Get an AI Boot Image

A complete Virtual Machine will be created using the settings specified in the Virtual Machine manifest, vmc_image.xml. The Virtual Machine manifest is an XML file located at /usr/share/distro_const/vmc/vmc_image.xml. The vmc_image.xml file points to a default set of finalizer scripts that are used to implement the final media-specific settings for the Virtual Machine. In addition, an automated installer (AI) boot image is used to create the Virtual Machine.

You must provide the AI boot image. Then, you must modify the Virtual Machine manifest to point to this image.

Download an AI image and reference that image in the Virtual Machine manifest as follows.

Providing a Boot Image

1. Download an x86 AI image from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/downloads/index.html.

   ---

   Note - The AI image is only about 200–250 MB.

   ---

   Make sure that the release version for the AI image is the release version for the Oracle Solaris operating system that you plan to install in your Virtual Machine.

2. Store the AI image on your local file system.

   The AI image is an .iso file, a collection of software provided in one file. When you download the image, you store it as an .iso file on your system.

   Note the name and location of this file. You will have to provide that information in the manifest.

3. Modify vmc_image.xml to point to this image as follows.

   Find the following XML field in the manifest:

   <script name="/usr/share/distro_const/vmc/prepare_ai_image">
       <checkpoint
           name="prepare-image"
           message="prepare bootable ai image"/>
       <argslist>
       <!-- Path to bootable AI image ISO -->
           "/export/home/name_of_bootable_ai_image"
       <!-- What AI client manifest to use for installation.
            "default" will use the existing AI client manifest
            included on the AI media.  To use a custom
            AI client manifest, provide a path to your custom manifest -->
       "default"
    </argslist>
   </script>

   This field above references the prepare_ai_image finalizer script. This script finds and prepares the specified boot image for installation into the Virtual Machine and provides an option to specify a custom AI client manifest.

   The following line from this script provides a default path to an AI image, using a placeholder, name_of_bootable_ai_image, in place of an actual filename.

   "/export/home/name_of_bootable_ai_image"

   Change this line to point to the location on your local system, using your filename, for the AI image that you downloaded in the prior step. For example,

   "/export/home/myimage.iso"

   ---

   Note - The file location is provided within quotes. Do not remove the quotes. The quotes are used to delineate each argument in the field.

   ---

   You have the option to further modify this prepare_ai_image field to point to a custom AI client manifest as described in the next section.