) or on a USB flash drive.
I've tried starting the installer with "linux ks=/dev/sda/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=/dev/sda1/ks.cfg" or "linux ks=ftp://what.ever.Ip.address/pub/ks.cfg" but when the installer starts I just gen error (something) like "null: bad address.
At the risk of not answering the question you asked, I've had no trouble at all serving kickstart configs from http servers, e.g.,
linux ks=http://www.bar.com/kickstart/thisprofile-ks.cfg
In most cases, the web server hosting the kickstart file was *not* the repository (which tended to be a read-only NFS mount somewhere else on the network).
On Fri, 27 May 2005, Lee W wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has managed to do a network install where the kickstart file is located either on an FTP site (which is also where the packages are stored) or on a USB flash drive.
general and complete doco, which I use a variant of for Centos daily at:
http://www.owlriver.com/tips/pxe-install/
para 11. s/http:/ftp:/ and you are in business
-- Russ Herrold
R P Herrold wrote:
On Fri, 27 May 2005, Lee W wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has managed to do a network install where the kickstart file is located either on an FTP site (which is also where the packages are stored) or on a USB flash drive.
general and complete doco, which I use a variant of for Centos daily at:
http://www.owlriver.com/tips/pxe-install/
para 11. s/http:/ftp:/ and you are in business
Thanks, an interesting article. Although not really what I am looking for.
The official RH docs talk about the installer retrieving the location of the config file via the "filename" attribute supplied in the DHCP request. As I have router that gives out all my DHCP leases I am unable to use this method. I was really asking if there is a way to just specify where the file is in a similar vain to ks=floppy (my machine is an ITX box that doesn't have onboard FDD controller, so this is of no use). It just seems strange to me that a network boot cd is provided by you are unable to specify a config file.
Hope none of that sounds like a moan, as that isn't how it was intended.
Regards
Lee
On Sat, 2005-05-28 at 00:19 +0100, Lee W wrote:
Thanks, an interesting article. Although not really what I am looking for. The official RH docs talk about the installer retrieving the location of the config file via the "filename" attribute supplied in the DHCP request.
Yes. DHCP is the successor to BOOTP that offers a superset of its functionality. But in the original BOOTP functionality, you would pass the filename the BOOTP client would retrieve from a TFTP server so it could boot. The file was then booted.
This is how we have been installing workstations/servers in the UNIX world for 2+ _decades_ -- BOOTP+TFTP (plus, typically, an NFS mount). The PC only adopted it in more recent years.
E.g., Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS) sets up the same thing (although uses a SMB mount after the BOOTP+TFTP).
As I have router that gives out all my DHCP leases I am unable to use this method. I was really asking if there is a way to just specify where the file is in a similar vain to ks=floppy (my machine is an ITX box that doesn't have onboard FDD controller, so this is of no use). It just seems strange to me that a network boot cd is provided by you are unable to specify a config file. Hope none of that sounds like a moan, as that isn't how it was intended.
The problem with most NFRs (NAT/Forwarding/Routers aka "Not a Freak'n Router" for slang ;-) is that their DHCP implementions only do a subset of BOOTP.
Bryan J. Smith wrote:
Yes. DHCP is the successor to BOOTP that offers a superset of its functionality. But in the original BOOTP functionality, you would pass the filename the BOOTP client would retrieve from a TFTP server so it could boot. The file was then booted.
This is how we have been installing workstations/servers in the UNIX world for 2+ _decades_ -- BOOTP+TFTP (plus, typically, an NFS mount). The PC only adopted it in more recent years.
E.g., Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS) sets up the same thing (although uses a SMB mount after the BOOTP+TFTP).
Thanks.
So I guess I should take this as:-
No, it is not possible just to put the ks file onto an FTP server along with the install file. I have to have a proper DHCP server and TFTP.
What a bummer.
Regards
Lee
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Bryan J. Smith -
Jonathan -
Lee W -
Paul Heinlein -
R P Herrold