Unable to install redhat 6.4 using kickstart on x3690 server
Hi,
I am trying to install redhat linux server 6.4 on x3690 X5 server. When i insert the rhel 6.4 iso I get the gnu grub menu, I don't get the option to hit the tab key to get to the boot prompt where I can insert my kickstart command.
The grub menu comes up with 3 options
- red hat enterprise linux 6.4
- install system with basic video driver
- rescue
"use the up arrow and down arrow keys to select which entry is highlighted. Press enter to boot the selected OS, 'e' to edit the commands before booting, 'a' to modify the kernel arguments before booting, or 'c' for command-line"
At this point when I press the 'tab' key I don't get the boot option where I can put my kickstart http details.
When I press the 'e' key I get further 2 options:
kernel /images/pxeboot/vmlinuz
initrd /images/pxeboot/initrd.img
I change the initrd to initrd /images/pxeboot/initrdtest and then boot, the server then boots from the DVD. Which then allows me to do a fresh install of Linux. I don't get the option to put my http kickstart details.
Any ideas?
Ketan
Responses
Guru
6863 points
This is a TOTAL guess. Have you tried changing the BIOS/EFI to boot from legacy (or if it is currently set to legacy, try changing to EFI). Otherwise, your F12 boot options may allow you to select Legacy vs EFI at boot time.
I seriously doubt this will work, but I would try booting and editing the grub and try putting the Kickstart information after the kernel entry.
ks=http://server/ks/mykickstart.ks dns=
Guru
6863 points
Could be a number of potential issues:
* If you have a RAID controller and did not create a LUN
* RAID controller support might not be included (yet) in 6.4 (I believe you can define a "driver's disk" using a URL though
* the drives may be numbered in a way you're not expecting...
I would try to boot the system from the install DVD and check out what the drive letters are and that the controller is recognized. On my systems (non-IBM) some of them have an SD card on the RAID controller which takes /dev/sda, or the installation media takes /dev/sda - it can be a real pain. I believe it was Dell who created a declaration ONBIOSDISK which may also work for other hardware platforms. Figuring out your actual BIOSDISK number requires a bit of work.
Guru
6827 points
Ketan,
I believe I may have the answer, and to summarize:
- Your intention is to perform a kickstart...
- You boot into either the DVD/boot iso/boot disk
- You have no option go to type the typical kickstart boot command such as the next line in the box below:
linux ks=http://yoursatserver.fqdn.com/cblr/etc/etc/yourkickstart.cfg:2:orgname dns=123.123.123.121 ip=123.123.123.122 gateway=123.123.123.1 ksdevice=eth0 netmask=255.255.255.0 "
I faced this and found the answer was simple for a rhel 6 kickstart -
Boot from the install media and hit the Esc key and the ability to type your kickstart boot prompt appears.
- The amusing part of this, a long time ago, I searched a lot of documentation and could find NOTHING for this and accidentally found it when my hand happened to hit the Esc key at the top left of your keyboard.
UPDATE: However, I finally found the Red Hat Documentation for this bit here at the very END of paragraph 7.1.1.
Quote from link above:
Alternatively, press the Esc key to access the boot: prompt,
at which you can enter additional boot options as described
in Section 7.1.3, “Additional Boot Options”.
Sadly, the boot menu graphic does not go out if it's way to tell a person to hit 'Esc' to enter the kickstart boot options/commands.
Kind Regards,
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
Just boot into the boot media and when you see this graphic, hit the Esc key before the time out and then type in your kickstart boot statement (see my previous example)
Guru
6827 points
If you are doing this through a virtual console, you may have to click into the console to make the keyboard active.
Guru
6827 points
From your original post, it seemed like your intention is to kickstart this system. Is that true? If so, boot from the boot media (if this is the case, you may have to change your boot options so you boot from the actual boot media).
Do you wish to kickstart this system? I suspected you wanted to do this based on the first paragraph of your original post:
--- Quote
I am trying to install redhat linux server 6.4 on x3690 X5 server.
