Operating System Installation

Generally, you register clients that are already running. You might have installed these machines manually just before registering them to SUSE Manager, or they might be pre-existing systems that were installed before you added SUSE Manager to your environment.

Alternatively, you can use SUSE Manager to help you install an operating system and register it to SUSE Manager in one go. This method is partially or totally automated, so you can save time answering installer questions, and is especially useful if you have many clients you want to install and register.

There are several ways to install an operating system from SUSE Manager:

  • in-place, on clients that are already registered;

  • over the network, using PXE boot;

  • preparing an installation CD-ROM or an USB key, and then going to the machine to boot on that medium;

  • as part of the SUSE Manager for Retail solution.

The in-place reinstallation method assumes that a previous operating system has already been installed on the client, and that the client has already been registered to SUSE Manager.

For information about the in-place installation method, see Reinstall Registered Systems.

The network boot installation method works on unformatted machines. However, it can only be performed in certain network configurations:

  • the SUSE Manager Server, or one of its proxies, are on the same local network as the machine you want to install, or you have a DHCP relay that allows you to cross all routers in between;

  • you are able to set up a new DHCP server or to configure an existing one;

  • the client to install is able to boot with PXE, and you can configure it to do so.

For information about the network boot method, see Install via the Network.

The removable medium method allows you to bypass these network constraints. However, it assumes the machine is able to read CD-ROMs or USB keys, and boot from them. It also requires physical access to the client machine.

For information about the removable media method, see Install via a CD-ROM or a USB key.

For information about the SUSE Manager for Retail approach, see Retail Guide.

Autoinstallation of Ubuntu and Debian clients is not supported. These operating systems must be installed manually.

The autoinstallation features of SUSE Manager are based on a software named Cobbler. For more information about Cobbler, see https://cobbler.readthedocs.io.

SUSE only supports Cobbler functions that are available in the SUSE Manager Web UI, or through the SUSE Manager API. The sole command-line command supported by Cobbler is buildiso. Only supported features are documented here.