IFAPPENDdf -hCopyright © 2006– 2025 SUSE LLC and contributors. All rights reserved.
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All information found in this book has been compiled with utmost attention to detail. However, this does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither SUSE LLC, its affiliates, the authors nor the translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.
Installations of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server are possible in many different ways. It is impossible to cover all combinations of boot, or installation server, automated installations or deploying images. This manual should help with selecting the appropriate method of deployment for your installation.
The standard deployment instructions differ depending on the architecture used. For differences and requirements regarding the architecture, see this part.
Most tasks that are needed during installations are described here. This includes the manual setup of your computer as well as additional software and remote installations.
Mass installations often require the preparation of images or products furnished with the features that are needed in this special case. Several options are described that allow the administrator to prepare these deployment methods.
To do unattended installations, either use the installation with AutoYaST or prepare an image with kiwi or firstboot. This part describes methods to deploy these installations with a minimum of user interaction.
Many chapters in this manual contain links to additional documentation resources, including additional documentation that is available on the system as well as documentation available on the Internet.
For an overview of the documentation available for your product and the latest documentation updates, refer to http://www.suse.com/doc or to the following section.
We provide HTML and PDF versions of our books in different languages. The following manuals for users and administrators are available for this product:
Shows how to install single or multiple systems and how to exploit the product inherent capabilities for a deployment infrastructure. Choose from various approaches, ranging from a local installation or a network installation server to a mass deployment using a remote-controlled, highly-customized, and automated installation technique.
Covers system administration tasks like maintaining, monitoring, and customizing an initially installed system.
Introduces basic concepts of system security, covering both local and network security aspects. Shows how to make use of the product inherent security software like AppArmor (which lets you specify per program which files the program may read, write, and execute), and the auditing system that reliably collects information about any security-relevant events.
Deals with the particulars of installing and setting up a secure SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and additional post-installation processes required to further secure and harden that installation. Supports the administrator with security-related choices and decisions.
An administrator's guide for problem detection, resolution and optimization. Find how to inspect and optimize your system by means of monitoring tools and how to efficiently manage resources. Also contains an overview of common problems and solutions, and of additional help and documentation resources.
Offers an introduction to virtualization technology of your product. It features an overview of the various fields of application and installation types of each of the platforms supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as well as a short description of the installation procedure.
Offers an introduction to setting up and managing virtualization with KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Learn how to manage KVM with libvirt or QEMU. The guide also contains detailed information about requirements, limitations, and support status.
AutoYaST is a system for installing one or more SUSE Linux Enterprise systems automatically and without user intervention, using an AutoYaST profile that contains installation and configuration data. The manual guides you through the basic steps of auto-installation: preparation, installation, and configuration.
Provides information about how to manage storage devices on a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
In addition to the comprehensive manuals, several quick start guides are available:
Lists the system requirements and guides you step-by-step through the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from DVD, or from an ISO image.
Gives a short overview how to enable and configure the auditing system and how to execute key tasks such as setting up audit rules, generating reports, and analyzing the log files.
Helps you understand the main concepts behind AppArmor®.
Gives a short introduction to LXC (a lightweight “virtualization” method) and shows how to set up an LXC host and LXC containers.
Find HTML versions of most product manuals in your installed system under
/usr/share/doc/manual or in the help centers of your
desktop. Find the latest documentation updates at
http://www.suse.com/doc where you can download PDF or
HTML versions of the manuals for your product.
Several feedback channels are available:
For services and support options available for your product, refer to http://www.suse.com/support/.
To report bugs for a product component, log in to the Novell Customer Center from http://www.suse.com/support/ and select › .
We want to hear your comments about and suggestions for this manual and the other documentation included with this product. Use the User Comments feature at the bottom of each page in the online documentation or go to http://www.suse.com/doc/feedback.html and enter your comments there.
For feedback on the documentation of this product, you can also send a
mail to doc-team@suse.de. Make sure to include the
document title, the product version, and the publication date of the
documentation. To report errors or suggest enhancements, provide a concise
description of the problem and refer to the respective section number and
page (or URL).
The following typographical conventions are used in this manual:
/etc/passwd: directory names and filenames
placeholder: replace placeholder with the actual value
PATH: the environment variable PATH
ls, --help: commands, options, and
parameters
user: users or groups
Alt, Alt–F1: a key to press or a key combination; keys are shown in uppercase as on a keyboard
, › : menu items, buttons
amd64, em64t, ipf
This paragraph is only relevant for the architectures
amd64, em64t, and
ipf. The arrows mark the beginning and the end of the
text block.
IBM Z, ipseries
This paragraph is only relevant for the architectures
System z and ipseries. The arrows
mark the beginning and the end of the text block.
Dancing Penguins (Chapter Penguins, ↑Another Manual): This is a reference to a chapter in another manual.
The implementation of an operating system either in an existing IT environment or as a completely new rollout must be carefully prepared. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 provides a variety of new features. It is impossible to describe all the new features here. The following is just a list of major enhancements that might be of interest.
Runs many virtual machines on a single server, each with its own instance of an operating system. For more information, see Book “Virtualization with Xen”.
Several new configuration options have been developed for YaST. These are normally described in the chapters about the technology involved.
The management utility SPident gives an overview of the installed software base and clarifies the current service pack level of the system.
Several LDAP-compliant directory services are available:
Microsoft Active Directory
OpenLDAP
Harden your System with the AppArmor technology. This service is described in depth in Book “Security Guide”.
This is an intrusion detection system that can be setup to detect unauthorized changes to the system.
iSCSI provides an easy and reasonably inexpensive solution for connecting Linux computers to central storage systems. Find more information about iSCSI in Book “Storage Administration Guide”.
Starting with version 10, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports NFS also in version 4. This gives you performance improvements, strong security, and a “stateful” protocol.
OCFS2 is a general-purpose journaling file system that is fully integrated in the Linux 2.6 kernel and later. Find an overview of OCFS2 in the High Availability Guide.
Debugging kernel-related problems is now much easier when using Kexec and Kdump. This technology is available on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and POWER platforms.
At the beginning of the planning process, you should try to define the project goals and needed features. This must always be done individually for each project, but the questions to answer should include the following:
How many installations should be done? Depending on this, the best deployment methods differ. See also Chapter 5, Deployment Strategies.
Will the system run as physical host or as a virtual machine?
Will the system be in a hostile environment? Have a look at Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 1 “Security and Confidentiality” to get an overview of consequences.
How will you get regular updates? All patches are provided online for registered users. Find the registration and patch support database at http://support.novell.com/filefinder.html.
Do you need help for your local installation? Novell provides training, support, and consulting for all topics pertaining to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Find more information about this at http://www.novell.com/products/server/.
Do you need third-party products? Make sure that the required product is also supported on the desired platform. Novell can provide help to support software on different platforms when needed.
To make sure that your system will run flawlessly, always try to use certified hardware. The hardware certification process is an ongoing process and the database of certified hardware is updated regularly. Find the search form for certified hardware at http://developer.novell.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.
Depending on the number of desired installations, it is beneficial to use installation servers or even completely automatic installations. Have a look at Chapter 5, Deployment Strategies for more information. When using Xen virtualization technologies, network root file systems or network storage solutions like iSCSI should be considered.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server provides you with a broad variety of services. Find an overview of the documentation in this book in Book “Administration Guide”, Preface “About This Guide”. Most of the needed configurations can be made with YaST, the SUSE configuration utility. In addition, many manual configurations are described in the corresponding chapters.
In addition to the plain software installation, you should consider training the end users of the systems as well as help desk staff.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system is a well-tested and stable system. Unfortunately, this does not prevent hardware failures or other causes for downtime or data loss. For any serious computing task where data loss could occur, a regular backup should be done.
For optimal security and data safety, you should make regular updates of all the operated machines. If you have a mission critical server, you should run a second identical (pre-production) machine where you can apply all changes for testing purposes before doing so in production. This also gives you the possibility of switching machines in the case of hardware failure.
This chapter describes the steps necessary to prepare for the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium computers. It introduces the steps required to prepare for various installation methods. The list of hardware requirements provides an overview of supported systems supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Find information about available installation methods and several common known problems. Also learn how to control the installation, provide installation media, and boot with regular methods.
This chapter describes the procedure for preparing the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on IBM POWER systems.
This chapter describes the procedure for preparing the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on IBM System z systems. It provides all information needed to prepare the installation on the LPAR and z/VM side.
This chapter describes the steps necessary to prepare for the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium computers. It introduces the steps required to prepare for various installation methods. The list of hardware requirements provides an overview of supported systems supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Find information about available installation methods and several common known problems. Also learn how to control the installation, provide installation media, and boot with regular methods.
To keep the scope of these guidelines manageable, certain technical assumptions have been made:
You have some computer experience and are familiar with common technical terms.
You are familiar with the documentation for your system and the network on which it runs.
You have a basic understanding of Linux systems.
For an overview of the documentation available for your product and the latest documentation updates, refer to http://www.suse.com/doc.
The SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating system can be deployed on a wide range of hardware. It is impossible to list all the different combinations of hardware SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports. However, to provide you with a guide to help you during the planning phase, the minimum requirements are presented here.
If you want to be sure that a given computer configuration will work, find out which platforms have been certified by SUSE. Find a list at http://developer.novell.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.
Computers based on x86 constitute a cost-effective way of building high-performance systems. The preconditions for operating SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on this platform are as follows:
The number of CPUs supported depends on the kernel used. Specifically, these are as follows:
|
Kernel |
Oldest CPU Type |
Maximum Number of CPUs |
|---|---|---|
|
kernel-default |
PentiumPro, Athlon |
32 |
|
kernel-pae |
Pentium II, Athlon XP |
128 |
A minimum of 512 MB is required. The recommended memory is 1 GB. For a multiprocessor system, 256 MB per processor is required. Systems with less than 1 GB main memory need additional swap space that extends the virtual memory to 1 GB.
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation. Commonly, you need more space than the installation software itself needs to have a system that works properly. Minimal requirements for different selections are:
|
System |
Hard Disk Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Minimal X Window System |
1.2 GB |
|
GNOME Desktop |
3.2 GB |
|
KDE Desktop |
2.7 GB |
|
All patterns |
10 GB |
The computer can be booted for installation from DVD, USB hard drive, or the network. A special boot server is required to boot over the network. This boot server can be configured with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. To use USB hard drives, the BIOS or firmware must support booting from USB devices. Create a bootable USB hard drive as described in Table 6.1, “Boot Options”.
The Itanium architecture is 64-bit and allows the operation of large servers.
II (older Itanium CPUs are no longer supported). Dual core CPUs and hyperthreading are also supported.
At most, 4096 CPUs are supported. For the calculation of the CPU count, a dual-core CPU counts as two CPUs and a hyperthreaded CPU with two siblings also counts as two CPUs. 1024 CPUs could mean 512 dual cores, 512 single cores with hyperthreading, or 256 dual cores with hyperthreading.
A minimum of 1GB RAM per CPU socket is recommended.
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation selected. Commonly, you need more space than the installed software itself needs to have a system that works properly. Minimal requirements for different selections are:
|
System |
Hard Disk Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Minimal System |
4 GB |
|
Recommended |
10 GB |
Options for booting the computer depend on the available hardware. All boot methods available to the machine should work. A special boot server is required to use PXE boot over the network. This may also be set up with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
The AMD64 and Intel 64 architectures support the simple migration of x86 software to 64 bits. Like the x86 architecture, they constitute a value-for-money alternative.
All CPUs available on the market to date are supported. This includes dual-core CPUs.
The maximum number of CPUs supported by AMD64 and Intel 64 is 4096.
A minimum of 512 MB of memory is required. Requirements depend on the application. However, the minimum recommended is 1024 MB or 512 MB per CPU on multiprocessor computers. The theoretical upper limit on the amount of memory supported by the kernel is 512 GB.
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation selected. The required space for this architecture is similar to x86 but you should allocate some space for compatibility libraries. Minimum requirements for different selections are:
|
System |
Hard Disk Requirements |
|---|---|
|
Minimal X Window System |
1.4 GB |
|
GNOME Desktop |
3.5 GB |
|
KDE Desktop |
3 GB |
|
All patterns |
8.5 GB |
The computer can be booted from a CD or a network. A special boot server is required to boot over the network. This can be set up with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
The i586 and x86_64 version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can also be installed as VM Guests on various virtualization hosts. The following host operating systems and virtualization platforms are supported:
KVM on SLES 11 SP2+
XEN on SLES 10 SP4 / 11 SP1+
Citrix XenServer 6.0 / 6.1
Microsoft Windows 2008 SP2+ / 2008 R2+ / 2012+
Oracle VM 3.0 / 3.1 / 3.2
VMware ESX 5.1 / ESXi 5.1 / ESX 5.2 / ESXi 5.2
This section encompasses many factors that need to be considered before installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium hardware.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is normally installed as an independent operating system. With the introduction of Xen, it is also possible to run multiple instances of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on the same hardware. However, the controlling Domain-0 installation for Xen is performed like a typical installation with some additional packages. The installation of Xen guests is described in Book “Virtualization with Xen”, Chapter 3 “Setting Up Virtual Machines”.
Depending on the hardware used, the following boot methods are available for the first boot procedure (prior to the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server).
|
Boot Option |
Use |
|---|---|
|
CD or DVD drive |
The simplest booting method. The system requires a locally-available CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive for this. |
|
Floppy or USB disks |
Find the images required for creating boot disks on the first CD or DVD
in the |
|
PXE or bootp |
Must be supported by the BIOS or by the firmware of the system used. This option requires a boot server in the network. This task can be handled by a separate SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. |
|
Hard disk |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can also be booted from hard disk. For this, copy the
kernel ( |
When installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, the actual installation data must be available in the network, on a hard disk partition, or on a local DVD. To install from the network, you need an installation server. To make the installation data available, set up any computer in a Unix or Linux environment as an NFS, HTTP, SMB, or FTP server. To make the installation data available from a Windows computer, release the data with SMB.
The installation source is particularly easy to select if you configure an SLP server in the local network. For more information, see Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”.
Most installations are to a local hard disk. Therefore, it is necessary for the hard disk controllers to be available to the installation system. If a special controller (like a RAID controller) needs an extra kernel module, provide a kernel module update disk to the installation system.
Other installation targets may be various types of block devices that
provide sufficient disk space and speed to run an operating system. This
includes network block devices like iSCSI or
SAN. It is also possible to install on network file
systems that offer the standard Unix permissions. However, it may be
problematic to boot these, because they must be supported by the
initramfs before the actual system can start. Such
installations are useful if there is a need to start the same system in
different locations or if you intend to use Xen features like domain
migration.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server offers several different methods for controlling installation:
Installation on the console
Installation via serial console
Installation with AutoYaST
Installation with KIWI images
Installation via SSH
Installation with VNC
By default, the graphical console is used. If you have a large number of
similar computers to install, it is advisable to create an AutoYaST
configuration file or a KIWI preload image and make this available to the
installation process. See also the documentation for
autoyast2 in
Chapter 21, Automated Installation and
KIWI in
Chapter 17, KIWI.
When installing the system, the media for booting and for installing the system may be different. All combinations of supported media for booting and installing may be used.
Booting a computer depends on the capabilities of the hardware used and the availability of media for the respective boot option.
This is the most common possibility of booting a system. It is straightforward for most computer users, but requires a lot of interaction for every installation process.
Depending on the hardware used, it is possible to boot from a USB hard drive. The respective media must be created as described in Table 6.1, “Boot Options”.
You can only boot a computer directly from the network if this is supported by the computer's firmware or BIOS. This booting method requires a boot server that provides the needed boot images over the network. The exact protocol depends on your hardware. Commonly you need several services, such as TFTP and DHCP or pxeboot. If you need a boot server, also read Section 14.1.3, “Remote Installation via VNC—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN”.
The installation media contain all the necessary packages and meta information that is necessary to install a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. These must be available to the installation system after booting for installation. Several possibilities for providing the installation media to the system are available with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
All necessary data is delivered on the boot media. Depending on the selected installation, a network connection or add on media may be necessary.
If you plan to install several systems, providing the installation media over the network makes things a lot easier. It is possible to install from many common protocols, such as NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB. For more information on how to run such an installation, refer to Chapter 14, Remote Installation.
This section offers an overview of the steps required for the complete installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server in the required mode. Part II, “Manual Deployment” contains a full description of how to install and configure the system with YaST.
CD-ROM and floppy drives and USB memory sticks can be used for installation purposes. Adjust your computer to your needs:
Make sure that the drive is entered as a bootable drive in the BIOS.
Insert the boot medium in the drive and start the boot procedure.
The boot menu of the CD, DVD, floppy, or USB disk allows transferring different parameters to the installation system. See also Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options”. If the installation should be performed over the network, specify the installation source here.
If unexpected problems arise during installation, use safe settings to boot.
An installation server is required to perform the installation by using a network source. The procedure for installing this server is outlined in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”.
If you have an SLP server, select SLP as the installation source in the first boot screen. During the boot procedure, select which of the available installation sources to use.
If the DVD is available on the network, use it as an installation source. In
this case, specify the parameter install=<URL> with
suitable values at the boot prompt. Find a more detailed description of this
parameter in Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options”.
Control the installation in one of several ways. The method most frequently used is to install SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server from the computer console. Other options are available for different situations. Find more information about the available installation methods in Chapter 5, Deployment Strategies.
The simplest way to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is using the computer console. With this method, a graphical installation program guides you through the installation. This installation method is discussed in detail in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
You can still perform the installation on the console without a working graphics mode. The text-based installation program offers the same functionality as the graphical version. Find some hints about navigation in this mode in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 3 “YaST in Text Mode”, Section 3.1 “Navigation in Modules”.
For this installation method, you need a second computer that is connected
by a null modem cable to the computer on which to
install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Depending on the hardware, even the firmware or BIOS
of the computer may already be accessible to the serial console. If this is
possible, you can carry out the entire installation using this method. To
activate the serial console installation, additionally specify the parameter
console=ttyS0 at the boot prompt after the boot process has
completed and before the installation system starts.
On most computers, there are two serial interfaces, ttyS0 and ttyS1. For the installation, you need a terminal program like minicom or screen. To initiate the serial connection, launch the screen program in a local console by entering the following command:
screen /dev/ttyS0 9600
This means that screen listens to the first serial port with a baud rate of 9600. From this point on, the installation proceeds similarly to the text-based installation over this terminal.
If you do not have direct access to the computer hardware and, for example,
the installation should be launched from a management console, control the
entire installation process over the network. To do this, enter the
parameters UseSSH=1 and
SSHPassword=<secret> at the boot prompt. An SSH
daemon is then launched in the system and you can log in to the system as
user root with the password
“secret”. To connect, use the command
ssh -X root@<ipaddr>.
If you do not have a DHCP server available in your local network, manually
assign an IP address to the installation system. Do this by entering the
option HostIP=<ipaddr> at the boot prompt.
As soon as you are logged in to the installation system, launch the actual
installation with the command yast. The installation will
start in the graphical mode if DISPLAY is set. This
then guides you through the installation. This procedure is described in
detail in Section 14.1.5, “Simple Remote Installation via SSH—Dynamic Network Configuration”.
If you do not have direct access to the system, but want a graphical installation, install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server over VNC. This method is described in detail in Section 14.5.1, “VNC Installation”.
As suitable VNC clients are also available for other operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows and MacOS, the installation can also be controlled from computers running those operating systems.
If you need to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on a number of computers with similar hardware, it is recommended you perform the installations with the aid of AutoYaST. In this case, start by installing one SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and use this to create the necessary AutoYaST configuration files.
AutoYaST is extensively documented in Chapter 21, Automated Installation.
Prior to delivery, SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server is subjected to an extensive test program. Despite this, problems occasionally occur during boot or installation.
Boot problems may prevent the YaST installer from starting on your system. Another symptom is when your system does not boot after the installation has been completed.
Change your computer's firmware or BIOS so that the boot sequence is correct. To do this, consult the manual for your hardware.
Change the console on your computer so that the kernel outputs are visible. Be sure to check the last outputs. This is normally done by pressing Ctrl–Alt–F10. If you are unable to resolve the problem, consult the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server support staff. To log all system messages at boot time, use a serial connection as described in Section 2.6, “Controlling the Installation”.
If you have manually altered the kernel or initrd on your system, run
/sbin/elilo before shutting down the computer. If you
leave out this step, your system may not be bootable.
The boot disk is a useful interim solution if you have difficulties setting the other configurations or if you want to postpone the decision regarding the final boot mechanism. A boot disk may also be a suitable solution in connection with OS/2 or Windows NT. Fore more details on creating boot disks, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 11 “The Boot Loader GRUB”, Section 11.4 “Creating Boot CDs”.
There are BIOS variants that check the structure of the boot sector (MBR) and erroneously display a virus warning after the installation of GRUB or LILO. Solve this problem by entering the BIOS and looking for corresponding adjustable settings. For example, switch off . You can switch this option back on again later. It is unnecessary, however, if Linux is the only operating system you use.
If an unexpected problem occurs during installation, information is needed to determine the cause of the problem. Use the following directions to help with troubleshooting:
Check the outputs on the various consoles. You can switch consoles with the key combination Ctrl–Alt–Fn. For example, obtain a shell in which to execute various commands by pressing Ctrl–Alt–F2.
Try launching the installation in failsafe mode. If the installation works
without problems in this case, there is an incompatibility that causes
either ACPI or APIC to
fail. In some cases, a BIOS or firmware update fixes this problem.
Check the system messages on a console in the installation system by
entering the command dmesg.
To facilitate the installation process and avoid accidental installations, the default setting on the installation DVD for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is that your system is booted from the first hard disk. At this point, an installed boot loader normally takes over control of the system. This means that the boot DVD can stay in the drive during an installation. To start the installation, choose one of the installation possibilities in the boot menu of the media.
A standard installation requires at least 256 MB of RAM. The installation of a standard system requires at least 2.0 GB of free hard disk space.
The SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating system can be operated on a wide range of hardware. To provide you with a guide to help you during the planning phase, the minimum requirements are presented here.
If you want to be sure that a given computer configuration will work, check the database of hardware certified by SUSE. Find a list of certified hardware at http://developer.novell.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server may support additional IBM POWER systems not listed below. For the latest information, see the IBM Information Center for Linux at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/lnxinfo/v3r0m0/index.jsp?topic=%2Fliaam%2Fliaamdistros.htm.
Find up-to-date firmware at IBM FixCentral (http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/). Select your system from the Product Group list.
All systems listed below are operated with a PPC64 kernel.
Power 710 Express
Power 720 Express
Power 730 Express
Power 740 Express
Power 750 Express
Power 755
Power 770
Power 780
Power 795
IBM BladeCenter PS700
IBM BladeCenter PS701
IBM BladeCenter PS702
IBM BladeCenter PS703
IBM BladeCenter PS704
IBM PowerLinux 7R2
This section describes the preparatory steps that must be taken before the actual installation. The installation procedure depends on the system used. See the following documentation:
For IBM eServer p5 Systems, see Section 3.2.1, “Preparing for Installation on IBM eServer p5, System p, and OpenPower Models”
For IBM pSeries systems, see Section 3.2.2, “Preparing for Installation on IBM pSeries Models”
For IBM JS20/JS21/JS22 Blades, see Section 3.2.3, “Preparing an Installation on IBM JSxx BladeCenter”
If SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server needs to be installed on a number of systems or partitions, it is recommended you create a network installation source. The same source can also be used for the concurrent installation on several partitions or several systems. The configuration of a network installation source is described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
The installation can be controlled with a VNC client. For more information about VNC, see Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration”.
To participate in the linuxppc-dev mailing list, sign up
using the forms at
http://lists.ozlabs.org/listinfo/linuxppc-dev/. The
following links are pertinent to the maintenance of an installation:
http://www.novell.com/support/products/server/ is an effective help tool for assisting customers in solving problems. A corresponding article is published whenever SUSE discover that a special case could lead to serious problems. Search the portal using keywords like PPC or POWER.
Find security alerts at http://www.suse.com/support/security/. SUSE also maintains two security-related mailing lists to which anyone may subscribe.
suse-security — General discussion of security
regarding Linux and SUSE. All security alerts for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server are sent to
this list.
suse-security-announce — The SUSE mailing list
exclusively for security alerts.
This section covers the preparatory steps for installing SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on IBM eServer p5 systems. It explains the installation from a built-in CD-ROM drive and over the network.
This section assumes you have set up your HMC and connected it to your system. Find more information about using the wizard to configure the HMC in “Configuring the HMC using the Guided Setup Wizard”: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/systems/scope/hw/topic/iphai_p5/confighmcgs.htm?
IBM eServer p5 systems offer the possibility of partitioning the system. This enables the concurrent operation of up to 254 operating systems on one machine. These operating systems are installed in LPARs (logical partitions). One or several of these partitions can contain a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server environment.
To prepare an LPAR for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, first configure the system over the HMC. Refer to the IBM documentation for details: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/systems/scope/hw/topic/iphbi/iphbikickoff.htm
Make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space for installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The standard system requires at least 4 GB of free hard disk space.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be installed from a CD-ROM or DVD drive or using a network installation source. Make the CD-ROM, DVD drive, or network device available to the LPAR to install.
Open the HMC application and go to › .
From the available servers, expand the server and partition to install.
Right-click the profile to use for installation and select —see Figure 3.1, “HMC: Server Management—Properties”.
In the dialog, select the tab.
From , select the from the bus where it is installed. To assign this DVD drive to the partition, click .
The result should look like Figure 3.2, “HMC: Managed System I/O Devices”.
Now insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server CD1 or DVD1 in the drive.
Open the HMC application and go to › .
From the available servers, open the server and partition to install.
Right-click the profile to use for installation and select —see Figure 3.1, “HMC: Server Management—Properties”.
In the dialog, select the tab.
From , select from the bus where it is installed. Then click .
If you plan to install using a virtual ethernet adapter, refer to the IBM documentation.
Create a network installation source if SUSE Linux Enterprise Server should be installed on a number of partitions. This eliminates the need to change CDs during installation. The same source can also be used for concurrent installation of various systems. The configuration of the network installation source is described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
To start the installation, reboot the system. Right-click the profile name, select , and press in the following dialog.
Use the screen console or connect to a serial console as described in the IBM documentation. One simple way to start a serial console is to open a VTerm while activating the partition. To do this, activate in the dialog.
Enter the system firmware by pressing F1 or 1 when using a serial console or a virtual console during the system check when the system is rebooted:
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1 = SMS Menu 5 = Default Boot List
8 = Open Firmware Prompt 6 = Stored Boot List
memory keyboard network scsi speakerPress F1 or 1 while the SCSI devices are checked. Select to enter the boot options dialog:
Version SF220_004
SMS 1.5 (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2000,2003 All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Main Menu
1. Select Language
2. Setup Remote IPL (Initial Program Load)
3. Change SCSI Settings
4. Select Console
5. Select Boot Options
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigation Keys:
X = eXit System Management Services
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Type the number of the menu item and press Enter or select Navigation
Key:5Select to set the Install Device. Go to to see the list of available devices:
Version SF220_011
SMS 1.5 (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2000,2003 All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Select Device
Device Current Device
Number Position Name
1. - Virtual Ethernet
( loc=U9111.520.10D3CCC-V1-C3-T1 )
2. - Ethernet
( loc=U787A.001.DNZ00XG-P1-T5 )
3. - Ethernet
( loc=U787A.001.DNZ00XG-P1-T6 )
4. - IDE CD-ROM
( loc=U787A.001.DNZ00XG-P4-D3 )
5. 1 SCSI 73407 MB Harddisk
( loc=U787A.001.DNZ00XG-P1-T10-L8-L0 )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigation keys:
M = return to Main Menu
ESC key = return to previous screen X = eXit System Management Services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type the number of the menu item and press Enter or select Navigation Key:
Select the CD-ROM drive (4 in this example):
SMS 1.5 (c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2000,2003 All rights reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Select Task
IDE CD-ROM
( loc=U787A.001.DNZ00XG-P4-D3 )
1. Information
2. Normal Mode Boot
3. Service Mode Boot
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigation keys:
M = return to Main Menu
ESC key = return to previous screen X = eXit System Management Services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type the number of the menu item and press Enter or select Navigation Key:Choose to install from this device. On the next screen, confirm with to exit and boot from the device.
The system reads from the CD-ROM drive and the yaboot utility starts:
Welcome to SuSE:SLE-11:GA! Type "install" to start the YaST installer on this CD/DVD Type "slp" to start the YaST install via network Type "rescue" to start the rescue system on this CD/DVD Welcome to yaboot version 1.3.11.SuSE Enter "help" to get some basic usage information boot:
Type and press Enter.
To read the installation data from a network install source rather than
continuing the installation from the CD-ROM (see
Section 3.2.1.3, “Assigning an Installation Device to an LPAR”), append the option
manual to the name of the kernel
(install).
For an installation over VNC, append the parameters vnc=1
and vncpassword=password to the
name of the kernel (install). Read more about VNC in
Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration”.
Select an ethernet device that has access to the installation source
(2 in this example).
Proceed as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST to begin installing the software with linuxrc and YaST.
This section covers the preparatory steps for installing SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on pSeries systems. It explains the installation from a built-in CD-ROM drive or a network source.
IBM p630, p655, p670, and p690 systems offer the possibility of statically partitioning the system similarly to eServer p5/System p5 (which is described in Section 3.2.1, “Preparing for Installation on IBM eServer p5, System p, and OpenPower Models”). This enables the concurrent operation of up to 16 operating systems on one machine. These operating systems are installed in LPARs (logical partitions). One or several of these partitions can contain a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server environment.
To prepare an LPAR for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, first configure the system over the HMC. Refer to the Redbook IBM eServer pSeries 690 for details (https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power6?topic=POWER6/iphc5/p690.htm).
Important notes regarding the configuration:
The recommended maximum number of processors for a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LPAR is eight, because the kernel can only manage eight processors effectively.
For the installation, select as the boot mode for the respective partition.
The HMC terminal used for the input during the installation is a VT320 emulation. This emulation can lead to strange results with some applications. If possible, use an XTerm for communicating with the LPAR.
Make sure that you have sufficient hard disk space for installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The use of a separate hard disk is recommended.
SUSE Linux also supports installing to Fibre Channel–attached storage. Before beginning installation, the Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (FCHBA), SAN fabric, and storage system must each be configured to provide access from the FCHBA through the SAN Fabric to target logical units (LUNs) on the storage system.
SAN storage devices, if properly configured, are listed among existing hard disks on your system. opens the dialog, as described in Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”.
If you plan to install from CD-ROM, insert CD1 in the drive. In LPAR mode, the partition to install must have the CD-ROM in its partition profile. Create a network installation source if SUSE Linux Enterprise Server needs to be installed over a number of partitions. This eliminates the need to change CDs during installation. The same source can also be used for concurrent installation of various systems. The configuration of the network installation source is described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
To start the installation, reboot the system. Then enter the system firmware by pressing F1 or 1 when using the serial console during the system check when the system is rebooted. See Figure 3.3, “Entering the System Firmware”.
Press F1 or 1 while the SCSI devices are checked. Select to enter the dialog. See Figure 3.4, “Multiboot Dialog”.
Select 3 to set the install device. A list of available
devices is displayed. See
Figure 3.5, “Installing the Operating System”.
Select the respective CD-ROM drive (3 in this example).
The system reads from the CD-ROM drive and displays the
identstring.
->1 SuSE:SLE-11:GA<-
After you select 1, the yaboot utility is started.
Welcome to SuSE:SLE-11:GA! Type "install" to start the YaST installer on this CD/DVD Type "slp" to start the YaST install via network Type "rescue" to start the rescue system on this CD/DVD
Type and press Enter. Alternatively, just press Enter to start the installer, the default option.
To install from a network source (see
Section 3.2.2.3, “Setting Up the Installation Source”), append
manual to the kernel to install. For an
installation over VNC, append the parameters vnc=1 and
vncpassword=password to
install. Read more about VNC in
Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration”.
In LPAR mode, the partition to install must have the CD-ROM in its partition profile.
Select an ethernet device that has access to the installation source
(6 in this example).
Proceed as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST to begin installing the software with linuxrc and YaST.
This section describes the preparatory steps for the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on JSxx Blades. It covers installation using the CD-ROM drive of the BladeCenter and using the network.
Create a network installation source if SUSE Linux Enterprise Server needs to be installed over a number of partitions. This provides the advantage of no CDs needing to be changed during installation. The same source can also be used for the concurrent installation of various systems. Configuration of a network installation source is described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
Ensure that enough hard disk storage space is available for the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. It is recommended you use a dedicated hard disk.
Perform the steps described in this section if an installation from CD-ROM is desired.
Assign the CD-ROM drive to the Blade chosen for installation by connecting (with a Web browser) to a BladeCenter Management Module, then logging in. After login, select the function in the menu then activate . Assign the CD-ROM drive to the desired blade in the menu of the new window.
Set up the CD-ROM drive as a boot device. Do this by selecting then while in the BladeCenter Management Module. Select the JSxx Blade in the section . Set the entry for on the page for to .
Put CD 1 in the CD-ROM drive and restart the blade.
Perform the steps as described in this section if an installation over the network is desired.
Connect to the BladeCenter Management Module using a Web browser and log in. Set the boot device to the network by accessing the menu from the page. Select the JSxx Blade in the section and set to on .
Reboot the JSxx Blade from the item of the menu in the BladeCenter Management Module. A table appears, showing the power status of the blades in the column. Mark the check box of the desired blade and restart it with .
Connect to the BladeCenter with the command telnet
bladecenter and log in.
username: user password: ******** system>
The command env -T system:blade[ bay
number] determines for which JSxx Blade the subsequent
commands are intended. The blades installed in the BladeCenter are listed
by calling list -l 3.
system> list -l 3
system
mm[1] primary
power[1]
power[2]
power[3]
power[4]
blower[1]
blower[2]
switch[1]
switch[3]
blade[1]
sp
cpu[1]
cpu[2]
blade[3]
sp
blade[4]
sp
blade[6]
sp
blade[8]
sp
cpu[1]
cpu[2]
blade[9]
sp
cpu[1]
cpu[2]
blade[10]
sp
blade[11]
sp
blade[13]
sp
mt
system>
The command target is then determined. To work, for
example, with blade number 9, enter env -T
system:blade[9]. Connect with the console of the JSxx Blade over
Serial over LAN (SOL) with the command
console.
system> env -T system:blade[9] OK system:blade[9]> console
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server boot loader starts after the system check has completed.
Welcome to SuSE:SLE-11:GA! Type "install" to start the YaST installer on this CD/DVD Type "slp" to start the YaST install via network Type "rescue" to start the rescue system on this CD/DVD Welcome to yaboot version 1.3.11.SuSE Enter "help" to get some basic usage information boot:
Select from the menu and press Enter.
In the case of an installation over VNC, append the parameters
vnc=1 and
vncpassword=password to the
command line for the kernel (install).
Proceed as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST to begin installing the software with linuxrc and YaST.
This section gives basic information about the system requirements (like supported hardware), level of MicroCode, and software. It also covers the different installation types, how to do an IPL for the first installation, and information about the IOCDS.
This section provides a list of hardware for IBM System z supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Next, the level of the MicroCode (MCL) used in your IBM System z system, which is very important for the installation, is covered. Additional software to install and use for installation is mentioned at the end of this section.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server has run successfully on the following platforms:
IBM Series z9 (z9-EC) 2094
IBM Series z9 (z9-BC) 2096
IBM Series z10 (z10-EC) 2097
IBM Series z10 (z10-BC) 2098
IBM zEnterprise System z196 2817
IBM zEnterprise System z114 2818
IBM zEnterprise EC12 (zEC12) 2827
Different installation methods have different memory requirements during installation. After installation is completed, the system administrator may reduce memory to the desired size. SUSE recommends using:
|
768 MB |
For installation under z/VM. |
|
1 GB |
For installation under LPAR. |
For installation from NFS, FTP, or SMB installation sources or whenever VNC is used, 512MB of memory is required as a minimum. Otherwise, the installation attempt is likely to fail. Further note that the number of devices visible to the z/VM guest or LPAR image affects memory requirements. Installation with literally hundreds of accessible devices (even if unused for the installation) may require more memory.
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation. Commonly, you need more space than the installation software itself needs to have a system that works properly. Minimal requirements for different selections are:
|
2.6 GB |
Default Installation |
|
3.6 GB+ |
Recommended (this is with graphical desktop, development packages and Java). |
A network connection is needed to communicate with your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server system. This can be one or more of the following connections or network cards:
OSA Express Ethernet (including Fast and Gigabit Ethernet)
HiperSockets or Guest LAN
10 GBE, VSWITCH
The following interfaces are still included, but no longer supported:
CTC (or virtual CTC)
ESCON
IP network interface for IUCV
For an LPAR installation, the option is the preferred way to IPL the installation kernel and initrd (initial RAM disk). If this option is not available and you cannot use z/VM for installing the system, you need to IPL from a channel attached tape with the tapeipl kernel, the parmfile, and the initrd. Thus, you need access to a tape unit (3480, 3490, or 3590, for example).
Documentation about restrictions and requirements for this release of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be found on IBM developerWorks at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/linux390/documentation_suse.html. It is recommended always to use the highest service level available. Contact your IBM support for minimum requirements.
Negotiate the order of installation with your IBM support, because it might be necessary to activate the VM APARs before installing the new MicroCode levels.
To install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server via non-Linux–based NFS or FTP, you might experience problems with NFS or FTP server software. The Windows standard FTP server can cause errors, so installing via SMB on these machines is generally recommended.
To connect to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system, one of the following methods is required:
SSH is a standard Unix tool that should be present on any Unix or Linux system. For Windows, there is an SSH client called Putty. It is free to use and is available from http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/.
For Linux, a VNC client called vncviewer is included in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as
part of the tightvnc package.
For Windows, tightvnc is also available. Download it from
http://www.tightvnc.com/. Alternatively, use the
VNC Java client and a Java-enabled Web browser.
Find a suitable X server implementation on any Linux or Unix workstation. There are many commercial X Window System environments for Windows and Macintosh. Some of them can be downloaded as free trial versions. A trial version of the Mocha X Server from MochaSoft can be obtained at http://www.mochasoft.dk/freeware/x11.htm.
Consult the README located in the root directory of
DVD 1 of your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server before installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on IBM
System z. This file completes the documentation presented in this book.
This section gives an overview of the different types of installation possible with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z. Basically, these two types are given:
Installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server using a logical partition (LPAR).
Installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as as a guest operating system within z/VM.
Depending on the mode of installation (LPAR or VM), there are different possibilities for starting the installation process and IPLing the installed system.
If you install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z into a separate logical partition (LPAR), allow SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to use a special part of the physical memory in your system. Also decide how many processors are used by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. In this mode, you can run different operating systems simultaneously on your IBM System z system.
Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z in z/VM means that SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a guest system within z/VM. An advantage of this mode is that you have full control over SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from z/VM. This is very helpful for kernel development or kernel-based debugging. It is also very easy to add or remove hardware to and from Linux guests. Creating additional SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guests is simple and you are able to run hundreds of Linux instances simultaneously.
This section provides the information needed to do an IPL for the first installation. Depending on the type of installation, different options need to be used. The channel-attached tape, VM reader, and load from CD-ROM or server options are discussed. Installing the software packages, which is done over the network, does not require the IPL medium.
IPLing from a channel-attached tape is possible on all systems connected to
a tape library. The only prerequisite is that the LPAR in which to install
(or allowing z/VM to run) is allowed to access the tape unit. For this, the
IODEVICE statement in the IOCDS must have the attribute
SHARED or PART=<LPARName>.
To IPL from a VM reader, transfer the necessary files into the reader
first. Then multiple IPLs are easily done. This is the preferred way on
z/VM. For convenience of administration, it is recommended to create a user
linuxmnt that owns a minidisk with the files and scripts
needed for IPL. This minidisk is then accessed read-only by the Linux
guests.
For IPLing into an LPAR, it is possible to either load the kernel image
directly from the SE's or the HMC's CD/DVD-ROM device or from any remote
system accessible through FTP. This function can be performed from the HMC.
The installation process requires a file with a mapping of the location of
the installation data in the file system and the memory locations where the
data is to be copied. For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server this file is called
suse.ins and located in the root directory of the file
system on the DVD 1.
In the left navigation pane of the HMC expand and select the mainframe system you want to work with. Choose the LPAR where you want to boot SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from the table of LPARs displayed in the upper content area on the right. In the Tasks area, expand and click .
Now either choose or . If having chosen the latter
option, provide the servers address or name and your credentials. In case
the suse.ins file is not located in the root directory
of the server, provide the path to this file. Continue to the
menu and select the
suse.ins entry. Start the installation with
.
To IPL from a SCSI DVD, you need access to an FCP adapter connected to a DVD drive. You need values like the WWPN and LUN from the SCSI drive. For details, see Section 4.2.4.1.2, “IPL from FCP-Attached SCSI DVD”.
IPLing from the Network with zPXE requires a Cobbler server providing the kernel, RAM disk and a parmfile. zPXE is only available on z/VM and is initiated by running the ZPXE EXEC script. See Section 4.2.1.3, “Using a Cobbler Server for zPXE” for details.
This section provides some necessary information about the IOCDS and how to
customize some settings for sharing network cards or DASDs among several
LPARs. In the IOCDS, the chpid and types of the devices
connected to the IBM System z are defined. The resources can be dedicated
or shared among LPARs.
Do not share writable DASD among LPARs because this might result in data loss. Consider the definition of the necessary resources in advance when planning the setup for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on IBM System z.
This example shows how to dedicate a DASD to one specific LPAR. This LPAR is
referred to as LPAR1.
CHPID PATH=FD,TYPE=DSD,SHARED CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=FD00,PATH=FD,UNITADD=((00,256)),UNIT=3990-2 IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FD03,1),CUNUMBR=FD00,UNIT=3390,PART=LPAR1
To share a DASD among LPARs, delete the PART=LPAR1 part
in the IOCDS definition. This might be useful for high availability reasons
or for sharing data among LPARs read-only.
Several Linux systems can use the same network device if you share it among LPARs or z/VM guests. This reduces the number of network devices that must be provided to the Linux system. On the other hand, you might provide more than one network device to one Linux system to make it more available in case one connection fails.
Network cards like OSA-Express can be used in two different modes. These
modes are known as QDIO and non-QDIO mode. Define these modes in the IOCDS
by using the TYPE statement. QDIO mode is much faster
than non-QDIO mode, but uses three device addresses instead of two in
non-QDIO. Consider the limited number of device addresses when planning the
setup of your IBM System z Linux environment.
CHPID PATH=(FE),SHARED,PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2)),TYPE=OSE CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=FE00,PATH=(FE),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FE00,016),CUNUMBR=(FE00),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FEFE,001),CUNUMBR=(FE00),UNIT=OSAD
CHPID PATH=(FE),SHARED,PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2)),TYPE=OSD CNTLUNIT CUNUMBER=FE00,PATH=(FE),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FE00,016),CUNUMBR=(FE00),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FEFE,001),CUNUMBR=(FE00),UNIT=OSAD
In this section, learn how to make the data accessible for installation, install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server using different methods, and prepare and use the IPL of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system. Also find out about network configuration and network installation.
This section provides detailed information about making the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server IBM System z installation data accessible for installation. Depending on your computer and system environment, choose between NFS or FTP installation. If you are running Microsoft Windows workstations in your environment, you can also use the Windows network (including the SMB protocol) to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on your IBM System z system.
Since Service Pack 1 of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 10, it is possible to IPL from DVD and use the DVD as the installation medium. This is very convenient if you have restrictions setting up an installation server providing installation media over your network. The prerequisite is an FCP-attached SCSI DVD Drive.
