This chapter describes how to preconfigure the information in a sysidcfg file and name service databases so you can avoid being prompted for this information every time you install Solaris. It also describes how to preconfigure Power ManagementTM information.
Both the Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program and custom JumpStart need configuration information about a system (such as the system's peripheral devices, host name, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and name service) before either installation tool can install the Solaris 8 software. Before prompting you for configuration information, both installation tools look for the information in the sysidcfg file or the name service databases (in that order).
For example, if you have a large number of systems and you don't want to be prompted for the time zone every time you install Solaris 8 on one of the systems, you can specify the time zone in the sysidcfg file or the name service databases. When you subsequently install Solaris 8, the time zone prompt is not displayed.
There are two ways to preconfigure system configuration information. You can add the information to:
A sysidcfg file (on a remote system or diskette)
The name service available at your site
Use Table 4-1 to determine which method to use to preconfigure system configuration information for your system.
Table 4-1 Methods to Preconfigure System Configuration Information
If you want to preconfigure |
And your platform is |
Can you preconfigure with the sysidcfg file? | |
---|---|---|---|
Name service |
All |
Yes |
Yes |
Domain name |
All |
Yes |
No |
Name server |
All |
Yes |
No |
Network interface |
All |
Yes |
No |
Host name |
All |
Yes [Because this information is system specific, edit the name service rather than creating a different sysidcfg file for each system.] |
Yes |
Internet Protocol (IP) address |
All |
Yes
|
Yes |
Netmask |
All |
Yes |
No |
DHCP |
All |
Yes |
No |
IPv6 |
All |
Yes |
No |
Root password |
All |
Yes |
No |
Security policy |
All |
Yes |
No |
Language (locale) in which to display the install program and desktop |
All |
Yes |
Yes |
Terminal type |
All |
Yes |
No |
Time zone |
All |
Yes |
Yes |
Date and time |
All |
Yes |
Yes |
Monitor type |
IA |
Yes |
No |
Keyboard language, keyboard layout |
IA |
Yes |
No |
Graphics card, color depth, display resolution, screen size |
IA |
Yes |
No |
Pointing device, number of buttons, IRQ level |
IA |
Yes |
No |
Power Management (autoshutdown) [This system configuration information cannot be preconfigured through the sysidcfg file or the name service. "SPARC: Preconfiguring Power Management Information" contains details.] |
SPARC |
No |
No |
You specify a set of keywords in the sysidcfg file to preconfigure a system. These keywords are described in Table 4-2.
You must create a unique sysidcfg file for every system that requires different configuration information. You can use the same sysidcfg file to preconfigure the time zone on a set of systems provided you want all the systems assigned the same time zone. However, if you want to preconfigure a different root (superuser) password for each of those systems, you need to create a unique sysidcfg file for each system.
You can place the sysidcfg file in a shared NFSTM network directory or in the root (/) directory on:
A UFS diskette
A PCFS diskette
in the system's diskette drive.
If you put the sysidcfg file in a shared NFS network directory, you must use the -p option of the add_install_client(1M) command (when you set up the system to install over the network) to specify where the system can find the sysidcfg file when you install Solaris.
SPARC: If you put the sysidcfg file on a profile diskette, ensure that the diskette is inserted in the system's diskette drive when the system boots.
IA: Put the sysidcfg file on the diskette that contains the Solaris 8 Device Configuration Assistant.
You can place only one sysidcfg file in a directory or on a diskette. If you are creating more than one sysidcfg file, you must place each file in a different directory or on a different diskette.
There are two types of keywords you use in the sysidcfg file: independent and dependent. Dependent keywords are guaranteed to be unique only within independent keywords. That is, a dependent keyword exists only when it is identified with its associated independent keyword.
In this example, name_service is the independent keyword, while domain_name and name_server are the dependent keywords:
name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)} |
Table 4-2 describes the keywords you can use in the sysidcfg file.
