Subject: 2.3 early experiences

From: [email-masked] (Aditya Talwar)
Date: 18 Oct 1993 18:58:54 -0500

Grave warning, the  following maybe be bit long :( but i need your
advice quickly !

Last week, i was doing some practice Auto-net-remote 2.3 early installs.
(the sysadmin's 2.x dream) Our setup is like this:
Assume the cdrom from which i am going to boot off is
on the 670, 4.1.3 server below:
       
           ---  x.29.1 ------ Backbone -----------------
              670 server		               YP master
	      4.1.3, with 2.3cdrom 
	          |              	               all disks are spread
                  |			               by automounter
		 x.29.2 interface
		  |
		  |
		  -- x.29.10
		    my standalone client being installed

To test, the Optional boot option on subnet, i dumped the
sun4c architecture on my subnet's 670 server using command

./setup_install_server -b /export/install sun4c

this went okay; further I added my client on the 670 on my subnet
using command:
./add_install_client -s 670:/cdrom -c 670:/export/install_config client sun4c

this command checks the NIS maps and tells me to update the bootparams
map on the YP master as follows:

client root=670:/cdrom/export/exec/kvm/sparc.sun4c.Solaris_2.3 \
       install=670:/cdrom install_config=670:/export/install_info

This message i think is wrong, i think, if one uses -b option with
setup_install_server,
it should prompt me with the correct path for root !

client root=670:/export/install/export/exec/kvm/sparc.sun4c.Solaris_2.3 \
       install=670:/cdrom install_config=670:/export/install_info

What does the net think of this? is my assumption correct.

2. Then i do a boot net - install, my machine does not respond to
this, NIS ethers, bootparams, hosts maps have my client info.

Then by trial and error and old notes, i figure I have to start
rarpd le0 on my subnet's interface x.29.2 !

This is NOT MENTIONED in THE MANUAL, nor is there a mention about
./rm_install_client script, whats it purpose etc, i think there
should be minimum docs on this in the install and config manual.

3. after the installation begins, the auto-install fails as there
are complaints about c0t1d0 being a duplicate mount point,
BTW, my host class files looks like this

install_type	initial_install
system_type	standalone
partitioning	existing
filesys		c0t3d0s0 40 /
filesys	 	c0t3d0s4 10 /var
filesys         c0t0d0s6 existing /usr
filesys         c0t0d0s5 existing /opt preserve
filesys         c0t1d0s6 existing /home preserve
filesys		c0t3d0s1 free swap
filesys		Yp master:/var/spool/mail	- /var/mail rw,intr,bg
cluster		SUNWCall

on changing c0t1d0 to 

filesys         c0t1d0s6 existing /export/home preserve
i get the message, (after wathcing the install again for 10mins :(
c0t3d0s0 too small for configuration, so i change this to:

filesys         c0t1d0s6 existing /client_0 preserve

then i get a message, after waiting again for 10 mins,
Error: overlapping slices on disk c0t1s0 slice 2 and 6 !

All the above configs have been passed the ./check utility!

BTW, if you use any of the 2.3 early install scripts, one cannot
UMOUNT the cdrom on the 4.1.3 server unless it is rebooted,
this is a bug!

I am running out of time, I would appreciate your suggestions
for the correct host_class config files or other watch out's
for subnet install type configuration.

Thanks
aditya
************ yes, i speak for my own self*******************

---

From: [email-masked] (Alain Brossard EPFL-SIC/SII)
Date: 19 Oct 1993 10:01:37 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Aditya Talwar) writes:
|> this went okay; further I added my client on the 670 on my subnet
|> using command:
|> ./add_install_client -s 670:/cdrom -c 670:/export/install_config client sun4c
|> 
|> this command checks the NIS maps and tells me to update the bootparams
|> map on the YP master as follows:
|> 
|> client root=670:/cdrom/export/exec/kvm/sparc.sun4c.Solaris_2.3 \
|>        install=670:/cdrom install_config=670:/export/install_info

   You are correct, this is wrong all instances of "/cdrom" should be in your
case /export/install.  I haven't had any problems with 2.3 with
respect with JumpStart, however I use my own script rather than
"add_install_client".  Maybe there is an extra option 
with add_install_client which tells it where the Solaris_2.3_EA is
located?

|> 
|> client root=670:/export/install/export/exec/kvm/sparc.sun4c.Solaris_2.3 \
|>        install=670:/cdrom install_config=670:/export/install_info
wrong here too        ^^^^^^ replace with /export/install

|> 
|> 2. Then i do a boot net - install, my machine does not respond to
|> this, NIS ethers, bootparams, hosts maps have my client info.
|> 
|> Then by trial and error and old notes, i figure I have to start
|> rarpd le0 on my subnet's interface x.29.2 !

  Normaly rarpd is started at boot time if there is a /etc/ethers
with the -a flag (-a: all interfaces), however
it uses the contents of the NIS ethers map.  The add_install_client
should restart the daemon.  In the case of bootparams, the local
file /etc/bootparams is consulted first and always re-read by
the rpc.bootparamd daemon so no need to fuss with remaking NIS map.

|> This is NOT MENTIONED in THE MANUAL

  You are using a BETA release, you should expect things to break
and be missing, in no cases are you supposed to go to the net with
these things.  Haven't they made you sign a non-disclosure agreement?

|> 
|> 3. after the installation begins, the auto-install fails as there
|> are complaints about c0t1d0 being a duplicate mount point,
|> filesys         c0t1d0s6 existing /home preserve

  In Solaris 2, /home is under the automounter control.

|> then i get a message, after waiting again for 10 mins,
|> Error: overlapping slices on disk c0t1s0 slice 2 and 6 !

   This is presumably a bug since slice 2 is supposed to
be the whole disk and hence to be overlapping.  You should
be mentionning this to whomever provided you with this
Beta/Early Access version of 2.3.

|> BTW, if you use any of the 2.3 early install scripts, one cannot
|> UMOUNT the cdrom on the 4.1.3 server unless it is rebooted,
|> this is a bug!

   Most probably more a problem on your part since I had
no problems umounting the CDROM.  You mentionned
that you started manually rarpd, could it be that you were
under /cdrom at the time.  You almost certainly started one
or more programs while under /cdrom which are still running
and hence stopping you from doing the umount.

|> I am running out of time, I would appreciate your suggestions
|> for the correct host_class config files or other watch out's
|> for subnet install type configuration.

  When installing an Early Access version, by definition, you
should expect problems and allocate plenty of time.  You sound
like you want to install a production environment, in that
case you would be better off installing Solaris 2.2 for now.

-- 

Alain Brossard, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
    SIC/SII, MA-Ecublens, C.P. 121, CH-1015 Lausanne, Suisse, +41 21 693-2211
[email-masked]