When you use AI, you first set up an AI server. When a client boots over the network, it uses an install service from the AI server.
The client uses the default install service for that client architecture or an assigned install service. The install service uses the methods described in this chapter to match the client with the correct installation and configuration instructions to use.
To define installations that use different boot images (a SPARC image and an x86 image, or different Oracle Solaris versions), create a separate service for each image.
To assign a client to a specific install service, add that client to the install service (see Chapter 14, Installing Client Systems). Specify the MAC address of the client and the name of the install service for this client to use. When the client with this MAC address boots, the client is directed to the AI server and uses the specified install service. To find the MAC address of a system, use the dladm command as described in the dladm(1M) man page.
To define more than one type of installation for one install service, create additional AI manifests and system configuration profiles. Add the new AI manifests and profiles to the AI install service. Specify criteria that define which clients should use which AI manifest and which system configuration profiles. See Associating Client-Specific Installation Instructions With an Install Service.
For information about how to create custom AI manifests, see Chapter 10, Provisioning the Client System. For information about how to create system configuration profiles, see Chapter 11, Configuring the Client System.