NIKOLA

Jumpstart Installs

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How to do a jumpstart

If you already have a jumpstart server, the method will be slightly different, depending on if you have created a bunch-specific add_install_client file. If so, replace the add_install_client call with your bunch-specific script.

First, set up your jumpstart server using the methods documented by acme labs. I recommend using just /jumpstart for all of the filesytems, instead of putting some in /exports.

Second, make sure the server has the latest Nikola-approved Sun Recommended Patch set.

Add the target host's MAC address and fully qualified hostname to /etc/ethers (man -s 4 ethers for format information) on the jumpstart server, then

cd /jumpstart/Solaris_8/Tools
sudo ./add_install_client hostname -s server:/jumpstart -c server:/jumpstart -p server:jumpstart k-arch

Note: For SSLI, use

sudo ./add_ssli_client hostname k-arch

Replace hostname with the name of the target host, server with the name of the NFS server that has the /jumpstart filesystem on it, and k-arch with the appropriate Sun architecture.

Check /jumpstart/rules to make sure what you want to install is what will happen. SSLI has several profiles and a finish script (located in /jumpstart/profiles and /jumpstart/finish respectively). Chose the one that matches the disk space available on the server. If there is more than 4GB available, use the SSLI-nikola profile. If the rules file is ok:

cd /jumpstart
sudo ./check
to validate the rules into the rules.ok file.

When you are ready to start the install, bring the target system to the ok (aka PROM) prompt, then type:

boot net - install

This will cause the target to send a RARP packet asking for its identity, after which the jumpstart should begin. See Sun's documentation for diagnosing problems with jumpstarts if this doesn't work.

Depending on the speed of the host and the net, wait about an hour for the jumpstart, the reboot, the Nikola rc script, /etc/rc3.d/S90nikola, to run and the final reboot. The nikola script will apply the patch cluster as well as the Nikola packages and customizations. The host will reboot twice during the install, once after the main installation and once after the nikola script runs.

There are a few more steps to take for SSLI hosts

If you are creating a new host with multiple drives:

format the second drive:
slice0: /home 10GB
slice1: swap 1GB
slice7: /s1 (rest of drive)

vi /etc/dfs/dfstab
(uncomment /s1 and /home)

vi /etc/vfstab
(add new swap, /s1, and /home)

create the filesystems, mount points and nasty evil /exports links:
newfs /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s0
newfs /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s7
mkdir /s1 /home
mount /s1
mount /home
mkdir /home/hostname
ln -s /home /exports
sh /g/ssli/sbin/check_scratch
shareall

If you are reimaging an existing host, put the additional partitions from the other drives back into /etc/vfstab and /etc/dfs/dfstab, then create the link /home to /exports/home. Now you can mount and shareall everything as appropriate.

Either way, don't forget to make sure /usr/nikola/nuggets/amd.networks and magpies:/var/yp/Files/amd.network is up to date.

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What is in the Jumpstart image?

The jumpstart image consists of Sun-released product located in /jumpstart/Solaris_8 and jumpstart/patches; Nikola additions, located in /jumpstart/files, /jumpstart/SSLIpkgs, and /jumpstart/NIKOLApkgs; and jumpstart control files located in /jumpstart, /jumpstart/profiles, and /jumpstart/finish.

patches contains the latest Nikola-approved Sun Recommended Patch Set, as well as any patches we've decided are needed for the global release of Nikola. Our patch additions are listed at the end of the patch_order file.

NIKOLApkgs and SSLIpkgs contain our own pkgadd(1m) packages which get installed by the nikola rc script. NIKOLApkgs has global packages, while SSLIpkgs has SSLI-specific packages like SSLIcustoms.

files contains a sparse filesystem which has files we want copied verbatim to each host. This filesystem has the initial configuration files so we have something before the nuggets get installed. These files are copied over by the execution of the /jumpstart/finish/nikola script at the end of the jumpstart, and include the /etc/init.d/nikola rc script as well as the initial /var/nikola files including the Nikola crontab(1) entries.

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author: Lee Damon
This document was last modified

Copyright (c) 2001, University of Washington, UW/EE