Lab 16.1: Install a server automatically with Kickstart

Goal

Write a Kickstart file, check it, serve it from server1 with Apache, and install a new virtual machine web1 without answering a single question in the installer.

Before you start

server1 (RHEL 10) with root access, and a KVM host that can make a new VM (server1 itself with virt-install, or your laptop).
The RHEL 10 DVD ISO on the KVM host, for example /var/lib/libvirt/images/rhel-10.0-x86_64-dvd.iso.
The libvirt network 192.168.122.0/24 with the gateway 192.168.122.1. server1 has 192.168.122.10.

Tasks

Copy /root/anaconda-ks.cfg of server1 to /root/ks-web1.cfg and use it as the start.
Change the file so that web1 gets: text mode, time zone Asia/Riyadh, the fixed address 192.168.122.40/24 with gateway and DNS .1, the host name web1.example.com, a locked root account, a user admin in wheel with a password hash, only the disk vda (wiped, automatic LVM), SELinux enforcing, the firewall with ssh and http, and an automatic reboot at the end.
Install the minimal environment plus httpd, and enable httpd at boot. In %post, write web1 installed by Kickstart to /var/www/html/index.html.
Check the file with ksvalidator until it reports no errors.
Serve the file from server1 at http://192.168.122.10/ks-web1.cfg.
Install the VM web1 with this file and wait until it reboots by itself.

Check your work

$ksvalidator /root/ks-web1.cfg
$curl -s http://192.168.122.10/ks-web1.cfg | grep -E '^(network|rootpw|autopart)'
$ping -c 2 192.168.122.40
$curl -s http://192.168.122.40/
$ssh admin@192.168.122.40 'hostnamectl --static; getenforce; sudo firewall-cmd --list-services'

ksvalidator prints nothing (no errors).
curl http://192.168.122.40/ prints web1 installed by Kickstart.
On web1: host name web1.example.com, Enforcing, the firewall lists http and ssh.

Hints

Show the hints

openssl passwd -6 makes the password hash for user --iscrypted --password=.
ignoredisk --only-use=vda, zerombr, clearpart --all --initlabel, autopart --type=lvm.
services --enabled=httpd enables the service; firewall --enabled --service=ssh,http opens the ports.
Files in /var/www/html need the right SELinux label: run restorecon after copying.
virt-install … --location ISO --initrd-inject FILE --extra-args "inst.ks=file:/ks-web1.cfg" works without the web server, too.

Solution

Show the solution

Start from the file of the installation.

#cp /root/anaconda-ks.cfg /root/ks-web1.cfg
#openssl passwd -6

and 3. Edit the file. The important lines:

/root/ks-web1.cfg

text
lang en_US.UTF-8
keyboard --vckeymap=us
timezone Asia/Riyadh --utc
network --bootproto=static --device=enp1s0 --ip=192.168.122.40 --netmask=255.255.255.0 --gateway=192.168.122.1 --nameserver=192.168.122.1 --hostname=web1.example.com --activate
rootpw --lock
user --name=admin --groups=wheel --iscrypted --password=$6$PASTE-YOUR-HASH
ignoredisk --only-use=vda
zerombr
clearpart --all --initlabel
autopart --type=lvm
selinux --enforcing
firewall --enabled --service=ssh,http
services --enabled=httpd
reboot
 
%packages
@^minimal-environment
httpd
%end
 
%post
echo "web1 installed by Kickstart" > /var/www/html/index.html
%end

Check it.

#dnf install -y pykickstart
#ksvalidator /root/ks-web1.cfg

Serve it with Apache.

#dnf install -y httpd
#cp /root/ks-web1.cfg /var/www/html/
#restorecon -v /var/www/html/ks-web1.cfg
#systemctl enable --now httpd
#firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent
#firewall-cmd --reload

Install the VM (on the KVM host).

#virt-install --name web1 --memory 2048 --vcpus 2 --disk size=15 \
    --location /var/lib/libvirt/images/rhel-10.0-x86_64-dvd.iso \
    --os-variant rhel10.0 --network network=default --graphics none \
    --extra-args "inst.ks=http://192.168.122.10/ks-web1.cfg console=ttyS0"

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Install a server automatically with Kickstart