Chapter 8. Creating a network installer image by using RHEL image builder
Automate registration and deployment by using RHEL image builder to create Anaconda network installer ISO images. By embedding activation keys, you can generate pre-configured, self-registering images tailored for nightly builds and specific environments.
8.1. Benefits of the network installer image Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
When deploying new systems across an organization, you can generate custom network installer images with embedded configurations to ensure automatic compliance, security, and consistent registration from day one.
- Automated registration
- By injecting activation keys into the blueprint, the resulting image ensures the system is automatically registered and attached to subscriptions during installation.
- Minimized footprint
-
The
image-buildertool removes unnecessary files from the Anaconda file system, resulting in a lightweight, optimized boot image. - Security
- Generating images based on the latest nightly builds ensures that the images contain no Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) from day one.
- Customization
- Unlike static images from the Red Hat Customer Portal, these images are tailored to your specific organizational requirements and repositories.
8.2. Overview of ISO image types in RHEL image builder Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
To evaluate the differences between the available ISO image types, review the following table to select the optimal installation method for your network bandwidth and customization needs.
| Image type | Description | Use case |
|---|---|---|
|
Image Installer ( | A bootable ISO file that contains a predefined system image. It installs a specific payload directly to the disk. | Fast, repeatable deployments of a base image with minimal configuration during installation. |
|
Network Installer ( | A lightweight bootable ISO file that contains the Anaconda installer but downloads packages from a repository during installation. | Highly customized installations where you must select packages or use activation keys at the time of deployment. |
8.3. Creating a network installer image by using the image-builder cli Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
Build a customized Anaconda network installer image by using the image-builder CLI to generate lightweight, repeatable boot images directly from the command line.
Prerequisites
-
You have installed the
image-builderpackage. - The host system has a valid Red Hat subscription.
- Optional: You have an activation key to enable automated registration during the installation process.
Procedure
Create a blueprint file in the TOML (Tom’s Obvious, Minimal Language) format, and define the blueprint name, description, and any required customizations:
name = "network-installer-example" description = "A customized RHEL 10 network installer" version = "0.0.1"-
Save the file, for example, as
<blueprint_name>.toml, and close the text editor. Start the image build process, specifying
network-installeras the image type:# image-builder build --distro rhel-10.2 network-installer --blueprint network-installer-exampleThe compose process takes some minutes to complete. After the image-building process finishes, the image is available for your use in the directory where you created it.
8.4. Creating a network installer image by using the web console Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
When managing operating system deployments through a graphical interface, you can build a customized Anaconda network installer image by using the RHEL web console to provision lightweight, subscription-ready systems across your environment.
Prerequisites
- You have a RHEL system with the web console installed and enabled. For more information, see Installing RHEL image builder.
- You have active Red Hat subscription credentials or an activation key and organization ID.
- The Red Hat Enterprise Linux host is subscribed to Red Hat Subscription Manager (RHSM) or Red Hat Satellite.
Procedure
On the host, log in to the RHEL web console.
https://localhost:9090-
Log in to the web console as the
rootuser, and in the navigation menu, select Image builder. - Click Create blueprint.
On the Image output page, perform the following actions:
- Select the architecture.
-
Select the
network-installerimage type. - Click Next.
- Optional: On the Details page, enter a name for the blueprint. The default naming is a timestamp of the blueprint creation. Click Next.
On the Review page, review the details and click Create blueprint and build image.
The image generation process starts. When the image creation finishes, you can interact with the image in the following ways:
- Create a VM.
- Download the image file to your local machine or deploy it directly to your target environment.
- Check the image artifact files in the web console browser.
Verification
Click Create VM.
You are redirected to the Create new virtual machine wizard with prepopulated details for the VM creation.
Click Create and run.
The web console starts a VM with the bootable image that you created.
- Log in to the VM with the credentials that you created in the blueprint.
Verify the
bootcstatus on the booted system:$ sudo bootc status