Table 4-2 Keywords You Can Use in sysidcfg
Configuration Information |
Platform |
Keywords |
Where to Find Values/Example |
---|---|---|---|
Name service, domain name, name server |
All |
name_service=NIS, NIS+, DNS, NONE | |
Options for NIS and NIS+: {domain_name=domain_name name_server=hostname(ip_address)} |
name_service=NIS {domain_name=west.arp.com name_server=timber(129.221.2.1)} name_service=NIS+ {domain_name=west.arp.com. name_server=timber(129.221.2.1)} |
||
Options for DNS: {domain_name=domain_name name_server=ip_address,ip_address, ip_address (three maximum) search=domain_name,domain_name,domain_name,domain_name,domain_name, domain_name (six maximum, total length less than or equal to 250 characters)} |
name_service=DNS {domain_name=west.arp.com name_server=10.0.1.10,10.0.1.20 search=arp.com,east.arp.com} Note - Choose only one value for name_service. Include either, both, or neither of the domain_name and name_server keywords, as needed. If neither keyword is used, omit the curly braces {}. |
||
Network interface, host name, Internet Protocol (IP) address, netmask, DHCP, IPv6 |
All |
network_interface=NONE, PRIMARY, or value | |
If DHCP is to be used, specify: {dhcp protocol_ipv6=yes_or_no} |
network_interface=primary {dhcp protocol_ipv6=yes} |
||
If DHCP is not to be used, specify: {hostname=host_name ip_address=ip_address netmask=netmask protocol_ipv6=yes_or_no} |
network_interface=le0 {hostname=feron ip_address=129.222.2.1 netmask=255.255.0.0 protocol_ipv6=no} Note - Choose only one value for network_interface. Include any combination or none of the hostname, ip_address, and netmask keywords, as needed. If you do not use any of these keywords, omit the curly braces ({}). Note - If DHCP is not to be used, protocol_ipv6 is optional; you do not need to specify it. |
||
Root password |
All |
root_password=root_password |
Encrypted from /etc/shadow. |
Security policy |
All |
security_policy=kerberos, NONE Options for kerberos: {default_realm=FQDN admin_server=FQDN kdc=FQDN1, FQDN2, FQDN3} where FQDN is a fully qualified domain name. Note - You can list a maximum of three key distribution centers (KDCs), but at least one is required. |
security_policy=kerberos {default_realm=Yoursite.COM admin_server=krbadmin.Yoursite.COM kdc=kdc1.Yoursite.COM, kdc2.Yoursite.COM} |
Language in which to display the install program and desktop |
All |
system_locale=locale |
The /usr/lib/locale directory or Appendix B, Locale Values provides the valid locale values. |
Terminal type |
All |
terminal=terminal_type |
The subdirectories in the /usr/share/lib/terminfo directory provide the valid terminal values. |
Time zone |
All |
timezone=timezone |
The directories and files in the /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo directory provide the valid time zone values. The time zone value is the name of the path relative to the /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo directory. For example, the time zone value for Mountain Standard Time in the United States is US/Mountain; the time zone value for Japan is Japan. |
Date and time |
All |
timeserver=localhost, hostname, ip_addr |
If you specify localhost as the time server, the system's time is assumed to be correct. If you specify the hostname or ip_addr (if you are not running a name service) of a system, that system's time is used to set the time. |
Monitor type |
IA |
monitor=monitor_type |
Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file. |
Keyboard language, keyboard layout |
IA |
keyboard=keyboard_language {layout=value} |
Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file. |
Graphics card, screen size, color depth, display resolution |
IA |
display=graphics_card {size=screen_size depth=color_depth resolution=screen_resolution} |
Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file. |
Pointing device, number of buttons, IRQ level |
IA |
pointer=pointing_device {nbuttons=number_buttons irq=value} |
Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file. |
The following example illustrates what a sysidcfg file looks like for a group of SPARC based systems. (The host names, IP addresses, and netmask of these systems have been preconfigured by editing the name service.) Because all the system configuration information is preconfigured in this file, you could use a custom JumpStart profile to perform a custom JumpStart installation.
system_locale=en_US timezone=US/Central terminal=sun-cmd timeserver=localhost name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)} root_password=m4QPOWNY |
The following example illustrates what a sysidcfg file looks like for a group of IA based systems that all use the same type of keyboard, graphics cards, and pointing devices. The device information (keyboard, display, and pointer) was obtained by running the kdmconfig(1M) command with the -d option. If the following example sysidcfg file is used, a prompt that asks you to select a language (system_locale) is displayed before installation can proceed.
keyboard=ATKBD {layout=US-English} display=ati {size=15-inch} pointer=MS-S timezone=US/Central timeserver=connor terminal=ibm-pc name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)} root_password=URFUni9 |
Using a text editor of your choice, open a new text file and name it sysidcfg.
If you create more than one sysidcfg file, you must save each one in a separate directory or on a separate diskette.
Enter the sysidcfg keywords you want.
Save the sysidcfg file.
Make the sysidcfg file available to clients through:
A shared NFS network directory (use add_install_client(1M) with the -p option)
For SPARC based systems, preconfigure system configuration information by editing the name service (NIS or NIS+).
