Compaq BL10e - HP ProLiant - 512 MB RAM Operating instructions

Setting up a Linux PXE server and integrating clients

HOWTO

Abstract.............................................................................................................................................. 2

Text conventions .................................................................................................................................. 2

Required hardware and software........................................................................................................... 2

For the PXE server ............................................................................................................................ 2

For the clients .................................................................................................................................. 2

Overview............................................................................................................................................ 3

pxelinux functionality........................................................................................................................ 3

Kickstart files ................................................................................................................................... 4

Setting up the PXE server ...................................................................................................................... 4

Integrating the clients ........................................................................................................................... 7

Troubleshooting................................................................................................................................. 10

Bootcfg usage information............................................................................................................... 10

Potential kickstart installation issues .................................................................................................. 10

Additional configuration for ProLiant BL10e servers............................................................................ 11

Appendix a: glossary......................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix b: sample scripts and files.................................................................................................... 14

For the PXE server .......................................................................................................................... 14

NFS configuration file ................................................................................................................. 14

syslinux.cfg files ......................................................................................................................... 14

import-to-tftpboot.sh file ............................................................................................................... 16

For the clients ................................................................................................................................ 17

dhcpd.conf script........................................................................................................................ 17

syslinux.cfg script ....................................................................................................................... 19

Kickstart file ............................................................................................................................... 19

For more information.......................................................................................................................... 21

Call to action .................................................................................................................................... 21

Abstract

This HOWTO describes how to set up a Red Hat Linux 8.0 Pre-boot eXecution Environment (PXE)

server and how to integrate a Red Hat Linux 8.0 client with the PXE server. Additionally, this HOWTO

explains how to use Linux images on a PXE server and how to configure a client for PXE.

Text conventions

This HOWTO uses the following conventions to distinguish elements of text:

Menu options, Command names, Dialog box

names, and Screen names

These elements appear in initial capital letters and may appear in

boldface for emphasis.

User input (commands to be typed) User input appears in a different typeface

and is highlighted in gray.

Scripts and files The content of the scripts and files appears

in a different typeface and is highlighted in

gray with a border around it.

Boldface text should be located on one line

instead of on multiple lines as shown in the

samples; formatting in this document

prohibits correct usage.

Comments included in the scripts are listed

in blue font for explanation purposes and

marked with comment markers (#) so that the

code can be copied and pasted.

Required hardware and software

This section describes hardware and software requirements mandated for PXE functionality.

For the PXE server

Setting up a Linux PXE server requires an HP ProLiant server and two key software components that

provide basic PXE functionality: (1) the DHCP server and (2) the TFTP server. Although the DHCP

server and the TFTP server components can reside on separate servers, this paper describes a method

that places these components on the same server.

For a PXE server to be useful, additional server software is required such as NFS, FTP, HTTP, and

Samba. Pxelinux allows further configuration based on a directory and configuration files versus

modifying the dhcpd.conf file directly when using the DHCP and TFTP server components alone. The

additional file sharing services can reside on the same PXE server or can exist as a separate server on

the network. The described method in this paper places NFS and FTP on the same PXE server.

The PXE portion will be handled by the syslinux package. The Syslinux 1.75 package included in Red

Hat Linux 8.0 is broken; therefore, version 2.00 or later should be used.

For the clients

The clients must have a PXE-enabled network interface controller (NIC). To integrate the clients with

the PXE server, this paper describes a process using a kickstart file.

Overview

This section presents an overview for using the pxelinux process and kickstart files.

pxelinux functionality

The pxelinux functionality occurs in this order:

•The client machine boots to PXE which requests a DHCP address.

•The DHCP server responds with an IP address for the client machine along with the address of a

TFTP server and a filename to load (pxelinux.0) from that server.

•The client then downloads pxelinux.0 from the specified TFTP server and executes it.

•pxelinux.0 then searches the pxelinux.cfg directory on the server for a configuration file that

matches the IP address of the machine. If no matches are found, it will attempt to load a file called

default.

•The configuration file loaded by pxelinux.0 will have instructions on what to do next. Some of the

choices include boot to local hard drive, boot to an image file (floppy image), or load vmlinuz and

initrd.img.

The client searches for a configuration file with the IP address converted to HEX (for example,

172.48.1.253 becomes AC3001FD). In this example, the client looks for the following

configuration file names and uses the first one it finds.

