PXE install of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1

April 2012


I needed SLES11 SP1 on an ESX VM, but it wouldn't install from DVD image. The image loaded allright, but the machine hung while booting the kernel. So I installed from my Debian DHCP/PXE server:

  1. Get the DVD

    Download the SLES11SP1 DVD (or get it from a colleague).

  2. Put it online

    Copy the DVD contents to a webserver.

  3. Create PXE config

    In e.g. /srv/www/boot/sles11sp2install.txt:

    #!gpxe
    ifopen net0
    dhcp net0
    imgfree
    echo "Fetching the kernel:"
    kernel http://www.domain.com/pub/misc/sles11/boot/x86_64/loader/linux
    echo "Fetching the initial RAMdisk:"
    initrd http://www.domain.com/pub/misc/sles11/boot/x86_64/loader/initrd
    imgargs linux initrd=initrd append vga=0x314 showopts install=http://www.domain.com/pub/misc/sles11/
    echo "Here we go:"
    boot linux
    echo "Pxe booting cancelled, using local disk instead.."
    	

  4. Use DHCP to boot from

    ... with this config:

    group sles11sp2-install {
      if exists user-class and option user-class = "gPXE" {
          # This is when gPXE is already loaded
          filename "http://www.domain.com/boot/sles11sp2install.txt";
      }
      else {
          # This is the first step: the PXE bootROM loads the gPXE bootstrap
          next-server  192.168.63.171;
          filename "/tftpboot/undionly.kpxe";
      }
    
     host vm02 {  # Virtual ESX
        hardware ethernet 00:50:56:89:00:d0 ;
        fixed-address 192.168.63.79 ;
     }
    
    } # end group sles11sp2-install