To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository as described in Section 2.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Boot the target system using a boot medium (DVD, CD, or USB flash drive) of the openSUSE media kit. For more information about the openSUSE media kit, see Section 1.1, “Choosing the Installation Media”.

3. 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 2.4, “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.

4. On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.1, “VNC Installation”.

5. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

6. Finish the installation.

To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository as described in Section 2.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Boot the target system using a boot medium (DVD, CD, or USB flash drive) of the openSUSE media kit. For more information about the openSUSE media kit, see Section 1.1, “Choosing the Installation Media”.

3. 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 2.4, “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.

4. On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.1, “VNC Installation”.

5. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

6. Finish the installation.

To perform this type of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository as described in Section 2.2, “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 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Set up a TFTP server to hold a boot image that can be pulled by the target system. This is described in Section 2.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.

3. 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 2.3.1, “Setting Up a DHCP Server”.

4. Prepare the target system for PXE boot. This is described in further detail in Section 2.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot”.

5. Initiate the boot process of the target system using Wake on LAN. This is described in Section 2.3.7, “Wake on LAN”.

6. On the controlling workstation, open a VNC viewing application or Web browser and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.1, “VNC Installation”.

7. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

8. Finish the installation.

To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository as described in Section 2.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Boot the target system using a boot medium (DVD, CD, or USB flash drive) of the openSUSE media kit. For more information about the openSUSE media kit, see Section 1.1, “Choosing the Installation Media”.

3. 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 2.4.2, “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.

4. On the controlling workstation, open a terminal window and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.2.2, “Connecting to the Installation Program”.

5. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

6. Finish the installation.

To perform this kind of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository source as described in Section 2.2, “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources”. Choose an NFS, HTTP, or FTP network server. For an SMB repository, refer to Section 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Boot the target system using a boot medium (DVD, CD, or USB flash drive) of the openSUSE media kit. For more information about the openSUSE media kit, see Section 1.1, “Choosing the Installation Media”.

3. 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 2.4.2, “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.

4. On the controlling workstation, open a terminal window and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.2.2, “Connecting to the Installation Program”.

5. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

6. Finish the installation.

To perform this type of installation, proceed as follows:

1. Set up the repository as described in Section 2.2, “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 2.2.5, “Managing an SMB Repository”.

2. Set up a TFTP server to hold a boot image that can be pulled by the target system. This is described in Section 2.3.2, “Setting Up a TFTP Server”.

3. 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 2.3.1, “Setting Up a DHCP Server”.

4. Prepare the target system for PXE boot. This is described in further detail in Section 2.3.5, “Preparing the Target System for PXE Boot”.

5. Initiate the boot process of the target system using Wake on LAN. This is described in Section 2.3.7, “Wake on LAN”.

6. On the controlling workstation, start an SSH client and connect to the target system as described in Section 2.5.2, “SSH Installation”.

7. Perform the installation as described in Chapter 1, Installation with YaST. Reconnect to the target system after it reboots for the final part of the installation.

8. Finish the installation.

1. Log in as root to the machine that should act as installation server.

2. Install the yast2-instserver package.

3. Start YaST+Miscellaneous+Installation Server.

4. 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 Do Not Configure Any Network Services. In both cases, define the directory in which the installation data should be made available on the server.

5. 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 Chapter 28, Sharing File Systems with NFS.

   	Firewall Settings
   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 Open Port in Firewall or check Firewall Details first.

6. 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 2.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.

7. 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 Finish.

   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 create a directory to hold the installation data, proceed as follows:

1. Log in as root.

2. 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.

3. For each DVD contained in the media kit execute the following commands:

   1. 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.

   2. Rename the directory to the DVD number:

      mv path_to_your_DVD_drive DVDx

      Replace x with the actual number of your DVD.

