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Solaris Express Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations

Creating the Custom JumpStart Installation Files

WAN boot performs a custom JumpStart installation to install a Solaris Flash archive on the client. The custom JumpStart installation method is a command–line interface that enables you to automatically install several systems, based on profiles that you create. The profiles define specific software installation requirements. You can also incorporate shell scripts to include preinstallation and postinstallation tasks. You choose which profile and scripts to use for installation or upgrade. The custom JumpStart installation method installs or upgrades the system, based on the profile and scripts that you select. Also, you can use a sysidcfg file to specify configuration information so that the custom JumpStart installation is completely free of manual intervention.

To prepare the custom JumpStart files for a WAN boot installation, complete the following tasks.

For detailed information on the custom JumpStart installation method, see Chapter 2, Custom JumpStart (Overview), in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

ProcedureTo Create the Solaris Flash Archive

The Solaris Flash installation feature enables you to use a single reference installation of the Solaris OS on a system, which is called the master system. You can then create a Solaris Flash archive, which is a replica image of the master system. You can install the Solaris Flash archive on other systems in the network, creating clone systems.

This section describes how to create a Solaris Flash archive.

Before You Begin

  1. Boot the master system.

    Run the master system in as inactive a state as possible. When possible, run the system in single-user mode. If that is not possible, shut down any applications that you want to archive and any applications that require extensive operating system resources.

  2. To create the archive, use the flarcreate command.


    # flarcreate -n name [optional-parameters]  document-root/flash/filename
    name

    The name that you give the archive. The name you specify is the value of the content_name keyword.

    optional-parameters

    You can use several options to the flarcreate command to customize your Solaris Flash archive. For detailed descriptions of these options, see Chapter 5, Solaris Flash (Reference), in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Solaris Flash Archives (Creation and Installation).

    document-root/flash

    The path to the Solaris Flash subdirectory of the install server's document root directory.

    filename

    The name of the archive file.

    To conserve disk space, you might want to use the -c option to the flarcreate command to compress the archive. However, a compressed archive can affect the performance of your WAN boot installation. For more information about creating a compressed archive, see the man page flarcreate(1M).

    • If the archive creation is successful, the flarcreate command returns an exit code of 0.

    • If the archive creation fails, the flarcreate command returns a nonzero exit code.

Example 11–8 Creating a Solaris Flash Archive for a WAN Boot Installation

In this example, you create your Solaris Flash archive by cloning the WAN boot server system with the host name wanserver. The archive is named sol_10_sparc, and is copied exactly from the master system. The archive is an exact duplicate of the master system. The archive is stored in sol_10_sparc.flar. You save the archive in the flash/archives subdirectory of the document root directory on the WAN boot server.


wanserver# flarcreate -n sol_10_sparc \
/opt/apache/htdocs/flash/archives/sol_10_sparc.flar
Continuing the WAN Boot Installation

After you create the Solaris Flash archive, preconfigure the client information in the sysidcfg file. For instructions, see To Create the sysidcfg File.

See Also

For detailed instructions about how to create a Solaris Flash archive, see Chapter 3, Creating Solaris Flash Archives (Tasks), in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Solaris Flash Archives (Creation and Installation).

For more information about the flarcreate command, see the man page flarcreate(1M).

ProcedureTo Create the sysidcfg File

You can specify a set of keywords in the sysidcfg file to preconfigure a system.

To create the sysidcfg file, follow these steps.

Before You Begin

Create the Solaris Flash archive. See To Create the Solaris Flash Archive for detailed instructions.

  1. Create a file called sysidcfg in a text editor on the install server.

  2. Type the sysidcfg keywords you want.

    For detailed information about sysidcfg keywords, see sysidcfg File Keywords.

  3. Save the sysidcfg file in a location that is accessible to the WAN boot server.

    Save the file to one of the following locations.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are hosted on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory on the WAN boot server.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are not on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory of the install server.

Example 11–9 sysidcfg File for WAN Boot Installation

The following is an example of a sysidcfg file for a SPARC based system. The host name, IP address, and netmask of this system have been preconfigured by editing the naming service.

network_interface=primary {hostname=wanclient
                           default_route=192.168.198.1
                           ip_address=192.168.198.210
                           netmask=255.255.255.0
                           protocol_ipv6=no}
timezone=US/Central
system_locale=C
terminal=xterm
timeserver=localhost
name_service=NIS {name_server=matter(192.168.255.255)
                  domain_name=mind.over.example.com
                  }
security_policy=none
Continuing the WAN Boot Installation

After you create the sysidcfg file, create a custom JumpStart profile for the client. For instructions, see To Create the Profile.

See Also

For more detailed information about sysidcfg keywords and values, see Preconfiguring With the sysidcfg File.

ProcedureTo Create the Profile

A profile is a text file that instructs the custom JumpStart program how to install the Solaris software on a system. A profile defines elements of the installation, for example, the software group to install.

For detailed information about how to create profiles, see Creating a Profile in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

To create the profile, follow these steps.

Before You Begin

Create the sysidcfg file for the client. See To Create the sysidcfg File for detailed instructions.

  1. Create a text file on the install server. Name the file descriptively.

    Ensure that the name of the profile reflects how you intend to use the profile to install the Solaris software on a system. For example, you might name the profiles basic_install, eng_profile, or user_profile.

  2. Add profile keywords and values to the profile.

    For a list of profile keywords and values, see Profile Keywords and Values in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

    Profile keywords and their values are case sensitive.

