You may want to do a multi-stage install if:
  • You don't want to configure boot services on the target subnet
  • You don't want to use the laptop
  • You don't want to use a CDROM-launched procedure.
  • You want to do a quick host swap with minimal downtime

The multi-stage install allows you to begin installing, through use of the diskless services on one of NACS' subnets, subnet 34.

You can install a machine with the following steps:

  • Install the machine as "stand34.nac.uci.edu", on subnet 34.
  • Change the machine to use its target name, IP address and router
    • cd /etc
    • vi `find . -type f -print | xargs grep -il stand34`; Then go through and change all the stand34.nac.uci.edu (or just stand34) references to foo.nac.uci.edu references (or just foo).
    • vi `find . -type f -print | xargs grep -l 128\.200\.34`; Then go through and change all the 128.200.34 references to the target IP address or target subnet.
  • Shut the machine down, and take the machine to its target subnet
  • Bring the machine up on the new subnet, in single user
  • Be sure the primary network interface is properly configured, with ifconfig
  • Add a default route, if needed, with route add default...
  • Put an NIS domainname in /etc/defaultdomain
  • Make the system use that domainname right now, with domainname `cat /etc/defaultdomain`
  • You may need to create an NIS binding with some other host, particularly if there is no NIS server on this machines subnet
  • mount /dcs
  • mount /dcslib
  • Run run-after.
  • Ignore the diffs and beeps from *-check-magic_files this time

    When a machine is installed as stand34.acs, it will abort midway into the install (about mid-way into "each"), shortly before most domain and host-specific customizations begin. When you run run-after above, you repeat the steps up through that mid-way point (with nearly, if not exactly, the same results), but also execute the later steps this time, and with the target name.

    Installing with this special name, prevents NACS-specific customizations from being loaded, ensuring the system won't be loaded with a mix of NACS-specific and target-domain-specific customizations. This also keeps srsh from being improperly initialized.

    One difference between this multi-stage install, and the normal procedure, is that most mount points are not created automatically by the multi-stage install. You end up needing to mkdir them manually.

    You can also install a machine as "offcamp.acs.uci.edu", which will be quite a lot like simply installing a machine off the distribution media. This is much like installing as "stand34.acs.uci.edu", but the install procedure exits even sooner, and you probably won't be able to run run-after without extra fiddling.

    http://www.nacs.uci.edu/support/dcs/automation/multistage.html