Configuring the Install Server

This section describes some of the configuration you might want to perform on the install server to prepare for AI client installations.

Enabling Multicast DNS

Install clients discover the install service from which they boot. Enable multicast DNS (mDNS) to advertise the install services on your AI server so that they can be discovered over the network.

If you have multiple AI servers on your network with the same install service names, you should disable multicast DNS to prevent conflicts.

Use the svcs command to check the status of the svc:/network/dns/multicast service, and then use the svcadm command to enable the service if necessary:

 svcs /network/dns/multicast
STATE         STIME    FMRI
disabled      10:19:28 svc:/network/dns/multicast:default
 svcadm enable /network/dns/multicast
 svcs /network/dns/multicast
STATE         STIME    FMRI
online        13:28:30 svc:/network/dns/multicast:default

Configuring a Multihomed Install Server

A multihomed host is a system with more than one interface and acts as a host on multiple IP subnets. For more information about multihomed hosts, see Configuring Multihomed Hosts in Configuring and Administering Oracle Solaris 11.1 Networks.

By default, the AI install server is configured to serve install clients on all networks that the server is connected to if the server is multihomed. To modify this configuration, adjust the all_services/networks and all_services/exclude_networks properties of the svc:/system/install/server:default SMF service.

The value of the all_services/networks property is a list of networks in CIDR format (for example, 192.168.56.0/24). The value of the all_services/exclude_networks property is a Boolean true/false that specifies how the all_services/networks property is processed. If exclude_networks is false, the AI install server only serves the networks listed in the networks property. If exclude_networks is true, the AI install server does not serve the networks listed in the networks property.

The following commands reconfigure an AI install server that is connected to three networks to serve installations on only one network. In this example, the multihomed AI install server is connected to the following three networks: 192.168.56.0/24, 205.10.11.0/24, and 205.10.12.0/24. Run the following commands to serve installations on only the 192.168.56.0/24 network:

$ svccfg -s system/install/server:default \
setprop all_services/networks = 192.168.56.0/24
$ svcadm refresh system/install/server:default

Configuring the Web Server Host Port

An AI server hosts install services using a web server. By default, the web server is hosted on port 5555. To customize the port that hosts the install services web server, configure the all_services/port property of the svc:/system/install/server:default SMF service. The following commands configure the AI server to host install services from port 7000:

$ svccfg -s system/install/server:default setprop all_services/port = 7000
$ svcadm refresh system/install/server:default

Configuring the Default Image Path

Use the all_services/default_imagepath_basedir property to change the default base directory for images created by the installadm create-service command.

Images are created in a service_name directory at the location specified by the value of the all_services/default_imagepath_basedir property. The default value of this property is /export/auto_install. Thus, by default, the net image for the service_name service is created at /export/auto_install/service_name.

The following commands configure the AI server to create new install services at /export/aiimages/service_name by default:

$ svccfg -s system/install/server:default \
setprop all_services/default_imagepath_basedir = /export/aiimages
$ svcadm refresh system/install/server:default

You can override this default directory for a specific install service by using the -d option of the installadm create-service command. You can change the image path for a specific existing install service by using the following command:

$ pfexec installadm set-service -o imagepath=newpath service_name

Automatically Updating the ISC DHCP Configuration

By default, the local ISC DHCP configuration is automatically updated when client and service configurations are modified in the install server. If you do not want the local ISC DHCP configuration to be automatically maintained, set the all_services/manage_dhcp property value to false.

When you use the installadm create-service command to configure DHCP as shown in Creating an Install Service Including Local DHCP Setup, the command exits if the value of the all_services/manage_dhcp property is false The exit message instructs you to set the value of the all_services/manage_dhcp property to true and invoke the installadm create-service command again.

Use the following command to check the value of the all_services/manage_dhcp property:

$ svcprop -p all_services/manage_dhcp svc:/system/install/server:default
true