Difference between revisions of "Cobbler installation on CentOS/RHEL"

Revision as of 15:08, 27 August 2014

Pre-Requisits

For this installation, we will need to have the following services installed: dhcp, bind & apache.

Install with the following yum command:

yum install httpd dhcp bind

Add syslinux too

yum install syslinux

If necessary, the dhcpd service can be restricted to servicing dhcp requests on just one port. To do this, edit the /etc/sysconfig/dhcpd file and set the following line:

DHCPDARGS=eth1

Adding the EPEL Repo to get cobbler

Download http://mirrors.coreix.net/fedora-epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm (or whatever is suitable for the installed OS):

wget http://mirrors.coreix.net/fedora-epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm

And install:

rpm -ivh epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm

Install cobbler

Install using yum:

yum install cobbler cobbler-web

Check apache is working

Restart httpd:

service httpd restart

The following error might occur:

Starting httpd: Syntax error on line 10 of /etc/httpd/conf.d/cobbler.conf:
Invalid command 'WSGIScriptAliasMatch', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration
[FAILED]

If this error occurs, firstly remove mod_python:

rpm -e mod_python

Then, create a mod_wsgi config file:

cat > /etc/httpd/conf.d/05-load-wsgi.conf
LoadModule wsgi_module modules/mod_wsgi.so

And finally restart apache:

service httpd restart

Add a few more packages to satisfy some cobbler requirements

Install debmirror with yum (needed to manage debian deployments):

yum install debmirror

Install pykickstart with yum (A python library for manipulating kickstart files):

yum install pykickstart

Edit xinet.d/rsync file

Edit /etc/xinetd.d/rsync and change disable to no:

service rsync
{
        disable = no
        socket_type     = stream
        wait            = no
        user            = root
        server          = /usr/bin/rsync
        server_args     = --daemon
        log_on_failure  += USERID
}

Edit /etc/debmirror.conf for proper Debian support

Edit /etc/debmirror.conf and comment dists and arches lines:

# Download options
$host="ftp.debian.org";
$user="anonymous";
$passwd="anonymous@";
$remoteroot="/debian";
$download_method="ftp";
# @dists="sid";
@sections="main,main/debian-installer,contrib,non-free";
# @arches="i386";
# @extra_dirs="";
# @ignores="";
. . . . .

Configure cobbler

Get cobbler to manage dhcp and dns by setting the following in /etc/cobbler/settings:

manage_dhcp: 1
manage_dns: 1

Set server ip addresses in /etc/cobbler/settings:

next_server: 172.28.0.100
server: 172.28.0.100

Confirm the following are set in /etc/cobbler/modules.conf:

[dns]
module = manage_bind

[dhcp]
module = manage_isc

Edit /etc/cobbler/dhcp.template with relevant network information (for example):

# ******************************************************************
# Cobbler managed dhcpd.conf file
#
# generated from cobbler dhcp.conf template ($date)
# Do NOT make changes to /etc/dhcpd.conf. Instead, make your changes
# in /etc/cobbler/dhcp.template, as /etc/dhcpd.conf will be
# overwritten.
#
# ******************************************************************
	
ddns-update-style interim;
	
allow booting;
allow bootp;
	
ignore client-updates;
set vendorclass = option vendor-class-identifier;
	
subnet 172.28.0.0 netmask 255.255.0.0 {
     option routers             172.28.0.100;
     option domain-name-servers 10.0.0.1;
     option subnet-mask         255.255.0.0;
     range dynamic-bootp        172.28.0.101 172.28.0.200;
     filename                   "/pxelinux.0";
     default-lease-time         604800;
     max-lease-time             604800;
     next-server                172.28.0.100;
}
. . . . .

Attempt to start dhcpd:

service dhcpd restart

NB: if the dhcpd service isn't running and it fails to start, it may be because the default /etc/dhcpd.conf file is blank. Enter the above information and start the dhcpd service (it needs to be running for cobbler sync (below) to complete fully). The content of /etc/dhcpd.conf will be overwritten with the contents of /etc/cobbler/dhcp.template once cobbler sync has been performed.

