1. Concepts Guide for Release 2.10
  2. Provisioning Client Systems in Oracle Linux Manager

3 Provisioning Client Systems in Oracle Linux Manager

WARNING:

The software described in this documentation is supported for a limited period under Extended Support. Oracle Linux 7 is now in Extended Support. See Oracle Linux Extended Support and Oracle Open Source Support Policies for more information.

Consider using OS Management Hub to manage operating system infrastructure. See OS Management Hub for more information.

You can use Oracle Linux Manager in conjunction with kickstart to automate the installation of Oracle Linux systems. When you use kickstart along with Oracle Linux Manager for provisioning, kickstart obtains software packages for target systems from channels on a Oracle Linux Manager server rather than a networked kickstart installation server.

Configuring Oracle Linux Manager and kickstart to install and provision systems involves several steps, including creating a kickstart profile and using a kickstart file to install client systems. For complete instructions, see Provisioning Client Systems in Oracle Linux Manager: Client Life Cycle Management Guide for Release 2.10 .

The web interface provides a convenient way to kickstart a client system that boots by using DHCP and PXE boot, as illustrated in the following figure.

Figure 3-1 Kickstart Provisioning Process for a Client System that Uses DHCP and PXE Boot


The figure shows the provisioning process for a client system that uses a DHCP and PXE boot.

The figure illustrates the following process:

  1. After powering on the client system, it obtains its IP settings from DHCP, including the address of the TFTP server.

  2. Next, the client downloads the boot loader (pxelinux) from the TFTP server.

    The boot loader then downloads the installation kernel and initial RAM-disk images from Oracle Linux Manager server.

  3. The installation kernel runs Anaconda, which downloads the kickstart parameters, including the kickstart file, from Oracle Linux Manager server and uses this information to install packages from Oracle Linux Manager software channels, and perform any required system configuration.

If you are familiar with Cobbler, you might prefer to use the cobbler command to configure and manage kickstart profiles.