Installing Oracle Solaris by Using AI

The AI installation method can be used to perform a hands-free installation of Oracle Solaris.

Keep the following key points in mind:

• You can use AI to install single or multiple clients over the network.

• An AI server provides multi-platform installation support. However, you must create a separate install service for each client architecture (SPARC and x86) that you plan to install.

• Clients must be able to access an Oracle Solaris Image Packaging System (IPS) software package repository to retrieve the required software packages for the installation.

• The location of the IPS package repository, which is specified by a Universal Resource Identifier (URI), can be on the install server, on a server that is on the local network, or on the Internet. See Configuring Publishers in Adding and Updating Oracle Solaris 11.1 Software Packages.

• Clients can optionally be customized with specific installation parameters, for example, disk layout and software selection

• Clients can be optionally customized with specific system configuration parameters, for example, host name, network configuration, and user account information.

• Customizations can be made on a client-by-client basis and can also be scaled for large enterprise environments.

The AI process follows this general sequence:

1. The client system is booted from the network and retrieves its network configuration and the location of the install server from the DHCP server. SPARC clients can optionally get network configuration and location of the install server from by setting the network-boot-arguments variable in the Open Boot PROM (OBP).

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   Note - The Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) does not work for booting and installing a system over the network with AI.

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2. The install server provides a boot image to the client.

3. Characteristics of the client determine which installation instructions and which system configuration instructions are used to install the client.

4. Oracle Solaris 11 is installed on the client by pulling packages from the package repository that is specified by the installation instructions in the AI install service that you create.

AI Preinstallation Tasks

Prior to installing a system with AI, you must perform certain tasks. At minimum, you must set up an AI install server and create at least one install service. This scenario works well in situations where all of the clients are of the same architecture and will be installed with the same version of the Oracle Solaris OS. This type of installation uses the default AI manifest, which is not associated with any client criteria. When you create a new AI install service, /install-service-image-path/auto_install/manifest/default.xml is the initial default AI manifest for that install service. In Oracle Solaris 11.1, the default AI manifest specifies the most recent version of the Oracle Solaris 11.1 release that is available from the IPS package repository (http://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/release).

AI uses DHCP to provide the IP address, subnet mask, router, name service server, and the location of the install server to the client machine to be installed. SPARC clients can optionally get their network configuration and install server location from the network-boot-arguments variable that is set in the OpenBoot PROM (OBP). Note that the DHCP server and AI install server can be the same system or two different systems. For more information about setting up an install server, see Chapter 8, Setting Up an Install Server, in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.

For more information about the minimum set of tasks that must be completed to use AI, see Minimum Requirements for AI Use in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.

For a basic SPARC AI installation example that follows the minimum requirements for using AI, see Appendix A, SPARC Automated Installation Scenario.

For additional information about customizing AI installations, provisioning client systems, and configuring client systems, refer to the following documentation:

• Chapter 9, Customizing Installations, in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems

• Chapter 10, Provisioning the Client System, in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems

• Chapter 11, Configuring the Client System, in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems

Setting Up an Install Client

When you initially set up your install server, you created at least one install service for each client architecture and for each version of Oracle Solaris that you plan to install. For each install service that you create for the different client architectures, you must also create customized installation instructions and system configuration instructions. Each client is then directed to the AI install server to access the information for the correct install service, as well as the AI manifest, and the system configuration profiles within that install service. If adequate system configuration instructions are not provided prior to the installation, an interactive tool opens during the first boot after an installation, prompting you to provide the missing system configuration information.

Setting up an install client requires you to run the installadm create-client command on the install server, which associates a particular client with a particular install service. For example, you would set up a SPARC install client and associate the client with the MAC address 00:14:4f:a7:65:70 and the solaris11_1-sparc install service, as follows:

# installadm create-client -n solaris11_1-sparc -e 00:14:4f:a7:65:70

In this particular example, the DHCP server does not require configuration because the SPARC wanboot-cgi boot file has already been configured by using the create-service command. See Creating an AI Install Service in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.

