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Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations     Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Information Library
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Document Information

Preface

Part I Planning to Install Over the Network

1.  Where to Find Oracle Solaris Installation Planning Information

2.  Preconfiguring System Configuration Information (Tasks)

3.  Preconfiguring With a Naming Service or DHCP

Choosing a Naming Service

Preconfiguring With the Naming Service

How to Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS

How to Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS+

Preconfiguring System Configuration Information With the DHCP Service (Tasks)

Creating DHCP Options and Macros for Oracle Solaris Installation Parameters

DHCP Options and Macro Values

Using DHCP Manager to Create Install Options and Macros

Writing a Script That Uses dhtadm to Create Options and Macros

Part II Installing Over a Local Area Network

4.  Installing From the Network (Overview)

5.  Installing From the Network With DVD Media (Tasks)

6.  Installing From the Network With CD Media (Tasks)

7.  Patching the Miniroot Image (Tasks)

8.  Installing Over the Network (Examples)

9.  Installing From the Network (Command Reference)

Part III Installing Over a Wide Area Network

10.  WAN Boot (Overview)

11.  Preparing to Install With WAN Boot (Planning)

12.  Installing With WAN Boot (Tasks)

13.  SPARC: Installing With WAN Boot (Tasks)

14.  SPARC: Installing With WAN Boot (Examples)

15.  WAN Boot (Reference)

Part IV Appendixes

A.  Troubleshooting (Tasks)

B.  Installing or Upgrading Remotely (Tasks)

Glossary

Index

Preconfiguring System Configuration Information With the DHCP Service (Tasks)

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) enables host systems in a TCP/IP network to be configured automatically for the network as they boot. DHCP uses a client and server mechanism. Servers store and manage configuration information for clients, and provide that information on a client's request. The information includes the client's IP address and information about network services available to the client.

A primary benefit of DHCP is its ability to manage IP address assignments through leasing. Leasing allows IP addresses to be reclaimed when not in use and reassigned to other clients. This ability enables a site to use a smaller pool of IP address than would be needed if all clients were assigned a permanent address.

You can use DHCP to install the Oracle Solaris OS on certain client systems on your network. All SPARC based systems that are supported by the Oracle Solaris OS and x86 based systems that meet the hardware requirements for running the Oracle Solaris OS can use this feature.

The following task map shows the high-level tasks that must be performed to enable clients to obtain installation parameters by using DHCP.

Table 3-2 Task Map: Preconfiguring System Configuration Information With the DHCP Service

Task
Description
Instructions
Set up an install server.
Set up an Oracle Solaris server to support clients that must install the Oracle Solaris OS from the network.
Set up client systems for Oracle Solaris installation over the network by using DHCP.
Use add_install_client -d to add DHCP network installation support for a class of client (of a certain machine type, for example) or a particular client ID.
Prepare your network to use the DHCP service.
Decide how you want to configure your DHCP server.
Configure the DHCP server.
Use DHCP Manager to configure your DHCP server
Create DHCP options for installation parameters and macros that include the options.
Use DHCP Manager or dhtadm to create new vendor options and macros that the DHCP server can use to pass installation information to the clients.

Creating DHCP Options and Macros for Oracle Solaris Installation Parameters

When you add clients with the add_install_client -d script on the install server, the script reports DHCP configuration information to standard output. This information can be used when you create the options and macros that are needed to pass network installation information to clients.

You can customize the options and macros in your DHCP service to perform the following types of installations:

For more information about setting up clients to use a DHCP server for a network installation, see the following procedures:

DHCP Options and Macro Values

To install DHCP clients from the network, you must create vendor category options to pass information that is needed to install the Oracle Solaris OS. The following tables describe common DHCP options that you can use to install a DHCP client.

For detailed information on DHCP options, see DHCP Option Information in Oracle Solaris Administration: IP Services.

Table 3-3 Values for Standard DHCP Options

Option Name
Code
Data Type
Granularity
Maximum
Description
BootFile
N/A
ASCII
1
1
Path to the client's boot file
BootSrvA
N/A
IP address
1
1
IP address of boot server
DNSdmain
15
ASCII
1
0
DNS domain name
DNSserv
6
IP address
1
0
List of DNS name servers
NISdmain
40
ASCII
1
0
NIS domain name
NISservs
41
IP address
1
0
IP address of NIS server
NIS+dom
64
ASCII
1
0
NIS+ domain name
NIS+serv
65
IP address
1
0
IP address of NIS+ server
Router
3
IP address
1
0
IP addresses of network routers

The Vendor category options listed in the following table are required to enable a DHCP server to support Oracle Solaris installation clients. The options are used in the Oracle Solaris client's startup scripts.