It is not possible to install from hard disk by putting the content of the DVD to a partition on a DASD.
If you have a Linux workstation running in your computer environment, use the workstation to provide the installation data to the IBM System z installation process by NFS or FTP. If the Linux workstation runs under SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, you can set up an installation server (NFS or FTP) using the YaST module as described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
Use NFS (network file system) to make the installation media available.
Exporting the file system root (/) does not imply
the export of mounted devices, such as DVD. Explicitly name the mount
point in /etc/exports:
/media/dvd *(ro)
After changing this file, restart the NFS server with the command
rcnfsserver restart.
Setting up an FTP server on a Linux system involves the installation of
the server software itself, such as wuftpd or proftpd, as well as other
possible configuration tasks. Using YaST, the installation step is
straightforward: select the package to install and start the installation.
Skip the configuration of the FTP server if no anonymous FTP should be
used for the installation. Instead, use an FTP login with a valid username
and password. You might want to create a user account for this task only.
The FTP daemon does not need to be started by hand. It can be started by
inetd if an FTP connection is requested. To activate the new settings,
enter rcinetd restart or
rcxinetd restart.
DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z contains a bootable Linux image for Intel-based workstations as well as an image for System z.
For Intel-based workstations, boot from this DVD, answer the questions regarding your language and keyboard layout, and select . You need at least 64 MB RAM for this. No disk space is needed because the entire rescue system resides in the workstation's RAM. This approach takes some Linux and networking experience, because you need to set up the networking of the workstation manually.
For System z, IPL your LPAR/VM guest from this DVD as described in
Section 4.2.4.1.2, “IPL from FCP-Attached SCSI DVD”. After entering your network
parameters, the installation system treats the DVD as the source of
installation data. Because System z cannot have an X11-capable terminal
attached directly, choose between VNC or SSH installation. SSH also
provides a graphical installation by tunneling the X connection through
SSH with ssh -X.
If there is a Microsoft Windows workstation available in your network, use this computer to make the installation media available. The easiest way to do this is to use the SMB protocol, already included in the Windows operating system. Be sure to activate as this enables the encapsulation of SMB packages into TCP/IP packages. Find details in the Windows online help or other Windows-related documentation that covers networking. Another option is to use FTP. This also requires some third-party software for Windows.
To make the installation media available with SMB, just insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server DVD 1 into the DVD drive of the Windows workstation. Then create a new share using the DVD-ROM drive's letter and make it available for everyone in the network.
The installation path in YaST can be:
smb://DOMAIN;USER:PW@SERVERNAME/SHAREPATH
Where the placeholders mean:
Optional workgroup or active directory domain.
Optional username and password of a user who can access this server and its share.
The name of the server that hosts the share(s).
The path to the share(s).
Refer to the documentation provided with the third party product that enables NFS server services for your Windows workstation. The DVD-ROM drive containing the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server DVDs must be in the available NFS path.
Refer to the documentation provided with the third party product that is enabling FTP server services on your Windows workstation. The DVD-ROM drive containing the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server DVDs must be in the available FTP path.
The FTP server that is bundled with some Microsoft Windows releases implements only a subset of the FTP command set and is not suitable for providing the installation data. However, other products (such as the FTP server that is part of Hummingbird Exceed or WAR-FTPD) have been reported as functional.
After you IPLed from the SCSI DVD as described in Section 4.1.3.4, “Load from SCSI-Attached DVD”, the installation system uses the DVD as the installation medium. In that case, you do not need the installation media on an FTP, NFS, or SMB server. However, you need the network configuration data for your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, because you must set up the network during the installation to perform a graphical installation by VNC or by X tunneled through SSH.
IPLing from the network requires a Cobbler server, to provide the kernel, initrd, and the installation data. Preparing the Cobbler server requires four steps:
Importing the Installation Data
Adding a Distribution
Adding Profiles
Adding Systems
Importing the media requires the installation source to be available on the Cobbler server—either from DVD or from a network source. Run the following command to import the data:
cobbler import --path=PATH1 --name=IDENTIFIER2 --arch=s390x
Mount point of the installation data. | |
A string identifying the imported product, for example
“sles11_sp3_s390x”. This string is used as the name for the
subdirectory where the installation data is copied to. On a Cobbler
server running on SUSE Linux Enterprise this is
|
By adding a distribution, you tell Cobbler to provide the kernel and the initrd required to IPL via zPXE. Run the following command on the Cobbler server to add SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z:
cobbler distro add --arch=s390x --breed=suse --name="IDENTIFIER"1 \ --os-version=sles102 \ --initrd=/srv/www/cobbler/ks_mirror/IDENTIFIER/boot/s390x/initrd3 \ --kernel=/srv/www/cobbler/ks_mirror/IDENTIFIER/boot/s390x/vmrdr.ikr4 \ --kopts="install=http://cobbler.example.com/cobbler/ks_mirror/IDENTIFIER"5
Custom identifier for the distribution, for example “SLES 11 SP4 System z”. Must be unique. | |
Operating system identifier. Use | |
Path to the initrd. The first part of the path
( | |
Path to the kernel. The first part of the path
( | |
URl to the installation directory on the Cobbler server. |
With a profile you can add additional options to a distribution—for example adding an AutoYaST file for an automated installation. You can specify multiple profiles per distribution; at least one must be created.
cobbler profile add --name=PROFILENAME1 --distro=DISTRIBUTION2 --kickstart=PATH_TO_AUTOYAST_FILE3
The last step that is required is to add systems to the Cobbler server. A system addition needs to be done for every System z guest that should boot via zPXE. Guests are identified via their z/VM user ID (in the following example, an ID called “LINUX01” is assumed). To add a system, run the following command:
cobbler system add --name=LINUX01 --hostname=linux01.example.com \ --ip=192.168.2.103 --subnet=192.168.2.255 --netmask=255.255.255.0 \ --name-servers=192.168.1.116 --name-servers-search=example.com \ --gateway=192.168.2.1 --kopts="KERNEL_OPTIONS"
With the --kopts option you can specify the kernel and
installation parameters you would normally specify in the parmfile. The
parameters are entered as a space-separated list in the form of
PARAMETER1=VALUE1 PARAMETER2=VALUE2. The
installer will prompt you for missing parameters. For a completely
automated installation you need to specify all parameters for networking,
DASDs and provide an AutoYaST file. The following shows an example for a guest
equipped with an OSA interface using the same network parameters as above.
--kopts=" \ AutoYaST=http://192.168.0.5/autoinst.xml \ Hostname=linux01.example.com \ Domain=example.com \ HostIP=192.168.2.103 \ Gateway=192.168.2.1 \ Nameserver=192.168.1.116 \ Searchdns=example.com \ InstNetDev=osa; \ Netmask=255.255.255.0 \ Broadcast=192.168.2.255 \ OsaInterface=qdio \ OsaMedium=eth \ Layer2=0 \ PortNo=0 \ ReadChannel=0.0.0600 \ WriteChannel=0.0601 \ DataChannel=0.0.0602 \ Portname=DT70 \ DASD=600"
This section provides information about which steps must be performed to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for each of the installation modes and where to find the appropriate information. After the preparations mentioned in the previous chapters have been accomplished, follow the installation overview of the desired installation mode to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on your system.
As described in Section 4.2.1, “Making the Installation Data Available”, there are two different installation modes for Linux on IBM System z:
LPAR Installation
z/VM Installation
Prepare the devices needed for installation. See Section 4.2.3.1, “LPAR Installation”.
IPL the installation system. See Section 4.2.4.1, “LPAR Installation”.
Configure the network. See Section 4.2.5, “Network Configuration”.
Connect to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system. See Section 4.2.6, “Connecting to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Installation System”.
Start the installation using YaST and IPL the installed system. See Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
Prepare the devices needed for installation. See Section 4.2.3.2, “z/VM Installation”.
IPL the installation system. See Section 4.2.4.2, “z/VM Installation”.
Configure the network. See Section 4.2.5.1, “z/VM Installation”.
Connect to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system. See Section 4.2.6, “Connecting to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Installation System”.
Start the installation using YaST and IPL the installed system. See Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
Configure your IBM System z system to start in ESA/S390 or LINUX-only mode with an appropriate activation profile and IOCDS. Consult IBM documentation for more on how to achieve this.
A SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation needs at least two devices: a DASD and a network connection device. For an IPL from tape, a tape device should also be accessible. Devices are configured and attached to an LPAR in the IOCDS (input output configuration data set). This example defines one DASD, one OSA-2 network device, and a tape device for LPAR Z1. For further information about how to set up the IOCDS for Linux, refer to your machine's IBM hardware documentation.
CHPID PATH=(CSS(0),FD),PCHID=120,TYPE=FC CHPID PATH=(CSS(0),FE),PCHID=320,TYPE=OSD CHPID PATH=(CSS(0),10),PCHID=3A0,TYPE=CNC CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=FD00,PATH=((CSS(0),FD)),UNITADD=((00,1)),UNIT=2105 IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FD00,1),CUNUMBR=(FD00),UNIT=3390B,UNITADD=00 CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=FE20,PATH=((CSS(0),FE)),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FE20,1),CUNUMBR=(FE20),UNIT=OSA IODEVICE ADDRESS=(FEFE,1),CUNUMBR=(FE20),UNIT=OSAD CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=100A,PATH=((CSS(0),10)),UNIT=3480,UNITADD=((0A,1)) IODEVICE ADDRESS=(100A,1),CUNUMBR=(100A),UNIT=3480,UNITADD=00
Proceed with Section 4.2.4.1, “LPAR Installation”.
The first step is to attach and format one or multiple DASDs in the system
to be used by the Linux guest in z/VM. Next, create a new user in z/VM.
The example shows the directory for a user LINUX1 with
the password LINPWD, 256 MB of memory (extendable
up to 1024 MB), 32 MB of expanded RAM (XSTORE), some minidisks
(MDISK), two CPUs and an OSA QDIO device.
When assigning memory to a z/VM guest, make sure that the memory size
suits the needs of your preferred installation type. See
Section 4.1.1.1.1, “Memory Requirements”. To set the memory size
to 512 MB, use the command CP DEFINE STORAGE 512M.
After the installation has finished, reset the memory size to the desired
value.
USER LINUX1 LINPWD 256M 1024M G *____________________________________________ * LINUX1 *____________________________________________ * This VM Linux guest has two CPUs defined. CPU 01 CPUID 111111 CPU 02 CPUID 111222 IPL CMS PARM AUTOCR IUCV ANY IUCV ALLOW MACH ESA 10 OPTION MAINTCCW RMCHINFO SHARE RELATIVE 2000 XSTORE 32M CONSOLE 01C0 3270 A SPOOL 000C 2540 READER * SPOOL 000D 2540 PUNCH A SPOOL 000E 3203 A * OSA QDIO DEVICE DEFINITIONS DEDICATE 9A0 9A0 DEDICATE 9A1 9A1 DEDICATE 9A2 9A2 * LINK MAINT 0190 0190 RR LINK MAINT 019E 019E RR LINK MAINT 019D 019D RR * MINIDISK DEFINITIONS MDISK 201 3390 0001 0050 DASD40 MR ONE4ME TWO4ME THR4ME MDISK 150 3390 0052 0200 DASD40 MR ONE4ME TWO4ME THR4ME MDISK 151 3390 0253 2800 DASD40 MR ONE4ME TWO4ME THR4ME
This example uses minidisk 201 as the guest's home disk. Minidisk 150 with 200 cylinders is the Linux swap device. Disk 151 with 2800 cylinders holds the Linux installation.
Now add (as the user MAINT) the
guest to the user directory with DIRM FOR LINUX1 ADD.
Enter the name of the guest (LINUX1) and press
F5. Set up the environment of the user with:
DIRM DIRECT DIRM USER WITHPASS
The last command returns a reader file number. This number is needed for the next command:
RECEIVE <number> USER DIRECT A (REPL)
Assign the directories to the guest with DISKMAP USER DIRECT
A. You can now log in on the guest as user
LINUX1.
If you do not have the dirmaint option available, refer
to the IBM documentation to set up this user.
Proceed with Section 4.2.4.2, “z/VM Installation”.
There are different ways to IPL SUSE Linux Enterprise Server into an LPAR. The preferred way is to use the feature of the SE or HMC.
Mark the LPAR to install and select . Leave the field for the file location blank or enter the path to the root directory of the first DVD-ROM and select continue. In the list of options that appears, choose the default selection. should now show the kernel boot messages.
You can use the procedure by selecting as to IPL from SCSI. Enter the WWPN (Worldwide port name) and LUN Logical unit number) provided by your SCSI bridge or storage (16 digits—do not omit the trailing 0s). The boot program selector must be 2. Use your FCP adapter as and perform an IPL.
If you cannot IPL from DVD, create a channel attached tape from which to IPL the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation image. Use the button in the SE or HMC with the tape device address as the load address to IPL the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system.
There are many ways to create an IPLable tape. One is to copy the files:
/boot/s390x/tapeipl.ikr /boot/s390x/parmfile /boot/s390x/initrd
as binary files from DVD 1 (for example, using FTP from a Linux workstation).
Name them
SLES11 IMAGE SLES11 PARM SLES11 INITRD
and write them onto a tape with the REXX from the example.
Do not upload the files as fixed 80. Store them as
fixed 1024. Use the FTP command locsite fix
1024.
'REWIND 181' 'FILEDEF IN1 DISK' SLES11 IMAGE A 'FILEDEF IN2 DISK' SLES11 PARM A 'FILEDEF IN3 DISK' SLES11 INITRD A 'FILEDEF OUT TAP1 (RECFM F BLOCK 1024 LRECL 1024 PERM' say 'Writing: ' left(file1,23) 'MOVEFILE IN1 OUT' say 'Writing: ' left(file2,23) 'MOVEFILE IN2 OUT' say 'Writing: ' left(file3,23) 'MOVEFILE IN3 OUT' say 'Done.' 'REWIND 181' exit
The tape in this script is attached as 181. Adjust the script to your needs.
This section is about IPLing the installation system to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z on a z/VM system.
You need a working TCP/IP connection and an FTP client program within your newly defined z/VM guest to transfer the installation system via FTP. Setting up TCP/IP for z/VM is beyond the scope of this manual. Refer to the appropriate IBM documentation.
Log in as the z/VM Linux guest to IPL. Make the content of the directory
/boot/s390x on DVD 1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for
IBM System z available by FTP within your network. From this directory,
get the files vmrdr.ikr, initrd,
parmfile, and sles11.exec.
Transfer the files with a fixed block size of 80 characters. Specify it
with the FTP command locsite fix 80. It is important to
copy vmrdr.ikr (the Linux kernel) and
initrd (the installation image) as binary files, so
use the binary transfer mode.
parmfile and sles11.exec need to
be transferred in ASCII mode.
The example shows the steps necessary. In this example, the required files
are accessible from an FTP server at the IP address
192.168.0.3 and the login is
lininst. It may differ for your
network.
FTP 192.168.0.3 VM TCP/IP FTP Level 530 Connecting to 192.168.0.3, port 21 220 ftpserver FTP server (Version wu-2.4.2-academ[BETA-18](1) Thu Feb 11 16:09:02 GMT 2010) ready. USER lininst 331 Password required for lininst PASS ****** 230 User lininst logged in. Command: binary 200 Type set to I Command: locsite fix 80 Command: get /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/vmrdr.ikr sles11.image 200 PORT Command successful 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/vmrdr.ikr (6757376 bytes) 226 Transfer complete. 6757376 bytes transferred in 8.826 seconds. Transfer rate 766.70 Kbytes/sec. Command: get /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/initrd sles11.initrd 200 PORT Command successful 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/initrd (12654815 bytes) 226 Transfer complete. 12194534 bytes transferred in 16.520 seconds. Transfer rate 766.70 Kbytes/sec. Command: ascii 200 Type set to A Command: get /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/parmfile sles11.parmfile 150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/parmfile (71 bytes) 226 Transfer complete. 71 bytes transferred in 0.092 seconds. Transfer rate 0.71 Kbytes/sec. Command: get /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/sles11.exec sles11.exec 150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /media/dvd1/boot/s390x/sles11.exec (891 bytes) 226 Transfer complete. 891 bytes transferred in 0.097 seconds. Transfer rate 0.89 Kbytes/sec. Command: quit
Use the REXX script sles11.exec you just downloaded to IPL the Linux installation system. This script loads the kernel, parmfile, and the initial RAM disk into the reader for IPL.
/* REXX LOAD EXEC FOR SUSE LINUX S/390 VM GUESTS */ /* LOADS SUSE LINUX S/390 FILES INTO READER */ SAY '' SAY 'LOADING SLES11 FILES INTO READER...' 'CP CLOSE RDR' 'PURGE RDR ALL' 'SPOOL PUNCH * RDR' 'PUNCH SLES11 IMAGE A (NOH' 'PUNCH SLES11 PARMFILE A (NOH' 'PUNCH SLES11 INITRD A (NOH' 'I 00C'
With this script you can IPL the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system with
the command sles11. The Linux kernel then starts and
prints its boot messages.
To continue the installation, proceed to Section 4.2.5.1, “z/VM Installation”.
To IPL in z/VM, prepare the SCSI IPL process by using the SET LOADDEV parameter:
SET LOADDEV PORTNAME 200400E8 00D74E00 LUN 00020000 00000000 BOOT 2
After setting the LOADDEV parameter with the appropriate values, IPL your FCP adapter, for example:
IPL FC00
To continue the installation, proceed with Section 4.2.5.1, “z/VM Installation”.
If you cannot IPL from a z/VM reader, create a channel attached tape from which to IPL the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation image. For instructions, refer to Section 4.2.4.1.3, “IPL from ESCON or FICON Attached Tape”.
To continue the installation, proceed with Section 4.2.5.1, “z/VM Installation”.
To IPL from a Cobbler server with zPXE you need to transfer the
zpxe.exec script via FTP from the Cobbler server to
your z/VM guest. The z/VM guest needs a working TCP/IP connection and an
FTP client program.
Log in as the z/VM Linux guest to IPL and transfer the script with a fixed
size of 80 characters in ASCII mode (see
Example 4.7, “Transferring the Binaries via FTP” for an example).
The zpxe.exec script is available on the Cobbler
server at
ftp://IP_OF_COBBLER_SERVER/zSERIES_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY/boot/s390x/zpxe.exec.
The exact location of
zSERIES_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY depends on where
you imported the installation data on the Cobbler server (see
Section 4.2.1.3.1, “Importing the Installation Data” for details).
zpxe.exec is supposed to replace the
PROFILE EXEC of your guest. Make a backup copy of the
existing PROFILE EXEC and rename ZPXE
EXEC to PROFILE EXEC. Alternatively call
ZPXE EXEC from the existing PROFILE
EXEC by using a new line with the following content:
'ZPXE EXEC'.
The last step is to create a config file, ZPXE CONF,
telling ZPXE EXEC which Cobbler server to contact and
which disk to IPL. Run xedit zpxe conf a and create
ZPXE CONF with the following content (replace the
example data accordingly):
HOST cobbler.example.com IPLDISK 600
On the next log in to your z/VM guest, the Cobbler server will be connected. If an installation is scheduled on the Cobbler server, it will be executed. To schedule the installation, run the following command on the Cobbler server:
cobbler system edit --name ID1 --netboot-enabled 12 --profile PROFILENAME3
z/VM user ID. | |
Enable IPLing from the network. | |
Name of an existing profile, see Section 4.2.1.4, “Adding Profiles”. |
Wait until the kernel has completed its start-up routines. If you are installing in basic mode or in an LPAR, open the on the HMC or SE.
First, choose in the linuxrc main menu then to start the installation process. Select as your installation medium then select the type of network protocol you will be utilizing for the installation. Section 4.2.1, “Making the Installation Data Available” describes how to make the installation data available for the various types of network connections. Currently, , , , and (Windows file sharing) are supported.
Now set up the network device over which to receive the installation data: or . The following network adapters are still available and usable, but no longer supported: CTC, ESCON, IUCV. Next, choose the CCW bus interface and the physical medium (). As a result, the respective driver is installed and you see the corresponding kernel messages.
Proceeding with the installation, linuxrc displays a list of potential usable read, write, and, if applicable, data channels. After entering the addresses for each channel, you may also need to enter additional information, such as the port name for OSA ethernet cards.
Next, decide whether to use DHCP autoconfiguration for setting up the network interface parameters. Because DHCP only works on a few devices and requires special hardware configuration settings, you probably want to say here. When you do so, you are prompted for the networking parameters of your installation network device:
The IP address of the system to install
The corresponding netmask
The IP address of a gateway to reach the server
The IP address of your domain name server (DNS)
When using an OSA Express Network Card you are now prompted for a
. This was added to support the new 2
port OSA Express 3 Network devices. If you are not using an OSA Express 3
device, please enter 0. OSA Express cards also have the
option of running in an “OSI layer 2 support” mode or using the
older more common “layer 3” mode. The card mode affects all
systems that share the device including systems on other LPARs. If in doubt,
please specify 2 for compatibility with the default mode
used by other operating systems such as z/VM and z/OS. Consult with your
hardware administrator for further information on these options.
After the kernel has completed its start-up routines, answer a few questions regarding the network setup. First, select the type of network connection to use: OSA Express or HiperSockets. In this example installation, OSA Express is used.
The system now displays a possible OSA configuration. Choose first whether to use QDIO or LCS OSA. Next, choose the physical medium to use and enter the device addresses. If you prefer another setup, enter the device address of the OSA read channel (0.0.0700 in this example) then the one of the OSA write channel (0.0.0701) and the OSA control channel (0.0.0702). After entering the channels, insert the name of the port to which the OSA card is connected.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server now tries to load the network module by building a parameter line with the information provided and displaying all loaded modules. Loading was successful if you get an output like:
(portname YSW2) (Port 0) qdio: 0.0.0702 OSA on SC 3 using AI:1 QEBSM:0 PCI:1 TDD:1 SIGA:RW AO qeth.736dae: 0.0.0700: Device is a Guest LAN QDIO card (level: V540) with link type GuestLAN QDIO (portname: YSW2) qeth.47953b: 0.0.0700: Hardware IP fragmentation not supported on eth0 qeth.066069: 0.0.0700: Inbound source MAC-address not supported on eth0 qeth.d7fdb4: 0.0.0700: VLAN enabled qeth.e90c78: 0.0.0700: Multicast enabled qeth.5a9d02: 0.0.0700: IPV6 enabled qeth.184d8a: 0.0.0700: Broadcast enabled qeth.dac2aa: 0.0.0700: Using SW checksumming on eth0. qeth.9c4c89: 0.0.0700: Outbound TSO not supported on eth0
Next, enter your IP address, netmask, and default gateway. To install over iucv or ctc, enter additional information, like the the peer address (for a point-to-point adapter) or the port name.
Finally, the IP address of the DNS server and the MTU size are requested. The MTU size should always match the one used by the network to which you are connecting.
Now a summary is displayed. Confirm if your input is correct. Before the network is started, enter a password that is valid only during the installation. After having IPLed the installed system, enter the real root password.
With all basic parameters set up, the network is started. Check the output of ifconfig, which should contain two entries: a loopback (lo) connection and one connection (eth0, ctc0, escon0, iucv0, or hsi0) with correct settings.
/sbin/ifconfig eth0 :
Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 02:00:01:00:00:27
inet addr:192.168.0.1 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::200:100:100:27/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1492 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 Mb) TX bytes:0 (0.0 Mb)After setting up your network connection, linuxrc prompts for the details of the installation source chosen earlier in the process, for example, the server IP address and the directory in which the data is located.
Finally, linuxrc wants to know what type of display you want to use to
control the installation procedure. Possible choices are
X11 (X Window System), VNC (Virtual
Network Computing protocol), SSH (text mode or X11
installation via Secure Shell), or ASCII Console.
When choosing the latter (ASCII Console), YaST will be
started in text mode and you can perform the installation directly within
your terminal. See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 3 “YaST in Text Mode” for usage instructions.
In order to be able to work with YaST in text mode, it needs to run in a
terminal with VT220/Linux emulation (also referred to as ASCII
console). You will not be able to use YaST in a 3270 terminal,
for example.
After the installation option VNC has been chosen, the
VNC server starts. A short note displayed in the console provides
information about which IP address and display number is needed for a
connection with vncviewer. Alternatively, a URL is given here for entry
into your Java-enabled browser to connect to the installation system.
Start a VNC client application on your client system. Either use vncviewer or the VNC Java client and a Java-enabled Web browser.
Enter the IP address and the display number of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system when prompted to do so.
If you connect via a Java-enabled browser, enter a URL containing the IP address of the installation system and the appropriate port number in the format:
http://<IP address of installation system>:5801/
After the connection has been established, start installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with YaST.
The direct installation with the X Window System relies on a primitive authentication mechanism based on hostnames. This mechanism is disabled on current SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions. Installation with SSH or VNC is preferred.
Make sure that the X server allows the client (the system that is
installed) to connect. Set the variable
DISPLAYMANAGER_XSERVER_TCP_PORT_6000_OPEN="yes" in the
file /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager. Then restart the
X server and allow client binding to the server using xhost
<client IP address>.
When prompted at the installation system, enter the IP address of the machine running the X server.
Wait until YaST opens then start the installation.
To connect to an installation system with the name earth using
SSH, execute ssh -X earth. If your workstation
runs on Microsoft Windows, use the ssh and telnet client and terminal
emulator putty, which is available from
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/.
Set in putty under › › .
A login prompt appears. Enter root and log in with your
password. Enter yast2 to start YaST.
Proceed with the detailed description of the installation procedure that can be found in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for IBM System z includes network drivers for OSA devices (ethernet, and gigabit ethernet) and HiperSockets. This chapter describes the configuration within the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system.
CTC, ESCON, and IUCV interfaces are no longer officially supported. For compatibility reasons, they are still usable, but with the next release of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server the support of these interfaces will be dropped completely.
Select your device from the list of network devices. Then enter the network device read channel number (such as 0.0.700), the write channel number (like 0.0.701) and the data channel number (like 0.0.702).
Choose the network device. 1) IBM parallel CTC Adapter (0.0.0600) 2) IBM parallel CTC Adapter (0.0.0602) 3) IBM parallel CTC Adapter (0.0.0604) 4) IBM Hipersocket (0.0.0700) 5) IBM Hipersocket (0.0.0701) 6) IBM Hipersocket (0.0.0702) 7) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.050c) 8) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.050d) 9) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.050e) 10) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.f401) 11) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.f400) 12) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.f402) 13) IBM IUCV > 4 Device address for read channel [0.0.700] [0.0.700]> 0.0.700 Device address for write channel > 0.0.701 Device address for data channel > 0.0.702
Next, choose manual configuration then enter the IP address, netmask, broadcast address, IP address of the gateway, and the searchlist of the DNS server.
Automatic configuration via DHCP? 1) Yes 2) No > 2 Enter your IP address > 192.168.0.20 Enter your netmask. For a normal class C network, this is usually 255.255.255.0 [255.255.255.0] > 255.255.255.0 Enter the IP address of the gateway. Leave empty if you don't need one > 192.168.0.1 Enter your search domains, separated by a space: > example.com
Select an IBM OSA Express Network card from the list of
network devices, and then 1 for ethernet. When prompted,
enter the network device's read, write, and data channel numbers (for
example, 0.0.0600, 0.0.0601, and
0.0.0602) and the port name, if applicable. Choose
whether to enable OSI Layer 2 support.
Detecting and loading network drivers netiucv.8db02b: driver initialized Choose the network device. 1) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.09a0) 2) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.09a1) 3) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.09a2) 4) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.0600) 5) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.0601) 6) IBM OSA Express Network card (0.0.0602) 7) IBM IUCV > 4 Please choose the physical medium. 1) Ethernet 2) Token Ring > 1 Enter the relative port number > 0 Device address for read channel [0.0.0600]> 0.0.0600 Device address for write channel > 0.0.0601 Device address for data channel > 0.0.0602 Portname to use > DT70 Enable OSI Layer 2 support? 1) Yes 2) No > 2
Next, deny the DHCP configuration and enter the IP address and netmask. Now enter the IP address of the gateway (if applicable), the search domain(s) and the IP address of the DNS server.
Automatic configuration via DHCP? 1) Yes 2) No > 2 Enter your IPv4 address. Example: 192.168.5.77/24 > 192.168.0.20 Enter your netmask. For a normal class C network, this is usually 255.255.255.0 [255.255.255.0]> 255.255.255.0 Enter the IP address of the gateway. Leave empty if you don't need one > 192.168.0.2 Enter your search domains, separated by a space: > example.net Enter the IP address of your name server. Leave empty or enter "+++" if you don't need one > 192.168.0.1
The installation process can be partly automated by specifying the crucial
parameters in the parmfile. The
parmfile contains all the data required for network
setup and DASD configuration. In addition to that, it can be used to set up
the connection method to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation system and the
YaST instance running there. User interaction is thus limited to the
actual YaST installation controlled by YaST dialogs.
The following parameters can be passed to the installation routine, which takes them as default values for installation. All IP addresses, server names, and numerical values are just examples. Replace these values with the ones needed in your installation scenario.
The number of lines in the parmfile is limited to 10. Specify more than one
parameter on a line. Parameter names are not case-sensitive. Separate the
parameters by spaces. You may specify the parameters in any order. Always
keep the PARAMETER=value string together in one line. For
example:
Hostname=s390zvm01.suse.de HostIP=10.11.134.65
By default you can only assign IPv4 network addresses to your machine. To
enable IPv6 during installation, enter one of the following parameters at
the bootprompt: ipv6=1 (accept IPv4 and IPv6) or
ipv6only=1 (accept IPv6 only).
Some of the following parameters are required. If they are missing, the automatic process pauses and asks you to enter the value manually.
AutoYaST= <URL> Manual=0
The AutoYaST parameter specifies the location of the
autoinst.xml control file for automatic
installation. The Manual parameter controls if the other
parameters are only default values that still must be acknowledged by
the user. Set this parameter to 0 if all values
should be accepted and no questions asked. Setting
AutoYaST implies setting Manual to
0.
Info= <URL>
Specifies a location for a file from which to read additional options.
This helps to overcome the limitations of 10 lines (and 80 characters
per line under z/VM) for the parmfile. More documentation on the Info
file can be found in
Section 21.1.5, “Creating the info File”. Since the Info
file can typically only be accessed through the network on System z,
you cannot use it to specify options required to setup the network, i.e.
options described in Section 4.4.2, “Configuring the Network Interface”. Also
other linuxrc specific options such as for debugging have to be
specified in the parmfile to be effective.
At the very end of the installation of a system you can check
. This creates a
ready-to-use profile as /root/autoinst.xml that can
be used to create clones of this particular installation. To create an
autoinstallation file from scratch or to edit an existing one, use the
YaST module . For more information
about AutoYaST, refer to Chapter 21, Automated Installation.
The settings discussed in this section apply only to the network interface used during installation. Configure additional network interfaces in the installed system by following the instructions given in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.6 “Configuring a Network Connection Manually”.
Hostname=zseries.example.comEnter the fully qualified hostname.
Domain=example.comDomain search path for DNS. Allows you to use short hostnames instead of fully qualified ones.
HostIP=192.168.1.2Enter the IP address of the interface to configure.
Gateway=192.168.1.3Specify the gateway to use.
Nameserver=192.168.1.4Specify the DNS server in charge.
InstNetDev=osa
Enter the type of interface to configure. Possible values are
osa, hsi. ctc,
escon, and iucv. (CTC, ESCON, and
IUCV are no longer officially supported).
For the interfaces of type hsi and
osa, specify an appropriate netmask and an optional
broadcast address:
Netmask=255.255.255.0 Broadcast=192.168.255.255
For the interfaces of type ctc,
escon, and iucv (CTC, ESCON, and
IUCV are no longer officially supported), enter the IP address of the
peer:
Pointopoint=192.168.55.20
OsaInterface=<lcs|qdio> OsaMedium=<eth|tr>
For osa network devices, specify the host interface
(qdio or lcs) and the physical
medium (eth for ethernet or tr for
token ring).
Layer2=<0|1>
For osa QDIO ethernet and hsi
devices, specify whether to enable OSI Layer 2 support.
OSAHWAddr=02:00:65:00:01:09
For Layer 2-enabled osa QDIO ethernet devices,
specify the manual MAC address. Note that this is distinct from HWAddr,
which contains the default MAC address as detected by linuxrc.
PortNo=<0|1>
For osa network devices, specify the port number
(provided the device supports this feature). The default value is 0.
Each of the interfaces requires certain setup options:
Interfaces ctc and escon (CTC and
ESCON are no longer officially supported):
ReadChannel=0.0.0424 WriteChannel=0.0.0425
ReadChannel specifies the READ channel to use.
WriteChannel specifies the WRITE channel.
For the ctc interface (no longer officially
supported), specify the protocol that should be used for this interface:
CTCProtocol=<0/1/2>
Valid entries would be:
|
|
Compatibility mode, also for non-Linux peers other than OS/390 and z/OS (this is the default mode) |
|
|
Extended mode |
|
|
Compatibility mode with OS/390 and z/OS |
Network device type osa with interface
lcs:
ReadChannel=0.0.0124 Portname=1
ReadChannel stands for the channel number used in this
setup. A second port number can be derived from this by adding one to
ReadChannel. Portnumber is used to specify
the relative port.
Interface iucv:
IUCVPeer=PARTNER
Enter the name of the peer machine.
Network device type osa with interface
qdio for OSA-Express Gigabit Ethernet and OSA-Express
High-speed Token Ring:
ReadChannel=0.0.0524 WriteChannel=0.0.0525 DataChannel=0.0.0526 Portname=FEF400
For ReadChannel, enter the number of the READ channel. For
WriteChannel, enter the number of the WRITE channel.
DataChannel specifies the DATA channel. For
Portname, enter an appropriate port name. Make sure that
the READ channel carries an even device number.
Interface hsi for HiperSockets and VM guest LANs:
ReadChannel=0.0.0624 WriteChannel=0.0.0625 DataChannel=0.0.0626
For ReadChannel, enter the appropriate number for the READ
channel. For WriteChannel and DataChannel,
enter the WRITE and DATA channel numbers.
Install=nfs://server/directory/DVD1/
Specify the location of the installation source to use. Possible
protocols are nfs, smb
(Samba/CIFS), ftp, tftp and
http.
If an ftp, tftp or
smb URL is given, specify the username and password
with the URL. These parameters are optional and anonymous or guest login
is assumed if they are not given.
Install=ftp://user:password@server/directory/DVD1/ Install=tftp://user:password@server/directory/DVD1/
In case of a Samba or CIFS installation, you can also specify the domain that should be used:
Install=smb://workdomain;user:password@server/directory/DVD1/
UseSSH=1 UseVNC=1 Display_IP=192.168.42.42
Depending on which parameter you give, a remote X server, SSH, or VNC
will be used for installation. UseSSH enables SSH
installation, UseVNC starts a VNC server on the
installing machine, and Display_IP causes the installing
system to try to connect to an X server at the given address. Only one
of these parameters should be set at any time.
The direct installation with the X Window System relies on a primitive authentication mechanism based on hostnames. This mechanism is disabled on current SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions. Installation with SSH or VNC is preferred.
To allow a connection between YaST and the remote X server, run
xhost <IP address> with
the address of the installing machine on the remote machine.
For VNC, specify a password of six to eight
characters to use for installation:
VNCPassword=<a password>
For SSH, specify a password of six to eight
characters to use for installation:
SSHPassword=<a password>
For an automatic installation with AutoYaST in an LPAR, it is preferable that the parmfile has just one long line. If multiple lines are desired for readability, use blank characters at the beginning and end of each line. The maximum number of lines in a parmfile is 10.
To receive potential error messages on the console, use
linuxrclog=/dev/console
ramdisk_size=131072 root=/dev/ram1 ro init=/linuxrc TERM=dumb instnetdev=iucv iucvpeer=ROUTER01 pointopoint=192.168.0.1 hostip=192.168.0.2 nameserver=192.168.0.3 install=nfs://192.168.0.4/SLES/SLES-11-s390x/DVD1 autoyast=http://192.168.0.5/autoinst.xml linuxrclog=/dev/console usevnc=1 vncpassword=testin
ramdisk_size=131072 root=/dev/ram1 ro init=/linuxrc TERM=dumb AutoYast=nfs://192.168.1.1/autoinst/s390.xml Hostname=zseries.example.com HostIP=192.168.1.2 Gateway=192.168.1.3 Nameserver=192.168.1.4 InstNetDev=hsi layer2=0 Netmask=255.255.255.128 Broadcast=192.168.1.255 readchannel=0.0.702c writechannel=0.0.702d datachannel=0.0.702e install=nfs://192.168.1.5/SLES-11-s390x/DVD1/ UseSSH=1 SSHPassword=testing linuxrclog=/dev/console
Recent MicroCode Levels allow the use of an integrated vt220 terminal
emulator in addition to the standard line mode terminal. The vt220 terminal
is connected to /dev/ttyS1. The line mode terminal is
connected to /dev/ttyS0. If the vt220 emulation is
available, an icon for an integrated vt220 ASCII console appears next to the
icon for the 3215 console on the HMC/SE.
To activate vt220 support on your machine, edit
/etc/inittab as user
root. Look for the following line
and delete the leading # sign:
#2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty --noclear /dev/ttyS1 xterm
Save the file and run telinit q to
pass the changes in /etc/inittab to init. The vt220
terminal should then be ready to use. If not, try hitting
Enter at the terminal until the login prompt appears.
Make sure that you do not apply the changes as described above to a system that does not support vt220 terminal emulators. Otherwise, login might become impossible on this system and you will be shown the following message:
INIT respawning too fast, disabled for 5 minutes.
To redirect the kernel messages at boot time from the system console to the
vt220 terminal, add the following entries to the
parameters line in /etc/zipl.conf:
console=ttyS0 console=ttyS1
The resulting parameters line would look like the
following example:
parameters = "root=/dev/dasda2 TERM=dumb console=ttyS0 console=ttyS1"
Save the changes in /etc/zipl.conf, run
zipl, and reboot the system.
IBM has published a number of very interesting documents about their System z platform. Find them at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com.
Find additional in-depth technical documentation about the kernel and application topics on IBM System z with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server at the following location:
For a first glance at the technical details of some systems, refer to:
IBM System z10 Enterprise Class Technical Introduction (SG24-7515)
IBM System z9 Business Class Technical Introduction (SG24-7241)
Linux on zSeries Fibre Channel Protocol Implementation Guide (SG24-6344)
A general coverage of Linux on IBM System z can be found in the following documents:
Linux on IBM eServer zSeries and S/390: ISP and ASP Solutions (SG24-6299)
These documents might not reflect the current state of Linux, but the principles of Linux deployment outlined there remain accurate.
Refer to the following documents to get in-depth technical information about the Linux kernel and application topics. Refer to the Internet for up-to-date versions of these documents for the most recent code drop (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/linux390/index.html).
Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands
zSeries ELF Application Binary Interface Supplement
Linux on System z Device Drivers, Using the Dump Tools
IBM System z9-109 Technical Introduction (SG26-6669)
IBM System z10 Enterprise Class Technical Guide (SG24-7516)
There also is a Redbook for Linux application development on http://www.redbooks.ibm.com:
Linux on IBM eServer zSeries and S/390: Application Development (SG24-6807)
Refer to the following Redbooks, Redpapers, and links for some more complex IBM System z scenarios:
Linux on IBM eServer zSeries and S/390: Large Scale Deployment (SG24-6824)
Linux on IBM eServer zSeries and S/390: Performance Measuring and Tuning (SG24-6926)
Linux with zSeries and ESS: Essentials (SG24-7025)
IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server Implementing ESS Copy Services with IBM eServer zSeries (SG24-5680)
Linux on IBM zSeries and S/390: High Availability for z/VM and Linux (REDP-0220)
Saved Segments Planning and Administration
Linux on System z documentation for "Development stream"
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/linux390/development_documentation.html
There are several different ways to deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Choose from various approaches ranging from a local installation using physical media or a network installation server to a mass deployment using a remote-controlled, highly-customized, and automated installation technique. Sel…
After your hardware has been prepared for the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server as described in Part I, “Architecture Specific Installation Considerations” and after the connection with the installation system has been established, you are presented with the interface of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server's system assistant YaST. YaST guides you through the entire installation and configuration procedure.
SUSE® Linux Enterprise (SLE) provides the option of updating an existing system to the new version without completely reinstalling it. No new installation is needed. Existing data, such as home directories and system configuration, is kept intact. During the life-cycle of the product, you can apply Service Packs to increase system security, correct software defects and get access to new features. Install from a local CD or DVD drive or from a central network installation source.
YaST allows you to configure hardware items at installation time as well as on an already-installed system. Configure audio hardware, printers or scanner support or learn which hardware components are connected to your computer by using the YaST Hardware Information module.
Use YaST's software management tool to search for software components you want to add or remove. YaST resolves all dependencies for you. To install packages not shipped with the installation media, add additional software repositories to your setup and let YaST manage them. Keep your system up-to-date by managing software updates with the update applet.
Add-on products are system extensions. You can install a third party add-on product or a special system extension of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server (for example, a CD with support for additional languages or a CD with binary drivers). To install a new add-on, start YaST and select › . You can select various types of product media, like CD, FTP, USB mass storage devices (such as USB flash drives or disks) or a local directory. You can work also directly with ISO files. To add an add-on as ISO file media, select then enter the . The is arbitrary.
If you have chosen not to configure Internet access during the installation, you can perform this task at any time using YaST. How to configure your computer to access the Internet depends on your environment. If the computer you are installing is part of a network which already is connected to the Internet, the only thing to do is to link your machine to the network. If you are installing a machine that is directly connected to the Internet, the hardware and the access to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) needs to be set up.
Please refer to the checklists below to make sure you have all the necessary data ready before starting to configure the Internet access.
During installation, you chose a method for user authentication. This method is either local (via /etc/passwd) or, if a network connection is established, via NIS, LDAP, Kerberos or Samba (see Section 6.16.1.7, “User Authentication Method”. You can create or modify user accounts and change the authe…
Working in different countries or having to work in a multilingual environment requires your computer to be set up to support this. SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server can handle different locales in parallel. A locale is a set of parameters that defines the language and country settings reflected in the …
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server can be installed in different ways. As well as the usual media installation covered in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST, you can choose from various network-based approaches or even take a completely hands-off approach to the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Serve…
Sophisticated system configurations require specific disk setups. All common partitioning tasks can be done with YaST. To get persistent device naming with block devices, use the block devices below /dev/disk/by-id or /dev/disk/by-uuid. Logical Volume Management (LVM) is a disk partitioning scheme t…
Any machine running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 or SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 can be configured to register against local Subscription Management Tool server to download software updates instead of communicating directly with the Novell Customer Center and the NU servers. To use an SMT ser…
There are several different ways to deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Choose from various approaches ranging from a local installation using physical media or a network installation server to a mass deployment using a remote-controlled, highly-customized, and automated installation technique. Select the method that best matches your requirements.
If your deployment of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server only involves 1 to 10 workstations, the easiest and least complex way of deploying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a plain manual installation as featured in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Manual installation can be done in several different ways, depending on your requirements:
Consider this approach if you want to install a single, disconnected workstation.
Consider this approach if you have a single workstation or a small number of workstations and if a network installation server announced via SLP is available.
