Chapter 6 Preconfiguring System Configuration Information

• "Choose a Method for Preconfiguring"

• "Preconfiguring With the sysidcfg File"

• "Preconfiguring With the Name Service"

• "Preconfiguring Power Management Information"

The Solaris installation program needs to obtain configuration information about a system (such as the system's peripheral devices, host name, IP address, name service) before it can install the system. Before prompting the user for the configuration information, the installation program looks for the information in either the specified sysidcfg file or the name service databases (in that order).

This section describes how to preconfigure the information in a sysidcfg file or in the name service databases, so you can avoid being prompted for the information every time you install a system. For example, if you have a large number of systems and you don't want to be prompted for the time zone every time you install one of the systems, you can preconfigure the time zone and have it automatically set during each installation. Preconfiguring system configuration information is one of the most important steps to completely automate custom JumpStart installations.

Choose a Method for Preconfiguring

There are two ways to preconfigure system configuration information. You can add the information to:

• A sysidcfg file (on a remote system or a diskette).

• The name service available at your site.

Use Table 6-1 to determine which method to use to preconfigure system configuration information.

Preconfiguring With the sysidcfg File

The sysidcfg file preconfigures the information through a set of keywords that specify the pieces of information you want to preconfigure. The keywords are described in Table 6-2. You can choose to provide one or more of the keywords to preconfigure as much information as you want.

Every system that requires different configuration information must have a different sysidcfg file. For example, you could use the same sysidcfg file to preconfigure the time zone for multiple systems if you wanted all the systems to have the same time zone. However, if you wanted to preconfigure a different root password for each of those systems, then each system would need to have its own sysidcfg file.

The sysidcfg file can reside on a shared NFS network directory or the root directory on a UFS or PCFS diskette in the system's diskette drive. If you put the sysidcfg file on a shared NFS network directory, you must use the -p option of the add_install_client command (when you set up the system to install over the network) to specify where the system can find the sysidcfg file when it installs.

If you put the sysidcfg file on a diskette, you must make sure the diskette is in the system's diskette drive when the system boots (on x86 based systems, the sysidcfg file should reside on the Configuration Assistant diskette). Also, if you are using a profile diskette, the sysidcfg file should reside on the profile diskette.

Only one sysidcfg file can reside in a directory or diskette. If you are creating more than one sysidcfg file, each file must reside in a different directory or diskette.

Syntax Rules

SPARC: Example sysidcfg File

The following example is a sysidcfg file for a group of SPARC based systems. (The host names, IP addresses, and netmask of these systems have been preconfigured by editing the name service.) Because all the system configuration information has been preconfigured, an automated installation can be created by using a custom JumpStart profile.

system_locale=en_US
timezone=US/Central
terminal=sun-cmd
timeserver=localhost
name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
                  name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}
root_password=m4QPOWNY
system_locale=C

x86: Example sysidcfg File

The following example is a sysidcfg file created for a group of x86 based systems that all have the same keyboard, graphics cards, and pointing devices. The device information (keyboard, display, and pointer)was captured from running kdmconfig -d. In this example, users would see the prompt to select a language (system_locale) for displaying the rest of the Solaris installation program.

keyboard=ATKBD {layout=US-English}
display=ati {size=15-inch}
pointer=MS-S
timezone=US/Central
timeserver=connor
terminal=AT386
name_service=NIS {domain_name=marquee.central.sun.com
                  name_server=connor(129.152.112.3)}
root_password=URFUni9

How to Create a sysidcfg Configuration File

1. Open a text file (it must be named sysidcfg) using the editor of your choice.

   ---

   Note -

   If you create multiple sysidcfg files, each one must be in a separate directory or diskette.

   ---

2. Enter the sysidcfg keywords shown in Table 6-2 for the system configuration information you want to preconfigure.

   Table 6-2 sysidcfg Keywords

   Configuration Information	Platform	Keywords	Where to Find Values/Example
   Name service, domain name, name server	All	name_service=NIS, NIS+, OTHER, NONE {domain_name=domain_name name_server=hostname(ip_address)}	name_service=NIS {domain_name=chandy.West.Arp.COM name_server=timber(129.221.2.1)}
   Network interface, host name, IP address, netmask	All	network_interface=NONE, PRIMARY, value {hostname=host_name ip_address=ip_address netmask=netmask}	network_interface=le0 {hostname=feron ip_address=129.222.2.1 netmask=255.255.0.0}
   Root password	All	root_password=root_password	Encrypted from /etc/shadow.
   Language in which to display the install program and desktop	All	system_locale=locale	The /usr/lib/locale directory or Appendix E, Language and Locale Values provides the valid language and locale values.
   Teminal type	All	terminal=terminal_type	The subdirectories in the /usr/share/lib/terminfo directory provide the valid terminal values.
   Time zone	All	timezone=timezone	The directories and files in the /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo directory provide the valid time zone values. The time zone value is the pathname relative to the /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo directory. For example, the time zone value for the Mountain Standard Time in the United States is US/Mountain; the time zone value for Japan is Japan.
   Time and date	All	timeserver=localhost, hostname, ip_address	If you specify localhost as the time server, the system's time is assumed to be correct. If you specify the hostname or ip_address (if you are not running a name service) of a system, that system's time is used to set the time.
   Monitor type	x86	monitor=monitor_type	Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file.
   Keyboard language, keyboard layout	x86	keyboard=keyboard_language {layout=value}	Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file.
   Graphics card, color depth, display resolution, screen size	x86	display=graphics_card {size=screen_size depth=color_depth resolution=screen_resolution}	Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file.
   Pointing device, number of buttons, IRQ level	x86	pointer=pointing_device {nbuttons=number_buttons irq=value}	Run kdmconfig -d filename; append output to sysidcfg file.

