Chapter 11. Adding the Kickstart file to a UEFI HTTP or PXE installation source

Procedure

1. Install the nfs-utils package by running the following command as root:

   # dnf install nfs-utils

2. Copy the Kickstart file to a directory on the NFS server.

3. Open the /etc/exports file by using a text editor and add a line with the following syntax:

   /exported_directory/ clients

   Replace /exported_directory/ with the full path to the directory holding the Kickstart file. Instead of clients, use the host name or IP address of the computer that is to be installed from this NFS server, the subnetwork from which all computers are to have access the ISO image, or the asterisk sign (*) if you want to allow any computer with network access to the NFS server to use the ISO image. See the exports(5) man page for detailed information about the format of this field. A basic configuration that makes the /nfs/rhel10-kickstart/ directory available as read-only to all clients is:

   /nfs/rhel10-kickstart/ *

4. Enable the NFS service in firewalld.

   # firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service nfs

   # firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=mountd

   # firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=rpc-bind

   # firewall-cmd --reload

5. Save the /etc/exports file and exit the text editor.

6. Start the nfs service:

   # systemctl enable --now nfs-server.service

   If the service was running before you changed the /etc/exports file, enter the following command, in order for the running NFS server to reload its configuration:

   # systemctl reload nfs-server.service

   The Kickstart file is now accessible over NFS and ready to be used for installation.

   Note

   When specifying the Kickstart source, use nfs: as the protocol, the server’s host name or IP address, the colon sign (:), and the path inside the directory holding the file. For example, if the server’s host name is myserver.example.com and you have saved the file in /nfs/rhel10-kickstart/my-ks.cfg, specify inst.ks=nfs:myserver.example.com:/nfs/rhel10-kickstart/my-ks.cfg as the installation source boot option.

Procedure

1. To store the Kickstart file on an HTTP, install the httpd package:

   # dnf install httpd

2. Optional: To store the Kickstart file on an HTTPS, install httpd and mod_ssl packages:

   # dnf install httpd mod_ssl

   Important

   If you use an HTTPS server with a self-signed certificate, you must boot the installation program with the inst.noverifyssl option.

3. Copy the Kickstart file to the HTTP(S) server into a subdirectory of the /var/www/html/ directory.

4. Enable the http service in firewalld.

   # firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http

   # firewall-cmd --reload

5. Optional: Enable the https service in firewalld:

   # firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https

   # firewall-cmd --reload

6. Start the httpd service:

   # systemctl enable --now httpd.service

   The Kickstart file is now accessible and ready to be used for installation.

   When specifying the location of the Kickstart file, use http:// or https:// as the protocol, the server’s host name or IP address, and the path of the Kickstart file, relative to the HTTP server root. For example, if you are using HTTP, the server’s host name is myserver.example.com, and you have copied the Kickstart file as /var/www/html/rhel10-install/my-ks.cfg, specify http://myserver.example.com/rhel10-install/my-ks.cfg as the file location.

Procedure

1. Install the vsftpd package by running the following command as root:

   # dnf install vsftpd

2. Open and edit the /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf configuration file in a text editor.

   1. Change the line anonymous_enable=NO to anonymous_enable=YES
   2. Change the line write_enable=YES to write_enable=NO.

   3. Add lines pasv_min_port=min_port and pasv_max_port=max_port. Replace min_port and max_port with the port number range used by the FTP server in passive mode, for example, 10021 and 10031.

      This step can be necessary in network environments featuring various firewall/NAT setups.

   4. Optional: Add custom changes to your configuration. For available options, see the vsftpd.conf(5) man page. This procedure assumes that default options are used.

3. Configure the firewall to allow the FTP port and port range from the previous step:

   # firewall-cmd --add-port min_port-max_port/tcp --permanent

   Replace min_port-max_port with the port numbers you entered into the /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf configuration file.

4. Configure the firewall to allow FTP service.

   # firewall-cmd --add-service ftp --permanent

5. Reload the firewall to apply the new rules.

   # firewall-cmd --reload

6. Copy the Kickstart file to the FTP server into the /var/ftp/ directory or its subdirectory.

7. Ensure that the correct SELinux context and access mode is set on the file:

   # restorecon -r /var/ftp/your-kickstart-file.ks

   # chmod 444 /var/ftp/your-kickstart-file.ks

8. Start the vsftpd service:

   # systemctl enable --now vsftpd.service

   If the service was running before you changed the /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf file, restart the service to load the edited file:

   # systemctl restart vsftpd.service

   The Kickstart file is now accessible and ready to be used for installations by systems on the same network.

   Note

   When configuring the installation source, use ftp:// as the protocol, the server’s host name or IP address, and the path of the Kickstart file, relative to the FTP server root. For example, if the server’s host name is myserver.example.com and you have copied the file to /var/ftp/my-ks.cfg, specify ftp://myserver.example.com/my-ks.cfg as the installation source.