Local Installation of SuSE Linux (CD version) via FTP or NFS

Support knowledgebase (daniel_ftpinst_local)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Versions since 7.0

Situation

By means of your SuSE Linux CD-set, you want to build a directory tree on an NFS or FTP server in order to install from that server in your local network.

Procedure

Please note that some of the software contained in the SuSE Linux CDs cannot be freely published. The following instructions are valid for internal use only, e.g. within a company intranet or a school network.

You can find more information on the NFS and FTP configuration in the network manual of SuSE Linux Professional Edition (version 7.2 or higher) or in any Linux network book. These instructions require certain knowledge level.

NFS

The installation via NFS is the first choice, since its implementation is easier than via FTP both on the server and the client side. Create a directory (example: /usr/local/dist/7.2) and copy the contents of the SuSE Linux DVD or of all SuSE Linux CDs one after the other. Please make sure that the file(s) .S.u.S.E-disk-00x.y are copied, too. Then enter this directory in /etc/exports (read-only Export) and restart the NFS server.

Now you may boot the computer planned for the installation with the boot floppy (the network connection to the NFS server must be up), load the kernel modules required for the network card from the modules floppy, and select the network installation via NFS. As directory on the NFS server, please enter /usr/local/dist/7.2 (accordingly to the example above).


Note for SuSE Linux 7.3 in connection to YaST2:
Do not proceed as described above but create additional subdirectories CD1, CD2, etc. in your `main directory' (e.g. /usr/local/dist/current), and copy the contents of the respective CDs to them. Now define the path `main directory'/CD1 as the NFS installation directory on the machine planned for the installation (e.g /usr/local/dist/current/CD1).

FTP

The installation via FTP is only recommended if NFS is discarded due e.g. to safety reasons. For the first configuration steps, proceed as described in the NFS section. The created directory must be accessible via anonymous FTP (example: /usr/local/ftp/dist/7.2). The required amount of memory is at least 128 MB RAM.

In addition, you have to create a root image, which is necessary for the FTP installation:

Now you may boot the computer planned for the installation with the boot floppy (the network connection to the FTP server must be up), load the kernel modules required for the network card from the modules floppy, and select the network installation via FTP. As directory on the FTP server, please enter /dist/7.2 (accordingly to the example above), always provided that the root directory of the FTP server is /usr/local/ftp. Possible error messages about missing keymaps and files may be first ignored.
Keywords: FTP, INSTALLATION, NFS, INSTALL

Categories: Network

SDB-daniel_ftpinst_local, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 24. Jul 2001
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 12. Dez 2001 by dstark (sdb_gen 1.40.0)