3. Save the sysidcfg file.

4. Make the sysidcfg file available to clients through:

   • A shared NFS network directory (add_install_client command using the -p option)

   • The root directory on a PCFS or UFS diskette

Preconfiguring With the Name Service

Preconfiguring system configuration information by editing the name service (NIS or NIS+) is recommended for SPARC based systems. The following table gives a high-level overview of what you need to do.

The procedure to preconfigure the language or locale for a system is different for each name service. See "How to Preconfigure Language or Locale Using NIS" or "Preconfigure Language or Locale Using NIS+".

How to Preconfigure Language or Locale Using NIS

1. As root on the name server, edit the /var/yp/Makefile file.

   Add the following text after the other *.time entries.

   locale.time: $(DIR)/locale -@if [ -f $(DIR)/locale ]; then \ sed -e "/^#/d" -e s/#.*$$// $(DIR)/locale \ | awk '{for (i = 2; i<=NF; i++) print $$i, $$0}' \ | $(MAKEDBM) - $(YPDBDIR)/$(DOM)/locale.byname; \ touch locale.time; \ echo "updated locale"; \ if [ ! $(NOPUSH) ]; then \ $(YPPUSH) locale.byname; \ echo "pushed locale"; \ else \ : ; \ fi \ else \ echo "couldn't find $(DIR)/locale"; \ fi

2. Add locale to the line starting with the word all and add locale: locale.time on a new line.

   all: passwd group host ethers networks rpc services protocols netgroup bootparams aliases \ timezone locale locale: locale.time

3. Create the file /etc/locale and make one entry for each domain or a specific system.

   locale domain_name

   or

   locale system_name

   For example, the following line specifies French to be the default language for the worknet.com domain:

   ---

   fr worknet.com

   ---

   For example, the following line specifies French Belgium to be the default locale for a system named sherlock:

   ---

   fr_BE sherlock

   ---

   See Appendix E, Language and Locale Values for a list of valid language and locale values.

   ---

   Note -

   Not all languages or locales are available on all Solaris CDs. The language or locale you select will be used for installation if it is on the Solaris CD.

   ---

4. Make the maps.

   # cd /var/yp; make

Systems specified by domain or individually in the locale map are now set up to use the default language or locale. The default language or locale you've specified will be used during the installation and for the desktop after the system is rebooted.

Preconfigure Language or Locale Using NIS+

This procedure assumes the NIS+ domain is set up. Setting up the NIS+ domain is documented in the Solaris Naming Administration Guide.

1. Log in to a name server as root or as a user in the NIS+ admin group.

2. Use the following nistbladm command to create the locale table.

   # nistbladm -D access=og=rmcd,nw=r -c locale_tbl name=SI,nogw= locale=,nogw= comment=,nogw= locale.org_dir.'nisdefaults -d'

3. Add an entry to the locale table by typing the following nistbladm command.

   # nistbladm -a name=domain_name locale=locale comment=comment locale.org_dir.'nisdefaults -d'

   domain_name	Is either the domain name or a specific system name for which you want to preconfigure a default language or locale.
   locale	Is the language or locale you want installed on the system and for displaying the desktop after the system is rebooted. See Appendix E, Language and Locale Values for a list of valid language and locale values.
   comment	Is the comment field. Use double quotation marks to begin and end comments that are longer than one word.

   ---

   Note -

   Not all languages or locales are available on all Solaris CDs. The language or locale you select will be used for installation if it is on the Solaris CD.

   ---

Systems specified by domain or individually in the locale table are now set up to use the default language or locale. The default language or locale you've specified will be used during the installation and for the desktop after the system is rebooted.

Preconfiguring Power Management Information

The Power Management software provided by Solaris can be used to automatically save the state of a system and power it off after it is idle for 30 minutes. When you install the Solaris software on SPARC based systems of the sun4u platform group (and any other systems that are compliant with Version 2 of the EPA's Energy Star guidelines), the Power Management software is installed by default, and you are prompted after the subsequent reboot to enable or disable the Power Management software.

If you are performing interactive installations, there is no way to preconfigure the Power Management Information and avoid the prompt. However, with custom JumpStart installations, you can preconfigure the Power Management information by using a finish script to create an /autoshutdown or /noautoshutdown file on the system. When the system reboots, the /autoshutdown file enables Power Management and the /noautoshutdown file disables Power Management.

For example, the following line in a finish script enables the Power Management software and avoids the prompt after the system reboots.

touch /a/autoshutdown

For more information about finish scripts, see "Creating Finish Scripts".