Network installation options

I'm confused with the documentation about Solaris network installation.

Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
same subnet.

Jumpstart documentation claims that the boot server must reside on the
same subnet with the machines being installed. It doesn't say what the
boot server does (or I couldn't find that information). Is this really
necessary? I also don't have the liberty to mess with the DHCP servers.

There is something called WAN boot, which works over HTTP and doesn't
require any server on the local subnet, but it seems it only supports
flash install. I don't quite understand what flash archive is, but it
seems that it's just a copy of all the files on a system. Which means
that the hardware on the master and clone systems must be identical. At
least the network card(s). I don't have a spare T2000 at the moment, so
flash doesn't seem like an option.

Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
the local subnet?

--
.-. .-. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely
(_ \ / _) ceremonial.
|
| dave-at-fly.srk.fer.hr

On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:26:56 +0000 (UTC), Drazen Kacar wrote:
> I'm confused with the documentation about Solaris network installation.
>
> Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
> probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
> same subnet.

Why not? It could be a laptop.

> Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
> the local subnet?

No. ARP/RARP only works at Layer 2.

I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be.

--
* John Oliver http://www.john-oliver.net/ *

John Oliver wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:26:56 +0000 (UTC), Drazen Kacar wrote:
> > I'm confused with the documentation about Solaris network installation.
> >
> > Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
> > probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
> > same subnet.
>
> Why not? It could be a laptop.

I know. However, I don't control the network. There might already be a
DHCP server on the subnet, but not under my control. Besides, I doubt
that I can get an ethernet connector for the subnet outside the system
room, and I really don't want to spend time there.

> > Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
> > the local subnet?
>
> No. ARP/RARP only works at Layer 2.

What's the purpose of the boot server?

> I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be.

Well, it's a customer location. The systems will be in a rack and I want
to assign IP address to ALOM with the serial cable, then go to wherever I
can plug my laptop in the network and install the OSs from it. That's
the simplest scenario I can come up with.

I don't have any control over network, subnets or network infrastructure
(like DHCP servers). Any request for something will introduce days of
delay. Dubugging DHCP setup might take weeks. I can't afford that.

--
.-. .-. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely
(_ \ / _) ceremonial.
|
| dave-at-fly.srk.fer.hr

In article ,
Drazen Kacar wrote:

> I'm confused with the documentation about Solaris network installation.
>
> Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
> probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
> same subnet.
>
> Jumpstart documentation claims that the boot server must reside on the
> same subnet with the machines being installed. It doesn't say what the
> boot server does (or I couldn't find that information). Is this really
> necessary? I also don't have the liberty to mess with the DHCP servers.

If you boot without DHCP, you'll have to setup a multihomed boot host or
setup s machine to boot on each network segment. Sorry, that's the way
it works.

>
> There is something called WAN boot, which works over HTTP and doesn't
> require any server on the local subnet, but it seems it only supports
> flash install. I don't quite understand what flash archive is, but it
> seems that it's just a copy of all the files on a system. Which means
> that the hardware on the master and clone systems must be identical. At
> least the network card(s). I don't have a spare T2000 at the moment, so
> flash doesn't seem like an option.

Yep. Flash is for taking a "flash archive" picture of a system, then
using that archive to restore the hosed system or duplicating it on
identical hardware.

>
> Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
> the local subnet?

Nope. Looks like you'll have to take that liberty with DHCP or buy a
bunch of machines.

--
DeeDee, don't press that button! DeeDee! NO! Dee...
[I filter all Goggle Groups posts, so any reply may be automatically by ignored]

Drazen Kacar wrote:
> Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
> probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
> same subnet.

I'm assuming you'll have OpenBOOT access?

I do believe it's possible. Check out:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/820...view&q=wanboot

I haven't actually tried this myself, but it looks interesting enough that
I think I'll play with it.

> Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
> the local subnet?

If you can get the machine booted and running, the location of the install
server shouldn't really matter. If you're willing to share NFS to a
remote machine, the only real problem should be performance.

I'm going to play and see what I can see.

--
Brandon Hume - hume -> BOFH.Ca, http://WWW.BOFH.Ca/

In hume.spamfilter-at-bofh.ca writes:

>Drazen Kacar wrote:
>> Basically, I want to install Solaris on several T2000 machines and I
>> probably won't have the luxury of having the installation server in the
>> same subnet.

