Auto Generate a VM for Centos6

[badouglas11]

Hi.

Running vmplayer 4.02, Centos6 as a guest, on fedora13 as host platform.

I'm trying to automatically run vmplayer to generate a Centos6 based VM.

I've been able to do this for fedora, using the autoinst.iso that was created by manually creating the fedora VM. However, with Centos6, and easy install, no autoinst.iso is produced.

I'm at a loss as to how to proceed.

My attempts so far result in me getting the Centos6 welcome screen from the kickstart, but I don't know how to automatically get to the next page, and proceed through the install process.

Pointers, or code segments would be appreciated on this.

Thanks

[adelisa]

Hi badouglas11 ,

Please go through this video .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSsgpwbLgtE .

.

" Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion."

[WoodyZ]

badouglas11 wrote: no autoinst.iso is produced.

I find that hard to believe since it cannot do a Easy Install without it.   I just tested a CentOS DVD ISO Image with VMware Player 4 and it recognized it as such and created the autoinst.iso file in the VM's working directory and it does contain a KS.CFG file.

Message was edited by: WoodyZ - Added KS.CFG file after removing password.

[badouglas11]

Morning/Hi Woddy.

My bad. Let me re-explain what I did, and whatI'm trying to accomplish.

When I use VMplayer to create a VM based on Centos, vmplayer invokes the easy install process, and does not allow me to specify a number of the usual attributes that can be selected during the normal installation process. It also loads some set of apps/packages that are defined for the easy install process, which might not be what I'd like.

However, it does generate an autoinst.iso file. (my bad!!).

When I initially used this autoinst file, after extracting/modifying/reinserting the ks.cfg file to then try to auto gen the process, it didn't go through to completion.

I then tried to do a centos6 install, using a process of creating a base/clean VM, selecting the OS attribute saying I'll "install the OS later" and then going to the hardware setup page, where I then matched the drive with the centos6 dvd1 iso file. I then went ahead and ran the VM creation process, which went to the "welcome page", followed by the "verify media, and the subsequent install prompts.

This process "did not" generate an autoinst.iso file.

If it will help, I can write up, and provide the complete process that I'm using for both processes.

Thanks.

-bruce

[badouglas11]

Hi.

Tried to view the youtube video. Videeo was there, audio for the file was not. And yeah, my audio/sound in my system works with other sites.

But it appears (from looking at the menu pointer) that the install process is for manually installing Centos6, not for crafting an autogen process.

Thanks!!

[WoodyZ]

I then tried to do a centos6 install, using a process of creating a base/clean VM, selecting the OS attribute saying I'll "install the OS later" and then going to the hardware setup page, where I then matched the drive with the centos6 dvd1 iso file. I then went ahead and ran the VM creation process, which went to the "welcome page", followed by the "verify media, and the subsequent install prompts.

This process "did not" generate an autoinst.iso file.

Nor should it have created one in that use case scenario.

Here is my suggestion and you may have already in part done this...

The way I've built customized autoinst.iso files in the past is to first walk through the process taking the defaults with Easy Install to capture the autoinst.iso file but not actually proceed with the installation.

Next I manually build the VM while doing a manual customized install and capture the ks.cfg file the installer creates.  I then create a new ks.cfg base upon both the Easy Install default and the manually created customized install.  This combined ks.cfg is what is then used when my script creates the autoinst.iso file used when the subsequent entire process of creating a VM from script is used.

One thing to keep in mind with doing thing like this with VM is to make sure you do not need to do a media change during the install process.  In other words there have been times in the past where I had to create a new ISO Image that contained all necessary software so a media change would not be needed.  As an example one time I remember recently is having a 5 or 6 CD ISO Image set that I created a single DVD ISO Image from to avoid the media change in a scripted scenario.

Regardless though if you're hitting a wall you may have to do several test installs breaking your scripts down into segments to see where it is failing if it's not being logged where it can be reviewed.  Or implement some logging so as to examine where it's failing.