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Chapter 7. Red Hat Network Website
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7.4.9.1. Introduction to Kickstart
Many system administrators would prefer to use an automated installation method to install Red Hat
Enterprise Linux on their machines. To answer this need, Red Hat created the kickstart installation
method. Using kickstart, a system administrator can create a single file containing the answers to all
the questions that would normally be asked during a typical installation.
Kickstart files can be kept on a single server system and read by individual computers during the
installation. This installation method can support the use of a single kickstart file to install Red Hat
Enterprise Linux on multiple machines, making it ideal for network and system administrators.
The
Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide
contains an in-depth discussion of
kickstart and is available here:
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/
.
7.4.9.1.1. Kickstart Explained
When a machine is to receive a network-based kickstart, the following events must occur in this order:
1. After being placed on the network and turned on, the machine's PXE logic broadcasts its MAC
address and a request to be discovered.
2. If a static IP address is not being used, the DHCP server recognizes the discovery request and
extends an offer of network information needed for the new machine to boot. This includes an IP
address, the default gateway to be used, the netmask of the network, the IP address of the TFTP
or HTTP server holding the bootloader program, and the full path and file name of that program
(relative to the server's root).
3. The machine applies the networking information and initiates a session with the server to request
the bootloader program.
4. The bootloader, once loaded, searches for its configuration file on the server from which it was
itself loaded. This file dictates which kernel and kernel options, such as the initial RAM disk
(initrd) image, should be executed on the booting machine. Assuming the bootloader program
is SYSLINUX, this file is located in the
pxelinux.cfg
directory on the server and named the
hexadecimal equivalent of the new machine's IP address. For example, a bootloader configuration
file for Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1 should contain:
port 0
prompt 0
timeout 1
default My_Label
label My_Label
kernel vmlinuz
append ks=http://myrhnsatellite/ initrd=initrd.img network apic
5. The machine accepts and uncompresses the init image and kernel, boots the kernel, and initiates
a kickstart installation with the options supplied in the bootloader configuration file, including the
server containing the kickstart configuration file.
6. This kickstart configuration file in turn directs the machine to the location of the installation files.
7. The new machine is built based upon the parameters established within the kickstart configuration
file.