Note - Vendor client classes that are listed here are examples only. You should specify client classes that indicate the actual clients in your network that you need to install from the network.


Table 3-4 Values for Creating Required Vendor Category Options for Oracle Solaris Clients

Name
Code
Data Type
Granularity
Maximum
Vendor Client Classes *
Description
SrootIP4
2
IP address
1
1
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
IP address of root server
SrootNM
3
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Host name of root server
SrootPTH
4
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to the client's root directory on the root server
SinstIP4
10
IP address
1
1
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
IP address of JumpStart install server
SinstNM
11
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Host name of install server
SinstPTH
12
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to installation image on install server

The options listed in the following table can be used by the client startup scripts, but are not required by the scripts.


Note - Vendor client classes that are listed here are examples only. You should specify client classes that indicate the actual clients in your network that you need to install from the network.


Table 3-5 Values for Optional Vendor Category Options for Oracle Solaris Clients

Name
Code
Data Type
Granula-rity
Maximum
Vendor Client Classes *
Description
SrootOpt
1
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
NFS mount options for the client's root file system
SbootFIL
7
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to the client's boot file
SbootRS
9
NUMBER
2
1
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
NFS read size used by standalone boot program when loading the kernel
SsysidCF
13
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to sysidcfg file, in the format server:/path
SjumpsCF
14
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to JumpStart configuration file in the format server:/path
SbootURI
16
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to the stand-alone boot file or path to the WAN boot file. For the stand-alone boot file, use the following format:

tftp://inetboot.sun4u

For the WAN boot file, the format is:

http://host.domain/path-to-file

This option can be used to override BootFile and siaddr settings in order to retrieve a stand-alone boot file. Supported protocols: tftp (inetboot) and http (wanboot). For example, use the following format: tftp://inetboot.sun4u

SHTTPproxy
17
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
IP address and port number of the proxy server that is used on your network. This option is needed only when a client is booting across a WAN, and the local network uses a proxy server. For example, use the following format: 198.162.10.5:8080

The options listed in the following table are not currently used by the Oracle Solaris client startup scripts. You can use them only if you edit the startup scripts.


Note - Vendor client classes that are listed here are examples only. You should specify client classes that indicate the actual clients in your network that you need to install from the network.


Table 3-6 Startup Script Vendor Category Options

Name
Code
Data Type
Granularity
Maximum
Vendor Client Classes *
Description
SswapIP4
5
IP address
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
IP address of swap server
SswapPTH
6
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Path to the client's swap file on the swap server
Stz
8
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Time zone for client
Sterm
15
ASCII text
1
0
SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000, SUNW.Sun-Fire-880, SUNW.i86pc
Terminal type

When you have created the options, you can create macros that include those options. The following table lists sample macros you can create to support Oracle Solaris installation for clients.

Table 3-7 Sample Macros to Support Network Installation Clients

Macro Name
Contains These Options and Macros
Solaris
SrootIP4, SrootNM, SinstIP4, SinstNM
sparc
SrootPTH, SinstPTH
sun4u
Solaris and sparc macros
sun4v
Solaris and sparc macros
i86pc
Solaris macro, SrootPTH, SinstPTH, SbootFIL
SUNW.i86pc
i86pc macro

Note - The SUNW.i86pc vendor client class is only valid for the Solaris 10 3/05 release and compatible versions.


SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000
sun4u macro, SbootFIL
SUNW.Sun-Fire-880
sun4u macro, SbootFIL
PXEClient:Arch:00000:UNDI:002001
BootSrvA, BootFile
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx network address macros
BootSrvA option could be added to existing network address macros. The value of BootSrvA should indicate the tftboot server.
01client-MAC-address client-specific macros (for example, 010007E9044ABF)
BootSrvA, BootFile

The macro names that are listed in the previous table match the vendor client classes of the clients that must install from the network. These names are examples of clients you might have on your network. See Working With DHCP Options (Task Map) in Oracle Solaris Administration: IP Services for information about determining a client's vendor client class.

You can create these options and macros by using the following methods.

Note that the total size of the vendor options that are provided to a particular client must not exceed 255 bytes, including the option codes and length information. Generally, you should pass the minimum amount of vendor information needed. Use short path names in options that require path names. If you create symbolic links to long paths, you can use the shorter link names.

