Sun Installation Assistant for Windows and Linux User’s Guide

This chapter explains how to boot the Sun Installation Assistant (SIA) from a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) and run it in attended (interactive) mode or unattended mode.

SIA is a Linux-based program that can be booted from a Linux-based PXE server. You can create an SIA image on your Linux-based PXE server, boot from it, and use SIA to perform deployment tasks in attended or unattended mode. In attended mode, you use SIA as you normally would to perform tasks using the interactive graphical interface. In unattended mode, SIA will automatically perform server installation tasks, such as operating system installation or firmware upgrades, without user intervention.

Topics discussed in this chapter include:

• Perform an SIA PXE-Based Attended Installation
• Perform an SIA PXE-Based Unattended Installation
• Observe the SIA PXE-Based Unattended Installation Progress

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Perform an SIA PXE-Based Attended Installation

These instructions describe how to boot the Sun Installation Assistant from a PXE boot server. This section includes the following procedures:

• To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot
• To Boot SIA From a PXE Server for an Attended Installation

1. Preconfigure your network to support a Linux-based PXE server network installation.

You may refer to the Linux distribution documentation for more information on configuring a PXE server.

2. In the PXE Linux directory, create a new subdirectory for the SIA image(s).

On a Linux system, for example, the following command line creates a subdirectory for suninstall images:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot/suninstall

3. Insert the SIA CD/DVD into a CD/DVD drive of a Linux-based PXE server and mount the CD/DVD.

4. Copy the vmlinuz (the bootable Linux kernel) and initrd (initial ram disk) files from the SIA CD/DVD to the suninstall subdirectory that you created.

Use the correct path to the mounted CD image. This example uses /mnt/cdrom:

# cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/vmlinuz /home/pxeboot/suninstall
# cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/initrd.img /home/pxeboot/suninstall

5. Use an editor to add the following SIA references to the pxelinux.cfg/default file that is stored in the /home/pxeboot directory.

default suninstall
label suninstall
kernel suninstall/vmlinuz
append initrd=suninstall/initrd.img vga=0x314 ramdisk_size=900000 root=/dev/ram netboot
 

6. Save the file, and then unmount and remove the SIA CD/DVD from the CD/DVD drive.

7. To boot the SIA PXE image from the PXE server, follow the steps presented in the following procedure.

The following procedure explains the initial steps you must perform to boot SIA from a PXE Linux-based server. After SIA boots, you perform your installation tasks interactively using the graphical user interface (GUI).

1. Ensure that the target Sun server is configured on the same network as the PXE server, and then reset the Sun server. For example:

• From the service processor (Lights Out Manager) Remote Console web interface, click Remote Control->Remote Power Control then select Reset to reset the host server.

-or-

• Press the Power button on the front panel of the server to turn it off (hold the button in until the server powers off), then press the Power button to turn on the server.

The BIOS screen appears. An example is shown below (your server’s BIOS screen might look different).

2. As the system boots, do one of the following to start a network boot:

• When prompted, press F12 to boot from the first network boot device found.
• When prompted, press F8 to display the boot menu and specify the network boot device.

After the network boot device is specified, the system attempts to get the IP address from the DHCP PXE boot server. After the PXE server is found, the PXE boot prompt appears.

3. At the PXE boot prompt, press Enter or type: suninstall

The SIA installation image downloads to the server and the dialog for “Launching the Sun Installation Assistant” appears.

4. For further instructions about how to continue an attended installation after booting SIA from a PXE server, follow the steps (beginning at Step 2) in the procedure To Install an OS With SIA Using Local or Remote Media.

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Perform an SIA PXE-Based Unattended Installation

This section describes how to perform unattended (no user interaction required) installation tasks, such as firmware upgrades or operating system installations, utilizing a PXE-based image of SIA. Support for PXE-based installations are available as follows:

• SIA v2.0.1 (and later versions) added the ability to do an SIA PXE-based unattended installation of a supported Linux operating system.
• SIA v2.1.0 (and later versions) added the ability to do an SIA PXE-based unattended installation of a supported Windows Server 2003 operating system.

This section contains the following topics. Refer to the topics that apply to your installation:

• Contents of the SIA State File
• Preparing for an Unattended SIA Installation of Linux“
• Preparing for an Unattended SIA Installation of Windows Server 2003
• Preparing for an Unattended SIA Firmware Upgrade
• To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot

Contents of the SIA State File

The SIA state file provides the scripting variables required for carrying out an unattended session of SIA and performing the specified SIA tasks automatically without user intervention. A copy of the state file with all of the possible parameters can be found at the root level on the SIA CD and is accessible by command prompt during an SIA session.

