PXE Installation

[shlammed]

Hello, I have an IBM Blade running Red Hat Enterprise 4 Update 4. I have it configured as a DHCP server, it's running nfs, tftp, etc. I am trying to serve both Red Hat and SUSE 10 PXE installations from it.

I have 0 problems when doing a PXE boot and installing Red Hat, but when I try to PXE boot and install SUSE, it comes back and says it cannot find the source media. Can someone with experience in PXE installs tell me what exact folder has to be copied for the SUSE install? I have the whole CD copied to a folder on the Red Hat server and have tried pointing it to different directories but nothing seems to be working.

If I can't figure this out, I may try to install SUSE and use it to serve Red Hat instead.

Thanks.

[Freston]

Welcome to the forums!

First, did you check all your paths? I know this is obvious, but we'll start with the easy questions

Another easy question, did you read installing SuSE with PXE boot

Then, how is it exactly how you are doing this? Can you give some more detail on your procedure?? There's more than one way to do this...



And lastly, if you have to install many similar machines, it may be worth your while to skip the installation on all those machines and just write an image. You need one properly set up machine for that, and the rest can be done automagical over the network. Just an idea.

[shlammed]

Welcome to the forums!

First, did you check all your paths? I know this is obvious, but we'll start with the easy questions

Another easy question, did you read installing SuSE with PXE boot

Then, how is it exactly how you are doing this? Can you give some more detail on your procedure?? There's more than one way to do this...



And lastly, if you have to install many similar machines, it may be worth your while to skip the installation on all those machines and just write an image. You need one properly set up machine for that, and the rest can be done automagical over the network. Just an idea.

What do you mean by check all my paths? Everything in the config files is pointing to the right paths from what I could see. However, I noticed that I cannot mount the NFS volume that is hosting the SUSE install files from another machine. I guess that may be the issue but I'm not sure what to do there. My /etc/exports file has the path in there already and the RedHat source files are located in the same path but in a seperate folder. RedHat works fine.

hmmmmmmmmm

As for imaging, we do use Ghost, but deploying via PXE seems to be a lot quicker.

[Freston]

It might be more of a permission issue? File and directory ownerships? user_squash and/or root_squash getting in the way? Machine in the wrong range?

If I where you I would focus on getting the NFS mounted properly.


See if I get this right...
You have a client and a server.
Serverside:
- offers DHCP to requesting clients (IP, GW, DNS)
- TFTP will bring the client a kernel and an initrd per request
- offers NFS as set in /etc/exports
Clientside:
- chooses PXE netboot as defined in BIOS
- requests DHCP (IP, GW, DNS)
- loads kernel and initrd over TFTP
- mounts NFS
- happy

These are the steps right? But you don't reach 'happy', so there is a problem in one (or more) in the above.

For all I know, you use different kernels and probably different initrd's when loading Red Hat as opposed to SuSE. This may also be a source for trouble.


First, try to get the NFS mounted manually. Rule that out first. It may be the kernel or initrd or a loose wire somewhere (you wont be the first to blame the OS for a broken switch port ).

Oh and correct me if I assume too much or have a different idea about what's happening on your side.

[shlammed]

It might be more of a permission issue? File and directory ownerships? user_squash and/or root_squash getting in the way? Machine in the wrong range?

If I where you I would focus on getting the NFS mounted properly.


See if I get this right...
You have a client and a server.
Serverside:
- offers DHCP to requesting clients (IP, GW, DNS)
- TFTP will bring the client a kernel and an initrd per request
- offers NFS as set in /etc/exports
Clientside:
- chooses PXE netboot as defined in BIOS
- requests DHCP (IP, GW, DNS)
- loads kernel and initrd over TFTP
- mounts NFS
- happy

These are the steps right? But you don't reach 'happy', so there is a problem in one (or more) in the above.

For all I know, you use different kernels and probably different initrd's when loading Red Hat as opposed to SuSE. This may also be a source for trouble.


First, try to get the NFS mounted manually. Rule that out first. It may be the kernel or initrd or a loose wire somewhere (you wont be the first to blame the OS for a broken switch port ).

Oh and correct me if I assume too much or have a different idea about what's happening on your side.

yes, that's pretty much how it works.

As for the kernel, the redhat is using a kernel copied from the redhat CD and the SUSE is using one copied from the SUSE CD. I'm not sure if I should be using the same for both.

Also, the weird part is that the /etc/exports specifies /var/tmp/iso and within that folder is the RedHat folder (redhat works no problem) but there is also a SUSE folder which is the one not working.

[Freston]

Note the notes on Red Hat servers.

Did you take that into account?

It seems to me it is indeed a problem with the kernel&&initrd combo. Seems you need different ones for the PXE install than the one featured on the install DVD. A link to the download location is in the above link.
This may not be the case for Red Hat, as each distro is different and each install CD/DVD has different options and features. SuSE may not have everything you need enabled.

Still, that you can't mount the NFS directory may throw some bonus problems into the mix. Maybe `ls -l /var/tmp/iso` to check the permissions??

I'm not sure if I should be using the same for both.

Well, you could use Red Hats kernel for installing SuSE, but you can't use Red Hats initrd for the same as this will confuse the hell out of you and the machine.

[shlammed]

Note the notes on Red Hat servers.

Did you take that into account?

It seems to me it is indeed a problem with the kernel&&initrd combo. Seems you need different ones for the PXE install than the one featured on the install DVD. A link to the download location is in the above link.
This may not be the case for Red Hat, as each distro is different and each install CD/DVD has different options and features. SuSE may not have everything you need enabled.

Still, that you can't mount the NFS directory may throw some bonus problems into the mix. Maybe `ls -l /var/tmp/iso` to check the permissions??


Well, you could use Red Hats kernel for installing SuSE, but you can't use Red Hats initrd for the same as this will confuse the hell out of you and the machine.

I got it working.

/var/tmp/iso is in the /etc/exports file

However, when I copied the SUSE DVD to this location, it put it in a folder called 'cdrecorder'. I created a folder called /var/tmp/iso/suse and moved everything from /var/tmp/iso/cdrecorder into it and the install is now working.

Now I just need to create an autoyast file

woohoo

[Freston]

Aw, here I was feeling all special talking about kernels and initrd's with the big boys and it turns out to be a silly path (told ya to check the paths )

Good you got it working!

*mumbles something about how it's always the little things*