Using DHCP Manager to Create Install Options and Macros

You can use DHCP Manager to create the options that are listed in Table 3-4 and the macros that are listed in Table 3-7.

How to Create Options to Support Oracle Solaris Installation (DHCP Manager)

Before You Begin

Perform the following tasks before you create DHCP macros for your installation.

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role on the DHCP server system.

    Note - Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.


  2. Start the DHCP Manager.
    # /usr/sadm/admin/bin/dhcpmgr &

    The DHCP Manager window is displayed.

  3. Select the Options tab in DHCP Manager.
  4. Choose Create from the Edit menu.

    The Create Option panel is displayed.

  5. Type the option name for the first option, then type values appropriate for that option.

    Use the output of the add_install_client command and the information in Table 3-3 and Table 3-4 to check the option names and values for options you must create.

  6. Click OK when you have entered all the values.
  7. In the Options tab, select the option you just created.
  8. Select Duplicate from the Edit menu.

    The Duplicate Option panel is displayed.

  9. Type the name of another option, then modify other values appropriately.

    The values for code, data type, granularity, and maximum are most likely to need modification. See Table 3-3 and Table 3-4 for the values.

  10. Repeat Step 7 through Step 9 until you have created all the options.

    Note - You do not need to add these options to a Oracle Solaris client's /etc/dhcp/inittab file because they are already included in that file.


Next Steps

You can now create macros to pass the options to network installation clients, as explained in the following procedure.

How to Create Macros to Support Oracle Solaris Installation (DHCP Manager)

Before You Begin

Perform the following tasks before you create DHCP macros for your installation.

  1. Select the Macros tab in DHCP Manager.
  2. Choose Create from the Edit menu.

    The Create Macro panel is displayed.

  3. Type the name of a macro.

    See Table 3-7 for macro names you might use.

  4. Click the Select button.

    The Select Option panel opens.

  5. Select Vendor in the Category list.

    The vendor options you created are listed.

  6. Select an option that you want to add to the macro and click OK.
  7. Type a value for the option.

    See Table 3-3 and Table 3-4 for the option's data type and refer to the information that add_install_client -d reports.

  8. Repeat Step 6 through Step 7 for each option you want to include.

    To include another macro, type Include as the option name and type the macro name as the option value.

  9. Click OK when the macro is complete.

Next Steps

If you plan to use DHCP in an installation over the network, you need to set up an installation server and add the system as an installation client. For more information, see Chapter 4, Installing From the Network (Overview).

If you plan to use DHCP in a WAN boot installation, you need to perform additional tasks. For more information, see Chapter 10, WAN Boot (Overview).

If you plan to use DHCP in a JumpStart installation, you need to create a profile and a rules.ok file. For more information, see Chapter 2, JumpStart (Overview), in Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Installation Guide: JumpStart Installations.

See Also

For more information about DHCP, see Part III, DHCP, in Oracle Solaris Administration: IP Services.

Writing a Script That Uses dhtadm to Create Options and Macros

You can create a Korn shell script by adapting the example in Example 3-1 to create all the options listed in Table 3-3 and Table 3-4 and some useful macros. Be sure to change all IP addresses and values contained in quotes to the correct IP addresses, server names, and paths for your network. You should also edit the Vendor= key to indicate the class of clients you have. Use the information that add_install_client -d reports to obtain the data that you need to adapt the script.

