Using Cobbler with SuSE

Using Cobbler to install SuSE and derivatives

See Cobbler and cobbler_byname for basics.

Stupid cobbler trick: using cobbler to set up the PXE environment for SuSE, SLES, and SLED PXE installations.

• expand your distro somewhere; in my example the root is fs4:/export/os/SLES-10
• in $ROOT/boot/i386/loader:

  # cp linux vmlinuz

• add your distro:

  # cobbler distro add --name="SLES-10" --kernel=/net/fs4/export/os/SLES-10/boot/i386/loader/vmlinux --initrd=/net/fs4/export/os/SLES-10/boot/i386/loader/initrd

• create your profile:

  # cobbler profile add --name="SLES-10-interactive" --distro="SLES-10" --kopts="install=nfs://fs4/export/os/SLES-10" --kick-start="http://netbackup/ks/interactive.cfg"

• Define your system:

  # cobbler_byname --host "fsdisk" --profile SLES-10-interactive

• Sync:

  # cobbler sync

Notes:

• tested with cobbler v 0.3.6 and cobbler_byname v0.3.6, both running on a Solaris system.
• you have to copy the linux file since cobbler seems to require the kernel name vmlinuz. I have not decided if this should be raised as a bug, since it is really only a bug if you want to install non-RedHat family OSs.
• I don't know if the kick-start parameter is strictly speaking required since it isn't actually used.
• if you have an autoyast file around, presumably you can add the autoyast=nfs://netbackup/os/SLES-10/profiles/profile.xml (as appropriate) to the kopts parameter and you'll get an autoyast install instead of an interactive one.