Automated Install Redhat Linux 9.0+

CDROM Boot

PXE Boot

PXE must be enabled on the workstation side -- on Dell Optiplex and Precision workstations, I have found that you have to go into the BIOS setup, find the on-board ethernet, and then hit right arrow to enable not only that ethernet, but also PXE on that ethernet.

DHCP settings

host acd-lupine {
   hardware ethernet 00:08:74:D5:A0:27;
   fixed-address 128.117.32.157;
  allow bootp;
  allow booting;
  filename "pxelinux.0";
}

The beginning of our dhcpd.conf file contains these lines which tell kickstart where to find the download server (next-server) and what the filename is which contains the kickstart runtime script:

next-server 128.117.32.2;
filename "/dns1/kickstart/kickstart90-manualpartition";

Assumptions and Notes

• The Linux environment will use the CUPS print server dns1.acd.ucar.edu as a print server.
• Users may use their CIT password due to Kerberos authentication against the CIT domain (set up by the kickstart scripts).
• It is a good idea to log in as the end-user and set up their Mozilla and email preferences.
• Gnome is the default environment, and the only environment for which our kickstart provides configurations.
• Default Gnome configurations set an end-user up with a few basic icons the first time he/she logs in. One icon is an xterm to acd.ucar.edu.
• The kickstart will create a minimal floppy disk based boot image at the end. The best way to accomodate that is to boot from the CD, launch the install, and while the install is progressing, put a blank formatted floppy disk in the drive. If the PC has no floppy, the postinstall will just end when making the attempt to create the floppy (at the end of the script).
• GRUB is used as the boot loader, and on the partition on which Linux is installed (as opposed to the boot sector of the disk itself).

Preparing for an install

1. Make sure a static DHCP entry exists for the machine as described in "DHCP settings" above.
2. On acd.ucar.edu, create a directory for the machine under /redhat/machines. For example /redhat/machines/acd-lupine.acd.ucar.edu. Use the FQDN for the directory name. If there are user accounts to be added, place them in /redhat/machine/machinename/users as shellscripts to create the account. If unusual RPMs are to be added, put them in /redhat/machine/machinename/rpms. The file /redhat/machines/machinename/HOSTNAME should contain the string "/home". If there is an IDL license to move over, put it in /redhat/machines/machinename/rsi/license.dat.

Installing from the kickstart CD-R disc

1. Make sure the boot order is configured to boot from CD first. Or on some Dell systems you can press F12 at boot time to specify a specific boot device.
2. Insert the CD-R disc and boot the computer. The CD is designed for unattended reboots -- so you must press a key within 30 seconds in order to actually boot from the CD and run its scripts. [screen shot]
3. You may need to run Partition Magic to either:
   • Create a /boot partition at the beginning of the drive (256MB in size)
   • Resize an existing Windows partition to make room for Linux.
4. Reboot after using Partition magic (if you use partition magic)
5. Select option 1 -- kickstart for Redhat Linux 9.
6. Choose the option to manually configure the partition tables. [screen shot]
   • Create a 256MB primary partition at the beginning of the disk (or a disk) for /boot
   • The Windows partition can be the active partition.
   • Create a 7.5GB (primary if possible) partition for /.
   • Create a 2040MB partition for Swap. You can increase performance by creating additional such swap partitions on separate drives.
   • Create a /home partition that uses the remainder of the drive.
   
   [screen shot]
7. If the system has a floppy disk, go ahead and place an unformatted Windows floppy disk in the drive. The kickstart postinstall will create a bootable image on that floppy at the end.
8. Click on the button "Next". At this point, the Redhat kickstart should truly be unattended. [screen shot]. First the base level RPMs will be installed, and then control will be passed to the postinstall script. At the end, the floppy disk will be formatted and made into a bootable image. (but if you don't have a floppy disk, don't worry. You can still use the e2fs program in Windows to find the bootsect.lnx -- a boot sectore which is also written by the postinstall script.
9. At the end of the install you will want to configure the dual-boot option for the Windows 2000 or XP boot loader. First you have to get the bootsect.lnx file from the Linux side and then you have to edit the c:\boot.ini file to include the Linux boot option.
   1. To get the bootsect.lnx file first boot into Windows XP or 2000. Look in C:\Program Files for the program e2fs.exe found in C:\Program Files\E2FS of any machine on which we do a Windows 2000 or XP autoinstall. [screen shot] Run the program. You will need to figure out which partition contains the /root directory (it would be the root or "/" partition). For example, it might be on hda5. Expand hda5 in the e2fs program and look for the file "bootsect.lnx". [screen shot]. Right click on the file and select "export file". Store bootsect.lnx as "C:\bootsect.lnx". [screen shot].
   2. Now edit the C:\boot.ini file with notepad. Add a line that reads c:\bootsect.lnx="redhat linux 9.0". [screen shot] If you want the default boot to be Redhat Linux instead of windows, you must also change the default= line to read something like "default=c:\bootsect.lnx".
      [screen shot].
   If you ever need to create bootsect.lnx, log into Linux. Run "grub-install /dev/hda2". Then enter "dd if=/dev/hda2 of=bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1". Choose the location of the the boot sector instead of /dev/hda2 -- you can usually figure that out from /boot/grub/grub.conf. Copy the bootsect.lnx file to acd.ucar.edu or another Unix machine. Then from Windows ftp the bootsect.lnx file to c:\bootsect.lnx.
10. Finally, log in and set the Linux environment up for the end user:
    • Add them to /etc/sudoers
    • Give them an account if it isn't already set up. Log in as them and configure their Gnome and Mozilla environment as you wish. Usually we want to set up Mozilla Mail for them so that they are reading mail from our IMAP server.

Installing from PXE Boot

1. Configure the BIOS of the machine so that the ethernet PXE boot option is turned on. This varies among platforms, but on Dell systems, I have found that for the onboard ethernet, you find where it is enabled, press right arrow and then a "PXE" option is added.
2. Configure the boot order to boot from the Network NIC (PXE) first. Or on some Dell systems you can press F12 at boot time to specify a specific boot device.
3. Once you boot from PXE, the procedure is the same as above -- the menus are more or less the same, except that we password protect Partition magic as of 5/27/2003 with the CIT ACDAdmin account password in use at that time.