>I'm assuming you'll have OpenBOOT access?

If you're using the traditional method `boot net - install nowin',
you'll need a RARP server, a TFTP server, and a bootparams server on
the same network as the boot client. The `setup_install_server' and
`add_install_client' commands on the DVD will do this for you. The
man page is worth reading.

--
-Gary Mills- -Unix Support- -U of M Academic Computing and Networking-

Drazen Kacar wrote:
> Jumpstart documentation claims that the boot server must reside on the
> same subnet with the machines being installed. It doesn't say what the
> boot server does (or I couldn't find that information). Is this really
> necessary?

For traditional jumpstart this is correct.

> I also don't have the liberty to mess with the DHCP servers.

DHCP jumpstart does not have that limitation.

> There is something called WAN boot, which works over HTTP and doesn't
> require any server on the local subnet, but it seems it only supports
> flash install.

Correct.

> I don't quite understand what flash archive is, but it
> seems that it's just a copy of all the files on a system. Which means
> that the hardware on the master and clone systems must be identical. At
> least the network card(s). I don't have a spare T2000 at the moment, so
> flash doesn't seem like an option.

No, not quite. It's basically an image bundle. The hardware doesn't
have to be identical.

> Is there a way to remotely install Solaris without having boot server on
> the local subnet?

WANboot and DHCP jumpstart.

--
Darren

Drazen Kacar wrote:
>> No. ARP/RARP only works at Layer 2.
>
> What's the purpose of the boot server?

To provide a boot loader and OS to the server.

On SPARC hardware, the first method uses RARP for gathering an IP
address from a network server. RARP packets can't be routed easily, so
only servers in the local broadcast domain can answer.

DHCP has extra information in the packet to make routing possible, so it
can function off-subnet if the network is configured to support it. As
you mentioned, you would probably need to modify the DHCP server to
supply necessary information.

>> I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be.
>
> Well, it's a customer location. The systems will be in a rack and I want
> to assign IP address to ALOM with the serial cable, then go to wherever I
> can plug my laptop in the network and install the OSs from it. That's
> the simplest scenario I can come up with.
>
> I don't have any control over network, subnets or network infrastructure
> (like DHCP servers). Any request for something will introduce days of
> delay. Dubugging DHCP setup might take weeks. I can't afford that.

Some might suggest that you use your laptop and connect to the customer
machine directly (like with a crossover cable). You don't have the
luxury of being able to access other networks, but it does get the
customer machine booted without having to make network changes.

--
Darren

Darren Dunham wrote:
> Drazen Kacar wrote:

> > seems that it's just a copy of all the files on a system. Which means
> > that the hardware on the master and clone systems must be identical. At
> > least the network card(s). I don't have a spare T2000 at the moment, so
> > flash doesn't seem like an option.
>
> No, not quite. It's basically an image bundle. The hardware doesn't
> have to be identical.

The documentation says that the kernel architecture has to be the same,
ie. flash archive for sun4v has to be prepared on the sun4v hardware.
Which I don't have at hand. :-(

--
.-. .-. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely
(_ \ / _) ceremonial.
|
| dave-at-fly.srk.fer.hr

Darren Dunham wrote:
> Drazen Kacar wrote:
> >> No. ARP/RARP only works at Layer 2.
> >
> > What's the purpose of the boot server?
>
> To provide a boot loader and OS to the server.
>
> On SPARC hardware, the first method uses RARP for gathering an IP
> address from a network server. RARP packets can't be routed easily, so
> only servers in the local broadcast domain can answer.

Yeah, but one can supply IP address etc. for the boot command, so that
doesn't require extra server for setup. There's just the small question
of boot loader. :-(

> > I don't have any control over network, subnets or network infrastructure
> > (like DHCP servers). Any request for something will introduce days of
> > delay. Dubugging DHCP setup might take weeks. I can't afford that.
>
> Some might suggest that you use your laptop and connect to the customer
> machine directly (like with a crossover cable).

I could do that by using one of the ethernet connectors provided for
machines which won't run Solaris. It's just it requires my extended
physical presence in conditions which are basically a health hazzard.
Which I'm also trying to avoid. :-)

--
.-. .-. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely
(_ \ / _) ceremonial.
|
| dave-at-fly.srk.fer.hr