Alternatives to "boot <device> - install"
Hi,
This is my second attempt to post this query. My appologies to the community if my first attempt has ended up somewhere else it shouldn't be.
I want to understand in more detail, the use of the "- install" option for the boot command.
This invokes jumpstart configs and the installer but I would like to know more about how this happens.
1. why is there a space between the dash & the "i"? This suggests to me that it is not the kernel getting involved at this stage.
2. where is use of the "install" option documented - other that it is required for an installation. I have checked install manuals & man for boot, kernel & install-solaris / suninstall. Are there other options which follow <dash><space> after the boot command?
3. clearly "boot" passes this option to something - what is that something & how from there is the installer invoked? What process(es) brings it all together so we can run a miniroot & kick off jumpstart?
Here is the reason for my query : I have a customer who has made a custom boot CD for installations. THis appears to be simply a bootable image (no OS distribution) that invokes some highly customised and hardwired installation activity. The instructions that come with it are to :
ok> boot cdrom - new <<<-- what is "new"? (there is a space between the dash & "n")
Essentially, when running this command, we see the normal Sun copyright messages then we drop into a custom interactive dialog. After this, I can get no further in my lab as there are hardwired references in the customisations that will only resolve in the customers coporate network.
I want to pull this customisation apart for a better understanding but am not currently making much progress.
Note : there is no .install_config dir / link on slice 0.
Thanks in advance.
# 1
> 1. why is there a space between the dash & the "i"?
> This suggests to me that it is not the kernel
> getting involved at this stage.
Exactly. The kernel takes options like -v -s or -m <blah>. The boot loader can be given an alternate kernel. We don't want either of those to happen, so the lone dash is used to stop option processing.
Later scripts in the boot grab the rest of the line and read it.
> . where is use of the "install" option documented -
> other that it is required for an installation. I
> have checked install manuals & man for boot, kernel &
> install-solaris / suninstall. Are there other
> options which follow <dash><space> after the boot
> command?
Not that I'm aware of. Presumably something could make use of it, but I don't know any that do. It's explicitly not a kernel thing, so it won't be in kernel or boot. The particular use of 'install' or 'wanboot' will be documented in the installation guide.
> 3. clearly "boot" passes this option to something -
> what is that something & how from there is the
> installer invoked? What process(es) brings it all
> together so we can run a miniroot & kick off
> jumpstart?
That something is just some normal startup scripts that call '/sbin/getbootargs' to see what was there. (I believe that program is only on the jumpstart boot image, not a normal Solaris install). See this blueprint:
http://www.sun.com/blueprints/0802/816-7587-10.pdf
> Here is the reason for my query : I have a customer
> who has made a custom boot CD for installations.
> THis appears to be simply a bootable image (no OS
> distribution) that invokes some highly customised
> and hardwired installation activity. The
> instructions that come with it are to :
>
> ok> boot cdrom - new <<<-- what is "new"? (there
> is a space between the dash & "n")
>
> Essentially, when running this command, we see the
> normal Sun copyright messages then we drop into a
> custom interactive dialog. After this, I can get no
> further in my lab as there are hardwired references
> in the customisations that will only resolve in the
> customers coporate network.
>
> I want to pull this customisation apart for a better
> understanding but am not currently making much
> progress.
That blueprint I referenced above may have been what they used for customization. The files involved are somewhat different in Solaris 10, though. What OS is this install?
--
Darren
# 2
Thanks Darren - that is the answer I wanted.
I was actually reading this blueprint yesterday but when I got to the recovery section, I skipped it as I was thinking about installations & figured this was not relevant to my quest.
How's that for a paradigm error?
CD is Solaris 9.
I have found that /sbin/rcS is indeed modified. Now all I have to do is track down what processes the state information set by the "new" argument.
Sol 10 does appear to be different - no /sbin/getbootargs.
Will there be an update to this blueprint to accomodate S10?
Steve