To access the command prompt from SIA, do the following:

1. Boot SIA (locally or through the remote console).

2. At the first screen, press Ctrl-Alt-F2.

A command prompt will be displayed.

3. At the command prompt enter the command:

# cd /root# ls

Look for the externalStateVariables.txt file.

The following table describes the state file variables for the automated tasks that may be performed.

Preparing for an Unattended SIA Installation of Linux

The basic steps for setting up an unattended installation include:

• Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Linux
• Setting Up an Unattended Configuration File and PXE OS Install Image for Linux
• To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot

The procedures presented in this section assumes the following:

• You are familiar with RHEL or SLES Linux unattended installations.
• You have created a RHEL Kickstart file or SLES AutoYaST file.
• You have configured the RHEL Kickstart or SLES AutoYaST PXE image with the following options:
• Additional drivers for your server not installed by SIA. This provides you the full supported feature set for installed server components (such as ACPI, video, network and mass storage) as described in your server installation and Product Notes documentation.
• Latest operating system installation patches available from the Linux vendor.
• Required SIA display resolution. SIA should always boot with vga=0x314 from CD-ROM or PXE.

• The Kickstart or AutoYaST file is accessible through an FTP, HTTP, or NFS server.

Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Linux

The SIA state file is a text file that directs the unattended installation of your Linux operating system and other SIA tasks to be performed (such as BIOS/SP firmware upgrade).

SIA State File Requirements for Linux

Consider these requirements when creating an SIA state file:

• When SIA boots from PXE, the state file must identify the location of the OS media to be installed and the transfer protocol method (FTP, NFS, or HTTP).
• The state file must not contain extraneous spaces or punctuation of any kind.
• The lines specified in the SIA state file must correspond to the steps you would see if you performed the interactive version of the SIA installation program (described in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3).
• The install location must be specified as a boot argument in the configuration file (described inTo Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot).

Sample SIA State File for Linux

An SIA state file for an unattended Linux installation looks like the following sample, see TABLE 6-2 for an explanation of each variable.

[STATE_BEGIN noname apit]
apit.unattended=true
apit.welcome.acceptlicense=true
apit.networking=true
apit.networkconfig.needNetwork=true
apit.networkconfig.useDHCP=true
apit.networkconfig.needProxy=false
apit.remoteUpdate=true
apit.remoteupdateURL=http://sia-updates.sun.com/remoteUpdate
apit.http_proxy=path_to_my_http_proxy
apit.taskList.selectedTask=Operating System Installation
apit.osid.installMedia=networkLinux
apit.osid.installMethod=http, ftp or nfs
apit.osid.installLoc=path_to_PXE_file
apit.osid.kickstart=path_to_configuration file
[STATE_DONE noname apit]

Setting Up an Unattended Configuration File and PXE OS Install Image for Linux

To set up an unattended configuration file and PXE install image of the OS, refer to the following OS documentation for creating an unattended configuration file and PXE install image, for example:

• Novell AutoYaST unattended installation documentation at http://www.novell.com
• Red Hat’s Kickstart unattended installation documentation at http://www.redhat.com/docs

When done, proceed to To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot.

Preparing for an Unattended SIA Installation of Windows Server 2003

As of SIA software version 2.1.0 (and later versions), you can PXE-boot SIA to do an unattended installation of Window Server 2003 on your Sun server. The basic steps for setting up an unattended installation include:

• Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Windows
• To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot

Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Windows

The SIA state file is a text file that directs the unattended installation of your Windows operating system and other SIA tasks to be performed (such as BIOS/SP firmware upgrade).

SIA State File Requirements for Windows

Consider these requirements when creating an SIA state file:

• When SIA boots from PXE, the state file must identify location of the OS media to be installed and the transfer protocol method (FTP, NFS, or HTTP).
• The state file must not contain extraneous spaces or punctuation of any kind.
• The lines specified in the SIA state file must correspond to the steps you would see if you performed the interactive version of the SIA installation program (described in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3).

