source: branches/fc13-dev/server/doc/install-fedora @ 1653

Installing a Scripts guest on a Xen host
----------------------------------------

1. Create the LVM partitions that the Scripts guest will use.

Our classic setup is 50GB for the main, root partition (/) and
10GB for our swap.  You can consult what things look like
by using `lvdisplay`.  Our naming convention is server-name-root
and server-name-swap.

Creating new LVM partitions is done with `lvcreate`:

    # Example values:
    # SERVERNAME=whole-enchilada
    # HOSTNAME=jay-leno
    lvcreate -n $SERVERNAME-root $HOSTNAME --size 50.00G
    lvcreate -n $SERVERNAME-swap $HOSTNAME --size 10.00G

2. Acquire the network installation media for Fedora.

Normally, you would download an ISO and kick off an installation
by burning it to a CD and booting off of that.  Since we would like
to make as minimal a Fedora install as possible, we use a different
method. [XXX: Why do we actually do it this way?  It seems kind
of convoluted]

First, we need to create an appropriate installation directory,
which contains the necessary kernel images and bootstrapping code.
Navigate to a Fedora mirrors website, and find the correct release
from the linux/releases directory, then grab the contents of
Fedora/x86_64/os/isolinux.  For example, getting the Fedora 13 installer
from mirrors.mit.edu would be:

    mkdir ~/f13-install
    cd ~/f13-install
    wget -r -nd ftp://mirrors.mit.edu/fedora/linux/releases/13/Fedora/x86_64/os/isolinux/

You can then spin up a Xen image for installation with:

    xm create scripts-server machine_name=$HOSTNAME install=f13

Note that the -install suffix was dropped.  Get a console with `xm
console`.

3. Tell Fedora where to get the real installer.

You will now be in a curses installer interface.  Since you are doing
a network install, you will need to configure your network and specify
the URL to install.  Find the static hostname that you are planning
to install to and get its information with:

    stella $HOSTNAME

Manually configure its IP, disabling IPv6 for now.  The network mask is
16, and you can check '/etc/resolv.conf' if you don't remember what
MIT's DNS servers are.

It will then ask you for an installation image.  Continuing with our
F13 mirrors.mit.edu, the URL will look something like:

    ftp://mirrors.mit.edu/fedora/linux/releases/13/Fedora/x86_64/os

4. Use VNC

At this point, Fedora will ask you whether or not you want to use VNC
to continue the installation.  Because Scripts has an unusual disk
image setup, you will want to answer yes. [XXX: Unfortunately, this puts
the VNC session on MITnet, so make sure you use a good password, and
we should figure out to make it not do that].  Grab your favorite
VNC client and login to $HOSTNAME:1 over SSH from the internal SIPB
network.

5. Installation in VNC

5.1. Disks to use

We don't have any exotic devices (we did that at the host level,
recall), so you can use normal configuration.  The scripts-server Xen
configuration will have automatically selected the LVM partitions you
created in Step 1, and you want both of them.

5.2. Host

The default hostname is all caps: we use lower-case, so lower-case the
name before proceeding.

5.3. Timezone

Self explanatory

5.4. Root password

Use Scripts root password for a real install, and fake password
otherwise.

5.5 Formatting the disks

You can find out what our existing setup looks like by consulting
'/etc/fstab'.

Select Custom, and select both disks for formatting.  Setup the larger
disk as the boot partition.  Configure the partitions as follows:

    50GB
        Standard Partition
        Mount Point: /
        File System Type: ext3 (the default as of F13 is ext4, which
            cannot be mounted by the hosts and thus should not be used!)
        Additional Size Options: Fill to maximum allowable size (the
            Size parameter will not do anything in that case)
        Force to be primary partition
    10GB
        Standard Partition
        File System Type: swap
        Additional Size Options: Fill to maximum allowable size

5.6 Bootloader

Defaults are fine.

5.7 Installation

Do a minimal install (we will proceed to install the packages we care
about), and add the normal F13 repository (testing and updates will be
added when we bring in our /etc configuration).  Similarly, we will
install the software we want later, so there is no need to do that now.

5.8 Reboot

When the install finishes, it will ask you to reboot.  This is fine, but
since we created the VM image with install, upon reboot it will ask us
to install again.  Let it reboot, then destroy the virtual machine.

    xm destroy $SERVERNAME

6. New World Order

Start up the VM without the install flag:

    xm create scripts-server machine_name=$SERVERNAME

You should have password SSH logins now too:

    ssh root@$SERVERNAME