Solaris 9 9/04 Installation Guide

Adding Systems to Be Installed From the Network With a CD Image

After you create an install server and, if necessary, a boot server, you must set up each system that you want to install from the network. Each system that you want to install needs to find the following:

An install server
A boot server if it is required
The sysidcfg file if you use a sysidcfg file to preconfigure system information
A name server if you use a name service to preconfigure system information
The profile in the JumpStart directory on the profile server if you are using the custom JumpStart installation method

Use the following add_install_client procedure for setting up install servers and clients. Also, see the example procedures for the following:

If you are using DHCP to set installation parameters, see Example 15–6.
If your install server and client are on the same subnet, see Example 15–7.
If your install server and your client are not on the same subnet and you are not using DHCP, see Example 15–8.
If you are using DHCP to set installation parameters for x86 clients, see Example 15–9.
If you want to use a specific serial port to display output during the installation of an x86-based system, see Example 15–10.
If you want to set up an x86 client to use a specific network interface during the installation, see Example 15–11.

For more options to use with this command, see the man page, add_install_client(1M).

To Add Systems to Be Installed From the Network With `add_install_client` (CDs)

If you have a boot server, make sure you have shared the install server installation image. See the procedure “To Create an Install Server,” Step 6.

On the install server or boot server, become superuser.

If you use the NIS, NIS+, DNS, or LDAP name service, verify that the following information about the system to be installed has been added to the name service:
- Host name
- IP address
- Ethernet address
For more information on name services, see System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (DNS, NIS, and LDAP).

Change to the Tools directory on the Solaris 9 CD image on the install server:
# cd /install_dir_path/Solaris_9/Tools
install_dir_path

Specifies the path to the Tools directory

Set up the client system to be installed from the network.

# ./add_install_client [[-d]] [[-s install_server:install_dir_path]] \
[[-c jumpstart_server:jumpstart_dir_path]]   [[-p sysid_server:path]] \
  [[-t boot_image_path]] [[-b "network_boot_variable=value"]] \
[[-e ethernet_address]] client_name platform_group

-d

Specifies that the client is to use DHCP to obtain the network install parameters. If you use the -d only, the add_install_client command sets up the installation information for client systems of the same class, for example, all SPARC client machines. To set up the installation information for a specific client, use the -d with the -e option.

For x86 clients, use this option to boot the systems from the network by using PXE network boot.

For more information about class-specific installations by using DHCP, see Creating DHCP Options and Macros for Solaris Installation Parameters.

-s install_server:install_dir_path

Specifies the name and path to the install server.

install_server is the host name of the install server
install_dir_path is the absolute path to the Solaris 9 CD image

-c jumpstart_server:jumpstart_dir_path

Specifies a JumpStart directory for custom JumpStart installations. jumpstart_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.

-p sysid_server:path

Specifies the path to the sysidcfg file for preconfiguring system information. sysid_server is either a valid host name or an IP address for the server that contains the file. path is the absolute path to the directory containing the sysidcfg file.

-t boot_image_path

Specifies the path to an alternate boot image if you want to use a boot image other than the one in the Tools directory on the Solaris 9 net installation image, CD, or DVD.

-b “boot-property=value”

x86 based systems only: Enables you to set the value of a boot property variable that you want to use to boot the client from the network. The -b must be used with the -e option.

See the eeprom(1M) man page for descriptions of boot properties.

-e ethernet_address

Specifies the ethernet address of the client that you want to install. This option enables you to set up the installation information to use for a specific client.

For more information about client-specific installations by using DHCP, see Creating DHCP Options and Macros for Solaris Installation Parameters.

client_name

Is the name of the system to be installed from the network. This name is not the host name of the install server.

platform_group

Is the platform group of the system to be installed. A detailed list of platform groups appears in Appendix C, Platform Names and Groups (Reference).