On openSUSE, you can export the repository with NFS using YaST. Proceed as follows:

1. Log in as root.

2. Start YaST+Network Services+NFS Server.

3. Select Start and Open Port in Firewall and click Next.

4. Select Add Directory and browse for the directory containing the installation sources, in this case, productversion.

5. Select Add Host 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.

6. Click Finish. The NFS server holding the openSUSE 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:

1. Log in as root.

2. 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.

3. To add the NFS service to the list of servers started during system boot, execute the following commands:

   insserv /etc/init.d/nfsserver

4. 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.

1. Log in as root.

2. 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.

3. Start the OpenSLP daemon with rcslpd start.

1. Create a directory holding the installation sources as described in Section 2.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”.

2. Configure the FTP server to distribute the contents of your installation directory:

   1. Log in as root and install the package vsftpd using the YaST software management.

   2. Enter the FTP server root directory:

      cd /srv/ftp

   3. Create a subdirectory holding the installation sources in the FTP root directory:

      mkdir repository 

      Replace repository with the product name.

   4. 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.

   5. Start vsftpd with vsftpd.

3. Announce the repository via OpenSLP, if this is supported by your network setup:

   1. 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.

   2. Start the OpenSLP daemon with rcslpd start.

1. Create a directory holding the installation sources as described in Section 2.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”.

2. Configure the HTTP server to distribute the contents of your installation directory:

   1. Install the Web server Apache as described in Section 30.1.2, “Installation”.

   2. 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.

   3. 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

   4. 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

   5. Reload the HTTP server configuration using rcapache2 reload.

3. Announce the repository via OpenSLP, if this is supported by your network setup:

   1. 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.

   2. Start the OpenSLP daemon using rcslpd restart.

To set up an exported Windows Share holding your openSUSE repository, proceed as follows:

1. Log in to your Windows machine.

2. Create a new folder that will hold the entire installation tree and name it INSTALL, for example.

3. Export this share according the procedure outlined in your Windows documentation.

4. Enter this share and create a subfolder, called product. Replace product with the actual product name.

5. Enter the INSTALL/product folder and copy each DVD to a separate folder, such as DVD1 and DVD2.

1. Boot the installation target.

2. Select Installation.

3. Press F4 for a selection of the repository.

4. Choose SMB and enter the Windows machine's name or IP address, the share name (INSTALL/product/DVD1, in this example), username, and password.

   After you hit , YaST starts and you can perform the installation.

1. Download the ISO images and save them to the machine to use as the installation server.

2. Log in as root.

3. Choose and create an appropriate location for the installation data, as described in Section 2.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”, Section 2.2.3, “Setting Up an FTP Repository Manually”, or Section 2.2.4, “Setting Up an HTTP Repository Manually”.

4. Create subdirectories for each DVD.

5. To mount and unpack each ISO image to the final location, issue the following command:

   mount -o loop path_to_iso path_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.

6. Repeat the previous step to mount all ISO images needed for your product.

7. Start your installation server as usual, as described in Section 2.2.2, “Setting Up an NFS Repository Manually”, Section 2.2.3, “Setting Up an FTP Repository Manually”, or Section 2.2.4, “Setting Up an HTTP Repository Manually”.

1. 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

2. Install the syslinux package directly from your installation DVDs with YaST.

3. 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
        

4. 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
        

5. Edit the /srv/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default file and remove the lines beginning with gfxboot, readinfo, and framebuffer.

6. Insert the following entries in the append lines of the default failsafe and apic labels:

   insmod=kernel module

   By 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=interface

   This 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 2.4, “Booting the Target System for Installation”.

   	Changing Kernel and initrd Filenames
   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 harddisk 
           
   # default
   label linux 
     kernel linux 
     append initrd=initrd ramdisk_size=65536 \
        install=nfs://ip_instserver/path_to_repository/product/DVD1 
   	    
   # 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 harddisk
     localboot 0
   
   implicit     0 
   display      message
   prompt       1 
   timeout      100
   

   Replace 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/.