Creating Begin Scripts

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

Use a begin script to perform one of the following tasks:

• Creating derived profiles

• Backing up files before upgrading

Important Information About Begin Scripts

• Do not specify something in the script that would prevent the mounting of file systems onto /a during an initial or upgrade installation. If the JumpStart program cannot mount the file systems onto /a, an error occurs and installation fails.

• During the installation, output from the begin script is deposited in /tmp/begin.log. After the installation is completed, the log file is redirected to /var/sadm/system/logs/begin.log.

• Ensure that root owns the begin script and that the permissions are set to 644.

• You can use custom JumpStart environment variables in your begin scripts. For a list of environment variables, see Custom JumpStart Environment Variables.

• Save begin scripts in the JumpStart directory.

In prior releases, the /etc/.NFS4inst_state.domain file was created by the sysidnfs4 program. This file would suppress the prompt for an NFSv4 domain name during installation. This file is no longer created. Use the sysidcfg keyword, nfs4_domain, instead.

Creating Derived Profiles With a Begin Script

A derived profile is a profile that is dynamically created by a begin script during a custom JumpStart installation. Derived profiles are needed when you cannot set up the rules file to match specific systems to a profile. For example, you might need to use derived profiles for identical system models that have different hardware components, such as systems that contain different frame buffers.

To set up a rule to use a derived profile, you must perform the following tasks:

• Set the profile field to an equal sign (=) instead of a profile.

• Set the begin field to a begin script that creates a derived profile that depends on the system on which you intend to install Solaris.

When a system matches a rule with the profile field equal to an equal sign (=), the begin script creates the derived profile that is used to install the Solaris software on the system.

The following is an example of a begin script that creates the same derived profile every time. You can write a begin script to create different derived profiles that depend on the evaluation of rules.

Example 4–1 Begin Script That Creates a Derived Profile

#!/bin/sh
echo "install_type        initial_install"    > ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "system_type         standalone"        >> ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "partitioning        default"           >> ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "cluster             SUNWCprog"         >> ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "package       SUNWman     delete"      >> ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "package       SUNWolman   delete"      >> ${SI_PROFILE}
echo "package       SUNWxwman   delete"      >> ${SI_PROFILE}

In the example, the begin script must use the SI_PROFILE environment variable for the name of the derived profile, which is set to /tmp/install.input by default.

If a begin script is used to create a derived profile, ensure the script does not have any errors. A derived profile is not verified by the check script because derived profiles are not created until the execution of the begin script.