Example 15–6 SPARC: Adding a SPARC Install Client on a SPARC Install Server When Using DHCP (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an install client when you are using DHCP to set installation parameters on the network. The install client is named basil, which is an Ultra 5 system. The file system /export/home/cdsparc/Solaris_9/Tools contains the add_install_client command.

For more information on how to use DHCP to set installation parameters for network installations, see “Supporting Solaris Network Installation with the DHCP Service (Task Map)” in System Administration Guide: IP Services.

sparc_install_server# cd /export/home/cdsparc/Solaris_9/Tools
sparc_install_server# ./add_install_client -d basil sun4u

Example 15–7 Adding an Install Client That Is on the Same Subnet as Its Server (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an install client that is on the same subnet as the install server. The install client is named basil, which is an Ultra 5 system. The file system /export/home/cdsparc/Solaris_9/Tools contains the add_install_client command.

install_server# cd /export/home/cdsparc/Solaris_9/Tools
install_server# ./add_install_client basil sun4u

Example 15–8 Adding an Install Client to a Boot Server (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an install client to a boot server. The install client is named rose, which is an Ultra 5 system. Run the command on the boot server. The -s option is used to specify an install server that is named rosemary, which contains a Solaris 9 CD image in /export/home/cdsparc.

boot_server# cd /export/home/cdsparc/Solaris_9/Tools
boot_server# ./add_install_client -s rosemary:/export/home/cdsparc rose sun4u

Example 15–9 x86: Adding an x86 Install Client on an x86 Install Server When Using DHCP (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an x86 install client to an install server when you are using DHCP to set installation parameters on the network. The -d option is used to specify that clients are to use the DHCP protocol for configuration. If you plan to use PXE network boot, you must use the DHCP protocol. The DHCP class name SUNW.i86pc indicates that this command applies to all Solaris x86 network boot clients, not just a single client. The -s option is used to specify that the clients are to be installed from the install server that is named rosemary. This server contains a Solaris Software 1 of 2 x86 Platform Edition CD image in /export/home/cdx86.

install server# cd /export/boot/Solaris_9/Tools
install server# ./add_install_client -d -s rosemary:/export/home/cdx86 SUNW.\ 
i86pc i86pc

Example 15–10 x86: Specifying a Serial Console to Use During a Network Installation (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an x86 install client to an install server and specify a serial console to use during the installation. This example sets up the install client in the following manner.

The -d option indicates that the client is set up to use DHCP to set installation parameters.
The -e option indicates that this installation will occur only on the client with the ethernet address 00:07:e9:04:4a:bf.
The first and second uses of the -b option instruct the installation program to use the serial port ttya as an input and an output device.

install server# cd /export/boot/Solaris_9/Tools
install server# ./add_install_client -d -e "00:07:e9:04:4a:bf" \
-b "input-device=ttya" -b "output-device=ttya" i86pc

For a complete description of the boot property variables and values you can use with the -b option, see the eeprom(1M) man page.

Example 15–11 x86: Specifying a Boot Device to Use During a Network Installation (CDs)

The following example illustrates how to add an x86 install client to an install server and specify a boot device to use during the installation. If you specify the boot device when you set up the install client, you are not prompted for this information by the Device Configuration Assistant during the installation.

This example sets up the install client in the following manner.

The -d option indicates that the client is set up to use DHCP to set installation parameters.
The -e option indicates that this installation will occur only on the client with the ethernet address 00:07:e9:04:4a:bf.
The first and second uses of the -b option instruct the installation program to use the serial port ttya as an input and an output device.
The third use of the -b option instructs the installation program to use a specific boot device during the installation.

Note –
The value of the boot device path varies based on your hardware.
The i86pc platform name indicates that the client is an x86-based system.

install server# cd /export/boot/Solaris_9/Tools
install server# ./add_install_client -d -e "00:07:e9:04:4a:bf" \
-b "input-device=ttya" -b "output-device=ttya" \
-b "bootpath=/pci@0,0/pci108e,16a8@8" i86pc