Consider this approach if you have a single workstation or a small number of workstations and if a network installation server is available.
|
Installation Source |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit |
|
Tasks Requiring Manual Interaction |
|
|
Remotely Controlled Tasks |
None |
|
Details |
Installing from the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Media (DVD, CD, USB) |
|
Installation Source |
Network installation server holding the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation media |
|
Tasks Requiring Manual Interaction |
|
|
Remotely Controlled Tasks |
None, but this method can be combined with VNC |
|
Details |
|
Installation Source |
Network installation server holding the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation media |
|
Tasks Requiring Manual Interaction |
|
|
Remotely Controlled Tasks |
None, but method can be combined with VNC |
|
Details |
Section 6.1.2, “Installing from a Network Source without SLP” |
With a growing number of workstations to install, you certainly do not want to install and configure each one of them manually. There are many automated or semiautomated approaches as well as several options for performing an installation with minimal to no physical user interaction.
Before considering a fully-automated approach, take into account that the more complex the scenario gets the longer it takes to set up. If a time limit is associated with your deployment, it might be a good idea to select a less complex approach that can be carried out much more quickly. Automation makes sense for huge deployments and those that need to be carried out remotely.
Choose from the following options:
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario with a static network setup. A network, network installation server, and VNC viewer application are required.
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario with dynamic network setup through DHCP. A network, network installation server, and VNC viewer application are required.
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario that needs to be installed via the network and without physical interaction with the installation targets. A network, a network installation server, network boot images, network bootable target hardware, and a VNC viewer application are required.
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario with static network setup. A network, network installation server, and SSH client application are required.
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario with dynamic network setup through DHCP. A network, network installation server, and SSH client application are required.
Consider this approach in a small to medium scenario that needs to be installed via the network and without physical interaction with the installation targets. A network, a network installation server, network boot images, network bootable target hardware, and an SSH client application are required.
Consider this approach for large deployments to identical machines. If configured to use network booting, physical interaction with the target systems is not needed at all. A network, a network installation server, a remote controlling application (such as a VNC viewer or an SSH client), and an AutoYaST configuration profile are required. If using network boot, a network boot image and network bootable hardware are required, as well.
Consider this approach for large deployments to various types of hardware. If configured to use network booting, physical interaction with the target systems is not needed at all. A network, a network installation server, a remote controlling application (such as a VNC viewer or an SSH client), and several AutoYaST configuration profiles as well (as a rule setup for AutoYaST) are required. If using network boot, a network boot image and network bootable hardware are required, as well.
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: VNC |
|
Best Suited For |
Small to medium scenarios with varying hardware |
|
Drawbacks |
|
|
Details |
Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration” |
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: VNC |
|
Best Suited For |
Small to medium scenarios with varying hardware |
|
Drawbacks |
|
|
Details |
Section 14.1.2, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Dynamic Network Configuration” |
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: VNC |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
Each machine must be set up manually |
|
Details |
Section 14.1.3, “Remote Installation via VNC—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN” |
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: SSH |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
|
|
Details |
Section 14.1.4, “Simple Remote Installation via SSH—Static Network Configuration” |
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: SSH |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
|
|
Details |
Section 14.1.5, “Simple Remote Installation via SSH—Dynamic Network Configuration” |
|
Installation Source |
Network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Remote: SSH |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
Each machine must be set up individually |
|
Details |
Section 14.1.6, “Remote Installation via SSH—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN” |
|
Installation Source |
Preferably network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Local or remote through VNC or SSH |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
Applies only to machines with identical hardware |
|
Details |
|
Installation Source |
Preferably network |
|
Preparations |
|
|
Control and Monitoring |
Local or remote through SSH or VNC |
|
Best Suited For |
|
|
Drawbacks |
Complex rule setup |
|
Details |
Most of the considerations brought up for medium installation scenarios in Section 5.1, “Deploying up to 10 Workstations” still hold true for large scale deployments. However, with a growing number of installation targets, the benefits of a fully automated installation method outweigh its drawbacks.
It pays off to invest a considerable amount of time to create a sophisticated rule and class framework in AutoYaST to match the requirements of a huge deployment site. Not having to touch each target separately can save you a tremendous amount of time depending on the scope of your installation project.
As an alternative, and if user settings should be done during the first bootup, create preload images with kiwi and firstboot. Deploying such images could even be done by a PXE boot server specialized for this task. For more details, see Chapter 17, KIWI, Chapter 21, Automated Installation, and Chapter 20, Deploying Customized Preinstallations.
After your hardware has been prepared for the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server as described in Part I, “Architecture Specific Installation Considerations” and after the connection with the installation system has been established, you are presented with the interface of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server's system assistant YaST. YaST guides you through the entire installation and configuration procedure.
After having selected the installation medium, determine the suitable installation method and boot option that best matches your needs:
Choose this option if you want to perform a stand-alone installation and do not want to rely on a network to provide the installation data or the boot infrastructure. The installation proceeds exactly as outlined in Section 6.2, “The Installation Workflow”.
Choose this option if you have an installation server available in your network or want to use an external server as the source of your installation data. This setup can be configured to boot from physical media (Floppy, CD/DVD, or hard disk) or configured to boot via network using PXE/BOOTP. Refer to Section 6.1.1, “Installing from a Network Server Using SLP”, Section 6.1.2, “Installing from a Network Source without SLP”, or Chapter 14, Remote Installation for details.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports several different boot options from which you can choose, depending on the hardware available and on the installation scenario you prefer. Booting from the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media is the most straightforward option, but special requirements might call for special setups:
|
Boot Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
DVD |
This is the easiest boot option. This option can be used if the system has a local DVD-ROM drive that is supported by Linux. |
|
USB Mass Storage Device |
In case your machine is not equipped with an optical drive, you can
boot the installation image from a USB mass storage device such as a
USB stick. To create a bootable USB storage device, you need to copy
either the DVD or the Mini CD iso image to the device using the
dd if=PATH_TO_ISO_IMAGE of=USB_STORAGE_DEVICE bs=4M
Important: CompatibilityPlease note that booting from a USB Mass Storage Device is not supported on UEFI machines (this includes the complete ia64 architecture) and on the ppc64 architecture. |
|
PXE or BOOTP |
Booting over the network must be supported by the system's BIOS or firmware, and a boot server must be available in the network. This task can also be handled by another SUSE Linux Enterprise Server system. Refer to Chapter 14, Remote Installation for more information. |
|
Hard Disk |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation can also be booted from the hard disk. To do
this, copy the kernel ( |
amd64, em64t DVD1 can be used as a boot medium for machines equipped with UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). Refer to your vendor's documentation for specific information. If booting fails, try to enable CSM (Compatibility Support Module) in your firmware.
If your network setup supports OpenSLP and your network installation source has been configured to announce itself via SLP (described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”), boot the system, press F4 in the boot screen and select from the menu.
The installation program configures the network connection with DHCP and retrieves the location of the network installation source from the OpenSLP server. If the automatic DHCP network configuration fails, you are prompted to enter the appropriate parameters manually. The installation then proceeds as described below with the exception of the network configuration step that is needed prior to adding additional repositories. This step is not needed as the network is already configured and active at this point.
If your network setup does not support OpenSLP for the retrieval of network installation sources, boot the system and press F4 in the boot screen to select the desired network protocol (NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB/CIFS). Provide the server's address and the path to the installation media.
The installation program automatically configures the network connection with DHCP. If this configuration fails, you are prompted to enter the appropriate parameters manually. The installation retrieves the installation data from the source specified. The installation then proceeds as described below with the exception of the network configuration step needed prior to adding additional repositories. This step is not needed as the network is already configured and active at this point.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation is split into three main parts: preparation, installation, and configuration. During the preparation phase you configure some basic parameters such as language, time, hard disk setup and installation scope. In the non-interactive installation phase the software is installed and the system is prepared for the first boot. Upon finishing the installation the machine reboots into the newly installed system and starts the final system configuration. In this stage, network and Internet access, as well as hardware components such as printers, are set up.
For IBM POWER platforms, the system is booted (IPL, Initial Program Load) as
described in Section 3.2, “Preparation”. For a network installation,
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server does not show a splash screen or a boot loader command line on these
systems. During the installation load the kernel manually. YaST starts
with its installation screen as soon as a connection has been established to
the installation system via VNC, X, or SSH. Because there is no splash
screen or boot loader command line, kernel or boot parameters cannot be
entered on the screen, but must be included in the kernel image using the
mkzimage_cmdline utility.
To install, follow the description of the installation procedure with YaST starting from Section 6.8, “Welcome”.
For IBM System z platforms, the system is booted (IPL, Initial Program Load) as described in Section 4.2.4, “IPLing the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Installation System”. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server does not show a splash screen on these systems. During the installation, load the kernel, initrd, and parmfile manually. YaST starts with its installation screen as soon as a connection has been established to the installation system via VNC, X, or SSH. Because there is no splash screen, kernel or boot parameters cannot be entered on screen, but must be specified in a parmfile (see Section 4.4, “The parmfile—Automating the System Configuration”).
To install, follow the description of the installation procedure with YaST starting from Section 6.8, “Welcome”.
You can install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from local installation sources, such as the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server CDs or DVD, or from network source of an FTP, HTTP, NFS, or SMB server. Any of these approaches requires physical access to the system to install as well as user interaction during the installation. The installation procedure is basically the same regardless of the installation source. Any exceptions are sufficiently highlighted in the following workflow description. For a description on how to perform non-interactive, automated installations, refer to Part IV, “Automated Installations”.
The boot screen displays a number of options for the installation procedure. boots the installed system and is selected by default, because the CD is often left in the drive. Select one of the other options with the arrow keys and press Enter to boot it. The relevant options are:
The normal installation mode. All modern hardware functions are enabled. In case the installation fails, see F5 for boot options that disable potentially problematic functions.
Boots into the graphical repair system. More information on repairing an installed system is available in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.6 “Data Problems”, Section 36.6.4 “Recovering a Corrupted System”.
Starts a minimal Linux system without a graphical user interface. For more information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.6 “Data Problems”, Section 36.6.4 “Recovering a Corrupted System”, Section 36.6.4.2 “Using the Rescue System”.
This option is only available when you install from media created from downloaded ISOs. In this case it is recommended to check the integrity of the installation medium. This option starts the installation system before automatically checking the media. In case the check was successful, the normal installation routine starts. If a corrupt media is detected, the installation routine aborts.
Starts a BIOS checker that validates ACPI and other parts of your BIOS.
Tests your system RAM using repeated read and write cycles. Terminate the test by rebooting. For more information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.2 “Installation Problems”, Section 36.2.5 “Fails to Boot”.
Use the function keys indicated in the bar at the bottom of the screen to change the language, screen resolution, installation source or to add an additional driver from your hardware vendor:
Get context-sensitive help for the active element of the boot screen. Use the arrow keys to navigate, Enter to follow a link, and Esc to leave the help screen.
Select the display language and a corresponding keyboard layout for the installation. The default language is English (US).
Select various graphical display modes for the installation. Select if the graphical installation causes problems.
Normally, the installation is performed from the inserted installation medium. Here, select other sources, like FTP or NFS servers. If the installation is deployed on a network with an SLP server, select an installation source available on the server with this option. Find information about SLP in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 23 “SLP Services in the Network”.
If you encounter problems with the regular installation, this menu offers to disable a few potentially problematic functions. If your hardware does not support ACPI (advanced configuration and power interface) select to install without ACPI support. disables support for APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controllers) which may cause problems with some hardware. boots the system with the DMA mode (for CD/DVD-ROM drives) and power management functions disabled.
If you are not sure, try the following options first: or . Experts can also use the command line () to enter or change kernel parameters.
Press this key to notify the system that you have an optional driver update for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. With or , load drivers directly before the installation starts. If you select , you are prompted to insert the update disk at the appropriate point in the installation process.
Driver updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise are provided at http://drivers.suse.com/. These drivers have been created via the Partner Linux Driver Program.
By default you can only assign IPv4 network addresses to your machine. To
enable IPv6 during installation, enter one of the following parameters at
the bootprompt: ipv6=1 (accept IPv4 and IPv6) or
ipv6only=1 (accept IPv6 only).
After starting the installation, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server loads and configures a minimal Linux system to run the installation procedure. To view the boot messages and copyright notices during this process, press Esc. On completion of this process, the YaST installation program starts and displays the graphical installer.
If the installer does not detect your mouse correctly, use Tab for navigation, arrow keys to scroll, and Enter to confirm a selection. Various buttons or selection fields contain a letter with an underscore. Use Alt–Letter to select a button or a selection directly instead of navigating there with the Tab button.
By default, updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server are delivered by the Novell Customer Center. If your network provides a so called SMT server to provide a local update source, you need to equip the client with the server's URL. Client and server communicate solely via HTTPS protocol, therefore you also need to enter a path to the server's certificate if the certificate was not issued by a certificate authority. This information can either be entered at the boot prompt (as described here) or during the registration process as described in Section 6.16.1.4.1, “Local Registration Server”.
URL of the SMT server. This URL has a fixed format
https://FQN/center/regsvc/
FQN has to be a fully qualified hostname of
the SMT server. Example:
regurl=https://smt.example.com/center/regsvc/
Location of the SMT server's certificate. Specify one of the following locations:
Remote location (http, https or ftp) from which the certificate can be downloaded. Example:
regcert=http://smt.example.com/smt-ca.crt
Specifies a location on a floppy. The floppy has to be inserted at
boot time, as you will not be prompted to insert it if it is missing.
The value has to start with the string floppy
followed by the path to the certificate. Example:
regcert=floppy/smt/smt-ca.crt
Absolute path to the certificate on the local machine. Example:
regcert=/data/inst/smt/smt-ca.cert
Use ask to open a pop-up menu during the
installation where you can specify the path to the certificate. Do
not use this option with AutoYaST. Example
regcert=ask
Use done if either the certificate will be
installed by an add-on product, or if you are using a certificate
issued by an official certificate authority. Example:
regcert=done
Make sure the values you enter are correct. If regurl
has not been specified correctly, the registration of the update source
will fail. If a wrong value for regcert has been entered, you will be
prompted for a local path to the certificate.
In case regcert is not specified, it will default to
http://FQN/smt.crt with
FQN being the name of the SMT server.
supportconfig #The data that supportconfig (see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 2 “Gathering System Information for Support” for more information) gathers is sent to the Novell Customer Center by default. It is also possible to set up a local server to collect this data. If such a server is available on your network, you need to set the server's URL on the client. This information has to be entered at the boot prompt.
URL of the server. The URL has the format
http://FQN/Path/
FQN has to be full qualified hostname of the
server, Path has to be replaced with the
location on the server. Example:
supporturl=http://support.example.com/supportconfig/data/
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a new industry standard which replaces and extends the traditional BIOS. The latest UEFI implementations contain the “Secure Boot” extension, that prevents booting malicious code by only allowing signed boot loaders to be executed. See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 12 “UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)” for more information.
The boot manager GRUB, used to boot machines with a traditional BIOS, does
not support UEFI, therefore GRUB is replaced with ELILO. If Secure Boot is
enabled, a GRUB2 UEFI module is used via an ELILO compatibility layer.
From an administrative and user perspective, both boot manager
implementations behave the same and are referred to as
ELILO in the following.
The installation routine of SUSE Linux Enterprise automatically detects if the machine is equipped with UEFI. All installation sources also support Secure Boot. If an EFI system partition already exists on dual boot machines (from a Microsoft Windows 8 installation, for example), it will automatically be detected and used. Partition tables will be written as GPT on UEFI systems.
There is no support for adding non-inbox drivers (that is, drivers that do not come with SLE) during installation with Secure Boot enabled. The signing key used for SolidDriver/PLDP is not trusted by default.
To solve this problem, it is necessary to either add the needed keys to the firmware database via firmware/system management tools before the installation or to use a bootable ISO that will enroll the needed keys in the MOK list at first boot. For more information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 12 “UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)”, Section 12.1 “Secure Boot”.
The boot screen displays a number of options for the installation procedure. Change the selected option with the arrow keys and press Enter to boot it. The relevant options are:
The normal installation mode.
Starts a minimal Linux system without a graphical user interface. For more information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.6 “Data Problems”, Section 36.6.4 “Recovering a Corrupted System”, Section 36.6.4.2 “Using the Rescue System”.
This option is only available when you install from media created from downloaded ISOs. In this case it is recommended to check the integrity of the installation medium. This option starts the installation system before automatically checking the media. In case the check was successful, the normal installation routine starts. If a corrupt media is detected, the installation routine aborts.
ELILO on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server does not support a graphical boot screen or a boot prompt. In order to add additional boot parameters you need to edit the respective boot entry. Highlight it using the arrow keys and press E. See the on-screen help for editing hints (note that only an English keyboard is available at this time). The entry will look similar to the following:
setparams 'Installation' set gfxpayload=keep echo 'Loading kernel ...' linuxefi /boot/x86_64/loader/linux echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...' initrdefi /boot/x86_64/loader/initrd
Add space separated parameters to the end of the line starting with
linuxefi. A list of parameters is available at
https://en.opensuse.org/Linuxrc. In the following
example the installation language is set to German:
linuxefi /boot/x86_64/loader/linux Language=de_DE
To boot the edited entry, press F10. If you access the machine via serial console, press Esc–0.
Start the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server by choosing your language. Changing the language will automatically preselect a corresponding keyboard layout. Override this proposal by selecting a different keyboard layout from the drop-down menu. The language selected here is also used to assume a time zone for the system clock. This setting—along with the selection of secondary languages to install on your system—can be modified later in the , described in Section 6.14, “Installation Settings”. For information about language settings in the installed system, see Chapter 13, Changing Language and Country Settings with YaST.
Read the license agreement that is displayed beneath the language and keyboard selection thoroughly. Use to access translations. If you agree to the terms, check and click to proceed with the installation. If you do not agree to the license agreement, you cannot install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server; click to terminate the installation.
When installing on IBM System z platforms, the language selection dialog is followed by a dialog to configure the attached hard disks. Select DASD, Fibre Channel Attached SCSI Disks (zFCP), or iSCSI for installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The DASD and zFCP configuration buttons are only available if the corresponding devices are attached. For instructions on how to configure iSCSI disks, refer to Book “Storage Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Mass Storage over IP Networks: iSCSI”, Section 14.1 “Installing iSCSI Target and Initiator”.
Adding DASD or zFCP disks is not only possible during the installation workflow, but also when the installation proposal is shown. To add disks at that stage, click and scroll down. The DASD and zFCP entries are shown at the very bottom.
After adding the disks, reread the partition table. Return to the installation proposal screen and choose then select . This updates the new partition table.
After selecting , an overview lists all available DASDs. To get a clearer picture of the available devices, use the entry field located above the list to specify a range of channels to display. To filter the list according to such a range, select .
Specify the DASDs to use for the installation by selecting the corresponding entries in the list. Click . Activate and make the DASDs available for the installation by selecting › . To format the DASDs, select › right away or use the YaST partitioner later as described in Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”.
To use zFCP disks for the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation, select in the selection dialog. This opens a dialog with a list of the zFCP disks available on the system. In this dialog, select to open another dialog in which to enter zFCP parameters.
To make a zFCP disk available for the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation, choose an available from the drop-down list. (World Wide Port Number) and (Logical Unit Number) return lists with available WWPNs and FCP-LUNs, respectively, to choose from. When completed, exit the zFCP dialog with and the general hard disk configuration dialog with to continue with the rest of the configuration.
The media check dialog only appears if you install from media created from downloaded ISOs. If you install from the original media kit, the dialog is skipped.
The media check examines the integrity of a medium. To start it, select the drive that contains the installation medium and click . The check can take some time.
To test multiple media, wait until a result message appears in the dialog before changing the medium. If the last medium checked is not the one you started the installation with, YaST prompts for the appropriate medium before continuing with the installation.
If using ISO images (for example, for installing add-on products), click and choose the image via the file dialog.
If the media check fails, your medium is damaged. Do not continue the installation because installation may fail or you may loose your data. Replace the broken medium and restart the installation process.
If the media check turns out positive, click to continue the installation.
After a system analysis (where YaST probes for storage devices and tries to find other installed systems on your machine) the available installation modes are displayed.
Select this option to start a new installation from scratch.
Select this option to update an existing installation to a newer version. For more information about system update, see Chapter 7, Updating SUSE Linux Enterprise.
Choose this option to repair a damaged system that is already installed. More information is available in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.6 “Data Problems”, Section 36.6.4 “Recovering a Corrupted System”.
Check to include add-on products during the installation. An add-on product can include extensions, third-party products and drivers or additional software for your system.
In case your organization provides the update channel for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server via an SMT server, it is possible to specify this channel as an Add-On product by entering its HTTP address. As a consequence, the system will be installed with the most current packages without having to apply the updates at the end of the installation.
Click to proceed. If you selected to include an add-on product, proceed with Section 6.11.1, “Add-On Products”, otherwise skip the next section and advance to Section 6.12, “Clock and Time Zone”.
Add-on products can be installed either from a local source (CD, DVD, or directory) or from a network source (HTTP, FTP, NFS, CIFS,...). When installing from a network source, you need to configure the network first (unless you are performing a network installation—in this case the existing network configuration is used). Choose and proceed as described in Section 6.11.1.1, “Network Setup”. If the add-on product is available locally, select .
Click and specify the product source. Source types available are , , , , a or a (if no network was configured). If the add-on product is available on removable media, the system automatically mounts the media and reads its contents. If the add-on product is available on hard disk, choose to install from an unmounted hard drive, or / to install from the local file system. Add-on products may be delivered as a repository or as a set of RPM files. In the latter case, check . Whenever a network is available, you can choose from additional remote sources such as HTTP, SLP, FTP, etc. It is also possible to specify a URL directly.
Check to download the files describing the repository now. If unchecked, they will be downloaded once the installation starts. Proceed with and insert a CD or DVD if required. Depending on the product's content it may be necessary to accept additional license agreements.
It is also possible to configure add-on products later. Using add-on products on the installed system is described in Chapter 10, Installing Add-On Products.
You can also add driver update repositories via the Add-On Products dialog. Driver updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise are provided at http://drivers.suse.com/. These drivers have been created via the Partner Linux Driver Program.
When invoking the network setup, YaST scans for available network cards. If more than one network card is found, you must choose the card to configure from the list.
If an ethernet network adapter is not already connected, a warning will open. Make sure the network cable is plugged in and choose . If your network is equipped with a DHCP server, choose . To manually set up the network choose and specify , , , and the .
Some networks require the use of a proxy server to access the Internet. Tick the check box and enter the appropriate specifications. Click to perform the network setup. The installation procedure will continue with the add-on products or repositories setup as described in Section 6.11.1, “Add-On Products”.
In this dialog, select your region and time zone. Both are preselected according to the selected installation language. To change the preselected values, either use the map or the drop down lists for and . When using the map, point the cursor at the rough direction of your region and left-click to zoom. Now choose your country or region by left-clicking. Right-click to return to the world map.
To set up the clock, choose whether the . If you run another operating system on your machine, such as Microsoft Windows, it is likely your system uses local time instead. If you only run Linux on your machine, set the hardware clock to UTC and have the switch from standard time to daylight saving time performed automatically.
The switch from standard time to daylight saving time (and vice versa) can only be performed automatically when the hardware clock (CMOS clock) is set to UTC. This also applies if you use automatic time synchronization with NTP, because automatic syncing will only be performed if the time difference between the hardware and system clock is less than 15 minutes.
Since a wrong system time can cause severe problems (missed backups, dropped mail messages, mount failures on remote file systems, etc.) it is strongly recommended to always set the hardware clock to UTC.
If a network is already configured, you can configure time synchronization with an NTP server. Click to either alter the NTP settings or to set the time. See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 24 “Time Synchronization with NTP” for more information on configuring the NTP service. When finished, click to continue the installation.
Since the operating system is not allowed to change time and date directly, the option is not available on IBM System z.
In SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, you can choose from three base scenarios. The selected scenario affects the package selection.
Choose this scenario when installing on a “real” machine or a fully virtualized guest.
Choose this scenario when installing a paravirtualized guest.
Choose this scenario when installing on a machine that should serve as a XEN host.
On the last step before the real installation takes place, you can alter installation settings suggested by YaST and also review the settings you made so far. Basic settings can be changed in the tab, advanced options are available on the tab. To modify the suggestions, either click and select the category to change or click on one of the headlines. After configuring any of the items presented in these dialogs, you are always returned to the Installation Settings window, which is updated accordingly.
You can reset all changes to the defaults by clicking › . YaST then shows the original proposal again.
Review and, if necessary, change the partition setup proposed by the system. Changing the partition setup either lets you partition a specific disk or, when choosing , apply your own partitioning scheme. Modifying the partition setup opens the Expert Partitioner described in Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”.
The default partitioning scheme is based on Ext3 file system. To use Btrfs as a default file system instead, click in the tab and check
If SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is installed on minidisks in z/VM, which reside on the same physical disk, the access path of the minidisks (/dev/disk/by-id/) is not unique but rather the ID of the physical disk. So if two or more minidisks are on the same physical disk, they all have the same ID.
To avoid problems when mounting the minidisks, always mount them either "by path" or "by UUID".
IBM Z This module cannot be used to configure the boot loader (zipl) on the IBM System z platforms.
YaST proposes a boot configuration for your system. Other operating systems found on your computer, such as Microsoft Windows or other Linux installations, will automatically be detected and added to the boot loader. However, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server will be booted by default. Normally, you can leave these settings unchanged. If you need a custom setup, modify the proposal for your system. For information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 11 “The Boot Loader GRUB”, Section 11.2 “Configuring the Boot Loader with YaST”.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server contains a number of software patterns for various application purposes. Click to start the pattern selection and modify the installation scope according to your needs. Select your pattern from the list and see a pattern description in the right part of the window. Each pattern contains a number of software packages needed for specific functions (e.g. Web and LAMP server or a print server). For a more detailed selection based on software packages to install, select to switch to the YaST Software Manager.
You can also install additional software packages or remove software packages from your system at any later time with the YaST Software Manager. For more information, refer to Chapter 9, Installing or Removing Software.
The default desktop of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is GNOME. To install KDE, click and select from .
Here you can change the system
you defined in the first step of the
installation. It is also possible to add additional languages. To adjust
the system language settings, select . Select a
language from the list. The primary language is used as the system
language. You can also adapt keyboard layout and time zone to the primary
language if the current settings differ. lets
you modify language settings for the user root, set
UTF-8 support, or further specify the language
(e.g. select South African English).
Choose secondary languages to be able to switch to one of these languages at any time without having to install additional packages. For more information, see Chapter 13, Changing Language and Country Settings with YaST.
If you added a source for an add-on media earlier, it appears here. Add, remove, or modify add-on products here, if needed.This is the same configuration dialog as discussed earlier in Section 6.11.1, “Add-On Products”.
To change the keyboard layout, select . By default, the layout corresponds to the language chosen for installation. Select the keyboard layout from the list. Use the field at the bottom of the dialog to check if you can enter special characters of that layout correctly. Options to fine-tune various settings are available under . When finished, click to return to the installation summary.
Adjust time zone and clock settings here. Provided a network is configured, you can also set up a Network Time Protocol (NTP) client that automatically synchronizes your computer with a time server. This is the same configuration as shown earlier in Section 6.12, “Clock and Time Zone”.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can boot to different runlevels. Normally, there should be no
need to change anything here, but if necessary set the default runlevel
with this dialog. Refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 10 “Booting and Configuring a Linux System”, Section 10.2 “The init Process”, Section 10.2.3 “Configuring System Services (Runlevel) with YaST” for
more information about runlevel configuration.
This dialog presents all the hardware information YaST could obtain about your computer. When called, the hardware detection routine is started. Depending on your system, this may take some time. Select any item in the list and click to see detailed information about the selected item. Use to save a detailed list to either the local file system or a floppy. Advanced users can also change the PCI ID setup and Kernel Settings by choosing .
Using kdump, you can save a dump of the kernel (in case of a crash) to analyze what went wrong. Use this dialog to enable and configure kdump. Find detailed information at Book “System Analysis and Tuning Guide”, Chapter 18 “kexec and kdump”.
After configuring all installation settings, click in the Installation Settings window to start the installation. Some software may require a license confirmation. If your software selection includes such software, license confirmation dialogs are displayed. Click to install the software package. When not agreeing to the license, click and the software package will not be installed. In the dialog that follows, confirm with again.
The installation usually takes between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the system performance and the selected software scope. After having prepared the hard disk and having saved and restored the user settings, the software installation starts.
After the software installation has completed, the basic system is set up. Among others, “Finishing the Basic Installation” includes installing the boot manager, initializing fonts and more. Next YaST boots into the new Linux system to start the system configuration.
If you install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on a machine with existing Linux installations, the installation routine automatically imports the SSH host key with the most recent access time from an existing installation.
In most cases, YaST automatically reboots into the installed system on
the IBM System z platform. Known exceptions to this are installations
wherein the boot loader resides on an FCP device in environments with LPAR
on a machine older than z9 or with z/VM older than release 5.3. The boot
loader gets written to the device that holds the /boot
directory. If /boot is not on a separate partition, it
is on the same partition as the root file system /.
In cases where an automatic reboot is not possible, YaST will show a dialog box containing information about from which device to do an IPL. Accept the shutdown option and perform an IPL after the shutdown. The procedure varies according to the type of installation:
In the IBM System z HMC, select ,
select , then enter the loading address (the
device address of the device holding the /boot
directory with the boot loader). If using a ZFCP disk as the boot
device, choose and specify the load
address of your FCP adapter as well as WWPN and LUN of the boot device.
Now start the loading process.
Log in to the VM guest (see
Example 4.5, “Configuration of a z/VM Directory” for the
configuration) as LINUX1 and
proceed to IPL the installed system:
IPL 151 CLEAR
151 is an example address of the DASD boot device,
replace this value with the correct address.
If using a ZFCP disk as the boot device, specify both the ZFCP WWPN and LUN of the boot device before initiating the IPL. The parameter length is limited to eight characters. Longer numbers must be separated by spaces:
SET LOADDEV PORT 50050763 00C590A9 LUN 50010000 00000000
Finally, initiate the IPL:
IPL FC00
FC00 is an example address of the ZFCP adapter,
replace this value with the correct address.
After IPLing the installed system, establish a connection with it to complete the installation. The steps involved in this vary depending on the type of connection used at the outset.
A message in the 3270 terminal asks you to connect to the Linux system using a VNC client. This message is easily missed, however, because it is mixed with kernel messages and the terminal process might quit before you become aware of the message. If nothing happens for five minutes, try to initiate a connection to the Linux system using a VNC viewer.
If you connect using a Java-capable browser, enter the complete URL, consisting of the IP address of the installed system along with the port number, in the following fashion:
http://<IP of installed system>:5801/
When IPLing the installed system, make sure that the X server used for the first phase of the installation is up and still available before booting from the DASD. YaST opens on this X server to finish the installation. Complications may arise if the system is booted up but unable to connect to the X server in a timely fashion.
Start SSH in an xterm. Other terminal emulators lack complete support for the text-based interface of YaST.
A message in the 3270 terminal asks you to connect to the Linux system with an SSH client. This message is easily missed, however, because it is mixed with kernel messages and the terminal process might quit before you become aware of the message.
Once the message appears, use SSH to log in to the Linux system as
root. If the connection is
denied or times out, wait for the login timeout to expire, then try again
(this time may vary depending on server settings).
When the connection is established, execute the command
/usr/lib/YaST2/startup/YaST2.ssh. Just executing the
command yast does not suffice in this case.
YaST then begins completing the installation of the remaining packages and creating an initial system configuration.
The system is now installed, but not yet configured for use. The hardware, the network and other services are not yet set up.
Having rebooted, the system starts the manual configuration. If the configuration fails at one of the steps of this stage, it restarts and continues from the last successful step.
root is the name of the superuser, the administrator of the system.
Unlike regular users, who may or may not have permission to execute
administrative commands on the system, root has unlimited command
capacity, for instance changing the system configuration, installing
programs, and setting up new hardware. If users forget their passwords or
have other problems with the system, root can help. The root
account should only be used for system administration, maintenance, and
repair. Logging in as root for daily work is rather risky: a single
mistake could lead to the irretrievable loss of system files.
For verification purposes, the password for root must be entered
twice. Do not forget the root password. Once entered, this password
cannot be retrieved.
When typing passwords, the characters are replaced by dots, so you do not see the string you are typing. If you are unsure whether you have typed the correct string, use the field for testing purposes.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can use the DES, MD5, or Blowfish encryption algorithms for passwords. The default encryption type is Blowfish. To change the encryption type, click › and select the new type.
The root can be changed any time later in the installed system. To
do so run YaST and start › .
The hostname is the computer's name in the network. The domain name is the name of the network. A hostname and domain are proposed by default. If your system is part of a network, the hostname has to be unique in this network, whereas the domain name has to be common to all hosts on the network.
In many networks, the system receives its name over DHCP. In this case it
is not necessary to modify the proposed hostname and domain name. Select
instead. To be able to access
your system using this hostname, even when it is not connected to the
network, select . Do not
enable this option when your machine provides network services. If you
often change networks without restarting the desktop environment (e.g.
when switching between different WLANs), do not enable this option either,
because the desktop system may get confused when the hostname in
/etc/hosts changes.
To change hostname settings at any time after installation, use YaST › . For more information, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.1 “Configuring the Network Card with YaST”.
For the IBM System z platforms, a working network connection is needed at installation time to connect to the target system, the installation source, and the YaST terminal controlling the process. The steps to set up the network are discussed in Section 4.2.5, “Network Configuration”. The IBM System z platforms only support the types of network interfaces mentioned there (OSA Ethernet, OSA Gigabit Ethernet, OSA Express Fast Ethernet, Escon, and IUCV). The YaST dialog simply displays the interface with its settings as already configured. Just confirm this dialog to continue.
By default, is enabled. If desired, you can also use NetworkManager to manage all your network devices. However, the traditional method is the preferred option for server solutions. Find detailed information about NetworkManager in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 27 “Using NetworkManager”.
The network can also be configured after the system installation has been completed. If you skip it now, your system is left offline unable to retrieve any available updates. To configure your network connection later, select and click .
The following network settings can be configured in this step:
Enable or disable the use of NetworkManager as described above. Also change the IPv6 support here. By default the IPv6 support is enabled. To disable it, click . For more information about IPv6, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.2 “IPv6—The Next Generation Internet”.
By default SuSEFirewall2 is enabled on all configured network interfaces. To globally disable the firewall for this computer, click on . If the firewall is enabled, you may the SSH port in order to allow remote connections via secure shell. To open the detailed firewall configuration dialog, click on . See Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 15 “Masquerading and Firewalls”, Section 15.4 “SuSEfirewall2”, Section 15.4.1 “Configuring the Firewall with YaST” for detailed information.
All network cards detected by YaST are listed here. If you have already set up a network connection during the installation (as described in Section 6.11.1.1, “Network Setup”) the card used for this connection is listed as . A click on opens the dialog, where you can change existing configurations, set up networks cards not configured yet, or add and configure additional cards.
If your computer is equipped with an internal DSL modem, an internal ADSL Fritz Card, an ISDN card or a modem, clicking on the respective headline opens the configuration dialog. Refer to Chapter 11, Accessing the Internet for further information.
To enable remote administration of your machine via VNC, click . Choose in the following dialog and adjust your firewall settings accordingly.
If you have a proxy server controlling the Internet access in your network, configure the proxy URLs and authentication details in this dialog.
Reset the network settings to the original proposed values by clicking › . This discards any changes made.
After having configured a network connection, you can test it. For this purpose, YaST establishes a connection to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server server and downloads the latest release notes. Read them at the end of the installation process. A successful test is also a prerequisite for the automatic addition of the default repositories and for updating online.
If you have multiple network interfaces, verify that the desired card is used to connect to the Internet. If not, click .
To start the test, select and click . In the following dialog, view the progress of the test and the results. Detailed information about the test process is available via . If the test fails, click to return to the network configuration to correct your entries.
Proceed with . If the test was successful, the official software repositories for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and the update repository will be configured. Downloading the repository data for the first time may take some time.
If you do not want to test the connection at this point, select then . This also skips downloading the release notes, configuring the customer center and updating online. These steps can be performed any time after the system has been initially configured.
To get technical support and product updates, you need to register and activate your product with the Novell Customer Center. The provides assistance for doing so. Find detailed information about Novell Customer Center at http://www.novell.com/documentation/ncc/.
If you are offline or want to skip this step, select . This also skips SUSE Linux Enterprise Server's online update.
In , select whether to send unsolicited additional information, such as your or when registering. This simplifies the registration process. Click on to get in-depth information about how the data will be collected. In order to obtain information about which data will be sent for your specific product, the Novell server will be connected. Upon this initial connect no data other than the ID of your product will be sent to the Novell servers.
In order to become entitled for support, make sure to check . You will be prompted to enter the code when proceeding with . Find more information about the technical support at http://www.suse.com/support/programs/.
No information is passed to anyone outside Novell/SUSE. The data is
used for statistical purposes and to enhance your convenience regarding
driver support and your Web account. Find a link to the detailed privacy
policy by clicking on . View the information
transmitted in the log file at
/root/.suse_register.log.
Apart from activating and registering your product, this module also adds the official update repositories to your configuration. These repositories provide fixes for known bugs or security issues which can be installed via an online update.
To keep your repositories valid, select . This option checks your repositories and adds newly available catalogs or removes obsolete ones. It does not affect manually-added repositories.
Proceed with . A connection with the Novell server is established. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the registration.
When you register a system in Novell Customer Center, registration data is stored locally and in the Novell Customer Center database. Although it is normally not necessary, there are corner cases which may require you to re-register an already installed machine with a different registration code. To do so, proceed with the following steps on the installed system:
Enter the following command as user root to delete the
installation data on the local machine:
suse_register.pl --erase-local-regdata
Next you need to remove the registered system from the Novell Customer Center database. Go to http://www.suse.com/ in a browser and click › . Log in and navigate to › . Select the system and remove it by clicking on the dash sign in the bottom bar of the table.
Now you can re-register the machine with either
suse-register or the YaST module .
If your organization provides a local registration server instead of using the Novell Customer Center, you need to specify the server's URL. Client and server communicate solely via HTTPS protocol, therefore you also need to enter a path to the server's certificate if the certificate was not issued by a certificate authority. Open the dialog with ›
URL of the registration server. The URL has a fixed format
https://FQN/center/regsvc/
FQN has to be full qualified hostname of
the registration server. Example:
https://smt.example.com/center/regsvc/
Location of the registration server's certificate. Specify one of the following locations:
Remote location (http, https or ftp) from which the certificate can be downloaded. Example:
http://smt.example.com/smt-ca.crt
Specifies a location on a floppy. The floppy has to be inserted
before proceeding. The value has to start with the string
floppy followed by the path to the certificate.
Example:
floppy/smt/smt-ca.crt
Absolute path to the certificate on the local machine. Example:
/data/inst/smt/smt-ca.cert
Use ask to open a pop-up menu where you can
specify the path to the certificate. Do not use this option with
AutoYaST. Example
ask
Use done if either the certificate will be
installed by an add-on product, or if you are using a certificate
issued by an official certificate authority. Example:
done
If an Internet connection has been established, and updates are available, select whether to perform a YaST online update. If there are any patched packages available on the servers, download and install them now to fix known bugs or security issues. For detailed instructions see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update”. Directives on how to perform an online update in the installed system are available at Section 9.4, “Keeping the System Up-to-date” or Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update”. This step is skipped if no updates are available or no Internet connection has been established. Patches fixing security issues and recommended patches applying to your installation are automatically preselected. Click to install them and to proceed with the system configuration.
The download of updates might take quite some time, depending on the bandwidth of the Internet connection and the size of the update files. In case the patch system itself is updated, the online update will restart and download more patches after the restart. If the kernel was updated, the system will reboot before completing the configuration.
After testing the Internet connection and downloading the first updates, a dialog opens in which to enable and configure three network services.
The purpose of a CA (certificate authority) is to guarantee a trust relationship among all network services communicating with each other. Without a CA, you can secure server communications with SSL and TLS separately for each individual service. By default, a CA is created and enabled during the installation. Find details about the creation of a CA with YaST in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 17 “Managing X.509 Certification”.
You can run an LDAP service on your host to have a central facility manage a range of configuration files. Typically, an LDAP server handles user account data, but with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server it can also be used for mail, DHCP, and DNS data. By default, an LDAP server is set up during the installation. If you decide against the use of an LDAP server, the YaST mail server module does not work because it depends on LDAP functionality. However, you can still set up a mail server on your system with the help of the module. Find details about LDAP and its configuration with YaST in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 4 “LDAP—A Directory Service”.
The CIM (Common Information Model) Server is started by default. Click to prevent the server automatically stating at boot time. For more information on CIM services refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 34 “Web Based Enterprise Management Using SFCB”.
If preferred, you can skip this configuration proposal for now. After the installation is finished, configure and start the same services with the help of YaST.
Restore the defaults by clicking › . This discards any changes made.
If network access was configured successfully during the previous steps of the installation, you can now choose from several user management options. If a network connection has not been configured, create local user accounts. You may also, if present, import users from a previous installation. Also change the password encryption type in this dialog.
You can also add additional user accounts or change the user authentication method in the installed system. For detailed information about user management, see Chapter 12, Managing Users with YaST.
The default authentication method is . If a former version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or another
system using /etc/passwd is detected, you may import
local users. To do so, check and click . In the next
dialog, select the users to import and finish with .
Manually enter local users by clicking . The New Local User dialog opens. After entering the first name and last name, either accept the proposal or specify a new that will be used to log in. Finally, enter a password for the user. Reenter it for confirmation (to ensure that you did not type something else by mistake). To provide effective security, a password should be between five and eight characters long. The maximum length for a password is 72 characters. However, if no special security modules are loaded, only the first eight characters are used to discern the password. Passwords are case-sensitive. Special characters (7-bit ASCII) and the digits 0 to 9 are allowed. Other special characters like umlauts or accented characters are not allowed.
Passwords you enter are checked for weakness. When entering a password that is easy to guess, such as a dictionary word or a name, you will see a warning. It is a good security practice to use strong passwords.
Two additional options are available:
Checking this box sends messages created by the system services to the
user. These are usually only sent to root, the system
administrator. This option is useful for the most frequently used
account, because it is highly recommended to log in as root only
in special cases.
The mails sent by system services are stored in the local mailbox
/var/spool/mail/username,
where username is the login name of the
selected user. To read e-mails after installation, you can use any
e-mail client, for example KMail or Evolution.
This option automatically logs the current user in to the system on start-up. This is mainly useful if the computer is operated by only one user. For automatic login to work, the option must be explicitly enabled.
With automatic login enabled, the system boots straight to your desktop with no authentication at all. If you store sensitive data on your system, you should not enable this option if the computer can also be accessed by others.
Enter more users by calling the module described in Chapter 12, Managing Users with YaST.
When using a network server for user authentication, access to the following services can be configured:
Users are administered centrally on an LDAP server for all systems in the network. More information is available in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 4 “LDAP—A Directory Service”, Section 4.4 “Configuring an LDAP Client with YaST”.
Users are administered centrally on a NIS server for all systems in the network. See Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 3 “Using NIS”, Section 3.2 “Configuring NIS Clients” for more information.
SMB authentication is often used in mixed Linux and Windows networks. Detailed information is available in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 28 “Samba”, Section 28.6 “Samba Server in the Network with Active Directory” and Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 5 “Active Directory Support”, Section 5.3 “Configuring a Linux Client for Active Directory”.
Along with user administration via and , you can use Kerberos authentication. To use it, select . For more information on Kerberos, refer to Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 6 “Network Authentication with Kerberos”.
