AI Goals

• Easy to setup
• Install from network or local
• Play fair with other Operating Systems
• Support X86 and SPARC
• Support LAN and WAN

AI Design Philosophy

• Simplification
• Decentralization.
• Use Standards
• Split Install and Configuration
• Common for X86 and SPARC
• Use same boot process as that of live system (Miniroot vs Microroot)

Terminology (AI & Jumpstart)

Note: No begin/finish scripts support in Automated Installer

Design Choices

• Use SMF for configuration
• Use XML for AI Manifest (profile)
• Use DNS and mDNS for finding AI manifest and System Configuration manifests
• Use SMF services to initiate installation
• Use IPS to install packages/clusters
• Default for all parameters of AI and SC manifests
• create-service is only thing required for simple AI configuration

How AI works?

• Client boots and gets IP address and bootfile (pxegrub) from DHCP
• The pxegrub is loaded and reads menu.lst (TFTP)
• Pxegrub gets microroot and Solaris is booted (TFTP)
• Our modification in file system SMF service will load the rest of the netimage (TFTP)
  • Solaris.zlib and Solarismisc.zlib
• AI SMF service will do the client discovery and gets the service (using mDNS).
• The client contact the server (http server) using the information in the service and gets AI manifest.
• The AI install program will be invoked with AI manifest to complete the installation.

Components of Automated Installer

• installadm - Install setup tool(s) run on the server
• AI web server - Serves AI manifests (runs on the server)
• auto_install - AI Engine (runs on the client that perform the install)
• ai_sd - AI service discovery engine (runs on the client to discover install services)
• ai_get_manifest - AI service choosing engine (runs on the client to get the AI manifest from the HTTP server)
• auto-installer - SMF service that initiate the installation
• live-fs-root - common SMF service used by LiveCD and AI to setup install image
• libtd - Target discovery Module
• libti - Target Instantiation Module
• libtransfer - Transfer Module
• liborchestrator - Orchestrator Module
• libict - Install Completion Task Module

Setting up install server

• Install OpenSolaris 2008.11 on your system
• Install SUNWinstalladm-tools from the IPS repository opensolaris.org
• AI client installs packages from IPS and it requires the AI clients to get DNS information and router information from the DHCP server.
  • Make sure that /etc/resolv.conf is populated with correct DNS information on the server
  • Make sure that your name service is DNS by checking /etc/nsswitch.conf. It should have dns for hosts and IP nodes.
  • Make sure that the DNS client SMF service /network/dns/client:default is enabled
  • Make sure that default router is set in the install server.
• Run 'installadm create-service' to create a service
• Setup the DHCP entries (if necessary)
• Setup custom AI manifests (if needed)
  • Read about manifest at http://www.opensolaris.org/os/project/caiman/auto_install/AI_manifest_setup.html
• The instructions are at http://www.opensolaris.org/os/project/caiman/auto_install/AI_install_server_setup.html