Combining kISO with SLES11 SP4 Install media

Does SUSE provide documentation on how to integrate a kISO (in this case the HPE Gen10 Servers Installation Kit) with the SLES11 SP4 x86_64 installation media? The idea is not to require a separate CD-ROM for this installation. Best case would be an isohybrid ISO that could be imaged to a USB stick (or DVD) and used for the installation.
We require an unattended installation, so that means a DVD with SLES11 SP4 x86_64, a CD-ROM with installation kit, and a autoinst.xml file on another USB stick or already integrated into the SLES11 SP4 DVD (which I already do).
If I could just open the kISO file, add the entire SLES11 SP4 contents to a new folder, save this new modified iso, and get the kISO to look for the SLES11 SP4 media at that location it would work.

Install server won’t work. We do many reinstalls at customer sites and our service group needs a simple means of reinstallation onsite - with possibly no outside network connection. A single USB stick shipped with every server would make this much simpler.

Hi
Perhaps look at the ‘kiwi’ tool or SUSE Studio Express?
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:KIWI_Cookbook_Start_Cooking
https://studioexpress.opensuse.org/

When I look at those tools I only see the means to create installations (a vm), not install media, not an iso file to be used for a standalone installation. Am I missing something? I don’t want to build a system, I want to build an iso to be used to install a system.

Hi
Install media, live media, install image to real hardware (no need for an autoyast file) etc…

You can mount the SLE iso image to one loopback file, the other iso image to another loopback, then on the kiwi SDB link look at the section repository options to add all your files.

I guess you could try also using imagewriter to create a bootable USB device from the SLE iso and then mount the other iso image and create a directory for the files, copy over and point to it in the autoinst.xml.

On 16/04/18 22:24, malcolmlewis wrote:
[color=blue]

Install media, live media, install image to real hardware (no need for
an autoyast file) etc…

You can mount the SLE iso image to one loopback file, the other iso
image to another loopback, then on the kiwi SDB link look at the section
repository options to add all your files.

I guess you could try also using imagewriter to create a bootable USB
device from the SLE iso and then mount the other iso image and create a
directory for the files, copy over and point to it in the autoinst.xml.[/color]

This presentation from SUSECON 2015 might help,
https://www.susecon.com/doc/2015/sessions/CAS21470.pdf

There are also some notes re PXE boot installation @
https://drivers.suse.com/hpe/HPE-Servers-Gen10/sle-11-sp4-x86_64/3.0/install-readme.html

HTH.

Simon
SUSE Knowledge Partner


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[QUOTE=malcolmlewis;52158]Hi
Install media, live media, install image to real hardware (no need for an autoyast file) etc…

You can mount the SLE iso image to one loopback file, the other iso image to another loopback, then on the kiwi SDB link look at the section repository options to add all your files.

I guess you could try also using imagewriter to create a bootable USB device from the SLE iso and then mount the other iso image and create a directory for the files, copy over and point to it in the autoinst.xml.[/QUOTE]

The kISO does not seem to support autoyast. When I boot the kISO, I get the install splash screen and can enter the path to the autoyast file (file:///path/to/autoinst.xml) but the installer does not look for it until after the SLES11 SP4 media is inserted. So I don’t think the autoyast file can point to the SLES11 SP4 files since the installer wants the SLES11 SP4 media first.