QA:Testcase Kickstart File Path Ks Cfg

Description

This test will verify that anaconda can load a kickstart file from a file:// path. This is a typical case for when the kickstart file is located in the initrd.img.

How to test

1. Prepare a valid kickstart file. For help creating a kickstart file, examine the file /root/anaconda-ks.cfg on a previously installed system. This file contains the kickstart instructions used to install that system. For additional guidance on kickstart syntax, see Anaconda/Kickstart
2. Download the installer initial ramdisk. The ramdisk is typically called images/pxeboot/initrd.img
3. Place the kickstart file into the root directory of the installer initial ramdisk using the pax command. For example,
   1. Decompress the ramdisk:

      xz -c -d initrd.img > initrd.cpio

      

      Gzip compressed ramdisk?
      Older installer ramdisk images were compressed using gzip compression. The file command can be used to determine how the ramdisk is compressed.

      file images/pxeboot/initrd.img
        images/pxeboot/initrd.img:  gzip compressed data, from Unix, last modified: Thu Oct 21 14:29:08 2010, max compression
      

      The zcat command can be used to uncompress gzip compressed ramdisk images. The following example demonstrates decompressing a gzip compressed ramdisk image.

      zcat initrd.img > initrd.cpio

   2. Add the kickstart file:

      pax -w -a -f initrd.cpio ks.cfg

   3. Re-compress the image:

      xz --check=crc32 -9 -c initrd.cpio > initrd.img

      

      Gzip compressed ramdisk?
      As noted earlier, older installer ramdisk images were compressed using gzip compression. To create a gzip compressed initial ramdisk, use the gzip command as noted below.

      gzip -c initrd.cpio > initrd.img

   4. Boot into the installer using any available means
   5. At the bootloader prompt, provide a location for the kickstart file at the boot prompt. Using the example above:

      linux ks=file:///ks.cfg 

   Expected Results

   1. Confirm the ks.cfg is included in the initial ramdisk.

      xz -c -d initrd.img | cpio -it | grep ks.cfg
        ks.cfg 

   2. The installer successfully initiates a kickstart install in accordance with the instructions supplied by the ks.cfg file included in the initial ramdisk. To ensure the kickstart file is properly loaded, inspect the anaconda.log for a lines similar to the following:

      15:44:56,189 INFO loader: kernel command line:
      15:44:56,189 INFO loader:     ks=file:///ks.cfg
      ...
      15:44:59,274 INFO loader: getting kickstart file
      15:44:59,274 INFO loader: setting up kickstart
      ...
      15:44:59,906 INFO loader: doing kickstart... setting it up
      

   3. The install should proceed in accordance with the directives in the ks.cfg file