Leah - README COS Software

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 AN!Wiki :: Pages From Leah's Wiki :: Leah - README COS Software

There is also a PDF version of this document available for download at https://alteeve.com/files/cos/README_COS_Software.pdf . The online version may be more recent however, so check the date on this page and the file.

Installation of the base OS

Hardware preparation

HP ProLiant DL380

  1. Power on the system, and you will see a BIOS message about the HP Smart Array 6i Controller. Press the F8 key, to go into the Option Rom Configuration for Arrays screen.
  2. Under the Main Menu, select Delete Logical Drive, and then on the next screen, press F8 to delete the pre-configured RAID 1+0 Drive.
  3. At the Warning screen, press the F3 key. When you receive the prompt to press Enter to continue, press the Enter key.
  4. Under the Main Menu, select Create Logical Drive,
  5. At the next screen, all drives should be selected, and under Raid Configurations the RAID 1+0 level should be selected. Press Enter to continue.
  6. You will receive a confirmation prompt, summarizing the information about your logical drive. Press F8.
  7. At the Configuration saved prompt, press Enter.
  8. When you see the Main Menu screen again, you may press Esc.

Method 1 - Standard hardware w/Kickstart

This is the recomended, and easiest installation method to try first.

Get the installation media that you need

Simply obtain the correct boot ISO images from either http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/ or http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ (this one is if you are inside the Interlink office). You will want to grab the ones for the most recent supported version of CentOS (at the time of writing, this was 4.4). Here's an example of some of the different boot ISO's available:

CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-ide-raid-two-master.iso
The system must be configured with two master IDE drives (a primary master [hda] and a secondary master [hdc]) that are identical.
CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-ide-single-master.iso
The system must be configured with at least one IDE drive configured to be the primary master (hda), and no RAID is configured.
CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-scsi-raid-two-hd.iso
The system must be configured with two SCSI drives that show up before any other SCSI storage devices on the system (sda and sdb). Keep in mind that properly configured SATA drives will look like SCSI drives to the system, so you will want to use this if you have SATA enabled in the BIOS. The drives should be identical.
CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-scsi-single-hd.iso
The system must be configuraed with at least one SCSI drive configured to be the first SCSI storage device that shows up on the system. Keep in mind that properly configured SATA drives will look like SCSI drives to the system, so you will want to use this if you have SATA enabled in the BIOS.
CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-hp-dl380-cnt44.iso
This is custom for the HP ProLiant DL380 server configured with two RAID 1+0 SCSI disks.

All of these kickstarts expect that you are installing with CD images of the OS, because so many times it is not possible to get a good connection for a network installation. We do have a network install kickstart available on request. Thus, you will also need to download the four OS CD's that are on the site. (You may also want to grab the latest ISO from http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/iso or http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/iso for the add on software now too.)

Sometimes from outside, the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site will try to redirect itself to http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ in your browser, so that after you log in you get an error message about not being able to find the site. Just re enter the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site in your browser, and it should be okay.

Start the installation

Boot off of the boot CD that you downloaded (not the CentOS CD1, but the one customized for your system's hardware config.) If all goes well, it will load up, and then give you an error about not being able to find the installation disc. At this point, insert the CentOS CD1 and hit Enter, and the kickstart should do the rest. You will be prompted to insert various CD's by the installer as the installation finishes.

If there are problems

If you get errors, you can try a couple things:

  • Check that your drives have their jumpers set correctly and showing up in the right order in the BIOS
  • Try a different boot CD (maybe one without RAID).
  • Try a more manual partitioning approach, such as in Method 2 or Method 3

Method 2 - Kickstart for package and network configuration, but manual partitioning

Most problems tend to be because the partitioning doesn't work for one reason or another. We have now made available a boot CD that does all of the work for you, but makes you partition the system yourself, to help you work around issues with problematic hardware.

Simply obtain the cc-simple ISO image from either http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/ or http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ (this one is if you are inside the Interlink office). You will want to grab the ones for the most recent supported version of CentOS (at the time of writing, this was 4.2). The current image is:

CentOS-4.4-i386-boot-custom-cc-simple.iso
You must manually partition the system, but everything else is done for you!

This kickstart expects that you are installing with CD images of the OS, because so many times it is not possible to get a good connection for a network installation. We do have a network install kickstart available on request. Thus, you will also need to download the four OS CD's that are on the site. (You may also want to grab the latest ISO from http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/iso or http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/iso for the add on software now too.)

Sometimes from outside, the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site will try to redirect itself to http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ in your browser, so that after you log in you get an error message about not being able to find the site. Just re enter the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site in your browser, and it should be okay.

Start the installation

Boot off of the boot CD that you downloaded (not the CentOS CD1, but the one customized for your system's hardware config.) If all goes well, it will load up, and then give you an error about not being able to find the installation disc. At this point, insert the CentOS CD1 and hit Enter, and the kickstart should do the rest. You will be prompted regarding partitioning next. Follow the manual partitioning instructions using the guidelines under Method 3 - Complete Manual Installation. After completing partitioning, the software will continue installing, prompting you for OS CDs at needed.

