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

[Robert Heller]

At Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:30:28 +0300 CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org> wrote:

> 
> 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.

I mount the ISO image using the loop back define (-o loop) and created a
virtual host whose DocumentRoot was the loop back mount point of the
DVD:

Line in /etc/fstab:

/distrocds/Fedora/Fedora-15-x86_64-DVD.iso /fc15x86_64  iso9660 ro,loop 0 0

http virthost spec:

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName fc15.deepsoft.com
DocumentRoot /fc15x86_64
<Directory /fc15x86_64>
AllowOverride all
Options FollowSymLinks
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

This seems to work, so long as one does not select random unseen options
in the GUI installer... :-(

> 
> 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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>                                                                          

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller at deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
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