Task Map: Preparing Custom JumpStart Installations

Create a JumpStart directory 

On a diskette

If you want to perform custom JumpStart installations on systems that are not connected to a network, you must create a profile diskette, which is a diskette that contains the custom JumpStart files. 

Creating a Profile Diskette

On a server

If you want to perform custom JumpStart installations on systems connected to a network, you must create a profile server, which is a server that contains a JumpStart directory for the custom JumpStart files.  

Creating a Profile Server

Allow all systems access to the profile server 

Optional. When you use a profile server, you can enable all systems at once to access the profile server. By doing this, you don't have to individually enable every system to access the profiles on the profile server.

Allowing All Systems Access to the Profile Server

Add rules to the rules file

After you decide how you want each group of systems (or single systems) at your site to be installed, you have to create a rule for each specific group that you want to install. Each rule distinguishes a group based on one or more system attributes, and it links each group to a profile.  

Creating the rules File

Create a profile for every rule 

A profile is a text file that defines how to install the Solaris software (for example, which software group to install) on a system. Every rule specifies a profile to define how a system is to be installed with Solaris when the rule is matched. You usually create a different profile for every rule; however, the same profile can be used in more than one rule. 

Creating a Profile

Test the profiles 

Optional. After you create a profile, use the pfinstall(1M) command to test the profile before you actually use it to install or upgrade a system.

Testing a Profile

Validate the rules file

The rules.ok file is a generated version of the rules file that JumpStart uses to match the system to be installed with a profile. You must use the check script to validate the rules file.

Validating the rules File

Create a compressed configuration file. 

Optional. If you want to specify the location of the custom JumpStart configuration files when you boot the system, create a compressed file that contains all of the custom JumpStart configuration files.

Creating a Compressed Configuration File