[Sussex] Install via NFS

[Nic James Ferrier]

Colin Tuckley <colin at tuckley.org> writes:

> Gavin Stevens wrote:
>
>> I am quietly confident that at least one person will be honest & say
>> that they are unlikely ever to use it. I'll let you know.
>
> Thank you.
>
>> So is "booting over the network" different from using NFS?
>
> Yes, "booting over the network" means that the bootstrap knows about a boot
> server which contains a special format "boot image".
>
> "NFS" is a standard format Network File System, the bootstrap needs to be
> able to see this across the network as a normal hard drive.
>
> In the first case there is a file somewhere on a Network server that
> contains a kernel and other startup files. In the second case there is a
> complete filesystem (everything from / downwards) available which will be
> used to run the system after boot as well.

Or it could be an install image and you install from that.

This is the way boot for redhat and debian automated network install
works:

- client calls the dhcp server

- dhcp provides tftp location to download pxe booter and kernel

- client downloads pxe booter (pxelinux/syslinux) kernel and boot
  control file

- boot control file specifies root fs over nfs:

    append root=/dev/nfs ip=dhcp nfsroot=hostname:/someplace/nfsroot

- client boots kernel using the specified nfs server as root


Clearly, the root fs at the nfs mount point can be anything so
installer images are just as valid as a normal file system.



One of the things I am doing at the moment is setting up a system for
building debian network install machines. So you go to a webpage and
specify a few details and the webapp builds you an install machine
that you can use to network install machines on your lan.

Anybody here be interested in that?

-- 
Nic Ferrier
http://www.tapsellferrier.co.uk   for all your tapsell ferrier needs