...making Linux just a little more fun!
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
Hi, all -
I'm going to be teaching a class next week in which the student machines are going to have Fedora Core 6 installed on them, so the poor on-site tech guy is going to be spending his weekend flipping the 6 installation CDs among a dozen-plus machines - not a happy-fun thing at all, as I see it.
Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps
I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a
simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and
walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux
can do better. 
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]
2008/7/16 Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net>:
> Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps
On Redhat/Fedora, this is called "kickstart".
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda/Kickstart
-- Thomas Adam
Breen Mullins [breen.mullins at gmail.com]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 2:22 PM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:
> > > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux > can do better.
Red Hat calls it 'kickstart'. Google for kickstart install server and you should find plenty of instructions.
-- Breen Mullins Menlo Park, Calif.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 10:33:40PM +0100, Thomas Adam wrote:
> 2008/7/16 Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net>: > > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > > On Redhat/Fedora, this is called "kickstart". > > http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Anaconda/Kickstart
Thanks, Thomas - I remembered something called 'PXE', but Googling for this just took me down the "You're in a maze of twisty passages, all alike" route - I wasn't getting anywhere, and constantly felt like I was about to be eaten by a grue. Much appreciated.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 02:35:45PM -0700, Breen Mullins wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 2:22 PM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote: > > > > > > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a > > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and > > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux > > can do better.
Got it, thanks.
I think - having reviewed the instructions for the process - that the on-site guy is stuck flipping CDs. He's mostly a Wind0ws type; the last time I taught a class at that site, I walked him through installing Ubuntu (he was shocked at how quick and easy that was...), and I really doubt that he's up to writing a Kickstart file - I took a look at a sample that I found on the Net, and it seems like the up-front cost would be higher than doing this one-time task. Oh well...
I appreciate the help, guys.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Breen Mullins [breen.mullins at gmail.com]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 2:56 PM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:
> > I really doubt that he's up to writing a Kickstart file - I took a look at a > sample that I found on the Net, and it seems like the up-front cost > would be higher than doing this one-time task. Oh well...
After a manual install, anaconda will dump a kickstart file with the options used in /root . You might be able to modify that for him.
-- Breen Mullins Menlo Park, Calif.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 03:30:08PM -0700, Breen Mullins wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 2:56 PM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote: > > > > I really doubt that he's up to writing a Kickstart file - I took a look at a > > sample that I found on the Net, and it seems like the up-front cost > > would be higher than doing this one-time task. Oh well... > > > After a manual install, anaconda will dump a kickstart file with the > options used > in /root . You might be able to modify that for him.
"Aye, there's the rub!" If I was there, it would be a different thing
indeed. As it is, I won't be there until late Sunday - a bit late for
all that. I was just trying to find a way to make the guy's life a bit
easier.
I will mention it to him, though. If there are going to be a lot of these in the future, it would make sense for him to learn the process.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Joey Prestia [joey at linuxamd.com]
Ben Okopnik wrote:
> > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux > can do better.
At the school we use kickstart via pxe boot. We will be moving to cobbler http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/08/10/cobbler-how-to-set-up-a-network-boot-server-in-10-minutes/ I have set it up and it is an excellent approach to the problem. I would install one machine like Thomas has stated and use the kickstart from it. Our automated installs take 7 minutes for a full student build of RHEL 4 via pxe kickstart.
Best,
-- Joey Prestia L. G. Mirror Coordinator Joey@linuxamd.com http://linuxamd.com Main Site http://linuxgazette.net
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 08:55:45PM -0700, Joey Prestia wrote:
> Ben Okopnik wrote: > > > > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a > > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and > > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux > > can do better.
Cool! The article describes a nice, simple system for doing this; I'll recommend it and see how that goes. Thanks, Joey!
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *
Mulyadi Santosa [mulyadi.santosa at gmail.com]
Hi Ben!
On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 08:55:45PM -0700, Joey Prestia wrote: >> Ben Okopnik wrote: >> > >> > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps >> > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a >> > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and >> > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux >> > can do better.
Be aware to setup DHCP too and make the clients the IPs from there. Otherwise, if you just plainly use the /root/kickstart, you will end up with nodes using same IP.
Also carefully check the partitioning scheme.... especially if you want to keep certain partition s in the machines.
Another tips, better use HTTP or FTP sharing, because that would be faster than NFS (based on my experience).
regards,
Mulyadi.
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
Hi, Mulyadi -
On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 10:03:20AM -0700, Mulyadi Santosa wrote:
> Hi Ben! > > On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Ben Okopnik <ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote: > > On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 08:55:45PM -0700, Joey Prestia wrote: > >> Ben Okopnik wrote: > >> > > >> > Does anyone know of a way to set up an "install server" for FC6? Perhaps > >> > I've been spoiled by the Solaris 'jumpstart' system, where you set up a > >> > simple config file, tell your hosts to load from the jump server, and > >> > walk away - but I can't help feeling that anything Solaris can do, Linux > >> > can do better.
Sure. This isn't a tragedy by any means, since it's fairly easy to fix,
but doing it up-front would make life simpler.
> Also carefully check the partitioning scheme.... especially if you > want to keep certain partition s in the machines.
In this case, it's a full install.
> Another tips, better use HTTP or FTP sharing, because that would be > faster than NFS (based on my experience).
It's interesting that you say that. NFS has many faults, in my opinion - but being slow isn't one that I've run into, even with the encrypted version. Although I must admit that pretty much all of my NFS experience has been with Solaris rather than Linux.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *