• System is partitioned
• Filesystems are created and mounted under /mnt/sysroot
• Network has been configured according to any boot options and kickstart commands

Each of the %pre-install sections must start with %pre-install and end with %end.

The %pre-install scripts can be used to modify the installation, and to add users and groups with guaranteed IDs before package installation.

It is recommended to use the %post scripts for any modifications required in the installation. Use the %pre-install script only if the %post script falls short for the required modifications.

The pre-install script does not run in the chroot environment.

%pre-install script section options

The following options can be used to change the behavior of pre-install scripts. To use an option, append it to the %pre-install line at the beginning of the script. For example:

%pre-install --interpreter=/usr/libexec/platform-python
-- Python script omitted --
%end

You can have multiple %pre-install sections, with same or different interpreters. They are evaluated in their order of appearance in the Kickstart file.

--interpreter=

Allows you to specify a different scripting language, such as Python. Any scripting language available on the system can be used; in most cases, these are /usr/bin/sh, /usr/bin/bash, and /usr/libexec/platform-python.

The platform-python interpreter uses Python version 3.6. You must change your Python scripts from previous RHEL versions for the new path and version. Additionally, platform-python is meant for system tools: Use the python36 package outside the installation environment. For more details about Python in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, see Introduction to Python.

--erroronfail

Displays an error and halts the installation if the script fails. The error message will direct you to where the cause of the failure is logged. The installed system might get into an unstable and unbootable state. You can use the inst.nokill option to debug the script.

--log=

Logs the script’s output into the specified log file. For example:

%pre-install --log=/mnt/sysroot/root/ks-pre.log