Your method is cool, but a little advanced. Try this: Just copy your NFS tree to a web-viewable directory on a web server and change the one line in your kickstart file to use http instead of nfs. Jason John Summerfield wrote: > Joe_Wulf wrote: >> John, >> >> Thank you for writing. >> >> At this point NFS is all I know. I have 'gotten' the concept of >> kickstarting >> only recently, much less learned and applied it and gotten it to >> work. A >> friend/co-worker helped me to get the NFS working. I've set it up, >> the same >> way for two different locations. One of the kickstart servers is FC5 >> the >> other is Fedora 7. I've pretty carefully checked my configuration >> stuff. >> Made sure DHCP, pxeconfig, tftp and NFS were set up. I've done >> matched up >> comparisons between the config files for both locations. At the FC5 >> site >> I can fully build repeatedly the same end systems (RHEL AS4u5 32/64 bit) >> and (RHEL5 32/64 bit) while only changing the nuts and bolts in the >> %post >> sections. I'm applying the same logic and applying the same kinds of >> things at the Fedora 7 site (even with the same IP networks/address >> space) >> and find that the at the Fedora 7 site, something is 'wrong'. About 1 >> time in 25 (or more) the system will build without anything changing; >> the >> rest of the time it is not NFS mounting for the KS.cfg parts. So, its >> failing at the same place. > > What's in /var/log/messages? > > > > To use http, you need a web server. I use virtual hosts, but that's > not essential. > > With a decent Internet connexion, one can also install via http > directly off the 'net. It runs well with a caching proxy, and bot > Squid and Apache can fill that role superbly. > > An advantage of this technique is that one only downloads those files > actually needed: there's no need for several Gbytes of data. > > Once it's cached, installs go at local LAN speeds. > > If using Squid, then I suggest a transparent proxy - it simplifies > installs (one does not need to configure the proxy) and applies to > ordinary folk using Firefox, Seamonkey etc as well. > > I use this virtual host definition: > [root@ns ~]# cat /etc/httpd/conf/vhosts.d/RHEL.conf > <VirtualHost *:80> > ServerAdmin webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > DocumentRoot /var/local/mirrors/linux/RHEL > ServerName RHEL.demo.lan > ServerAlias RHEL.demo.room > ServerAlias RHEL > Alias /RHEL/ "/var/local/mirrors/linux/RHEL/" > Alias /Fedora/ > "/var/local/mirrors/linux/Fedora/" > Alias /Specifix/ > "/var/local/mirrors/linux/Specifix/os/" > Alias /ScientificLinux/ > "/var/local/mirrors/linux/ScientificLinux/" > Alias /CentOS/ > "/var/local/mirrors/linux/CentOS/" > ScriptAlias /ks/ "/var/local/mirrors/linux/ks/" > ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/RHEL-error_log > CustomLog /var/log/httpd/RHEL-access_log combined > <Directory "/var/local/mirrors/linux/RHEL/"> > AllowOverride None > Options +FollowSymLinks +Indexes > Order allow,deny > Allow from 192.168 > </Directory> > > <directory "/var/local/mirrors/linux/Fedora"> > AllowOverride None > Options FollowSymLinks Indexes > Order allow,deny > Allow from 192.168 > </Directory> > > <directory "/var/local/mirrors/linux/Specifix/os"> > AllowOverride None > Options FollowSymLinks Indexes > Order allow,deny > Allow from 192.168 > </Directory> > <Directory "/var/local/mirrors/linux/CentOS/"> > AllowOverride None > Options FollowSymLinks Indexes > Order allow,deny > Allow from 192.168 > </Directory> > > > </VirtualHost> > [root@ns ~]# > > If you don't want the virtual host stuff, just remove the virtualhost > things fore and aft. > > I have another vhost which I used to install FC2 through a modem with > time-limited sessions; I'll post it on provocation:-) > > > > > > >> >> On the VC3 screen there is syslog-like output, of the following >> (retyped): >> 20:08:21 INFO : doing kickstart... setting it up >> 20:08:22 INFO : DHCPv4 interface configuration succeeded. >> 20:08:23 WARNING : reverse name lookup failed >> 20:08:24 INFO : url is 192.168.10.2:/ks/ks-f/RHEL5u0x32ks.cfg >> 20:08:25 INFO : file location: >> nfs://192.168.10.2:/ks/ks-f/RHEL5u0x32ks.cfg >> 20:08:26 ERROR : failed to mount nfs source > > Like you, I found nfs a little temperamental. In contrast, httpp works > every time, and also it writes a nice log so one can see what files > are used. > > >> >> I've put the 'seconds' in increments to uniquely talk about each >> line, as >> needed. Before ":21" I'm frustrated with the IPv6 that it wastes >> time trying >> to mount, but hopefully someone will give me a way to prevent that. > > I think it's "noipv6" > >> >> At ":23" I do not understand that reverse name lookup failure. DNS >> has been >> setup, established, configured and not changed. For these boots, it >> seems >> that the errors only occasionally go away without any change to DNS or a >> restart of the named daemon. And when I don't get this error, the >> systems >> NFS mount and build fully. > It's trying to convert your install target's IP address to a host > name. It plans to use this as the name of the system. > >> >> At the Fedora 7 site, the Fedora 7 system is a Pentium 4 with 512 MB >> of RAM >> 726 GB of disk storage with a 100 bit ethernet card. The network >> connections >> are through a Linksys RT41-BU router. The kickstart'ees are virtual >> machines >> on a MAC Pro with dual quad-core CPUs, 4GB RAM and 520 GB of internal >> storage. >> The MAC Pro has XP64bit installed and is current with all the Micro$loth >> updates, no firewall, no anti-virus and no anti-spam enabled. >> Manually built >> systems of the above mentioned guests flawlessly install time after >> time, I >> can get them repeatedly successfully mount filesystems via NFS (and >> successfully export them too) > > Xen? > Virtual PC? > VMWare? > Whichever you're using, have you tried one of the others? > > > > I'm not sure of the current situation, but it used to be the case that > Anaconda's nfs tools weren't as good as the installed ones. Also, I > think it's using pump for its dhcp client. > >> >> There is also a Dell XPS 1710 laptop within the same network, also >> every attempt >> to build 32 bit systems succeed. I even changed the 'mac' address of >> a problem >> one not building to identify the one from the MAC Pro over to the >> Dell XPS, and >> it built every time. >> >> R, >> -Joe Wulf, CISSP, USN(RET) >> Senior IA Engineer >> ProSync Technology Group, LLC >> www.prosync.com >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: kickstart-list-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx >> [mailto:kickstart-list-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Summerfield >> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 20:41 >> To: Discussion list about Kickstart >> Subject: Re: NFS booting problem >> >> Joe_Wulf wrote: >>> I've got an on again, off again problem where I can initiate a >>> kickstart for >>> RHEL5 (32 or 64 bit), as well as >>> for RHEL AS4 (32 or 64 bit) and many times the NFS mount for the KS >>> config cannot be found. Then, after numerous reboots to >>> troubleshoot the problem, poof, the NFS mount is found and some >>> systems get built. Nothing changed. Even reboots of the kickstart >>> server, the Linksys router and the Mac Pro (with WinXP and VMware 6 >>> installed) don't change that many restarts have to happen before it >>> will somehow, magically start building. >>> >>> A most confusing problem and one that I need insight, advice and >>> questions from you all on what to check so I can solve it. All help >>> is appreciated! >> >> It's some years since I did an NFS install. http, in my experience, >> works well. >> Do you have some reason (other than setup) not to do it too? >> > > _______________________________________________ Kickstart-list mailing list Kickstart-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/kickstart-list