Run cobbler check:

cobbler check

Run cobbler sync:

cobbler sync

Import a CentOS ISO for deployment

Mount a the CentOS ISO file to a local folder, for example:

mount -o loop ./CentOS-5.7-x86_64-bin-DVD-1of2.iso /mnt

Import the ISO into cobbler:

cobbler import --name=CentOS_5.7_X86_64 --path=/mnt/ --breed=redhat --arch=x86_64

Finish with a cobbler sync:

cobbler sync

Import ARM based Operating Systems

Pull the vmlinuz and initrd from:

Ubuntu 12.04: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/Server/Install
Ubuntu 12.10: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/Server/Install
Fedora 17: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Architectures/ARM/Fedora_17_GA

Add the ARM kernel and ramdisk image to the cobbler system

  cobbler distro add --name=ubuntu1204-armhf --kernel=/var/lib/tftpboot/images.bak/ubuntu1204-armhf/vmlinuz --initrd=/var/lib/tftpboot/images.bak/ubuntu1204-armhf/initrd.gz
  cobbler profile add --name=ubuntu1204-armhf --distro=ubuntu1204-armhf

Change the boot args:

  cobbler profile edit --name ubuntu1204-armhf --kopts="console=ttyAMA0 priority=critical text auto=true netcfg/choose_interface=eth0 url=http://172.28.0.2/cblr/svc/op/ks/profile/ubuntu1204-armhf"
  # Verify them:
  cobbler profile report --name ubuntu1204-armhf

Add an ARM system to cobbler:

  # Note: use cxmange to get all the MAC address then add MACs to cobbler system
  cobbler system add --name=calx1 --profile=ubuntu1204-armhf --mac=fc:2f:40:c6:e8:64 --ip-address=172.28.10.1 --hostname=calx1 --dns-name=calx1.pxe.boston.co.uk

Sample of the Ubuntu NQA (No Questions Asked) preseed file

 Ubuntu Server Quick Install
# by Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>
#  * Documentation: http://bit.ly/uquick-doc

d-i     debian-installer/locale string en_US.UTF-8
d-i     debian-installer/splash boolean false
d-i     console-setup/ask_detect        boolean false
d-i     console-setup/layoutcode        string us
d-i     console-setup/variantcode       string
d-i     netcfg/get_nameservers  string
d-i     netcfg/get_ipaddress    string
d-i     netcfg/get_netmask      string 255.255.255.0
d-i     netcfg/get_gateway      string
d-i     netcfg/confirm_static   boolean true
d-i     mirror/country string manual
d-i     mirror/http/hostname string ports.ubuntu.com
d-i     mirror/http/directory string /ubuntu-ports
d-i     clock-setup/utc boolean true
d-i     partman-auto/method string regular
d-i     partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm boolean true
d-i     partman-lvm/confirm boolean true
d-i     partman/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i     partman/choose_partition        select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk
d-i     partman/confirm boolean true
d-i     partman/confirm_nooverwrite boolean true
d-i     partman/default_filesystem string ext3
d-i     clock-setup/utc boolean true
d-i     clock-setup/ntp boolean true
d-i     clock-setup/ntp-server  string ntp.ubuntu.com
d-i     base-installer/kernel/image     string linux-server
d-i     passwd/root-login       boolean false
d-i     passwd/make-user        boolean true
d-i     passwd/user-fullname    string ubuntu
d-i     passwd/username string ubuntu
# password: ubuntu
d-i     passwd/user-password-crypted    password $6$.1eHH0iY$ArGzKX2YeQ3G6U.mlOO3A.NaL22Ewgz8Fi4qqz.Ns7EMKjEJRIW2Pm/TikDptZpuu7I92frytmk5YeL.9fRY4.
d-i     passwd/user-uid string 
d-i     user-setup/allow-password-weak  boolean false
d-i     user-setup/encrypt-home boolean false
d-i     passwd/user-default-groups      string adm cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare
d-i     apt-setup/services-select       multiselect security
d-i     apt-setup/security_host string security.ubuntu.com
d-i     apt-setup/security_path string /ubuntu
d-i     debian-installer/allow_unauthenticated  string false
d-i     pkgsel/upgrade  select safe-upgrade
d-i     pkgsel/language-packs   multiselect 
d-i     pkgsel/update-policy    select none
d-i     pkgsel/updatedb boolean true
d-i     grub-installer/skip     boolean false
d-i     lilo-installer/skip     boolean false
d-i     grub-installer/only_debian      boolean true
d-i     grub-installer/with_other_os    boolean true
d-i     finish-install/keep-consoles    boolean false
d-i     finish-install/reboot_in_progress       note 
d-i     cdrom-detect/eject      boolean true
d-i     debian-installer/exit/halt      boolean false
d-i     debian-installer/exit/poweroff  boolean false
d-i     pkgsel/include string openssh-server puppet curl
byobu   byobu/launch-by-default boolean false

