Kickstart via FTP

[terran0925]

I finally got the KS script working properly with the ESX scripted install but would like to ask 2 questions:

1. When I execute ESX KS=floppy to start the scripted install, what KS file does it look for? I currently just put a file named KS.cfg on a floppy and it seems to work. Is there a way to specify the file name?

2. I'm trying to make the scripted install a bit easier by using an FTP server we have setup. I can't seem to find any webpages with the exact syntax. I've seen it before where you'd enter in a static IP (not using DHCP) mask, FTP server URL. Does anyone have that command handy?

Thanks.

[terran0925]

I found the answer to the first question in the RedHat manual:

To perform a diskette-based kickstart installation, the kickstart le must be named ks.cfg and must

be located in the boot diskette's top-level directory.

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Anyone have the command to execute handy? Thanks.

[cricalix]

On a RHEL front, I think FTP/HTTP retrieval of the KS file always use DHCP for the initial network connection. For our guests, this works just fine - we DHCP them temporarily while they install, and the KS file stored server-side (served up via PHP based on MAC addresses in the request headers) has the actual IP address configuration. might be useful.

If it helps, our boot CD has an isolinux.cfg with

label autobuild

kernel vmlinuz

append initrd=initrd.img kssendmac ksdevice=eth0 ks=http://puppetmaster/ks/index.php text

The kssendmac is the trick, it lets index.php work out which server is requesting a kickstart. We can then do many-to-1 or 1-to-1 mappings to the configuration files. The files are pretty much indentical, other than the hard-coded IP address, and some of the %post stuff.

[dominic7]

You should be able to specity another file like this:

ks=hd:fd0/esx01.cfg

[terran0925]

I managed to find this site which seems to answer what I'd like to do:

[cricalix]

Very nifty find, I think I'll be bookmarking that, as I didn't realise you could pass static IPs in the initrd setup.

[jojo]

circalix,

i use the kssendmac feature in version 3.x and now we want to update our environment to vsphere - but I cannot find a alternativ keyword.

Is this feature complete removed ?

-js