When i insert the rhel 6.4 iso I get the gnu grub menu, I don't
get the option to hit the tab key to get to the boot prompt where
I can insert my kickstart command.
--- End Quote
- If you wish to perform a kickstart, you can boot into the boot media, hit Esc, and then type in your kickstart boot command from the boot media. Was it your intention to perform a kickstart of the system you speak of?
Kind Regards,
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
Go to your bios and make sure the cd/dvd is the first option to boot from. It seems a partial install may have occurred on your system and it is attempting to boot but has no where to go but a broken grub.
- Check your bios or whatever setup you have to ensure your cd/dvd is the first option to boot from
- Boot from your boot media
- when you see this graphic hit esc and type in... (see next line)
- type in the kickstart boot command such as what I mentioned (adjust for your environment, and make sure the kickstart web server is up, permissions proper, or satellite server is operating).
Guru
6827 points
updated
Hi Ketan,
Bear with me..
If you plan on kickstarting the system, are you able to do the following?
- Boot into the boot media
- when you see this graphic hit the esc key and type in... (see next line)
- type in the kickstart boot command such as what I mentioned (adjust for your environment, and make sure the kickstart web server is up, permissions proper, or satellite server is operating).
Guru
6827 points
UPDATED
Ketan,
When we kickstart a system, we do the following
1) boot from the boot media,
2) hit Esc,
3) and type in the kickstart boot command (see example in previous post).
If you are kickstarting a system with a SAN/NAS/RAID attached, make sure to take all precautions to avert wiping your SAN/NAS/RAID if you wish to retain that data. perhaps disconnect your SAN/NAS fibre channel cards, or your RAID array (unless you don't mind wiping it clean).
May not be available to post for a while.
Kind Regards,
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
updated
Ketan,
You [really] can start the kickstart from the boot media and point it to your web-based kickstart.
1) Just BOOT FROM THE BOOT MEDIA
2) Then HIT the Esc Key
3) Then TYPE IN THE KICKSTART BOOT COMMAND (such as the example I posted much earlier)
I [really, no kidding] do kickstarts such as this all the time pointing to my satellite server.
Guru
6827 points
Ketan,
Apologies, I was not clear, you can use the RHEL server 6.4 binary DVD install disk to perform the kicsktart!! You do not need to make the mere boot disk.
So where I say "boot media" in the previous posts in this discussion, know that you can certainly use your installation disk.
If you want to build at RHEL 6.4, and build from your cdrom directly then make sure "cdrom" is in your kickstart file.
Side question - are you using a satellite server for the kickstart?
Kind Regards,
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
Ketan,
Apologies, I was not clear, you can use the RHEL server 6.4 binary DVD install disk to perform the kicsktart!! You do not need to make or download the mere boot disk!
So where I say "boot media" in the previous posts in this discussion, know that you can certainly use your installation disk.
Side question - are you using a satellite server for the kickstart?
Kind Regards,
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
Hi Ketan,
I do kickstarts all the time with a DVD to my satellite server
I do the following:
1) boot from the install media (such as the disk you described), however if I kickstart to rhel 6.5, I use a rhel 6.5 server disk
2) Hit the Esc key
3) type in the kickstart boot command pointing to your satellite server kickstart image
I use this kickstart method quite often.
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
UPDATED
Ketan,
I've had this happen to me...
I think I mentioned previously, it seems somehow a grub partition is on that system disk. Once you can get that out of the way, I believe your kickstart will work fine. You can either wipe that partition with a linux rescue and fdisk procedure, or perhaps via the kickstart using the clearpart --ondrive=sda (or whatever your OS disk is), and make sure there is a bootloader directive in your kickstart file, OR using your RAID BIOS.
If you can, go into the installation DVD and
- Select linux rescue and mount the sytem disk (use the chroot /mnt/sysimage)
- use fdisk to very carefully fdisk delete the boot partition where the grub is getting in the way
- retry the kickstart
- see if your kickstart has clearpart --drives=sda (or whatever your OS disk will be).
