[CentOS] best practice: how to setup a central "network installation server"?

[Fernando Gleiser]

----- Original Message ----

> From: Marcelo M. Garcia <marcelo.maia.garcia at googlemail.com>
> To: CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org>
> Sent: Thu, February 18, 2010 7:16:45 AM
> Subject: Re: [CentOS] best practice: how to setup a central "network installation server"?
> 
> Rudi Ahlers wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >     kickstart file, if you are familiar with text based configurations?
> > 
> > Is kickstart REALLY the only way? 
> > 
> > How do I configure the server so that the client can use network boot, 
> > without a CD?
> 
> Hi
> 
> You can use PXE. You have to set up a tftp and a DHCP server. Sometimes 
> you have to enable PXE in the BIOS - I always to do this with Dell machines.


Install cobbler, it makes building a netinstall server as easy as 1 2 3

cobbler handles pxe, dhcp, http repo setup, kickstart  and such. 

I've used it many times, it takes less than 15 minutes from "yum install cobbler"  to the start of the network installs of the client machines.

Once you set it up, just power on the client machine and watch it install automagically 


Fer