Sample SIA State File for Windows

An SIA state file for an unattended Windows installation looks like the following sample, see TABLE 6-2 for an explanation of each variable

[STATE_BEGIN noname apit]
apit.unattended=true
apit.networking=true
apit.welcome.acceptlicense=true
apit.networkconfig.needNetwork=true
apit.networkconfig.useDHCP=true
apit.networkconfig.needProxy=false
apit.taskList.selectedTask=Operating System Installation
apit.remoteUpdate=true
apit.remoteupdateURL=http://sia-updates.sun.com/remoteUpdate
apit.http_proxy=path_to_my_http_proxy
apit.osid.installMedia=networkWindows
apit.osid.installMethod=http, ftp or nfs
apit.osid.url1=path_to_Windows_OS_CD1_iso_file
apit.osid.url2=path_to_Windows_OS_CD2_iso_file
apit.windows.key=XXXXX-XXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
apit.windows.computerName=computername
apit.windows.orgName=organizationname
apit.windows.userName=username
apit.windows.adminPasswd=password
apit.windows.acceptEula=Yes
[STATE_DONE noname apit]

Preparing for an Unattended SIA Firmware Upgrade

You can PXE-boot SIA to do an unattended system firmware upgrade on your Sun server. You can choose tasks such as system BIOS/ILOM upgrade, HBA firmware, and SP recovery. The basic steps for setting up an unattended installation include:

• Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Firmware Upgrade
• To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot

Creating the SIA Unattended State File for Firmware Upgrade

The SIA state file is a text file that directs the unattended installation of your upgraded firmware. See TABLE 6-2 for a description of variables.

SIA State File Requirements for Firmware Upgrade

Consider these requirements when creating an SIA state file:

• An SIA PXE boot image must already exist on a Linux-based PXE server, see To Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot.
• The state file must not contain extraneous spaces or punctuation of any kind.
• The lines specified in the SIA state file must correspond to the steps you would see if you performed the interactive version of the SIA installation program (described in Chapter 2 and Chapter 4).

Sample SIA State File for Firmware Upgrade

An SIA state file for an unattended firmware upgrade looks like the following sample, see TABLE 6-2 for an explanation of each variable.

[STATE_BEGIN noname apit]
apit.unattended=true
apit.networking=true
apit.welcome.acceptlicense=true
apit.networkconfig.needNetwork=true
apit.networkconfig.useDHCP=true
apit.networkconfig.needProxy=false
apit.taskList.selectedTask=SP/Bios Firmware Upgrade
apit.remoteUpdate=true
apit.remoteupdateURL=http://sia-updates.sun.com/remoteUpdate
apit.http_proxy=path_to_my_http_proxy
apit.firmware.spIP=n.n.n.n
apit.firmware.spPasswd=password_for_sp
[STATE_DONE noname apit]

After you have prepared for an unattended installation as described in the previous sections, follow the steps below to set up a PXE image to boot SIA and perform an unattended installation.

1. If you have not already done so, create a network install image of SIA.

For detailed information about how to create an SIA PXE configuration file, see Perform an SIA PXE-Based Attended Installation.

2. Post your modified SIA state file (externalStateVariables.txt) on a web server that the PXE server can access (or on the PXE server itself, if it is configured as a web server).

3. Use an editor to include the following SIA references in the pxelinux.cfg/default file that is stored in the /home/pxeboot directory:

default suninstall
label suninstall
kernel suninstall/vmlinuz
append initrd=suninstall/initrd.img vga=0x314 ramdisk_size=900000 root=/dev/ram0 splash=silent siaurl=http://URL_to_ externalStateVariables.txt splash=silent
 

You can also boot the installer from the network and perform a manual (attended) installation by removing the siaurl= argument from the PXE target.

4. To boot the SIA PXE image from the PXE server and begin the unattended installation, follow the steps presented in To Boot SIA From a PXE Server for an Attended Installation.

The following procedure explains the initial steps you must perform to boot SIA from a PXE Linux-based server to initiate the unattended installation.

1. Ensure that the target Sun server is configured on the same network as the PXE server, and then reset the target Sun server. For example:

• From the service processor (Lights Out Manager) Remote Console web interface, click Remote Control->Remote Power Control then select Reset to reset the host server.

-or-

• Press the Power button on the front panel of the server to turn it off (hold the button in until the server powers off), then press the Power button to turn on the server.

The BIOS screen appears. An example is shown below (your server’s BIOS screen might look different).

2. As the system boots, do one of the following to start a network boot:

• When prompted, press F12 to boot from the first network boot device found.
• When prompted, press F8 to display the boot menu and specify the network boot device.

After the network boot device is specified, the system attempts to get the IP address from the DHCP PXE boot server. After the PXE server is found, the PXE boot prompt appears.

3. At the PXE boot prompt, press Enter or type: suninstall

The SIA installation image downloads to the server and the dialog for “Launching the Sun Installation Assistant” appears.

