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DFATAnt
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Question on Network Configuration using Scripted Install

I am using the Kickstart process to do a scripted install and everything is working well except the network configuration. The installation is being done on a HP DL380 with dual onboard NICs.

I am getting prompted during the scripted install to select a network card ( and am given the option of selecting either eth0 or eth1).

In the Network section of the kickstart file, I have the following settings:

network --device eth0 --bootproto static --ip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -netmask xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --gateway xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --nameserver xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --hostname host.network.domain --addvmportgroup=1 --vlanid=0

Can anyone tell me if there is something that I am missing or doing wrong. I want to be able to start the scripted install, walk away and have everything done by the time I get back.

Thanks

Ant

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sbeaver
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I do mine during a post script during ESX's first boot and I use esxcfg-vswitch and esxcfg-vswif to do this

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

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DFATAnt
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Are you saying that I should be leaving out the network section and configuring the network information after the base installation is complete?

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kix1979
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Yes, that is really the best practice way, using esxcfg-* commands.

Thomas H. Bryant III
DFATAnt
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I've removed the network section from my kickstart file and I'm still getting prompted to select a network device during the scripted install. I have no issues with running post installation scripts, but I would like to be able to do the initial install with out any user intervention.

Do you or anyone else have any other suggestions on how I can get around the issue I am having.

Thanks

Ant

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DFATAnt
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The information that is displayed during the scripted install is:

Networking Device

You have multiple network devices on the this system. Which would you like to install through?

eth0 - BroadcomCorporation:NetXtreme BCM5704 Gigabit Ethernet

eth1 - BroadcomCorporation:NetXtreme BCM5704 Gigabit Ethernet

I will be installing ESX 3.x on over 400 hundred servers and am hoping that I get stop this screen from appearing without having to disable hardware through the BIOS.

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sbeaver
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I never have that problem. What do you have as the networking area of your ks.cfg? Can you post?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DFATAnt
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It was in the original post, but here it is again.

In the Network section of the kickstart file, I have the following settings:

network --device eth0 --bootproto static --ip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -netmask xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --gateway xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --nameserver xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --hostname host.network.domain --addvmportgroup=1 --vlanid=0

I am starting to think that kickstart is picking up a default ks.cfg file from somewhere, but if you have any further suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Ant

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sbeaver
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Mine looks like this...

network --bootproto static --ip x.x.x.x --netmask 255.255.255.0 --gateway x.x.x.x --nameserver x.x.x.x --hostname FHOSESX001.FHMIS.NET

So what steps are you following to make sure it uses the custom cfg? How are you doing the install?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DFATAnt
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I'm using ADS to create a dos partition on the server and copy all the files locally. The server is then rebooted and an autoexec.bat file starts up loadlin. The kickstart file is located on an ftp server. I know at one point the ks.cfg (located on the ftp server) was being used as I have an error with the partitioning, and when that was changed the error went away.

The reason why I think that it might be using a default ks,cfg file is that I have disabled the ftp service and I am still getting the stopped at the same screen. I have gone through the initrd.img and cannot find a default ks.cfg file at all.

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sbeaver
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I would put the CD in the drive and the ks.cfg on a floppy and do the install that way to make sure the cfg is correct. Once you have that done we can move on to the ADS

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DFATAnt
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I'll give your suggestion a try and let you know how I go.

Thanks

Ant

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DFATAnt
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Even booting of the cdrom and using the floppy disk to provide the kickstart file gives me the same result.

I have used the autostep option in the kickstart file to show me what is being configured, and everything seems to be setup correctly.

When you press enter to get past the networking device selection screen, and ESX gets installed, everything that is setup on the network line of the kickstart file is configured and setup correctly.

Any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

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sbeaver
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OK I have to ask. When you booted off the CD what command did you use at the prompt to install ESX using the ks.cfg on the floppy? Did you use custom partitions and did those work correctly?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DFATAnt
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The command I used when booting off floppy was:

ks=floppy method=cdrom

I did use custom partitions and they did work correctly. I also configured the hostname, IP address, netmask, gateway and nameserver and they were all configured correctly after the ESX server booted up.

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sbeaver
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and you still got prompted?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DFATAnt
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Yes, I still got prompted.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I used the autostep option in the kickstart file and watched what happens. It seems that before the kickstart file gets used, I am being prompted for which NIC I am going to use. After that, everything seems to get installed as per the kickstart file, even the option of which NIC to bind to the system console .

At the end of the day, it's not such a big problem. It would just be nice to not have to watch the install process for the first couple of minutes. I was just hoping that someone out there might have had the same experience and found an answer.

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sbeaver
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I have not seen that yet (knock on wood) Bummer

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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MC1903
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I am using RDP for my deployements... The network line in my KS script looks like this... It works fine...

\# Network install type

network --bootproto static --device=eth1 --ip=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --netmask=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --gateway=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --nameserver=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx --hostname=hostname.domain --addvmportgroup=0 --vlanid=0[/i]

You should also look at the physical switch port configuration... I had weird isues until I had spanning tree disabled (portfast enabled on cisco switches) on the port(s) I was using...

Martin

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DFATAnt
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Thanks for the input Martin. I'll have the network guys tell me how the physical switch is configured. Maybe that'll be the answer. I live in hope.

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