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5.2. Advanced Installation

5.2.1. Custom Partitioning

Custom partitioning on Red Hat Virtualization Host (RHVH) is not recommended. Red Hat strongly recommends using the Automatically configure partitioning option in the Installation Destination window.
If your installation requires custom partitioning, select the I will configure partitioning option during the installation, and note that the following restrictions apply:
  • You must select the LVM Thin Provisioning option in the Manual Partitioning window.
  • The following directories are required and must be on thin provisioned logical volumes:
    • root (/)
    • /home
    • /tmp
    • /var
    • /var/log
    • /var/log/audit

    Important

    Do not create a separate partition for /usr. Doing so will cause the installation to fail.
    /usr must be on a logical volume that is able to change versions along with RHVH, and therefore should be left on root (/).
    For information about the required storage sizes for each partition, see Storage Requirements in the Planning and Prerequisites Guide.
  • The /boot directory should be defined as a standard partition.
  • The /var directory must be on a separate volume or disk.
  • Only XFS or Ext4 file systems are supported.

Example 5.1. Configuring Manual Partitioning in a Kickstart File

The following example demonstrates how to configure manual partitioning in a Kickstart file. See Section 5.2.2, “Automating Red Hat Virtualization Host Deployment” for more information on RHVH Kickstart files.
clearpart --all
part /boot --fstype xfs --size=1000 --ondisk=sda
part pv.01 --size=42000 --grow
volgroup HostVG pv.01 --reserved-percent=20
logvol swap --vgname=HostVG --name=swap --fstype=swap --recommended
logvol none --vgname=HostVG --name=HostPool --thinpool --size=40000 --grow
logvol / --vgname=HostVG --name=root --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool --fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=6000 --grow
logvol /var --vgname=HostVG --name=var --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool
--fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=15000
logvol /var/log --vgname=HostVG --name=var_log --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool --fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=8000
logvol /var/log/audit --vgname=HostVG --name=var_audit --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool --fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=2000
logvol /home --vgname=HostVG --name=home --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool --fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=1000
logvol /tmp --vgname=HostVG --name=tmp --thin --fstype=ext4 --poolname=HostPool --fsoptions="defaults,discard" --size=1000

Note

If you use logvol --thinpool --grow, you must also include volgroup --reserved-space or volgroup --reserved-percent to reserve space in the volume group for the thin pool to grow.

5.2.2. Automating Red Hat Virtualization Host Deployment

You can install Red Hat Virtualization Host (RHVH) without a physical media device by booting from the network using PXE. You can automate the installation process by using a Kickstart file containing the answers to the installation questions. The Kickstart file can also be accessed over the network, removing the need for physical media.
Instructions for both tasks can be found in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Installation Guide, as RHVH is installed in much the same way as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The main differences required for RHVH are included in the following procedure.
This procedure also includes example files for use with Red Hat Satellite.

Procedure 5.2. Automating Deployment using PXE and Kickstart

  1. Download the RHVH ISO image from the Customer Portal:
    1. Log in to the Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com.
    2. Click Downloads in the menu bar.
    3. Click Red Hat Virtualization, scroll up, and click Download Latest to access the product download page.
    4. Choose the appropriate hypervisor image and click Download Now.
  2. Make the RHVH ISO image available over the network using the instructions in Installation Source on a Network.
  3. Extract the squashfs.img file from the RHVH ISO:
    # mount -o loop /path/to/RHVH-ISO /mnt/rhvh
    # cp /mnt/rhvh/Packages/redhat-virtualization-host-image-update* /tmp
    # cd /tmp
    # rpm2cpio redhat-virtualization-host-image-update* | cpio -idmv
    The squashfs.img file is located at /tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/.
  4. Configure the PXE server using the instructions in Preparing for a Network Installation.
    The following requirements apply in order to boot RHVH from the PXE server:
    • Ensure that you copy the RHVH boot images to the /tftpboot directory.
      # cp URL/to/RHVH-ISO/images/pxeboot/{vmlinuz,initrd.img} /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/
    • The boot loader configuration file must include a RHVH label that specifies the RHVH boot images.
      LABEL rhvh
        MENU LABEL Install Red Hat Virtualization ^Host
        KERNEL /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/vmlinuz
        APPEND initrd=/var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/initrd.img inst.stage2=URL/to/RHVH-ISO

