Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation

A P P E N D I X A

This appendix contains procedures for preconfiguring your network prior to performing a PXE installation.

Follow the procedures in the section appropriate for your operating system:

How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of SUSE Enterprise Linux Server.

How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux

These procedures describe how to preconfigure your network running Red Hat Enterprise Linux to support PXE installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on your server. These procedures assume that you already have a bootable server that is running a version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system.

Note - Some of the following procedures might not be necessary if you confirm that the server packages are already in place and are configured.

Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation involves the following procedures:

Copying Files From the Resource CD

Configuring a DHCP Server

Installing Portmap

Configuring the TFTP Service

Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon

Configuring the NFS Service

Disabling the Firewall

Required Items

Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation requires the following items:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux server equipped with:

DVD drive

USB keyboard

Monitor

Red Hat Enterprise Linux media set

Resource CD

Copying Files From the Resource CD

This section describes how to copy the PXE support files, which are required for PXE configurations, from the Resource CD. You can also download the driver RPMs from the Netra X4200 server. The download links are at: http://www.sun.com/servers/

1. Insert the Resource CD into the DHCP/PXE server.

2. Create a temporary directory to copy the PXE support files in to. Type:

# mkdir /tmp

3. Type the following commands to copy the files to the /tmp/ directory:

Note - The compressed tar file that is used in this step depends on which version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux you are preconfiguring. The remainder of the instructions will assume that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit is being used. Modify the example based upon the version you are using. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit, use rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 64-bit, use rhel3_64-pxefiles.tar.gz. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit, use rhel4_64-pxefiles.tar.gz.

#mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# cp /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz /tmp/

4. Uncompress and extract the contents of the tar file into the /tmp/ directory. Type:

# cd /tmp

# tar -zxvf rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz

When you extract the file, a directory with all required files is created at /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/

Configuring a DHCP Server

Complete the following steps on the server that will be your DHCP server.

1. Power on the server and log in as superuser.

2. Determine whether the DHCP server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep dhcp-

3. If the DHCP server package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 1 and install the DHCP server. Type:

Note - For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, insert CD 5.

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/dhcp-*.rpm

4. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

5. Set up your DHCP configuration file (for example, /etc/dhcpd.conf) so that only PXEClient requests receive PXEClient responses.

Add the following entry to the DHCP configuration file. Refer to the dhcpd.conf man page for more information.

class "PXE" {match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) ="PXEClient"; option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient"; }

Note - If the server does not already have a dhcpd.conf file in its /etc directory, you an copy the dhcpd.conf file from the sample DHCP configuration file in the /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles directory.

6. Start the DHCP service. Type:

# service dhcpd start

7. Configure the server to always start DHCP. Type:

# chkconfig dhcpd on

Installing Portmap

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the portmap server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep portmap

2. If portmap is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 2 and install the portmap service with the following commands:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/portmap-*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

Configuring the TFTP Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the TFTP server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep tftp-server

2. If the TFTP server package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 1 and install the TFTP service with the following commands:

Note - For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, insert CD 4.

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/tftp-server*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

4. Edit and save the /etc/xinetd.d/tftp file.

Make the following changes:

Change the -s /tftpboot entry to -v -s /home/pxeboot.

Change the disable attribute to no.

5. Restart the inetd server. Type:

# service xinetd restart

Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server. The neopxe server is designed for use with a DHCP server that is running on the same system.

1. Install the neopxe boot server daemon onto your system that is your DHCP server. Type:

# cd /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0

# ./configure

# make

# make install

2. Append the path /usr/local/sbin/neopxe to the rc.local file by typing the following command, making sure to use two greater-than signs:

# echo "/usr/local/sbin/neopxe" >> /etc/rc.d/rc.local

3. Copy the PXE Linux image from the /tmp/ directory. Type:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot

# cp /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/pxelinux.0 /home/pxeboot

4. Configure the PXE Linux image. Type:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/

# touch /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

5. Edit the /usr/local/etc/neopxe.conf configuration file, which is read by neopxe at startup.

If the neopxe.conf file is not in the /usr/local/etc directory, you can copy it from the /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0/ directory.

