5.9 Action - Kickstart

Depending on which dialog box you accessed, you can either add a new Kickstart bundle action to the current bundle’s Preboot actions, or edit an existing Kickstart image. You can configure the specific requirements that a device must meet for the action to be executed on the device.

5.9.1 Adding a New Kickstart Bundle Action

  1. Specify a name in the Action Name field.

  2. Configure the Preboot environment variables

    Before configuring the Preboot environment variables, ensure that you have copied the kernel and RAM drive files from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation source to the /srv/tftp/kickstart/ on your Imaging server. By default, the kernel file (vmlinuz) and the RAM drive file (initrd.img) are located in the /isolinux directory in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation source.

    • Linux Kernel Filename: Specify the relative path of vmlinuz in the tftp directory. The path should be relative to the default directory of the TFTP daemon.

      For example, if vmlinuz is located in the /srv/tftp/kickstart/ directory on your Imaging server, you must specify the path of the file as kickstart/vmlinuz.

    • Initial RAM Drive Filename: Specify the relative path of initrd.img in the tftp directory.The path should be relative to the default directory of the TFTP daemon.

      For example, if initrd.img is located in the /srv/tftp/kickstart/ directory on your Imaging server, you must specify the path of Linux kernel file as kickstart/initrd.img.

    • Additional Kernel Parameters: Specify the additional kernel parameters that your Linux kernel might need. These are not Preboot Services or ZENworks parameters. They are parameters that your Linux kernel needs. For more information about the kernel parameters, see your Linux documentation.

  3. Configure the location of the Kickstart configuration file, and the settings required to acess the file. You can either specify the file location or browse for and select the file. If the configuration file has system variables, you must choose the Browse for Script option to import and upload the file to the Primary Server whose ZENworks Control Center you are using so that the variables are automatically resolved while applying the bundle on the managed devices.

    • Specify Script Location: Configure the following settings to access the configuration file:

      • Protocol: Select the protocol to be used to access the device containing the Kickstart configuration file. The available protocols are NFS and HTTP.

      • Script Name and Path (Relative to Protocol Default Directory): Specify the Kickstart configuration filename and its complete path. The path should be relative to the home directory of the selected protocol daemon.

        For example, if you specify HTTP as the protocol, myserver.provo.novell.com as the DNS name, and /config/ks.cfg as the complete path of the configuration file, the URL to the installation directory is:

        http://myserver.provo.novell.com/config/ks.cfg

        In this example, /config/ks.cfg is relative to the protocol and server ID.

    • Browse for Script: Browse for the Kickstart configuration file, and upload it to the Imaging server.

      1. Click Browse icon to display the Upload File dialog box.

      2. Click Browse to browse for and select the Kickstart configuration file (.cfg).

        If the imported XML file has ZENworks variables defined, the variables are resolved when the bundle is applied to the device.

      3. When you are prompted to upload the file to the Primary Server whose ZENworks Control Center you are using, click OK.

        The Status field displays the upload status.

      4. Click OK.

      5. (Optional) Modify the configuration file content:

        1. Click Edit Script.

          The content of the configuration file is displayed in the Edit Kickstart File dialog box.

        2. Edit the script content, then click Save.

          You can also specify ZENworks system variables in the script. For more information, see Section 3.10.2, Managing Bundle Variables.

  4. Click OK to create the new Kickstart bundle action.

5.9.2 Editing an Existing Kickstart Bundle Action

  1. In the Action Name field, edit the existing name as needed.

  2. In the Preboot Environment Variables panel, edit the necessary settings.

    For detailed information on how to change the settings, see Help.

  3. In the Kickstart Configuration Source panel, edit the necessary settings.

    For detailed information on how to change the settings, see Help.

  4. Click OK to save the changes.