Installing a Custom Operating System with HP Insight Control for Linux

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Installing a Custom Operating System with HP Insight

Control for Linux

Insight Control for Linux 6.2 and higher

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2

Registration with the Insight Control for Linux Repository ........................................................................ 2

Registering your custom operating system ........................................................................................ 2

Registering your unattended installation configuration file ................................................................... 3

Preparing your unattended installation configuration file ........................................................................ 4

Preparing your password encryption script .......................................................................................... 4

The Variables file ............................................................................................................................ 5

Using the auto_config file to prepare the installation configuration file...................................................... 7

Constructing the boot stanza for the boot loader .................................................................................. 9

Additional considerations for virtual media ........................................................................................ 10

Using the extra_files Script to copy additional files into the virtual media ISO ...................................... 10

Copying additional files into the virtual media ISO .......................................................................... 11

For more information ..................................................................................................................... 13

Summary of content (13 pages)

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Installing a Custom Operating System with HP Insight Control for Linux Insight Control for Linux 6.2 and higher Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2 Registration with the Insight Control for Linux Repository ........................................................................ 2 Registering your custom operating system ....................................................................
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Introduction Insight Control for Linux supports interactive and unattended network installations of Red Hat and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) operating systems1. Although Insight Control for Linux does not support network installations of other operating systems, it does provide you with the tools to install other, unsupported operating systems. However, you need to use these tools correctly and ensure that you have the proper drivers for the target servers.
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6. Fill in the fields. If you selected Locally on the previous screen, enter the directory name for your OS distribution in the Name field. For example, if you entered MyOS in the Name field, the /opt/repository/custom/MyOS and /opt/repository/boot/MyOSBoot directories are be created. You will copy the files from your OS distribution to /opt/repository/custom/MyOS directory, and copy your kernel and RAM disk 2 to the /opt/repository/boot/MyOSBoot directory.
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Preparing your unattended installation configuration file Example installation configuration file Insight Control for Linux provides an example installation configuration file for CentOS and Debian under the /opt/repository/instconfig/custom/examples/ directory: • For CentOS5, the file is CentOS5/centos5.cfg • For Debian5, the file is Debian5/debian5.cfg Use these example installation configuration files as a model for creating your own.
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If you choose to encrypt the root password, you must provide a password encryption script that accepts the password from StdIn and outputs the encrypted password through StdOut. The full path name of this script must be /opt/repository/instconfig/custom/MyOS/encrypt_passwd Where MyOS is the name of the operating system you entered in the Name field when you registered your custom OS in the Insight Control for Linux repository (see Registering your custom operating system).
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V a r iab le Nam e Des cr ip t ion For example, http://172.0.0.100:60000/instconfig/GUID custom_dir The parent of the directory where OS-specific script directories are created. This value is always /opt/repository/instconfig/custom. custom_os_dir The OS-specific script directory. For example, /opt/repository/instconfig/custom/CentOS5.4-x64 distro_url The URL that points to the OS distribution. For example, http://172.0.0.100:60000/custom/CentOS5.4-x64 domains A space-separated list of domains.
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V a r iab le Nam e Des cr ip t ion os The OS name you specified when you registered the custom OS with the repository. For example, CentOS5.4-x64 password_encrypted This value is true if you chose to encrypt the root password when you performed an unattended custom OS installation. Otherwise it is set to false. path_via_http Path to the OS distribution when using HTTP. For example, /custom/CentOS5.4-x64 ramdisk The RAM disk you specified when you registered the custom OS with the repository.
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After you sourced in the GUID.vars file, you can begin substituting the macros in your installation configuration file with actual values. Insight Control for Linux makes a copy of your original installation configuration file and names it /opt/repository/instconfig/custom/tmp/GUID.template Therefore, you perform macro substitutions on the copy, not in the original installation configuration file. You can use the template_file variable contained in GUID.vars file to refer to the copy.
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The second message is usually sent from the post-script section of the installation configuration file to let Insight Control for Linux know that the OS was successfully installed and that the task is complete. For example, your installation configuration file must contain a macro similar to the one shown below in the post-script section. %post %%completion%% Your auto_config script substitutes the variables contained in the GUID.
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• If you are performing an unattended installation, you must create this script. The boot_stanza script runs during the Configure System to Boot from Network operation when you install an OS. Insight Control for Linux passes the GUID.vars file name as an argument when Insight Control for Linux starts the boot_stanza script. The boot_stanza script must then source in the GUID.vars file to access to the variables contained in the file. For an example of a bash script that sources the GUID.
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If the extra_files script exists, Insight Control for Linux runs it during the Configure System to Boot from Network operation when you install an OS. Insight Control for Linux captures the output of the extra_files script and copies those files to the ISO it creates. Insight Control for Linux passes the GUID.vars file name as an argument when Insight Control for Linux starts the extra_files script. The extra_files script must then source in the GUID.vars file to access the variables contained in the file.
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Sourcing in the GUID.vars file This example bash script sources the GUID.vars file. if [ $# -ne 1 ] then echo "usage: $0 variables_file" 1>&2 exit 1 else VARS_FILE=$1 fi # Source in the file containing the variables. .
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For more information www.hp.com/go/ice-linux www.centos.org www.debian.org © 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Linux is a U.