    Example 5.2. Red Hat Virtualization Host PXELinux Satellite Template

    The following is an example of a boot loader label that uses information from Red Hat Satellite to provision the host. You must create a global or host group level parameter called rhvh_image and populate it with the directory URL where the ISO is mounted or extracted.
    <%#
    kind: PXELinux
    name: RHVH PXELinux
    %>
    # Created for booting new hosts
    #
    
    DEFAULT rhvh
    
    LABEL rhvh
    KERNEL <%= @kernel %>
    APPEND initrd=<%= @initrd %> inst.ks=<%= foreman_url("provision") %> inst.stage2=<%= @host.params["rhvh_image"] %> intel_iommu=on console=tty0 console=ttyS1,115200n8 ssh_pwauth=1 local_boot_trigger=<%= foreman_url("built") %>
    IPAPPEND 2
  5. Create a Kickstart file and make it available over the network using the instructions in Kickstart Installations.
    The following constraints apply to RHVH Kickstart files:
    • The %packages section is not required for RHVH. Instead, use the liveimg option and specify the squashfs.img file from the RHVH ISO image.
      liveimg --url=example.com/tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/squashfs.img
    • The autopart command is highly recommended. Thin provisioning must be used.
      autopart --type=thinp

      Note

      The --no-home option does not work in RHVH. This is an expected behavior, because /home is a required directory.
      If your installation requires manual partitioning instead, see Section 5.2.1, “Custom Partitioning” for a list of limitations that apply to partitions, and an example of manual partitioning in a Kickstart file.
    • A %post section that calls the nodectl init command is required.
      %post
      nodectl init
      %end
    To fully automate the installation process, you can add this Kickstart file to the boot loader configuration file on the PXE server. Specify the Kickstart location by adding inst.ks= to the APPEND line:
    APPEND initrd=/var/tftpboot/pxelinux/initrd.img inst.stage2=URL/to/RHVH-ISO inst.ks=URL/to/RHVH-ks.cfg

    Example 5.3. Red Hat Virtualization Host Kickstart File

    The following is an example of a Kickstart file used to deploy Red Hat Virtualization Host. You can include additional commands and options as required.
    liveimg --url=http://1.2.3.4/tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/squashfs.img
    clearpart --all
    autopart --type=thinp
    rootpw --plaintext ovirt
    timezone --utc America/Phoenix
    zerombr
    text
    
    reboot
    
    %post --erroronfail
    nodectl init
    %end

    Example 5.4. Red Hat Virtualization Host Kickstart File with Registration and Network Configuration

    The following is an example of a Kickstart file that uses information from Red Hat Satellite to configure the host network and register the host to the Satellite server. You must create a global or host group level parameter called rhvh_image and populate it with the directory URL to the squashfs.img file. ntp_server1 is also a global or host group level variable.
    <%#
    kind: provision
    name: RHVH Kickstart default
    oses: 
    - RHVH
    %>
    install
    liveimg --url=<%= @host.params['rhvh_image'] %>squashfs.img
    
    network --bootproto static --ip=<%= @host.ip %> --netmask=<%= @host.subnet.mask %> --gateway=<%= @host.subnet.gateway %> --nameserver=<%= @host.subnet.dns_primary %> --hostname <%= @host.name %>
    
    zerombr
    clearpart --all
    autopart --type=thinp  
    
    rootpw --iscrypted <%= root_pass %>
    
    # installation answers
    lang en_US.UTF-8
    timezone <%= @host.params['time-zone'] || 'UTC' %>
    keyboard us
    firewall --service=ssh  
    services --enabled=sshd  
    
    text
    reboot
    
    %post --log=/root/ks.post.log --erroronfail 
    nodectl init
    <%= snippet 'subscription_manager_registration' %>
    <%= snippet 'kickstart_networking_setup' %>
    /usr/sbin/ntpdate -sub <%= @host.params['ntp_server1'] || '0.fedora.pool.ntp.org' %>
    /usr/sbin/hwclock --systohc
    
    /usr/bin/curl <%= foreman_url('built') %>
    
    sync  
    systemctl reboot
    %end