5/27/2008: Caiman Automated Installation(AI) prototypes available

Two prototype images available for download now!

1st Image: indiana_net.cpio.gz

 This is a gzipped cpio archive of the core net install image. This image does not contain any of the Gnome or X packages or the language packages. If you use this image, it will automatically install what is included in this image only, and upon reboot will get you to the console login.

2nd Image: indiana_net_all.cpio.gz

 This is a gzipped cpio archive of the core net install image, plus the archives of the IPS package repository used to install the additional packages. This does include all the packages that are required to get the client to the current OpenSolaris 05.2008 desktop, minus the language packages.

These images are based on b86 of SXCE(same as OpenSolaris 05.2008)

Download images from here:

AI Prototype Images

Minimum Requirements to setup and install using these images

Client

• 1GB memory. Recommened 1.5 GB for indiana_net_all.
• At least 4 GB disk space (can be installed to a USB disk)

Server

• A system running SXCE or SXDE (build 70 or above) or OpenSolaris 05.2008(better yet)
• 10 GB Disk space
• HTTP server to serve the netboot image on install server
• DHCP server to serve the address to the client (the HTTP server and DHCP server could be same machine
• Filesystem containing net image must be in HTTP server doc path

Task Descriptions

Setup the netboot image

• Download the required image (indiana_net.gz or indiana_net_all.gz)
• gunzip the image
• Create a new directory in the server and change to the new directory.
• Extract the contents of the cpio image. The following command assumes that the image is downloaded in the directory /export/download
  • # cpio -idum < /export/download/indiana_net.cpio
  • cd to Solaris_11/Tools
  • Run the add_install_client to add a dhcp client for this image. For example:
    • # ./add_install_client -d -e 08:00:27:4D:A:8F -s 10.6.35.8:/export/indiana/auto_install/prototype i86pc
    • Where 08:00:27:4D:A:8F is the Ethernet address of the client, 10.6.35.8 is the ip address of the server and the cpio archive is extracted in the directory /export/indiana/auto_install/prototype

Setup DHCP configuration

If you have a DHCP server serving other Solaris X86 clients, all you need to create a macro to serve the client. The relevant information will be provided when you run add_install_client.

• For example:
   /add_install_client -d -e 08:00:27:4D:A:8F -s 10.6.35.8:/export/indiana/auto_install/prototype i86pc
• If not already configured, enable PXE boot by creating a macro named 01000AE431A205 with:
  • Boot server IP (BootSrvA) : 10.6.35.8
     Boot file (BootFile) : 01000AE431A205
  • If you don't have a DHCP server setup already, refer to System Administration Guide:IP services at http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/816-4554/chapter3-20?l=en&a=view

HTTP configuration

If you are already running a HTTP server on the system you are planning to use as the install server, create a symbolic link under HTTP server's Document Root (htdocs) to point to the root directory where Indiana net image is kept.

• For example if the HTTP server Document Root is at /var/apache/htdocs and the image is at /export/indiana/auto_install/prototype,
   then create a link for /export under /var/apache/htdocs
   #ln -s /export export
• After setting up the HTTP server, check to see whether the netimage can be accessed using a web browser
• If you don't have a HTTP server running on your install server, you can quickly setup and run apache by following these steps.
  • Create the apache configuration file
    • cd /etc/apache
    • cp httpd.conf-example httpd.conf
    • Change the following variables in the httpd.conf
    • ServerAdmin://you@yourhost.com --> valid e-mail address
      • ServerName://127.0.0.1 -->10.6.35.8 (your server ip address) 
      • /var/apache/htdocs"> (This value should match DocumentRoot value)
    • Start the HTTP server SMF service.
      • svcadm enable network/http:apache2
      • svcadm refresh network/http:apache2
    • Check whether the webserver is working
      • Access the location http://<your server IP address> in the web browser. You should see apache welcome page if the server is running correctly.
      • Check http://<your server IP address>/export/indiana/auto_install/prototype to check whether the client can access the Indiana net image (Replace /export/indiana/auto_install/prototype with the path you choose to extract the cpio archive).

How to start the Auto Installer

*Danger Will Robinson,Danger!! Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!!*

The auto installer will automatically install on the first disk it finds. If you do not want to lose data on the first disk, please backup your data.

• Boot the client and choose to boot from the network
• Indiana version 05/08 will be booted and automatically installed on the system.
• This image indiana_net may take 10 minutes to complete the installation the client where as indiana_net_a3>ll may take an hour or so to complete installation.
• The system will be automatically rebooted after the installation.
• You can login to the system as jack/jack or root/opensolaris after 1st rebooot.

How to avoid using the first disk as your target?

• Modify the BIOS of the client to use USB before your hard disk. The installation requires minimum of 4 GB to perform the installation. Connect a USB disk of size more than 4 GB and the auto installer will choose the USB disk as target. OR...

• Modify the disk the AI prototype uses to install. Use the following steps.
  • Extract the image (You may have extracted already while setting up the install server)
  • Create a temporary directory and copy boot/x86.microroot to that directory
  • #mkdir /tmp/mr
  • #cp /export/indiana/netboot/prototype/boot/x86.microroot /tmp/mr
  • Unpack the microroot:
  • NOTE: You cannot use the root_archive script to unpack and repack the x86.microroot in the AI prototypes. Using this will result in a compression of free space which we currently use to allow for bringing in the zlib archives in to memory. This will be fixed in the future.
    • cpio -idum < "AI image"
    • copy /boot/x86.microroot to a location to unpack
    • mv /x86.microorot /x86.microroot.gz
    • gunzip /x86.microroot
    • lofiadm -a
    • mount -o nologging /dev/lofi/ /mnt
    • cd /mnt/lib/svc/method
    • Modify console-login, line 46, to point to disk you want to use as target for installation. For example: /usr/sbin/auto_install -d c0t0d0. The "-d" option is the one used to specify the disk name.
    • umount /mnt
    • lofiadm -d
    • gzip /x86.microroot
    • mv /x86.microroot.gz /x86.microroot
    • cp /x86.microroot /boot
• Re-run add_install_client and restart dhcp server, svcadm restart dhcp-server.
• Boot the client to install

Misc Notes:

If the auto_install program fails, the SMF service will continue to restart. To stop this you must reboot the computer.

To get the first image up to the liveCD contents after installation you can utilize IPS to install the packages necessary. The list of packages required is specified in here: net_addons This list comprises the net_install_addons cluster which is automatically installed with the 2nd image.

• Install the packages listed in the file above.
• Download the postrun.tar file from here: postrun.tar
• tar xf postrun.tar
• postrun_scripts/exec_postrun (as root)
• fc-cache --force
• reboot system