Jumpstart on 2.6 and 2.8: Beter way!!!
Is there a way to create a jumpstart that does not require the use of a boot
server? Solution:
Yes, there is a better way. The issue of multiple VLANS can not be solved
at MEGABANK because we do not control the Networking group. Best case
scenario we would have a BIG VLAN (PRIVATE CLASS A). Boot server and
Installation server on the same VLAN!
A second option would be to have the Second NIC on the system s connecting
to a dedicated VLAN just for jumpstart. The other alternative is to have a
staging area where we can build the systems with a dedicated VLAN (the
jumpstart VLAN) and then we move the systems to their final destinations.
All of the above options are beyond my control. So, here is the better way:
I used two CDROMs to Solaris 5/98 + Operating Environment Installation CD
2/00. I use the 5/98 to create a boot server, then I use the 2/00 to update
the boot server to support the new 450+ megahertz systems. Normally, this
process takes two 640MB cds and about 1 to 2 hrs to complete. However, I
noticed that once I create the first one... I can tar the entire
/export/install/boot directory and ftp to any other systems where I need to
create boot servers. All that has to be change is the netmask file (which
has to point to the new location of the bootserver!).
/export/install/boot/Solaris_2.6/Tools/Boot/netmask
Change netmaks to point to the new segment. The total size of the boot
server is only (Sol 2.6) about 170MB. Which means that you can create boot
servers at very high speeds.
What I do is to ask SUN to install any crappy OS (or do it myself) on one of
the new systems. Then on the first disk of the one system I set up a
boot-server. Then I jumpstart all the other machines on that segment using
that one boot-server machine. Incidentally, I use the second disk on all
those machines that I jumpstart! When I am done, I configure another
machine as a boot server for the first one and jumpstart on the second disk
of the original machine.
SYSTEM A = Bootserver
SYSTER B = Client
SYSTEM C = Client
etc etc
User A (disk 1) to create Bootserver (ftp from somewhere else where I
already have a boot server).
Change /export/install/boot/Solaris_2.6/Tools/Boot/netmask to point to the
netmaks of that network segment (copy the IP of /etc/netmaks to
/export/install/boot/Solaris_2.6/Tools/Boot/netmask; not the file ... just
the IP info).
jumpstart B, C, D E F etc. (on disk 2, second internal disk)
Configure F as bootserver
jumpstart A on (Disk2)
All machines are the same with OS on disk2! Mirror disk2 with Disk1.
To make life easy... Set up D as a boot server for all clients. Using the
addinstall client under
/export/install/boot/Solaris_2.6/Tools/addinstallclient. Then set up one
more boot server on A to boot D. In all cases you will be able to do "boot
net -s" to get to single user mode without a CDROM. If D fails you can boot
D using A etc etc.
Do not add two machines as clients on the same segment to multiple machines.
Never type "boot net - s" the space takes you into jumpstart and
re-installs the server! Disable the profile on the Installation server to
prevent machines from been re-installed by accident!
In any case you get the following boot sequence:
A boots B C D E F etc
F boot A
That is it!
I really can't go into detail about jumpstart?the Solaris Advanced
installation guide does a good job. However, I think that this saves
considerable time and prevents me from having to have CDs on machine with
FSCK problems.
The Solaris 2.8 (Solaris 8) jumpstart is identical. I can just FTP the
bootserver from one VLAN to another and change the netmaks IP info and that
is it.
Good luck?
Thanks to all that replied and helped.
#######################################################
Below responses:
#######################################################
Thanks to:
David Evans <David.J.Evans@oracle.com>
"Matthew Stier" <Matthew.Stier@fnc.fujitsu.com>
"Charles M. Atkinson" <Charles.Atkinson@lon.ipalliance.net>
"Leonard, Roger" <Roger.Leonard@marconi.com>
Buddy Lumpkin <BLumpkin@echarge.com>
######################
David Evans <David.J.Evans@oracle.com>
######################
Jumpstart, by its nature, needs a bootserver. Its much like the tftpboot
process. So if on a virtual LAN you should be able to route the packets
to the target machine.
I thought that Webstart is just a browser on top of the installation
process instead of using the Motif systems.
This can't be done from one CD. HP used four to six CDs a few years ago.
OS bloat.
My alternative would be to create a deployment segment at each
Data-Center,
and jumpstart the systems there, before moving them into their final
locations. Can't be done because of the price involved. No, they will
not
consider using one V-LAN for everyone (privite class A).
Hmm, why not just get the internal disk shipped to a central location,
install it into a similar machine and use dd (or jumpstart to configure
the disk)? Then just ship the disk back and have the disk reinstalled.
Second alternative is to do something like IGNITE-US, the HP-UX product
installation from tape. Does anyone have something running from custom
CDs
or tapes that allow you to remotely build Solaris 2.6 and 2.8 servers?
Can
a CD or Tape provide the remote access so that a finishing script can do
everything from an NFS server?
Nothing like IGNITE on Suns despite many complaints and requests. Sob.
You can use scripts to do final configuration of an NFS server. You may
need to use the IP address to mount the remote resources but that's a
small price to pay.
I can, on this item, give more details.
David Evans
################
"Matthew Stier" <Matthew.Stier@fnc.fujitsu.com>
##################
Have you considered installing a second NIC in the Jumpstart
installation
server?
Have the second NIC card connected to the new VLAN long enough
to "seed" it.
Once you have the initial machines installed on the new VLAN,
and a new 'boot
server' created, shutdown the second NIC until the next time you
need it.
#############################
"Charles M. Atkinson" <Charles.Atkinson@lon.ipalliance.net>
##############################
Hi, Conner
I'm just about to start experimenting on this myself. Our
network
engineering team seem pretty upbeat about overcoming the TFTP
packet TTL
of 1 which seems to be the fundamental problem.
For those VLANs where you have more than one server, an
alternative
approach might be to have a build server HDD - boot, install,
JumpStart
all in one. Ship the HDD to the site, put in one of the
servers,
procedure to change IP and domainname as required, build the
other
machines off it, swap that disk into one of the other servers to
build
the first one.
If hardware compatibility turned out to be an issue you could
ship an
Ultra 10 build server from site to site...
Good luck,
#######################
"Leonard, Roger" <Roger.Leonard@marconi.com>
########################
why not have one jumpstart server that is on all VLANS?
#########################
Buddy Lumpkin <BLumpkin@echarge.com>
##########################
Conner,
The issue is getting the clients broadcast to be seen by the
rarp daemon on
the server. When you create VLANS, your seperating the broadcast
space. I
think I heard something about mirroring ports on the switch
itself but I
don't know if that will help you here. Otherwise, unless you can
get the
jumpstart server to see the client broadcast it's ethernet
address, your out
of luck.
Regards,
###################################
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