After completing the user authentication setup, YaST displays the release notes. Reading them is recommended, because they contain important up-to-date information which was not available when the manuals were printed. If you successfully tested the Internet connection, read the most recent version of the release notes, as fetched from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server's servers. Use › in YaST or start the SUSE Help Center to view the release notes after installation.
At the end of the installation, YaST opens a dialog for the configuration of and . Click the individual components to start the hardware configuration. For the most part, YaST detects and configures the devices automatically.
On the IBM System z, there is no display that would be supported by XFree. Accordingly, you do not find a entry on these systems.
You can skip any peripheral devices and configure them later, as described in Chapter 8, Setting Up Hardware Components with YaST. To skip the configuration, select and click .
However, when setting up a desktop system you should configure the graphics card right away. Although the display settings as configured by YaST should be generally acceptable, most users have very strong preferences as far as resolution, color depth, and other graphics features are concerned. To change these settings, select the respective item and set the values as desired.
You can cancel any changes to the hardware configuration by clicking › . YaST then shows the original proposal again.
After a successful installation, YaST shows the Installation Completed
dialog. In this dialog, select whether to clone your newly installed
system for AutoYaST. To clone your system, select . The profile of the current system is stored in
/root/autoyast.xml. Cloning is
selected by default.
AutoYaST is a system for installing one or more SUSE Linux Enterprise Server systems automatically without user intervention. AutoYaST installations are performed using a control file with installation and configuration data.For detailed information, refer to Chapter 21, Automated Installation. Finish the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with in the final dialog.
The graphical login is not available on IBM System z platforms.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is now fully installed and configured. Unless you enabled the automatic login function or customized the default runlevel, you should see the graphical login on your screen in which to enter a username and password to log in to the system. On single user systems with automatic login enabled, the desktop starts automatically.
SUSE® Linux Enterprise (SLE) provides the option of updating an existing system to the new version without completely reinstalling it. No new installation is needed. Existing data, such as home directories and system configuration, is kept intact. During the life-cycle of the product, you can apply Service Packs to increase system security, correct software defects and get access to new features. Install from a local CD or DVD drive or from a central network installation source.
This chapter uses several terms. In order to understand the information, read the definitions below:
Backporting is the act of adapting specific changes from a newer version of software and applying it to an older version. The most commonly used case is fixing security holes in older software components. Usually it is also part of a maintenance model to supply enhancements or (less commonly) new features.
A deltarpm consists only of the binary diff between two defined versions of a package, and therefore has the smallest download size. Before being installed, the full RPM package is rebuilt on the local machine.
A metaphor of how software is developed in the open source world (compare it with upstream). The term downstream refers to people or organisations like SUSE who integrate the source code from upstream with other software to build a distribution which is then used by end users. Thus, the software flows downstream from its developers via the integrators to the end users.
Updating to a Service Pack (SP) by using the online update tools (rather than the installation media) to install the respective patches. It updates all packages of the installed system to the latest state—including updates—of SP3 plus SP2 updates.
A package is a compressed file in rpm format that
contains all files for a particular program, including optional
components like configuration, examples, and documentation.
A patch consists of one or more packages and may be applied by means of deltarpms. It may also introduce dependencies to packages that are not installed yet.
Combines several patches into a form which is easy to install or deploy. Service packs are numbered and usually contain security fixes, updates, upgrades, or enhancements of programs.
A metaphor of how software is developed in the open source world (compare it with downstream). The term upstream refers to the original project, author or maintainer of a software that is distributed as source code. Feedback, patches, feature enhancements, or other improvements flow from end users or contributors to upstream developers. They decide if the request will be integrated or rejected.
If the project members decide to integrate the request, it will show up in newer versions of the software. An accepted request will benefit all parties involved.
If a request is not accepted, it may be for different reasons. Either it is in a state which is not compliant with the project's guidelines, it is invalid, it is already integrated, or it is not in the interest or roadmap of the project. An unaccepted request makes it harder for upstream developers as they have to keep their patches in sync with the upstream code. This practice is generally avoided, but sometimes it is still needed.
Installation of a newer minor version of a package.
Installation of a newer major version of a package or distribution, which brings new features.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Maintenance Model combines flexibility and control of your service packs. It offers the following benefits:
Makes service packs more lightweight and easier to test and deploy.
Allows staying with older versions, but with support for the full system.
Answers market needs in between service packs by selective enhancements and allows more updates in the general update repository. By selecting the enhancements, it mitigates longer periods between service packs.
Over the last few years, with a clear desire for improvements based on customer feedback, SUSE has implemented various changes regarding the way we deliver updates to our users:
In SLES 9, there was only one update repository that collected all the updates; the most recent release update was the only one to be supported.
Starting with SLES 10 SP1, the concept of a “SP-specific repository” was introduced. This means that all the updates for a specific service pack are delivered in one specific repository. Once users migrate to a newer service pack, they lose access to the preceding repositories if they registered directly at the Novell Customer Center. Users of SMT or SUSE Manager were able and are still able to subscribe to any SP channel freely. The main reason for this change was the concept of a 6-month overlap period (n-1 service pack support) to allow validation of the released service pack and a window of migration for customers, whereby they would continued to be maintained and supported fully within the old SP.
SLES 11 GA and SLES 11 SP1 followed the SLES 10 model. With SLES 11 SP2 we introduced a new repository model, consisting of the following:
SLES 11 SP1 Updates repository remained subscribed. All updates that were also applicable to SP2 were also or only released into the SP1 Updates repository. This means that all the updates that don't break the ABI and API compatibility continued to be delivered here.
SLES 11 SP2 Updates repository includes only the latest and any innovative updates that can't be delivered to the SP1 Updates repository (for various reasons). In addition to this, we introduced a core repository, which provided a “gap” for packages that were neither released into the SP1 nor the SP2 Updates repository.
SLES 11 SP4 will have a simplified channel model. All updates will be shipped via an update channel special. Only in case of online migration, additional channels will be made available on the machine. Any custom repositories stay untouched.
Figure 7.1, “Maintenance Delivery Evolution (also applies to SLED)” depicts some of the mentioned aspects above.
Our products have a 10-year life-cycle: 10 years general support and 3 years extended support. Major releases are made every 4 years and service packs every 18 months. The Long Term Service Pack Support is an extended window or extended major release life-cycle (see Figure 7.2, “Long Term Service Pack Support”).
The Long Term Service Pack Support requires active subscription, either standard or priority. It does not affect L1 or L2 subscription terms. Security updates are handled “proactively”: these are any non-user driven critical vulnerabilities, local root exploits in Kernel or other root exploits directly executable without user interaction.
The range for extended support levels starts from year 8 and ends in year 10. These contain continued L3 engineering level diagnosis and reactive critical bug fixes. These support levels proactively update trivial local root exploits in Kernel or other root exploits directly executable without user interaction. Furthermore they support existing workloads, software stacks, and hardware with limited package exclusion list. Find an overview in Table 7.1, “Security Updates and Bug Fixes”.
|
— General Support — |
Extended Support | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Topic |
Current SP |
SP (n-1) 6 months |
SP (n-1) with LTSS |
Year 6 & 7 with LTSS |
Year 8, 9, 10 with LTSS |
|
L1/L2 Technical Services |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Proactive Maintenance |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Driver Updates via PLDP |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Proactive Security Updates |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
L3 Engineering Support |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Back-ports available |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
With the former maintenance model, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, had two channels
assigned: SLES11-SPx-Pool and
SLES11-SPx-Updates. During an online migration to
SPx+1 these channels were temporary replaced by
SLES11-SPx-Online.
With SUSE Linux Enterprise SP 2 the channel layout has changed to support the benefits of the new maintenance model. Table 7.2, “Channel Layout for SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP1 to SP4” contains a list of all channels from SP1 to SP3.
|
Type |
SLES |
SLED | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Required Channels |
SP1
SP2
SP3
SP4
|
SP1
SP2
SP3
SP4
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Optional Channels |
SP1
SP2
SP3
SP4
|
SP1
SP2
SP3
SP4
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Product-Specific (Examples) |
|
|
A subset of the unpacked installation media, it only contains those packages that are considered to be the “core” of SPx (approximately 30% of the package total). The SP repositories only contain packages specific to a SP and its themes (for example, hardware enablement). Exists only in SP2.
Maintenance updates to packages in the corresponding
Core or Pool repository.
Containing all binary RPMs from the installation media, plus pattern information and support status metadata.
These channels contain static content. However, only the
Debuginfo-Updates channel receives updates. Enable
these channels if you need to install libraries with debug information
in case of an issue.
Not in use, yet. Supposed to contain packages for (future) add-on products. The Extension Store channel will be removed starting with SLES 11 SP4.
Maintenance updates to packages in the corresponding
Pool repository for installations with Long Term
Support Service (LTSS). This specific channels require an LTSS contract.
SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP3/SP4. With the installation of SP3 there are only two channels available: SLES11-SP3-Pool and SLES11-SP3-Updates. Any previous channels from SP2 are visible, but not enabled. These disabled channels are only needed for users who have particular needs.
On registration, the system receives channels from the Customer Center.
The channel names map to specific URIs in the customer center (see
http://scc.suse.com). To list all available channels
on your system, use zypper as follows:
zypper repos -u
This gives you a list of all available channels on your system. Each
channel is listed by its alias, name and whether it is enabled and will be
refreshed. The option -u gives you also the URI from
where it originated.
If you want to remove old channels (for example, from SP1), use
zypper removerepo and the name(s) of the channel(s).
For example, to remove the old SP1 and SP2 channels, use the following
command:
zypper removerepo SLES11-SP1-Pool SLES11-SP1-Updates \ SLE11-SP1-Debuginfo-Pool SLE11-SP1-Debuginfo-Updates \ SLES11-SP2-Core SLES11-SP2-Updates \ SLE11-SP2-Debuginfo-Core SLES11-SP2-Extension-Store\ SLE11-SP2-Debuginfo-Updates
If you want to re-add some of your channels, log in to http://www.novell.com/ncc and select from the menu › . There you can see a list of URIs; Only channels from this list of products can be added. For example, to add the SP2 Extension Store, use the following command (one line, without the backslash):
zypper addrepo -n SLES11-SP2-Extension-Store \ https://nu.novell.com/repo/\$RCE/SLES11-SP2-Extension-Store/ \ nu_novell_com:SLES11-SP2-Extension-Store
There is no supported direct upgrade path from these versions. Instead it is recommended to perform a new installation.
There are supported ways to upgrade from SLES 10 GA and SPx or SLES 11 GA and SP1 to SLES 11 SP3, which may require intermediate upgrade steps:
SLES 10 GA -> SLES 10 SP1 -> SLES 10 SP2 -> SLES 10 SP3 -> SLES 10 SP4 -> SLES 11 SP4, or
SLES 11 GA -> SLES 11 SP1 -> SLES 11 SP2 -> SLES 11 SP3 -> SLES 11 SP4
Upgrade is supported from SLES 10 SP4 via bootable media (including PXE boot). For reference, see the releasenotes at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/11-SP4/#Update.General.Sequence.
Attention for SLED users: some devel packages have been moved from the
SLED11-SP2 installation media to the
SLED11-Extras repository. In order to avoid dependency
conflicts during upgrade, enable this repository before performing the
actual upgrade. Execute yast2 repositories and enable
SLED11-Extras there. On SLES this extra step is not
needed.
There is no supported direct migration path to SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP3. An update has to be performed from SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 GA to SP1 first. Proceed with Section 7.5, “Updating SLE 11 SP1 to SLE 11 SP2” and Section 7.6, “Updating SLE 11 SP2 to SLE 11 SP3” afterwards.
Refer to Section 7.5, “Updating SLE 11 SP1 to SLE 11 SP2” for details.
Refer to Section 7.6, “Updating SLE 11 SP2 to SLE 11 SP3” for details.
Refer to Section 7.7, “Updating SLE 11 SP3 to SLE 11 SP4” for details.
Cross-architecture upgrades (32-bit to 64-bit and 64-bit to 32-bit) are not supported.
Before starting the update procedure, make sure your system is properly prepared. Among others, preparation involves backing up data and checking the release notes.
Before updating, copy existing configuration files to a separate medium
(such as tape device, removable hard disk, etc.) to back up the data. This
primarily applies to files stored in /etc as well as
some of the directories and files in /var and
/opt. You may also want to write the user data in
/home (the HOME directories) to a
backup medium. Back up this data as root. Only root has read
permissions for all local files.
If you have selected as the
installation mode in YaST, you can choose to do a (system) backup at a
later point in time. You can choose to include all modified files and files
from the /etc/sysconfig directory. However, this is
not a complete backup, as all the other important directories mentioned
above are missing. Find the backup in the
/var/adm/backup directory.
Before starting your update, make note of the root partition. The command
df / lists the device name of the root partition.
In Example 7.1, “List with df -h”, the root partition to write down is
/dev/sda3 (mounted as /).
df -h #Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda3 74G 22G 53G 29% /
tmpfs 506M 0 506M 0% /dev/shm
/dev/sda5 116G 5.8G 111G 5% /home
/dev/sda1 44G 4G 40G 9% /data
Software tends to “grow” from version to version. Therefore,
take a look at the available partition space with df
before updating. If you suspect you are running short of disk space, secure
your data before updating and repartitioning your system. There is no
general rule regarding how much space each partition should have. Space
requirements depend on your particular partitioning profile and the
software selected.
If your machine serves as a VM Host Server for KVM or Xen, make sure to properly shut down all running VM Guests prior to the update. Otherwise you may not be able to access the guests after the update.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server allows to install multiple Kernel versions by enabling the
respective settings in /etc/zypp/zypp.conf. Support
for this feature needs to be disabled for updating to a service pack. Once
the update has successfully finished. multiversion support can be
re-enabled again. To disable multiversion support, comment the respective
lines in /etc/zypp/zypp.conf. The result shoul look
like this:
#multiversion = provides:multiversion(kernel) #multiversion.kernels = latest,running
To re-activate this feature after a successful update, remove the comment signs.
For version specific requirements, refer to the release notes coming with the update product. In the release notes you can find additional information about upgrade procedures.
The current version of the release notes document containing the latest information on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be read online at http://www.suse.com/doc/sles11/#additional.
There are different supported ways for updating a SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP1 system to a Service Pack 2. You may either update by using the online update tools to install the respective patches (“Online Migration”) or update via the Service Pack installation media. Furthermore, updates can be performed via servers hosting Subscription Management Tool or SUSE Manager.
An Online Migration is supported by the following tools:
(graphical user interface)
zypper (command line)
Alternatively, the full Service Pack media (DVD ISO image) can be downloaded. Start the update process by booting from the physical Service Pack media or a network installation source.
Updating your system via online migration is done from within the running system. You only need to reboot once, after the update is completed.
In order to do an online update, the following requirements must be met. Make sure to also read Section 7.4, “General Preparations for Updating”.
In order to be able to connect to the update channels, your product has
to be registered. If it is not registered yet, either run the
module in YaST or the
suse_register command line tool to start the
registration.
Make sure the currently installed version has the latest patches installed. Run an Online Update prior to the Online Migration. When using a graphical interface, start the YaST Online Update or the updater applet. On the command line, run the following commands (the last command needs to be run twice):
zypper ref -s zypper update -t patch zypper update -t patch
Reboot the system if needed.
See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update” or Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 6 “Managing Software with Command Line Tools”, Section 6.1 “Using Zypper”, Section 6.1.3 “Updating Software with Zypper” for more information on the online update tools.
If your setup involves third-party software or add-on software, test this procedure on another machine to make sure that the dependencies are not broken by the update.
The online migration always has to be completed from beginning to end. If an online migration is interrupted in between, the system is corrupted beyond recovery.
If you have a SLES 11 SP1 system, find the needed steps at https://www.suse.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7011872. The following procedure applies to an online migration from SP1 to SP2.
If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.5.1.1, “Requirements”), the update
applet in the tray will display a message that a distribution upgrade is
available. Click it to start YaST .
Alternatively run /usr/sbin/wagon as root from
the command line.
Confirm the dialog with .
If finds that the requirements are not met (required maintenance updates are available but not yet installed) it will do an automatic self-update, which may require a reboot. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Choose the update method in the following dialog. Choose to use the default setup (recommended).
Click to manually choose the software
channels used for the online migration. A list of channels will be
displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add,
or delete channels. Add the SP2 update source(s). This can either be the
SP2 installation media or the SP2-Core and
SP2-Updates channels. Click to
return to the dialog.
If you want to review changes to the channel setup caused by the update process, select .
Proceed with .
The system will be re-registered. During this process the
SP2-Core and SP2-Updates channels
will be added to the system (see
Section 7.2.3, “Channel Model” for more information). Confirm
the addition of the channels.
If you have selected in the dialog, the list of repositories will be displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add, or delete channels. Proceed with when finished.
Choose the migration type:
Updates all packages to the latest SP2 level.
Updates a minimal set of packages to the latest SP2 level.
Click to manually select the repositories used for upgrading.
Confirm your selection.
The screen opens, presenting a summary of the update configuration. The following sections are available:
You may add SUSE Linux Enterprise Server add-on products or third-party products here.
Lists the actions that will be performed during the update. You can choose whether to download all packages before installing them (default, recommended), or whether to download and install packages one by one.
Statistical overview of the update.
Set backup options.
Click and to proceed.
It is safe to abort the online migration on this screen prior to clicking and on all previous screens. Click to leave the update procedure and restore the system to the state it was in prior to starting YaST wagon. Follow the instructions on screen and perform a re-registration before leaving Wagon to remove the SP2 channels from your system.
During the update procedure the following steps are executed:
Packages will be updated.
SuSEconfig will be run.
The system will be rebooted (press ).
The newly updated system will be re-registered.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 2.
zypper #If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.5.1.1, “Requirements”), the
“products” needed for the online migration have been added
to /etc/products.d. Get a list of these products by
running the following command:
zypper se -t product | grep -h -- "-migration" | cut -d'|' -f2
This command should at least return
SUSE_SLES-SP2-migration.
Depending on the scope of your installation, more products may be
listed.
Install the migration products retrieved on the previous step with the
command zypper in -t product
LIST_OF_PRODUCTS, for example
zypper in -t product SUSE_SLES-SP2-migration
Register the products installed in the previous step in order to get the respective update channels:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Refresh repositories and services again:
zypper ref -s
Check the list of repositories you can retrieve with zypper
lr. At least the following repositories
need to be :
SLES11-SP1-Pool
SLES11-SP1-Updates
SLES11-SP2-Core
SLES11-SP2-Updates
Depending on the scope of your installation, further repositories for add-on products or extensions need to be enabled.
If one of these repositories is not enabled (the SP2
ones are not enabled by default when following this workflow), enable
them with zypper modifyrepo --enable
REPOSITORY ALIAS, for example:
zypper modifyrepo --enable SLES11-SP2-Core SLES11-SP2-Updates
If your setup contains third-party repositories that may not be
compatible with SP2, disable them with zypper modifyrepo
--disable REPOSITORY ALIAS.
Now everything is in place to perform the distribution upgrade with
zypper dup --from REPO 1
--from REPO 2 ....
Make sure to list all needed repositories with --from,
for example:
zypper dup --from SLES11-SP2-Core --from SLES11-SP2-Updates
Confirm with to start the upgrade.
Upon completion of the distribution upgrade from the previous step, a Minimal Migration has been performed (a minimal set of packages has been updated to the latest SP2 level). Skip this step if you do not intend to do a Full Migration.
In order to do a Full Migration (updates all packages to the latest SP2 level), run the following command:
zypper update -t patch
Now that the upgrade to SP2 has been completed, you need to re-register your product:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Last, reboot your system.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 2.
As an alternative to the Online Migration (see Section 7.5.1, “Online Migration” for details) you may also update your system by booting from an installation source—either a DVD or a network installation source. The update will start like a normal installation.
Service Pack ISO images can be obtained from http://download.novell.com/. Either burn it to a DVD or prepare a network installation source as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”.
Before starting a new installation of a SUSE Linux Enterprise SP, ensure that all the Service Pack installation media (DVDs) are available.
Insert the first SUSE Linux Enterprise SP medium and boot your machine. A boot screen similar to the original installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 is displayed.
Select and continue as outlined in the YaST installation instructions in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
Before starting an update of a SUSE Linux Enterprise SP from a network installation source, make sure that the following requirements are met:
A network installation source is setup according to Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”.
A working network connection on both the installation server and the target machine that includes a name service, DHCP (optional, but needed for PXE boot), and OpenSLP (optional) exists.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise SP DVD 1 to boot the target system or a target system set up for PXE boot according to Section 14.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot” exist.
Please refer to Chapter 14, Remote Installation for in-depth information on starting the upgrade from a remote server.
To perform a network installation using the SP DVD as the boot medium, proceed as follows:
Insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise SP DVD 1 and boot your machine. A boot screen similar to the original installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 is displayed.
Select to boot the SP Kernel then use F4 to select the type of network installation source (FTP, HTTP, NFS, or SMB).
Provide the appropriate path information or select as the installation source.
Select the appropriate installation server from those offered or use the boot options prompt to provide the type of installation source and its actual location as in Section 6.1.2, “Installing from a Network Source without SLP”. YaST starts.
Finish the installation as outlined in Section 7.5.2.3, “The Update Procedure”.
To perform a network installation of a SUSE Linux Enterprise Service Pack via network, proceed as follows:
Adjust the setup of your DHCP server to provide the address information needed for PXE boot according to Section 14.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot”.
Set up a TFTP server to hold the boot image needed for PXE boot.
Use the first CD or DVD of your SUSE Linux Enterprise Service Pack for this or follow the instructions in Section 14.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.
Prepare PXE boot and Wake-on-LAN on the target machine.
Initiate the boot of the target system and use VNC to remotely connect to the installation routine running on this machine. See Section 14.5.1, “VNC Installation” for more information.
Finish the installation as outlined in Section 7.5.2.3, “The Update Procedure”.
Once you have successfully booted from installation medium or the network, proceed as follows to start the update:
On the screen choose and and Accept the license agreement. Proceed with .
In case you have booted from a physical medium, perform a to verify the integrity of the medium. Only skip this step if you have checked the medium before.
On the screen, choose . Clicking on will start the update procedure.
As an alternative to downloading the updates for each single client system from the Novell update server, it is possible to use the Subscription Management Tool (SMT) for SUSE Linux Enterprise to mirror the updates to a local server.
This tool acts as Novell Customer Center proxy both for client registrations and as software update repository. The SMT documentation at http://www.suse.com/doc/smt11/ gives an overview of its features as well as instructions on how to implement it.
SUSE Manager is a server solution for providing updates, patches, and security fixes for SUSE Linux Enterprise clients. It comes with a set of tools and a Web-based user interface for management tasks.
The SUSE Manager documentation at http://www.suse.com/doc/suse_manager/ gives an overview of its features as well as instructions on how to set up server and clients.
Online Migration is supported by the following tools:
(graphical user interface)
zypper (command line)
If updating your system via online migration, the update is carried out while the system is running. You only need to reboot once, after the update is completed. It is still possible to update with the following alternatives:
In order to do an online update, the following requirements must be met. Make sure to also read Section 7.4, “General Preparations for Updating”.
In order to be able to connect to the update channels, your product has
to be registered. If it is not registered yet, either run the
module in YaST
or the suse_register command line tool to start the
registration.
Make sure the currently installed version has the latest patches installed. Run an Online Update prior to the Online Migration. When using a graphical interface, start the YaST Online Update or the updater applet. On the command line, run the following commands (the last command needs to be run twice):
zypper ref -s zypper update -t patch zypper update -t patch
Reboot the system if needed.
See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update” or Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 6 “Managing Software with Command Line Tools”, Section 6.1 “Using Zypper”, Section 6.1.3 “Updating Software with Zypper” for more information on the online update tools.
If your setup involves third-party software or add-on software, test this procedure on another machine to make sure that the dependencies are not broken by the update.
The online migration always has to be completed from beginning to end. If an online migration is interrupted in between, the system will be corrupted beyond recovery.
If you have a SLES 11 SP2 system, find the needed steps at https://www.suse.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7011872. The following procedure applies to an online migration from SP2 to SP3.
If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.5.1.1, “Requirements”), the update
applet in the tray will display a message that a distribution upgrade is
available. Click it to start YaST .
Alternatively run /usr/sbin/wagon as root from
the command line.
Confirm the dialog with .
If finds that the requirements are not met (required maintenance updates are available but not yet installed) it will do an automatic self-update which may require a reboot. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Choose the update method in the following dialog. Choose to use the default setup (recommended).
Click to manually choose the software
channels used for the online migration. A list of channels will be
displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add, or
delete channels. Add the SP3 update source(s). This can either be the SP3
installation media or the SLES11-SP3-Pool and
SLES11-SP3-Updates channels. Click
to return to the
dialog.
If you want to review changes to the channel setup caused by the update process, select .
Proceed with .
The system will be re-registered. During this process the
SLES11-SP3-Pool and
SLES11-SP3-Updates channels will be added to the
system (see Section 7.2.3, “Channel Model” for more
information). Confirm the addition of the channels.
If you have selected in the dialog, the list of repositories will be displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add, or delete channels. Proceed with when finished.
The screen opens presenting a summary of the update configuration. The following sections are available:
You may add SUSE Linux Enterprise Server add-on products or third-party products here.
Lists the actions that will be performed during the update. You can choose whether to download all packages before installing them (default, recommended), or whether to download and install packages one by one.
Statistical overview of the update.
Set backup options.
Click and to proceed.
It is safe to abort the online migration on this screen prior to clicking and on all previous screens. Click to leave the update procedure and restore the system to the state it was in prior to starting YaST Wagon. Follow the instructions on screen and perform a re-registration before leaving Wagon to remove the SP2 channels from your system.
During the update procedure the following steps are executed:
Packages will be updated.
SuSEconfig will be run.
The system will be rebooted (press ).
The newly updated system will be re-registered.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 3.
zypper #If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.5.1.1, “Requirements”), the
“products” needed for the online migration are added to
/etc/products.d. Get a list of these products by
running the following command:
zypper se -t product | grep -h -- "-migration" | cut -d'|' -f2
This command should at least return
SUSE_SLES-SP3-migration.
Depending on the scope of your installation, more products may be listed.
Install the migration products retrieved in the previous step with the
command zypper in -t product
LIST_OF_PRODUCTS, for example
zypper in -t product SUSE_SLES-SP3-migration
Register the products installed in the previous step in order to get the respective update channels:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Refresh the repositories and services:
zypper ref -s
Check the list of repositories you can retrieve with zypper
lr.
If any of these repositories is not enabled (the SP3
ones are not enabled by default when following this workflow), enable
them with zypper modifyrepo --enable
REPOSITORY ALIAS, for example:
zypper modifyrepo --enable SLES11-SP3-Pool SLES11-SP3-Updates
If your setup contains third-party repositories that may not be
compatible with SP3, disable them with zypper modifyrepo
--disable REPOSITORY ALIAS.
Now everything is in place to perform the distribution upgrade with
zypper dup --from REPO 1
--from REPO 2 ....
Make sure to list all needed repositories with --from,
for example:
zypper dup --from SLES11-SP3-Pool --from SLES11-SP3-Updates
Confirm with to start the upgrade.
Upon completion of the distribution upgrade from the previous step, run the following command:
zypper update -t patch
Now that the upgrade to SP3 has been completed, you need to re-register your product:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Lastly, reboot your system.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 3.
There are different supported ways for updating a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 system to a Service Pack 4. You may either update by using the online update tools to install the respective patches (Online Migration) or update via the Service Pack installation media. Furthermore, updates can be performed via servers hosting Subscription Management Tool (SMT) or SUSE Manager.
An online migration is supported by the following tools:
YaST wagon (graphical user interface)
zypper (command line)
Alternatively, the full Service Pack media (DVD ISO image) can be downloaded. Start the update process by booting from the physical Service Pack media or a network installation source.
Updating your system via online migration is done from within the running system. You only need to reboot once, after the update is completed.
In order to do an online update, the following requirements must be met. Make sure to also read Section 7.4, “General Preparations for Updating”.
In order to be able to connect to the update channels, your product has
to be registered. If it is not registered yet, either run the Novell Customer Center
Configuration module in YaST or the suse_register
command line tool to start the registration.
Make sure the currently installed version has the latest patches installed. Run an Online Update prior to the Online Migration. When using a graphical interface, start the YaST Online Update or the updater applet. On the command line, run the following commands (the last command needs to be run twice):
zypper ref -s zypper update -t patch zypper update -t patch
Reboot the system if needed.
See Section 1.0, YaST Online Update, (↑Administration Guide) or at Section 6.1.3, Updating Software with Zypper, (↑Administration Guide). for more information. on the online update tools.
If your setup involves third-party software or add-on software, test this procedure on another machine to make sure that the dependencies are not broken by the update.
The online migration always has to be completed from beginning to end. If an online migration is interrupted in between, the system is corrupted beyond recovery.
If you have a SLES 11 SP3 system, find the needed steps at https://www.suse.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7011872. The following procedure applies for an online migration from SP3 to SP4.
If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.7.1.1, “Requirements”), the update applet
in the tray will display a message that a distribution upgrade is
available. Click it to start YaST .
Alternatively run /usr/sbin/wagon as root from
the command line.
Confirm the dialog with .
If finds that the requirements are not met (required maintenance updates are available but not yet installed) it will do an automatic self-update which may require a reboot. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Choose the update method in the following dialog. Choose to use the default setup (recommended).
Click to manually choose the software
channels used for the online migration. A list of channels will be
displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add,
or delete channels. Add the SP4 update source(s). This can either be the
SP4 installation media or the SP4-Pool and
SP4-Updates channels. Click to
return to the dialog.
If you want to review changes to the channel setup caused by the update process, select .
Proceed with .
The system will be re-registered. During this process the
SP4-Pool and SP4-Updates channels
will be added to the system (see
Section 7.2.3, “Channel Model” for more information). Confirm
the addition of the channels.
If you have selected in the dialog, the list of repositories will be displayed, providing the opportunity to manually enable, disable, add, or delete channels. Proceed with when finished.
Choose the migration type:
Updates all packages to the latest SP4 level.
Updates a minimal set of packages to the latest SP4 level.
Click to manually select the repositories used for upgrading. Confirm your selection.
The screen opens presenting a summary of the update configuration. The following sections are available:
You may add SUSE Linux Enterprise Server add-on products or third-party products here.
Lists the actions that will be performed during the update. You can choose whether to download all packages before installing them (default, recommended), or whether to download and install packages one by one.
Statistical overview of the update.
Set backup options.
Click and to proceed.
It is safe to abort the online migration on this screen prior to clicking and on all previous screens. Click to leave the update procedure and restore the system to the state it was in prior to starting YaST Wagon. Follow the instructions on screen and perform a re-registration before leaving Wagon to remove the SP4 channels from your system.
During the update procedure the following steps are executed:
Packages will be updated.
SuSEconfig will be run.
The system will be rebooted (press ).
The newly updated system will be re-registered.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 4.
zypper #If add-ons are installed on your system, you might need to enter your registration key in order to update the system. Be prepared to have the key available.
When all requirements are met (see
Section 7.5.1.1, “Requirements”), the
“products” needed for the online migration are added to
/etc/products.d. Get a list of these products by
running the following command:
zypper se -t product | grep -h -- "-migration" | cut -d'|' -f2
This command should at least return
SUSE_SLES-SP4-migration.
Depending on the scope of your installation, more products may be
listed.
Install the migration products retrieved in the previous step with the
command zypper in -t product
LIST_OF_PRODUCTS, for example
zypper in -t product SUSE_SLES-SP4-migration
Register the products installed in the previous step in order to get the respective update channels:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Refresh the repositories and services:
zypper ref -s
Check the list of repositories you can retrieve with zypper
lr. At least the following repositories need to be enabled:
SLES11-SP4-Pool
SLES11-SP4-Updates
Depending on the scope of your installation, further repositories for add-on products or extensions need to be enabled.
If any of these repositories is not enabled (the SP4
ones are not enabled by default when following this workflow), enable
them with zypper modifyrepo --enable
REPOSITORY ALIAS, for example:
zypper modifyrepo --enable SLES11-SP4-Pool --enable SLES11-SP4-Updates
If your setup contains third-party repositories that may not be
compatible with SP4, disable them with zypper modifyrepo
--disable REPOSITORY ALIAS.
Now everything is in place to perform the distribution upgrade with
zypper dup --from REPO 1
--from REPO 2 ....
Make sure to list all needed repositories with --from,
for example:
zypper dup --from SLES11-SP4-Pool --from SLES11-SP4-Updates
Confirm with to start the upgrade.
Upon completion of the distribution upgrade from the previous step, a minimal migration has been performed (a minimal set of packages has been updated to the latest SP4 level). Skip this step if you do not intend to do a full migration.
In order to do a Full Migration (updates all packages to the latest SP4 level), run the following command:
zypper update -t patch
Now that the upgrade to SP4 has been completed, you need to re-register your product:
suse_register -d 2 -L /root/.suse_register.log
Lastly, reboot your system.
Your system has been successfully updated to Service Pack 4.
As an alternative to the Online Migration you may also update your system by booting from an installation source—either a DVD or a network installation source. The update will start like a normal installation.
Service Pack 4 ISO images can be obtained from http://download.suse.com/. Either burn it to a DVD or prepare a network installation source as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”.
In order to install packages from an older Service Pack, add the respective repositories of the older Service Pack. This can be done via:
root #zypperar URL ALIAS
ALIAS can be any string which will identify the
repository inside the system. We strongly recommend to add both
*-POOL and *-UPDATES
repositories of the respective Service Pack.
The easiest way to find the URL is having a local mirror, ideally provided
by a local SMT server. After the repository is mirrored on SMT, find
the repositories via pointing your browser to
http://SMT_HOSTNAME/repo. A typical URL looks like this:
http://SMT_HOSTNAME/repo/$RCE/SLES11-SP1-POOL/sle-11-x86_64. If
you have staging enabled, you can also browse the staged repositories.
SUSE uses backports extensively. The information in this section helps you understand why it can be deceptive to compare version numbers in order to judge software's capabilities and problems.
Upstream developers are primarily concerned with advancing the software they develop. In many cases they combine fixing bugs with introducing new features which have not yet received extensive testing and which may introduce new bugs.
For distribution developers, it is important to distinguish between:
bugfixes with a limited potential for disrupting functionality; and
changes that may disrupt existing functionality.
In most cases, distribution developers do not follow all upstream changes once a package has become part of a released distribution. Usually they stick instead with the upstream version that they initially released and create patches based on upstream changes to fix bugs. This practice is known as backporting.
Distribution developers generally will only introduce a newer version of software in two cases:
when the changes between their packages and the upstream versions have become so large that backporting is no longer feasible, or
for software that inherently ages badly, like anti-malware software.
SUSE uses backports extensively as we strike a good balance between a number of concerns for enterprise software. The most important of these are:
Having stable interfaces (APIs) that software vendors can rely on when building products for use on SUSE's enterprise products.
Ensuring that packages used in the release of SUSE's enterprise products are of the highest quality and have been thoroughly tested, both in themselves and as part of the whole enterprise product.
Maintaining the various certifications of SUSE's enterprise products by other vendors, like certifications for Oracle or SAP products.
Allowing SUSE's developers to focus on making the next version of the product as good as they can make it, rather than them having to spread their focus thinly across a wide range of releases.
Keeping a clear view of what is in a particular enterprise release, so that our support can provide accurate and timely information about it.
It is a general policy rule that no new upstream versions of a package are introduced into our enterprise products. This rule is not an absolute rule however. For a limited class of packages, in particular anti-virus software, security concerns weigh heavier than the conservative approach that is preferable from the perspective of quality assurance. For packages in that class, occasionally newer versions are introduced into a released version of an enterprise product line.
Sometimes also for other types of packages the choice is made to introduce a new version rather than a backport. This is done when producing a backport is not economically feasible or when there is a very relevant technical reason to introduce the newer version.
Due to the practice of backporting, one cannot simply compare version numbers to determine whether a SUSE package contains a fix for a particular issue or has had a particular feature added to it. With backporting, the upstream part of a SUSE package's version number merely indicates what upstream version the SUSE package is based on. It may contain bug fixes and features that are not in the corresponding upstream release, but that have been backported into the SUSE package.
There are a number of locations where information regarding such bug fixes and features is stored:
The package's changelog:
rpm -q --changelog name-of-installed-package rpm -qp --changelog packagefile.rpm
The output briefly documents the change history of the package.
The package changelog may contain entries like
bnc#1234 that refer to bugs in Novell's Bugzilla
tracking system or links to other bugtracking systems. (Due to
confidentiality policies, not all such information may be accessible to
you).
A package may contain a
/usr/share/doc/packagename/README.SUSE or
README.SuSE file which contains general, high-level
information specific to the SUSE package.
The RPM source package contains the patches that were applied during the building of the regular binary RPMs as separate files that can be interpreted if you are familiar with reading source code. See the Maximum RPM book for more information.
For security bug fixes, the
SUSE
security announcements. These often refer to bugs through
standardized names like CAN-2005-2495 which are
maintained by the Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures project.
One particular area where this limited value of version numbers when backporting is involved can cause problems is with security scanning tools. Some security vulnerability scanning tools (or particular tests in such tools) operate solely on version information. These tools/tests are thus prone to generating “false positives” (claims that a vulnerable piece of software has been found which in fact isn't vulnerable) when backports are involved. When evaluating reports from security scanning tools, one should always investigate whether an entry is based just on a version number or on an actual test of whether an actual vulnerability exists.
The Atomic Update is based on tools that manage two copies of the system and allow easy recovery after an update failure. The delivered tools require a special disk partition setup. Every copy of the system resides on a primary partition of its own. If an update fails, you can always switch back to the previous state of the system, which is available on the other partition.
The implementation has strict requirements on disk partitioning: the first
root partition is /dev/sda1 and must not occupy more
than half of the entire disk size. Then the tools will create
/dev/sda2 for the system's second root partition.
Further partitions if available are shared on both root
partitions—take their size into account, and reduce the size of the
first partition accordingly; this is a rough calculation:
The size of the complete disk minus size of sda1
minus sda2 is the free space of additional
partitions.
Install the system with /dev/sda1 as the single root
partition and with less than half of the entire disk size.
Customize the installed system as needed. Make sure to have the
multi-update-tools package installed.
Run multi-update-setup --partition, which creates the
system's second root partition (/dev/sda2) of the
similar size.
Partition the rest of the disk as needed and continue with customizations(*).
Run multi-update-setup --clone to copy the system to
the other partition. With this command you also change the
/ (root) entry in /etc/fstab of
the target system.
If needed, do further customizations(*).
Run multi-update-setup --bootloader to initialize the
boot loader setup. The boot loader menu will then contain an entry to boot
the other system.
Installation of the GRUB boot loader is mandatory. The tools are not compatible with other boot loaders.
If there are no customizations to be done as marked with (*), run
multi-update-setup --complete which performs all the
three steps.
Run multi-update. This command runs
zypper in a chroot environment
and updates the other system—it does not matter which one is active.
Its boot menu will be offered as the default at boot time.
If the updated system has a damaged boot loader after the update, you must change the “Active” flag and set it for the root partition of the other system in order to boot it.
If the updated system does not boot at all, you need access to the boot loader menu to select the other system.
For more information about GRUB, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 11 “The Boot Loader GRUB”.
The root partition must be mounted by partition name, by ID, or in another way. Mounting by partition UUID or by label is not supported.
For more information, see
/usr/share/doc/packages/multi-update-tools/README
coming with the multi-update-tools package.
Migration hooks allow you to run a custom external script at some point during the migration process. These scripts allow you to handle specific problems that cannot be handled via the usual RPM scripts, or allow you to perform any extra actions that might be needed during migration (not required during normal package update).
The migration hooks are executed with root privileges so it is possible to do any maintenance tasks in the scripts (starting/stopping services, data backup, data migration, etc...). The scripts must not be interactive; STDIN and STDOUT are redirected to pipes when running in YaST. The X session should not be used, as it might not be available in all cases (e.g. when running in text mode). Do not forget to set the executable permission for the hook scripts.
Migration hooks are supported in
yast2-wagon package version
2.17.32.1 (provided as an update for SLES11-SP2) or 2.17.34 (included in
SLES11-SP3) or higher versions.
The scripts are searched in
/var/lib/YaST2/wagon/hooks/ directory. The expected
script name is in the format
step_seq_prefix_name, where:
is a predefined migration step name, describing the current migration step.
is a sequence number in range 00...99, which makes it possible to set the order in which the scripts are executed. (It is important to keep the beginning zeros for correct sorting!)
should be unique to avoid conflicts (like a namespace). Use package name (if it is part of a package) or your vendor name, Internet domain name, etc., basically anything that can be considered sufficiently unique
can be any string (just to differentiate the scripts). Some descriptive name is recommended.
/var/lib/YaST2/wagon/hooks/before_package_migration_00_postgresql_backup
The script should return exit value 0. If it fails (any non-zero exit value) an error message is displayed in Wagon and it is possible to restart the script, ignore the failure (and continue with other scripts) or completely cancel the hooks for the current step and stage.
The hook scripts can be potentially run more times (when going back and forth in the Wagon dialogs, Wagon might restart itself or some steps might be executed multiple times in the migration workflow), so the scripts have to cope with that fact (they can check at the beginning whether they need to do the action or the action has been already done or they can create a simple temporary stamp file or otherwise solve multiple runs properly).
Some hooks are optional (because the depend on the previous results or depend on user selected values). Note that some hooks are called multiple times (e.g. registration is called before migration and after migration). Here is the list of supported hooks (step names) in execution order:
before_initstarted at the very beginning (note: it is called again after Wagon restarts)
before_welcome, after_welcomestarted before/after displaying the welcome dialog
before_registration_check, after_registration_checkWagon checks the registration status (if registration of some products has expired the migration might fail). If everything is OK, no dialog is displayed and Wagon automatically continues with the next step
before_custom_url, after_custom_urlrepository manager is started (optional, in Patch CD mode only)
before_self_update, after_self_updatecalled before/after Wagon updates itself (to ensure the latest version is used for migration)
before_installing_migration_products, after_installing_migration_productscalled before/after installing the migration products
before_selecting_migration_source, after_selecting_migration_sourceWagon asks the user to migrate via Novell Customer Center repositories or using a custom repository; the next step depends on the user selection
before_registration, after_registrationrunning SUSE register (to add migration repositories)
before_repo_selection, after_repo_selectionmanual repository management
before_set_migration_repo, after_set_migration_reposelecting migration repositories (full/minimal migration when using Novell Customer Center) or update repository selection (custom repository migration)
before_package_migrationbefore package update starts, after this step the real migration starts and it is not possible to go back to the previous state automatically (aborting in this phase results in an inconsistent (half upgraded) system, and manual rollback is needed)
before_registration, after_registrationrunning SUSE register (to register updated products)
before_congratulate, after_congratulatebefore/after Wagon displays the congratulation dialog as a result of a successful migration
before_exitcalled just before Wagon exits (always, regardless the migration result, also after abort and at restart)
These are special abort hooks which are called when the user aborts the migration. These hooks can be called in any step in the migration workflow therefore the execution order cannot be guaranteed. The scripts need to check the current state if they rely on the results of other hooks.
before_abortuser confirmed aborting the migration
before_abort_rollback, after_abort_rollbackuser confirmed rollback after abort (reverting to the old products installed before starting migration). These hooks are called after before_abort and skipped when the user does not confirm rollback.
These hooks are called whenever Wagon restarts itself.
before_restartWagon is finishing and will be started again
after_restartWagon has restarted and runs the next step in the migration workflow
The list of hooks is fairly large, but many of them only make sense in special cases. In normal use cases these should be given preference:
To do some action before the system is migrated (still running the
previous version) use the before_package_migration
hook.