Wipe that partition and then retry your kickstart.
ADDED:
Another method, I have a raid controller typically on my physical servers. When I once in a while find the problem you describe, I go to the raid controller, select the proper disk and obliterate it, then retry the kickstart. There seems to be a boot/grub partition on the system and I've had the same thing you've described occur in our environment once in a while. UPDATED especially on a system that somehow had it's kickstart interrupted.
Guru
6222 points
Hi Ketan,
Can you please tell us the name of the kickstart file you want to use?
To be sure you did not make a typo in this article.
Kind regards,
Jan Gerrit Kootstra
Guru
6827 points
Hi Ketan,
Did you use the Satellite server web gui to create the kickstart or just park that kickstart file under your /pub/ directory of your Satellite server's web directory?
I suspect you are familiar with using the kickstart boot command, but here's one example I use (ip addresses, hostname, fqdn changed of course):
- (Note, the below example is for a kickstart created through the web gui)
linux ks=http://rhn1.example.com/cblr/svc/ks/profile/nameofkickstart:2:orgname dns=123.123.123.123 ip=123.123.123.122 gateway=123.123.123.1 netmask=255.255.255.0 ksdevice=eth0 -
(note, your ksdevice may differ when going from rhel 5 to rhel 6 or 7. Additionally, your ethernet device may be eth1, eth2 etc depending on your system). If you leave the "ksdevice=eth?" then it will prompt you for an interface.
-
For a kickstart not created from your web gui and perhaps parked under your /pub/ (/var/www/html/pub/.ks.cfg):
linux ks=http://rhn1.example.com/pub/.ks.cfg dns=123.123.123.123 ip=123.123.123.122 gateway=123.123.123.1 netmask=255.255.255.0 ksdevice=eth0
Make sure the permissions are proper for the file; you can test this from a linux system by executing a wget to the full url of the kickstart file and see if it successfully downloads.
Remmele
Guru
6827 points
Hi Ketan,
What size is your drive for the partitioning you are using?
Additionally, can you post the partition portion of your kickstart here?
Guru
6827 points
updated see "added" below...
Ketan,
Check out this Red Hat solution https://access.redhat.com/site/solutions/196533, does it help?
Let us know...
Oh, when posting code, encapsulate it with three tildes '~~~'
Example:
(without the quotes)
'~~~'
your code goes here, omit the quotes on the tildes
'~~~'
added
In addition to the URL for the Red Hat Solution above in this specific post, see this bit, but they never replied back there if the kickstart partitioning for EFI was useful, especially the portion where you see what is in the code block below...
NOTE: (the below may or may not work, SEE FIRST LINK ABOVE *(also here) FIRST please
part /boot/efi --fstype="EFI System Partition" --size=200 --ondisk=sda
updated
Sorry, I can not 100% confirm, I suspect so, but I've never loaded a UEFI system... perhaps someone else might be able to say with absolute certianty.
- Tht being said, I'd pesonally try it in my environment, but only if the first solution from the Red Hat article didn't resolve it...
Guru
6827 points
Hi Ketan,
I'd recommend nothing less than 500, however, check this, and then you might be able to use ext4 (with rhel 6)
I'm hoping this IBM article helps, please check this link http://www-947.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5087870
Workaround
The workaround is simply to install the
operating system in the traditional
legacy mode, since there is generally
no reason to install in other than
Legacy mode. The workaround is only
necessary if the media you are booting
defaults to EFI mode (DVD or EFI
Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE))
otherwise a legacy installation (e.g.
- traditional PXE) is the default
and is unaffected by this issue.
To force a legacy installation of the
operating system from the EFI bootable
DVD
media the user should:
Press F12 key when the IBM splash screen
is shown during system boot.
-- Select Legacy Only option and press Enter.
-- The operating system will boot and install
in traditional legacy boot mode.
I'm hoping that works for you Ketan...
Also check IBM documentation for your server. Do you have IBM support?
I may not be able to be here today.
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