AC3001FD

AC3001F

AC3001

AC300

AC30

AC3

default

This process allows IP groups to be used. The examples in this paper use AC3001FD, the most

specific choice.

Kickstart files

An automated installation of Red Hat Linux is performed through a process called kickstart. A kickstart

file is a collection of instructions and keywords that the Red Hat Linux installer, called anaconda, uses

to perform an unattended install.

Often a kickstart file is created by using the program called redhat-config-kickstart or ksconfig which is

used by older versions of Red Hat Linux. Anaconda also places a kickstart file in the /root directory

upon installation completion.

Note

For more information about anaconda, visit

http://rhlinux.redhat.com/anaconda/.

A kickstart file, commonly labeled ks.cfg, may be placed in several locations so that anaconda can

find it. These locations include being placed on an NFS server, FTP server, HTTP server, floppy, CD-

ROM, or hard drive. The method described in this HOWTO places the ks.cfg file on an NFS server.

The method described in this HOWTO assumes that the syslinux/pxelinux package will be used on

Red Hat Linux 8.0 to allow the clients to boot to PXE.

Setting up the PXE server

Follow these steps to set up the PXE server:

1. Install Red Hat Linux 8.0 on a suitable HP ProLiant server.

Note

Refer to the ProLiant server certification matrix,

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/servers/linux/

hpLinuxcert.html, to determine a suitable server for Red Hat Linux 8.0.

2. Install the following packages:

Table 1. Recommended packages

Package name Requirements

dhcp-3.0pl1-9.i386.rpm Required

tftp-server-0.29-3.i386.rpm Required

tftp-0.29-3.i386.rpm Optional

3. Set up the date and time on the PXE server.

4. Set up the PXE server hostname.

•Use this method for a static IP address when modifying /etc/hosts:

127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost

172.48.0.1 pxe1.pxe.net pxe1

•Use this method for a dynamic IP address when modifying /etc/hosts:

127.0.0.1 pxe1.pxe.net localhost.localdomain localhost pxe1

•After updating /etc/hosts, run the hostname command to change the hostname:

hostname pxe1.pxe.net

•Edit the /etc/sysconfig/network as follows:

Static:

NETWORKING=yes

HOSTNAME="pxe1.pxe.net"

Dynamic:

NETWORKING=yes

HOSTNAME="pxe1.pxe.net"

DHCP_HOSTNAME="pxe1.pxe.net"

5. Set up the DHCP service.

•A sample /etc/dhcpd.conf configuration file is located at /usr/share/doc/dhcp-

3.0pl1/dhcpd.conf.sample. Copy this sample to /etc/dhcpd.conf.

•If more than one network card resides in the DHCP server, HP recommends specifying which

interfaces the DHCP server will use. Edit /etc/sysconfig/dhcpd by adding the appropriate

interface to the DHCPDARGS= line. The entry in /etc/sysconfig/dhcpd should appear as

follows:

DHCPDARGS=eth0

•Run the following command to ensure that the DHCP service will be started at each boot:

chkconfig --level 345 dhcpd on

6. Configure xinetd and TFTP services. At this point, the TFTP server should be installed.

•Enable the TFTP server by using the chkconfig command line utility as follows:

chkconfig tftp on

•Ensure that xinetd is enabled, as TFTP is started and stopped by xinetd, using the following

command:

chkconfig --level 345 xinetd on

•Notify xinetd that the TFTP service has been enabled. Use the following command:

service xinetd restart

7. Add the next-server and filename options into the /etc/dhcpd.conf files. To accomplish this task,

add the following to the global section:

if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) = "PXEClient"

{

filename "pxelinux.0";

next-server 172.48.0.1;

}

8. Optional step: Assign fixed addresses to each of the clients. The benefit is having the ability to

access the clients with the same IP address. The alternative s to use name resolution such as DNS:

host 00080246e75d {

hardware ethernet 00:08:02:46:e7:5d;

fixed-address 172.48.1.253;

}

In this example, the server was named according to its MAC address. Its MAC address is listed

along with the fixed IP address we want associated with it.

9. After modifying /etc/dhcpd.conf, notify the dhcpd server of the changes by using the following

method or a similar one:

service dhcpd restart

Warning

Do not run a new DHCP server on a network with an existing one

unless you have configured the network for multiple DHCP servers.

Running two or more DHCP servers on the same network without taking

special precautions causes conflicts.