At this point it is clear that the migration is ready and is about to start, whereas in all steps before it was possible to abort the migration.
To do some action after the system has migrated (the system is running
the new migrated version, but some things might not be active yet, e.g.
updated kernel requires reboot, updated services might need restart
etc..), use before_congratulate or
after_congratulate hook.
This can be also used for cleaning up the temporary results of the
before_package_migration hook. At this point the
migration has successfully finished.
To reverse the changes if the migration is aborted, use one of the abort hooks depending on the case. Keep in mind that the abort hooks can be called anytime, so the revert might not be needed (the hook that does the changes might not have been called yet). The abort hooks need to check the current state.
Older versions of Wagon supported only two hook scripts:
/usr/lib/YaST2/bin/wagon_hook_init and
/usr/lib/YaST2/bin/wagon_hook_finish. The problem was
that only one script could be run as a hook and it was not possible to put
hooks directly into RPM packages.
These old hook scripts are still supported in newer versions of Wagon for
backward compatibility, but the new hooks before_init
and before_exit should be used instead of the obsolete
ones.
YaST allows you to configure hardware items at installation time as well as on an already-installed system. Configure audio hardware, printers or scanner support or learn which hardware components are connected to your computer by using the YaST Hardware Information module.
Graphics card, monitor, mouse and keyboard can be configured with either KDE or GNOME tools.
Use the YaST hardware information module if you want to know more about your hardware or if you need to find out details like vendor and model of a certain piece of hardware to be able to properly configure it.
Start YaST and click › . Hardware probing starts immediately and it will take some time until you see the hardware information tree in a separate window.
In the hardware information tree recursively click on the plus icons to expand the information about a specific device.
Click to save the output to a file.
Click to leave the hardware information overview.
After the installation you can change the configuration of your graphics system (graphics card and monitor) according to your needs. Such a change may be necessary because of accessibility issues or hardware upgrades.
Although there are safety mechanisms, you should still be very careful when manually changing the allowed monitor frequencies. Incorrect values can damage your monitor. Always refer to the monitor's manual before changing frequencies.
Change the resolution, if fonts are too small or if circles appear misshapen. Proceed as follows:
In YaST, click › . SaX2 checks the system resources and displays a window.
Make sure the monitor is properly detected. If not, use to select the appropriate model from the list.
Select an appropriate and , if necessary.
Test the new configuration before it is applied to the system. Click to decide what to do with your configuration (, , or .)
To activate a second monitor, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click › . SaX2 checks the system resources and displays the dialog.
Make sure the monitor is properly detected. If not, use to select the appropriate model from the list.
Enable and click for further fine-tuning.
Make sure the second monitor is properly detected. If not, use to select the appropriate model from the list.
Decide whether you want to use the second monitor in or in mode and click .
Test the new configuration before it is applied to the system. Click to decide what to do with your configuration (, , or .)
Any changes you make here take effect only after you restart the X server. If you want to restart the X server now, log out of the graphical system and log in again.
Reconfigure input devices such as the keyboard or the mouse, or add more than one of these devices using the YaST Keyboard and Mouse modules.
In case you want to replace a standard 104-key keyboard with a multimedia keyboard or use a different language or country layout, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click › . The SaX2 configuration tool reads the system resources and displays the dialog.
Select your keyboard model from the list.
Select the country in the list.
Depending on the country layout, you can choose a certain . The selections are applied immediately for testing.
As an option you can enable . Check one or more boxes in the list. This feature is handy if you want to switch between different languages or scripts in the running system without the need for reconfiguration.
Before saving the configuration, use the field at the bottom of the dialog to check if special characters like umlauts and accented characters can be entered and displayed correctly.
Click to leave the configuration dialog and in the following message click to apply your changes.
By clicking the button as described in
Step 7 the setup of the console
keyboard layout takes place at the same time. If you want to change the
console keyboard layout, either call yast keyboard (the
text mode interface) or check the KEYTABLE and
YAST_KEYBOARD settings in
/etc/sysconfig/keyboard.
The mouse is usually detected automatically, but you can set up your mouse model manually if the automatic detection fails. Refer to the documentation of your mouse for a description of the model. If you want to modify your mouse configuration, proceed as follows:
In YaST, click › . The SaX2 configuration tool reads the system resources and displays the dialog.
Click and select your mouse model from the list displayed.
Click to leave the configuration dialog and apply your changes with .
In the part of the dialog, set various options for operating your mouse.
If your mouse has only two buttons, a third button is emulated whenever you click both buttons simultaneously.
Check this box to use a scroll wheel.
Check these options if you want to change the direction in which the mouse pointer moves.
Check this box to make the button mapping suitable for left-hand usage.
If your mouse does not have a scroll wheel but you would like to use a similar functionality, you can assign an additional button for this. Select the button to use. While pressing this button, any movement of the mouse is translated into scroll wheel commands. This feature is especially useful with trackballs.
YaST detects most sound cards automatically and configures them with the appropriate values. If you want to change the default settings, or need to set up a sound card that could not be configured automatically, use the YaST sound module. There, you can also set up additional sound cards or switch their order.
To start the sound module, start YaST and click › .
Alternatively, start the dialog
directly by running yast2 sound & as user root
from a command line.
The dialog shows all sound cards that could be detected.
If you have added a new sound card or YaST could not automatically configure an existing sound card, follow the steps below. For configuring a new sound card, you need to know your sound card vendor and model. If in doubt, refer to your sound card documentation for the required information. For a reference list of sound cards supported by ALSA with their corresponding sound modules, see http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main.
During configuration, you can choose between the following setup options:
You are not required to go through any of the further configuration steps—the sound card is configured automatically. You can set the volume or any options you want to change later.
Allows you to adjust the output volume and play a test sound during the configuration.
For experts only. Allows you to customize all parameters of the sound card.
Only use this option if you know exactly what your are doing. Otherwise leave the parameters untouched and use the normal or the automatic setup options.
Start the YaST sound module.
To configure a detected, but sound card, select the respective entry from the list and click .
To configure a new sound card, click . Select your sound card vendor and model and click .
Choose one of the setup options and click .
If you have chosen , you can now your sound configuration and make adjustments to the volume. You should start at about ten percent volume to avoid damage to your hearing or the speakers.
If all options are set according to your wishes, click .
The dialog shows the newly configured or modified sound card.
To remove a sound card configuration that you no longer need, select the respective entry and click .
Click to save the changes and leave the YaST sound module.
To change the configuration of an individual sound card (for experts only!), select the sound card entry in the dialog and click .
This takes you to the where you can fine-tune a number of parameters. For more information, click .
To adjust the volume of an already configured sound card or to test the sound card, select the sound card entry in the dialog and click . Select the respective menu item.
The YaST mixer settings provide only basic options. They are intended
for troubleshooting (for example, if the test sound is not audible).
Access the YaST mixer settings from › . For
everyday use and fine-tuning of sound options, use the mixer applet
provided by your desktop or the alsasound command line
tool.
For playback of MIDI files, select › .
When a supported sound card is detected (like a Creative
Soundblaster Live, Audigy or
AWE sound card), you can also install SoundFonts for
playback of MIDI files:
Insert the original driver CD-ROM into your CD or DVD drive.
Select › to copy SF2 SoundFonts™ to your
hard disk. The SoundFonts are saved in the directory
/usr/share/sfbank/creative/.
If you have configured more than one sound card in your system you can
adjust the order of your sound cards. To set a sound card as primary
device, select the sound card in the
and click › . The sound device with index
0 is the default device and thus used by the system and
the applications.
Per default, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server uses the PulseAudio sound system. It is an abstraction layer that helps to mix multiple audio streams, bypassing any restrictions the hardware may have. To enable or disable the PulseAudio sound system, click › . If enabled, PulseAudio daemon is used to play sounds. Disable in case you want to use something else system-wide.
The volume and configuration of all sound cards are saved when you click
and leave the YaST sound module. The mixer settings
are saved to the file /etc/asound.state. The ALSA
configuration data is appended to the end of the file
/etc/modprobe.d/sound and written to
/etc/sysconfig/sound.
YaST can be used to configure a local printer that is directly connected to your machine (normally with USB or parallel port) and to set up printing with network printers. It is also possible to share printers over the network. Further information about printing (general information, technical details, and troubleshooting) is available in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Printer Operation”.
In YaST, click › to start the printer module. By default it opens in the view, displaying a list of all printers that are available and configured. This is especially useful when having access to a lot of printers via the network. From here you can also and configure local printers.
Usually a local USB printer is automatically detected. There are two possible reasons why a USB printer is not automatically detected:
The USB printer is switched off.
The communication between printer and computer is not possible. Check the cable and the plugs to make sure that the printer is properly connected. If this is the case, the problem may not be printer-related, but rather a USB-related problem.
Configuring a printer is basically a three-step process: specify the connection type, choose a driver, and name the printing queue for this setup.
For many printer models, several drivers are available. When configuring the
printer, YaST defaults to the one marked recommended as
a general rule. Normally it is not necessary to change the driver—the
recommended one should produce the best results. However,
if you want a color printer to print only in black and white, it is most
convenient to use a driver that does not support color printing, for
example. If you experience performance problems with a PostScript printer
when printing graphics, it may help to switch from a PostScript driver to a
PCL driver (provided your printer understands PCL).
If no driver for your printer is listed, try to select a generic driver with an appropriate standard language from the list. Refer to your printer's documentation to find out which language (the set of commands controlling the printer) your printer understands. If this does not work, refer to Section 8.5.1.1, “Adding Drivers with YaST” for another possible solution.
A printer is never used directly, but always through a print queue. This ensures that simultaneous jobs can be queued and processed one after the other. Each print queue is assigned to a specific driver, and a printer can have multiple queues. This makes it possible to set up a second queue on a color printer that prints black and white only, for example. Refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Printer Operation”, Section 14.1 “The Workflow of the Printing System” for more information about print queues.
Start the YaST printer module with › .
In the screen click .
If your printer is already listed under Specify the
Connection, proceed with the next step. Otherwise, try to
or start the .
In the input box under Find and Assign a Driver enter
the vendor name and the model name and click .
Choose the driver marked as recommended that best matches your printer. If no suitable driver is displayed:
Check your search term
Broaden your search by clicking
Add a driver as described in Section 8.5.1.1, “Adding Drivers with YaST”
Specify the Default paper size.
In the field, enter a unique name for the print queue.
The printer is now configured with the default settings and ready to use. Click to return to the view. The newly configured printer is now visible in the list of printers.
If no suitable driver is available in the dialog when adding a new printer, no PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file for your model is available. For more information about PPD files, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Printer Operation”, Section 14.3 “Installing the Software”.
Get PPD files directly from your printer vendor or from the driver CD of a PostScript printer. For details, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Printer Operation”, Section 14.7 “Troubleshooting”, Section 14.7.2 “No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer”. Alternatively, find PPD files at http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/openprinting/database/databaseintro, the “OpenPrinting.org printer database”. When downloading PPD files from OpenPrinting, keep in mind that it always shows the latest Linux support status, which is not necessarily met by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Start the YaST printer module with › .
In the screen, click .
In the Find and Assign a Driver section, click
.
Enter the full path to the PPD file into the input box under
Make a Printer Description File Available.
Alternatively, choose the file from a dialog box by clicking
.
Click to return to the Add New Printer
Configuration screen.
In order to directly use this PPD file, proceed as described in Procedure 8.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. Otherwise, click .
By editing an existing configuration for a local printer you cannot only change basic settings as connection type and driver, but also adjust the default settings for paper size, resolution, media source, etc. You can change the identifier of the printer by altering the printer descriptions.
Start the YaST printer module with › .
In the screen, choose a local printer from the list and click .
Change the connection type or the driver as described in Procedure 8.3, “Adding a New Local Printer”. This should only be necessary in case you have problems with the current configuration.
Make this printer the default by checking .
Adjust the default settings by clicking . To change a setting, expand the list of options
by clicking the relative + sign. Change the default by
clicking an option. Apply your changes with .
Network printers are not detected automatically. They must be configured manually using the YaST printer module. Depending on your network setup, you can print to a print server (CUPS, LPD, SMB, or IPX) or directly to a network printer (preferably via TCP). Access the configuration view for network printing by choosing from the left pane in the YaST printer module.
In a Linux environment CUPS is usually used to print via the network. The simplest setup is to only print via a single CUPS server which can directly be accessed by all clients. Printing via more than one CUPS server requires a running local CUPS daemon that communicates with the remote CUPS servers.
Start the YaST printer module with › .
From the left pane, launch the screen.
Check and specify the name or IP address of the server.
Click to make sure you have chosen the correct name or IP address.
Click OK to return to the screen. All printers available via the CUPS server are now listed.
Start the YaST printer module with › .
From the left pane, launch the screen.
Check
Under General Settings specify which servers to use.
You may accept connections from all networks available, from the local
network, or from specific hosts. If you choose the latter option, you
need to specify the hostnames or IP addresses.
Confirm by clicking and then when asked to start a local CUPS server. After the server has started YaST will return to the screen. Click to see the printers detected by now. Click this button again, in case more printer are to be available.
If your network offers print services via print servers other than CUPS, start the YaST printer module with › and launch the screen from the left pane. Start the and choose the appropriate . Ask your network administrator for details on configuring a network printer in your environment.
You can configure a USB or SCSI scanner with YaST. The
sane-backends package contains
hardware drivers and other essentials needed to use a scanner. Scanners
connected to a parallel port cannot be configured with YaST. If you own a
HP All-In-One device, see Section 8.6.1, “Configuring an HP All-In-One Device”,
instructions on how to configure a network scanner are available at
Section 8.6.3, “Scanning over the Network”.
Connect your USB or SCSI scanner to your computer and turn it on.
Start YaST and select › . YaST builds the scanner database and tries to detect your scanner model automatically.
If a USB or SCSI scanner is not properly detected, try › .
To activate the scanner select it from the list of detected scanners and click .
Choose your model form the list and click and .
Use › to make sure you have chosen the correct driver.
Leave the configuration screen with .
An HP All-In-One device can be configured with YaST even if it is connected to the parallel port or is made available via the network. If you own a USB HP All-In-One device, start configuring as described in Procedure 8.9, “Configuring a USB or SCSI Scanner”. If it is detected properly and the succeeds, it is ready to use.
If your USB device is not properly detected, or your HP All-In-One device is connected to the parallel port or the network, run the HP Device Manager:
Start YaST and select › . YaST loads the scanner database.
Start the HP Device Manager with › and follow the on-screen instructions. After having finished the HP Device Manager, the YaST scanner module automatically restarts the auto detection.
Test it by choosing › .
Leave the configuration screen with .
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server allows the sharing of a scanner over the network. To do so, configure your scanner as follows:
Configure the scanner as described in Section 8.6, “Setting Up a Scanner”.
Choose › .
Enter the hostnames of the clients (separated by a comma) that should be allowed to use the scanner under › and leave the configuration dialog with .
To use a scanner that is shared over the network, proceed as follows:
Start YaST and select › .
Open the network scanner configuration menu by › .
Enter the hostname of the machine the scanner is connected to under ›
Leave with . The network scanner is now listed in the Scanner Configuration window and is ready to use.
Use YaST's software management tool to search for software components you want to add or remove. YaST resolves all dependencies for you. To install packages not shipped with the installation media, add additional software repositories to your setup and let YaST manage them. Keep your system up-to-date by managing software updates with the update applet.
Change the software collection of your system with the YaST Software Manager. This YaST module is available in two toolkit flavors: Qt and ncurses; the Qt flavor is described here.
When installing, updating or removing packages, any changes in the Software Manager are not applied immediately but only after confirming them with or respectively. YaST maintains a list with all actions, allowing you to review and modify your changes before applying them to the system.
A local or remote directory containing packages, plus additional information about these packages (package meta-data).
A short name for a repository used by various Zypper commands. The alias can be chosen by the user when adding a repository and must be unique.
Represents a whole product, for example SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server.
A pattern is an installable group of packages dedicated to a certain
purpose. For example, the Laptop pattern
contains all packages that are needed in a mobile computing environment.
Patterns define package dependencies (such as required or recommended
packages) and come with a preselection of packages marked for
installation. This ensures that the most important packages needed for a
certain purpose are available on your system after installation of the
pattern. However, not necessarily all packages in a pattern are
preselected for installation and you can manually select or deselect
packages within a pattern according to your needs and wishes.
A package is a compressed file in rpm format that
contains the files for a particular program.
A patch consists of one or more packages and may be applied by means of deltarpms. It may also introduce dependencies to packages that are not installed yet.
An generic term for product, pattern, package or patch. The most commonly used type of resolvable is a package or a patch.
A deltarpm consists only of the binary diff between two defined versions of a package, and therefore has the smallest download size. Before being installed, the full RPM package is rebuilt on the local machine.
Certain packages are dependent on other packages, such as shared
libraries. In other terms, a package may require other
packages—if the required packages are not available, the package
cannot be installed. In addition to dependencies (package requirements)
that must be fulfilled, some packages recommend other
packages. These recommended packages are only installed if they are
actually available, otherwise they are just ignored and the package
recommending them is installed nevertheless.
The YaST Qt interface is started by default when using the desktops KDE, icewm, and others. It is also used when invoking YaST from a remote terminal. Start the software manager from the YaST Control Center by choosing › .
The YaST software manager can install packages or patterns from all currently enabled repositories. It offers different views and filters to make it easier to find the software you are searching for. The view is the default view of the window. To change view, click and select one of the following entries from the drop-down list. The selected view opens in a new tab.
Lists all patterns available for installation on your system.
Lists all packages sorted by groups such as , , or .
Lists all packages sorted by functionality with groups and subgroups. For example › › .
Filter to list all packages needed to add a new system language.
Filter to list packages by repository. In order to select more than one repository, hold the Ctrl key while clicking on repository names. The “pseudo repository” lists all packages currently installed.
Lets you search for a package according to certain criteria. Enter a search term and press Enter. Refine your search by specifying where to and by changing the . For example, if you do not know the package name but only the name of the application that you are searching for, try including the package in the search process.
If you have already selected packages for installation, update or removal, this view shows the changes that will be applied to your system as soon as you click . To filter for packages with a certain status in this view, activate or deactivate the respective check boxes. Hit Shift–F1 for details on the status flags.
To list all packages that do not belong to an active repository, choose › › and then choose › . This is useful, for example, if you have deleted a repository and would like to make sure no packages from that repository remain installed.
Certain packages are dependent on other packages, such as shared libraries. On the other hand, some packages cannot coexist with others on the system. If possible, YaST automatically resolves these dependencies or conflicts. If your choice results in a dependency conflict that cannot be automatically solved, you need to solve it manually as described in Section 9.2.4, “Checking Software Dependencies”.
When removing any packages, by default YaST only removes the selected packages. If you want YaST to also remove any other packages that become unneeded after removal of the specified package, select › .
Search for packages as described in Section 9.2.1, “Views for Searching Packages or Patterns”.
The packages found are listed in the right pane. To install a package or remove it, right-click it and choose or . If the relevant option is not available, check the package status indicated by the symbol in front of the package name—hit Shift–F1 for help.
To apply an action to all packages listed in the right pane, choose an action from › .
To install a pattern, right-click the pattern name and choose .
It is not possible to remove a pattern per se. Instead, select the packages of a pattern you want to remove and mark them for removal.
In order to select more packages, repeat the steps mentioned above.
Before applying your changes, you can review or modify them by clicking › . By default, all packages that will change status, are listed.
In order to revert the status for a package, right-click the package and select one of the following entries: if the package was scheduled to be deleted or updated, or if it was scheduled for installation. To abandon all changes and close the Software Manager, click and
When you are finished, click to apply your changes.
In case YaST found dependencies on other packages, a list of packages that have additionally been chosen for installation, update or removal is presented. Click to accept them.
After all selected packages are installed, updated or removed, the YaST Software Manager automatically terminates.
Installing source packages with YaST Software Manager is not possible at
the moment. Use the command line tool zypper for this
purpose. For more information, see
Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 6 “Managing Software with Command Line Tools”, Section 6.1 “Using Zypper”, Section 6.1.2 “Installing and Removing Software with Zypper”, Section 6.1.2.1 “Installing or Downloading Source Packages”.
Instead of updating individual packages, you can also update all installed packages or all packages from a certain repository. When mass updating packages, the following aspects are generally considered:
priorities of the repositories that provide the package,
architecture of the package (for example, x86_64, i686, i586),
version number of the package,
package vendor.
Which of the aspects has the highest importance for choosing the update candidates depends on the respective update option you choose.
To update all installed packages to the latest version, choose › › from the main menu.
All repositories are checked for possible update candidates, using the following policy: YaST first tries to restrict the search to packages with the same architecture and vendor like the installed one. If the search is positive, the “best” update candidate from those is selected according to the process below. However, if no comparable package of the same vendor can be found, the search is expanded to all packages with the same architecture. If still no comparable package can be found, all packages are considered and the “best” update candidate is selected according to the following criteria:
Repository priority: Prefer the package from the repository with the highest priority.
If more than one package results from this selection, choose the one with the “best” architecture (best choice: matching the architecture of the installed one; otherwise: x86_64 > i686 > i586).
If the resulting package has a higher version number than the installed one, the installed package will be updated and replaced with the selected update candidate.
This option tries to avoid changes in architecture and vendor for the installed packages, but under certain circumstances, they are tolerated.
If you choose › › instead, basically the same criteria apply but any candidate package found is installed unconditionally. Thus, choosing this option might actually lead to downgrading some packages.
To make sure that the packages for a mass update derive from a certain repository:
Choose the repository from which to update as described in Section 9.2.1, “Views for Searching Packages or Patterns”.
On the right hand side of the window, click . This explicitly allows YaST to change the package vendor when replacing the packages.
As soon as you proceed with , all installed packages will be replaced by packages deriving from this repository, if available. This may lead to changes in vendor and architecture and even to downgrading some packages.
To refrain from this, click . Note that you can only cancel this until you press the button.
Before applying your changes, you can review or modify them by clicking › . By default, all packages that will change status, are listed.
If all options are set according to your wishes, confirm your changes with to start the mass update.
Most packages are dependent on other packages. If a package, for example, uses a shared library, it is dependent on the package providing this library. On the other hand some packages cannot coexist with each other, causing a conflict (for example, you can only install one mail transfer agent: sendmail or postfix). When installing or removing software, the Software Manager makes sure no dependencies or conflicts remain unsolved to ensure system integrity.
In case there exists only one solution to resolve a dependency or a conflict, it is resolved automatically. Multiple solutions always cause a conflict which needs to be resolved manually. If solving a conflict involves a vendor or architecture change, it also needs to be solved manually. When clicking to apply any changes in the Software Manager, you get an overview of all actions triggered by the automatic resolver which you need to confirm.
By default, dependencies are automatically checked. A check is performed every time you change a package status (for example, by marking a package for installation or removal). This is generally useful, but can become exhausting when manually resolving a dependency conflict. To disable this function, uncheck › . Manually perform a dependency check with › . A consistency check is always performed when you confirm your selection with .
To review a package's dependencies, right-click it and choose . A map showing the dependencies opens. Packages that are already installed are displayed in a green frame.
Unless you are very experienced, follow the suggestions YaST makes when handling package conflicts, otherwise you may not be able to resolve them. Keep in mind that every change you make, potentially triggers other conflicts, so you can easily end up with a steadily increasing number of conflicts. In case this happens, the Software Manager, all your changes and start again.
If you want to install third-party software, add additional software repositories to your system. By default, the product repositories such as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server-DVD 11 SP4 and a matching update repository are automatically configured once you have registered your system. For more information about registration, see Section 6.16.1.4, “Novell Customer Center Configuration”. Depending on the initially selected product, a separate language add-on repository with translations, dictionaries, etc. might also be configured.
To manage repositories, start YaST and select › . The dialog opens. Here, you can also manage subscriptions to so-called by changing the at the right corner of the dialog to . A Service in this context is a (RIS) that can offer one or more software repositories. Such a Service can be changed dynamically by its administrator or vendor.
Each repository provides files describing content of the repository (package names, versions, etc.). These repository description files are downloaded to a local cache that is used by YaST. To ensure their integrity, software repositories can be signed with the GPG Key of the repository maintainer. Whenever you add a new repository, YaST offers the ability to import its key.
Before adding external software repositories to your list of repositories, make sure this repository can be trusted. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is not responsible for any potential problems arising from software installed from third-party software repositories.
You can either add repositories from a local hard disk, from a removable medium (like a CD, DVD or a USB mass storage) or from a network.
To add repositories from the dialog in YaST proceed as follows:
Click .
From the list of available specify the type matching your repository:
For network sources, it is usually sufficient to use the default option, .
To add a repository from a removable medium or a local hard disk, choose the relevant option and insert the medium or connect the USB device to the machine, respectively.
You can choose to now. If the option is unchecked, YaST will automatically download the files later, if needed. Click to proceed.
When adding a repository from the network, enter the data you are prompted for. Continue with .
Depending on the repository you have added, you might be asked if you want to import the GPG key with which it is signed or asked to agree to a license.
After confirming these messages, YaST will download and parse the metadata and add the repository to the list of .
If needed, adjust the repository as described in Section 9.3.2, “Managing Repository Properties” or confirm your changes with to close the configuration dialog.
Now you can install software from this repository as described in Section 9.2, “Using the KDE Interface (Qt)”.
The overview of the lets you change the following repository properties:
The repository status can either be or . You can only install packages from repositories that are enabled. To turn a repository off temporarily click . You can also double-click a repository name to toggle its status. If you want to remove a repository completely, click .
When refreshing a repository, its content description (package names, versions, etc.) is downloaded to a local cache that is used by YaST. It is sufficient to do this once for static repositories such as CDs or DVDs, whereas repositories whose content changes often should be refreshed frequently. The easiest way to keep a repository's cache up-to-date is to choose . To do a manual refresh click and select one of the options.
Packages from remote repositories are downloaded before being installed.
By default, they are deleted upon a successful installation. Activating
prevents the deletion of
downloaded packages. The download location is configured in
/etc/zypp/zypp.conf, by default it is
/var/cache/zypp/packages.
The of a repository is a value between
1 and 200, with
1 being the highest priority and
200 the lowest priority. Any new repositories that are
added with YaST get a priority of 99 by default. If
you do not care about a priority value for a certain repository, you can
also set the value to 0 to apply the default priority
to that repository (99). If a package is available in
more than one repository, then the repository with the highest priority
takes precedence. This is useful if you want to avoid downloading
packages unnecessarily from the Internet by giving a local repository
(for example, a DVD) a higher priority.
The repository with the highest priority takes precedence in any case. Therefore, make sure that the update repository always has the highest priority (20 by default), otherwise you might install an outdated version that will not be updated until the next online update.
To change a repository name or its URL, select it from the list with a single-click and then click .
To ensure their integrity, software repositories can be signed with the GPG Key of the repository maintainer. Whenever you add a new repository, YaST offers to import its key. Verify it as you would do with any other GPG key and make sure it does not change. If you detect a key change, something might be wrong with the repository. Disable the repository as an installation source until you know the cause of the key change.
To manage all imported keys, click in the dialog. Select an entry with the mouse to show the key properties at the bottom of the window. , or keys with a click on the respective buttons.
Novell offers a continuous stream of software security patches for your product. The update applet informs you about the availability of patches and lets you easily install them with just a few clicks.
The Software Updater icon resides in the system tray of your panel depicting a
gearwheel with a green arrow. To start Software Updater manually, choose
› › from the main menu. Alternatively, press Alt–F2 and enter
kpk_update.
The Software Updater icon is only visible in the system tray, if patches are available. Hover over the icon to see the number of patches available.
Whenever software updates are available, the applet icon appears in the panel. Left-click the Software Updater icon to launch the software window.
Select a patch for installation by ticking its check box. Get detailed information on a patch by clicking on its title. To select all available patches for installation, tick the check box in the table header.
Click to start the patch installation.
In case you have started the patch installation for the first time, you
will be asked to enter the root password twice in order to proceed.
If you also check you will
never be asked again to provide the password.
The window showing an installation summary opens. Click to finish the installation.
The YaST Online Update offers advanced features to customize the patch installation. Please refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update” for more information.
By default Software Updater checks for updates every 24 hours, notifies you when
patches are available and does not automatically install patches. These
settings can be changed with the . To open the choose › › from the main menu. Alternatively, press Alt–F2 and enter
kpk_settings. The settings for Software Updater are available
in the section.
The also allows you to configure the repositories () to be used. This setting not only applies to Software Updater but also to the KDE Software Management module ().
Make sure the repository Updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 is always selected—otherwise you will not receive patches.
The update applet resides in the notification area of the panel. Its icon changes depending on the availability and relevance of patches and the status of the update. To invoke the applet manually, choose › › › .
The applet icon is only visible if the following conditions are met:
patches are available
the GUI was not started as user root
the GUI was not started in a VNC session
To start the update viewer even if no applet icon is visible, press
Alt–F2 and enter
gpk-update-viewer.
The update applet is busy (for example checking for updates or installing software).
Security patches are available.
Important patches are available.
Trivial patches are available.
An error has occurred.
Whenever new patches are available, a notification message will appear and the Update Applet icon will be visible in the notification area. Either click in the notification message or click the icon to open the window.
All security and important patches are preselected. It is strongly recommended to install these patches. Trivial patches can be manually selected by ticking the respective check boxes. Get detailed information on a patch by clicking on its title.
Click to start the patch installation.
The window showing an installation summary opens. Click to proceed.
Enter the root password in the authentication screen and proceed
with .
The YaST Online Update offers advanced features to customize the patch installation. Please refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “YaST Online Update” for more information.
To configure the update applet, right-click the update icon in the panel and choose . The configuration dialog lets you modify the following settings:
Choose how often a check for updates is performed: , , , or .
Configure whether patches are installed automatically or not (default). Automatic installation can be chosen for either security patches only or for all patches.
Choose how often a check for major upgrades is performed: , , or .
This configuration option is only available on mobile computers. Turned off by default.
More options are configurable using gconf-editor:
› .
Add-on products are system extensions. You can install a third party add-on product or a special system extension of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server (for example, a CD with support for additional languages or a CD with binary drivers). To install a new add-on, start YaST and select › . You can select various types of product media, like CD, FTP, USB mass storage devices (such as USB flash drives or disks) or a local directory. You can work also directly with ISO files. To add an add-on as ISO file media, select then enter the . The is arbitrary.
To install a new add-on, proceed as follows:
In YaST select › to see an overview of already installed add-on products.
To install a new add-on product, click .
From the list of available specify the type matching your repository.
To add a repository from a removable medium, choose the relevant option and insert the medium or connect the USB device to the machine, respectively.
You can choose to now. If the option is unchecked, YaST will automatically download the files later, if needed. Click to proceed.
When adding a repository from the network, enter the data you are prompted for. Continue with .
Depending on the repository you have added, you may be asked if you want to import the GPG key with which it is signed or asked to agree to a license.
After confirming these messages, YaST will download and parse the metadata and add the repository to the list of .
If needed, adjust the repository as described in Section 9.3.2, “Managing Repository Properties” or confirm your changes with to close the configuration dialog.
After having successfully added the repository for the add-on media, the software manager starts and you can install packages. Refer to Chapter 9, Installing or Removing Software for details.
Some hardware needs binary-only drivers to function properly. If you have such hardware, refer to the release notes for more information about availability of binary drivers for your system. To read the release notes, open YaST and select › .
SUSE Software Development Kit 11 is an add-on for SUSE Linux Enterprise 11. It is a complete tool kit for application development. In fact, to provide a comprehensive build system, SUSE Software Development Kit 11 includes all the open source tools that were used to build the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server product. It provides you - as a developer, independent software vendor (ISV), or independent hardware vendor (IHV) - with all the tools needed to port applications to all the platforms supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
SUSE Software Development Kit also contains integrated development environments (IDEs), debuggers, code editors, and other related tools. It supports most major programming languages, including C, C++, Java, and most scripting languages. For your convenience, SUSE Software Development Kit includes multiple Perl packages that are not included in SUSE Linux Enterprise.
Download SDK from http://download.suse.com/. Use the YaST add-on installer and package manager to install SUSE Software Development Kit 11.
If you have chosen not to configure Internet access during the installation, you can perform this task at any time using YaST. How to configure your computer to access the Internet depends on your environment. If the computer you are installing is part of a network which already is connected to the Internet, the only thing to do is to link your machine to the network. If you are installing a machine that is directly connected to the Internet, the hardware and the access to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) needs to be set up.
Please refer to the checklists below to make sure you have all the necessary data ready before starting to configure the Internet access.
When your computer is directly connected to the Internet, you first need to configure the hardware that is used for this task. This can either be an internal device (such as an ISDN card) or an external device (for example, a modem). In most cases it is detected automatically.
Next, you need to enter the data provided by your ISP (such as login credentials, gateway, or name server, for example). You should have received a data sheet from your ISP where all the necessary data is listed.
If you have successfully configured your hardware and ISP data, use the NetworkManager for managing the internet connection. See Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 27 “Using NetworkManager” for details.
There are different types of DSL devices available that use different point-to-point protocol (PPP) methods:
a regular ethernet card connected to the external DSL modem uses PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE). In Austria the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is used. With PPTP the external modem also has a static IP address.
an internal DSL modem uses PPP over ATM (PPPoATM)
an internal ADSL Fritz Card uses CAPI for ADSL
The DSL configuration module already contains the data for major ISPs in some countries. If your ISP is not listed, you will need to know how name resolving (DNS) and IP allocation is handled (in most cases this data is received automatically when connecting). Regardless whether you choose an ISP from the list or add a custom provider, you need to enter at least your login and password.
For configuration details, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.5 “DSL”.
In case your internal ISDN card is not detected automatically you will need to know the vendor and the name of the device.
If you are using an external ISDN modem or terminal adapter, refer to Section 11.1.3, “Checklist Modem” instead.
In order to configure the ISDN device you will need the following data:
ISDN Protocol (depends on your country)
Area code and phone number.
Interface type (SyncPPP or RawIP). If unsure, select SyncPPP, because RawIP is only used in connection with certain telephone systems.
Local and remote IP addresses for the dial-in server and the gateway, in the case that you were given a static IP address from your provider.
The ISDN configuration module already contains the data for major ISPs in some countries. If your ISP is not listed, you will need to know how name resolving (DNS) and IP allocation is handled (in most cases this data is received automatically when connecting). Regardless whether you chose an ISP from the list or added a custom provider, you need to enter at least your login and password.
For configuration details, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.3 “ISDN”.
If your modem is not detected automatically, you will need to know whether it is connected to a serial port or to a USB port. Please note that not all USB modems and internal modems are supported by SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server.
The modem configuration module already contains the data for major ISPs in some countries. If your ISP is not listed, you will need to know its dial-in number and how name resolving (DNS) and IP allocation is handled (in most cases this data is received automatically when connecting). Regardless whether you chose an ISP from the list or added a custom provider, you need to enter at least your login and password.
For configuration details, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.2 “Modem”.
Accessing the Internet through the TV cable requires a cable modem. Such a modem is connected to the computer via ethernet cable. Therefore it is only necessary to configure your network card accordingly. For details, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.4 “Cable Modem”.
If your machine is part of a network which is already connected to the Internet, it is very easy to gain Internet access (just configure your network card and connect your machine to the existing network and you are done). This not only applies to large company networks, but to small home networks as well. Even if the machine you are installing is only connected to a router (e.g. a DSL router) it is already part of a network. It is irrelevant whether you are using a wireless network adapter or a wired one.
In the following it is assumed that the network is connected to the Internet and provides routing and name services. In case these services are provided by a router, make sure the router is configured correctly before setting up the client.
If your network provides DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) check the appropriate check box when setting up the network card and you are done (all parameters needed will be provided by the DHCP server).
If DHCP is not available, ask your network administrator for the following details:
Hostname
Name server
Gateway
For configuration details for wired network cards, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 22 “Basic Networking”, Section 22.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”, Section 22.4.1 “Configuring the Network Card with YaST”, for wireless network cards see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 19 “Wireless LAN”, Section 19.5 “Configuration with YaST”.
During installation, you chose a method for user authentication.
This method is either local (via /etc/passwd) or, if a
network connection is established, via NIS, LDAP, Kerberos or Samba (see
Section 6.16.1.7, “User Authentication Method”. You can create
or modify user accounts and change the authentication method with YaST at
any time.
Every user is assigned a system-wide user ID (UID). Apart from the users which can log in to your machine, there are also a number of system users for internal use only. Each user is assigned to one or more groups. Similar to system users, there are also system groups for internal use.
To administer users or groups, start YaST and click › . Alternatively, start the dialog directly by running yast2
users & from a command line.
Depending on the set of users you choose to view and modify with, the dialog (local users, network users, system users), the main window shows several tabs. These allow you to execute the following tasks:
From the tab create, modify, delete or temporarily disable user accounts as described in Section 12.2, “Managing User Accounts”. Learn about advanced options like enforcing password policies, using encrypted home directories, using fingerprint authentication, or managing disk quotas in Section 12.3, “Additional Options for User Accounts”.
Local users accounts are created according to the settings defined on the tab. Learn how to change the default group assignment, or the default path and access permissions for home directories in Section 12.4, “Changing Default Settings for Local Users”.
Learn how to change the group assignment for individual users in Section 12.5, “Assigning Users to Groups”.
From the tab, you can add, modify or delete existing groups. Refer to Section 12.6, “Managing Groups” for information on how to do this.
When your machine is connected to a network that provides user authentication methods like NIS or LDAP, you can choose between several authentication methods on the tab. For more information, refer to Section 12.7, “Changing the User Authentication Method”.
For user and group management, the dialog provides similar functionality. You can easily switch between the user and group administration view by choosing the appropriate tab at the top of the dialog.
Filter options allow you to define the set of users or groups you want to modify: On the or tab, click to view and edit users or groups according to certain categories, such as or , for instance (if you are part of a network which uses LDAP). With › you can also set up and use a custom filter.
Depending on the filter you choose, not all of the following options and functions will be available from the dialog.
YaST offers to create, modify, delete or temporarily disable user accounts. Do not modify user accounts unless you are an experienced user or administrator.
File ownership is bound to the user ID, not to the username. After a user ID change, the files in the user's home directory are automatically adjusted to reflect this change. However, after an ID change, the user no longer owns the files he created elsewhere in the file system unless the file ownership for those files are manually modified.
In the following, learn how to set up default user accounts. For some further options, such as auto login, login without password, setting up encrypted home directories or managing quotas for users and groups, refer to Section 12.3, “Additional Options for User Accounts”.
Open the YaST dialog and click the tab.
With define the set of users you want to manage. The dialog shows a list of users in the system and the groups the users belong to.
To modify options for an existing user, select an entry and click .
To create a new user account, click .
Enter the appropriate user data on the first tab, such as (which is used for login) and . This data is sufficient to create a new user. If you click now, the system will automatically assign a user ID and set all other values according to the default.
If you want to adjust further details such as the user ID or the path to the user's home directory, do so on the tab.
If you need to relocate the home directory of an existing user, enter the path to the new home directory there and move the contents of the current home directory with . Otherwise, a new home directory is created without any of the existing data.
To force users to regularly change their password or set other password options, switch to and adjust the options. For more details, refer to Section 12.3.2, “Enforcing Password Policies”.
If all options are set according to your wishes, click .
Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and to save the changes. A newly added user can now log in to the system using the login name and password you created.
For a new (local) user on a laptop which also needs to integrate into a network environment where this user already has a user ID, it is useful to match the (local) user ID to the ID in the network. This ensures that the file ownership of the files the user creates “offline” is the same as if he had created them directly on the network.
Open the YaST dialog and click the tab.
To temporarily disable a user account without deleting it, select the user from the list and click . Activate . The user cannot log in to your machine until you enable the account again.
To delete a user account, select the user from the list and click . Choose if you also want to delete the user's home directory or if you want to retain the data.
In addition to the settings for a default user account, SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server offers further options, such as options to enforce password policies, use encrypted home directories or define disk quotas for users and groups.
If you use the KDE or GNOME desktop environment you can configure Auto Login for a certain user as well as Passwordless Login for all users. Auto login causes a user to become automatically logged in to the desktop environment on boot. This functionality can only be activated for one user at a time. Login without password allows all users to log in to the system after they have entered their username in the login manager.
Enabling Auto Login or Passwordless Login on a machine that can be accessed by more than one person is a security risk. Without the need to authenticate, any user can gain access to your system and your data. If your system contains confidential data, do not use this functionality.
If you want to activate auto login or login without password, access these functions in the YaST with › .
On any system with multiple users, it is a good idea to enforce at least basic password security policies. Users should change their passwords regularly and use strong passwords that cannot easily be exploited. For local users, proceed as follows:
Open the YaST dialog and select the tab.
Select the user for which to change the password options and click .
Switch to the tab. The user's last password change is displayed on the tab.
To make the user change his password at next login, activate .
To enforce password rotation, set a and a .
To remind the user to change his password before it expires, set a number of .
To restrict the period of time the user can log in after his password has expired, change the value in .
You can also specify a certain expiration date for the complete account. Enter the in YYYY-MM-DD format. Note that this setting is not password related but rather applies to the account itself.
For more information about the options and about the default values, click .
Apply your changes with .
To protect data in home directories against theft and hard disk removal, you can create encrypted home directories for users. These are encrypted with LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup), which results in an image and an image key being generated for the user. The image key is protected with the user's login password. When the user logs into the system, the encrypted home directory is mounted and the contents are made available to the user.
If you want to use a fingerprint reader device, you must not use encrypted home directories. Otherwise logging in will fail, because decrypting during login is not possible in combination with an active fingerprint reader device.
With YaST, you can create encrypted home directories for new or existing users. To encrypt or modify encrypted home directories of already existing users, you need to know the user's current login password. By default, all existing user data is copied to the new encrypted home directory, but it is not deleted from the unencrypted directory.
Encrypting a user's home directory does not provide strong security from other users. If strong security is required, the system should not be physically shared.
Find background information about encrypted home directories and which actions to take for stronger security in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 11 “Encrypting Partitions and Files”, Section 11.2 “Using Encrypted Home Directories”.
Open the YaST dialog and click the tab.
To encrypt the home directory of an existing user, select the user and click .
Otherwise, click to create a new user account and enter the appropriate user data on the first tab.
In the tab, activate . With , specify the size of the encrypted image file to be created for this user.
Apply your settings with .
Enter the user's current login password to proceed if YaST prompts for it.
Click › to save all changes without exiting the administration dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and save the changes.
Of course, you can also disable the encryption of a home directory or change the size of the image file at any time.
Open the YaST dialog in the view.
Select a user from the list and click .
If you want to disable the encryption, switch to the tab and disable .
If you need to enlarge or reduce the size of the encrypted image file for this user, change the .
Apply your settings with .
Enter the user's current login password to proceed if YaST prompts for it.
Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and to save the changes.
If your system includes a fingerprint reader you can use biometric authentication in addition to standard authentication via login and password. After registering their fingerprint, users can log in to the system either by swiping a finger on the fingerprint reader or by typing in a password.
Fingerprints can be registered with YaST. Find detailed information about configuration and use of fingerprint authentication in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 7 “Using the Fingerprint Reader”. For a list of supported devices, refer to http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/fprint/libfprint.
To prevent system capacities from being exhausted without notification, system administrators can set up quotas for users or groups. Quotas can be defined for one or more file systems and restrict the amount of disk space that can be used and the number of inodes (index nodes) that can be created there. Inodes are data structures on a file system that store basic information about a regular file, directory, or other file system object. They store all attributes of a file system object (like user and group ownership, read, write, or execute permissions), except file name and contents.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server allows usage of soft and
hard quotas. Soft quotas usually define a warning level
at which users are informed that they are nearing their limit, whereas hard
quotas define the limit at which write requests are denied. Additionally,
grace intervals can be defined that allow users or groups to temporarily
violate their quotas by certain amounts.
