KVM: Install CentOS / RHEL Using Kickstart File (Automated Installation)

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Kickstart is a network installation system for RHEL, Fedora and CentOS Linux distributions. Another good option is Cobbler which is a Linux provisioning server that centralizes and simplifies control of services including DHCP, TFTP, and DNS for the purpose of performing network-based operating systems installs. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to use kickstart file to install CentOS.

Create Kickstart file

An automated installation method to install CentOS / Fedora or RHEL is recommend to automate procedure. Using kickstart, a system administrator can create a single file containing the answers to all the questions that would normally be asked during a typical RHEL Linux installation. Use kickstart GUI tool called “Kickstart Configurator” (run system-config-kickstart command to start the tool) to create a file called ks.cfg as follows:

auth  --useshadow  --enablemd5
bootloader --location=mbr
zerombr
clearpart --all --initlabel
text
firewall --enabled --port=22:tcp
firstboot --disable
keyboard us
network --device eth0 --bootproto static --ip 10.10.21.76 --netmask 255.255.255.240 --gateway 10.10.21.100 --nameserver 10.10.21.1,10.10.21.2 --noipv6
network --device eth1 --bootproto static --ip 123.1.2.6 --netmask 255.255.255.240 --gateway 123.1.2.100 --nameserver 10.10.21.1,10.10.21.2 --hostname centos.nixcraft.in --noipv6  
lang en_US
logging --level=info
url --url=http://mirrors.nixcraft.in/centos/5.5/os/x86_64/ 
reboot
rootpw --iscrypted $1$somepassword
selinux --enforcing
skipx
timezone  America/New_York
install
part / --bytes-per-inode=4096 --fstype="ext3" --grow --size=1
part swap --recommended
%packages
@core
--nobase
%post
( 
echo '10.0.0.0/8 via 10.10.21.100' > /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0
sed -i 's/LABEL=\//& console=ttyS0/' /etc/grub.conf
echo 'S0:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty ttyS0 115200' >> /etc/inittab
echo "ttyS0" >> /etc/securetty
echo 'IPV6INIT=no' >> /etc/sysconfig/network
echo 'install ipv6 /bin/true' >> /etc/modprobe.conf
) 1>/root/post_install.log 2>&1

Upload this file to a web server as ks.cfg. You can use nfs server too.

virt-install: Install CentOS using Kickstart

Type the following command:
# virt-install \
-n centos \
-r 2048 \
--vcpus=1 \
--os-variant=rhel5.4 \
--accelerate \
-v \
-w bridge:br0 \
-w bridge:br1 \
--disk path=/emc/kvm/centos.img,size=100 \
-l http://mirrors.nixcraft.in/centos/5.5/os/x86_64/ \
-nographics \
-x "ks=http://10.10.21.3/static/ks.cfg ksdevice=eth0 ip=10.10.21.76 netmask=255.255.255.240 dns=10.10.21.1 gateway=10.10.21.100"
The -x option is used to pass additional kernel command line to the installer when performing a guest install. The ks option sets ks file location and rest are networking options so that installer can fetch ks.cfg and do automated installation for you.

This entry is 5 of 14 in the CentOS / Redhat (RHEL) KVM Virtulization series. Keep reading the rest of the series:
  1. CentOS / Redhat: Install KVM Virtualization Software
  2. CentOS / Redhat: KVM Bridged Network Configuration
  3. KVM virt-manager: Install CentOS As Guest Operating System
  4. KVM virt-install: Install FreeBSD / CentOS As Guest Operating System
  5. KVM: Install CentOS / RHEL Using Kickstart File (Automated Installation)
  6. Troubleshooting KVM Virtualization Problem With Log Files
  7. KVM Virsh: Redirect FreeBSD Console To A Serial Port
  8. KVM: Starting / Stopping Guest Operating Systems With virsh Command
  9. Linux KVM: Disable virbr0 NAT Interface
  10. FreeBSD / OpeBSD Running in KVM Does Not Accept FTP Traffic
  11. KVM: Start a Virtual Machine / Guest At Boot Time
  12. KVM virt-install: Install OpenBSD As Guest Operating System
  13. Linux KVM: OpenBSD Guest Hangs At Starting tty Flags
  14. KVM Virtualization: Start VNC Remote Access For Guest Operating Systems

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

6 comment

  1. Hi there,

    Great articles! I’d like to auto install (pxe boot) all my KVM based VMs, using my Satellite/Cobbler server. But the problem seems to be that , to add a server into Cobbler we need “MAC” addresses of both interfaces in advance (so we could assign the DHCP/Static IP accordingly). Is it possible to create dummy VMs or assign pre-defined MAC during VM auto pxe install?

    Thanks,
    Nitin

  3. Why is the IP info required in both the kickstart as well as the virt-install? This doesn’t make sense to me.

    1. because this IP address with ks.cfg as the same.
      this file ks.cfg vm use the static IP Address,the dhcp server not use in the lan

  4. Pardon my english…
    what i think, installation with cobbler, in kickstart file, boot proto should be DHCP, and virt-install should have –pxe and remove ks line to get boot with LAN, now it’s work of PXE booted boot loader to provide ks file ex. “ks=http://10.10.21.3/static/ks.cfg”

    hypothetical:
    # virt-install
    -n centos
    -r 2048
    –vcpus=1
    –os-variant=rhel5.4
    –accelerate
    -v
    -w bridge:br0
    -w bridge:br1
    –disk path=/emc/kvm/centos.img,size=100
    -nographics
    –pxe

    Now VM booted with LAN, pxe provided IP from DHCP, VM gets a splash screen (boot loader .. see below)
    # cat /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
    blah blah……
    append initrd=images/centos/6.2/os/x86_64/images/pxeboot/initrd.img linux ks=http://10.10.21.3/static/ks.cfg

    Pl. contribute your views, that will definitely get clear view at least mine or may be on more person

    1. may be network args also need to provide

      found this info after some googling..

      Stop Default Network
      # virsh net-destroy default
      # virsh net-edit default
      # virsh net-dumpxml default

      default
      566eadfd-74f3-4e0b-af85-0876d99541a1

      # virsh net-start default

      Add below switch with virt-install
      -w network=default

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