  3. Save the profile in a location that is accessible to the WAN boot server.

    Save the profile in one of the following locations.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are hosted on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory on the WAN boot server.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are not on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory of the install server.

  4. Ensure that root owns the profile and that the permissions are set to 644.

  5. (Optional) Test the profile.

    Testing a Profile in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations contains information about testing profiles.

Example 11–10 Retrieving a Solaris Flash Archive From a Secure HTTP Server

In the following example, the profile indicates that the custom JumpStart program retrieves the Solaris Flash archive from a secure HTTP server.

# profile keywords         profile values
# ----------------         -------------------
install_type               flash_install
archive_location           https://192.168.198.2/sol_10_sparc.flar
partitioning               explicit
filesys                    c0t1d0s0 4000 /
filesys                    c0t1d0s1 512 swap
filesys                    c0t1d0s7 free /export/home

The following list describes some of the keywords and values from this example.

install_type

The profile installs a Solaris Flash archive on the clone system. All files are overwritten as in an initial installation.

archive_location

The compressed Solaris Flash archive is retrieved from a secure HTTP server.

partitioning

The file system slices are determined by the filesys keywords, value explicit. The size of root (/) is based on the size of the Solaris Flash archive. The size of swap is set to the necessary size and is installed on c0t1d0s1. /export/home is based on the remaining disk space. /export/home is installed on c0t1d0s7.

Continuing the WAN Boot Installation

After you create a profile, you must create and validate the rules file. For instructions, see To Create the rules File.

See Also

For more information about how to create a profile, see Creating a Profile in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

For more detailed information about profile keywords and values, see Profile Keywords and Values in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

ProcedureTo Create the rules File

The rules file is a text file that contains a rule for each group of systems on which you want to install the Solaris OS. Each rule distinguishes a group of systems that are based on one or more system attributes. Each rule also links each group to a profile. A profile is a text file that defines how the Solaris software is to be installed on each system in the group. For example, the following rule specifies that the JumpStart program use the information in the basic_prof profile to install any system with the sun4u platform group.


karch sun4u - basic_prof -

The rules file is used to create the rules.ok file, which is required for custom JumpStart installations.

For detailed information about how to create a rules file, see Creating the rules File in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

To create the rules file, follow these steps.

Before You Begin

Create the profile for the client. See To Create the Profile for detailed instructions.

  1. On the install server, create a text file that is named rules.

  2. Add a rule in the rules file for each group of systems you want to install.

    For detailed information about how to create a rules file, see Creating the rules File in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

  3. Save the rules file on the install server.

  4. Validate the rules file.


    $ ./check -p path -r file-name
    -p path

    Validates the rules by using the check script from the current Solaris release software image instead of the check script from the system you are using. path is the image on a local disk or a mounted Solaris DVD or a Solaris Software - 1 CD.

    Use this option to run the most recent version of check if your system is running a previous version of the Solaris OS.

    -r file_name

    Specifies a rules file other than the file that is named rules. By using this option, you can test the validity of a rule before you integrate the rule into the rules file.

    As the check script runs, the script reports the checking of the validity of the rules file and each profile. If no errors are encountered, the script reports: The custom JumpStart configuration is ok. The check script creates the rules.ok file.

  5. Save the rules.ok file in a location that is accessible to the WAN boot server.

    Save the file to one of the following locations.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are hosted on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory on the WAN boot server.

    • If the WAN boot server and install server are not on the same machine, save this file to the flash subdirectory of the document root directory of the install server.

  6. Ensure that root owns the rules.ok file and that the permissions are set to 644.

Example 11–11 Creating and Validating the rules File

The custom JumpStart programs use the rules file to select the correct installation profile for the wanclient-1 system. Create a text file that is named rules. Then, add keywords and values to this file.

The IP address of the client system is 192.168.198.210, and the netmask is 255.255.255.0. Use the network rule keyword to specify the profile that the custom JumpStart programs should use to install the client.


network 192.168.198.0 - wanclient_prof -

This rules file instructs the custom JumpStart programs to use the wanclient_prof to install the current Solaris release software on the client.

Name this rule file wanclient_rule.

After you create the profile and the rules file, you run the check script to verify that the files are valid.


wanserver# ./check -r wanclient_rule

If the check script does not find any errors, the script creates the rules.ok file.

Save the rules.ok file in the /opt/apache/htdocs/flash/ directory.

Continuing the WAN Boot Installation

After you create the rules.ok file, you can optionally set up begin and finish scripts for your installation. For instructions, see (Optional) Creating Begin and Finish Scripts.

If you do not want to set up begin and finish scripts, see Creating the Configuration Files to continue the WAN boot installation.

See Also

For more information about how to create a rules file, see Creating the rules File in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

For more detailed information about rules file keywords and values, see Rule Keywords and Values in Solaris Express Installation Guide: Custom JumpStart and Advanced Installations.

(Optional) Creating Begin and Finish Scripts

Begin and finish scripts are user-defined Bourne shell scripts that you specify in the rules file. A begin script performs tasks before the Solaris software is installed on a system. A finish script performs tasks after the Solaris software is installed on a system, but before the system reboots. You can use these scripts only when using custom JumpStart to install Solaris.

You can use begin scripts to create derived profiles. Finish scripts enable you to perform various postinstallation tasks, such as adding files, packages, patches, or additional software.

You must store the begin and finish scripts in the same directory as the sysidcfg, rules.ok, and profile files on the install server.

To continue preparing for your WAN boot installation, see Creating the Configuration Files.