Setting Up Systems to Be Installed Over the Network

After you've created an install server and, if necessary, a boot server, you are ready to install the Solaris software on other systems over the network. However, to be installed over the network, a system needs to know where to:

• Install from (install server)

• Boot from (install server or boot server)

• Find its profile during a custom JumpStart installation (JumpStart directory on the profile server)

Because a system looks for this information in the name service (bootparams database in the /etc files, NIS, or NIS+), when it installs over the network, you must add this information to the name service for every system that is going to be installed over the network. You add this information by using the add_install_client command.

If you use the /etc files to store network installation information, the information must be located on the install server or the boot server (if a boot server is required).

To Set Up Systems to Be Installed Over the Network With add_install_client

You can use the add_install_client(1M) command to set up systems to be installed over the network.

The add_install_client command updates only the /etc files.

1. Become superuser on the install server (or the boot server if a system requires one).

2. Make sure the following information about the system to be installed has been added to the name service (/etc files, NIS, or NIS+):

   • Host name

   • IP address

   • Ethernet address

3. Change to the Tools directory on the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 SPARC Platform Edition or Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 Intel Platform Edition CD image on the install server or the boot server's boot directory:

   # cd Solaris_8/Tools

4. Use the add_install_client command to set up a system to be installed over the network:

   # ./add_install_client [[-d]] [[-c server:jumpstart_dir_path]] [[-s install_server:install_dir_path]] \ [[-p server:path]] host_name platform_group

   -d	Specifies that the client is to use DHCP to obtain the network install parameters.
   -c server:jumpstart_dir_path	Specifies a JumpStart directory for custom JumpStart installations. This option and its arguments are required only for custom JumpStart installations.  server is the host name of the server on which the JumpStart directory is located. jumpstart_dir_path is the absolute path to the JumpStart directory.
   -s install_server:install_dir_path	Specifies the install server. This option is required only when you are using add_install_client on a boot server. install_server is the host name of the install server. install_dir_path is the absolute path to the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 CD image for your platform.
   -p server:path	Specifies the sysidcfg file for preconfiguring system information. server is either a valid host name or IP address for the server that contains the file. path is the absolute path to the sysidcfg file.
   host_name	Is the host name of the system to be installed over the network. (This is not the host name of the install server.) The host must be in the name service for this command to work.
   platform_group	Is the platform group of the system to be installed. A detailed list of platform groups appears in Appendix A, Platform Names and Groups.

SPARC: Example--Adding Systems to Be Installed Over the Network With add_install_client

The following example illustrates how to add a system named basil, which is a SPARCstation 10, to be installed over the network. The system requires a boot server, so the command is run on the boot server. The -s option is used to specify the install server named install_server1, which contains a Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 SPARC Platform Edition CD image in /export/install:

# cd /export/boot/Solaris_8/Tools
# ./add_install_client -s install_server1:/export/install basil sun4m