Re: Kickstart Woes Revisited

[Patty OReilly <oreilly qualcomm com>]

Hey, thanks for the tips. I had tried inserting the tlan.o into the
bootnet.img via the method you descibed but it still didn't work. I was
wondering if there are some dependencies that need to be added to the
other files that live under the modules directory after mounting
initrd.img via loopback like modules.dep, modinfo, and pcitable. I had
used a tlan.o file from a kernel I installed on my box which was the same
version as that on the RH 7.1 install floppy. Perhaps I should grab the
one from RedHat/base/stage2.img as you suggested. That will be my next
tact.

Many thanks.

--patty


On Wed, 27 Jun 2001, Seth Alford wrote:

> Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 13:34:52 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Seth Alford <sethal yahoo com>
> Reply-To: redhat-install-list redhat com
> To: redhat-install-list redhat com
> Subject: Re: Kickstart Woes Revisited
> 
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Earlier, Robert Parker wrote:
> >Im having two issues:
> >
> > Problem #1:
> >
> > Im installing RH7.1 onto a Compaq Proliant 1850R
> > server with three disks (raid-1 /, raid-5 /usr).  I
> > want to simply have a single netboot.img floppy
> > that has a modified SYSLINUX.CFG such that it
> > immediately kicks off the ks.cfg on the floppy and
> > performs an NFS install.  That much is simple, but
> > here's the kicker: these Proliant 1850Rs have an
> > integrated TI ThunderLAN (TLAN) interface and these
> > interfaces are not supported by the default kernel
> > in the netboot.img.  I don't want to have to pop in
> > another driver disk when doing what I expect to be
> > a completely handsfree (well, apart from popping in
> > and out the floppy) installation, nor do I want to
> > go the silly route of booting from cdrom then
> > popping in the floppy and typing in "linux
> > ks=floppy" in order to get the richer kernel used
> > on the cdrom (I realize I could also use DHCP for
> > this, but for various reasons which I wont go into,
> > DHCP is absolutely verboten in this environment).
> > I wouldnt mind a non-network install, with the
> > ks.cfg and install RPMs on a CD-RW, but unhappily
> > enough RH7.1 is on two cds now and as I mentioned,
> > changing media during install is too inelegant for
> > my purposes here.
> 
> Are you talking about the bootnet.img that's in
> /images on the RH 7.1 cd1?  As nearly as I can
> tell, there is a module in there for tlan.  Assume
> you have cd1 mounted on /mnt/cdrom.  Try looking at
> (WARNING: this script is untested:)
> 
>         cd /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/base
>         ls stage2.img
>         mkidr /tmp/stage2
>         # Requires the loopback driver
>         mount stage2.img /tmp/stage2 -o loop
>         cd /tmp/stage2/modules
>         gunzip < modules.cgz | cpio -it *tlan*
> 
> For me, it says:
> 
>         2.4.2-2BOOT/tlan.o
> 
> I've put my ks.cfg onto the initrd.img file, within
> bootnet.img.  To do that, you need to do something
> like (WARNING: again, this is an untested script
> and incomplete script:)
> 
>         cp /mnt/cdrom/images/bootnet.img /tmp
>         cd /tmp
>         mkdir bootnet initrd
>         # Again, you need the loopback driver
>         mount bootnet.img bootnet -o loop
>         gunzip < bootnet/initrd.img > initrd.img
>         mount initrd.img initrd -o loop
>         cp ks.cfg initrd/
>         umount initrd
>         gzip < initrd.img > bootnet.img/initrd.img
>         # Edit bootnet/syslinux.cfg.  Modify
>         # the stanza which loads the system to
>         # have an append which includes:
>         # "ks=file:/ks.cfg initrd=initrd.img"
>         umount bootnet
>         # Then dd the /tmp/bootnet.img to floppy
> 
> Yes, I know, you can just put ks.cfg onto the floppy,
> but for various reasons this works better for me.
> 
> >
> > So, Ive tried recompiling another kernel that only
> > supports TLAN and other very basic stuff and
> > slapping it on the floppy, but no dice, half the
> > time the kernel wont boot.  Anyone have any ideas
> > on how I can get TLAN support on a netboot.img
> > floppy kernel (yes, Ive tried the kernels avalable
> > at http://jpprime.free.fr/proliant/, and no, none
> > of them have TLAN support)?  Perhaps someone who
> > has a tried and true kernel config file that
> > supports TLAN and yet is bootable from a
> > netboot.img floppy?  Any other methods Im
> > overlooking?
> 
> Yet another method that might work is to unpack
> kernel source rpm from the RH 7.1 source cd.  That
> rpm puts its cnofig files into
> /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES.  There's one for the BOOT
> kernel.  Modify that cnofig file.  Then build the
> BOOT kernel using:
> 
>         cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS
>         rpm -bb --target=i386 kernel-2.4.spec
> 
> After a while, this will create a set of i386
> kernels, including the BOOT kernel, under
> /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i386.  Then, create a
> new installation CD.  Follow Erik Troan's
> (ewt redhat com) instructions as posted in:
> 
> http://www.redhat.com/mailing-lists/kickstart-list/msg00487.html
> 
> Erik's comments appear in the anaconda source.
> anaconda interprets your kickstart file.
> 
> >
> > Problem #2:
> >
> > Sor some odd reason, all the commands I place in
> > the %post section which are directed to add a file
> > or directory to the filesystem, always end up
> > appending a "?" character to the end of the
> > filename (regardless of whether its done chrooted
> > or with --nochroot).  Heres an example:
> >
> > |
> > |    %post
> > |
> > |     # Add another nameserver
> > |     echo "nameserver 10.10.0.2" >>
> /etc/resolv.conf
> > |
> >
> > This will, after reboot, give me a file called
> > "/etc/resolv.conf?" containing   "nameserver
> > 10.10.0.2".  This also happens, as I mention, when
> > I use the "%post --nochroot" directive with the
> > /mnt/sysimage appended to the pathnames.
> > Obviously, this also screws up any RPMs I might be
> > installing in the %post section, no matter what
> > their "--root" directive is set to.  So, uh, what
> > gives here?  What am I doing wrong?  This didnt
> > seem to happen the last time I mucked around with
> > kickstart in the 6.1 days.
> 
> I haven't seen this, and I am copying files during
> a non-chrooted %post install for use during a
> chrooted %post install.
> 
> >
> > Essentially, Ive got this pipedream that a Linux
> > kickstart should be as easy or easier than a
> > handsfree Solaris Jumpstart.  Crazy me.
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
> >
> > Robert Parker
> 
> RedHat also has a kickstart-list, where topics
> like this are discussed.  Maybe try posting
> something there and see if someone responds?
> 
> --Seth
> sethal yahoo com
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail
> http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Redhat-install-list mailing list
> Redhat-install-list redhat com
> https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-install-list
>