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:

  • Ensure the default LVM Thin Provisioning option is selected 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 Section 1.2.3, “Storage Requirements”.

  • 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.

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 a PXE server over the network with a Kickstart file that contains the answers to the installation questions.

General instructions for installing from a PXE server with a Kickstart file are available in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide, as RHVH is installed in much the same way as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. RHVH-specific instructions, with examples for deploying RHVH with Red Hat Satellite, are described below.

The automated RHVH deployment has 3 stages:

5.2.2.1. Preparing the Installation Environment

  1. Log in to the Customer Portal.
  2. Click Downloads in the menu bar.
  3. Click Red Hat Virtualization and click Download Latest in the header to go to the product download page.
  4. Go to Hypervisor Image for RHV 4.2 and click Download Now.
  5. Make the RHVH ISO image available over the network. See Installation Source on a Network in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide.

  6. Extract the squashfs.img hypervisor image 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
    Note

    This squashfs.img file, located in the /tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/ directory, is called redhat-virtualization-host-version_number_version.squashfs.img. It contains the hypervisor image for installation on the physical machine. It should not be confused with the /LiveOS/squashfs.img file, which is used by the Anaconda inst.stage2 option.

5.2.2.2. Configuring the PXE Server and the Boot Loader

  1. Configure the PXE server. See Preparing for a Network Installation in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide.

  2. Copy the RHVH boot images to the /tftpboot directory: 

    # cp mnt/rhvh/images/pxeboot/{vmlinuz,initrd.img} /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/

  3. Create a rhvh label specifying the RHVH boot images in the boot loader configuration: 

    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

    If you are using 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

  4. Make the content of the RHVH ISO locally available and export it to the network, for example, using an HTTPD server: 

    # cp -a /mnt/rhvh/ /var/www/html/rhvh-install
# curl URL/to/RHVH-ISO/rhvh-install

5.2.2.3. Creating and Running a Kickstart File

  1. Create a Kickstart file and make it available over the network. See Kickstart Installations in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide.

  2. Ensure that the Kickstart file meets the following RHV-specific requirements:

    • The %packages section is not required for RHVH. Instead, use the liveimg option and specify the redhat-virtualization-host-version_number_version.squashfs.img file from the RHVH ISO image: 

      liveimg --url=example.com/tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/redhat-virtualization-host-version_number_version.squashfs.img

    • Autopartitioning is highly recommended: 

      autopart --type=thinp
      Note

      Thin provisioning must be used with autopartitioning.

      The --no-home option does not work in RHVH because /home is a required directory.

      If your installation requires manual partitioning, 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

      This Kickstart example shows you how to deploy RHVH on its own. You can include additional commands and options as required: 

      liveimg --url=http://FQDN/tmp/usr/share/redhat-virtualization-host/image/redhat-virtualization-host-version_number_version.squashfs.img
clearpart --all
autopart --type=thinp
rootpw --plaintext ovirt
timezone --utc America/Phoenix
zerombr
text

reboot

%post --erroronfail
nodectl init
%end

      This Kickstart example 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

  3. Add the Kickstart file location to the boot loader configuration file on the PXE server: 

    APPEND initrd=/var/tftpboot/pxelinux/initrd.img inst.stage2=_URL/to/RHVH-ISO_ inst.ks=_URL/to/RHVH-ks_.cfg
  4. Install RHVH following the instructions in Booting from the Network Using PXE in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide.