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Sun Update Connection - Enterprise Bare Metal Installation Guide

Editing Files

Options in the Server Provisioning and Reprovisioning pages enable you to view and edit the netboot and the startup files.

The startup files are for the following applications:

Before You Begin

Make sure that you are familiar with the contents of the netboot file, which details parameters of the kernel and command line options, and with the contents of the startup file you are using. For details, see the URLs, documentation, or technical support of the distribution. For example, find the Red Hat Kickstart Customization Guide at http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/custom-guide/, the Novell SUSE AutoYaST documentation at http://www.suse.de/~nashif/autoinstall/ref.html, and a Solaris JumpStart HowTo at http://www.pimpworks.org/sun/jumpstart-howto.html (see “How To Setup a Jumpstart Server”).

Alternatively, contact Sun Technical Support.

ProcedureTo Edit the netboot File

  1. Open the netboot file in a text editor. The netboot file is located in the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/MAC-address-of-system-to-provision/ directory on the BMI server.

  2. The netboot file contains the kernel parameters. The line that you most probably need to check or edit is the append line.

    In the following example, the append line is shown on two lines, but it will be on a single line in the file.


    default ks
prompt 1
timeout 10
label ks
kernel images/redhat/AS_3.0/vmlinux
append ksdevice=eth0 ks=nfs:10.0.1.3:/tftpboot/images/redhat/AS_3.0/kickstart
initrd=images/redhat/AS_3.0/initrd.img

    1. If there is more than one network card to choose from, verify that the value of ksdevice is correct.

    2. Verify that the value of ks correctly points to the appropriate configuration file, either Kickstart or YaST (or the AutoYaST module of YaST2), and that the path is correct.

    3. Verify that the value of initrd is the correct distribution and path to the network setup for the operating system that you want to install.

ProcedureTo Edit the Kickstart or the YaST Files

Kickstart is a Red Hat configuration application. YaST, or the AutoYaST module of YaST2, is a SUSE configuration application. Both offer GUIs for the creation and editing of the resulting host file. The BMI server offers a browser to the file. Typically, it is easier to use the application than to edit the file.

  1. Open the configuration file.

    • To edit the file using the GUI, open the configuration application.

    • To edit the file using a text editor, open the file in the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/MAC-address-of-system-to-provision/ directory.

  2. Verify that the following parameters have the same value as the host that you are provisioning:

    • Host name – Check that the host name in the file is the same as the host name you have given to the selected managed host to be created.

    • Root password – Although the root password is encrypted in the file, you can copy and paste from the BMI server provisioning or reprovisioning form into the file.

    • NFS installation server – Check that the server name and path correctly point to the installation CDs.

      Note –

      The parameters might have different names in the Kickstart and the YaST files.