Example 3-1 Sample Script to Support Network Installation

# Load the Solaris vendor specific options. We'll start out supporting 
# the Sun-Blade-1000, Sun-Fire-880, and i86 platforms. Note that the 
# SUNW.i86pc option only applies for the Solaris 10 3/05 release. 
# Changing -A to -M would replace the current values, rather than add them.
dhtadm -A -s SrootOpt -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,1,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SrootIP4 -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,2,IP,1,1'
dhtadm -A -s SrootNM -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,3,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SrootPTH -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,4,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SswapIP4 -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,5,IP,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SswapPTH -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,6,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SbootFIL -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,7,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s Stz -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,8,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SbootRS -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,9,NUMBER,2,1'
dhtadm -A -s SinstIP4 -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,10,IP,1,1'
dhtadm -A -s SinstNM -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,11,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SinstPTH -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,12,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SsysidCF -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,13,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SjumpsCF -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,14,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s Sterm -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,15,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SbootURI -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,16,ASCII,1,0'
dhtadm -A -s SHTTPproxy -d \
'Vendor=SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 SUNW.i86pc,17,ASCII,1,0'
# Load some useful Macro definitions.
# Define all Solaris-generic options under this macro named Solaris.
dhtadm -A -m Solaris -d \
':SrootIP4=10.21.0.2:SrootNM="blue2":SinstIP4=10.21.0.2:SinstNM="red5":'
# Define all sparc-platform specific options under this macro named sparc.
dhtadm -A -m sparc -d \
':SrootPTH="/export/sparc/root":SinstPTH="/export/sparc/install":'
# Define all sun4u architecture-specific options under this macro named sun4u. 
#  (Includes Solaris and sparc macros.)
dhtadm -A -m sun4u -d ':Include=Solaris:Include=sparc:'
# Solaris on IA32-platform-specific parameters are under this macro named i86pc.
# Note that this macro applies only for the Solaris 10 3/05 release.
dhtadm -A -m i86pc -d \
':Include=Solaris:SrootPTH="/export/i86pc/root":SinstPTH="/export/i86pc/install"\
:SbootFIL="/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix":'
# Solaris on IA32 machines are identified by the "SUNW.i86pc" class. All
# clients identifying themselves as members of this class will see these
# parameters in the macro called SUNW.i86pc, which includes the i86pc macro.
# Note that this class only applies for the Solaris 10 3/05 release.
dhtadm -A -m SUNW.i86pc -d ':Include=i86pc:'
# Sun-Blade-1000 platforms identify themselves as part of the 
# "SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000" class.
# All clients identifying themselves as members of this class
#  will see these parameters.
dhtadm -A -m SUNW.Sun-Blade-1000 -d \
':SbootFIL="/platform/sun4u/kernel/sparcv9/unix":\
Include=sun4u:'
# Sun-Fire-880 platforms identify themselves as part of the "SUNW.Sun-Fire-880" class.
# All clients identifying themselves as members of this class will see these parameters.
dhtadm -A -m SUNW.Sun-Fire-880 -d \
':SbootFIL="/platform/sun4u/kernel/sparcv9/unix":Include=sun4u:'
# Add our boot server IP to each of the network macros for our topology served by our
# DHCP server. Our boot server happens to be the same machine running our DHCP server.
dhtadm -M -m 10.20.64.64 -e BootSrvA=10.21.0.2
dhtadm -M -m 10.20.64.0 -e BootSrvA=10.21.0.2
dhtadm -M -m 10.20.64.128 -e BootSrvA=10.21.0.2
dhtadm -M -m 10.21.0.0 -e BootSrvA=10.21.0.2
dhtadm -M -m 10.22.0.0    -e BootSrvA=10.21.0.2
# Make sure we return host names to our clients.
dhtadm -M -m DHCP-servername -e Hostname=_NULL_VALUE_
# Create a macro for PXE clients that want to boot from our boot server.
# Note that this macro applies for the Solaris 10 3/05 release.
dhtadm -A -m PXEClient:Arch:00000:UNDI:002001 -d \
:BootFile=nbp.i86pc:BootSrvA=10.21.0.2:
# Create a macro for PXE clients that want to boot from our boot server.
# Note that this macro applies for the Solaris 10 2/06 release.
dhtadm -A -m PXEClient:Arch:00000:UNDI:002001 -d \
:BootFile=i86pc:BootSrvA=10.21.0.2:
# Create a macro for the x86 based client with the Ethernet address 00:07:e9:04:4a:bf 
# to install from the network by using PXE.
dhtadm -A -m 010007E9044ABF -d :BootFile=010007E9044ABF:BootSrvA=10.21.0.2:
# The client with this MAC address is a diskless client. Override the root settings
# which at the network scope setup for Install with our client's root directory.
dhtadm -A -m 0800201AC25E -d \
':SrootIP4=10.23.128.2:SrootNM="orange-svr-2":SrootPTH="/export/root/10.23.128.12":'

As superuser, execute dhtadm in batch mode. Specify the name of the script to add the options and macros to your dhcptab. For example, if your script is named netinstalloptions, type the following command.

# dhtadm -B netinstalloptions

Clients that have vendor client classes that are listed in the Vendor= string can now use DHCP to install over the network.

For more information about how to use the dhtadm command, see the dhtadm(1M) man page. For more information about the dhcptab file, see the dhcptab(4)man page.