Confirm that the client was added successfully by checking the /etc/netboot directory:

lrwxrwxrwx  1 root staff 33 2012-05-09 08:53 0100144FA76570 -> /etc/netboot/solaris11_1-sparc

Example 2-1 Setting Up an x86 Installation Client

The following example associates the x86 client with the MAC address 0:e0:81:5d:bf:e0 and the solaris11_1-i386 install service. The DHCP configuration that is shown in the output of this command must be manually added to the DHCP server. Otherwise, the client system cannot boot the solaris11_1-i386 install service.

# installadm create-client -n solaris11_1-i386 -e 0:e0:81:5d:bf:e0
No local DHCP configuration found. If not already configured, the
following should be added to the DHCP configuration:
    Boot server IP      : 10.80.239.5
    Boot file(s)        : 
        bios clients (arch 00:00):  0100E0815DBFE0.bios
        uefi clients (arch 00:07):  0100E0815DBFE0.uefi

In the following example, the installadm create-client command is used to set the default PXE boot files for an x86 client in the /etc/inet/dhcpd4.conf file of the ISC DHCP configuration for an Oracle Solaris 11.1 i386 install service:

host 00E0815DBFE0 {
  hardware ethernet 00:E0:81:5D:BF:E0;
  if option arch = 00:00 {
    filename "0100E0815DBFE0.bios";
  } else if option arch = 00:07 {
    filename "0100E0815DBFE0.uefi";
  }
}

Booting the Client and Initiating an Oracle Solaris Installation

After performing the required prerequisite tasks for using AI, plus any optional customization tasks, you are ready to install the client system. The installation begins when you boot the client system over the network.

Boot a SPARC client, as follows:

1. Bring the system to the ok PROM prompt, then boot the system.

   ok boot net:dhcp - install

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   Note - The syntax for booting a SPARC based system from the network has changed in Oracle Solaris 11.

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   If you are not using DHCP, use this command:

   ok setenv network-boot-arguments host-ip=client-ip,
   router-ip=router-ip,subnet-mask=subnet-mask,hostname=hostname,
   file=wanboot-cgi-file

   When you use the network-boot-arguments variable, the SPARC client does not have DNS configuration information. Ensure that the AI manifest that is used with the client specifies an IP address instead of a host name for the location of the IPS package repository, and for any other URI in the manifest.

2. Boot the system.

   ok boot net - install

   See Installing a SPARC Client in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems for a list of the events that occur during a SPARC client installation.

Perform a PXE boot of an x86 client, as follows:

1. Boot the client system.

2. When the client boots, instruct the firmware to boot from the network by typing the specific keystroke sequence when the firmware screen (BIOS or UEFI) is displayed.

   For information about UEFI firmware support on x86 platforms, seeBooting Systems With UEFI and BIOS Firmware From the Network in Booting and Shutting Down Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.

3. When the GRUB menu is displayed, select the second entry (Automated Install), then press Return to install that image.

   Oracle Solaris 11.1 Text Installer and command line
   Oracle Solaris 11.1 Automated Install

   See Installing an x86 Client in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems for a list of the events that occur during an x86 client installation.

Information About Installing and Configuring Zones

Non-global zones are installed and configured on the first reboot after the global zone is installed. With AI, non-global zones can be installed on the system by using the configuration element that is defined in the AI manifest. During the first boot after the global zone installation, the zone's self-assembly SMF service (svc:/system/zones-install:default) configures and installs each non-global zone that is defined in the global zone AI manifest. If the zone is configured with the auto-boot property set to true (autoboot=true), the system/zones-install service boots the zone after it is installed. See Chapter 12, Installing and Configuring Zones, in Installing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Systems.

Download Locations for AI Files

During an AI installation, several important AI files are downloaded to the following locations:

Installation log file:

/system/volatile/install_log

AI client manifest that is downloaded from the AI server:

/system/volatile/ai.xml

AI client derived manifest (if used):

/system/volatile/manifest.xml

System configuration profiles downloaded from the AI server during installation:

/system/volatile/profile/*

List of AI services:

/system/volatile/service_list