A valid configuration file must have entries for each of the following lines, including at least one service line.

ip_addr=n.n.n.n

prompt=boot-prompt-string

prompt_timeout=timeout

service=service-number,boot-server,boot-file,label

Where:

n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.

boot-prompt-string is the character string displayed during a network boot that prompts the user to press the F8 key for a boot menu.

timeout is the number of seconds the prompt is displayed before the server defaults to the first service for booting.

service-number is an integer in the range of 1 to 254 that identifies the boot service.

boot-server is the IP address of the boot server for that boot service.

boot-file is the name of the boot file that is read from your /home/pxeboot directory.

label is the text string that is displayed when the boot menu is invoked by pressing the F8 key.

For example:

ip_addr=192.168.0.1

prompt=Press [F8] for menu.. .

prompt_timeout=10

service=1,192.168.0.1,pxelinux.0,Linux

service=2,192.169.0.1,nbp.unknown,Solaris

Note - Refer to the neopxe.conf man page for more information.

6. Start the neopxe daemon. Type:

# /usr/local/sbin/neopxe

Configuring the NFS Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the NFS service package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep nfs-utils

2. If the NFS service package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 1 and install the NFS service with the following commands:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/nfs-utils-*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

4. Edit and save the /etc/exports file to add the following line to it:

/home/pxeboot *(no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,insecure)

5. Start the NFS service. Type:

# service nfs start

6. Configure the server to always start the NFS service. Type:

# chkconfig nfslock on

Note - If you are using a DNS server, verify that DNS entries exist for the range of addresses defined in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file. If you are not using a DNS server, edit the /etc/hosts file to add the range of host addresses found in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file.

Disabling the Firewall

If you enabled firewall security when you installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on the system that will be your PXE server, complete the following steps to disable the firewall so that PXE clients can download from the server.

1. Stop the ipchains service. Type:

# service ipchains stop

2. Stop the iptables service. Type:

# service iptables stop

3. Stop the ipchains service from starting when you restart the server. Type:

# chkconfig ipchains off

4. Stop the iptables service from starting when you restart the server. Type:

# chkconfig iptables off

Note - You might encounter error messages if the ipchains service is not installed on the server. You can safely ignore these messages.

Note - When you disable the firewall protection on the system that is your PXE server, the security of the data on that server cannot be ensured. If this server is networked outside of your local intranet, be sure to re-enable the firewall after downloading software to PXE clients.

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux From the Network

When you have completed all the previous configuration steps, do the following.

1. Reboot the PXE/DHCP server.

2. Refer to How to Create a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.

How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of SUSE Enterprise Linux Server

These procedures describe how to preconfigure your network running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) software to support PXE installation of SUSE Linux software on your Netra X4200 server. These procedures assume that you already have a bootable server that is running a version of the SLES9 operating system.

Note - Some of the following procedures might not be necessary if you confirm that the server packages are already in place and are configured. You might be prompted for a UnitedLinux CD.

Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation involves the following procedures:

Copying Files From the Netra X4200 Resource CD

Configuring a DHCP Server

Installing Portmap

Configuring the TFTP Service

Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon

Configuring the NFS Service

Disabling the Firewall

Required Items

Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation requires the following items:

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 server equipped with:

CD/DVD drive

USB keyboard

Monitor (optional)

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 media set

Netra X4200 Resource CD

Copying Files From the Resource CD

http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp

Note - This procedure provides instructions for copying files from the Resource CD on SLES9. However, these instructions are also valid for SLES9 with Service Pack (SP1). For SP1, substitute SLES9SP1 where SLES9 appears in the commands.

1. Insert the Resource CD into the DHCP/PXE server.

2. Create a temporary directory to copy the PXE support files to. Type:

# mkdir /tmp

3. Type the following commands to copy the files to the /tmp/ directory:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# cp /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz /tmp/

4. Uncompress and extract the contents of the tar file into the /tmp/ directory. Type:

# tar -zxf /tmp/sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz

When you extract the file, a directory with all required files is created at /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/

5. Remove the Resource CD from the server after you type the following command:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

Configuring a DHCP Server

Complete the following steps on the server that will be your DHCP server.

1. Power on the server and log in as superuser.

2. Determine whether the DHCP server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep dhcp-server

3. If the DHCP server package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:

# yast -i dhcp-server

4. Set up your DHCP configuration file (for example, /etc/dhcpd.conf) so that only PXEClient requests receive PXEClient responses.