In order to configure quotas for certain users and groups, you need to enable quota support for the respective partition in the YaST Expert Partitioner first.
In YaST, select › and click to proceed.
In the , select the partition for which to enable quotas and click .
Click and activate . If the quota package is not
already installed, it will be installed once you confirm the respective
message with .
Confirm your changes and leave the .
Now you can define soft or hard quotas for specific users or groups and set time periods as grace intervals.
In the YaST , select the user or the group you want to set the quotas for and click .
On the tab, select the entry and click to open the dialog.
From , select the partition to which the quota should apply.
Below , restrict the amount of disk space. Enter the number of 1 KB blocks the user or group may have on this partition. Specify a and a value.
Additionally, you can restrict the number of inodes the user or group may have on the partition. Below , enter a and .
You can only define grace intervals if the user or group has already exceeded the soft limit specified for size or inodes. Otherwise, the time-related input fields are not activated. Specify the time period for which the user or group is allowed to exceed the limits set above.
Confirm your settings with .
Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and to save the changes.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server also ships command line tools like
repquota or warnquota with which
system administrators can control the disk usage or send e-mail
notifications to users exceeding their quota. With
quota_nld, administrators can also forward kernel
messages about exceeded quotas to D-BUS. For more information, refer to the
repquota, the warnquota
and the quota_nld man page.
When creating new local users, several default settings are used by YaST. These include, for example, the primary group and the secondary groups the user belongs to, or the access permissions of the user's home directory. You can change these default settings to meet your requirements:
Open the YaST dialog and select the tab.
To change the primary group the new users should automatically belong to, select another group from .
To modify the secondary groups for new users, add or change groups in . The group names must be separated by commas.
If you do not want to use
/home/username as default
path for new users' home directories, modify the .
To change the default permission modes for newly created home directories,
adjust the umask value in . For
more information about umask, refer to Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 10 “Access Control Lists in Linux” and to
the umask man page.
For information about the individual options, click .
Apply your changes with .
Local users are assigned to several groups according to the default settings which you can access from the dialog on the tab. In the following, learn how to modify an individual user's group assignment. If you need to change the default group assignments for new users, refer to Section 12.4, “Changing Default Settings for Local Users”.
Open the YaST dialog and click the tab. It shows a list of users and of the groups the users belong to.
Click and switch to the tab.
To change the primary group the user belongs to, click and select the group from the list.
To assign the user additional secondary groups, activate the corresponding check boxes in the list.
Click to apply your changes.
Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and save the changes.
With YaST you can also easily add, modify or delete groups.
Open the YaST dialog and click the tab.
With define the set of groups you want to manage. The dialog shows a list of groups in the system.
To create a new group, click .
To modify an existing group, select the group and click
In the following dialog, enter or change the data. The list on the right shows an overview of all available users and system users which can be members of the group.
To add existing users to a new group select them from the list of possible by checking the corresponding box. To remove them from the group uncheck the box.
Click to apply your changes.
Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog.
In order to delete a group, it must not contain any group members. To delete a group, select it from the list and click . Click › to save all changes without exiting the dialog. Click to close the administration dialog and to save the changes.
When your machine is connected to a network, you can change the authentication method you set during installation. The following options are available:
Users are administered centrally on a NIS server for all systems in the network. For details, see Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 3 “Using NIS”.
Users are administered centrally on an LDAP server for all systems in the network. For details about LDAP, see Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 4 “LDAP—A Directory Service”.
You can manage LDAP users with the YaST user module. All other LDAP settings, including the default settings for LDAP users, have to be defined with the YaST LDAP client module as described in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 4 “LDAP—A Directory Service”, Section 4.4 “Configuring an LDAP Client with YaST” .
With Kerberos, a user registers once and then is trusted in the entire network for the rest of the session.
SMB authentication is often used in mixed Linux and Windows networks. For details, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 28 “Samba”.
eDirectory authentication is used in Novell networks.
To change the authentication method, proceed as follows:
Open the dialog in YaST.
Click the tab to show an overview of the available authentication methods and the current settings.
To change the authentication method, click and select the authentication method you want to modify. This takes you directly to the client configuration modules in YaST. For information about the configuration of the appropriate client, refer to the following sections:
NIS: Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 3 “Using NIS”, Section 3.2 “Configuring NIS Clients”
LDAP: Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 4 “LDAP—A Directory Service”, Section 4.4 “Configuring an LDAP Client with YaST”
Samba: Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 28 “Samba”, Section 28.4 “Configuring Clients”, Section 28.4.1 “Configuring a Samba Client with YaST”
After accepting the configuration, return to the overview.
Click to close the administration dialog.
Working in different countries or having to work in a multilingual
environment requires your computer to be set up to support this.
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server can handle different locales in parallel.
A locale is a set of parameters that defines the language and country
settings reflected in the user interface.
The main system language was selected during installation and keyboard and time zone settings were adjusted. However, you can install additional languages on your system and determine which of the installed languages should be the default.
For those tasks, use the YaST language module as described in Section 13.1, “Changing the System Language”. Install secondary languages to get optional localizations if you need to start applications or desktops in languages other than the primary one.
Apart from that, the YaST timezone module allows you to adjust your country and timezone settings accordingly. It also lets you synchronize your system clock against a time server. For details, refer to Section 13.2, “Changing the Country and Time Settings”.
Depending on how you use your desktop and whether you want to switch the entire system to another language or just the desktop environment itself, there are several ways to achieve this:
Proceed as described in Section 13.1.1, “Modifying System Languages with YaST” and Section 13.1.2, “Switching the Default System Language” to install additional localized packages with YaST and to set the default language. Changes are effective after relogin. To ensure that the entire system reflects the change, reboot the system or close and restart all running services, applications, and programs.
Provided you have previously installed the desired language packages for your desktop environment with YaST as described below, you can switch the language of your desktop using the desktop's control center. After the X server has been restarted, your entire desktop reflects your new choice of language. Applications not belonging to your desktop framework are not affected by this change and may still appear in the language that was set in YaST.
You can also run a single application in another language (that has already been installed with YaST). To do so, start it from the command line by specifying the language code as described in Section 13.1.3, “Switching Languages for Individual Applications”.
YaST knows two different language categories:
The primary language set in YaST applies to the entire system, including YaST and the desktop environment. This language is used whenever available unless you manually specify another language.
Install secondary languages to make your system multilingual. Languages installed as secondary languages can be selected manually for a specific situation. For example, use a secondary language to start an application in a certain language in order to do word processing in this language.
Before installing additional languages, determine which of them should be the default system language (primary language) after you have installed them.
To access the YaST language module, start YaST and click › .
Alternatively, start the dialog directly by
running yast2 language & as user root from a
command line.
When installing additional languages, YaST also allows you to set
different locale settings for the user root, see
Step 4. The option
determines how the locale
variables (LC_*) in the file
/etc/sysconfig/language are set for root. You
can either set them to the same locale as for normal users, keep it
unaffected by any language changes or only set the variable
RC_LC_CTYPE to the same values as for the normal users.
This variable sets the localization for language-specific function calls.
To add additional languages in the YaST language module, select the you wish to install.
To make a language the default language, set it as .
Additionally, adapt the keyboard to the new primary language and adjust the time zone, if appropriate.
For advanced keyboard or time zone settings, select › or › in YaST to start the respective dialogs. For more information, refer to Section 13.2, “Changing the Country and Time Settings”.
To change language settings specific to the user root, click
.
Set to the desired value. For more information, click .
Decide if you want to for
root or not.
If your locale was not included in the list of primary languages available, try specifying it with . However, some of these localizations may be incomplete.
Confirm your changes in the dialogs with . If you have selected secondary languages, YaST installs the localized software packages for the additional languages.
The system is now multilingual. However, to start an application in a language other than the primary one, you need to set the desired language explicitly as explained in Section 13.1.3, “Switching Languages for Individual Applications”.
To globally switch the default system language, start the YaST language module.
Select the desired new system language as .
If you switch to a different primary language, the localized software packages for the former primary language will be removed from the system. If you want to switch the default system language but want to keep the former primary language as additional language, add it as by enabling the respective check box.
Adjust the keyboard and time zone options as desired.
Confirm your changes with .
After YaST has applied the changes, restart any X sessions (for example, by logging out and logging in again) to make YaST and the desktop applications reflect your new language settings.
After you have installed the respective language with YaST, you can run a single application in another language.
Start the application from the command line by using the following command:
LANG=language application
For example, to start f-spot in German, run
LANG=de_DE f-spot. For other languages, use the
appropriate language code. Get a list of all language codes available
with the locale -av command.
Start the application from the command line by using the following command:
KDE_LANG=language application
For example, to start digiKam in German, run
KDE_LANG=de digikam. For other languages, use
the appropriate language code.
Using the YaST date and time module, adjust your system date, clock and
time zone information to the area you are working in. To access the YaST
module, start YaST and click › . Alternatively, start the
dialog directly by running
yast2 timezone & as user root from a command
line.
First, select a general region, such as . Choose an appropriate country that matches the one you are working in, for example, .
Depending on which operating systems run on your workstation, adjust the hardware clock settings accordingly:
If you run another operating system on your machine, such as Microsoft Windows*, it is likely your system does not use UTC, but local time. In this case, uncheck .
If you only run Linux on your machine, set the hardware clock to UTC and have the switch from standard time to daylight saving time performed automatically.
You can change the date and time manually or opt for synchronizing your machine against an NTP server, either permanently or just for adjusting your hardware clock.
In the YaST timezone module, click to set date and time.
Select and enter date and time values.
Confirm your changes with .
Click to set date and time.
Select .
Enter the address of an NTP server, if not already populated.
Click , to get your system time set correctly.
If you want to make use of NTP permanently, enable .
With the button, you can open the advanced NTP configuration. For details, see Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 24 “Time Synchronization with NTP”, Section 24.1 “Configuring an NTP Client with YaST”.
Confirm your changes with .
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server can be installed in different ways. As well as the usual media installation covered in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST, you can choose from various network-based approaches or even take a completely hands-off approach to the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Each method is introduced by means of two short checklists: one listing the prerequisites for this method and the other illustrating the basic procedure. More detail is then provided for all the techniques used in these installation scenarios.
In the following sections, the system to hold your new SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation is referred to as target system or installation target. The term repository (previously called “installation source”) is used for all sources of installation data. This includes physical media, such as CD and DVD, and network servers distributing the installation data in your network.
This section introduces the most common installation scenarios for remote installations. For each scenario, carefully check the list of prerequisites and follow the procedure outlined for this scenario. If in need of detailed instructions for a particular step, follow the links provided for each one of them.
The configuration of the X Window System is not part of any remote
installation process. After the installation has finished, log in to the
target system as root, enter telinit 3, and start
SaX2 to configure the graphics hardware.
This type of installation still requires some degree of physical access to the target system to boot for installation. The installation itself is entirely controlled by a remote workstation using VNC to connect to the installation program. User interaction is required as with the manual installation in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
For this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, TFTP, or SMB with working network connection.
Target system with working network connection.
Controlling system with working network connection and VNC viewer software or Java-enabled browser (Firefox, Konqueror, Internet Explorer, Opera, etc.).
Physical boot medium (CD, DVD, or USB flash drive) for booting the target system.
Valid static IP addresses already assigned to the repository and the controlling system.
Valid static IP address to assign to the target system.
When installing over VNC, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, FTP, or TFTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
When the boot screen of the target system appears, use the boot options prompt to set the appropriate VNC options and the address of the repository. This is described in detail in Section 14.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.
The target system boots to a text-based environment, giving the network
address and display number under which the graphical installation
environment can be addressed by any VNC viewer application or browser.
VNC installations announce themselves over OpenSLP and if the firewall
settings permit, they can be found using Konqueror in
service:/ or slp:/ mode.
On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.1, “VNC Installation”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
This type of installation still requires some degree of physical access to the target system to boot for installation. The network configuration is made with DHCP. The installation itself is entirely controlled from a remote workstation using VNC to connect to the installer, but still requires user interaction for the actual configuration efforts.
For this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB with working network connection.
Target system with working network connection.
Controlling system with working network connection and VNC viewer software or Java-enabled browser (Firefox, Konqueror, Internet Explorer, or Opera).
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
Running DHCP server providing IP addresses.
When installing over VNC, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
When the boot screen of the target system appears, use the boot options prompt to set the appropriate VNC options and the address of the repository. This is described in detail in Section 14.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.
The target system boots to a text-based environment, giving the network
address and display number under which the graphical installation
environment can be addressed by any VNC viewer application or browser.
VNC installations announce themselves over OpenSLP and if the firewall
settings permit, they can be found using Konqueror in
service:/ or slp:/ mode.
On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.1, “VNC Installation”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
This type of installation is completely hands-off. The target machine is started and booted remotely. User interaction is only needed for the actual installation. This approach is suitable for cross-site deployments.
To perform this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB with working network connection.
TFTP server.
Running DHCP server for your network.
Target system capable of PXE boot, networking, and Wake on LAN, plugged in and connected to the network.
Controlling system with working network connection and VNC viewer software or Java-enabled browser (Firefox, Konqueror, Internet Explorer, or Opera).
When installing over VNC, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this type of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server or configure an SMB repository as described in Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Set up a TFTP server to hold a boot image that can be pulled by the target system. This is described in Section 14.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.
Set up a DHCP server to provide IP addresses to all machines and reveal the location of the TFTP server to the target system. This is described in Section 14.3.1, “Setting Up a DHCP Server”.
Prepare the target system for PXE boot. This is described in further detail in Section 14.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot”.
Initiate the boot process of the target system using Wake on LAN. This is described in Section 14.3.7, “Wake on LAN”.
On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.1, “VNC Installation”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
This type of installation still requires some degree of physical access to the target system to boot for installation and to determine the IP address of the installation target. The installation itself is entirely controlled from a remote workstation using SSH to connect to the installer. User interaction is required as with the regular installation described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
For this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB with working network connection.
Target system with working network connection.
Controlling system with working network connection and working SSH client software.
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
Valid static IP addresses already assigned to the repository and the controlling system.
Valid static IP address to assign to the target system.
When installing over SSH, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
When the boot screen of the target system appears, use the boot options prompt to set the appropriate parameters for network connection, address of the repository, and SSH enablement. This is described in detail in Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options”.
The target system boots to a text-based environment, giving the network address under which the graphical installation environment can be addressed by any SSH client.
On the controlling workstation, open a terminal window and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.2.2, “Connecting to the Installation Program”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
This type of installation still requires some degree of physical access to the target system to boot for installation and determine the IP address of the installation target. The installation itself is entirely controlled from a remote workstation using SSH to connect to the installer, but still requires user interaction for the actual configuration efforts.
In the network settings dialog, check the and avoid NetworkManager. If not, your SSH connection will be lost during installation. Reset the settings to after your installation has finished.
For this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB with working network connection.
Target system with working network connection.
Controlling system with working network connection and working SSH client software.
Physical boot medium (CD, DVD, or USB flash drive) for booting the target system.
Running DHCP server providing IP addresses.
When installing over SSH, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository source as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Boot the target system using DVD1 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server media kit.
When the boot screen of the target system appears, use the boot options prompt to pass the appropriate parameters for network connection, location of the installation source, and SSH enablement. See Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options” for detailed instructions on the use of these parameters.
The target system boots to a text-based environment, giving you the network address under which the graphical installation environment can be addressed by any SSH client.
On the controlling workstation, open a terminal window and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.2.2, “Connecting to the Installation Program”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
This type of installation is completely hands-off. The target machine is started and booted remotely.
To perform this type of installation, make sure that the following requirements are met:
Remote repository: NFS, HTTP, FTP, or SMB with working network connection.
TFTP server.
Running DHCP server for your network, providing a static IP to the host to install.
Target system capable of PXE boot, networking, and Wake on LAN, plugged in and connected to the network.
Controlling system with working network connection and SSH client software.
When installing over SSH, X11 is not configured and output is redirected
to your local machine. To use SaX2, use export DISPLAY=:0
&& sax2 -a -r
To perform this type of installation, proceed as follows:
Set up the repository as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For the configuration of an SMB repository, refer to Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.
Set up a TFTP server to hold a boot image that can be pulled by the target system. This is described in Section 14.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.
Set up a DHCP server to provide IP addresses to all machines and reveal the location of the TFTP server to the target system. This is described in Section 14.3.1, “Setting Up a DHCP Server”.
Prepare the target system for PXE boot. This is described in further detail in Section 14.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot”.
Initiate the boot process of the target system using Wake on LAN. This is described in Section 14.3.7, “Wake on LAN”.
On the controlling workstation, start an SSH client and connect to the target system as described in Section 14.5.2, “SSH Installation”.
Perform the installation as described in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.
Finish the installation.
Depending on the operating system running on the machine to use as the network installation source for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, there are several options for the server configuration. The easiest way to set up an installation server is to use YaST on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 or openSUSE 11.1 and higher.
You can even use a Microsoft Windows machine as the installation server for your Linux deployment. See Section 14.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository” for details.
YaST offers a graphical tool for creating network repositories. It supports HTTP, FTP, and NFS network installation servers.
Log in as root to the machine that should act as installation
server.
Start › › .
Select the repository type (HTTP, FTP, or NFS). The selected service is started automatically every time the system starts. If a service of the selected type is already running on your system and you want to configure it manually for the server, deactivate the automatic configuration of the server service with . In both cases, define the directory in which the installation data should be made available on the server.
Configure the required repository type. This step relates to the automatic configuration of server services. It is skipped when automatic configuration is deactivated.
Define an alias for the root directory of the FTP or HTTP server on which
the installation data should be found. The repository will later be
located under
ftp://Server-IP/Alias/Name
(FTP) or under
http://Server-IP/Alias/Name
(HTTP). Name stands for the name of the
repository, which is defined in the following step. If you selected NFS
in the previous step, define wild cards and export options. The NFS
server will be accessible under
nfs://Server-IP/Name.
Details of NFS and exports can be found in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 29 “Sharing File Systems with NFS”.
Make sure that the firewall settings of your server system allow traffic on the ports for HTTP, NFS, and FTP. If they currently do not, enable or check first.
Configure the repository. Before the installation media are copied to their destination, define the name of the repository (ideally, an easily remembered abbreviation of the product and version). YaST allows providing ISO images of the media instead of copies of the installation DVDs. If you want this, activate the relevant check box and specify the directory path under which the ISO files can be found locally. Depending on the product to distribute using this installation server, it might be that more add-on CDs or service pack CDs are required and should be added as extra repositories. To announce your installation server in the network via OpenSLP, activate the appropriate option.
Consider announcing your repository via OpenSLP if your network setup supports this option. This saves you from entering the network installation path on every target machine. The target systems are just booted using the SLP boot option and find the network repository without any further configuration. For details on this option, refer to Section 14.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.
Upload the installation data. The most lengthy step in configuring an installation server is copying the actual installation media. Insert the media in the sequence requested by YaST and wait for the copying procedure to end. When the sources have been fully copied, return to the overview of existing repositories and close the configuration by selecting .
Your installation server is now fully configured and ready for service. It is automatically started every time the system is started. No further intervention is required. You only need to configure and start this service correctly by hand if you have deactivated the automatic configuration of the selected network service with YaST as an initial step.
To deactivate a repository, select the repository to remove then select . The installation data are removed from the system. To deactivate the network service, use the respective YaST module.
If your installation server needs to provide the installation data for more than one product of the product version, start the YaST installation server module and select in the overview of existing repositories to configure the new repository.
Setting up an NFS source for installation is basically done in two steps. In the first step, create the directory structure holding the installation data and copy the installation media over to this structure. Second, export the directory holding the installation data to the network.
To create a directory to hold the installation data, proceed as follows:
Log in as root.
Create a directory that will later hold all installation data and change into this directory. For example:
mkdir install/product/productversion cd install/product/productversion
Replace product with an abbreviation of the product name and productversion with a string that contains the product name and version.
For each DVD contained in the media kit execute the following commands:
Copy the entire content of the installation DVD into the installation server directory:
cp -a /media/path_to_your_DVD_drive .
Replace path_to_your_DVD_drive with the
actual path under which your DVD drive is addressed. Depending on the
type of drive used in your system, this can be
cdrom, cdrecorder,
dvd, or dvdrecorder.
Rename the directory to the DVD number:
mv path_to_your_DVD_drive DVDx
Replace x with the actual number of your DVD.
On SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, you can export the repository with NFS using YaST. Proceed as follows:
Log in as root.
Start › › .
Select and and click .
Select and browse for the directory
containing the installation sources, in this case,
productversion.
Select and enter the hostnames of the
machines to which to export the installation data. Instead of specifying
hostnames here, you could also use wild cards, ranges of network
addresses, or just the domain name of your network. Enter the appropriate
export options or leave the default, which works fine in most setups. For
more information about the syntax used in exporting NFS shares, read the
exports man page.
Click . The NFS server holding the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server repository is automatically started and integrated into the boot process.
If you prefer manually exporting the repository via NFS instead of using the YaST NFS Server module, proceed as follows:
Log in as root.
Open the file /etc/exports and enter the following
line:
/productversion *(ro,root_squash,sync)
This exports the directory
/productversion to any
host that is part of this network or to any host that can connect to this
server. To limit the access to this server, use netmasks or domain names
instead of the general wild card *. Refer to the
export man page for details. Save and exit this
configuration file.
To add the NFS service to the list of servers started during system boot, execute the following commands:
insserv /etc/init.d/nfsserver
Start the NFS server with rcnfsserver start. If you
need to change the configuration of your NFS server later, modify the
configuration file and restart the NFS daemon with rcnfsserver
restart.
Announcing the NFS server via OpenSLP makes its address known to all clients in your network.
Log in as root.
Create the /etc/slp.reg.d/install.suse.nfs.reg
configuration file with the following lines:
# Register the NFS Installation Server service:install.suse:nfs://$HOSTNAME/path_to_repository/DVD1,en,65535 description=NFS Repository
Replace path_to_repository with the actual path to the installation source on your server.
Start the OpenSLP daemon with rcslpd start.
For more information about OpenSLP, refer to the package documentation
located under /usr/share/doc/packages/openslp/ or
refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 23 “SLP Services in the Network”. More Information about NFS, refer to
Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 29 “Sharing File Systems with NFS”.
Creating an FTP repository is very similar to creating an NFS repository. An FTP repository can be announced over the network using OpenSLP as well.
Create a directory holding the installation sources as described in Section 14.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”.
Configure the FTP server to distribute the contents of your installation directory:
Log in as root and install the package
vsftpd using the YaST software management.
Enter the FTP server root directory:
cd /srv/ftpCreate a subdirectory holding the installation sources in the FTP root directory:
mkdir repository
Replace repository with the product name.
Mount the contents of the installation repository into the change root environment of the FTP server:
mount --bind path_to_repository /srv/ftp/repository
Replace path_to_repository and
repository with values matching your setup.
If you need to make this permanent, add it to
/etc/fstab.
Start vsftpd with vsftpd.
Announce the repository via OpenSLP, if this is supported by your network setup:
Create the /etc/slp.reg.d/install.suse.ftp.reg
configuration file with the following lines:
# Register the FTP Installation Server service:install.suse:ftp://$HOSTNAME/repository/DVD1,en,65535 description=FTP Repository
Replace repository with the actual name to
the repository directory on your server. The
service: line should be entered as one continuous
line.
Start the OpenSLP daemon with rcslpd start.
If you prefer using YaST over manually configuring the FTP installation server, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 32 “Setting up an FTP Server with YaST” for more information on how to use the YaST FTP server module.
Creating an HTTP repository is very similar to creating an NFS repository. An HTTP repository can be announced over the network using OpenSLP as well.
Create a directory holding the installation sources as described in Section 14.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”.
Configure the HTTP server to distribute the contents of your installation directory:
Install the Web server Apache as described in Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 31 “The Apache HTTP Server”, Section 31.1 “Quick Start”, Section 31.1.2 “Installation”.
Enter the root directory of the HTTP server
(/srv/www/htdocs) and create the subdirectory that
will hold the installation sources:
mkdir repository
Replace repository with the product name.
Create a symbolic link from the location of the installation sources to
the root directory of the Web server
(/srv/www/htdocs):
ln -s /path_to_repository /srv/www/htdocs/repository
Modify the configuration file of the HTTP server
(/etc/apache2/default-server.conf) to make it
follow symbolic links. Replace the following line:
Options None
with
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
Reload the HTTP server configuration using rcapache2
reload.
Announce the repository via OpenSLP, if this is supported by your network setup:
Create the /etc/slp.reg.d/install.suse.http.reg
configuration file with the following lines:
# Register the HTTP Installation Server service:install.suse:http://$HOSTNAME/repository/DVD1/,en,65535 description=HTTP Repository
Replace repository with the actual path to
the repository on your server. The service: line
should be entered as one continuous line.
Start the OpenSLP daemon using rcslpd restart.
Using SMB, you can import the installation sources from a Microsoft Windows server and start your Linux deployment even with no Linux machine around.
To set up an exported Windows Share holding your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server repository, proceed as follows:
Log in to your Windows machine.
Create a new folder that will hold the entire installation tree and name
it INSTALL, for example.
Export this share according the procedure outlined in your Windows documentation.
Enter this share and create a subfolder, called
product. Replace
product with the actual product name.
Enter the INSTALL/product
folder and copy each DVD to a separate folder, such as
DVD1 and DVD2.
To use a SMB mounted share as a repository, proceed as follows:
Boot the installation target.
Select .
Press F4 for a selection of the repository.
Choose SMB and enter the Windows machine's name or IP address, the share
name
(INSTALL/product/DVD1, in
this example), username, and password. Your syntax looks like this:
smb://workdomain;user:password@server/INSTALL/DVD1
After you hit Enter, YaST starts and you can perform the installation.
Instead of copying physical media into your server directory manually, you can also mount the ISO images of the installation media into your installation server and use them as a repository. To set up an HTTP, NFS or FTP server that uses ISO images instead of media copies, proceed as follows:
Download the ISO images and save them to the machine to use as the installation server.
Log in as root.
Choose and create an appropriate location for the installation data, as described in Section 14.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”, Section 14.2.3, “Setting Up an FTP Repository Manually”, or Section 14.2.4, “Setting Up an HTTP Repository Manually”.
Create subdirectories for each DVD.
To mount and unpack each ISO image to the final location, issue the following command:
mount -o loop path_to_isopath_to_repository/product/mediumx
Replace path_to_iso with the path to your local copy of the ISO image, path_to_repository with the source directory of your server, product with the product name, and mediumx with the type (CD or DVD) and number of media you are using.
Repeat the previous step to mount all ISO images needed for your product.
Start your installation server as usual, as described in Section 14.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”, Section 14.2.3, “Setting Up an FTP Repository Manually”, or Section 14.2.4, “Setting Up an HTTP Repository Manually”.
To automatically mount the ISO images at boot time, add the respective
mount entries to /etc/fstab. An entry according to the
previous example would look like the following:
path_to_iso path_to_repository/productmedium auto loop
This section covers the configuration tasks needed in complex boot scenarios. It contains ready-to-apply configuration examples for DHCP, PXE boot, TFTP, and Wake on LAN.
There are two ways to set up a DHCP server. For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, YaST provides a graphical interface to the process. Users can also manually edit the configuration files. For more information about DHCP servers, see also Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 26 “DHCP”.
To announce the TFTP server's location to the network clients and specify the boot image file the installation target should use, add two declarations to your DHCP server configuration.
Log in as root to the machine hosting the DHCP server.
Start › › .
Complete the setup wizard for basic DHCP server setup.
Select and select when warned about leaving the start-up dialog.
In the dialog, select the subnet in which the new system should be located and click .
In the dialog select to add a new option to the subnet's configuration.
Select filename and enter pxelinux.0
as the value.
Add another option (next-server) and set its value to
the address of the TFTP server.
Select and to complete the DHCP server configuration.
To configure DHCP to provide a static IP address to a specific host, enter
the of the DHCP server configuration
module
(Step 4)
and add a new declaration of the host type. Add the options
hardware and fixed-address to this host
declaration and provide the appropriate values.
All the DHCP server needs to do, apart from providing automatic address allocation to your network clients, is to announce the IP address of the TFTP server and the file that needs to be pulled in by the installation routines on the target machine.
Log in as root to the machine hosting the DHCP server.
Append the following lines to a subnet configuration of your DHCP
server's configuration file located under
/etc/dhcpd.conf:
subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range dynamic-bootp 192.168.1.200 192.168.1.228;
# PXE related stuff
#
# "next-server" defines the TFTP server that will be used
next-server ip_tftp_server;
#
# "filename" specifies the pxelinux image on the TFTP server
# the server runs in chroot under /srv/tftpboot
filename "pxelinux.0";
}
Replace
ip_of_the_tftp_server with the actual IP
address of the TFTP server. For more information about the options
available in dhcpd.conf, refer to the
dhcpd.conf manual page.
Restart the DHCP server by executing rcdhcpd restart.
If you plan on using SSH for the remote control of a PXE and Wake on LAN installation, explicitly specify the IP address DHCP should provide to the installation target. To achieve this, modify the above mentioned DHCP configuration according to the following example:
group {
# PXE related stuff
#
# "next-server" defines the TFTP server that will be used
next-server ip_tftp_server:
#
# "filename" specifies the pxelinux image on the TFTP server
# the server runs in chroot under /srv/tftpboot
filename "pxelinux.0";
host test {
hardware ethernet mac_address;
fixed-address some_ip_address;
}
}The host statement introduces the hostname of the installation target. To bind the hostname and IP address to a specific host, you must know and specify the system's hardware (MAC) address. Replace all the variables used in this example with the actual values that match your environment.
After restarting the DHCP server, it provides a static IP to the host specified, enabling you to connect to the system via SSH.
Set up a TFTP server with YaST on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or set it up manually on any other Linux operating system that supports xinetd and TFTP. The TFTP server delivers the boot image to the target system once it boots and sends a request for it.
Log in as root.
Start › › and install the requested package.
Click to make sure that the server is started and included in the boot routines. No further action from your side is required to secure this. xinetd starts tftpd at boot time.
Click to open the appropriate port in the firewall running on your machine. If there is no firewall running on your server, this option is not available.
Click to browse for the boot image directory.
The default directory /tftpboot is created and
selected automatically.
Click to apply your settings and start the server.
Log in as root and install the packages
tftp and xinetd.
If unavailable, create /srv/tftpboot and
/srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg directories.
Add the appropriate files needed for the boot image as described in Section 14.3.3, “Using PXE Boot”.
Modify the configuration of xinetd located under
/etc/xinetd.d to make sure that the TFTP server is
started on boot:
If it does not exist, create a file called tftp
under this directory with touch tftp. Then run
chmod 755 tftp.
Open the file tftp and add the following lines:
service tftp
{
socket_type = dgram
protocol = udp
wait = yes
user = root
server = /usr/sbin/in.tftpd
server_args = -s /srv/tftpboot
disable = no
}
Save the file and restart xinetd with rcxinetd
restart.
Some technical background information as well as PXE's complete specifications are available in the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) Specification (http://www.pix.net/software/pxeboot/archive/pxespec.pdf).
Change to the directory
boot/<architecture>/loader of your
installation repository and copy the linux,
initrd, message,
biostest, and memtest files to
the /srv/tftpboot directory by entering the
following:
cp -a linux initrd message biostest memtest /srv/tftpboot
Install the syslinux package directly from your
installation DVDs with YaST.
Copy the /usr/share/syslinux/pxelinux.0 file to the
/srv/tftpboot directory by entering the following:
cp -a /usr/share/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /srv/tftpboot
Change to the directory of your installation repository and copy the
isolinux.cfg file to
/srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default by entering the following:
cp -a boot/<architecture>/loader/isolinux.cfg /srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
Edit the /srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default file and
remove the lines beginning with readinfo and
framebuffer.
Insert the following entries in the append lines of the default
failsafe and apic labels:
insmod=kernel moduleBy means of this entry, enter the network Kernel module needed to support network installation on the PXE client. Replace kernel module with the appropriate module name for your network device.
netdevice=interfaceThis entry defines the client's network interface that must be used for the network installation. It is only necessary if the client is equipped with several network cards and must be adapted accordingly. In case of a single network card, this entry can be omitted.
install=nfs://ip_instserver/path_to_repository/DVD1
This entry defines the NFS server and the repository for the client
installation. Replace
ip_instserver with the actual IP address of
your installation server.
path_to_repository should be replaced with
the actual path to the repository. HTTP, FTP, or SMB repositories are
addressed in a similar manner, except for the protocol prefix, which
should read http, ftp, or
smb.
If you need to pass other boot options to the installation routines,
such as SSH or VNC boot parameters, append them to the
install entry. An overview of parameters and some
examples are given in
Section 14.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.
It is possible to use different filenames for Kernel and initrd images. This is useful if you want to provide different operating systems from the same boot server. However, you should be aware that only one dot is permitted in the filenames that are provided by TFTP for the PXE boot.
An example /srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default file
follows. Adjust the protocol prefix for the repository to match your
network setup and specify your preferred method of connecting to the
installer by adding the vnc and
vncpassword or the usessh and
sshpassword options to the install
entry. The lines separated by \ must be entered as one
continuous line without a line break and without the
\.
default hard disk
# default
label linux
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd ramdisk_size=65536 \
install=nfs://ip_instserver/path_to_repository/product/DVD1
# repair
label repair
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd splash=silent repair=1 showopts
# rescue
label rescue
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd ramdisk_size=65536 rescue=1
# bios test
label firmware
kernel linux
append initrd=biostest,initrd splash=silent install=exec:/bin/run_biostest showopts
# memory test
label memtest
kernel memtest
# hard disk
label hard disk
localboot 0
implicit 0
display message
prompt 1
timeout 100Replace ip_instserver and path_to_repository with the values used in your setup.
The following section serves as a short reference to the PXELINUX options
used in this setup. Find more information about the options available in
the documentation of the syslinux package
located under /usr/share/doc/packages/syslinux/.
The options listed here are a subset of all the options available for the PXELINUX configuration file.
APPEND options... Add one or more options to the Kernel command line. These are added for both automatic and manual boots. The options are added at the very beginning of the Kernel command line, usually permitting explicitly entered Kernel options to override them.
APPEND -
Append nothing. APPEND with a single hyphen as argument
in a LABEL section can be used to override a global
APPEND.
DEFAULT kernel options...Sets the default Kernel command line. If PXELINUX boots automatically, it acts as if the entries after DEFAULT had been typed in at the boot prompt, except the auto option is automatically added, indicating an automatic boot.
If no configuration file is present or no DEFAULT entry is present in the configuration file, the default is the Kernel name “linux” with no options.
IFAPPEND FLAG
Adds a specific option to the kernel command line depending on the
FLAG value. The IFAPPEND
option is available only on PXELINUX. FLAG
expects a value, described in
Table 14.1, “Generated and Added Kernel Command Line Options from IFAPPEND”:
IFAPPEND #|
Argument |
Generated Kernel Command Line / Description |
|---|---|
|
|
ip=CLIENT_IP:BOOT_SERVER_IP:GW_IP:NETMASK The placeholders are replaced based on the input from the DHCP/BOOTP or PXE boot server. Note, this option is not a substitute for running a DHCP client in the booted system. Without regular renewals, the lease acquired by the PXE BIOS will expire, making the IP address available for reuse by the DHCP server. |
|
|
BOOTIF=MAC_ADDRESS_OF_BOOT_INTERFACE This option is useful if you want to avoid timeouts when the installation server probes one LAN interface after the other until it gets a reply from a DHCP server. Using this option allows an initrd program to determine from which interface the system has been booted. linuxrc reads this option and uses this network interface. |
|
|
SYSUUID=SYSTEM_UUID
Adds UUIDs in lowercase hexadecimals, see
|
LABEL label KERNEL image APPEND options...
Indicates that if label is entered as the
Kernel to boot, PXELINUX should instead boot
image and the specified
APPEND options should be used instead of the ones
specified in the global section of the file (before the first
LABEL command). The default for
image is the same as
label and, if no APPEND is
given, the default is to use the global entry (if any). Up to 128
LABEL entries are permitted.
Note that GRUB uses the following syntax:
title mytitle kernel my_kernelmy_kernel_options initrd myinitrd
PXELINUX uses the following syntax:
label mylabel kernel mykernel append myoptions
Labels are mangled as if they were filenames and they must be unique after mangling. For example, the two labels “v2.6.30” and “v2.6.31” would not be distinguishable under PXELINUX because both mangle to the same DOS filename.
The Kernel does not have to be a Linux Kernel; it can be a boot sector or a COMBOOT file.
LOCALBOOT type
On PXELINUX, specifying LOCALBOOT 0 instead of a
KERNEL option means invoking this particular label and
causes a local disk boot instead of a Kernel boot.
|
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Perform a normal boot |
|
|
Perform a local boot with the Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) driver still resident in memory |
|
|
Perform a local boot with the entire PXE stack, including the UNDI driver, still resident in memory |
All other values are undefined. If you do not know what the UNDI or PXE
stacks are, specify 0.
TIMEOUT time-outIndicates how long to wait at the boot prompt until booting automatically, in units of 1/10 second. The time-out is canceled as soon as the user types anything on the keyboard, assuming the user will complete the command begun. A time-out of zero disables the time-out completely (this is also the default). The maximum possible time-out value is 35996 (just less than one hour).
PROMPT flag_val
If flag_val is 0, displays the boot prompt only if
Shift or
Alt is pressed or Caps
Lock or Scroll Lock is set (this is the
default). If flag_val is 1, always displays the boot
prompt.
F2 filename F1 filename ..etc... F9 filename F10 filename
Displays the indicated file on the screen when a function key is pressed at the boot prompt. This can be used to implement preboot online help (presumably for the Kernel command line options). For backward compatibility with earlier releases, F10 can be also entered as F0. Note that there is currently no way to bind filenames to F11 and F12.
Prepare the system's BIOS for PXE boot by including the PXE option in the BIOS boot order.
Do not place the PXE option ahead of the hard disk boot option in the BIOS. Otherwise this system would try to re-install itself every time you boot it.
Wake on LAN (WOL) requires the appropriate BIOS option to be enabled prior to the installation. Also, note down the MAC address of the target system. This data is needed to initiate Wake on LAN.
Wake on LAN allows a machine to be turned on by a special network packet containing the machine's MAC address. Because every machine in the world has a unique MAC identifier, you do not need to worry about accidentally turning on the wrong machine.
If the controlling machine is not located in the same network segment as the installation target that should be awakened, either configure the WOL requests to be sent as multicasts or remotely control a machine on that network segment to act as the sender of these requests.
Users of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can use a YaST module called WOL to easily configure Wake on LAN. Users of other versions of SUSE Linux-based operating systems can use a command line tool.
Log in as root.
Start › › .
Click and enter the hostname and MAC address of the target system.
To turn on this machine, select the appropriate entry and click .
Basically, there are two different ways to customize the boot process for installation apart from those mentioned under Section 14.3.7, “Wake on LAN” and Section 14.3.3, “Using PXE Boot”. You can either use the default boot options and function keys or use the boot options prompt of the installation boot screen to pass any boot options that the installation Kernel might need on this particular hardware.
The boot options are described in detail in Chapter 6, Installation with YaST. Generally, just selecting starts the installation boot process.
If problems occur, use or . For more information about troubleshooting the installation process, refer to Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 36 “Common Problems and Their Solutions”, Section 36.2 “Installation Problems”.
The menu bar at the bottom screen offers some advanced functionality needed in some setups. Using the F keys, you can specify additional options to pass to the installation routines without having to know the detailed syntax of these parameters (see Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options”). A detailed description of the available function keys is available at Section 6.6, “The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with Traditional BIOS”.
Using the appropriate set of boot options helps facilitate your
installation procedure. Many parameters can also be configured later using
the linuxrc routines, but using the boot options is easier. In some
automated setups, the boot options can be provided with
initrd or an info file.
The following table lists all installation scenarios mentioned in this chapter with the required parameters for booting and the corresponding boot options. Just append all of them in the order they appear in this table to get one boot option string that is handed to the installation routines. For example (all in one line):
install=xxx netdevice=xxx hostip=xxx netmask=xxx vnc=xxx vncpassword=xxx
Replace all the values xxx in this string with the values appropriate for your setup.
|
Installation Scenario |
Parameters Needed for Booting |
Boot Options |
|---|---|---|
|
None: system boots automatically |
None needed | |
|
Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration” |
|
|
|
Section 14.1.2, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Dynamic Network Configuration” |
|
|
|
Section 14.1.3, “Remote Installation via VNC—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN” |
|
Not applicable; process managed through PXE and DHCP |
|
Section 14.1.4, “Simple Remote Installation via SSH—Static Network Configuration” |
|
|
|
Section 14.1.5, “Simple Remote Installation via SSH—Dynamic Network Configuration” |
|
|
|
Section 14.1.6, “Remote Installation via SSH—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN” |
|
Not applicable; process managed through PXE and DHCP |
Find more information about the linuxrc boot options used for booting a Linux system at http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Linuxrc.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports the installation of Add-On products providing
extensions (for example the SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension), third-party products and
drivers or additional software. In order to automatically install an
Add-On product when deploying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server remotely, specify the
addon=REPOSITORY parameter.
REPOSITORY needs to be a hosted repository that can be read by YaST (YaST2 or YUM (rpm-md)). ISO images are currently not supported.
Driver Updates can be found at
http://drivers.suse.com/. Not all driver updates are
provided as repositories—some are only available as iso images and
therefore cannot be installed with the addon
parameter. Instructions on how to install driver updates via iso image
are available at
http://drivers.suse.com/doc/kit_usage.html.
There are several options for remotely monitoring the installation process. If the proper boot options have been specified while booting for installation, either VNC or SSH can be used to control the installation and system configuration from a remote workstation.
Using any VNC viewer software, you can remotely control the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from virtually any operating system. This section introduces the setup using a VNC viewer application or a Web browser.
All you need to do on the installation target to prepare for a VNC installation is to provide the appropriate boot options at the initial boot for installation (see Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options”). The target system boots into a text-based environment and waits for a VNC client to connect to the installation program.
The installation program announces the IP address and display number needed to connect for installation. If you have physical access to the target system, this information is provided right after the system booted for installation. Enter this data when your VNC client software prompts for it and provide your VNC password.
Because the installation target announces itself via OpenSLP, you can retrieve the address information of the installation target via an SLP browser without the need for any physical contact to the installation itself, provided your network setup and all machines support OpenSLP:
Start the KDE file and Web browser Konqueror.
Enter service://yast.installation.suse in the
location bar. The target system then appears as an icon in the Konqueror
screen. Clicking this icon launches the KDE VNC viewer in which to
perform the installation. Alternatively, run your VNC viewer software
with the IP address provided and add :1 at the end of
the IP address for the display the installation is running on.
Basically, there are two ways to connect to a VNC server (the installation target in this case). You can either start an independent VNC viewer application on any operating system or connect using a Java-enabled Web browser.
Using VNC, you can control the installation of a Linux system from any other operating system, including other Linux flavors, Windows, or Mac OS.
On a Linux machine, make sure that the package
tightvnc is installed. On a Windows machine,
install the Windows port of this application, which can be obtained at the
TightVNC home page
(http://www.tightvnc.com/download.html).
To connect to the installation program running on the target machine, proceed as follows:
Start the VNC viewer.
Enter the IP address and display number of the installation target as provided by the SLP browser or the installation program itself:
ip_address:display_number
A window opens on your desktop displaying the YaST screens as in a normal local installation.
