B AutoYaST FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions #

On all SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions, the automatic installation gets invoked by adding autoyast=<PATH_TO_PROFILE> to the kernel parameter list. So for example adding autoyast=http://MYSERVER/MYCONFIG.xml will start an automatic installation where the profile with the AutoYaST configuration gets fetched from the Web server myserver. See Section 6.3, “Invoking the Auto-Installation Process” for more information.

A profile is the AutoYaST configuration file. The content of the AutoYaST profile determines how the system will be configured and which packages will get installed. This includes partitioning, network setup, and software sources, to name but a few. Almost everything that can be configured with YaST in a running system can also be configured in an AutoYaST profile. The profile format is an ASCII XML file.

The easiest way to create an AutoYaST profile is to use an existing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server system as a template. On an already installed system, start YaST › Miscellaneous › Autoinstallation. Now select Tools › Create Reference Profile from the menu. Choose the system components you want to include in the profile. Alternatively, create a profile containing the complete system configuration by running sudo yast clone_system from the command line.

Both methods will create the file /root/autoinst.xml. The version created on the command line can be used to set up an identical clone of the system on which the profile was created. However, usually you will want to adjust the file to make it possible to install several machines that are very similar, but not identical. This can be done by adjusting the profile using your favorite text/XML editor.

The most efficient way to check your created AutoYaST profile is by using jing or xmllint.

See Section 3.3, “Creating/Editing a Control File Manually” for details.

If a section has not been defined in the AutoYaST profile the settings of the general YaST installation proposal will be used. However, you need to specify at least the root password to be able to log in to the machine after the installation.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE profile>
<profile xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns" xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">
  <users config:type="list">
    <user>
      <encrypted config:type="boolean">false</encrypted>
      <user_password>linux</user_password>
      <username>root</username>
    </user>
  </users>
</profile>

Use the following sound section in your profile:

<sound>
  <autoinstall config:type="boolean">true</autoinstall>
  <configure_detected config:type="boolean">true</configure_detected>
</sound>

Put the profile in the root of the DVD. Refer to it with file:///PROFILE.xml.

To merge two profiles, a.xml with base.xml, run the following command:

/usr/bin/xsltproc --novalid --param replace "'false'" \
--param dontmerge1 "'package'" --param with "'a.xml'" --output out.xml \
/usr/share/autoinstall/xslt/merge.xslt base.xml

This requires sections in both profiles to be in alphabetical order (<software>, for example, needs to be listed after <add-on>). If you have created the profile with YaST, profiles are automatically sorted correctly.

The dontmerge1 parameter is optional and an example of what to do when you use the dont_merge element in your profile. See Section 5.4, “Merging of Rules and Classes” for more information.

Zypper can only be called from AutoYaST init scripts, because during the post-script phase, YaST still has an exclusive lock on the RPM database.

If you really need to use other script types (for example a post-script) you will need to break the lock at your own risk:

<post-scripts config:type="list">
  <script>
    <filename>yast_clone.sh</filename>
    <interpreter>shell</interpreter>
    <location/>
    <feedback config:type="boolean">false</feedback>
    <source><![CDATA[#!/bin/sh
mv /var/run/zypp.pid /var/run/zypp.sav
zypper in foo
mv /var/run/zypp.sav /var/run/zypp.pid
]]></source>
  </script>
</post-scripts>

Actually the order is not important. The order of sections in the profile has no influence on the AutoYaST workflow. However, if you want to merge different profiles, sections need to be in alphabetical order.

Linuxrc found some unsigned file (like a driver update). To use an unsigned file, you can suppress that message by passing insecure=1 to the linuxrc parameter list (together with the autoyast=... parameter).

You need to pass ifcfg to linuxrc. This is required to set up the network, otherwise AutoYaST cannot download the profile from remote. See Section C.3, “Advanced Network Setup” for more information.

Yes, but it is a little bit “tricky”. You will need to set up the environment (DHCP, TFTP, etc.) very carefully. The AutoYaST profile needs to look like the following:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE profile>
<profile xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns" xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">
  <partitioning config:type="list">
    <drive>
      <device>/dev/nfs</device>
      <initialize config:type="boolean">false</initialize>
      <type config:type="symbol">CT_NFS</type>
      <partitions config:type="list">
        <partition>
          <filesystem config:type="symbol">nfs</filesystem>
          <fstopt>nolock</fstopt>
          <device>10.10.1.53:/tmp/m4</device>
          <mount>/</mount>
        </partition>
      </partitions>
      <use>all</use>
    </drive>
  </partitioning>
</profile>

There is an AutoYaST mailing list where you can post your questions. Join us at http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-autoinstall/.