[install-discuss] Solaris x86 Jumpstart without PXEboot

[Dave Miner]

David wrote:
> Trying to figure out how to do network installs of Solaris x86 without the use of PXE.  Many companies do not allow the use of PXE and limit the use of DHCP. This is obviously problematic for building Solaris x86 systems. One thought was to use the process described in some Sun BluePrint docs to create a DVD boot image but I tried this and it still seems to fall short of what I need.  So here is what I thought at a high-level could work(happen).
> 
> - add client to the jumpstart "infrastructure" with add_install_client
> - boot cdrom - install
> - installer asks for the necessary network identity information information (ip address, default route, netmask)
> - installer configures running mini-root to "be" the networked system and starts network process
> - installer sends out a request (maybe via bpgetfile) to find out who the profile and install server is for this client
> - rest of the jumpstart build (magic) happens .... 
> 
> So, essentially I want to boot from cdrom/dvd and give just enough info to get the jumpstart install process moving without the use of dhcp and PXE. COmpanies are doing similar things now with Linux/Kickstart Boot cd's.
> 
> Has anyone tackled this yet?
> 
> Ideas?
> 

Assuming we're talking about a Solaris release that uses GRUB, you can 
probably accomplish this with just a modified GRUB menu.  The GRUB menu 
entry for a CD/DVD install looks like:

title Solaris Express
         kernel /boot/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix -B install_media=cdrom
         module /boot/x86.miniroot

Whereas for a Jumpstart it's along the lines of

title Solaris_11 Latest, Jumpstart
         kernel /I86PC.Solaris_11/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix -B 
install_config=10.8.57.1:/export/install/js,sysid_config=10.8.57.1:/export/install/nvid,install_media=10.8.57.1:/export/install/nv/x/latest
         module /I86PC.Solaris_11/x86.miniroot

The trick is to merge the above and get GRUB to configure the network 
interface, with the "dhcp" or "ifconfig" commands within GRUB - see the 
GRUB web site for info on them: 
http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

So something like the following on a CD would be pretty close to 
working, though I haven't tried it; substitute your addresses of course:

title Network install without PXE
	ifconfig --server=10.8.57.1 --gateway=10.8.57.248 --mask=255.255.255.0 
--address=10.8.57.2
	kernel /boot/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix 
-Bnstall_config=10.8.57.1:/export/install/js,sysid_config=10.8.57.1:/export/install/nvid,install_media=10.8.57.1:/export/install/nv/x/latest
         module /boot/x86.miniroot

You can just boot from the standard CD or DVD and use the GRUB command 
line interactively to test until you get something working.

Dave