Using a Web browser to connect to the installation program makes you totally independent of any VNC software or the underlying operating system. As long as the browser application has Java support enabled, you can use any browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Konqueror, Opera, etc.) to perform the installation of your Linux system.
To perform a VNC installation, proceed as follows:
Launch your preferred Web browser.
Enter the following at the address prompt:
http://ip_address_of_target:5801
Enter your VNC password when prompted to do so. The browser window now displays the YaST screens as in a normal local installation.
Using SSH, you can remotely control the installation of your Linux machine using any SSH client software.
Apart from installing the appropriate software package (OpenSSH for Linux and PuTTY for Windows), you just need to pass the appropriate boot options to enable SSH for installation. See Section 14.4.2, “Using Custom Boot Options” for details. OpenSSH is installed by default on any SUSE Linux–based operating system.
Retrieve the installation target's IP address. If you have physical access to the target machine, just take the IP address the installation routine provides at the console after the initial boot. Otherwise take the IP address that has been assigned to this particular host in the DHCP server configuration.
At a command line, enter the following command:
ssh -X root@ ip_address_of_target
Replace ip_address_of_target with the actual IP address of the installation target.
When prompted for a username, enter root.
When prompted for the password, enter the password that has been set with the SSH boot option. After you have successfully authenticated, a command line prompt for the installation target appears.
Enter yast to launch the installation program. A
window opens showing the normal YaST screens as described in
Chapter 6, Installation with YaST.
Sophisticated system configurations require specific disk setups. All common
partitioning tasks can be done with YaST. To get persistent device naming
with block devices, use the block devices below
/dev/disk/by-id or
/dev/disk/by-uuid. Logical Volume Management (LVM) is a
disk partitioning scheme that is designed to be much more flexible than the
physical partitioning used in standard setups. Its snapshot functionality
enables easy creation of data backups. Redundant Array of Independent Disks
(RAID) offers increased data integrity, performance, and fault tolerance.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server also supports multipath I/O (see
Book “Storage Administration Guide”, Chapter 7 “Managing Multipath I/O for Devices” for details), and there is also the
option to use iSCSI as a networked disk (read more about
iSCSI in Book “Storage Administration Guide”, Chapter 14 “Mass Storage over IP Networks: iSCSI”).
With the expert partitioner, shown in Figure 15.1, “The YaST Partitioner”, manually modify the partitioning of one or several hard disks. You can add, delete, resize, and edit partitions, as well as access the soft RAID, and LVM configuration.
Although it is possible to repartition your system while it is running, the risk of making a mistake that causes the data loss is very high. Try to avoid repartitioning your installed system and always do a complete backup of your data before attempting to do so.
IBM System z recognize only DASD and SCSI hard disks. IDE hard disks are
not supported. This is why these devices appear in the partition table as
dasda or sda for the first
recognized device.
All existing or suggested partitions on all connected hard disks are
displayed in the list of in the YaST
dialog. Entire hard disks are listed as
devices without numbers, such as
/dev/sda (or
/dev/dasda). Partitions are listed as parts of
these devices, such as
/dev/sda1 (or
/dev/dasda1, respectively). The size, type,
encryption status, file system, and mount point of the hard disks and their
partitions are also displayed. The mount point describes where the partition
appears in the Linux file system tree.
Several functional views are available on the lefthand . Use these views to gather information about existing storage
configurations, or to configure functions like RAID,
Volume Management, Crypt Files, or view
file systems with additional features, such as BTRFS,
NFS, or TMPFS.
If you run the expert dialog during installation, any free hard disk space is also listed and automatically selected. To provide more disk space to SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server, free the needed space starting from the bottom toward the top of the list (starting from the last partition of a hard disk toward the first).
On the IBM System z platforms, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports SCSI hard disks as well as DASDs (direct access storage devices). While SCSI disks can be partitioned as described below, DASDs can have no more than three partition entries in their partition tables.
Every hard disk has a partition table with space for four entries. Every entry in the partition table corresponds to a primary partition or an extended partition. Only one extended partition entry is allowed, however.
A primary partition simply consists of a continuous range of cylinders (physical disk areas) assigned to a particular operating system. With primary partitions you would be limited to four partitions per hard disk, because more do not fit in the partition table. This is why extended partitions are used. Extended partitions are also continuous ranges of disk cylinders, but an extended partition may be divided into logical partitions itself. Logical partitions do not require entries in the partition table. In other words, an extended partition is a container for logical partitions.
If you need more than four partitions, create an extended partition as the fourth partition (or earlier). This extended partition should occupy the entire remaining free cylinder range. Then create multiple logical partitions within the extended partition. The maximum number of logical partitions is 63, independent of the disk type. It does not matter which types of partitions are used for Linux. Primary and logical partitions both function normally.
If you need to create more than 4 primary partitions on one hard disk, you have to use the GPT partition type. This type removes the primary partitions number restriction, and supports partitions bigger than 2 TB as well.
To use GPT, run the YaST Partitioner, click the relevant disk name in the and choose › › .
To create a partition from scratch select and then a hard disk with free space. The actual modification can be done in the tab:
Select and specify the partition type (primary or extended). Create up to four primary partitions or up to three primary partitions and one extended partition. Within the extended partition, create several logical partitions (see Section 15.1.1, “Partition Types”).
Specify the size of the new partition. You can either choose to occupy all the free unpartitioned space, or enter a custom size.
Select the file system to use and a mount point. YaST suggests a mount
point for each partition created. To use a different mount method, like
mount by label, select . For more
information on supported file systems, see
root.
Specify additional file system options if your setup requires them. This is necessary, for example, if you need persistent device names. For details on the available options, refer to Section 15.1.3, “Editing a Partition”.
Click to apply your partitioning setup and leave the partitioning module.
If you created the partition during installation, you are returned to the installation overview screen.
If you want to use Btrfs (see
Book “Administration Guide”, Chapter 4 “Snapshots/Rollback with Snapper” and
Book “Storage Administration Guide”, Chapter 1 “Overview of File Systems in Linux” for more information on Btrfs) as
your default file system for a newly installed system, click
on the screen, and check . The installation system then suggests creating the
/boot partition formatted with Ext3 file system, and
the root / partition formatted with Btrfs holding a
default set of subvolumes, which you can modify with the tool later.
The root file system is the default subvolume and it is not listed in the list of created subvolumes. As a default Btrfs subvolume, it can be mounted as a normal file system.
It is possible to create snapshots of Btrfs subvolumes - either manually,
or automatically based on system events. For example when making changes to
the file system, zypper invokes the
snapper command to create snapshots before and after the
change. This is useful if you are not satisfied with the change
zypper made and want to restore the previous state. As
snapper invoked by zypper snapshots
the root file system by default, it is reasonable to
exclude specific directories from being snapshot, depending on the nature
of data they hold. And that is why YaST suggests creating the following
separate subvolumes.
/tmp /var/tmp /var/runDirectories with frequently changed content.
/var/spoolContains user data, such as mails.
/var/logContains system and applications' log files which should never be rolled back.
/var/crashContains memory dumps of crashed kernels.
/srvContains data files belonging to FTP and HTTP servers.
/optContains third party software.
Because saved snapshots require more disk space, it is recommended to reserve more space for Btrfs partition than for a partition not capable of snapshotting (such as Ext3). Recommended size for a root Btrfs partition with suggested subvolumes is 20GB.
Subvolumes of a Btrfs partition can be now managed with the YaST module. You can add new or remove existing subvolumes.
Start the YaST with › .
Choose in the left pane.
Select the Btrfs partition whose subvolumes you need to manage and click .
Click . You can see a list off all
existing subvolumes of the selected Btrfs partition. You can notice a
number of @/.snapshots/xyz/snapshot entries —
each of these subvolumes belongs to one existing snapshot.
Depending on whether you want to add or remove subvolumes, do the following:
To remove a subvolume, select it from the list of and click .
To add a new subvolume, enter its name to the text field and click .
Confirm with and .
Leave the partitioner with .
When you create a new partition or modify an existing partition, you can set various parameters. For new partitions, the default parameters set by YaST are usually sufficient and do not require any modification. To edit your partition setup manually, proceed as follows:
Select the partition.
Click to edit the partition and set the parameters:
Even if you do not want to format the partition at this stage, assign it a file system ID to ensure that the partition is registered correctly. Typical values are , , , and .
To change the partition file system, click and select file system type in the list.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports several types of file systems. Btrfs is the Linux file system of choice because of its advanced features. It supports copy-on-write functionality, creating snapshots, multi-device spanning, subvolumes, and other useful techniques. ReiserFS, JFS, XFS, and Ext3 are journaling file systems. These file systems are able to restore the system very quickly after a system crash, utilizing write processes logged during the operation. Ext2 is not a journaling file system, but it is adequate for smaller partitions because it does not require much disk space for management.
Because Btrfs proved to be more efficient and scalable than Ext4,
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SP2 supports only read-only access to Ext4 partitions.
It is, however, still possible to access Ext4 partitions in a
read-write mode — you need to install the
ext4-writeable package. Please note that this
operation is not supported and taints the Kernel.
Swap is a special format that allows the partition to be used as a virtual memory. Create a swap partition of at least 256 MB. However, if you use up your swap space, consider adding more memory to your system instead of adding more swap space.
Changing the file system and reformatting partitions irreversibly deletes all data from the partition.
For details on the various file systems, refer to Storage Administration Guide.
If you activate the encryption, all data is written to the hard disk in encrypted form. This increases the security of sensitive data, but reduces the system speed, as the encryption takes some time to process. More information about the encryption of file systems is provided in Book “Security Guide”, Chapter 11 “Encrypting Partitions and Files”.
Specify the directory where the partition should be mounted in the file system tree. Select from YaST suggestions or enter any other name.
Specify various parameters contained in the global file system
administration file (/etc/fstab). The default
settings should suffice for most setups. You can, for example, change
the file system identification from the device name to a volume label.
In the volume label, use all characters except / and
space.
To get persistent devices names, use the mount option , or . In SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, persistent device names are enabled by default.
Since mounting by ID causes problems on IBM System z when using
disk-to-disk copying for cloning purposes, devices are mounted by path
in /etc/fstab on IBM System z by default.
If you prefer to mount the partition by its label, you need to define
one in the text entry. For example, you
could use the partition label HOME for a partition
intended to mount to /home.
If you intend to use quotas on the file system, use the mount option . This must be done before you can define quotas for users in the YaST module. For further information on how to configure user quota, refer to Section 12.3.5, “Managing Quotas”.
Select to save the changes.
To resize an existing file system, select the partition and use . Note, that it is not possible to resize partitions while mounted. To resize partitions, unmount the relevant partition before running the partitioner.
After you select a hard disk device (like ) in the pane, you can access the menu in the lower right part of the window. The menu contains the following commands:
This option helps you create a new partition table on the selected device.
Creating a new partition table on a device irreversibly removes all the partitions and their data from that device.
This option helps you clone the device partition layout (but not the data) to other available disk devices.
After you select the hostname of the computer (the top-level of the tree in the pane), you can access the menu in the lower right part of the window. The menu contains the following commands:
To access SCSI over IP block devices, you first have to configure iSCSI. This results in additionally available devices in the main partition list.
Selecting this option helps you configure the multipath enhancement to the supported mass storage devices.
The following section includes a few hints and tips on partitioning that should help you make the right decisions when setting up your system.
Note, that different partitioning tools may start counting the cylinders of
a partition with 0 or with 1. When
calculating the number of cylinders, you should always use the difference
between the last and the first cylinder number and add one.
swap #Swap is used to extend the available physical memory. It is then possible to use more memory than physical RAM available. The memory management system of kernels before 2.4.10 needed swap as a safety measure. Then, if you did not have twice the size of your RAM in swap, the performance of the system suffered. These limitations no longer exist.
Linux uses a page called “Least Recently Used” (LRU) to select pages that might be moved from memory to disk. Therefore, running applications have more memory available and caching works more smoothly.
If an application tries to allocate the maximum allowed memory, problems with swap can arise. There are three major scenarios to look at:
The application gets the maximum allowed memory. All caches are freed, and thus all other running applications are slowed. After a few minutes, the kernel's out-of-memory kill mechanism activates and kills the process.
At first, the system slows like a system without swap. After all physical RAM has been allocated, swap space is used as well. At this point, the system becomes very slow and it becomes impossible to run commands from remote. Depending on the speed of the hard disks that run the swap space, the system stays in this condition for about 10 to 15 minutes until the out-of-memory kill mechanism resolves the issue. Note that you will need a certain amount of swap if the computer needs to perform a “suspend to disk”. In that case, the swap size should be large enough to contain the necessary data from memory (512 MB–1GB).
It is better to not have an application that is out of control and swapping excessively in this case. If you use such application, the system will need many hours to recover. In the process, it is likely that other processes get timeouts and faults, leaving the system in an undefined state, even after killing the faulty process. In this case, do a hard machine reboot and try to get it running again. Lots of swap is only useful if you have an application that relies on this feature. Such applications (like databases or graphics manipulation programs) often have an option to directly use hard disk space for their needs. It is advisable to use this option instead of using lots of swap space.
If your system is not out of control, but needs more swap after some time, it is possible to extend the swap space online. If you prepared a partition for swap space, just add this partition with YaST. If you do not have a partition available, you may also just use a swap file to extend the swap. Swap files are generally slower than partitions, but compared to physical ram, both are extremely slow so the actual difference is negligible.
To add a swap file in the running system, proceed as follows:
Create an empty file in your system. For example, if you want to add a
swap file with 128 MB swap at
/var/lib/swap/swapfile, use the commands:
mkdir -p /var/lib/swap dd if=/dev/zero of=/var/lib/swap/swapfile bs=1M count=128
Initialize this swap file with the command
mkswap /var/lib/swap/swapfile
Activate the swap with the command
swapon /var/lib/swap/swapfile
To disable this swap file, use the command
swapoff /var/lib/swap/swapfile
Check the current available swap spaces with the command
cat /proc/swaps
Note that at this point, it is only temporary swap space. After the next reboot, it is no longer used.
To enable this swap file permanently, add the following line to
/etc/fstab:
/var/lib/swap/swapfile swap swap defaults 0 0
From the , access the LVM configuration by clicking the item in the pane. However, if a working LVM configuration already exists on your system, it is automatically activated upon entering the initial LVM configuration of a session. In this case, all disks containing a partition (belonging to an activated volume group) cannot be repartitioned. The Linux kernel cannot reread the modified partition table of a hard disk when any partition on this disk is in use. If you already have a working LVM configuration on your system, physical repartitioning should not be necessary. Instead, change the configuration of the logical volumes.
At the beginning of the physical volumes (PVs), information about the volume
is written to the partition. To reuse such a partition for other non-LVM
purposes, it is advisable to delete the beginning of this volume. For
example, in the VG system and PV
/dev/sda2, do this with the command
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda2 bs=512
count=1.
The file system used for booting (the root file system or
/boot) must not be stored on an LVM logical volume.
Instead, store it on a normal physical partition.
For more details about LVM, see Book “Storage Administration Guide”.
This section briefly describes the principles behind the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) and its multipurpose features. In Section 15.2.2, “LVM Configuration with YaST”, learn how to set up LVM with YaST.
Using LVM is sometimes associated with increased risk such as data loss. Risks also include application crashes, power failures, and faulty commands. Save your data before implementing LVM or reconfiguring volumes. Never work without a backup.
The LVM enables flexible distribution of hard disk space over several file systems. It was developed because sometimes the need to change the segmenting of hard disk space arises just after the initial partitioning has been done. Because it is difficult to modify partitions on a running system, LVM provides a virtual pool (volume group, VG for short) of memory space from which logical volumes (LVs) can be created as needed. The operating system accesses these LVs instead of the physical partitions. Volume groups can occupy more than one disk, so that several disks or parts of them may constitute one single VG. This way, LVM provides a kind of abstraction from the physical disk space that allows its segmentation to be changed in a much easier and safer way than with physical repartitioning. Background information regarding physical partitioning can be found in Section 15.1.1, “Partition Types” and Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”.
Figure 15.3, “Physical Partitioning versus LVM” compares physical partitioning (left) with LVM segmentation (right). On the left side, one single disk has been divided into three physical partitions (PART), each with a mount point (MP) assigned so that the operating system can gain access. On the right side, two disks have been divided into two and three physical partitions each. Two LVM volume groups (VG 1 and VG 2) have been defined. VG 1 contains two partitions from DISK 1 and one from DISK 2. VG 2 contains the remaining two partitions from DISK 2. In LVM, the physical disk partitions that are incorporated in a volume group are called physical volumes (PVs). Within the volume groups, four LVs (LV 1 through LV 4) have been defined. They can be used by the operating system via the associated mount points. The border between different LVs do not need to be aligned with any partition border. See the border between LV 1 and LV 2 in this example.
LVM features:
Several hard disks or partitions can be combined in a large logical volume.
Provided the configuration is suitable, an LV (such as
/usr) can be enlarged if free space is exhausted.
With LVM, it is possible to add hard disks or LVs in a running system. However, this requires hot-swappable hardware.
It is possible to activate a "striping mode" that distributes the data stream of a LV over several PVs. If these PVs reside on different disks, the read and write performance is enhanced, as with RAID 0.
The snapshot feature enables consistent backups (especially for servers) of the running system.
With these features, LVM is ready for heavily used home PCs or small servers. LVM is well-suited for the user with a growing data stock (as in the case of databases, music archives, or user directories). This would allow file systems that are larger than the physical hard disk. Another advantage of LVM is that up to 256 LVs can be added. However, working with LVM is different from working with conventional partitions. Instructions and further information about configuring LVM is available in the official LVM HOWTO at http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/.
Starting from Kernel version 2.6, LVM version 2 is available, which is backward-compatible with the previous LVM and enables the continued management of old volume groups. When creating new volume groups, decide whether to use the new format or the backward-compatible version. LVM 2 does not require any kernel patches. It makes use of the device mapper integrated in kernel 2.6. This kernel only supports LVM version 2. Therefore, when talking about LVM, this section always refers to LVM version 2.
Starting from Kernel version 3.4, LVM supports thin provisioning. A thin-provisioned volume has a virtual capacity and a real capacity. Virtual capacity is the volume storage capacity that is available to a host. Real capacity is the storage capacity that is allocated to a volume copy from a storage pool. In a fully allocated volume, the virtual capacity and real capacity are the same. In a thin-provisioned volume, however, the virtual capacity can be much larger than the real capacity. If a thin-provisioned volume does not have enough real capacity for a write operation, the volume is taken offline and an error is logged.
For more general information, see http://wikibon.org/wiki/v/Thin_provisioning.
The YaST LVM configuration can be reached from the YaST Expert Partitioner (see Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”) within the item in the pane. The Expert Partitioner allows you to edit and delete existing partitions and also create new ones that need to be used with LVM. The first task is to create PVs that provide space to a volume group:
Select a hard disk from .
Change to the tab.
Click and enter the desired size of the PV on this disk.
Use and change the to . Do not mount this partition.
Repeat this procedure until you have defined all the desired physical volumes on the available disks.
If no volume group exists on your system, you must add one (see Figure 15.4, “Creating a Volume Group”). It is possible to create additional groups by clicking on in the pane, and then on . One single volume group is usually sufficient.
Enter a name for the VG, for example, system.
Select the desired . This value defines the size of a physical block in the volume group. All the disk space in a volume group is handled in blocks of this size.
Add the prepared PVs to the VG by selecting the device and clicking on . Selecting several devices is possible by holding Ctrl while selecting the devices.
Select to make the VG available to further configuration steps.
If you have multiple volume groups defined and want to add or remove PVs, select the volume group in the list and click . In the following window, you can add or remove PVs to the selected volume group.
After the volume group has been filled with PVs, define the LVs which the operating system should use in the next dialog. Choose the current volume group and change to the tab. , , , and LVs as needed until all space in the volume group has been occupied. Assign at least one LV to each volume group.
Click and go through the wizard-like pop-up that opens:
Enter the name of the LV. For a partition that should be mounted to
/home, a self-explanatory name like
HOME could be used.
Select the type of the LV. It can be either , , or . Note that you need to create a thin pool first, which can store individual thin volumes.
Select the size and the number of stripes of the LV. If you have only one PV, selecting more than one stripe is not useful.
The big advantage of a thin provisioning is that the total sum of all thin volumes stored in a thin pool can exceed the size of the pool itself.
Choose the file system to use on the LV as well as the mount point.
By using stripes it is possible to distribute the data stream in the LV among several PVs (striping). However, striping a volume can only be done over different PVs, each providing at least the amount of space of the volume. The maximum number of stripes equals to the number of PVs, where Stripe "1" means "no striping". Striping only makes sense with PVs on different hard disks, otherwise performance will decrease.
YaST cannot, at this point, verify the correctness of your entries concerning striping. Any mistake made here is apparent only later when the LVM is implemented on disk.
If you have already configured LVM on your system, the existing logical volumes can also be used. Before continuing, assign appropriate mount points to these LVs. With , return to the YaST Expert Partitioner and finish your work there.
The purpose of RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is to combine several hard disk partitions into one large virtual hard disk to optimize performance and/or data security. Most RAID controllers use the SCSI protocol because it can address a larger number of hard disks in a more effective way than the IDE protocol. It is also more suitable for the parallel command processing. There are some RAID controllers that support IDE or SATA hard disks. Soft RAID provides the advantages of RAID systems without the additional cost of hardware RAID controllers. However, this requires some CPU time and has memory requirements that make it unsuitable for high performance computers.
With SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server , you can combine several hard disks into one soft RAID system. RAID implies several strategies for combining several hard disks in a RAID system, each with different goals, advantages, and characteristics. These variations are commonly known as RAID levels.
Common RAID levels are:
This level improves the performance of your data access by spreading out blocks of each file across multiple disk drives. Actually, this is not really a RAID, because it does not provide data backup, but the name RAID 0 for this type of system is commonly used. With RAID 0, two or more hard disks are pooled together. Performance is enhanced, but the RAID system is destroyed and your data lost if even one hard disk fails.
This level provides adequate security for your data, because the data is copied to another hard disk 1:1. This is known as hard disk mirroring. If one disk is destroyed, a copy of its contents is available on the other one. All disks but one could be damaged without endangering your data. However, if the damage is not detected, the damaged data can be mirrored to the undamaged disk. This could result in the same loss of data. The writing performance suffers in the copying process compared to using single disk access (10 to 20 % slower), but read access is significantly faster in comparison to any one of the normal physical hard disks. The reason is that the duplicate data can be parallel-scanned. Generally it can be said that Level 1 provides nearly twice the read transfer rate of single disks and almost the same write transfer rate as single disks.
RAID 5 is an optimized compromise between Level 0 and Level 1, in terms of performance and redundancy. The hard disk space equals the number of disks used minus one. The data is distributed over the hard disks as with RAID 0. Parity blocks, created on one of the partitions, exist for security reasons. They are linked to each other with XOR, enabling the contents to be reconstructed by the corresponding parity block in case of system failure. With RAID 5, no more than one hard disk can fail at the same time. If one hard disk fails, it must be replaced as soon as possible to avoid the risk of losing data.
To further increase the reliability of the RAID system, it is possible to use RAID 6. In this level, even if two disks fail, the array still can be reconstructed. With RAID 6, at least 4 hard disks are needed to run the array. Note that when running as software raid, this configuration needs a considerable amount of CPU time and memory.
This RAID implementation combines features of RAID 0 and RAID 1: the data is first mirrored to separate disk arrays, which are inserted into a new RAID 0; type array. In each RAID 1 sub-array, one disk can fail without any damage to the data. A minimum of four disks and an even number of disks is needed to run a RAID 10. This type of RAID is used for database application where a huge load is expected.
Several other RAID levels have been developed (RAID 2, RAID 3, RAID 4, RAIDn, RAID 10, RAID 0+1, RAID 30, RAID 50, etc.), some of them being proprietary implementations created by hardware vendors. These levels are not very common and therefore are not explained here.
The YaST configuration can be reached from the YaST Expert Partitioner, described in Section 15.1, “Using the YaST Partitioner”. This partitioning tool enables you to edit and delete existing partitions and create new ones to be used with soft RAID:
Select a hard disk from .
Change to the tab.
Click and enter the desired size of the raid partition on this disk.
Use and change the to . Do not mount this partition.
Repeat this procedure until you have defined all the desired physical volumes on the available disks.
For RAID 0 and RAID 1, at least two partitions are needed—for RAID 1, usually exactly two and no more. If RAID 5 is used, at least three partitions are required, RAID 6 and RAID 10 require at least four partitions. It is recommended to use partitions of the same size only. The RAID partitions should be located on different hard disks to decrease the risk of losing data if one is defective (RAID 1 and 5) and to optimize the performance of RAID 0. After creating all the partitions to use with RAID, click › to start the RAID configuration.
In the next dialog, choose between RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10. Then, select all partitions with either the “Linux RAID” or “Linux native” type that should be used by the RAID system. No swap or DOS partitions are shown.
For RAID types where the order of added disks matters, you can mark individual disks with one of the letters A to E. Click the button, select the disk and click one of the buttons, where X is the letter you want to assign to the disk. Assign all available RAID disks this way, and confirm with . You can easily sort the classified disks with the or buttons, or add a sort pattern from a text file with .
To add a previously unassigned partition to the selected RAID volume, first click the partition then . Assign all partitions reserved for RAID. Otherwise, the space on the partition remains unused. After assigning all partitions, click to select the available .
In this last step, set the file system to use as well as encryption and the
mount point for the RAID volume. After completing the configuration with
, see the /dev/md0 device and
others indicated with RAID in the expert partitioner.
Check the file /proc/mdstat to find out whether a RAID
partition has been damaged. In the event of a system failure, shut down your
Linux system and replace the defective hard disk with a new one partitioned
the same way. Then restart your system and enter the command mdadm
/dev/mdX --add /dev/sdX. Replace 'X' with your particular device
identifiers. This integrates the hard disk automatically into the RAID
system and fully reconstructs it.
Note that although you can access all data during the rebuild, you may encounter some performance issues until the RAID has been fully rebuilt.
Configuration instructions and more details for soft RAID can be found in the HOWTOs at:
/usr/share/doc/packages/mdadm/Software-RAID.HOWTO.html
Linux RAID mailing lists are available, such as http://marc.info/?l=linux-raid.
Any machine running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 or SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 can be configured to register against local Subscription Management Tool server to download software updates instead of communicating directly with the Novell Customer Center and the NU servers. To use an SMT server for client registration and as a local update source, you must configure the SMT server in your network first. The SMT server software is distributed as an add-on for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and its configuration is described in the Subscription Management Tool Guide. There is no need to install any add-on on the clients to be configured for registering against an SMT server.
To register a client against an SMT server, you need to equip the client
with the server's URL. As client and server communicate via the HTTPS
protocol during registration, you also need to make sure the client trusts
the server's certificate. In case your SMT server is set up to use the
default server certificate, the CA certificate will be available on the SMT
server via HTTP protocol at
http://FQDN/smt.crt. In this
case you do not have to concern yourself with the certificate: the
registration process will automatically download the CA certificate from
there, unless configured otherwise. You must enter a path to the server's CA
certificate if the certificate was issued by an external certificate
authority.
*.novell.com Subdomain
If you try to register against any *.novell.com
subdomain, the certificate will not be downloaded during registration (for
security reasons), and certificate handling will not be done. In such cases,
use a different domain name or a plain IP address.
There are several ways to provide this information and to configure the
client machine to use SMT. The first way is to provide the needed
information via kernel parameters at boot time. The second way is to
configure clients using an AutoYaST profile. There is also a script distributed
with Subscription Management Tool, clientSetup4SMT.sh, which can be run on a
client to make it register against a specified SMT server. These methods
are described in the following sections:
Any client can be configured to use SMT by providing the following kernel
parameters during machine boot: regurl and
regcert. The first parameter is mandatory, the latter is
optional.
URL of the SMT server. The URL needs to be in the following format:
https://FQDN/center/regsvc/
with FQDN being the fully qualified hostname
of the SMT server. It must be identical to the FQDN of the server
certificate used on the SMT server. Example:
regurl=https://smt.example.com/center/regsvc/
Location of the SMT server's CA certificate. Specify one of the following locations:
Remote location (http, https or ftp) from which the certificate can be downloaded. Example:
regcert=http://smt.example.com/smt.crt
Specifies a location on a floppy. The floppy has to be inserted at
boot time (you will not be prompted to insert it if it is missing).
The value must start with the string floppy,
followed by the path to the certificate. Example:
regcert=floppy/smt/smt-ca.crt
Absolute path to the certificate on the local machine. Example:
regcert=/data/inst/smt/smt-ca.cert
Use ask to open a pop-up menu during installation
where you can specify the path to the certificate. Do not use this
option with AutoYaST. Example:
regcert=ask
Use done if either the certificate will be
installed by an add-on product, or if you are using a certificate
issued by an official certificate authority. Example:
regcert=done
Make sure the values you enter are correct. If regurl
has not been specified correctly, the registration of the update source
will fail.
If a wrong value for regcert has been entered, you will
be prompted for a local path to the certificate. In case
regcert is not specified at all, it will default to
http://FQDN/smt.crt with
FQDN being the name of the SMT server.
If the SMT server gets a new certificate from a new and untrusted CA, the
clients need to fetch the new CA certificate file. This is done
automatically with the registration process but only if a URL was used at
installation time to retrieve the certificate, or if the
regcert parameter was omitted and thus, the default URL
is used. If the certificate was loaded using any other method (such as
floppy or local path), the CA certificate will not be updated.
Clients can be configured to register with SMT server via AutoYaST profile. For general information about creating AutoYaST profiles and preparing automatic installation, refer to Chapter 21, Automated Installation. In this section, only SMT specific configuration is described.
To configure SMT specific data using AutoYaST, follow these steps:
As root, start YaST and select › to start the graphical AutoYaST front-end.
From a command line, you can start the graphical AutoYaST front-end with the
yast2 autoyast command.
Open an existing profile using › , create a profile based on the current system's configuration using › , or just work with an empty profile.
Select › . An overview of the current configuration is shown.
Click .
To register while installing automatically, select . You can include information from your system with and .
Set the URL of the and, optionally, the
location of the . The possible values
are the same as for the kernel parameters regurl and
regcert (see Section 16.1, “Using Kernel Parameters to Access an SMT Server”).
The only exception is that the ask value for
regcert does not work in AutoYaST, because it requires user
interaction. If using it, the registration process will be skipped.
Perform all other configuration needed for the systems to be deployed.
Select › and enter a filename for the profile, such as
autoinst.xml.
The /usr/share/doc/packages/smt/clientSetup4SMT.sh script
is provided with SMT. This script allows to configure a client machine to
use a SMT server or to reconfigure it to use a different SMT server.
To configure a client machine to use SMT with the
clientSetup4SMT.sh script, follow these steps:
Copy the
/usr/share/doc/packages/smt/clientSetup4SMT.sh script
from your SMT server to the client machine.
As root, execute the script on the client machine. The script can be
executed in two ways. In the first case, the script name is followed by
the registration URL: ./clientSetup4SMT.sh
registration_URL, for example,
./clientSetup4SMT.sh
https://smt.example.com/center/regsvc. In the second case,
the script name is followed by the --host option followed
by hostname of the SMT server: ./clientSetup4SMT.sh
--host server_hostname, for example,
./clientSetup4SMT.sh --host smt.example.com.
--host Parameter
The hostname that needs to be provided with the --host
parameter, needs to be the same name the certificate is issued for.
Furthermore, if the name in the certificate is the fully qualified
hostname (e.g. smt.example.com), it needs to be entered as
such—entering the “short” name (smt) will cause the
clientSetup4SMT.sh script to fail.
The script downloads the server's CA certificate. Accept it by pressing y.
The script performs all necessary modifications on the client. However, the registration itself is not performed by the script.
Perform a registration by executing suse_register or
running yast2 inst_suse_register module on the client.
To configure a client to register against the test environment instead the
production environment, modify /etc/suseRegister.conf
on the client machine by setting:
register = command=register&testenv=1
For more information about using SMT with a test environment, refer to the Subscription Management Tool Guide.
KIWI is a system for creating operating system images. An image is a directory with a file containing the operating system, its applications and configurations, the file system structure of the OS, possible additional metadata, and (depending on the image type) also disk geometry and partition table data. With KIWI you can create LiveCDs and LiveDVDs, USB sticks, virtual disk to play in full virtual systems like VMware, XEN images for paravirtualization in a hypervisor, and a PXE environment to boot from network.
An Add-On is a special designed media, usually a CD or DVD, to extend your product. The Add-on Creator was developed to support our customers and partners and simplify third-party software distribution for all SUSE products.
The YaST Product Creator is a unified graphical front-end for KIWI and Add-on Creator. It was developed to provide image creation functionality in one place. All tools integrated in the YaST Product Creator are also available as separate YaST modules or applications.
Rolling out customized preinstallations of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to a large number of identical machines spares you from installing each one of them separately and provides a standardized installation for the end users. With YaST Firstboot, create customized preinstallation images and determi…
KIWI is a system for creating operating system images. An image is a directory with a file containing the operating system, its applications and configurations, the file system structure of the OS, possible additional metadata, and (depending on the image type) also disk geometry and partition table data. With KIWI you can create LiveCDs and LiveDVDs, USB sticks, virtual disk to play in full virtual systems like VMware, XEN images for paravirtualization in a hypervisor, and a PXE environment to boot from network.
To build images with KIWI, you need the following preconditions:
Free sufficient disk space for the operation.
KIWI is split into several packages, targeted to different image types.
In any case, you need the base package
kiwi. Depending on your target
image, you need the following packages:
|
Image Type |
Package Name |
|---|---|
|
Installation Media |
|
|
Virtualization |
|
|
USB Sticks |
|
|
Network Client |
|
Install the kiwi-doc package.
You can find some example configurations to get an idea about structure
and content.
Know the KIWI configuration file and its structure. It is based on a
RELAX NG schema and documented in the
kiwi package under
/usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/kiwi.html. You need this
document, if you want to create the configuration file from scratch or
when you want to insert elements or attributes.
The building process of KIWI is separated into three steps:
Physical Extend (Preparation). This stage prepares the content of your new file system. During this step the root directory is created, you determine which packages are installed on your image and which user configuration files are included.
Logical Extend (Creation). This stage requires a successful preparation step. The logical extend step creates the operating system image based on the first step.
Deployment. The resulting image type can be deployed with different methods like installed on a hard disk or played by a virtualization system (VMware, Qemu, VirtualBox).
KIWI needs an image description to build an image type. The image
description is a directory which contains at least a file
config.xml, or alternatively with the extension
*.kiwi.
The following table contains additional optional information. However, most of this information is mandatory for the later functionality of the operating system:
|
File/Directory |
Description |
|---|---|
|
|
optional subdirectory. Contains Bash scripts which are executed after the installation of all the image packages. |
|
|
optional configuration script while creating the physical extend |
|
|
configuration file for each image description, explained in Section 17.3.2 |
|
|
archive, only used for ISO images |
|
|
manipulate extracted data from |
|
|
configuration file created by AutoYaST |
|
|
configuration file for controlling the YaST firstboot service |
|
|
optional configuration script while creating the preparation step |
|
|
contains other directories, special files, and scripts which are changed after the installation of all image packages |
config.xml File #
All information about an image description is stored in the central
configuration XML file config.xml. Each time KIWI is
executed, config.xml is validated against an
RELAX NG schema (see http://www.relaxng.org for
more information about this schema language). Therefore, it is recommended
to use an adequate XML editor with RELAX NG support or to use the
documentation about the schema in the HTML file
/usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/schema/kiwi.xsd.html.
The configuration file consists of several parts:
some description about the author, contact information, and a short explanation.
preferences option needed for the logical extent stage.
information about the users, their name, their home directories, and their passwords.
links to repositories.
a list of packages that are used for the definied image type.
and other less important information which can be viewed in the above HTML file of the RELAX NG schema documentation.
A skeleton of the file is shown in the following example:
<image schemeversion="2.0" name="..."> 1 <description type="system"> 2 <author>...</author> <contact>...</contact> <specification>...</specification> </description> <preferences> 3 <type primary="true" boot="..." flags="...">iso</type> <type boot="..." filesystem="ext3" format="vmdk">vmx</type> <type boot="..." filesystem="ext3">xen</type> <type boot="..." filesystem="squashfs" flags="unified">oem</type> <version>2.7.0</version> <size unit="M">780</size> <packagemanager>zypper</packagemanager> <rpm-check-signatures>False</rpm-check-signatures> <rpm-force>False</rpm-force> <locale>en_US.UTF-8</locale> <oem-swap>no</oem-swap> <oem-boot-title>USB</oem-boot-title> </preferences> <users group="users"> 4 <user name="root" pwd="" home="/root"/> </users> <repository type="rpm-md"> 5 <source path="/home/rpmdir"/> </repository> <packages type="image" patternPackageType="onlyRequired"> 6 <package name="yast2-live-installer"/> <package name="pam"/> <!-- List of packages reduced --> </packages>
The root element of every KIWI configuration file. Each file requires
the version number. An optional | |
Contains mandatory descriptions with information about the creator of this image descriptions, its contact address and a short explanation. | |
Contains mandatory preferences with information about the version of this image, the used package manager, the supported image types, and other settings. | |
The optional | |
Contains a mandatory list of repositories used by the package manager. | |
Contains a mandatory list of packages which are included into the image. |
More details about the configuration file is shown in the HTML page above.
This section describes how to create appliances with KIWI. An appliance is an especially-designed operating system for a specific task. For example, you can create an appliance with the focus on office programs.
All examples in kiwi-doc packages
need a valid installation source to create an image. Usually the examples
connect to a network resource. The higher the network bandwidth, the faster
the image creation. If you do not have a fast network or you do not want to
use it, create a local installation resource. Proceed as follows:
Collect your installation DVD.
Open a shell and become root.
Create the directory for your local installation directory. The examples
use usually the path
/image/CDs/full-VERSION-ARCH.
Replace the placeholders VERSION and
ARCH with the respective values.
Mount the medium. Replace the DRIVE
placeholder with the respective device (usually dvd,
cdrom, etc.):
mount -o loop /dev/DRIVE /mnt
Copy all the content of the medium into the installation directory:
cp -a /mnt/* /images/CDs/full-VERSION-ARCH
To use the local installation source, all you need to do is to enable it in
the repository element:
<repository type="..."> <!-- Remove the comment markers in the next line --> <!-- <source path="/image/CDs/full-VERSION-ARCH" --> <source path="opensuse://openSUSE:11.0/standard"/> </repository>
An image is a virtual disk image containing all partitions, boot loader information, and packages as it resides on a real disk. To create an ISO image, proceed as follows:
Install the packages kiwi and
kiwi-doc and resolve any
dependencies.
Open a shell and become root.
Copy the directory
/usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/examples/suse-11.0/suse-oem-preload
to your current directory.
Open the file config.xml and locate the element
repository. If you want to use a local installation
source, refer to
Section 17.4.1 for
more information.
Execute KIWI with the following command to prepare the first stage (“physical extend”):
kiwi --prepare suse-oem-preload --root oem
Build the ISO image:
kiwi --create oem --type iso --destdir /tmp/myoem
To create an image with NFS functionality, proceed as follows:
Open a shell and become root.
Copy the directory
/usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/examples/suse-11.1/suse-oem-preload
to your current directory.
Open the file suse-oem-preload/config.xml and locate
the packages element with the attribute
type="image".
Insert the following line between <packages
type="image"> and </packages> and
save the file:
<package name="nfs-client"/>
Rebuild the image as described in Step 5.
Find more information in the following documents on the KIWI Portal at http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:KIWI.
To create an Add-On CD, proceed as follows:
Start YaST and open the module. A window opens.
If you have not run this module before, click on to start. In case you have already created an Add-On, the window shows a list of all created Add-Ons. Click to start.
Enter the product name and version of your Add-On and give some further options:
Choose the required product upon which it is based.
Select the path to additional Add-On packages. You need this, if you need further RPM packages which are not included in your base product (this step is optional).
Select the path with the required product packages (this step is optional).
Correct the product definition and enter a vendor name. Disable to display more keywords.
Change the package descriptions. Use to insert a new language and add translated descriptions (this step is optional).
Add new patterns. With patterns you can group your RPM packages. Use to add a new pattern name and change the respective attributes in the list below (this step is optional).
Modify the output settings. Enter a path to your output directory and change the name of the ISO name (changing the name of the ISO is optional). Additionally, you can modify further features:
Use to enter files to customize your product workflow.
Use to add files to your Add-On
product. The first part can be used to insert information about the
Add-On in the info.txt file. Use the license files
to display a window with and
buttons before the installation starts. More
files can be added in the README section.
The second part can be used to store COPYRIGHT and
COPYING files in various languages.
Sign your Add-On product with your GPG key. Signing your product with your GPG key provides evidence of the origin of your product. If you do not have a key, create one first and enter the respective passphrase twice.
Check your product in the overview and proceed with .
Use the button to start the process. closes the window.
If you create an Add-On product, the following overview contains the structure of the files and directories:
ARCHIVES.gz
Contains the gzipped contents of all RPM files. It is actually a listing
of the rpm command with the options
-qil for each RPM file.
ChangelogContains all the changes of the RPM files.
contentContains information about your Add-On product.
content.ascContains the signature file from GPG.
content.key, gpg-pubkey-NUMBER.ascThe public GPG key.
INDEX.gz
Contains a list of all RPM files and packed with gzip.
ls-lR.gzContains a list of all files and directories of your Add-On product medium.
media.N/
Contains files with basic information about the Add-On media set. The
directory is numered, so media.1/ is for the first
Add-On medium. Additional media have a consecutive number.
suse/
Contains sub directories with architecture-specific information.
Exceptions are noarch/ for architecture-independent
packages, and src/ for source packages. Proprietary
software packages are stored under nosrc/.
Find more information in the following documents on the KIWI Portal at http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:KIWI.
The YaST Product Creator is a unified graphical front-end for KIWI and Add-on Creator. It was developed to provide image creation functionality in one place. All tools integrated in the YaST Product Creator are also available as separate YaST modules or applications.
Before you can create images with the YaST Product Creator, make sure you meet the following prerequisites:
Install the package
yast2-product-creator from the
SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK) under
http://download.suse.com/. This package needs other
packages. Make sure you fullfill all dependencies.
Free sufficient disk space for the operation.
The Product Creator uses KIWI to create an image of a product. In case you are interested in manually developing such images, refer to Chapter 17, KIWI.
To create an image, proceed as follows:
If you are starting the Product Creator for the first time, enter the configuration name and choose the method for adding packages to the ISO image.
If you have used the Product Creator already, select to create a new product definition and enter the configuration name and choose the method.
Select or deselect package sources. To select a source, select it from the table and click . With execute the Add-on Creator, see Chapter 18, Creating Add-On Products With Add-on Creator for more information. To add a different source, add the source in the YaST module first then run the Product Creator again. After source selection, click .
Do not change the target architecture. KIWI does not presently support the building of different architectures.
Enter the path in which to create the skeleton directory. Choose whether to or . Use the other options to insert metadata. Click .
Edit the content of the isolinux.cfg file, if it is a
part of the configuration. In most cases you can leave it as it is. If the
file is not part of the configuration, add it now with . Click .
Select your software. All package dependencies are solved automatically after is clicked.
Sign your product with , if needed. Provide a key for your product configuration. Signing your product with your GPG key provides evidence of the origin of your product. After key configuration, click .
Review the summary. To change any option, use . To confirm your new product configuration, click .
