Mike Dotson wrote: > On Wed, 2009-03-25 at 16:03 -0500, Shawn Walker wrote: >> Frank Fitch wrote: >>> Shawn Walker wrote: >>> >>>> Patches no longer exist in the IPS era. >>> slight correction >>> >>> *solaris* patches longer exist in the IPS era. >> The context or implication was Solaris patches, so I assumed as such. >> >> ... >>> And, whatever you call them, we are going to have to install updates to >>> solaris bits during the install. >> Those updates are just packages, which again is controlled by the >> manifest, etc. So the manual patchadd thing of the past does not apply. >> >> ... >>> If you want folks to use your tool, you have to make the tool usable. An >>> install tool without the ability to completely customize installs is >>> like a race car without wheels. Sure, it looks real pretty, and may in >>> theory be the best car in the race. But it probably won't win. >> I can neither confirm nor deny your assertions ;) With that said, I was >> just trying to point out that many of the reasons that some people might >> have for needing this sort of scripting are no longer applicable. > > >> Specifically, when it comes to managing which *Solaris* software is >> installed, there should be no need for scripting. > > Really? Are you sure? > > So if I as a customer purchase different types of systems, one that's a > database server based on x4600's and m9000's, one thats an application > system based on x4200's and a web tier based on brand X systems, they're > all supposed to magically know what image to install without scripting?
These are all different clients that would most likely be installing different images. There would be no problem setting up the server to provide the correct image to the correct client without any kind of scripting. For example these images could quite easily be generated using the distro constructor and then client entries created on the install server for each of these clients. > > Now say the customer has one based on OpenSolaris 2008.5, and the other > two based on OpenSolaris 2008.11 because that's what they have qualified > for. > > And of course your going to allow for automatic repository configuration > of the system to the Sun support repository with proper keys and > passwords, etc, based on support contract for that system. > > And how are you going to provide installation of a system with same > *Solaris* levels as a system installed 3 or 6 months ago because that's > what the customer has qualified but the repos have been updated? That shouldn't be an issue. The image used for those installs from 3 to 6 months ago doesn't get updated just because a repo does. You should still have access to that very same install image from your install server. -evan
