>Bryan J. Smith wrote: > >>Yes. DHCP is the successor to BOOTP that offers a superset of its >>functionality. But in the original BOOTP functionality, you would pass >>the filename the BOOTP client would retrieve from a TFTP server so it >>could boot. The file was then booted. >> >>This is how we have been installing workstations/servers in the UNIX >>world for 2+ _decades_ -- BOOTP+TFTP (plus, typically, an NFS mount). >>The PC only adopted it in more recent years. >> >>E.g., Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS) sets up the same >>thing (although uses a SMB mount after the BOOTP+TFTP). >> >> > >Thanks. > >So I guess I should take this as:- > > No, it is not possible just to put the ks file onto an FTP server along >with the install file. I have to have a proper DHCP server and TFTP.Nope, it's not true. I have ftp server, and in root directory I have all ks files for my servers. It is the same ftp server that servers as repository for ks instalations (every distribution has it's own subfolder). All i have to do is boot server from instalation CD, on boot prompt enter: linux ..ks=ftp://192.168.10.10/ks.cfg .... and in ks.cfg there is something like (i type this from head, search for exact line): url ftp://192.168.10.10/distrib1 and that's it
>>So I guess I should take this as:- >> >>No, it is not possible just to put the ks file onto an FTP server along >>with the install file. I have to have a proper DHCP server and TFTP. >> >> > >Nope, it's not true. I have ftp server, and in root directory I have all ks files for my servers. It is the same ftp server that servers as repository for ks instalations (every distribution has it's own subfolder). All i have to do is boot server from instalation CD, on boot prompt enter: > >linux ..ks=ftp://192.168.10.10/ks.cfg .... > >and in ks.cfg there is something like (i type this from head, search for exact line): > >url ftp://192.168.10.10/distrib1 > >and that's it > > > >That is how I thought it should work, but it just wouldn't ( for me) Anyways, I rechecked the RH docs and it turns out you can use HTTP for the kickstart files so I managed to get an autoinstall by using "linux ks=http://my.ip.address/kickstart/ksfile.ks". In theory it turns out that it should also be possible to have the config on a USB flash by using something like "linux ks=hd:sda1:/ksfile.ks" but I haven't tried that yet. If anyone else is interested, the link with all the available options is http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-4-Manual/sysadmin-guide/s1-kickstart2-startinginstall.html Thanks for all the posts, at least I've got somewhere. Regards Lee