First boot services and packages can now be created using the svc-create-first-boot command. Administrators can quickly create first boot SMF services that can be set up by Automated Installer (AI). See Automatically Creating a First-boot Service and Package in Customizing Automated Installations With Manifests and Profiles.
For SPARC clients, the WAN Boot protocol can use the HMAC-SHA 256 algorithm to enhance network installation security. The installadm command becomes the administrative tool for HMAC key generations for both SPARC and x86 clients.
On UEFI-enabled x86 systems, support for secure boot establishes a chain of trust from early boot through the entire installation process. The administrator can associate keys and certificates in the BIOS that can be used for securing the initial boot mechanism all the way to contacting the AI and IPS package repository.
For more information about securing a network installation, see Chapter 5, Securing Automated Installation in Automatically Installing Oracle Solaris 11.4 Systems.
With the migration of persistent network configuration to SMF, you can apply complex network settings to the installation process. This feature especially benefits automated installation operations. In a system configuration profile, you can assign values to SMF network properties to be implemented during AI. See Chapter 3, Working With System Configuration Profiles in Customizing Automated Installations With Manifests and Profiles.