Method 3 - Complete Manual Installation

This is the recomended, and easiest installation method to try first.

Get the installation media that you need

Simply obtain the OS ISO images from either http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/ or http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ (this one is if you are inside the Interlink office). You will want to grab the ones for the most recent supported version of CentOS (at the time of writing, this was 4.2). Thus, you will also need to download the four OS CD's that are on the site. (You may also want to grab the latest ISO from http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/iso or http://bfs.iplink.net/cos/iso for the add on software now too.)

Sometimes from outside, the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site will try to redirect itself to http://bfs.int.iplink.net/cos/ in your browser, so that after you log in you get an error message about not being able to find the site. Just re enter the http://bfs.iplink.net/cos site in your browser, and it should be okay.

Start the installation

  • Boot off of CentOS CD1 that you downloaded.
  • At the CD Found screen, select OK.
  • At the Media Check screen, select Test.
  • After the test has completed, select OK.
  • Repeat this process for each of the discs, to ensure that you have good installation media. When finished, select Continue at the Media Check screen.
  • At the Welcome to CentOS4 screen, select Next.
  • At the Language Selection screen, select English (English).
  • At the Keyboard Configuration screen, select U.S. English.

File:CentOS4.4-inst-type.png

  • At the Installation Type screen, select Custom and then select Next.

Partitioning for single drive systems, and hardware RAID based systems (like the HP ProLiant DL380)

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-setup.png

  • At the Disk Partitioning Setup screen, select, Manually partition with Disk Druid and then select Next.
  • If you receive a Warning prompt, select Yes to initialize the drive.

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-boot.png

  • Select New. Under Mount Point select /boot and type 200 in the Size (MB) field. Select Force to be a primary partition and then select OK.

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-root.png

  • Select New. Under Mount Point select / and type 4000 in the Size (MB) field. Select Force to be a primary partition and then select OK.

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-swap.png

  • Select New. Under File System Type select swap and type 1000 in the Size (MB) field. Select Force to be a primary partition and then select OK.

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-backup.png

  • Select New. Under Mount Point type /backup and type 1000 in the Size (MB) field. Then select OK.

File:CentOS4.4-dsk-part-u.png

  • Select New. Under Mount Point type /u. Select Fill to maximum allowable size and then select OK.* Back at the Disk Setup screen, select Next.

Final OS installation steps

  • At the Boot Loader Configuration screen, select Next.
  • At the Network Configuration screen, ensure that eth0 is highlighted, and select Edit.
  • Uncheck, Configure using DHCP and enter 10.10.10.2 for the IP Address field, and 255.255.255.0 for the Netmask field, then select OK.

File:CentOS4.4-net-eth0.png

  • Under Hostname', manually should be selected. Type usrvr.lab.opticalonline.com in the field next to manually.
  • Type 10.10.10.254 in the Gateway field.
  • Type 192.139.81.1 in the Primary DNS field.

File:CentOS4.4-net.png

  • Select Next.
  • At the Firewall Configuration screen, select No Firewall and select Disabled for the Enable SELinux? field, then select Next.

File:CentOS4.4-fw.png

  • At the Warning - No Firewall prompt, select Proceed.
  • At the Additional Language Support screen, select Next.
  • At the Time Zone Selection screen, select the correct time zone and then select Next.
  • At the Set Root Password screen, enter the default root password (Same as for ccs account.) and select Next.
  • At the Package Group Selection screen, un-check everything. Then select:
    • X Window System
    • GNOME Desktop Environment
    • Editors
    • Text-based Internet
    • Sound and Video
    • Server Configuration Tools
    • Windows File Server
    • Network Servers
    • Legacy Network Server
    • Legacy Software Development
    • Administration Tools
    • System Tools
    • Printing Support
  • Find the Sound and Video selection, and select Details.
  • Un-check HelixPlayer, cdparanoia, rhythmbox, and sound-juicer; and then select OK.
  • Back at Package Group Selection, select Next.
  • At the About to Install screen, select Next.
  • At the Required Install Media screen, select Continue.

You will be prompted to insert various discs as the installation proceeds.

  • At the screen that says, "Congratulations, the installation is complete", select Reboot.

The system will automatically reboot if you leave this screen long enough.

  • You will be presented with a Welcome screen after the system reboots. Select Next.
  • At the License Agreement screen, select Next.
  • At the Date and Time screen, verify that the date and time is set correctly, and resolve those settings if needed, then select Next.
  • At the Display screen, select Next.
  • At the System User screen, select Next. You will receive a Warning prompt and should select Continue.
  • At the Additional CDs screen, select Next.
  • At the Finish Setup screen, select Next.

OS Post installation steps

You will be presented with a system login screen that asks for your Username. At this screen, press Ctrl + Alt + F2 with the keyboard, until you reach a console based usrvr login: prompt.

