Life on the OutSide: Build a DVD Jumpstart image for SXCE/Nevada (OpenSolaris)

I have had a lot of trouble recently getting Jumpstart to work with no PXE server with SXCE/Nevada. The last time I got it to work was with Solaris Express B90 (when Sun releases it)

I need to update my lab of Desktops to a newer version so I decided to build my own DVD with Jumpstart built in. I think at the moment the OpenSolaris/Indiana release does not make this procedure possible, so sticking with SXCE.

This solution is not perfect but it works!

The procedure is:

Obtain the latest iso version
Copy iso to a disk for editing
Extract the mini boot for editing
Replace original sysidcfg with your version
Rebuild miniboot
Edit grub menu
Add your jumpstart features (Packages, Scripts, etc)
Rebuild iso image
Write iso image to DVD

Step by step guide

1. Obtain the latest Nevada/SXCE iso version (or even Solaris)

Down load Solaris Express Community Edition (DVD Single Image)

2. Copy iso to a disk for editing

Need to mount the ISO (i.e. sol-nv-b105-x86-dvd.iso)
Then copy contents to some where on your hard disk

# lofiadm -a /export/iso/sol-nv-b105-x86-dvd.iso
dev/lofi/1
# mount -o ro -F hsfs -o ro /dev/lofi/1 /mnt
# mkdir /export/dvd
# cd /mnt
# find . -depth -print | cpio -pdm /export/dvd

3. Extract the mini boot for editing

# gzcat /export/dvd/boot/x86.miniroot > /var/tmp/bootfile
# lofiadm -a /var/tmp/bootfile
/dev/lofi/2
# mkdir /tmp/bootfile
# mount /dev/lofi/2 /tmp/bootfile
# ls /tmp/bootfile
a cdrom etc mnt proc sbin ....

4. Replace original sysidcfg with your version

My sysidcfg setups ldap, root password, etc...

# cd /tmp/bootfile/etc
# rm sysidcfg
# cat > sysidcfg
network_interface=e1000g0 {primary dhcp protocol_ipv6=no}
security_policy=none
name_service=LDAP {domain_name=dcs.bbk.ac.uk profile=default profile_server=193.xx.yy.zz proxy_dn="cn=proxyagent,ou=profile,dc=dcs,dc=bbk,dc=ac,dc=uk" proxy_password="PLAIN TEXT PASSWORD"}
nfs4_domain=dynamic
root_password="Encrypted Password"
terminal=dtterm
timezone="GB"
timeserver=193.xx.yy.zz
system_locale=C
keyboard=UK-English
service_profile=limited_net
^D
# cd /var/tmp

5. Rebuild miniboot

# umount /tmp/bootfile
# lofiadm -d /dev/lofi/2
# gzip /var/tmp/bootfile
# mv /var/tmp/bootfile.gz /export/dvd/boot/x86.miniroot

6. Edit grub menu

Need to add the install option so that performs a hands-off Jumpstart install
I have also added another item so that the default is to boot off the disk. i.e. it will not do a install unless you pick Jumpstart items
I have also altered it so that it gets the jumpstart scripts from a tar file on the web server
edit /export/dvd/boot/grub/menu.lst so it looks like

default=0
timeout=30
min_mem64 1024
title Boot From Disk
    rootnoverify (hd0)
    chainloader +1
title Custom Jumpstart
    verbose
    kernel /boot/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix - install http://193.61.29.21/solaris/config.tar -B install_media=cdrom
    module /boot/x86.miniroot

7. Add your Jumpstart features (Packages, Scripts, etc)

With any luck you have this already otherwise please see the Sun docs
Basically I have some extra packages (/opt/sfw and some scripts which alter system files)
Tar the whole directory and place it on web server
Copy any packages to the DVD if required

# cd /export/jumpstart
# tar cf /opt/htdocs/solaris/config.tar .
# cp -rp /export/ExtraPackages /export/dvd

8. Rebuild ISO image

Now we have our new grub menu
New miniroot
Extra Packages on the DVD
Now we need to create the ISO
You may get some warnings out filename conversions, which I have not solved yet, but I do not use these packages so it is OK.

/usr/bin/mkisofs -d -D -J -l -r -U -relaxed-filenames -b boot/grub/stage2_eltorito -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -c .catalog -V "OpenSolaris" -o /var/tmp/output.iso /export/dvd

Using TopicSelectors$Subscri000.class for /var/tmp/dvd/Solaris_11/Produc/SUNWiqdoc/reloc/usr/demo/imq/jm/TopicSelectors$Subscriber$MultipleListener.class (TopicSelectors$Subscriber.class)

1.85% done, estimate finish Thu Jan 15 16:43:42 2009
...
Size of boot image is 4 sectors -> No emulation
1.43% done, estimate finish Thu Jan 15 11:08:14 2009
99.78% done, estimate finish Thu Jan 15 11:15:08 2009
Total translation table size: 2048
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 4369317
Total directory bytes: 23724032
Path table size(bytes): 185830
Max brk space used 23da000
1753844 extents written (3425 MB)
#

9. Write iso image to DVD