Chapter 7 Preconfiguring System Configuration Information

This chapter describes how to preconfigure system information. Preconfiguration can help you to avoid being prompted for this information when you install the Solaris operating environment. This chapter also describes how to preconfigure Power Management^TM information. This chapter contains the following sections:

• Advantages of Preconfiguring System Configuration Information

• Ways to Preconfigure System Configuration Information

• Preconfiguring With the sysidcfg File

• Preconfiguring With the Name Service

• SPARC: Preconfiguring Power Management Information

Advantages of Preconfiguring System Configuration Information

The installation methods require configuration information about a system, such as peripheral devices, host name, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and name service. Before the installation tools prompt you for configuration information, they check for the information in the sysidcfg file and then in the name service databases.

When the Solaris Web Start program detects preconfigured system information, the Solaris Web Start program displays the configuration information in the installation wizard panels. You can accept the values that are displayed or you can enter different values.

When the Solaris 8 Interactive Installation Program or the custom JumpStart installation program detects preconfigured system information, the installation program does not prompt you to enter the information. For example, you have several systems and you do not want a time zone prompt every time you install the Solaris 8 software on one of the systems. You can specify the time zone in the sysidcfg file or the name service databases. When you install the Solaris 8 software, the installation tool does not prompt you to type a time zone.

Ways to Preconfigure System Configuration Information

You can choose one of the following ways to preconfigure system configuration information. You can add the system configuration information to either of the following.

• A sysidcfg file on a remote system or diskette

• The name service database available at your site

For SPARC based systems, preconfigure system configuration information by editing the name service database.

Use the following table to determine which method to use to preconfigure system configuration information for your system.

Preconfiguring With the sysidcfg File

You can specify a set of keywords in the sysidcfg file to preconfigure a system. The keywords are described in Table 7–2.

You must create a unique sysidcfg file for every system that requires different configuration information. You can use the same sysidcfg file to preconfigure the time zone on a set of systems if you want all the systems to be assigned the same time zone. However, if you want to preconfigure a different root (superuser) password for each of those systems, you need to create a unique sysidcfg file for each system.

You can place the sysidcfg file in one of the following.

• NFS file system – If you put the sysidcfg file in a shared NFS file system, you must use the -p option of the add_install_client(1M) command when you set up the system to install from the network. The -p option specifies where the system can find the sysidcfg file when you install the Solaris 8 software.

• UFS or PCFS diskette – Place the sysidcfg file in the root (/) directory on the diskette.

  • SPARC: If you put the sysidcfg file on a profile diskette, ensure that the diskette is in the system's diskette drive when the system boots.

  • IA: Put the sysidcfg file on the diskette that contains the Solaris 8 Device Configuration Assistant.

You can place only one sysidcfg file in a directory or on a diskette. If you are creating more than one sysidcfg file, you must place each file in a different directory or on a different diskette.

Syntax Rules for the sysidcfg File

You can use two types of keywords in the sysidcfg file: independent and dependent. Dependent keywords are guaranteed to be unique only within independent keywords. A dependent keyword exists only when it is identified with its associated independent keyword.

In this example, name_service is the independent keyword, while domain_name and name_server are the dependent keywords:

name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}

pointer=MS-S
display=ati {size=15-inch}

TIMEZONE=US/Central
terminal=PC Console

name_service=NIS 
       {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
        name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}

network_interface='none'

network_interface=none
network_interface=le0

sysidcfg File Keywords

The following table describes the keywords you can use in the sysidcfg file.

security_policy=kerberos 
{default_realm=Yoursite.COM 
admin_server=krbadmin.Yoursite.COM 
kdc=kdc1.Yoursite.COM, 
kdc2.Yoursite.COM}

To Create a sysidcfg Configuration File

1. Using a text editor, create a file called sysidcfg.

2. Type the sysidcfg keywords you want.

3. Save the sysidcfg file.

   ---

   Note –

   If you create more than one sysidcfg file, you must save each one in a separate directory or on a separate diskette.

   ---

4. Make the sysidcfg file available to clients through the following:

   • A shared NFS file system. Use add_install_client(1M) with the -p option to setup the system to install from the network.

   • The root (/) directory on a UFS diskette or PCFS diskette.

SPARC: Example sysidcfg File

The following is an example of a sysidcfg file for a group of SPARC based systems. The host names, IP addresses, and netmask of these systems have been preconfigured by editing the name service. Because all of the system configuration information is preconfigured in this file, you can use a custom JumpStart profile to perform a custom JumpStart installation.

system_locale=en_US
timezone=US/Central
terminal=sun-cmd
timeserver=localhost
name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
                  name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}
root_password=m4QPOWNY

x86: Example sysidcfg File

The following is an example of a sysidcfg file for a group of IA based systems that all use the same type of keyboard, graphics cards, and pointing devices. The device information (keyboard, display, and pointer) was obtained by running the kdmconfig(1M) command with the -d option. If the following example sysidcfg file is used, a prompt that asks you to select a language (system_locale) is displayed before installation can proceed.

keyboard=ATKBD {layout=US-English}
display=ati {size=15-inch}
pointer=MS-S
timezone=US/Central
timeserver=connor
terminal=ibm-pc
name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
                  name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}
root_password=URFUni9

Preconfiguring With the Name Service

The following table provides a high-level overview of the name service databases that you need to edit and populate to preconfigure system information.