Your product definition is now completed. The Product Creator allows you to choose from the following actions:
. Creates an ISO image of the selected product. If there is something missing, the process will be aborted. Correct the error and repeat the configuration.
Use the pull-down menu to choose from different target formats, such as Live media or Xen images.
Find more information about creating system images and related topics in the following documents:
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:KIWI—The KIWI project
KIWI documentation:
/usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/kiwi.pdf
Rolling out customized preinstallations of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to a large number of identical machines spares you from installing each one of them separately and provides a standardized installation for the end users. With YaST Firstboot, create customized preinstallation images and determine the workflow for the final personalization steps that involve end user interaction (as opposed to AutoYaST, which allows completely automated installations; for more information, see Chapter 21, Automated Installation).
Creating a custom installation, rolling it out to your hardware, and personalizing the final product involves the following steps:
Prepare the master machine whose disk needs to be cloned to the client machines. For more information, refer to Section 20.1, “Preparing the Master Machine”.
Customize the firstboot workflow. For more information, refer to Section 20.2, “Customizing the Firstboot Installation”.
Clone the master machine's disk and roll this image out to the clients' disks. For more information, refer to Section 20.3, “Cloning the Master Installation”.
Have the end user personalize the instance of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. For more information, refer to Section 20.4, “Personalizing the Installation”.
To prepare a master machine for a firstboot workflow, proceed as follows:
Insert the installation media into the master machine.
Boot the machine.
Perform a normal installation including all necessary configuration steps
and wait for the installed machine to boot. Also install the
yast2-firstboot package.
To define your own workflow of YaST configuration steps for the end user or to add your own YaST modules to this workflow, proceed to Section 20.2, “Customizing the Firstboot Installation”. Otherwise proceed directly to Step 5.
Enable firstboot as root:
Create an empty file /var/lib/YaST2/reconfig_system
to trigger firstboot's execution. This file will be deleted once the
firstboot configuration has been successfully accomplished. Create this
file using the following command:
touch /var/lib/YaST2/reconfig_system
Proceed to Section 20.3, “Cloning the Master Installation”.
Customizing the firstboot installation workflow may involve several different components. Customizing them is optional. If you do not make any changes, firstboot performs the installation using the default settings. The following options are available:
Customizing messages to the user, as described in Section 20.2.1, “Customizing YaST Messages”.
Customizing licenses and license actions, as described in Section 20.2.2, “Customizing the License Action”.
Customizing the release notes to display, as described in Section 20.2.3, “Customizing the Release Notes”.
Customizing the order and number of components involved in the installation, as described in Section 20.2.4, “Customizing the Workflow”.
Configuring additional optional scripts, as described in Section 20.2.5, “Configuring Additional Scripts”.
To customize any of these components, modify the following configuration files:
/etc/sysconfig/firstbootConfigure various aspects of firstboot (such as release notes, scripts, and license actions).
/etc/YaST2/firstboot.xmlConfigure the installation workflow by enabling or disabling components or adding custom ones.
Provide translations for such a customized installation workflow, as described in Section 20.2.6, “Providing Translations of the Installation Workflow”.
If you want to customize more than just the workflow components, refer the
control.xml documentation at
http://doc.opensuse.org/projects/YaST/SLES11/tdg/inst_in_general_chap.html#product_control.
By default, an installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server contains several default messages that are localized and displayed at certain stages of the installation process. These include a welcome message, a license message, and a congratulatory message at the end of installation. You can replace any of these with your own versions and include localized versions of them in the installation. To include your own welcome message, proceed as follows:
Log in as root.
Open the /etc/sysconfig/firstboot configuration file
and apply the following changes:
Set FIRSTBOOT_WELCOME_DIR to the directory path where
you want to store the files containing the welcome message and the
localized versions, for example:
FIRSTBOOT_WELCOME_DIR="/usr/share/firstboot/"
If your welcome message has filenames other than
welcome.txt and
welcome_locale.txt
(where locale matches the ISO 639 language
codes such as “cs” or “de”), specify the
filename pattern in FIRSTBOOT_WELCOME_PATTERNS. For
example:
FIRSTBOOT_WELCOME_PATTERNS="mywelcome.txt"
If unset, the default value of welcome.txt is
assumed.
Create the welcome file and the localized versions and place them in the
directory specified in the /etc/sysconfig/firstboot
configuration file.
Proceed in a similar way to configure customized license and finish
messages. These variables are FIRSTBOOT_LICENSE_DIR and
FIRSTBOOT_FINISH_FILE.
Change the SHOW_Y2CC_CHECKBOX to “yes” if the
user needs to be able to start YaST directly after performing the
installation.
You can customize the way the installation system reacts to a user's refusal to accept the license agreement. There are three different ways which the system could react to this scenario:
The firstboot installation is aborted and the entire system shuts down. This is the default setting.
The firstboot installation continues.
The firstboot installation is aborted, but the system attempts to boot.
Make your choice and set LICENSE_REFUSAL_ACTION to the
appropriate value.
Depending on if you have changed the instance of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server you are deploying with firstboot, you probably need to educate the end users about important aspects of their new operating system. A standard installation uses release notes (displayed during one of the final stages of the installation) to provide important information to the users. To have your own modified release notes displayed as part of a firstboot installation, proceed as follows:
Create your own release notes file. Use the RTF format as in the example
file in /usr/share/doc/release-notes and save the
result as RELEASE-NOTES.en.rtf (for English).
Store optional localized versions next to the original version and
replace the en part of the filename with the actual
ISO 639 language code, such as de for German.
Open the firstboot configuration file from
/etc/sysconfig/firstboot and set
FIRSTBOOT_RELEASE_NOTES_PATH to the actual directory where
the release notes files are stored.
By default, a standard firstboot workflow includes the following components:
Language Selection
Welcome
License Agreement
Host Name
Network
Time and Date
Desktop
root Password
User Authentication Method
User Management
Hardware Configuration
Finish Setup
This standard layout of a firstboot installation workflow is not mandatory.
You can enable or disable certain components or integrate your own modules
into the workflow. To modify the firstboot workflow, manually edit the
firstboot configuration file /etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml.
This XML file is a subset of the standard control.xml
file that is used by YaST to control the installation workflow.
For an overview about proposals, see Example 20.1, “Configuring the Proposal Screens”. This provides you with enough background to modify the firstboot installation workflow. The basic syntax of the firstboot configuration file (plus how the key elements are configured) is explained with this example.
…
<proposals config:type="list">1
<proposal>2
<name>firstboot_hardware</name>3
<mode>installation</mode>4
<stage>firstboot</stage>5
<label>Hardware Configuration</label>6
<proposal_modules config:type="list">7
<proposal_module>printer</proposal_module>8
</proposal_modules>
</proposal>
<proposal>
…
</proposal>
</proposals>The container for all proposals that should be part of the firstboot workflow. | |
The container for an individual proposal. | |
The internal name of the proposal. | |
The mode of this proposal. Do not make any changes here. For a firstboot
installation, this must be set to | |
The stage of the installation process at which this proposal is invoked.
Do not make any changes here. For a firstboot installation, this must be
set to | |
The label to be displayed on the proposal. | |
The container for all modules that are part of the proposal screen. | |
One or more modules that are part of the proposal screen. |
The next section of the firstboot configuration file consists of the workflow definition. All modules that should be part of the firstboot installation workflow must be listed here.
<workflows config:type="list">
<workflow>
<defaults>
<enable_back>yes</enable_back>
<enable_next>yes</enable_next>
<archs>all</archs>
</defaults>
<stage>firstboot</stage>
<label>Configuration</label>
<mode>installation</mode>
… <!–– list of modules ––>
</modules>
</workflow>
</workflows>
…
The overall structure of the workflows section is very
similar to that of the proposals section. A container
holds the workflow elements and the workflow elements all include stage,
label and mode information (just as the proposals introduced in
Example 20.1, “Configuring the Proposal Screens”). The most notable difference is the
defaults section, which contains basic design
information for the workflow components:
enable_backInclude the button in all dialogs.
enable_nextInclude the button in all dialogs.
archsSpecify the hardware architectures on which this workflow should be used.
<modules config:type="list">1 <module>2 <label>Language</label>3 <enabled config:type="boolean">false</enabled>4 <name>firstboot_language</name>5 </module> <modules>
The container for all components of the workflow. | |
The module definition. | |
The label displayed with the module. | |
The switch to enable or disable this component in the workflow. | |
The module name. The module itself must be located under
|
To make changes to the number or order of proposal screens during the firstboot installation, proceed as follows:
Open the firstboot configuration file at
/etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml.
Delete or add proposal screens or change the order of the existing ones:
To delete an entire proposal, remove the proposal
element including all its sub-elements from the
proposals section and remove the respective
module element (with sub-elements) from the
workflow.
To add a new proposal, create a new proposal element
and fill in all the required sub-elements. Make sure that the proposal
exists as a YaST module in
/usr/share/YaST2/clients.
To change the order of proposals, move the respective
module elements containing the proposal screens
around in the workflow. Note that there may be dependencies to other
installation steps that require a certain order of proposals and
workflow components.
Apply your changes and close the configuration file.
You can always change the workflow of the configuration steps when the default does not meet your needs. Enable or disable certain modules in the workflow (or add your own custom ones).
To toggle the status of a module in the firstboot workflow, proceed as follows:
Open the /etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml configuration
file.
Change the value for the enabled element from
true to false to disable the
module or from false to true to
enable it again.
<module>
<label>Time and Date</label>
<enabled config:type="boolean">true</enabled>
<name>firstboot_timezone</name>
</module>Apply your changes and close the configuration file.
To add a custom made module to the workflow, proceed as follows:
Create your own YaST module and store the module file
module_name.ycp in
/usr/share/YaST2/clients.
Open the /etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml configuration
file.
Determine at which point in the workflow your new module should be run. In doing so, make sure that possible dependencies to other steps in the workflow are taken into account and resolved.
Create a new module element inside the
modules container and add the appropriate
sub-elements:
<modules config:type="list">
…
<module>
<label>my_module</label>
<enabled config:type="boolean">true</enabled>
<name>filename_my_module</name>
</module>
</modules>
Enter the label to be displayed on your module in the
label element.
Make sure that enabled is set to
true to have your module included in the workflow.
Enter the filename of your module in the name
element. Omit the full path and the .ycp suffix.
Apply your settings and close the configuration file.
If the target hardware may feature more than one network interface add the
network-autoconfig package to the application
image. network-autoconfig makes sure that during
firstboot all available ethernet interfaces are cycled until one is
successfully configured with DHCP.
Firstboot can be configured to execute additional scripts after the firstboot workflow has been completed. To add additional scripts to the firstboot sequence, proceed as follows:
Open the /etc/sysconfig/firstboot configuration file
and make sure that the path specified for SCRIPT_DIR is
correct. The default value is
/usr/share/firstboot/scripts.
Create your shell script, store it in the specified directory, and apply the appropriate file permissions.
Depending on the end user it could be desirable to offer translations of
the customized workflow. Those translations could be necessary, if you
customized the workflow by changing the
/etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml file, as described in
Section 20.2.4, “Customizing the Workflow”. This is different from the
localization of customized YaST messages, which is already described in
Section 20.2.1, “Customizing YaST Messages”.
If you have changed /etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml and
introduced string changes, generate a new translation template file
(.pot file) and use the
gettext tool chain to translate and finally
install the translated files in the YaST locale directories
(/usr/share/YaST2/locale) as compiled
.mo files. Proceed as follows:
Change the textdomain setting from:
<textdomain>firstboot</textdomain>
to, for example,
<textdomain>firstboot-oem</textdomain>
Use xgettext to extract the translatable strings to
the translation template file (.pot file), for
example to firstboot-oem.pot:
xgettext -L Glade -o firstboot-oem.pot /etc/YaST2/firstboot.xml
Start the translation process. Then package the translated files
(.LL_code.po files) the
same way as translations of the other projects and install the compiled
firstboot-oem.mo files.
If you need translations for additional or changed YaST modules, provide translations within such a module itself. If you just changed an existing module, make sure to change also its text domain statement to avoid undesired side effects.
For more information about YaST development, refer to http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:YaST_development. Detailed information about YaST firstboot can be found at http://doc.opensuse.org/projects/YaST/SLES11/tdg/bk09ch01s02.html.
Clone the master machine's disk using any of the imaging mechanisms available to you, and roll these images out to the target machines. For more information about imaging see Chapter 17, KIWI.
As soon as the cloned disk image is booted, firstboot starts and the installation proceeds exactly as laid out in Section 20.2.4, “Customizing the Workflow”. Only the components included in the firstboot workflow configuration are started. All other installation steps are skipped. The end user adjusts language, keyboard, network, and password settings to personalize the workstation. Once this process is finished, a firstboot installed system behaves as any other instance of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
AutoYaST allows you to install SUSE® Linux Enterprise on a large number of machines in parallel. The AutoYaST technology offers great flexibility to adjust deployments to heterogeneous hardware. This chapter tells you how to prepare a simple automated installation and lay out an advanced scenario in…
The following procedure is a way to do a mass upgrade unattended from SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP2 to SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP3. Several preparation steps are needed to create a suitable AutoYaST profile. AutoYaST finally will execute the upgrade process.
With KIWI you are able to create operating system images. This chapter describes the process of deploying a system image to an empty client machine. For this, you have to create a preload image which contains a bootable RAW image. This file contains two important parts: a partition table and the actual operating system. This RAW image will be written to the empty hard disk and the operating system extends to the remaining disk space at first boot.
AutoYaST allows you to install SUSE® Linux Enterprise on a large number of machines in parallel. The AutoYaST technology offers great flexibility to adjust deployments to heterogeneous hardware. This chapter tells you how to prepare a simple automated installation and lay out an advanced scenario involving different hardware types and installation purposes.
This scenario assumes you are rolling out SUSE Linux Enterprise to a set of machines with exactly the same hardware configuration.
To prepare for an AutoYaST mass installation, proceed as follows:
Create an AutoYaST profile that contains the installation details needed for your deployment as described in Section 21.1.1, “Creating an AutoYaST Profile”.
Determine the source of the AutoYaST profile and the parameter to pass to the installation routines as described in Section 21.1.2, “Distributing the Profile and Determining the autoyast Parameter”.
Determine the source of the SUSE Linux Enterprise installation data as described in Section 21.1.3, “Providing the Installation Data”.
Determine and set up the boot scenario for autoinstallation as described in Section 21.1.4, “Setting Up the Boot Scenario”.
Pass the command line to the installation routines by adding the
parameters manually or by creating an info file as
described in Section 21.1.5, “Creating the info File”.
Start the autoinstallation process as described in Section 21.1.6, “Initiating and Monitoring the Autoinstallation”.
An AutoYaST profile tells AutoYaST what to install and how to configure the installed system to get a completely ready-to-use system in the end. It can be created in several different ways:
Clone a fresh installation from a reference machine to a set of identical machines
Use the AutoYaST GUI to create and modify a profile to meet your requirements
Use an XML editor and create a profile from scratch
To clone a fresh reference installation, proceed as follows:
Perform a normal installation.
After you complete the hardware configuration and read the release notes,
check , if it is not yet
checked by default. This creates a ready-to-use profile as
/root/autoyast.xml that can be used to create clones
of this particular installation.
To use the AutoYaST GUI to create a profile from an existing system configuration and modify it to your needs, proceed as follows:
As root, start YaST.
Select › to start the graphical AutoYaST front-end.
Select › to prepare AutoYaST to mirror the current system configuration into an AutoYaST profile.
As well as the default resources (like boot loader, partitioning, and software selection), you can add various other aspects of your system to the profile by checking the items in the list in .
Click to have YaST gather all the system information and write it to a new profile.
To proceed, choose one of the following:
If the profile is complete and matches your requirements, select
› and enter a filename for the profile, such as
autoyast.xml.
Modify the reference profile by selecting the appropriate configuration aspects (such as “Hardware/Printer”) from the tree view to the left and clicking . The respective YaST module starts but your settings are written to the AutoYaST profile instead of applied to your system. When done, select › and enter a suitable name for the profile.
Leave the AutoYaST module with › .
The AutoYaST profile can be distributed in several different ways. Depending on
the protocol used to distribute the profile data, different AutoYaST parameters
are used to make the profile location known to the installation routines on
the client. The location of the profile is passed to the installation
routines by means of the boot prompt or an info file
that is loaded upon boot. The following options are available:
|
Profile Location |
Parameter |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
File |
|
Makes the installation routines look for the control file in the
specified path (relative to source root
directory— |
|
Device |
|
Makes the installation routines look for the control file on a storage
device. Only the device name is
needed— |
|
Floppy |
|
Makes the installation routines look for the control file on a floppy in the floppy drive. This option is especially useful if you want to boot from CD-ROM. |
|
NFS |
|
Has the installation routines retrieve the control file from an NFS server. |
|
HTTP |
|
Has the installation routines retrieve the control file from an HTTP server. |
|
HTTPS |
|
Has the installation routines retrieve the control file from an HTTPS server. |
|
TFTP |
|
Has the installation routines retrieve the control file from a TFTP server. |
|
FTP |
|
Has the installation routines retrieve the control file from an FTP server. |
Replace the server and path placeholders with values matching your actual setup.
AutoYaST includes a feature that allows the binding of certain profiles to the
client's MAC address. Without having to alter the
autoyast= parameter, you can have the same setup install
several different instances using different profiles.
To use this, proceed as follows:
Create separate profiles with the MAC address of the client as the filename and put them on the HTTP server that holds your AutoYaST profiles.
Omit the exact path including the filename when creating the
autoyast= parameter, for example:
autoyast=tftp://192.168.1.115/
Start the autoinstallation.
YaST tries to determine the location of the profile in the following way:
YaST searches for the profile using its own IP address in uppercase
hexadecimal, for example, 192.0.2.91 is
C000025B.
If this file is not found, YaST removes one hex digit and tries again. This action is repeated eight times until the file with the correct name is found.
If that still fails, it tries locating a file with the MAC address of the
clients as the filename. The MAC address of the example client is
0080C8F6484C.
If the MAC address–named file cannot be found, YaST searches for
a file named default (in lowercase). An example
sequence of addresses where YaST searches for the AutoYaST profile looks as
follows:
C000025B C000025 C00002 C0000 C000 C00 C0 C 0080C8F6484C default
The installation data can be provided by means of the product CDs or DVDs or using a network installation source. If the product CDs are used as the installation source, physical access to the client to be installed is needed, because the boot process needs to be initiated manually and the CDs need to be changed.
To provide the installation sources over the network, set up a network
installation server (HTTP, NFS, FTP) as described in
Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”. Use an
info file to pass the server's location to the
installation routines.
The client can be booted in several different ways:
As with a normal remote installation, autoinstallation can be initiated with Wake on LAN and PXE, the boot image and control file can be pulled in via TFTP, and the installation sources from any network installation server.
You can use the original SUSE Linux Enterprise media to boot the system for autoinstallation and pull in the control file from a network location or a floppy. Alternately, create your own custom CD-ROM holding both the installation sources and the AutoYaST profile.
The following sections provide a basic outline of the procedures for network boot or boot from CD-ROM.
Network booting with Wake on LAN, PXE, and TFTP is discussed in
Section 14.1.3, “Remote Installation via VNC—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN”. To make the
setup introduced there work for autoinstallation, modify the featured PXE
Linux configuration file
(/srv/tftp/pxelinux.cfg/default) to contain the
autoyast parameter pointing to the location of the AutoYaST
profile. An example entry for a standard installation looks like this:
default linux
# default label linux
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd install=http://192.168.1.115/install/suse-enterprise/The same example for autoinstallation looks like this:
default linux
# default label linux
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd install=http://192.168.1.115/install/suse-enterprise/ \
autoyast=nfs://192.168.1.110/profiles/autoyast.xmlReplace the example IP addresses and paths with the data used in your setup.
There are several ways in which booting from CD-ROM can come into play in AutoYaST installations. Choose from the following scenarios:
Use this approach if a totally network-based scenario is not possible (for example, if your hardware does not support PXE) and you have physical access to system to install during most of the process.
You need:
The SUSE Linux Enterprise media
A network server providing the profile data (see Section 21.1.2, “Distributing the Profile and Determining the autoyast Parameter” for details)
A floppy containing the info file that tells the
installation routines where to find the profile
or
Access to the boot prompt of the system to install where you manually
enter the autoyast= parameter
Use this approach if an entirely network-based installation scenario would not work. It requires physical access to the system to be installed for turning on the target machine, or, in the second case, to enter the profile's location at the boot prompt. In both cases, you may also need to change media depending on the scope of installation.
You need:
The SUSE Linux Enterprise media
A floppy holding both the profile and the info
file
or
Access to the boot prompt of the target to enter the
autoyast= parameter
If you just need to install a limited number of software packages and the number of targets is relatively low, creating your own custom CD holding both the installation data and the profile itself might prove a good idea, especially if no network is available in your setup.
info File #The installation routines at the target need to be made aware of all the different components of the AutoYaST framework. This is done by creating a command line containing all the parameters needed to locate the AutoYaST components, installation sources, and the parameters needed to control the installation process.
Do this by manually passing these parameters at the boot prompt of the
installation or by providing a file called info that
is read by the installation routines (linuxrc). The former requires
physical access to any client to install, which makes this approach
unsuitable for large deployments. The latter enables you to provide the
info file on some media that is prepared and inserted
into the clients' drives prior to the autoinstallation. Alternatively, use
PXE boot and include the linuxrc parameters in the
pxelinux.cfg/default file as shown in
Section 21.1.4.1, “Preparing for Network Boot”.
The following parameters are commonly used for linuxrc. For more
information, refer to the AutoYaST package documentation under
/usr/share/doc/packages/autoyast.
When passing parameters to linuxrc at the boot prompt, use
= to separate parameter and value. When using an
info file, separate parameter and value with
:.
|
Keyword |
Value |
|---|---|
|
|
The network device to use for network setup (for BOOTP/DHCP requests). Only needed if several network devices are available. |
|
|
When empty, the client sends a BOOTP request. Otherwise the client is configured using the specified data. |
|
|
Netmask for the selected network. |
|
|
Default gateway. |
|
|
Name server. |
|
|
Location of the the control file to use for the automatic
installation, such as
|
|
|
Location of the installation source, such as
|
|
|
If set to |
|
|
The password for VNC. |
|
|
If set to |
|
|
If set to |
If your autoinstallation scenario involves client configuration via DHCP
and a network installation source, and you want to monitor the installation
process using VNC, your info would look like this:
autoyast:profile_source install:install_source vnc:1 vncpassword:some_password
If you prefer a static network setup at installation time, your
info file would look like the following:
autoyast:profile_source \ install:install_source \ hostip:some_ip \ netmask:some_netmask \ gateway:some_gateway
The \ indicates that the line breaks have only been
added for the sake of readability. All options must be entered as one
continuous string.
The info data can be made available to linuxrc in
various different ways:
As a file on a floppy or CD Rom that is in the client's drive at
installation time. Add the info parameter similar to
info=floppy:/info or
info=cd:/info.
As a file in the root directory of the initial RAM disk used for booting the system provided either from custom installation media or via PXE boot.
As part of the AutoYaST profile. In this case, the AutoYaST file needs to be
called info to enable linuxrc to parse it. An
example for this approach is given below.
By means of an URL that points to the location of the info file. The
syntax for this looks like
info=http://www.example.com/info.
linuxrc looks for a string (start_linuxrc_conf) in the
profile that represents the beginning of the file. If it is found, it
parses the content starting from that string and finishes when the string
end_linuxrc_conf is found. The options are stored in the
profile as follows:
....
<install>
....
<init>
<info_file>
<![CDATA[
#
# Don't remove the following line:
# start_linuxrc_conf
#
install: nfs:server/path
vnc: 1
vncpassword: test
autoyast: file:///info
# end_linuxrc_conf
# Do not remove the above comment
#
]]>
</info_file>
</init>
......
</install>
....
linuxrc loads the profile containing the boot parameters instead of the
traditional info file. The install:
parameter points to the location of the installation sources.
vnc and vncpassword indicate the use of
VNC for installation monitoring. The autoyast parameter
tells linuxrc to treat info as an AutoYaST profile.
After you have provided all the infrastructure mentioned above (profile,
installation source, and info file), you can go ahead
and start the autoinstallation. Depending on the scenario chosen for
booting and monitoring the process, physical interaction with the client
may be needed:
If the client system boots from any kind of physical media, either product media or custom CDs, you need to insert these into the client's drives.
If the client is not switched on via Wake on LAN, you need to at least switch on the client machine.
If you have not opted for remote controlled autoinstallation, the graphical feedback from AutoYaST is sent to the client's attached monitor or, if you use a headless client, to a serial console.
To enable remote controlled autoinstallation, use the VNC or SSH parameters
described in Section 21.1.5, “Creating the info File” and
connect to the client from another machine as described in
Section 14.5, “Monitoring the Installation Process”.
The following sections introduce the basic concept of rule-based installation using AutoYaST and provide an example scenario that enables you to create your own custom autoinstallation setup.
Rule-based AutoYaST installation allows you to cope with heterogeneous hardware environments:
Does your site contain hardware of different vendors?
Are the machines on your site of different hardware configuration (for example, using different devices or using different memory and disk sizes)?
Do you intend to install across different domains and need to distinguish between them?
What rule-based autoinstallation does is, basically, generate a custom
profile to match a heterogeneous scenario by merging several profiles into
one. Each rule describes one particular distinctive feature of your setup
(such as disk size) and tells AutoYaST which profile to use when the rule
matches. Several rules describing different features of your setup are
combined in an AutoYaST rules.xml file. The rule stack is
then processed and AutoYaST generates the final profile by merging the
different profiles matching the AutoYaST rules into one. To illustrate this
procedure, refer to
Section 21.2.2, “Example Scenario for Rule-Based Autoinstallation”.
Rule-based AutoYaST offers you great flexibility in planning and executing your SUSE Linux Enterprise deployment. You can:
Create rules for matching any of the predefined system attributes in AutoYaST
Combine multiple system attributes (such as disk size and kernel architecture) into one rule by using logical operators
Create custom rules by running shell scripts and passing their output to the AutoYaST framework. The number of custom rules is limited to five.
For more information about rule creation and usage with AutoYaST, refer to the
package's documentation under
/usr/share/doc/packages/autoyast2/html/index.html,
Chapter .
To prepare for a rule-based AutoYaST mass installation, proceed as follows:
Create several AutoYaST profiles that contain the installation details needed for your heterogeneous setup as described in Section 21.1.1, “Creating an AutoYaST Profile”.
Define rules to match the system attributes of your hardware setup as shown in Section 21.2.2, “Example Scenario for Rule-Based Autoinstallation”.
Determine the source of the AutoYaST profile and the parameter to pass to the installation routines as described in Section 21.1.2, “Distributing the Profile and Determining the autoyast Parameter”.
Determine the source of the SUSE Linux Enterprise installation data as described in Section 21.1.3, “Providing the Installation Data”.
Pass the command line to the installation routines by adding the
parameters manually or by creating an info file as
described in Section 21.1.5, “Creating the info File”.
Determine and set up the boot scenario for autoinstallation as described in Section 21.1.4, “Setting Up the Boot Scenario”.
Start the autoinstallation process as described in Section 21.1.6, “Initiating and Monitoring the Autoinstallation”.
To get a basic understanding of how rules are created, think of the following example, depicted in Figure 21.2, “AutoYaST Rules”. One run of AutoYaST installs the following setup:
This machine just needs a minimal installation without a desktop environment and a limited set of software packages.
These machines need a desktop environment and a broad set of development software.
These machines need a desktop environment and a limited set of specialized applications, such as office and calendaring software.
In a first step, use one of the methods outlined in
Section 21.1.1, “Creating an AutoYaST Profile” to create profiles
for each use case. In this example, you would create
print.xml, engineering.xml, and
sales.xml.
In the second step, create rules to distinguish the three hardware types from one another and to tell AutoYaST which profile to use. Use an algorithm similar to the following to set up the rules:
Does the machine have an IP of ? Then make it the print server.
Does the machine have PCMCIA hardware and feature an Intel chipset? Then consider it an Intel laptop and install the sales department software selection.
If none of the above is true, consider the machine a developer workstation and install accordingly.
Roughly sketched, this translates into a rules.xml
file with the following content:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE autoinstall SYSTEM "/usr/share/autoinstall/dtd/rules.dtd">
<autoinstall xmlns="http://www.suse.com/1.0/yast2ns" xmlns:config="http://www.suse.com/1.0/configns">
<rules config:type="list">
<rule>
<hostaddress>
<match>192.168.2.253</match>
<match_type>exact</match_type>
</hostaddress>
<result>
<profile>print.xml</profile>
<continue config:type="boolean">false</continue>
</result>
</rule>
<rule>
<haspcmcia>
<match>1</match>
<match_type>exact</match_type>
</haspcmcia>
<custom1>
<script>
if grep -i intel /proc/cpuinfo > /dev/null; then
echo -n "intel"
else
echo -n "non_intel"
fi;
</script>
<match>*</match>
<match_type>exact</match_type>
</custom1>
<result>
<profile>sales.xml</profile>
<continue config:type="boolean">false</continue>
</result>
<operator>and</operator>
</rule>
<rule>
<haspcmcia>
<match>0</match>
<match_type>exact</match_type>
</haspcmcia>
<result>
<profile>engineering.xml</profile>
<continue config:type="boolean">false</continue>
</result>
</rule>
</rules>
</autoinstall>
When distributing the rules file, make sure that the
rules directory resides under the
profiles directory, specified in the
autoyast=protocol:serverip/profiles/
URL. AutoYaST looks for a rules subdirectory containing a
file named rules.xml first then loads and merges the
profiles specified in the rules file.
The rest of the autoinstallation procedure is carried out as usual.
For in-depth information about the AutoYaST technology, refer to
Book “AutoYaST” or the
documentation installed along with the software
(/usr/share/doc/packages/autoyast2).
The following procedure is a way to do a mass upgrade unattended from SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP2 to SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP3. Several preparation steps are needed to create a suitable AutoYaST profile. AutoYaST finally will execute the upgrade process.
The AutoYaST profile for the automated upgrade uses the same file format as the AutoYaST installation. For more information about AutoYaST, see Chapter 21, Automated Installation and Book “AutoYaST”.
However, for obvious reasons, there are some parts of the system (e.g., partitioning) that do not make sense to be configured during the upgrade. On the other hand, it is useful to set upgrade-specific options by means of the AutoYaST profile.
The upgrade options define the behavior of the dependency solver during upgrade:
<upgrade>
<only_installed_packages
config:type="boolean">false</only_installed_packages>
<stop_on_solver_conflict
config:type="boolean">true</stop_on_solver_conflict>
</upgrade>only_installed_packages
Set to true for package-based upgrades (recommended
for upgrading to the next service pack of the same product) or
false for pattern-based upgrades (recommended for an
upgrade between versions of a product, e.g. from SLES10 to SLES11).
stop_on_solver_conflict
Defines whether to show the proposal in case of failure to resolve
package dependencies interactively (recommended to be set to
true, but this could result in an interactive
process, during which the user must to resolve the conflicts manually.
The software selection options define, which components to select or deselect in addition to the results of the resolver:
<software>
<packages config:type="list">
<package>autoyast2-installation</package>
<package>apparmor-profile-editor</package>
</packages>
<patterns config:type="list">
<pattern>base</pattern>
</patterns>
<remove-packages config:type="list"/>
<remove-patterns config:type="list"/>
</software>
It is especially important to set packages or patterns for being selected
or deselected in order to resolve package conflicts and thus to avoid the
need for interactive intervention. Once the upgrade is done, the newly
created autoupg_updated.xml file contains these
packages and patterns plus those that were selected or deselected for any
other reason.
The backup before upgrade options match these features in the upgrade proposal.
<backup> <sysconfig config:type="boolean">true</sysconfig> <modified config:type="boolean">true</modified> <remove_old config:type="boolean">false</remove_old> </backup>
sysconfigdefines whether to backup sysconfig before upgrading.
modifieddefines whether to backup the modified configuration files before upgrading.
remove_olddefines whether to remove old backups from previous upgrades.
To start the automated upgrade, boot the installation media and pass the AutoYaST profile to it. There are two ways to pass the profile to the system:
Pass the profile to the kernel command line the same way as for the AutoYaST
installation (use the autoupgrade=1
autoyast=http://host/path/profile.xml parameter. For
System z, this is the only possibility.
Pass the autoupgrade=1 parameter to the kernel command
line. Before you start the upgrade, copy the profile to
/root/autoupg.xml. Then there is no need for any
additional kernel parameter.
The latter approach allows you to have a single installation kernel command line for even different machines—just copy the appropriate profile into its file system.
As long as you have only one SUSE Linux Enterprise system installed on your machine, there are no package conflicts and you did not set the profile to stop on the upgrade proposal, the complete process will be non-interactive. In case you enter the upgrade proposal, you can modify its settings for the upgrade.
After the upgrade finishes, YaST writes the
/root/autoupg-updated.xml file, which contains the
profile with applied software selection changes done in the proposal. This
is especially useful in case of mass upgrades of machines with the same
package selection. This way, conflict resolutions from one machine can
easily be applied on other machines, which consequently will get these
conflicts resolved automatically and the upgrade itself will be
non-interactive.
If there are more SUSE Linux Enterprise systems installed on the machine, you will always be asked, which one to upgrade—there is no way to select it in advance.
An alternate way to boot the system is to create an additional section in
the GRUB menu (and similar for other boot loaders and other architectures),
which starts the installation. The following example assumes that there is a
separate /boot partition, which is referred in GRUB as
(hd0,0):
title Upgrade
root (hd0,0)
kernel /upgrade/linux
install=inst_source_url autoupgrade=1
autoyast=autoyast_profile_url vga=0x314
initrd /upgrade/initrd
The above example assumes that the installation kernel and the installation
initrd
are located in the /boot/upgrade directory.
On System z, you must add the parameters to the PARM file—proceed the same way as you do when performing an AutoYaST-driven installation.
The automated upgrade by default does not perform configuration changes during the second stage of the upgrade. The only exception is network configuration, which needs to be set to be preserved in the AutoYaST upgrade profile.
If configuration adjustment of some system areas is needed after the upgrade (e.g., configuring a new service), add the relevant sections to the AutoYaST profile for the upgrade and the configuration of the selected system areas will be saved during the upgrade.
Be warned that existing configuration of that system area will be replaced and thus destroyed by the AutoYaST configuration.
Normally, the only configuration adjustment, which should be present in the AutoYaST profile, is the registration of the system with Subscription Management Tool (SMT) or Novell Customer Center (NCC). If this is missing, the system will not get the update repository and updates will not be possible—unless configured later again.
In case of using NetworkManager for managing network devices and network connections, network connection is not available during the second stage of the upgrade. This prevents the system from performing the registration.
If you do any changes in your system in order to trigger the upgrade process (e.g., adding a new section to the boot loader menu), you probably want to remove it after the upgrade is done.
You can do it automatically with a post-installation script. Find an
examples in Book “AutoYaST”, Chapter 4 “Configuration and Installation Options”, Section 4.17 “Custom User Scripts”. A sample script
cleaning up GRUB's menu.lst is included in the sample
autoupg.xml file. Make sure that the script matches
your particular set-up and that it does not remove more than you actually
want!
Linuxrc Documentation: http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Linuxrc
With KIWI you are able to create operating system images. This chapter describes the process of deploying a system image to an empty client machine. For this, you have to create a preload image which contains a bootable RAW image. This file contains two important parts: a partition table and the actual operating system. This RAW image will be written to the empty hard disk and the operating system extends to the remaining disk space at first boot.
To create such an image, see Section 17.4.2, “Creating an Image”. When you build the ISO image, you can find the RAW file in the destination folder. There are many ways to dump a raw image onto a disk.
Plug the disk into a deployment server and just copy the image to the raw device.
Provide the raw image by means of a HTTP or FTP server and dump it on the disk of the client machine.
Create a netboot image to get the image and dump it on the disk. This is a good method for mass deployment.
Boot a rescue disk and do the dump manually from the rescue image.
For a quick start, it is good to use one of the methods described in Section 23.1, “Deploying system manually from rescue image”.
Burn the ISO image you get from the KIWI building process, see Section 17.4.2, “Creating an Image” on CD/DVD
Boot from this medium onto the client machine.
Select the hard disk for installation.
Restart the client machine and boot from hard disk.
Boot the client machine with a rescue system. Such systems are available on all SUSE installation CDs or DVDs.
Log in as root. Do not enter
password.
Configure your network. If you have DHCP available in your network,
this is merely the command ifup-dhcp eth0. If you
must do this manually, use the command ip to
configure your network. The output starting DHCP also tells you the IP
address of the computer.
Listen on an unused port of your network like
1234 and dump the incoming data to disk with
the following command:
netcat -l -p 1234 > /dev/sda
On the imaging server, send the raw image to the client machine with the command:
netcat <IP of client> 1234 < $HOME/preload_image/<image_name>
When the image is transferred, remove the rescue system from your CD or
DVD drive and shutdown the client machine. On reboot, the boot loader
GRUB should be started on the client and the
firstboot system will take over.
When doing mulitple installations of an operating system on similar hardware, it is useful to put some effort into preparing a mass deployment of the operating system and to minimize the time needed for the actual deployment. This chapter describes this process. The goal is to simply plug in a computer, connect it to a network, start a network boot, and wait until it powers down.
The following actions have to be performed in order to accomplish this task:
A dedicated machine is needed, that should be prepared to offer PXE boot as well as an ftp or Web server to provide a preload image. It is a good idea to give the machine enough memory to hold all necessary installation data in memory. For a default installation, you should have at least 4 GByte of memory. All the necessary tasks can be accomplished with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. For more details, see Section 23.2.1, “Setup a Boot and Install Server”.
The actual installation is done by the copying of a raw image of the operating system to the new hard disk. All features and settings must be prepared and tested carefully. To provide such an image, KIWI can be used (available in the SDK of the SUSE Linux Enterprise operating system). More information about image creation with KIWI is available in Chapter 17, KIWI. For more details about the requirements of the preload image, see Section 23.2.2, “Creating a Preload Image”.
This is a task that requires some linux expertise. A description on how this can be achieved by means of an example installation is available at Section 23.2.3, “Creating a Initial System to Deploy a Preload Image”.
PXE boot must be told to boot the installation system, that in turn will take the preload image from the server and copy it to the hard disk.
There are four steps to accomplish in order to perform this task after a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation:
Set up the installation source as described in Section 14.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an HTTP, or FTP network server.
Set up a TFTP server to hold a boot image (this image will be created in a later step). This is described in Section 14.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.
Set up a DHCP server to assign IP addresses to all machines and to reveal the location of the TFTP server to the target system. This is described in Section 14.3.1, “Setting Up a DHCP Server”.
Prepare the installation server PXE boot. This is described in further detail in Section 14.3.3, “Using PXE Boot”.
Note that the actual installation process will greatly benefit if you provide enough memory on this machine to hold the preload image. Also, using gigabit ethernet will speedup the deployment process considerably compared to slower networks.
The process of creating images with KIWI is described in Section 17.4.2, “Creating an Image”. However, to create a useful image for mass deployment, several considerations should be taken into account:
A typical preload image will use the following type:
<type primary="true" filesystem="ext3" boot="oemboot/suse-SLES11">vmx</type>
During the setup of a preload image, the image creation process is run multiple times. The repositories needed to build the image should be available on the local computer.
Depending on the desired usage of the preload, some effort should be invested in configuring firstboot. Find more details about firstboot in Chapter 20, Deploying Customized Preinstallations. With this method you can also require the user to do initial configurations at the first bootup of the system.
Many additional features can be configured into the image, like adding update repositories or doing an update on initial bootup. However, it is impossible to describe all possibilities in this document, and (depending on the requirements) the creation of the preload image requires in-depth knowledge of the imaging system KIWI, as well as several other technologies used in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
The actual image to be deployed should be available from the ftp or http server that you provided on the installation server.
In order to run an automatic deployment, it is necessary to start an initial linux system on the target computer. During a typical installation, the kernel and initial ram file system are read from some boot medium and started by the bios. The needed functionality can be implemented in the ram file system, which together with the kernel will serve as the initial system.
The main features that must be provided by the initial system is the enabling of access to the hard disk and the making available of the network connection. Both of these functions are dependent on the hardware onto which you want to deploy. In theory it is possible to create an initial system from scratch, but to ease this task it is also possible to modify the initial ram file system used by the machine during boot.
The following procedure is just one example of how to create the needed initial ram file system:
Do a standard installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on the target system.
Install the package busybox on the system.
Create a new ram file system with the following command:
mkinitrd -f busybox -D eth0
Note that eth0 represents the ethernet device to which your network cable
is attached. The parameter -f busybox adds the
multi call binary busybox to the ram file
system. After doing this, many standard unix commands are available
inside this system.
Copy the new ram file system and the kernel to your boot server with the command:
scp /boot/initrd /boot/vmlinuz pxe.example.com:
Replace pxe.example.com with the name of your local boot server or ip address.
Log into your bootserver as user
root, and create a directory
where you can modify the ram file system:
mkdir ~/bootimage
Change your working directory to this directory with the command
cd ~/bootimage.
Unpack the previously copied initial ram file system with the command:
zcat ../initrd | cpio -i
Edit the file run_all.sh.
Search for the following line, delete it and the rest of the file:
[ "$debug" ] && echo preping 21-nfs.sh
Add the following lines to the end of the files
run_all.sh:
[ "$debug" ] && echo preping 92-install.sh [ "$debug" ] && echo running 92-install.sh source boot/92-install.sh [ "$modules" ] && load_modules
Create a new script boot/92-install.sh with the
following content:
#!/bin/bash
if [ "$(get_param rawimage)" ]; then
rawimage=$(get_param rawimage)
if [ "$(get_param rawdevice)" ]; then
rawdevice=$(get_param rawdevice)
echo "wget -O ${rawdevice} ${rawimage}"
wget -O ${rawdevice} ${rawimage}
sync
sleep 5
echo "DONE"
fi
fi
# /bin/bash
/bin/poweroff -f
If you want to have a debug shell before the computer switches off,
remove the comment sign before /bin/bash.
Make this script executable with the command chmod 755
boot/92-install.sh.
Create a new initial ram file system with the commands:
mkdir -p /srv/tftpboot find . | cpio --quiet -H newc -o | gzip -9 -n > \ /srv/tftpboot/initrd.boot
Copy the kernel to this directory:
cp ../vmlinuz /srv/tftpboot/linux.boot
The initial ram file system is now prepared to take two new kernel command
line parameters. The parameter
rawimage=<URL> is used to identify the
location of the preload image. Any URL that is understood by wget can be
used. The parameter rawdevice=<device> is
used to identify the block device for the hard disk on the target machine.
The configuration of the boot server is covered in detail in several different chapters as listed in Section 23.2.1, “Setup a Boot and Install Server”. This section should give a checklist that covers steps that are necessary to configure the system.
Setup a dhcp server. The subnet where the machines are installed needs the additional lines:
filename "pxelinux.0"; next-server 192.168.1.115;
In this example, 192.168.1.115 is the ip address of the PXE server pxe.example.com.
Configure a PXE server as described in
Section 14.3.3, “Using PXE Boot”. When editing
/srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default, add the
following entries:
default bootinstall label bootinstall kernel linux.boot append initrd=initrd.boot \ rawimage=ftp://192.168.1.115/preload/preloadimage.raw rawdevice=/dev/sda
Setup an ftp server and copy your prepared preload image to
/srv/ftp/preload/preloadimage.raw.
Test your setup by booting the target system with PXE network boot. This will automatically copy the prepared preload image to hard disk and switch off the machine when ready.
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