  • Enter root and press Enter.
  • At the Password prompt, enter the root user password, and press Enter.
  • Insert CD2 into the disc drive and type:

<bash> mount /media/cdrecorder cd /media/cdrecorder/CentOS/RPMS rpm -Uvh k3b* kdelibs* tcl* tk* expect* perl-Crypt-SSLeay* cd eject </bash>

  • Insert CD3 into the disc drive and type:

<bash> mount /media/cdrecorder cd /media/cdrecorder/CentOS/RPMS rpm -Uvh uucp* vnc-* cd eject </bash>

  • Insert CD4 into the disc drive and type:

<bash> mount /media/cdrecorder cd /media/cdrecorder/CentOS/RPMS rpm -Uvh ncompress* tftp* cd eject </bash>

The type the following commands:

<bash> /usr/sbin/useradd cadmin chfn -f 'emergency account' cadmin /usr/sbin/usermod -p '$1$��82cQ$uodV1QgjtcouC74iRCkp2/' cadmin rpm --import /usr/share/doc/centos-release-4/RPM-GPG-KEY-centos4 mv /etc/inittab /etc/inittab.backup cat /etc/inittab.backup | /bin/sed 's/5:initdefault/3:initdefault/g' > /etc/inittab reboot </bash>

The server will reboot after this, and should come up to a text based login.

Installation of Add-On software

After installing the operating system, you must now install the add-on cc-systems-centos4-software CDs. To do so:

Insert the CD1 into the CDROM drive of the server and type the following commands as the root user:

mount /media/cdrecorder
# if for some reason that fails, try /media/cdrom
cd /media/cdrecorder
sh install.sh

Insert the CD2 into the CDROM drive of the server and type the following commands as the root user:

mount /media/cdrecorder
# if for some reason that fails, try /media/cdrom
cd /media/cdrecorder
sh install.sh

FAQ for CentOS 4.x Software Versions

Q: Problems with LTSP

If you are having problems with LTSP within your own network (you are not using the default 10.10.10.0/24 network), make sure that the 10.10.10 addresses have been changed in all the appropriate places:

  • /etc/hosts
  • /etc/sysconfig/network
  • /etc/sysconfig/netowrk-scripts/*
  • /exports/
  • /opt/ltsp/i386/etc/lts.conf
  • /etc/dhcpd.conf

You may also need to insure the NFS has been started on the server. Insure the services:

  • nfs
  • nfslock
  • portmap

Have been started.

Q: Can we disable kernel warnings on the screen?

A: You might get warnings that interrupt work even when there doesn't seem to be a problem. For example:

hdd:irq timeout: status=0Xd0 (Busy)
ide: failed opcode was: unknown
hdd: ATAPI reset complete

You can disable those messages popping up on the console, so that they don't continue to interfere with server use by editing the file /etc/sysconfig/syslog and modifying the KLOGD_OPTIONS line to look like this:

<bash>

  1. KLOGD_OPTIONS="-x"

KLOGD_OPTIONS="-2 -c 1" </bash>

Then type:

service syslog restart

A: How do I enable DHCP on the server?

A: On a newly installed server, the DHCP service does not run by default, because it can cause problems on networks that already have DHCP running. To enable it:

chkconfig dhcpd on
service dhcpd restart

Q: How do I enable the diskless workstation software on the server?

A: On a newly installed server, the following commands should be run as root:

chkconfig tftp on
chkconfig xinetd on
chkconfig dhcpd on
service dhcpd restart
service xinetd restart

Q: I am missing NCFTP, how can I install it?

A: Newer versions of the 4.1 software should have ncftp installed, however some of the earlier versions may now. If the server that needs it is connected to the network, running the command:

yum install ncftp

Should install it for you.

The RPM can also be downloaded from one of the following sites:

Once the RPM is on the server, install it with:

rpm -Uvh ncftp-3.1.8-3.el4.i386.rpm
Note
It is recommended to start using wget or lftp instead of ncftp, as it is out of date software. See http://heinous.org/wiki/FTP_Clients for a comparison of the old ncftpget command to the newer lftp syntax. See http://heinous.org/wiki/Wget_examples for examples of ways to use wget with ftp servers.

Q: When connecting to the Labzilla program (opti) with Teraterm from Windows, the backspace key does not work properly. How can I fix that?

  • Start the connection by clicking on the icon that you normally would, but do not log in yet.
  • In the top left corner of the Teraterm application screen, click on the icon of a computer and select Show menu bar
  • Select Setup, and then select Keyboard.
  • Make sure both of the transmit del by boxes are checked like so:

File:Tterm kbd setup.png

  • Select OK
  • Select Setup, and then select Save setup
  • The filename should be teraterm.ini and the directory should be where teraterm is installed on your system.
  • Select Save

The backspace key should now work correctly in the Labzilla application.

References

 

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