Add the following entry to the DHCP configuration file. Refer to the dhcpd.conf man page for more information.

class "PXE" {match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) ="PXEClient"; option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient"; }

Note - You can start with a sample DHCP configuration file in the /tmp/sles9-pxefiles directory.

5. Edit the /etc/sysconfig/dhcpd file and verify that the DHCPD_INTERFACE is set to the interface that is connected to the network you are planning to run the PXE server.

For example, if you are using Ethernet interface 0, the DHCPD_INTERFACE variable would be set as follows:

DHCPD_INTERFACE="eth0"

6. Start the DHCP service. Type:

# /etc/init.d/dhcpd start

7. Configure the server to always start DHCP. Type:

# chkconfig dhcpd on

Installing Portmap

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the portmap server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep portmap

2. If portmap is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:

# yast -i portmap

Configuring the TFTP Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the TFTP server package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep tftp

2. If the TFTP server package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:

# yast -i tftp

3. Edit and save the /etc/xinetd.d/tftp file.

Make the following changes:

Change the -s /tftpboot entry to -v -s /home/pxeboot

Change the disable attribute to no

4. Restart the inetd server. Type:

# /etc/init.d/xinetd restart

Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server. The neopxe server is designed for use with a DHCP server that is running on the same system.

1. If a compiler is not installed on the server, use YaST to install gcc with the following commands:

# yast -i gcc

# yast -i make

2. Install the neopxe boot server daemon onto your system that is your DHCP server. Type:

# cd /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0

# ./configure

# make

# make install

3. Append the path /usr/local/sbin/neopxe to the rc.local file by typing the following command, making sure to use two greater-than signs:

# echo "/usr/local/sbin/neopxe" >> /etc/rc.d/boot.local

4. Copy the PXE Linux image from the /tmp/ directory. Type:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot

# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/pxelinux.0 /home/pxeboot

5. Configure the PXE Linux image. Type:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/

# touch /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

6. Edit the /usr/local/etc/neopxe.conf configuration file, which is read by neopxe at startup.

If the /usr/local/etc/ directory does not exist, create it with the following command:

# mkdir /usr/local/etc

If you need to create the neopxe.conf file, you can copy it from the /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0/ directory.

A valid configuration file must have entries for each of the following lines, including at least one service line.

ip_addr=n.n.n. n

prompt=boot-prompt-string

prompt_timeout=timeout

service=service-number,boot-server,boot-file,label

Where:

n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.

boot-prompt-string is the character string displayed during a network boot that prompts the user to press the F8 key for a boot menu.

timeout is the number of seconds the prompt is displayed before the server defaults to the first service for booting.

service-number is an integer in the range of 1 to 254 that identifies the boot service.

boot-server is the IP address of the boot server for that boot service.

boot-file is the name of the boot file that is read from your /home/pxeboot directory.

label is the text string that is displayed when the boot menu is invoked by pressing the F8 key.

For example:

ip_addr=192.168.0.1

prompt=Press [F8] for menu.. .

prompt_timeout=10

service=1,192.168.0.1,pxelinux.0,Linux

service=2,192.169.0.1,nbp.unknown,Solaris

Note - Refer to the neopxe.conf man page for more information.

7. Start the neopxe daemon. Type:

# /usr/local/sbin/neopxe

Configuring the NFS Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the NFS service package is already installed on the server. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep nfs-utils

2. If the NFS service package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:

# yast -i nfs-utils

3. Edit and save the /etc/exports file to add the following line to it:

/home/pxeboot *(sync,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,insecure)

4. Start the NFS service. Type:

# /etc/init.d/nfsserver start

5. Configure the server to always start the NFS service. Type:

# chkconfig nfslock on

# chkconfig nfsserver on

Note - If you are using a DNS server, verify that DNS entries exist for the range of addresses defined in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file. If you are not using a DNS server, edit the /etc/hosts file to add the range of host addresses found in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file.

Disabling the Firewall

If a firewall is enabled on your PXE/DHCP server, you must disable it before attempting to install a PXE image onto the client system.

1. Execute the YaST command. Type:

yast

2. Choose Security & Users.

3. Choose Firewall.

Choose none to disable the firewall for all network interfaces.

Choose specific interfaces to enable the firewall on those only.

Installing SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 From the Network

When you have completed all the previous configuration steps, do the following.

1. Reboot the PXE/DHCP server.

2. Refer to the How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.