Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3: System Administration Guide
Prev | Chapter 9. Kickstart Installations | Next

# 9.10. Starting a Kickstart Installation

To begin a kickstart installation, you must boot the system from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot diskette, Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot CD-ROM, or the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1 and enter a special boot command at the boot prompt. The installation program looks for a kickstart file if the `ks` command line argument is passed to the kernel.

Boot Diskette

  If the kickstart file is located on a boot diskette as described in Section 9.8.1 Creating a Kickstart Boot Diskette, boot the system with the diskette in the drive, and enter the following command at the `boot:` prompt:

      linux ks=floppy

CD-ROM #1 and Diskette

  The `linux ks=floppy` command also works if the `ks.cfg` file is located on a vfat or ext2 file system on a diskette and you boot from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1.

  An alternate boot command is to boot off the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD-ROM #1 and have the kickstart file on a vfat or ext2 file system on a diskette. To do so, enter the following command at the `boot:` prompt:

      linux ks=hd:fd0:/ks.cfg

With Driver Disk

  If you need to use a driver disk with kickstart, specify the `dd` option as well. For example, to boot off a boot diskette and use a driver disk, enter the following command at the `boot:` prompt:

      linux ks=floppy dd

Boot CD-ROM

  If the kickstart file is on a boot CD-ROM as described in Section 9.8.2 Creating a Kickstart Boot CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM into the system, boot the system, and enter the following command at the `boot:` prompt (where `ks.cfg` is the name of the kickstart file):

      linux ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg

Other options to start a kickstart installation are as follows:

`ks=nfs:`<server>`:/`<path>``

  The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the NFS server `<server>`, as file `<path>`. The installation program will use DHCP to configure the Ethernet card. For example, if your NFS server is server.example.com and the kickstart file is in the NFS share `/mydir/ks.cfg`, the correct boot command would be `ks=nfs:server.example.com:/mydir/ks.cfg`.

`ks=http://`<server>`/`<path>``

  The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the HTTP server `<server>`, as file `<path>`. The installation program will use DHCP to configure the Ethernet card. For example, if your HTTP server is server.example.com and the kickstart file is in the HTTP directory `/mydir/ks.cfg`, the correct boot command would be `ks=http://server.example.com/mydir/ks.cfg`.

`ks=floppy`

  The installation program looks for the file `ks.cfg` on a vfat or ext2 file system on the diskette in `/dev/fd0`.

`ks=floppy:/`<path>``

  The installation program will look for the kickstart file on the diskette in `/dev/fd0`, as file `<path>`.

`ks=hd:`<device>`:/`<file>``

  The installation program will mount the file system on `<device>` (which must be vfat or ext2), and look for the kickstart configuration file as `<file>` in that file system (for example, `ks=hd:sda3:/mydir/ks.cfg`).

`ks=file:/`<file>``

  The installation program will try to read the file `<file>` from the file system; no mounts will be done. This is normally used if the kickstart file is already on the `initrd` image.

`ks=cdrom:/`<path>``

  The installation program will look for the kickstart file on CD-ROM, as file `<path>`.

`ks`

  If `ks` is used alone, the installation program will configure the Ethernet card to use DHCP. The kickstart file is read from the "bootServer" from the DHCP response as if it is an NFS server sharing the kickstart file. By default, the bootServer is the same as the DHCP server. The name of the kickstart file is one of the following:

  - If DHCP is specified and the bootfile begins with a `/`, the bootfile provided by DHCP is looked for on the NFS server.

  - If DHCP is specified and the bootfile begins with something other then a `/`, the bootfile provided by DHCP is looked for in the `/kickstart` directory on the NFS server.

  - If DHCP did not specify a bootfile, then the installation program tries to read the file `/kickstart/1.2.3.4-kickstart`, where `1.2.3.4` is the numeric IP address of the machine being installed.

`ksdevice=`<device>``

  The installation program will use this network device to connect to the network. For example, to start a kickstart installation with the kickstart file on an NFS server that is connected to the system through the eth1 device, use the command `ks=nfs:`<server>`:/`<path>` ksdevice=eth1` at the `boot:` prompt.

Prev | Home | Next
Making the Installation Tree Available | Up | Kickstart Configurator