Fc3 : installation via pxe boot and network

[Joe Christy]

   Vis-a-vis Dirk's note of 01/06/2005 05:23 AM:
> ...
> i`m trying to setup an install server to boot and install systems via 
> network.
> 
> Currently I`m using the initrd from  base/pxeboot.
> 
> Now: the kernel boots fine, the ramdisk is loaded and /sbin/loader starts.
> 
> However after loading the network driver it then hangs forever with:
> 'trying to mount CD device hda'.
> 
> Well, of course there is no cdrom media present....
> 
> Question: how can i tell the /sbin/loader to start a network install ?
> ...

	Works fine for me with precisely that initrd. I think that the 
kickstart piece of the puzzle is what you are missing.

	I do an interactive network install by placing the following ks.cfg in 
/tftpboot/linux-install/FC3/ on my tftp server, too.

#######################################################################
#use NFS installation media
nfs --server 172.24.4.16 --dir /usr/local/Heidelberg
#######################################################################

where /usr/local/Heidelberg/Fedora/{base,RPMS} on my install server 
contains the install tree and is NFS exported to the network segment 
(only) where the installees reside.

	I also have a much funkier, sort-of-working, localized kickstart config 
within /usr/local/Heidelberg/Fedora/ that aims to give me a hands-free 
install of a heavily customized install for the cluster nodes of my 
web-app backend. I can't claim to be 100% certain of how/why kickstart 
works in this situation though. I just experiment with each new RH/FC 
release until I hit a working combination.

	FWIW, I did _not_ use the system-config-netboot generated dhcpd.conf, 
as I my dhcp server lives on a *BSD box, and the generated dhcpd.conf 
simply didn't work, while one based on the info from the SYSLINUX site: 
http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php#special has worked for me for some 
time now. If FC3 now uses a sufficiently modern version of dhcp, the 
comments there should apply equally.

	The bottom line is that it's still neccessary to do a fair amount of 
Googling & tweaking to use the system-config-netboot tool for installs, 
though it did make setting up the tftpboot tree _much_ less painful than 
the system I've used w/ earlier RH's & FC's.

	Joe

PS It goes without saying (I hope) that you want all your 
dhcp/tftp/install servers securely isolated from the open Internet; 
there be monsters.