You cannot preconfigure the locale for a system with the DNS or LDAP name service. If you use the NIS or NIS+ name service, follow the procedure for your name service to preconfigure the locale for a system:

• To Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS

• To Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS+

To Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS

1. Become superuser on the name server.

2. Change /var/yp/Makefile to add the local map.

   1. Insert this shell procedure after the last variable.time shell procedure.

      locale.time: $(DIR)/locale -@if [ -f $(DIR)/locale ]; then \ sed -e "/^#/d" -e s/#.*$$// $(DIR)/locale \ | awk '{for (i = 2; i<=NF; i++) print $$i, $$0}' \ | $(MAKEDBM) - $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/locale.byname; \ touch locale.time; \ echo "updated locale"; \ if [ ! $(NOPUSH) ]; then \ $(YPPUSH) locale.byname; \ echo "pushed locale"; \ else \ : ; \ fi \ else \ echo "couldn't find $(DIR)/locale"; \ fi

   2. Find the string all: and, at the end of the list of variables, insert the word locale.

      all: passwd group hosts ethers networks rpc services protocols \ netgroup bootparams aliases publickey netid netmasks c2secure \ timezone auto.master auto.home locale

   3. Toward the end of the file, after the last entry of its type, insert the string locale: locale.time on a new line.

      passwd: passwd.time group: group.time hosts: hosts.time ethers: ethers.time networks: networks.time rpc: rpc.time services: services.time protocols: protocols.time netgroup: netgroup.time bootparams: bootparams.time aliases: aliases.time publickey: publickey.time netid: netid.time passwd.adjunct: passwd.adjunct.time group.adjunct: group.adjunct.time netmasks: netmasks.time timezone: timezone.time auto.master: auto.master.time auto.home: auto.home.time locale: locale.time

   4. Save the file.

3. Create the file /etc/locale and make one entry for each domain or specific system:

   locale domain_name

   Or

   locale system_name

   ---

   Note –

   Chapter 32, Locale Values contains a list of valid locales.

   ---

   For example, the following entry specifies that French is the default language that is used in the worknet.com domain:

   fr worknet.com

   And the following entry specifies that Belgian French is the default locale used by a system named charlie:

   fr_BE charlie

   ---

   Note –

   Locales are available on the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 CD.

   ---

4. Make the maps:

   # cd /var/yp; make

   Systems that are specified by domain or individually in the locale map are now set up to use the default locale. The default locale that you specified is used during installation and by the desktop after the system is rebooted.

To Preconfigure the Locale Using NIS+

The following procedure assumes the NIS+ domain is set up. Setting up the NIS+ domain is documented in the Solaris Naming Administration Guide.

1. Log in to a name server as superuser or as a user in the NIS+ administration group.

2. Create the locale table:

   # nistbladm -D access=og=rmcd,nw=r -c locale_tbl name=SI,nogw= locale=,nogw= comment=,nogw= locale.org_dir.`nisdefaults -d`

3. Add needed entries to the locale.

   # nistbladm -a name=name locale=locale comment=comment locale.org_dir.`nisdefaults -d`

   In this command:

   • name is either the domain name or a specific system name for which you want to preconfigure a default locale.

   • locale is the locale you want to install on the system and use on the desktop after the system is rebooted. Chapter 32, Locale Values contains a list of valid locales.

   • comment is the comment field. Use double quotation marks to begin and end comments that are longer than one word.

   ---

   Note –

   Locales are available on the Solaris 8 Software 1 of 2 CD.

   ---

   Systems that are specified by domain or individually in the locale table are now set up to use the default locale. The default locale you specified is used during installation and by the desktop after the system is rebooted.

SPARC: Preconfiguring Power Management Information

You can use the Power Management software that is provided in the Solaris environment to automatically save the state of a system and turn it off after it is idle for 30 minutes. When you install the Solaris 8 software on a system that complies with Version 2 of the EPA's Energy Star guidelines, for example a sun4u SPARC system, the Power Management software is installed by default. You are then prompted after rebooting to enable or disable the Power Management software.

If you are performing interactive installations, you cannot preconfigure the Power Management information and avoid the prompt. However, by using a custom JumpStart installation, you can preconfigure the Power Management information by using a finish script to create an /autoshutdown or /noautoshutdown file on the system. When the system reboots, the /autoshutdown file enables Power Management and the /noautoshutdown file disables Power Management.

For example, the following line in a finish script enables the Power Management software and prevents the display of the prompt after the system reboots.

touch /a/autoshutdown

Finish scripts are described in Creating Finish Scripts.