Kickstart Knowledge Dump

Create Kickstart files

My Kickstart examples

Using and modifying the automatically generated

Any manual install of rhel or centos will generate a kickstart from the options you chose during installation and store them in /root (anaconda-ks.cfg ks_post.log original-ks.cfg)

Red Hat’s Kickstart generator

View all available kickstart options in source code

git clone https://github.com/rhinstaller/anaconda && \
cd anaconda

view pyanaconda/core/kickstart/commands.py

Complex partitioning

Making Kickstart files available

PXE boot server

This is the preferred method, will need to track down my notes on how to create one.

Retrieve kickstart from a public GitLab repository

linux inst.ks=https://git.andrewmercer.net/amercer/kickstart/raw/master/server_ks.cfg [ networking_options ]

Retrieve kickstart file from a private GitLab repository

Retrieve project and file ID and private token

# Project ID
curl https://git.andrewmercer.net/api/v3/projects?private_token=[ my_private_token ] | grep -i kickstart

# File ID
curl https://git.andrewmercer.net/api/v3/projects/145/repository/tree?private_token=[ my_private_token ]

Retrieve the kickstart

linux inst.ks=https://[ gitlab_user ]:[ gitlab_password ]@git.andrewmercer.net/api/v3/projects/145/repository/raw_blobs/<file_id>?private_token=[ my_private_token ] [ networking_options ]

Create a custom ISO with a kickstart on it

KS_DIR="/build/RHEL7/isolinux/ks"
mkdir -p $KS_DIR
cp [ kickstart_file ]_ks.cfg $KS_DIR/ks.cfg
sudo mkisofs -o <hostname>.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.cat -no-emul-boot -V 'CentOS 7 x86_64' -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -R -J -v -T /build/RHEL7/isolinux/

Retrieve kickstart file from a mounted ISO (cdrom)

linux inst.ks=cdrom:/dev/cdrom:/ks/[ kickstart_file ].cfg [ networking_options ]

Retrieve kickstart file from http

linux inst.ks=http://[ server_address ]/kickstart/[ kickstart_file ].cfg [ networking_options ]

Server with a bonded interface restriction

linux inst.ks=http://[ server_address ]/ks/[ kickstart_file ].cfg [ networking_options ] bond=bond0:ens160,ens192:mode=802.3ad,primary=ens160

Retrieve kickstart file from floppy

(VMware floppy image)

linux inst.ks=hd:fd0:/[ kickstart_file ].cfg [ networking_options ]

Retrieve kickstart file from image file

(DRAC image file)

linux inst.ks=hd:/dev/sdb:/[ kickstart_file ].cfg [ networking_options ]

Specify networking options for the server

ip=192.168.1.238::192.168.1.1:255.255.255.0:[ my_hostname ]:ens160:none nameserver=192.168.1.1

ip=<ip>::<gateway>:<netmask>:<hostname>:<interface>:none nameserver=<nameserver_ip>

Kickstart tools

sudo dnf install pykickstart

ksvalidator

Lint your kickstart files

ksvalidator ~/kickstart/standard_rhel7_virt_ks.cfg

ksverdiff

See changes between Red Hat versions

ksverdiff -f rhel7 -t rhel8

ksflatten

I haven’t used this tool, but more information can be found in the man page

man ksflatten

ksshell

ksshell is an interactive kickstart shell. I haven’t used this tool, but more information can be found in the man page

man ksshell

Troubleshooting Kickstart installations

SSH into a kickstarting instance

Get a list of current dhcp leases on your hypervisor

arp -an > leases_before.txt

Add inst.sshd=1 to the –extra-args section of your virt-install command

For example:

sudo virt-install --name cluster0 --description "cluster0" --memory=1024 --vcpus=1 --location ~/CentOS-7-x86_64-Minimal-1908.iso \
--os-type=linux --os-variant=rhel7 --disk pool=default,bus=virtio,size=10 --network bridge=br0,model=virtio --graphics none --console=pty,target_type=serial \
--extra-args "console=ttyS0,115200n8 inst.sshd=1 ks=http://192.168.0.50:8000/standard_ks.cfg ip=dhcp"

Once kickstart has passed point of acquiring a dhcp lease, get a new list of dhcp leases on hypervisor

arp -an > leases_after.txt
sdiff leases_before.txt leases_after.txt

ssh into the kickstarting instance

ssh root@[ instance_ip ]

Shouldn’t require a password.