One time network boot of Jumpstart x86 client


 
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Operating Systems Solaris One time network boot of Jumpstart x86 client
# 1  
Old 10-07-2008
One time network boot of Jumpstart x86 client

I am trying to find an approach that has been effective for automating the installation of Solaris 10 x86 using Jumpstart technology. I have configured an Jumpstart server and a Solaris dhcp server with appropriate macros for passing the client information about its boot environment. The problem is that x86 systems cannot be told to network boot like sparc systems (ie. boot net - install). Instead, the x86 systems have to have their boot list modified in bios. So I set the first boot device as NIC and second device as the hdd. I pxe boot the machine and it starts up and goes through the Jumpstart installation process. However, because the first boot device is set to nic, the Jumpstart installation process starts again after the previous is finished, thus creating an infinite loop of Jumpstart installations. Has someone come up with an effective solution to breaking this sequence so that the system only network boots once? I should also specify that the x86 clients are standard dell systems without service processors.
# 2  
Old 10-07-2008
Usually when I'm building x86 servers using Jumpstart the drives do not have an OS on them, so the phase that boots from disk fails and then tries network, which kicks off the Jumpstart, once built the next reboot boots from disk normally. I do not know of a way to tell the BIOS from Jumpstart to change the boot priority.
Some systems, like the X2200, give the option to hit a key during BIOS load to boot from network for that boot. I use that a lot too.
# 3  
Old 10-07-2008
Here's an idea... after it boots and starts the jumpstart, take it out of dhcp so it cannot boot a second time from network.
# 4  
Old 10-07-2008
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perderabo
Here's an idea... after it boots and starts the jumpstart, take it out of dhcp so it cannot boot a second time from network.
Ah yes, good idea, and it can be done with a script from the JS server!
# 5  
Old 10-07-2008
That sounds like a good idea, but since I am looking to automate this, how could I determine when the appropriate time to remove it from dhcp is? I am developing an application that drives this so I wouldn't be able to put a specific time limit (as we know it can vary from system to system), what I need is some trigger or event that indicates the client has successfully finished the boot process. Any thoughts?
# 6  
Old 10-08-2008
put it in the finish script. the rules file has a field for scripts that run at the end of the jumpstart process.
# 7  
Old 10-08-2008
Perhaps I misunderstood then. I thought "taking it out of dhcp" meant running a command on the dhcp server to remove the client from receiving a dhcp address. But you're saying have the client issue a command, so are you referring to configuring the client to run as static instead of dhcp? or which command would be executed in the post install script?
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