Kick Start Installation in Linux

Kick Start Installation

• Linux allows you to do operating System installations via a network connection using a kick-start Server.
• It is frequently much faster than Using CDs and the process can be automated.
• The kick-start server creates an answer File
• Kick-start can be configured on an FTP, NFS or Apache server.
• The kick Start installation method is Called as Network Based Installation

Requirements For configuring Kick Start Server :

• A computer with Red Hat Linux Enterprise Server O.S
• The PC must configure with static IP Address (192.168.5.1)
•  Linux Server must configure DHCP Server
•  Linux Server must configure with FTP Server / NFS Server / Apache Web Server

Steps For Configuring Kick Start Server for FTP based Installation :

• Step1 : Configure IP Address as “192.168.5.1”
• Step2 : Install and Configure DHCP Server
• Step3 : Install and Configure “VSFTPD” for the FTP Server
• Step4 : Copy all RPM files from Linux DVD to “/var/ftp/pub/Server” directory
• Step5 : Install “System-config-kick-start” RPM package
• Step6 : Create “Kick start configuring file by running “system-config-kickstart” command
• Step5: Install “system-config-kickstart” rpm package
• Insert Linux DVD
• [root@mylinuxpc1 ~]# cd /media/CDROM/Server/
• [root@mylinuxpc1 Server]#
• [root@mylinuxpc1 Server] # pwd
• /media/CDROM/Server
• [root@mylinuxpc1 Server]#
• [root@mylinuxpc1 Server]# rpm -Uvh system-config-kickstart-2.6.19.1-1.el5.noarch.rpm
• Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
• 1:system-config-kickstart ################################## [100%]
• [root@mylinuxpc1 Server]#
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Step6 : Create “Kick start configuring file by running “system-config-kickstart” command

[root@mylinuxpc1 Server]# system – config – kickstart

Select “Basic Configuration” option

Type Root Password “xxxxxx” and type Confirm password “xxxxxx”

Select The check box “Reboot the system after installation”

             Select “Installation Method” – Select “Perform new Installation” – Select “FTP”

Type FTPServer IP address as “192.168.5.1” and FTP Directory as “/pub”

Select “Boot Loader Options” – Select “ Install new boot loader”

Select “Partition Information” – Select “Clear Master Boot Record”

Select “Remove all existing partitions” – Click on “Add” for creating partitions

Select Mount Point “/boot”

Type Size “100”

Click On “OK”

Select Mount Point “/”

Type Size “6000”

Click on “OK”

Select “File System Type”

Select “swap”

Type Size “1000”

Click on “OK”

Select “Network Configuration” – Click on “Add”

Select Network Device “eth0” – Select Network Type “DHCP” – Click on “OK”

Select “Authentication” option

Select the check box “Use Shadow Passwords”

Select the check box “Use MD5”

Select “Firewall Configuration” option

Select “Security level “Disabled” – Select SELinux “Disabled”

Select “Display Configuration” option

Select Resolution “800x600” or “1024x768”

Select Default Desktop “GNOME”

Select “Package Selection” option

                                               Select the Required Packages

Leave “Pre-Installation Script” option and Leave “Post-Installation Script” option

Click on “File” menu – Click on “Save File”

Type Name of the file as “ksftp.cfg”

Select the location “/var/ftp/pub” directory

Click on “Save”

Steps for Installing Linux O.S by using Kickstart / Network Based :

Client Computer :

1. A computer with HDD , LAN Card and DVD Drive

Insert Linux DVD in the client computer DVD Drive

Change the first boot device as “CDROM” in the BIOS Setup

Start the computer

You will get like

boot : type the following command

boot : linux ks =ftp://192.168.5.1/pub/ksftp.cfg

After booting Remove Linux DVD

Now Automatic Linux Installation will start , with out asking any options

Read More

How to install Observium in Linux

              How to install Observium in Linux?

Observium is one of the best tool ever used by system network admin for monitoring everything about routers, switches and physical machines etc.

Please follow the following working steps to get Observium installed.

1. install ncecessary packages for Observium

# yum install httpd php php-mysql php-gd php-snmp vixie-cron php-pear net-snmp net-snmp-utils graphviz subversion mysql-server mysql rrdtool fping ImageMagick jwhois nmap OpenIPMI-tools

2. install pear

# pear install Net_IPv6

# pear install Net_IPv4

3. # yum install libvirt

4. # mkdir /opt/observium

# cd /opt

5. #svn co http://www.observium.org/svn/observer/trunk observium

6. # cd observium

7. Create mysql username and password

# mysqladmin -u root password 'passworD321'

mysql> create database observium;

Query OK, 1 row affected (0.00 sec)

mysql>grant all privileges on observium. * to 'observium'@'localhost' identified by 'passworD321';

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

8. # cp config.php.default config.php

9. vi config.php and add the following part.

$config['fping'] = "/usr/sbin/fping";

# php includes/sql-schema/update.php

10. # mkdir graphs rrd

11. chown apache.apache graphs rrd

12. Edit in httpd config file:

# vi /etc/httpd/conf.d/observium.conf

<VirtualHost *:80>

DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html/

ServerName observium.domain.com

CustomLog /opt/observium/logs/access_log combined

ErrorLog /opt/observium/logs/error_log

<Directory "/opt/observium/html/">

AllowOverride All

Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews

</Directory>

</VirtualHost>

13. Create logs directory for apache

# mkdir /opt/observium/logs

# chown apache.apache /opt/observium/logs

14. Add user, use level of 10 for admin

# cd /opt/observium

# ./adduser.php <user-name> <password> <level=10>

15. Add a first device to monitor:

# ./addhost.php <hostname> <community> v2c

16. Discover and add hosts

# ./discovery.php -h all

# ./poller.php -h all

17. Add to cronjobs

33 */6 * * * /opt/observium/discovery.php -h all >> /dev/null 2>&1

*/2 * * * * /opt/observium/discovery.php -h new >> /dev/null 2>&1

*/2 * * * * /opt/observium/poller.php -h all >> /dev/null 2>&1

and restart the cron

# /etc/init.d/cron reload

18. In case if server rebooted, add to startup

# chkconfig mysqld on

# chkconfig httpd on

Now check,on your browser as http://localhost/observium with the username and password we have created. 

Sample Observium output graph details  in given below.

 

Read More