4. For information on observing an unattended installation, proceed to the section Observe the SIA PXE-Based Unattended Installation Progress.

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Observe the SIA PXE-Based Unattended Installation Progress

Observing an unattended network installation enables you to view the progress of the installation, as well as any diagnostic messages that might appear if problems are encountered during the installation.

The four ways of observing an unattended network installation include:

• Viewing messages from a system console
• Viewing messages from a virtual console or secure shell connection
• Viewing messages from a virtual network computing (VNC) viewer
• Viewing messages from a serial console

If you plan to use a virtual console or VNC viewer to observe the unattended network installation, you must establish passwords for root and VNC.

Topics discussed in the section include:

• Set Up Passwords for Root and Virtual Access
• Using a System Console
• Using a Virtual Console or Secure Shell (SSH) Connection
• Using a VNC Viewer
• To Establish Connection Using a VNC Viewer
• To Establish Connection Using a Serial Console

Set Up Passwords for Root and Virtual Access

Passwords are provided as boot arguments to the installer, either manually when booting from CD or through PXE, or in the PXE boot target:

/home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

You will need to set passwords to observe the installation using a virtual console or virtual network computing (VNC) viewer.

For maximum security, use the following password arguments at the CD boot: prompt:

• rootpw=des-crypted-password

The rootpw=des-crypted-password argument enables SSH remote access on a PXE boot without passing a plain text password across the network.

Create des-crypted-password using the following perl script:

# perl -e 'print crypt("password","42"). "\n"'

The string output is what to supply after the rootpw=argument.

• vncauth=hex-string

This argument enables a password for VNC access.

The remote VNC authorization file is eight binary bytes. You create those eight bytes with vncpasswd and then convert them to a hex-string to be entered here.

Create the hex-string using the following commands:

# vncpasswd /tmp/vncauth
# od -t x1 /tmp/vncauth | awk '/0000000/ \
{print $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 $7 $8 $9}'

The string output is what to supply after the vncauth=argument.

• ptextpass=password

The ptextpass=password argument provides a way of passing a plain text password that is to be used for both the root password and the VNC password.

Using a System Console

Typically the system console displays a splash screen during an unattended network installation that prevents you from viewing the console messages. To dismiss the splash screen and view the console messages, press the Esc key.

Using a Virtual Console or Secure Shell (SSH) Connection

The installation interface runs a Linux kernel and provides virtual console access. To access the virtual console, press Ctrl-Alt-F2. You can also use Ctrl-Alt-F3 and Ctrl-Alt-F4 for additional console screens.

Before logging into a virtual console, you must set a root password as a boot argument to the installer. For more information see Set Up Passwords for Root and Virtual Access.

After you have established a connection to a virtual console, you can determine the VNC server IP address and view the standard log files. Alternatively, you can also establish a SSH connection through a serial console using the VNC IP address.

Using a VNC Viewer

When you perform an unattended network installation, virtual network computing (VNC) is enabled by default. If you perform an unattended network installation, you can enable VNC by adding display=vnc as a boot argument.

Follow these steps to establish a connection using a VNC viewer.

1. Set a password as shown in Set Up Passwords for Root and Virtual Access.

2. Press the Esc key shortly after the SIA splash screen appears.

Console messages appear. After the VNC server has started, a message appears providing the IP address to connect using VNC.

3. Connect to the VNC viewer using the IP address displayed in Step 2.

For example:

# vncviewer IP_address:1.0

4. When prompted, enter the password that you set in Step 1 and VNC starts.

The installer interface appears when performing a manual installation. The screens automatically move forward as the installation progresses. The VNC screens are active for input and you will disrupt the installation if you do anything in the VNC window.

Follow these steps to establish a connection using a serial console.

1. Use the boot argument console=ttyS0,9600 to have console output redirected to the serial console.

This is helpful when debugging and you want to be able to scroll back to see messages. This will disable output to the VGA console.

2. Set up the serial console through the serial port.

For more information about using a serial console, see the service processor (Lights Out Manager) documentation. The default setup is for the service processor to be available through the serial port.

3. Log in to the service processor and enter the following command to start the console:

# start /SP/console

4. Reboot the system.

5. Select the Network Boot option.

6. Select your SIA target, and then observe the progress of the unattended network installation.

After booting SIA, the serial console is sometimes left in a state where it is writing black text on a black background. If this occurs, reset your terminal to view the text.

For additional information about debugging an unattended network installation, see Debugging Unattended Installation Problems.

Sun Installation Assistant for Windows and Linux User’s Guide

820-3357-19

Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.