Installation of Suse from ISO Image

You can point installer with GRUB option install=target to use image different from which you booted. This is a very convenient option for remote install.

When the boot screen appears you need to specify on the GRUB command line the target. Target can be local or remote (on the network)

Local image targets

You can use USB drive or can partition your local drive with some bootable CD distribution like Knoppix or OpenSuse bootable CD and then copy ISO image in one of the partitions. This partition should not be used during install (but you can add it to fstab later, for example home partition can be created this way). 

After that boot from installation CD/DVD (which can be an older version) and specify where the iso image is located:

 install=hd:/dev/sda1/iso/openSUSE-10.3-GM-DVD-x86_64.iso

If you don't know the local device, you could type this:

install=hd:////home/myhome/downloads/openSUSE-10.3-GM-DVD-x86_64.iso

In this case, the installer scans all of the local devices looking for the specified file.

Remote image targets

When you boot from SLES CD/DVD, you will presented with the list of options. Select Installation.

By default, installer minimal OS Network configuration is done via DHCP. If you do not have DHCP on the segment your server reside you need to do manual network configuration. In this case press [F4] and select Network Config (OpenSuse) or specify the necessary parameters on the command line (SLES). In OpenSuse you can set the following options:

• Host IP: This is your own unique network adress.
• Netmask: For example 255.255.255.0
• Gateway:  Gateway for the network segment you are installing the server
• Nameserver: Optional, as you can specify IP address of the installation server
• Domain name: Optional. If your network is in a domain, this option can be used. In most cases this option can be left blank.

Note:

You can also change screen resolution, language and keyboard layout on the installation screen:

• Press [F2] to choose the language and your keyboard layout.
• Press [F3] to choose the screen resolution.

Target can be either ISO image or directory with the content of the ISO. In the later case you need to setup installation server. Typically installation server is accessed via HTTP protocol but ftp and NFS are also available.

Note:

You need either have DHCP available on the segment. If DHCP can't be obtained (you can see it from the installer mini-OS loading -- just press ESC to see them). If obtaining network parameters via DHCP fails or there no DHCP on the segment you need to specify three network parameters (IP address, netmask and default gateway) via F4 option (openSuse only) or in grub command line. The syntax for GRUB command line is:

hostip=10.20.10.3 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=10.20.1.1	

In case of directory the URL should point to the place where files from the first DVD reside. If your network parameters were specified correctly and the files are reachable via protocol you have chosen the install should start using the image.

In case of remote image location you have two options for providing the installation media:

• ISO image, for example:
  • network=1 install=nfs://192.168.1.100/install/openSUSE_10.2/CD1/SLES-11-SP2-DVD-x86_64-GM-DVD1.iso
• "installation server" that contain ISO image. If HTTP is used this option also helps to configure Apache to make the image accessible.  Here are examples of install statement for Grub 

   install=nfs://192.168.1.100/install/openSUSE_10.2/CD1 network=1 
   install=http://10.0.0.5/installations/SUSE_10.2/CD1 network=1

  IMPORTANT: In case of directory the URL should point to the place where files from the first DVD reside (CD1 directory)

See Setting up the Suse Installation Server

Also you can automate your installation using autoyast (see autoyast ).

NEWS CONTENTS

• 20120327 : Media free network installation on existing system ( Media free network installation on existing system, Mar 27, 2012 )
• 20120327 : Install openSUSE without burning CDs ( openSUSE Lizards )
• 20111118 : Cool Solutions Setting Up a SUSE PXE Installation Server in an Existing NetWare Environment ( Aug 30, 2006 )
• 20111118 : C H A P T E R 4 - Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 ( C H A P T E R 4 - Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, )

Old News ;-)

[Mar 27, 2012] Media free network installation on existing system

Any old version of linux installed on the computer can be used

No reliable CD/DVD writer around? Out of CDs or just too lazy to download and burn the whole installation image? There is a quicker way.

The idea is to boot the system using kernel and initd images published on the Internet or in your network repository. Below is example with 12.1 repositories of openSUSE.

• First get the kernel and initrd images (as root):

 mkdir /boot/install
 cd /boot/install
 wget http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/12.1/repo/oss/boot/$(arch)/loader/linux 
 wget http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/12.1/repo/oss/boot/$(arch)/loader/initrd

No need to replace $(arch) as command shell will replace it with your current architecture, which is either i586 or x86_64.

• Then edit /boot/grub/menu.lst:

This, however, requires some knowledge of GRUB configuration file /boot/grub/menu.lst format. If not sure, just add this at the end, so it will appear as the last item on the GRUB boot screen.

  title install
      root   (hdX,X) # change this (hdX,X)                    
      kernel /boot/install/linux install=http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/openSUSE-stable/repo/oss/
      initrd /boot/install/initrd

Change (hdX,X) to whatever your setup requires, e.g. to what is used in the previous entries.

• Start installation:

There are two simple ways:

1) Reboot computer and choose "install" option on the grub boot screen,

or

2) Use the kernel's bootloader emulation 'kexec' and skip the hardware reboot. Make sure that kexec-tools is installed. Then:

 kexec -l linux --initrd=initrd
 kexec -e

By now you will be seeing the boot message of the new kernel.

