CentOS - Jan 2011 - Cold install kernel .config file

Convey uses a highly modified CentOS kernel to work with our attach  
coprocessor.  Currently to setup a system for delivery we do a cold  
install using a "stock" CentOS cold install using kickstart.  During  
that cold install we lay down our modified kernel and reboot the  
system with that kernel.  After the reboot we are able to access the  
coprocessor management processor and down load updated firmware then  
reboot the system to have a completed install.

My goal is to be able to boot a "modified" kernel on the cold install
step so we can download the firmware updates and eliminate the second  
boot.

I have tried using using the bzImage generated from the modified  
kernel build but that kernel fails to be able to load the kickstart  
file :-(

I have done searches trying to find the .config file used to build the  
kernel booted during cold install but have had no luck.

I am guessing I have either have too much or too little included in  
the kernel.   I tried to make sure everything I thought was needed  
were not modules but included in the kernel.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
---
Tom Murphy
Platform Support
Convey Computer
1-866-338-1768
tmurphy at conveycomputer.com
Support Site: http://conveysupport.com/
Support Ticket : http://rt.conveysupport.com/



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On Fri, 2011-01-28 at 15:19 -0600, Tom G Murphy wrote:

Nothing hard about doing this I do it a lot.....

My RT KickStart built into isolinux
%post
# Update the Install
# We pull in our kern.repo file for updates. Magic!
yum -y install -c http://192.168.2.200/kicks/kern.repo kernel-rt
# Clean out the filth.
yum clean all

Tom G Murphy wrote, On 01/28/2011 04:19 PM:
> 
<SNIP>
> My goal is to be able to boot a "modified" kernel on the cold
install
> step so we can download the firmware updates and eliminate the second boot.
> 
> I have tried using using the bzImage generated from the modified kernel
> build but that kernel fails to be able to load the kickstart file :-(
> 
But it does boot with out errors?
Can you install (just CentOS) using it but without using the kickstart file?
> I have done searches trying to find the .config file used to build the
> kernel booted during cold install but have had no luck.
> 
> I am guessing I have either have too much or too little included in the
> kernel.   I tried to make sure everything I thought was needed were not
> modules but included in the kernel.
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions?
> ---
Are you starting with the kernel SRPM from CentOS?

When I did something similar for a system needing to boot from USB on RHEL 4, I
started with the
srpm for the kernel that matched the kernel that would be installed by the
"cold install",  and used
the config files that came in it.
I had to mod the config file to force all the USB physical devices I new were
going to be used in
the install process to be built in, IIRC I figured out that I did not want to
mess with all the
modules and I did not want to mess with the contents of the initrd provided by
RH (it broke bad
anytime I did), so I ONLY forced with the USB to not be a module and let the
other modules be
provided by the contents of the original initrd.

secondary trick, change all the "%define build*"s in the spec file
that you don't need to 0.
it speeds up the build a lot.

-- 
Todd Denniston
Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane)
Harnessing the Power of Technology for the Warfighter

On 01/28/2011 09:19 PM, Tom G Murphy wrote:
> I am guessing I have either have too much or too little included in the
> kernel. I tried to make sure everything I thought was needed were not
> modules but included in the kernel.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions?
use the %post thing as John pointed out, and kexec the new install. What 
you have there is clearly not CentOS, so you should have no reason to 
not break it further up to achieve the tech path you desire.

- KB