On Sat, Aug 30, 2014 at 01:06:11AM -0700, Patrick Masotta wrote: > Hi, > I'm installing install55.iso with Serva. > Serva is an automated PXE server that let us install many OSs (including > OpenBSD) from a menu. > It is interesting to know that even when there are some rough edges OpenBSD > is today the only BSD distro capable of being installed by an automated PXE > server. I'd like to share with you guys those "rough edges" and see if they > can probably be addressed in future releases. > > The idea behind Serva is that the distro's ISO "directly" becomes part of > Serva's repository when its content is directly copied under a certain > directory controlled by the PXE server. > > Problems: > 1) The PXE install process asks for the file .\5.5\amd64\index.txt but the > distro names it .\5.5\amd64\TRANS.TBL; probably just renaming this file or > adding .\5.5\amd64\index.txt to the distro will solve the issue. > > 2) The PXE install process looks after .\5.5\amd64\SHA256.sig but the distro > includes .\5.5\amd64\SHA256 ; I think the distro should include SHA256.sig > or both. > > 3) The PXE install process needs .\5.5\amd64\etc\boot.conf but the distro has > not .\etc\boot.conf ; probably it would be a good idea adding a default > .\5.5\amd64\etc\boot.conf in the distro's ISO containing i.e. a single line > like "boot bsd.rd" > > 4) OpenBSD automated installs look after /install.conf; this is an "absolute" > path and that is a deal breaker when it comes to multi OS PXE servers like > Serva; then why not alternative look for that file in > ./5.5/amd64/etc/install.conf in the same way the install now looks for > ./5.5/amd64/etc/boot.conf ?
See http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.os.openbsd.misc/213697 > 5) Automated PXE servers usually use configuration files that deal with the > distro ISO directory structure. > It is never a good idea adopting a differentiated structure based in i.e. > architecture. That forces automated tools to deal with a different script for > every architecture. > .\5.5\amd64\ > .\5.5\i386\ OpenBSD installer is simple, you can "install" for example i386 while booting amd64 kernel and just extract sets... > etc. > It is always a better idea to have a constant directory structure like > .\5.5\bin\ with an empty file at root with its name indicating the > corresponding architecture > > 6) OpenBSD automated installs require the repository url or IP; on a PXE > environment that IP is very often the parameter "next-server" gathered from > the initial PXE DHCP transaction. It would be very handy having a wildcard > like %next-server% that can be interpreted when parsing install.conf. This > way we do not have to manually add a different repository IP for every > different PXE scenario > > > I think if some of these issues can be addressed OpenBSD PXE install > capabilities will be greatly improved not just only for Serva but for every > PXE server out there. > > You guys can see here the ServaAsset.inf required to PXE boot OpenBSD and > other non-windows assets. > http://vercot.com/~serva/an/NonWindowsPXE3.html And you probably didn't mention problem with "auto_install" as 'filename' :) See http://devio.us/~jirib/pxelinux-openbsd.html j.
