Installing a System by Using AI

There are many different ways to configure an AI server and perform automatic installations. This section provides a minimal AI installation example.

• Minimum installation server configuration

  • Install Oracle Solaris 11.1

  • Configure a static IP address, set a default router, and enable multicast DNS

  • Download an Oracle Solaris 11.1 IPS image

  • Confirm install/installadm package is available

  • Create an install service

  • Associate any clients with the install service

  • Provide access to a package repository server – Client systems install software from a package server so they need to access to the release repository (http://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/release), the My Oracle Support (MOS) repository (https://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/support/) or a local package repository. If you use a local package repository, then you will need to customize a manifest to include the local repository server.

  • DHCP and DNS information – When you need to install many client systems, providing access to DHCP and DNS info is a best practice. It is not required, however, if you want to install SPARC client systems individually.

• No DHCP service – You can install a SPARC client system without a DHCP server, but an AI installation does not support RARP. This means the SPARC client must specify the network boot arguments at the PROM level. See Booting the Installation Client for a SPARC client boot example.

  In addition, if a local package repository is not available, the SPARC client installation fails when attempting to resolve the pkg.oracle.com address without DHCP. The best resolution is to provide a local package repository or use DHCP. The x86 text-based installation installs without access to a package repository.

• Additional installation configuration considerations – There are many configuration options, but the following example provides a local package repository, accessible DHCP and DNS information, and a minimally customized manifest.

  A default AI manifest is customized to add a local repository.

  • Installation client selection criteria – You can include criteria keywords that identify specific client configuration information. This information is provided to the install service. Selection criteria is somewhat similar to a JumpStart rules file. Installation selection criteria is not included in the example that follows.

  • AI manifests – You can customize an existing default manifest to install from a local package repository or to install a specific package group, or to modify target disks or file systems. An AI manifest is somewhat similar to a JumpStart profile file. See Configure an AI Manifest.

  • System configuration profiles – You can create a customized system profile to configure a specific root password, user account, or keyboard layout. A profile is somewhat similar to the output that is generated by the previous sysidcfg tool. A system configuration profile is now generated by the sysconfig tool. A customized profile is not included in the example that follows.

For more information about customizing manifests and profiles, see Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.