Starting a Kickstart Installation

To begin a kickstart installation, you must boot the system from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot diskette, Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot CD-ROM, or the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1 and enter a special boot command at the boot prompt. The installation program looks for a kickstart file if thekscommand line argument is passed to the kernel.

Boot Diskette

If the kickstart file is located on a boot diskette as described in Section 9.8.1 Creating a Kickstart Boot Diskette, boot the system with the diskette in the drive, and enter the following command at theboot:prompt:

linux ks=floppy CD-ROM #1 and Diskette

The linux ks=floppy command also works if theks.cfgfile is located on a vfat or ext2 file system on a diskette and you boot from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1. An alternate boot command is to boot off the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1 and have the kickstart file on a vfat or ext2 file system on a diskette. To do so, enter the following command at theboot:prompt:

linux ks=hd:fd0:/ks.cfg With Driver Disk

If you need to use a driver disk with kickstart, specify the dd option as well. For example, to boot off a boot diskette and use a driver disk, enter the following command at theboot:prompt: linux ks=floppy dd

Boot CD-ROM

If the kickstart file is on a boot CD-ROM as described in Section 9.8.2 Creating a Kickstart Boot CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM into the system, boot the system, and enter the following command at theboot:prompt (whereks.cfgis the name of the kickstart file):

linux ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg

Other options to start a kickstart installation are as follows: ks=nfs:= server> :/= path>

The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the NFS server ? server@ ,

as file ? path@ . The installation program will use DHCP to configure the Ethernet

card. For example, if your NFS server is server.example.com and the kickstart file is in the NFS share /mydir/ks.cfg, the correct boot command would be ks=nfs:server.example.com:/mydir/ks.cfg.

Chapter 9. Kickstart Installations 61 ks=http://A serverB /A pathB

The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the HTTP server C serverD ,

as file C pathD . The installation program will use DHCP to configure the Ethernet

card. For example, if your HTTP server is server.example.com and the kickstart file is in the HTTP directory /mydir/ks.cfg, the correct boot command would be ks=http://server.example.com/mydir/ks.cfg.

ks=floppy

The installation program looks for the fileks.cfgon a vfat or ext2 file system on the diskette in /dev/fd0.

ks=floppy:/A pathB

The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the diskette in/dev/fd0, as file

C pathD .

ks=hd:A deviceB :/A fileB

The installation program will mount the file system on C deviceD (which must be vfat or

ext2), and look for the kickstart configuration file asC fileD in that file system (for example,

ks=hd:sda3:/mydir/ks.cfg). ks=file:/A fileB

The installation program will try to read the fileC fileD from the file system; no mounts will

be done. This is normally used if the kickstart file is already on theinitrdimage. ks=cdrom:/A pathB

The installation program will look for the kickstart file on CD-ROM, as fileC pathD .

ks

Ifksis used alone, the installation program will configure the Ethernet card to use DHCP. The kickstart file is read from the "bootServer" from the DHCP response as if it is an NFS server sharing the kickstart file. By default, the bootServer is the same as the DHCP server. The name of the kickstart file is one of the following:

• If DHCP is specified and the bootfile begins with a/, the bootfile provided by DHCP is looked for on the NFS server.

• If DHCP is specified and the bootfile begins with something other then a/, the bootfile pro- vided by DHCP is looked for in the/kickstartdirectory on the NFS server.

• If DHCP did not specify a bootfile, then the installation program tries to read the file /kickstart/1.2.3.4-kickstart, where 1.2.3.4 is the numeric IP address of the machine being installed.

ksdevice=A deviceB

The installation program will use this network device to connect to the network. For example, to start a kickstart installation with the kickstart file on an NFS server that is connected to the system through the eth1 device, use the commandks=nfs:A serverB :/A pathB ksdevice=eth1

Chapter 10.

Kickstart Configurator

Kickstart Configurator allows you to create or modify a kickstart file using a graphical user interface, so that you do not have to remember the correct syntax of the file.

To useKickstart Configurator, you must be running the X Window System. To start Kickstart Configurator, select the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => System Tools => Kickstart, or type the command/usr/sbin/redhat-config-kickstart.

As you are creating a kickstart file, you can selectFile => Preview at any time to review your current selections.

To start with an existing kickstart file, selectFile => Open and select the existing file.

10.1. Basic Configuration

Figure 10-1. Basic Configuration

Choose the language to use during the installation and as the default language after installation from theDefault Language menu.

Select the system keyboard type from theKeyboard menu.

Choose the mouse for the system from theMouse menu. If No Mouse is selected, no mouse will be configured. IfProbe for Mouse is selected, the installation program tries to auto-detect the mouse. Probing works for most modern mice.

If the system has a two-button mouse, a three-button mouse can be emulated by selectingEmulate 3 Buttons. If this option is selected, simultaneously clicking the left and right mouse buttons will be recognized as a middle mouse button click.

64 Chapter 10. Kickstart Configurator