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I have a system to install SLES 11 on, via a serial console. As this procedure is likely to be executed across multiple systems, I want to automate the whole process. As such, I first did a manual installation and created an autoyast profile of the installed system. Next, I added the autoyast profile to the installation DVD and edited isolinux.cfg to offer the option of autoyast.

When I try out the DVD in a virtual machine (see screenshots below), I get a graphical boot loader that displays my autoyast option perfectly fine.

Graphical install

But when I switch to the textual boot loader, the option isn't there anymore.

Textual install

Instead, if I wish to use the autoyast profile for the installation, I need to specify the autoyast=file:///<path-to-file> kernel option to make it work.

My question thus revolves around this: does the textual boot loader use the same configuration file for the menu? Or do I have to edit another file on the DVD.

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3 Answers 3

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I was typing the autoyast kernel parameters and then noticed the bottom of your post. You may just need to edit your grub options on the DVD to include the autoyast= parameter.

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  • Which file would that be? I can't seem to locate any grub related files on the DVD. :/
    – ThaMe90
    Oct 3, 2012 at 14:05
  • It may not be grub. Do you have a /boot/loader directory on the DVD?
    – Mountainerd
    Oct 3, 2012 at 14:11
  • Yes, /boot/x86_64/loader/, in which I can only find isolinux.cfg, and to which I already added the autoyast information. I have also found gfxboot.cfg, but this seems to be for the display for the graphical boot loader.
    – ThaMe90
    Oct 3, 2012 at 14:15
  • What does your entry look like? Anything like this: # autoyast label Autoinstallation kernel linux append initrd=initrd splash=silent showopts instmode=cd autoyast=default Sorry -- 1, my network is being weird and 2, I cannot figure out how to get the line breaks to stick in the code section.
    – Mountainerd
    Oct 3, 2012 at 14:41
  • # autoyast label autoyast kernel linux append initrd=initrd autoyast=file:///boot/autoinst.xml console=ttyS0,115200 splash=silent showopts
    – ThaMe90
    Oct 3, 2012 at 14:45
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So it seemed like I needed to edit another file besides isolinux.cfg. The bootloader for the textual installation does not generate it's text based on what is written in isolinux.cfg. Instead, it just displays the text from a file called message in the same directory as the isolinux.cfg file is in.

Furthermore, the textual boot loader does use the isolinux.cfg, i.e. when presented with the textual boot loader, one can simply enter autoyast (if configured) and it would still run the automatic installation.

So, by adding the autoyast line of text to the message file, I was able to see the option in the textual installer.

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It seems not to work for message file updated. There is a similar solution for textual sles11 installation for your information.

https://www.novell.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7010066

After isolinux.cfg updated, a new customized DVD image must be generated and burned. Steps can be summarized as follows: 1) Copy the whole content of the DVD to an existing directory 2) Edit the file boot//loader/isolinux.cfg with serial console option 3) Create a new ISO image with mkisofs cmd

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  • After isolinux.cfg updated, a new customized DVD image must be generated and burned. Steps can be summarized as follows: 1) Copy the whole content of the DVD to an existing directory 2) Edit the file boot/<$architecture>/loader/isolinux.cfg with serial console option 3) Create a new ISO image with mkisofs cmd
    – gniux
    Apr 23, 2015 at 13:06
  • Thanks! I have copied that into your answer itself, so it does not get lost. (You can further edit (or revert) if you like)
    – Volker Siegel
    Apr 26, 2015 at 22:19

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