The following table provides a high-level overview of what you need to do.
To preconfigure |
You must edit and populate these name service databases |
---|---|
Host name and Internet Protocol (IP) address |
hosts |
Date and time |
hosts (specify the timehost alias next to the host name of the system that will provide the date and time for the systems being installed) |
Time zone |
timezone |
Netmask |
netmasks |
The procedure to preconfigure the locale for a system is different for each name service, as described in "To Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS".
As superuser on the name server, open /var/yp/Makefile with a text editor of your choice.
Insert this shell procedure after the last variable.time shell procedure:
locale.time: $(DIR)/locale -@if [ -f $(DIR)/locale ]; then \ sed -e "/^#/d" -e s/#.*$$// $(DIR)/locale \ | awk '{for (i = 2; i<=NF; i++) print $$i, $$0}' \ | $(MAKEDBM) - $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/locale.byname; \ touch locale.time; \ echo "updated locale"; \ if [ ! $(NOPUSH) ]; then \ $(YPPUSH) locale.byname; \ echo "pushed locale"; \ else \ : ; \ fi \ else \ echo "couldn't find $(DIR)/locale"; \ fi |
Find the string all: and, at the end of the list of variables, insert the word locale:
all: passwd group hosts ethers networks rpc services protocols \ netgroup bootparams aliases publickey netid netmasks c2secure \ timezone auto.master auto.home locale |
Toward the end of the file, after the last entry of its type, insert the string locale: locale.time on a new line:
passwd: passwd.time group: group.time hosts: hosts.time ethers: ethers.time networks: networks.time rpc: rpc.time services: services.time protocols: protocols.time netgroup: netgroup.time bootparams: bootparams.time aliases: aliases.time publickey: publickey.time netid: netid.time passwd.adjunct: passwd.adjunct.time group.adjunct: group.adjunct.time netmasks: netmasks.time timezone: timezone.time auto.master: auto.master.time auto.home: auto.home.time locale: locale.time |
Create the file /etc/locale and make one entry for each domain or specific system:
locale domain_name |
or
locale system_name |
Appendix B, Locale Values contains a list of valid locales.
For example, the following entry specifies that French is the default language used in the worknet.com domain:
fr worknet.com |
And the following entry specifies that Belgian French is the default locale used by a system named sherlock:
fr_BE sherlock |
Locales are available on the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 SPARC Platform Edition or Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 Intel Platform Edition CD.
# cd /var/yp; make |
Systems specified by domain or individually in the locale map are now set up to use the default locale. The default locale you've specified is used during installation and by the desktop after the system is rebooted.
This procedure assumes the NIS+ domain is set up. Setting up the NIS+ domain is documented in the Solaris Naming Administration Guide.
Log in to a name server as superuser or as a user in the NIS+ administration group.
# nistbladm -D access=og=rmcd,nw=r -c locale_tbl name=SI,nogw= locale=,nogw= comment=,nogw= locale.org_dir.`nisdefaults -d` |
A locale table is created.
Add an entry to the locale table by typing this nistbladm command:
# nistbladm -a name=domain_name locale=locale comment=comment locale.org_dir.`nisdefaults -d` |
domain_name |
Is either the domain name or a specific system name for which you want to preconfigure a default locale. |
locale |
Is the locale you want installed on the system and used on the desktop after the system is rebooted. Appendix B, Locale Values contains a list of valid locales. |
comment |
Is the comment field. Use double quotation marks to begin and end comments that are longer than one word. |
Locales are available on the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 SPARC Platform Edition or Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 Intel Platform Edition CD.
Systems specified by domain or individually in the locale table are now set up to use the default locale. The default locale you specified is used during installation and by the desktop after the system is rebooted.
You can use the Power Management software provided in the Solaris environment to automatically save the state of a system and turn it off after it is idle for 30 minutes. When you install the Solaris 8 software on a system that complies with Version 2 of the EPA's Energy Star guidelines--a sun4u SPARC system, for example--the Power Management software is installed by default, and you are prompted after subsequently rebooting to enable or disable the Power Management software.
If you are performing interactive installations, there is no way to preconfigure the Power Management information and avoid the prompt. However, using custom JumpStart, you can preconfigure the Power Management information by using a finish script to create an /autoshutdown or /noautoshutdown file on the system. When the system reboots, the /autoshutdown file enables Power Management and the /noautoshutdown file disables Power Management.
For example, the following line in a finish script enables the Power Management software and prevents the display of the prompt after the system reboots.
touch /a/autoshutdown |
Finish scripts are described in "Creating Finish Scripts".