[Mar 27, 2012] Install openSUSE without burning CDs

openSUSE Lizards

You run Linux already but want to install 11.0? DVD image takes too long to download? Don't want to waste a CD for the mini iso? A router connects you to the internet?

Check out setupgrubfornfsinstall. It's a dialog based shell script to prepare remote network installations. It was primarily made for use in LANs but now also supports direct installation from opensuse.org. Just run the script, select 11.0 and it will download the kernel and initrd used for installation. After that it adds an entry to your boot loaders' config file with proper parameters. Reboot, select the new entry and the installation starts.

[Nov 18, 2011] Cool Solutions Setting Up a SUSE PXE Installation Server in an Existing NetWare Environment

Aug 30, 2006

I have a "NetWare shop" with no existing PXE boot services (read: ZENworks PXE enabled). I'm starting down the road of OES Linux, SLES, and SLED, and wanted to set up an installation server so that I can easily install machines without media. Though there are a number of good docs helping you set up an Installation server, it was difficult to determine how to get PXE boot to work with my existing NetWare 6 DHCP services. Documents refer to configuring the SLES server as a DHCP server, but I didn't want to do that, and potentially interfere with my existing, working-just-find DHCP services on NetWare. To follow is a recipe that will provide you the specific steps for getting a working PXE-based Installation server for your SUSE deployments in your existing NetWare environment. The example I use here will be for a SLED 10 installation source, though it would be pretty much the same for OES or SLES 10.

=== SLES CONFIGURATION ===

On your installation server (SLES):

- go to Yast, and search for tftp, nfs, and syslinux and install these packages if they aren't already installed.

- configure the TFTP server
Yast > Network Services > TFTP
Select Enable
select a path for your tftp directory (eg: /tftpboot)
select Finish

- configure PXE boot files
copy the pxelinux.0 file to the tftpboot directory:

cp /usr/share/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /tftpboot

- copy the kernel and initrd files from your first SLED installation CD to the tftp directory:

cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/linux /tftpboot/sled10.krnl

cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/initrd /tftpboot/sled10.ird

(I choose to copy these files to a renamed destination filename that references what they are. This way, I can also copy additional kernel and initrd files as additional installation choices in my PXE boot menu)

- create a pxelinux.cfg subdirectory under the tftp directory:

mkdir /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

- copy the isolinux.cfg file from the first SLED installation CD to this subdirectory renaming it to default:

cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/isolinux.cfg /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

edit the default file to point to your SLES installation server and replace this:

# install
label linux
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd splash=silent showopts

with this:

# SLED 10
label SLED10
kernel sled10.krnl
append initrd=sled10.ird ramdisk_size=65536 install=nfs://172.16.0.99/sources/SLED10 splash=silent showopts

(items in bold reference your specific details)

copy the message file from the first installation CD to the pxelinux.cfg directory:

cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/message /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

edit the linux menu item in the message file (the "PXE menu") for the SLED10 entry you added in the default file above:
change: linux - Installation
to: SLED10 - SLED 10 Installation

(NOTE: when typing this boot option at the PXE boot menu, it *IS* case sensitive, so you'll need to type SLED10 in uppercase in this example)

- copy the contents of your installation DVD to a directory on your SLES server (eg: /sources/SLED10)

mkdir -p /sources/SLED10
cp -R /(path to media)/*.* /sources/SLED10

If you have CD sources (as opposed to a DVD source), refer to this article for copying the CD contents into an installation source directory.

- configure your NFS to export the directory containing your installation files:
Yast > Network Services > NFS Server
check to Start the NFS server, and open port in firewall (if firewall is enabled), then select Next
click the Add Directory button, and select the directory containing your installation sources (eg: /sources), click Finish

- restart the xinetd service

rcxinetd restart

So now your SLES server is ready to go, acting as a PXE server and providing the Installation source media.

=== BADA BING, BADA BOOM ===

Boot up your PXE machine, you should get the default PXE menu!

Now with PXE working, this PXE menu can be much more than just an menu for installing a new OS. You can add additional options to load up a number of "support disks" for diagnostics, wiping the disk, or getting to your DOS based imaging solution you have. You know, all those great support floppies you thought you had to get rid of because the computers you buy now no longer have floppy drives in them <grin>.

But, that'll be another article...

C H A P T E R 4 - Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

http://opseast.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/configuring-a-tftppxe-server/

Installation Task (Goal)	Relevant Procedure(s) or Source(s)
Run the Sun Installation Assistant.	How to Use the Sun Installation Assistant.
Install SLES 10 from local or remote CD/DVD drive.	Installing SLES 10 From Distribution Media.
Install SLES 10 from local or remote CD/DVD drive or PXE server.	SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 Installation Manual
Install SLES 10 from an image stored on a networked system.	Creating a SLES 10 PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.
Install SLES 10 from a PXE server.	Installing SLES 10 From a PXE Server
Update SLE10 software.	Updating the SLES 10 Operating System

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