I use the list-harddrives utility in the %pre section, to make some assumptions about drives, ie if scsi, install scsi, if ide and scsi, install scsi, etc.... then I dynamically write a partition table, that get's used as an include. I've seen similar things done in python, but I just use what utilities are available during the install. You could also probably look into what /proc has about ide/scsi/md. You have to decide about what devices you are going to support though, I decided that any special devices, would be custom and hence, warranted their own ks file. So I only support ide/scsi, and memory size detection for swap. amm On Wed, 19 Feb 2003, dfloyd1 wrote: > Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 08:28:03 -0800 (PST) > From: dfloyd1 <dfloyd1@xxxxxxxxx> > Reply-To: kickstart-list@xxxxxxxxxx > To: kickstart-list@xxxxxxxxxx > Subject: SCSI / IDE detection using kickstart and loadlin > > Thanks again for the attention, > > > > ***Is there any reason it can't install a Linux filesytem containing Linux? > ***I don't care whether it's in addition to, or instead of the Windows. > I am installing Linux file systems...for clarification I will include my > ks.cfg below. Please note that the 'part' section is just an example until I > finialize partition size requirements... (Clearpart will keep the existing > Fat32 partition and > add 2 Linux partitions.) > > My ks.cfg configuration: > ####################### > lang en_US > langsupport en_US > keyboard us > mouse --emulthree generic3ps/2 > timezone --utc America/New_York > rootpw --iscrypted $1$ra7.bZÝM$k8tTmuc1dG6clRGie0NFM0 > reboot > text > bootloader --location=mbr > install > > #The following line is the line in question... > harddrive --dir syswork/rhew21 --partition /dev/hda1 > > clearpart --linux > #Below partitioning is an example > part / --fstype ext3 --size 8000 > part swap --size 512 > network --bootproto dhcp > auth --useshadow --enablemd5 > firewall --medium > skipx > %packages > @Everything > > ####################### > > ***Actually, you haven't said what's in the FAT32 partition. > I did..let me clarify. The Fat32 partition contains the loadlin Linux > loader, and initrd and kernel from RedHat CD and a copy of the RedHat > directory off the CD's + RPMS to allow the machines to boot from CD. This > will always be the first partition of a Scsi or IDE drive. (sda1 or hda1) > > > ***You can partition in the %pre section instead of using Anaconda's > ***partitioning. I'm not sure how to detect whether you're using SCSI or > ***ATA. If you never have both installed, then it's fairly easy. One way is > ***to grep the kernel messages. > > ***However, if possible, I want something better than the basic toolset in > ***the installer. > > > The line in question is: > harddrive --dir syswork/rhew21 --partition /dev/hda1 > > Does the installer go through the above line (which tells where the > installation files are to be located) AFTER going through the %pre section? > If so, I'm wondering if it would be possible to modify if the machine has a > scsi drive instead of a ide > drive attached. I already have partitioning taken care of..I just need to > make sure it can find the installation files (sda1 vs. hda1) > > > I hope this clarifies, thanks again for the assistance. > > > We are using PowerQuest DriveImage(Imaging software) to load the software > > via the network(via non *nix servers) onto the configured machines. The > > image is simply an active Fat32 partition with an autoexec.bat file to > kick > > off loadlin and point to the RedHat directory which is also part of this > > image. > > > > After the image is loaded, it reboots and continues to install Linux. > > > > Again we can't modify the servers (ie installing via NFS or http) and the > > solution must be able to detect what kind of hard drive is attached to it. > > > > Thanks again, > > Dave > > > > > > >***How are you getting the Linux images to these machines? > > > > > > > Greetings, > > > > > > In my environment, we have been tasked to have kickstart be used to > > automate > > > the setup of our Linux boxes. The interesting twist is that nobody will > be > > > at the consoles to insert disk media (cd-roms nor floppy) and the entire > > > installation has to kick off from the first partition (Fat32) of the > hard > > > drive. > > > > > > > > > > The hard drives arcitecture varies (Some machines may have 1 IDE, Some > > have > > > 1 SCSI) so we need to make sure the process can detect which type of > hard > > > drive it is loading from. > > > > > > In addition, the kickstart file needs to be called from the hard drive > via > > > loadlin.exe (Fat32 partition...sda1 or hda1...) and not initially > > enclosed > > > in an initrd until loadlin boots the kernel. > > > > > > > > > My current batch file runs the following: > > > loadlin vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img ramdisk_size=7192 ks=hd:hda1/ks.cfg > > > > > > which, of corse works great on IDE machines since I'm specifying that > it's > > > IDE. > > > > > > Is is possible to, say, package a dummy ks.cfg file in the initrd, use > > > ks=file:ks.cfg as the parameter and before the installer reads the ks > > file, > > > get the initrd to detect whither the hd is scsi or ide (maybe by issuing > a > > > mount /dev/hda1 attempting to copy/mnt/hda1/ks.cfg, umount hda1, mount > > sda1 > > > attempt to copy /mnt/sda1/ks.cfg.. and append it's findings to ks.cfg? > > > > > > > > > Again, we have a Fat32 bootable partition which boots linux via loadlin > > and > > > must detect the hard drive just like it can when linux is installed via > > > CD...(If it sees a scsi drive, it defaults to sda...etc). > > > > > > Many thanks for your sugesstions and assistance, > > > > > > Dave > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Kickstart-list mailing list > Kickstart-list@xxxxxxxxxx > https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/kickstart-list >