10.Download and install Syslinux 2.00 or later as follows:

Note

HP recommends using Syslinux 2.00 or later due to major bug fixes in

this version. Red Hat Linux 8.0 includes Syslinux 1.75.

•Download and unpack the latest syslinux package from

www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/RPMS.

•Install the syslinux package using this command:

rpm -hUv syslinux-2.02-1.i386.rpm

•Install pxelinux.0 and memdisk into the /tftpboot directory:

mkdir -p /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

cp -a /usr/lib/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /tftpboot/

cp -a /usr/lib/syslinux/memdisk /tftpboot/

11.Enable NFS on the server as follows:

•Edit /etc/exports by adding the following line:

/var/ftp/pub *(ro,insecure,sync,all_squash)

•Enable the NFS server on boot by using the following commands:

chkconfig --level 345 portmap on

chkconfig --level 345 nfslock on

chkconfig --level 345 nfs on

•Start or restart the NFS service by using the following commands:

service portmap restart

service nfslock restart

service nfs restart

Integrating the clients

The following examples explain how to get a Red Hat Linux 8.0 client setup and integrated into the

PXE server. When using other Linux distributions, slight changes to the commands and scripts are

required.

1. Populate the NFS server with Linux installation files using either of the following methods:

Method 1: storing the Linux installation media as ISO images

To use RHupdate with this method, place the updates.img file next to the ISO images.

To perform an ISO image dump, use the following commands:

Note

It is not necessary to mount each CD after insertion. The dd command

is not affected by the act of mounting the CD.

mkdir -p /var/ftp/pub/rhl80

cd /var/ftp/pub/rhl80

insert CD #1

dd if=/dev/cdrom of=Psyche-i386-disc1-boxset.iso

insert CD #2

dd if=/dev/cdrom of=Psyche-i386-disc2-boxset.iso

insert CD #3

dd if=/dev/cdrom of=Psyche-i386-disc3-boxset.iso

Method 2: unpacking the Linux installation media to a directory

To use RHupdate with this method, place the updates.img file image in the RedHat/base/

directory. Alternatively, you may place the contents of the updates.img file image into the

RedHat/RHupdates/ directory of the unpacked source media. Unpacking the source media will

also allow for updated RPMs.

Since Red Hat Linux 7.2 and Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 cannot use ISO images to

perform installs, the contents of the CDs must be unpacked to a directory on the server to enable

the automated installs described in this document.

To unpack the base media to a directory, choose one of the following options:

Option 1: dumping from ISO images

mkdir -p /var/ftp/pub/rhl72/i386

cd /var/ftp/pub/rhl72

for X in enigma-i386-disc1.iso enigma-i386-disc2.iso; do

mkdir $X.dir;

mount $X $X.dir -o loop;

(cd $X.dir && tar -cf - .)|(cd i386 && tar -xvf -);

umount $X.dir;

rmdir $X.dir;

done

Option 2: dumping directly from CD-ROM

mkdir -p /var/ftp/pub/rhl72/i386

Use the following command for each binary CD:

(cd /mnt/cdrom && tar -cf - .)|(cd /var/ftp/pub/rhl72/i386 && tar -xvf -); eject

2. Place the kickstart file on the NFS server along with Red Hat Linux 8.0 ISO images 1, 2, and 3 to

ensure that the kickstart installation can operate correctly.

mkdir /var/ftp/pub/kickstart

cp ks.cfg /var/ftp/pub/kickstart/rhl80-ks.cfg

Note

A kickstart file is generated after installation or the redhat-config-

kickstart program may be run. Older versions of Red Hat Linux use

ksconfig.

The kickstart file provided in Appendix b has been tested and works

with Red Hat Linux 7.2, Red Hat Linux 7.3, Red Hat Linux 8.0, and Red

Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1.

If a required keyword for the specified Linux distribution is missing, the

installation will stop and wait for user input at the console.

