Solaris 8 Advanced Installation Guide

Probe Keywords

What Is a Probe Keyword?

To understand what a probe keyword is, you first need to recall what a rule keyword is: a predefined lexical unit or word that describes a general system attribute, such as host name (hostname) or memory size (memsize). Rule keywords and their associated values enable you to match a system that has the same attribute to a profile, which defines how the Solaris software is to be installed on each system in the group.

Custom JumpStart environment variables, which you use in begin and finish scripts, are set on demand. For example, information about which operating system is already installed on a system is only available (in SI_INSTALLED) after the installed rule keyword is used.

In some situations, however, you might need to extract this same information in a begin or finish script for a purpose other than to match a system and run a profile. Probe keywords provide the solution. They extract this same attribute information without your having to set up a matching condition and run a profile.

Probe Keywords and Values

Table 8-1 describes each rule keyword and its equivalent probe keyword.

Note -

Always place probe keywords at or near the beginning of the rules file.

Table 8-1 Descriptions of Probe Keywords


Rule Keyword	Equivalent Probe Keyword	Description of Probe Keyword
`any`	None
`arch`	`arch`	Determines the kernel architecture (i386 or SPARC) and sets `SI_ARCH`.
`disksize`	`disks`	Returns the size of a system's disks (in Mbytes) in kernel probe order (c0t3d0s0, c0t3d0s1, c0t4d0s0) and sets `SI_DISKLIST`, `SI_DISKSIZES`, `SI_NUMDISKS`, and `SI_TOTALDISK`.
`domainname`	`domainname`	Returns a system's NIS or NIS+ domain name or (if none) blank and sets `SI_DOMAINNAME` (this keyword actually returns the output of domainname(1M)).
`hostaddress`	`hostaddress`	Returns a system's IP address (the first address listed in the output of ifconfig(1M) `-a` that is not lo0) and sets `SI_HOSTADDRESS`.
`hostname`	`hostname`	Returns a system's host name (output from uname(1) `-n`) and sets `SI_HOSTNAME`.
`installed`	`installed`	Returns the version name, `Solaris_2.x` or `Solaris_x`, of the Solaris operating environment that is installed on a system and sets `SI_ROOTDISK` and `SI_INSTALLED`. If JumpStart finds a Solaris release but is unable to determine the version, the version returned is `SystemV`.
`karch`	`karch`	Returns a system's platform group (i86pc, sun4m, and sun4u, for example) and sets `SI_KARCH`. Appendix A, Platform Names and Groups contains a list of platform names.
`memsize`	`memsize`	Returns the size of physical memory on a system (in Mbytes) and sets SI_MEMSIZE.
`model`	`model`	Returns a system's platform name and sets `SI_MODEL`. Appendix A, Platform Names and Groups contains a list of platform names.
`network`	`network`	Returns a system's network number, which JumpStart determines by performing a logical AND between the system's IP address and the subnet mask (which are extracted from the first address listed in the output of ifconfig(1M) `-a` that is not lo0); also sets `SI_NETWORK`.
`osname`	`osname`	Returns the version and operating system name, `Solaris_2.x` or `Solaris_x`, of the Solaris operating environment that is found on a CD and sets `SI_OSNAME`. If JumpStart finds a Solaris release but is unable to determine the version, the version returned is `SystemV`.
	`rootdisk`	Returns the name and size (in Mbytes) of a system's root disk and sets `SI_ROOTDISK`.
`totaldisk`	`totaldisk`	Returns the total disk space on a system (in Mbytes) and sets `SI_TOTALDISK`. The total disk space includes all the operational disks attached to a system.