Applies to SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2

7 Deploying selfinstall images #

The chapter describes deployment of SLE Micro from selfinstall pre-built ISO images.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro provides selfinstall ISO images that enable you to deploy SLE Micro to your machine (either a virtual machine or a bare metal) and configure the system on the first boot.

To prepare the setup, you need the following:

a disk (either a physical or a virtual) where SLE Micro will run
a bootable device with the selfinstall ISO (for example a USB disk)
a device that serves as a configuration medium. To prepare the configuration device, follow the steps in Procedure 7.1, “Preparing the configuration device.”.
Note: The configuration device must be plugged in during the first boot.
Bear in mind that the configuration device must be plugged in throughout the whole configuration process on the first boot. It is recommended to plug in the device before starting the installation process. However, if your firmware does not support having attached two or more USB disks on boot, you can exchange the USB device before you start the configuration process.

The following procedure describes how to prepare the configuration device:

Procedure 7.1: Preparing the configuration device. #

Format the disk to any file system supported by SLE Micro: Ext3, Ext4, etc.:
```
> sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdY
```
Set the device label to either ignition (when either Ignition or Combustion is used) or combustion (when only Combustion is used). If needed, you can use uppercase letters for the labels, too. To label the device, run:
```
> sudo e2label /dev/sdY ignition
```
You can use any type of configuration storage media that your virtualization system or your hardware supports: ISO image, a USB flash disk, etc.
Mount the device:
```
> sudo mount /dev/sdY /mnt
```
Create the directory structure as mentioned in Chapter 8, Configuring with Ignition or Chapter 9, Configuring with Combustion, depending on the configuration tool used:
```
> sudo mkdir -p /mnt/ignition/
```
or:
```
> sudo mkdir -p /mnt/combustion/
```
Prior to booting for the first time, prepare all elements of the configuration that will be used by Ignition or Combustion. To log in to your system, you need to provide a password for root or set up passwordless authentication, otherwise the system will not be accessible after the first boot.

After you have prepared the configuration device, you can begin the installation process as described below.

Procedure 7.2: SLE Micro installation #

Boot your machine with the selfinstall ISO attached.
Select Install SLE Micro to start the installation process.
Select the disk where SLE Micro will be installed and confirm that you want to delete data on the disk. A SLE Micro image is then copied to the disk.
Using kexec, your system reboots and is then prepared for the configuration process.
Start the configuration process by selecting SLE Micro. SLE Micro is configured according to the instructions provided on the configuration device.
Important: Installation using the selfinstall ISO image does not create a boot EFI entry
During the deployment of the selfinstall ISO, the image of the system is just copied to the selected disk, therefore, an EFI boot entry is not created (like it normally would if the system is deployed using an installer). You might need to manually boot your system using the EFI shell by selecting the SLE Micro boot loader. After the first boot, you can use efibootmgr to create the boot entry. efibootmgr is available by default in the deployed image.
After the configuration process is complete, you can log in to your system.

After the first boot, you can register your SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro instance by using the transactional-update command. For details, refer to Section 10.1, “Registration”.

SLE Micro has available extension for live patching. To use this extension, you need to add the extension to your subscription from the installed system. For details, refer to Section 10.2, “Managing extensions”.