3. Populate the PXE server with items to boot from.

In this client example, we will perform a Red Hat Linux 8.0 installation. Most files will be placed

into the /tftpboot directory and syslinux.cfg will be placed in /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg. With the Red

Hat 8.0 Linux CD-ROM and bootnet.img floppy inserted, perform the following commands:

cp -a /mnt/cdrom/images/bootnet.img /tftpboot/rhl80-bootnet.img

cd /mnt/floppy

cp -a syslinux.cfg /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/rhl80-syslinux.cfg

All other files are stored in the /tftpboot directory:

cp -a initrd.img /tftpboot/rhl80-initrd.img

cp -a vmlinuz /tftpboot/rhl80-vmlinuz

for X in *.msg; do cp -a $X /tftpboot/rhl80-$X; done

The initrd.img and vmlinuz can also be copied from the /images/pxeboot directory of Red Hat

Linux 8.0 CD #1 rather than from the bootnet floppy. The vmlinuz from /images/pxeboot is an

exact copy of the one on the bootnet floppy. The initrd.img file contains more drivers than the

bootnet.img file.

Ensure that the permissions on /tftpboot allow anonymous access by using this command:

chmod -R o=rx /tftpboot

4. Edit the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/rhl80-syslinux.cfg configuration file so that the filenames match

those in the /tftpboot directory. The following commands used in vi are helpful to make these

global changes in the rhl80-syslinux.cfg file:

:%s/ $.*msg$/ rhl80-\1/g

:%s/kernel $.*vmlinuz$/kernel rhl80-\1/

:%s/$initrd=$$.*initrd.img$/\1rhl80-\2/

Once the previous steps are complete, the following directory structure will exist:

•/tftpboot/

•/tftpboot/pxelinux.0

•/tftpboot/rhl80-vmlinuz

•/tftpboot/rhl80-initrd.img

•/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/

•/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/rhl80-syslinux.cfg

Note

Run the "import-to-tftpboot.sh" script located in Appendix b to

automatically accomplish the tasks described this step.

5. A configuration file must be created to control what happens when the PXE client boots to PXE.

As an example, we will create the rhl80-kickstart-install-syslinux.cfg file by copying it from rhl80-

syslinux.cfg using the following command:

cp -a rhl80-syslinux.cfg rhl80-kickstart-install-syslinux.cfg

A sample of the file contents is located in Sample 2 of Appendix b.

6. Create a soft link from the syslinux.cfg file to the IP address of the client server, which is converted

to HEX. In this example, the client server, 172.48.1.253, converted to HEX is AC3001FD. Use

these commands to create the soft link:

cd /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

ln -s rhl80-kickstart-install-syslinux.cfg AC3001FD

Another acceptable soft link to create is one named "default." The use of the default entry affects

any clients that may PXE boot and do not have a specific HEX IP address entry in

/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg. In the following example, we demonstrate linking the sample "localboot-

syslinux.cfg" to a soft link called "default":

cd /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

ln -s localboot-syslinux.cfg default

A sample syslinux.cfg is included in Appendix b.

7. Boot the client to PXE to begin kickstart installation.

PXE is often the fourth choice in the boot order list. If no bootable media is found in the floppy,

CD-ROM drive, or hard drive, it will default to PXE. If the hard drive has been partitioned, it may

no longer default to PXE even though the hard drive is not bootable. In some large cluster farms,

boot to PXE is moved to the top of the boot order. Then the PXE server, through the use of soft links

in the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg directory, controls whether the client loads a new operating system or

if the client boots to its hard drive.

Alternative methods include:

•Press F12 during POST to boot to PXE.

•If the HP Server Management Drivers and Agents (hpasm) are loaded on the server being

reprovisioned, set the server to a one-time PXE boot by typing:

/sbin/bootcfg -P

This setting allows for changes in the boot process without updating the BIOS or the need to

press F12.

Note

For bootcfg usage information, refer to the "Troubleshooting"

section.

Troubleshooting

This section contains usage information, potential issues, and additional configuration steps to aid in

troubleshooting.

Bootcfg usage information

Usage commands for bootcfg include:

[root root]# bootcfg -?

USAGE: bootcfg [-F -C -H -T] [-S -Q -R -P] [-r -d -n -b]

-D Set Defaults everywhere

-F Floppy first

-C CD ROM first

-H Harddrive first

-T Tape first

-S one time boot to system configuration utility

-Q one time boot to quick configuration utility

-R one time boot to RBSU

-P one time boot to PXE

-r one time remote

-d one time remote dial out

-n one time remote network

-b bypass F1/F2

Potential kickstart installation issues

Kickstart installations might fail due to the client system being unable to mount the NFS directory that

contains the ks.cfg file. The client will report "cannot find ks.cfg" on the console to the user. This error

can be viewed on the NFS server by looking at /var/log/messages or virtual terminal #3 on the

client.

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