♦ Remote Server URL:<URL of remote server when installation method is set to Remote>
♦ Network Method: DHCP | Static IP
♦ Static will be the more common selection.
♦ Create a default network for VMs: Yes | No
♦ This option is negligible. If Yes is selected, the VM network can be deleted later. If No is selected, the VM network can be created later.
♦ VLAN:<VLAN ID if Service Console should be on a VLAN>
♦ Provide a VLAN ID for Service Console only if you know that a VLAN is configured on the physical switch to which the network adapter is connected.
♦ Time Zone
♦ Reboot After Installation: Yes | No
♦ Root password
Figure 2.25 The Scripted Installer wizard defines the installation type and method as well as the Service Console configuration information.
10. As shown in Figure 2.26, set the hostname and IP address information of the server to be installed with the answer file and then click the Next button.
11. Select the check box labeled I Have Read and Accept the Terms of the License Agreement and then click the Next button.
12. As shown in Figure 2.27, configure the disk partitioning strategy and licensing mode for the target server and then click the Next button. Apply any necessary customizations to the partitions. Licensing options include: Post Install | Use License Server | Use Host License File.
13. Configure the licensing options, as shown in Figure 2.28, and then click the Next button.
Figure 2.26 The Scripted Installer defines the hostname and IP address configuration for the target ESX Server.
Figure 2.27 The Scripted Installer allows disk partitioning customizations and licensing mode.
14. Click the Download Kickstart File from the final page of the Scripted Installer, as shown in Figure 2.29.
Since a Windows file share is not an option for the location of a kickstart file, the file must be copied to an appropriate location, which is most commonly an NFS directory. Use WordPad to review the kickstart file created by the Scripted Installer wizard. A sample default file is shown in Figure 2.30.
Figure 2.28 The Scripted Installer automates the configuration of pointing an ESX Server to a license server.
Figure 2.29 The finished kickstart file can be saved to the local computer accessing the Scripted Installer web-based wizard.
Using free tools like Veeam FastSCP (http://www.veeam.com) or WinSCP (http://www.winscp.com), the kickstart file can be copied to an NFS directory that is accessible to the target ESX Server. Once the file is in place on the NFS directory, the unattended installation can be launched from the target server.
Perform the following steps to perform an unattended installation using a CD for the installation files and a remote NFS directory for the kickstart file:
1. Boot the target computer from the ESX Server 3.5 CD.
2. At the installation mode selection screen, type the following command, as shown in Figure 2.31:
esx ks=nfs:<IP address or name of NFS server>:<path to kickstart file> ksdevice=<NIC to use>
3. The installation will begin and continue until the final reboot.
Kickstart files can be edited directly through WordPad so that the wizard does not have to be executed for each new installation. Unfortunately, the kickstart file does not provide a way of generating unique information for each installation and therefore each install will require a manually created (or adjusted) kickstart file that is specific to that installation — particularly configuration of static information that must be unique like IP address and hostname.
Figure 2.30 A sample kickstart file created by the Scripted Installer wizard, viewed through WordPad
Figure 2.31 Using a local installation media with a kickstart file on an NFS directory
Kickstart CustomizationsYou may have noticed the kickstart file creation wizard did not allow for configuration of Service Console NIC or any virtual networking or storage configuration. That's because by default it doesn't. The lack of Service Console NIC configuration can cause access problems because the kickstart installation automatically selects the NIC with the lowest PCI address. If your Service Console is not to be associated with the NIC that has the lowest PCI address, a postinstallation configuration will be required to unlink the current NIC and link the correct NIC. We will cover how to do this in the next section of this chapter.
Kickstart files can be edited to configure postinstallation configuration. These configurations can include Service Console NIC corrections, creation of virtual switches and port groups, storage configuration, and even customizations of Service Console config files for setting up external time servers.
The command-line syntax for virtual networking and storage will be covered in Chapters 3 and 4. The following kickstart file makes many postinstallation changes:
# Advanced Kickstart file with postinstallation configuration.
# Installation Method
cdrom
# root Password
rootpw --iscrypted a6fh$/hkQQrCaeuc0mAe38$.captvmyeT4
# Authconfig
auth --enableshadow --enablemd5
# BootLoader (Grub has to be the default boot loader for ESX Server 3)
bootloader --driveorder=sda --location=mbr
# Timezone (set this time zone to fit your company policy)
timezone --utc UTC
# Do not install the X windowing System
skipx
# Clean Installation or upgrade an existing installation
install
# Text Mode
text
# Network install type (this server will have a static IP address of 172.30.0.105
with a subnet mask of 2555.255.255.0, a gateway of 172.30.0.1, a DNS server
# of 172.30.0.2 and a hostname of silo3505.vdc.local. It will not be configured on a vlan network --bootproto static --ip 172.30.0.105 --netmask 255.255.255.0 --gateway 172.30.0.1 --nameserver 172.30.0.2 --hostname silo3505.vdc.local --vlanid=0
# Language
lang en_US
# Language Support
langsupport --default en_US
# Keyboard
keyboard us
# Mouse
mouse none
# Force a reboot after the install
reboot
# Firewall settings
firewall --disabled
# Clear all Partitions on the local disk sda
clearpart --all --initlabel --drives=sda
# Partitioning strategy for ESX Server host
part /boot --fstype ext3 --size 200 --ondisk sda
part / --fstype ext3 --size 25000 --ondisk sda
part swap --size 1600 --ondisk sda
part None --fstype vmfs3 --size 1 --grow --ondisk sda part None --fstype vmkcore --size 100 --ondisk sda
part /var --fstype ext3 --size 12000 --ondisk sda part /tmp --fstype ext3 --size 2000 --ondisk sda
# VMware Specific Commands for accepting the license agreement, configuring a
license server at 172.30.0.2 on port 270000, and a full license
vmaccepteula
vmlicense --mode=server --server=27000@172.30.0.2 --edition=esxFull
%packages
@base
@ everything
%post
# Create a new file named S11PostInstallConfig that will become an executable
that is run during the first reboot of the ESX Server
cat > /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S11PostInstallConfig << EOF #!/bin/bash
# Overwrite the resolv.conf file to create primary and secondary DNS entries