Net Install ISO

The net install ISO is a minimal installation image that contains only the core operating system components, allowing the installer to boot and then install the operating system on a disk. After installation is completed, the operating system pulls all required container images from the internet (mostly from Docker Hub).

You can use the net install ISO in the following situations:

  • The virtual media implementation on a server is buggy or slow. Some users have reported that ISO redirection is too slow to preload all images onto a system. For more information, see Issue 2651.

  • You have a private registry that contains all SUSE® Virtualization images, as well as the knowledge and experience required to configure image mirrors for containerd.

You must always use the full ISO to bootstrap a SUSE® Virtualization cluster (in other words, use the ISO without the -net-install suffix). The full ISO contains all required images, and the installer preloads those images during installation. You can easily reach the Docker Hub rate limit when using a net install ISO to bootstrap the cluster.

Usage

Download the net install ISO from the GitHub Releases page, and then boot the ISO to install SUSE® Virtualization. Net install ISO file names have the suffix net-install (for example, https://releases.rancher.com/harvester/v1.3.0/harvester-v1.3.0-amd64-net-install.iso).

PXE Installation

If you decide to use the net install ISO as the PXE installation source, add the following parameter when booting the kernel:

harvester.install.with_net_images=true

For more information, see PXE Boot Installation.