Chris Tyler - Fedora Linux

part raid.09 --size 40000 --ondrive=hdc

part raid.10 --size 40000 --ondrive=hdc

part raid.11 --size 40000 --ondrive=hdc

part raid.12 --size 1 --ondrive=hdc --grow

# RAID arrays

# Six RAID arrays, all RAID 1:

# - one is 100 MB /boot array

# - five are 40GB PV arrays

# (4 * 4000 MB, remaining space in last array)

raid /boot --device md0 --level=RAID1 raid.01 raid.07 --fstype ext3

raid pv.01 --device md1 --level=RAID1 raid.02 raid.08

raid pv.02 --device md2 --level=RAID1 raid.03 raid.09

raid pv.03 --device md3 --level=RAID1 raid.04 raid.10

raid pv.04 --device md4 --level=RAID1 raid.05 raid.11

raid pv.05 --device md5 --level=RAID1 raid.06 raid.12

# Volume Group 'main'

volgroup main pv.01 pv.02 pv.03 pv.04 pv.05

# LVs for root (10GB), /home (35GB), /var (35GB), and swap (1GB),

# leaving about 20 GB available for snapshots and future expansion

# of the LVs

logvol swap --vgname=main --size=1024 --name=swap

logvol / --vgname=main --size=10000 --name=root --fstype=ext3

logvol /home --vgname=main --size=35000 --name=home --fstype=ext3

logvol /var --vgname=main --size=35000 --name=var --fstype=ext3

text

xconfig --startxonboot --depth=24 --resolution=1024x768

firewall --enabled --port=5900:tcp --ssh --http --smtp

firstboot --reconfig

poweroff

%packages

@gnome-desktop

@office

@smb-server

@printing

@russian-support

gimp

tomboy

To use a Kickstart file, make it accessible to the installation target system by placing it on an HTTP, FTP, or NFS server, or put it on a floppy disk.

To use a Kickstart file on floppy disk, add ks=floppy to the boot string encountered when booting from a USB key or optical disc:

: linux ks=floppy

It is assumed that the Kickstart file is named ks.cfg , that it is in the root directory of the floppy disk, and that the floppy disk is formatted with an MS-DOS ( VFAT) or ext2 filesystem.

To make the Kickstart file available through the web server on a Fedora Core system, use these commands (assuming that the file is named ks.cfg and is in the current directory):

# mkdir -p /var/www/ kickstart

# cp ks.cfg /var/www/ kickstart

You can then access the Kickstart file by URL at the installation boot prompt:

: linux ks=http:// 192.168.1.2 /kickstart/ks.cfg

(Replace 192.168.1.2 with the actual address of your server.) However, when booting from a PXE boot server, no boot prompt is provided. Instead, you must configure the Kickstart file by entering the URL into the system-config-netboot window for a particular IP address or range ( Figure 10-20 ) or using the -K argument to the pxeboot command:

# pxeboot -a -O fc6 192.168.1 -K http://192.168.1.2/kickstart/ks.cfg

Fedora's Anaconda installer is written in Python and uses a library called the Red Hat Python Library, or rhpl . Before commencing the installation process, Anaconda must load the data structures that control the installation. These data structures can be filled with data from user input or from the Kickstart file.

Fedora Core provides the system-config-kickstart utility for graphically editing a Kickstart file. Unfortunately, the version of system-config-kickstart shipped with Fedora Core 6 has some show-stopping bugs that cause it to create defective Kickstart files, and it is not able to configure LVM systems. However, you can use it to create a rough Kickstart file to use as a starting point for further customization.

Kickstart files can include a script that is run before installation, and the output of that script can be included into the Kickstart configuration.

For example, to configure swapspace to be double the memory size, you can add this script to the Kickstart file:

%pre

# Calculate twice the size of the installed memory, in MB

MEM=$(cat /proc/meminfo|sed -n "s/MemTotal: *\([0-9]\+\) kB/\1/p")

SIZE=$(( $MEM * 2 / 1024 ))

# Create the file /tmp/swap.cfg

echo "logvol swap --vgname=main --size=$SIZE --name=swap" >/tmp/swap.cfg

The %pre option identifies this part of the file as a preinstallation script. Place this script at the end of the Kickstart file; it will produce the file /tmp/swap.cfg containing the appropriate logvol line for the swap partition.

You can then replace the swap partition line in the Kickstart file with an option that refers to the /tmp/swap.cfg file using %include :

# LVs for root (10GB), /home (35GB), /var (35GB), and swap (RAM * 2),

# leaving about 20 GB available for snapshots and future expansion

# of the LVs.

%include /tmp/swap.cfg

logvol / --vgname=main --size=10000 --name=root --fstype=ext3

logvol /home --vgname=main --size=35000 --name=home --fstype=ext3

logvol /var --vgname=main --size=35000 --name=var --fstype=ext3

Preinstallation scripts cannot change the installation source.

The Kickstart file can also include a script that is run after installation, using the %post option. Here is an example:

% post

# Add aliases to /etc/bashrc:

echo "alias l='ls -l'" >>/etc/bashrc

echo "alias cls='clear'" >>/etc/bashrc

# Change the login welcome message for text consoles

echo "Welcome to Fedora Core!" >/etc/issue

# Place a copy of acceptable-use-policy.txt

# in /etc/skel so that it will be copied to each

# new user's home diretory.

cd /etc/skel

wget http://192.168.1.2/text/acceptable-use-policy.txt

# Configure httpd to start automatically on boot

/sbin/chkconfig httpd on

Post-installation scripts cannot reliably use hostnames; any IP addresses must be specified numerically.

Whenever you install a system, the configuration used for that system is written into the file /root/anaconda-ks.cfg . This is a standard Kickstart file with the disk layout commented out (every line has a # prepended). If you uncomment the disk layout and then use this as the Kickstart file for another system, it will produce an identical configuration (note that the hardware must be sufficiently similar for this to work).