Sample of Ubuntu preseed file which uses a custom partition scheme and XFS (details obtained from http://cptyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/notes-on-using-expert_recipe-in-debianubuntu-preseed-files/):

# Ubuntu Server Quick Install
# by Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>
#  * Documentation: http://bit.ly/uquick-doc

d-i     debian-installer/locale string en_US.UTF-8
d-i     debian-installer/splash boolean false
d-i     console-setup/ask_detect        boolean false
d-i     console-setup/layoutcode        string us
d-i     console-setup/variantcode       string
d-i     netcfg/get_nameservers  string
d-i     netcfg/get_ipaddress    string
d-i     netcfg/get_netmask      string 255.255.255.0
d-i     netcfg/get_gateway      string
d-i     netcfg/confirm_static   boolean true
d-i	mirror/country string manual
d-i	mirror/http/hostname string 172.28.0.2
d-i	mirror/http/directory string /ubuntu-ports
d-i     clock-setup/utc boolean true
d-i 	partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
d-i 	partman-auto/method string regular
d-i 	partman-auto/expert_recipe string root :: 			\
	300 10 300 ext3 						\
        	$primary{ } $bootable{ } method{ format }		\
        	format{ } use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext3 } 		\
        	mountpoint{ /boot } 					\
    	. 								\
    	2048 20 8192 linux-swap 					\
        	$primary{ } method{ swap } format{ } 			\
    	. 								\
    	100 30 10000000000 xfs 						\
        	$primary{ } method{ format } format{ } 			\
        	use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ xfs } 			\
        	mountpoint{ / } 					\
    	.
d-i 	partman-auto/choose_recipe select root
d-i 	partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label boolean true
d-i 	partman/choose_partition select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk
d-i 	partman/confirm boolean true
d-i     clock-setup/utc boolean true
d-i     clock-setup/ntp boolean true
d-i     clock-setup/ntp-server  string ntp.ubuntu.com
d-i     base-installer/kernel/image     string linux-server
d-i     passwd/root-login       boolean false
d-i     passwd/make-user        boolean true
d-i     passwd/user-fullname    string ubuntu
d-i     passwd/username string ubuntu
d-i     passwd/user-password-crypted    password $6$.1eHH0iY$ArGzKX2YeQ3G6U.mlOO3A.NaL22Ewgz8Fi4qqz.Ns7EMKjEJRIW2Pm/TikDptZpuu7I92frytmk5YeL.9fRY4.
d-i     passwd/user-uid string
d-i     user-setup/allow-password-weak  boolean false
d-i     user-setup/encrypt-home boolean false
d-i     passwd/user-default-groups      string adm cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare
d-i     apt-setup/services-select       multiselect security
d-i     apt-setup/security_host string security.ubuntu.com
d-i     apt-setup/security_path string /ubuntu
d-i     debian-installer/allow_unauthenticated  string true
d-i     pkgsel/upgrade  select safe-upgrade
d-i     pkgsel/language-packs   multiselect
d-i     pkgsel/update-policy    select none
d-i     pkgsel/updatedb boolean true
d-i     grub-installer/skip     boolean false
d-i     lilo-installer/skip     boolean false
d-i     grub-installer/only_debian      boolean true
d-i     grub-installer/with_other_os    boolean true
d-i     finish-install/keep-consoles    boolean false
d-i     finish-install/reboot_in_progress       note
d-i     cdrom-detect/eject      boolean true
d-i     debian-installer/exit/halt      boolean false
d-i     debian-installer/exit/poweroff  boolean false
d-i     pkgsel/include string openssh-server puppet curl
d-i     preseed/late_command string chroot /target sh -c "/usr/bin/curl -o /tmp/postinstall http://172.28.0.2/cobbler/ks_mirror/seeds/postinstall_puppet && /bin/sh -x /tmp/postinstall"
#d-i     preseed/late_command string true && \
#        \$SNIPPET('boston_test') \
#        true
#d-i     preseed/late_command string in-target 'pwd ; ls ; cd /root ; wget http://172.28.0.2/cobbler/ks_mirror/seeds/arm_late_stage.sh ; chmod +x arm_late_stage.sh ; ./arm_late_stage.sh'
byobu   byobu/launch-by-default boolean false

