James Carlson wrote: > Kyle McDonald writes: > >> James Carlson wrote: >> >>> Secondly, there's no fundamental requirement that every bit from the >>> "snapshot" is installed on any given system. Many things are optional >>> components, and it's perfectly possible for a system installed from >>> "Update X" that is known to contain "Feature Y" not to have any part >>> of Y installed at all. >>> >>> >> Again, I aggree with you abotu determining this stuff on a running >> system post-install. >> >> But during install, in a begin or finish script. When figuring out what >> Features are available to install on the machine, it is an indicator. >> >> It's the only indicator I have for several things that are impossible >> for me to test for any other way. For example, how can I test to see if >> the Jumpstart profile processor in the release I'm running in will >> accept the 'mirror' option to the filesys keyword, or if I'll have to do >> the SVM operations manually in the Finish scripts? >> > > I'm not a jumpstart guru (obviously), but is it possible to invoke > "check" at that point? That'd be the right tool to validate that the > proposed rules are acceptable. > Check validates the rules file and produces the rules.ok file.
The rules ok file is used by Jumpstart on the machine to be installed to select the begin script, profile (if already defined) and finish script. For static profiles created ahead of time on the install server there is a tool I believe to check the syntax and contents of the profile, I don't know it's capabilities or limitations. I don't believe it is available during the actual install. I take advantage of the feature of the rules file that allows me to not specify a static preexisting profile, and instead have the Begin script build it on the fly. I don't think there is an easy way to test the profile. When I say 'build' the profile I really mean 'assemble'. Since it just concatenates a bunch of smaller files containing sections of the profile together. For the example of the 'mirror' option to the filesys keyword, that would be in a partitioning section. the begin script may get to pick the best fit from a list of available sections like: Server-5.9 # no mirror Server-2x18GB-5.9 # SVM mirror Server-2x18GB-5.9u2 # JS mirror Server-5.9u3 -> Server-5.9u2 Server-5.10 # no mirror Server-2x18GB-5.10 # JS mirror (This is just an example. I don't know what Update the mirror option appeared in.) Server-5.9 would get used on all S9 installs on machines calling themselves a 'Server' unless something closer matched. Likewise for S10. For me it not only makes sense to rely on it being there in anythign after S9u2 (for this example) it also is much easier for me to name the files '*-5.9u2' than it would be to name the Partition section files '*-5.9-HasMirror', and then the Package section files '*-5.9-HasSUNWfoo-HasSUNWbar'. 'u2' is so much more consise, and using the same 'key' for all types of section files means that the algorithm that search the sections for the ones that match the host being installed so much simpler. I suppose I coudl come up with my own mapping of combinations of 'Has<feature>' sets to single Labels.... But given my use model, I'd be labeling all the changes that come from S9u2 'FOO', and then all the differences in the next release 'BAR'... what would the real difference be? > >> I don't know how you say that the mapping s are undocumented. Each new >> release of Solaris documents the packages that are removed or added, the >> changes to the jumpstart keywords are also documented as being available >> from some release and on, or up till some release. >> > > We've got informal documentation of some of these things, but no > stability levels or official system documentation. I don't see how > anyone could depend on it reliably. > > As an outside user, If the s10u6 Jumpstart docs document a new keyword or option. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to be able to use it in s10u6 (I suppose it may have worked earlier.) or until I see something about it being removed, any release after that. Either way, I know in some future release it might go away. But I think it's reasonable that the S10u6 media will always have it. I haven't yet found a way that meets my needs better. -Kyle
