Providing Configuration Profiles

System configuration profiles specify client system configuration as a set of configuration parameters in the form of a Service Management Facility (SMF ) profile. The system configuration profile sets SMF properties for appropriate SMF services.

System configuration profiles are applied during the first boot of the system after AI installation. SMF services responsible for particular configuration areas process SMF properties and configure the system accordingly.

Each client can use any number of system configuration profiles. For example, a client might be assigned one profile that provides just the host name and IP address for that client. The same client and many other clients might be assigned other profiles that set more broadly applicable property values.

If no system configuration profile is provided for a particular client, the interactive configuration tool opens on that client. See Configuring a System for information about how to use the configuration tool interactively.

Creating System Configuration Profiles

Use one of the following methods to create a system configuration profile:

• Run the interactive configuration tool and save the output to a file. The following command creates a valid profile in sc.xml from responses you enter interactively:

  # sysconfig create-profile -o sc.xml

  See Creating a Configuration Profile Using the SCI Tool for information about using the configuration tool to produce a profile file.

• Create the system configuration profile manually, using the property specifications shown in Specifying Configuration in a System Configuration Profile and Example System Configuration Profiles.

  Include the following lines in every system configuration profile:

  <!DOCTYPE service_bundle SYSTEM "/usr/share/lib/xml/dtd/service_bundle.dtd.1">
  <service_bundle type="profile" name="sysconfig">
    <!-- service, property_group, property, and propval specifications -->
  </service_bundle>

  If you specify a service or property that does not apply, that specification is ignored.

  Do not specify any particular property more than one time.

A system configuration profile can express property and attribute values in two ways. One profile can use both methods.

• Values can be entered explicitly before the profile is added to the install service using the property specifications shown in this chapter.

• A system configuration profile can include variables that are replaced with valid values when the profile is used to install a client system. See Using System Configuration Profile Templates.

Validating System Configuration Profiles

Use the installadm validate command to validate system configuration profiles under development for syntactic correctness. The install service you plan to add this profile to must already exist. See Validating a System Configuration Profile for more information about the validate subcommand.

Adding System Configuration Profiles to an Install Service

Use the installadm create-profile command to add a system configuration profile to an install service. The create-profile subcommand validates profiles before adding them to the install service.

Specify criteria so that appropriate clients select that configuration profile. If no criteria are specified, all clients use this profile.

A single client can match and use more than one system configuration profile. Make sure that no client uses a set of profiles such that a particular property is specified more than one time. If a client receives more than one specification for any particular property, even if the value of the property is the same in each specification, the behavior of the SMF service being configured is undefined.

If a client does not match any criteria specified for any system configuration profile in the install service, the interactive configuration tool opens on that client.

Use the installadm list command to list profiles that have been added to a given install service and list the criteria that are specified for each profile.

You can use the installadm set-criteria command to change or add to the client selection criteria specified for a profile.

Use the installadm export command to retrieve a copy of the contents of a profile that has been added to an install service. You could modify that copy to create another profile.

Use the installadm update-profile command to replace the contents of a profile that has already been added to an install service.

See Maintaining an Install Server and the installadm(1M) man page for more information about the create-profile, update-profile, list, set-criteria, and export subcommands.