Linux Troubleshooting Bible

A Kickstart Overview Kickstarting a machine refers to the client/server method by which you can set up a centralized server with the OS Install CD content on it and offer this data out to the network (either via FTP, HTTP, or NFS services)...

Starting Your Kickstart TemplatesThe nice thing about kickstart is that if you've ever installed Red Hat on a machine, you've created a kickstart config file without even knowing it. This file contains all the options that you entered durin...

Locking Down Desktops and ServersThis section covers some example settings you might want to add to your template workstation or server loads to lock them down, secure them, or just customize or standardize them for your enterprise environm...

Creating a Kickstart Provisioning ServerYou're going to love this part. All you have to do to create a kickstart server is to set up an FTP, HTTP, or NFS server and dump the CDs on it in an easy-to-reach place. It can even be password prote...

Centralizing and Standardizing Your Kickstart FilesNow that you have the CD content in place, I recommend also setting up your ks.cfg flies for your server, workstation, laptop loads, and so on out on a centralized web share with standard l...

Creating Your Kickstart Provisioning Boot MediaYou've got the kickstart server set up. You've modified the various ks.cfg files and have ks-server.cfg file and a ks-workstation.cfg files ready to be used remotely. Now let's take a moment an...

Testing Your New Kickstart MediaTesting your kickstart boot media is fairly simple. Pop in the bootdisk.img floppy or boot.iso CD, verify that the machine BIOS is set to boot off that media, that your networking hardware is all connected, a...

Troubleshooting Common Kickstart ProblemsKickstarting systems entail a ton of client-side, boot media, network-related, and server-related issues. It can be a real bear to track clown kickstart provisioning issues even for experienced admin...

Kickstart Troubleshooting ReferencesIt's hard to find good information on kickstart installs if you don't even know what questions to ask. So Table 4-2 contains a few time-tried resources that will help round out some of the more detailed a...

SummaryThe ability to standardize and automate your enterprise OS installs is critical for doing business effectively. Red Hat/Fedora Core allows you to add value by allowing detailed customization of automated enterprise installs with open...