Preparing Your Network to Provision the SuSe Linux OS

Before you create the SuSe Linux image server, you need to perform the following tasks.

• Set up TFTP access to the SuSe Linux images on your boot and install server.

  For instructions, see How to Set up TFTP Access.

• Create the SuSe Linux OS installation image.

  For instructions, see Copying the SuSe Linux Files.

How to Set up TFTP Access

If you use JET to create your SuSe Linux image server, the TFTP service is automatically configured to support provisioning. You need to create or copy additional directories and files to the TFTP root directory on the boot and install server. The OS distribution should be accessible through NFS for each subnet served from this boot and install server.

Before You Begin

Be sure that the appropriate TFTP server software is installed on the boot and install server.

Steps

1. Copy or create the following directories under the TFTP root directory:

   • /tftpboot/pxelinux.0 – You can download the Linux PXE bootstrap file from http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php.

   • /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/ – This directory contains the PXE configuration files. These files contain parameters specific to each hardware platform and Linux distribution.

     For instructions about how to create the PXE configuration file, see How to Create a PXE Configuration File for SuSe Linux OS Provisioning.

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   Note –

   This task uses /tftpboot as an example of the TFTP root directory.

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2. For SuSe Linux provisioning profiles that do not use JET, copy the following files to the TFTP root directory

   • linux – The installation kernel found on the first CD of the distribution, in boot/loader/.

   • initrd – The installation RAM disk found on the first CD of the distribution, in boot/loader/.

   If you want to support provisioning of multiple releases of the SuSe Linux OS, assign a unique name to this file, such as linux_9.

Copying the SuSe Linux Files

To create SuSe Linux OS images, you copy the files from the product media to a boot and install server or other system that is accessible over the network through NFS. You can locate these copies on a system that is running either the SuSe Linux OS or the Solaris OS. You are not required to locate these copies on your SuSe Linux boot and install server.

To copy the SuSe Linux files, you extract the contents of the product CDs into specific directory structure. For instructions about how to copy the SuSe Linux files, see http://www.suse.com/~ug/AutoYaST_FAQ.html#a6.

If you locate these copies on a system that is not the boot and install server, the copies must meet the following criteria.

• For SuSe Linux provisioning that uses JET, the boot and install server and target host must be able to access the OS file copies through NFS.

• For SuSe Linux provisioning that does not use JET, the target host must be able to access the OS file copies through NFS.