Solving Linux-Related Problems (N1 Grid Service Provisioning System User's Guide and Release Notes for the OS Provisioning Plug-In 1.0)

N1 Grid Service Provisioning System User's Guide and Release Notes for the OS Provisioning Plug-In 1.0

Solving Linux-Related Problems

Problem:

I do not understand the sequence of operations for provisioning the Linux operating system.

Solution:

The sequence for Linux is as follows:

The Linux boot and install server is prepared for the target host.
DHCP on OS provisioning sever is set up for the target host.
The target host is rebooted to boot over the network using DHCP.
The target host broadcasts DHCP discover packets.
The DHCP server on the OS provisioning server sends DHCP offer.
The target host broadcasts DHCP request packets.
The DHCP server on the OS provisioning server sends DHCP ACK.
The target uses TFTP protocol to get the boot kernel from the Linux boot and install server.
The target installs the OS by getting files over NFS from the Linux boot and install server.

Problem:

Installation starts, but user is prompted that the disk label could not be read.

Solution:

This problem most likely indicates that another OS was previously installed that uses a disk label format that Linux did not recognize as the default for the architecture. To force the installer to re-initialize the disk label to the default architecture without prompting the user, add the --initlabel option to the clearpart directive of the kickstart configuration file.

Problem:

Installation cannot get IP address through DHCP.

Solution:

Try the following solutions:

Set the switch port to portfast in the switch to which this target is connected.
Check the linksleep in PXE configuration file.
Change InitialBootTimeout in the kickstart properties file to a larger value.

Problem:

Target gets the DHCP packet, but fails to boot.

Solution:

Try the following solutions:

Check if the pxelinux.0 and the initrd support the target platform and have the necessary drivers to boot the target over the network.
Verify that the OS profile and the OS distribution are set up properly on the Linux boot and install server.
Verify that NFS and TFTP services are configured properly on the Linux boot and install server.

Problem:

You see the following message on the console:

VFS: mounted root (ext2) filesystem

Solution:

The Linux kernel has redirected the console elsewhere. Change the console settings in the PXE configuration file.

Problem:

Installation goes into interactive mode.

Solution:

Check kickstart file for errors. Verify that the server IP address and paths are correct and complete.