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
   4. Anaconda should not prompt for user interaction if ks.cfg is not specified