Display available profiles

Display the available profiles used for installations. This is basically the same as seen on the PXE boot menu

root@ubuntu1204-cobbler:~# cobbler profile list
   CentOS_6.3_X86_64-x86_64
   centos57-x86_64
   centos57-xen-x86_64
   centos62-x86_64
   centos63-x86_64
   fedora17-armhf
   rhel62-x86_64
   rhel62-x86_64_PCM
   ubuntu1204-armhf
   ubuntu1204-server-x86_64
   ubuntu1210-armhf

Change the installation settings

View the profile (which will include kickstart files)

root@ubuntu1204-cobbler:~$ cobbler profile report --name=centos62-x86_64
<snip>
Kickstart                      : /var/lib/cobbler/kickstarts/sample.ks
</snip>

Change the kickstart file

cobbler profile edit --name=centos62-x86_64 --kickstart=/var/lib/cobbler/kickstarts/kickstart-sdaonly.ks

Add unmanaged DNS entry

Edit the file: /etc/cobbler/zone.template

puppet IN A 172.28.0.2

$host_record

Cobbler sync once the changes have been made

Cobbler Commands

Show the system settings for an installed systems
Change profile (image) and MAC

$ cobbler system report --name blade8
$ cobbler system edit --name=blade8 --profile=CentOS_6.5_X86_64-x86_64 --mac-address=00:25:90:95:30:EA
$ cobbler sync

Post Install script

A post install script can be called as soon as installation has completed. The above preseed file has this script called in the following line:

d-i     preseed/late_command string chroot /target sh -c "/usr/bin/curl -o /tmp/postinstall http://172.28.0.2/cobbler/ks_mirror/postinstall_puppet && /bin/sh -x /tmp/postinstall"

The actual file location is: /var/lib/cobbler/webroot/cobbler/ks_mirror and is linked to /var/www/cobbler/webroot/cobbler/ks_mirror

The file contents can be:

#!/bin/sh 
CURL=/usr/bin/curl 
${CURL} -o /etc/puppet/puppet.conf http://172.28.0.2/cobbler/ks_mirror/puppet.conf 
${CURL} -o /etc/default/puppet http://172.28.0.2/cobbler/ks_mirror/default-puppet
puppet agent --enable

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 <syntaxhighlight>
 yum install httpd dhcp bind
+</syntaxhighlight>
+Add syslinux too
+<syntaxhighlight>
+yum install syslinux
 </syntaxhighlight>