3.2. Additional Kickstart Options

In addition to standard Linux kickstart options, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server provides a number of own options that you need to add to your kickstart file.

3.2.1. General Options

key (mandatory)

key <key>

Installs the Virtuozzo Hybrid Server product key on the server.

%packages (mandatory)

Specifies the package groups to install on the server:

  • @base, @core, mandatory, core Virtuozzo Hybrid Server packages.

  • @vz, mandatory, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server OS virtualization packages.

  • @ps, mandatory, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server hardware virtualization packages.

  • @qemu, mandatory, QEMU-related packages.

  • @clustering, optional, packages required for creating clusters from Virtuozzo Hybrid Server nodes.

  • @templates, optional, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server EZ OS templates. To install only specific templates, use the %eztemplates option.

  • @vstorage, optional, packages required for setting up Virtuozzo Storage clusters.

  • @optional, optional, additional packages not installed by default.

cep (optional)

cep [--agree|--agree-node|--disagree]

Sets participation in the Customer Experience Program.

Option

Description

--agree

Join the program with physical server and virtual environments. In this case, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server will periodically collect information about the configuration of your physical server and virtual machines and containers and use it to improve the product to better fit your needs.

Note

No private information like your name, e-mail address, phone number, or keyboard input will be collected.

--agree-node

Join the program with physical server only. In this case, Virtuozzo Hybrid Server will periodically collect information only about the configuration of your physical server and use it to improve the product to better fit your needs.

Note

No private information like your name, e-mail address, phone number, or keyboard input will be collected.

--disagree

Do not join the program.

up2date (optional)

Does the following:

  1. Configure the repositories with updates for Virtuozzo Hybrid Server software and templates.

  2. Check the repositories for available updates.

  3. Download and install the updated packages, if any, on the server.

Using this option, you can ensure that you have the latest Virtuozzo Hybrid Server software packages and templates right after the installation, without the need to manually check for updates.

readykernel –disable-autoupdate (optional)

Disables the automatic downloading and installation of the latest ReadyKernel patches for the current kernel. With automatic updating enabled by default, ReadyKernel will check for new patches daily at 12:00 server time. If a patch is available, ReadyKernel will download, install, and load it for the current kernel.

nosfxtemplate (optional)

Skips installation of default cached EZ OS templates. Currently these EZ OS templates are installed by default:

  • vzlinux-7-x86_64

  • centos-7-x86_64

  • centos-6-x86_64

  • ubuntu-16.04-x86_64

  • ubuntu-14.04-x86_64

  • debian-8.0-x86_64

  • debian-8.0-x86_64-minimal

%eztemplates (optional)

Installs specific EZ OS templates. All available templates are in the /Packages directory of the Virtuozzo Hybrid Server distribution. You can identify them by the ending part -ez-<version>.vz7.noarch.rpm (e.g., vzlinux-7-x86_64-ez-7.0.0-12.vz7.noarch.rpm). Template names must be specified without the ending part, one per line, for example:

%eztemplates
vzlinux-7-x86_64
centos-7-x86_64
%end

When using this parameter, keep in mind the following:

  • If you specify an empty list, no templates will be installed on the server.

  • If you skip this parameter, all templates included in the Virtuozzo Hybrid Server distribution will be installed on the server.

  • Specify --cache next to an OS template name to cache it after installation. To cache all installed OS templates, specify --cache after %eztemplates.

    Note

    To be able to cache OS templates for certain Linux distributions (e.g., Red Hat Enterprise Linux), you may need to first create repositories with the necessary packages for these OS templates.

prlnet (optional)

prlnet --name <name> [--ip-scope-start <start_IP_addr> --ip-scope-end <end_IP_addr>]
       [--ip <adapter_IP_addr>[/<mask>]] [--dhcp-ip <DHCP_IP_addr>]
       [--dhcp-server <on|off>] [--dhcp6-server <on|off>]
       [--ip6-scope-start <start_IP_addr> --ip6-scope-end <end_IP_addr>]
       [--ip6 <adapter_IP_addr>[/<mask>]] [--dhcp-ip6 <DHCP_IP_addr>]

Defines the range of IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) the DHCP server will be able to allocate to virtual machines in the defined host-only network; virtual adapter IP address (IPv4 and IPv6) and subnet mask; DHCP server IP address (IPv4 and IPv6); and enables or disables the virtual DHCP server (DHCPv4 or DHCPv6).

If you omit one or more parameters, the following default values will be used:

  • --ip-scope-start: 10.37.130.1,

  • --ip-scope-end: 10.37.130.254,

  • --ip: 10.37.130.2/255.255.255.0,

  • --dhcp-ip: 10.37.130.1,

  • --dhcp-server: on,

  • --ip6-scope-start: fdb2:2c26:f4e4::,

  • --ip-scope-end: fdb2:2c26:f4e4::ffff,

  • --ip6: fdb2:2c26:f4e4::1/ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff::,

  • --dhcp-ip6: fdb2:2c26:f4e4::,

  • --dhcp6-server: on.

vztturlmap (optional)

Redefines the default locations of repositories with EZ OS and application templates for various operating systems (see /etc/vztt/url.map). To set a custom repository, specify the OS name followed by = and the URL (e.g., $FC_SERVER=http://myfedorarepo.com for Fedora). Separate multiple URLs with spaces.

Note

To cache OS templates for certain operating systems (e.g., RHEL and SLES), first create repositories with the necessary packages for these OS templates.

3.2.2. Options Specific to Virtuozzo Storage with GUI Management

Important

You can only use one set of options, for either GUI or CLI management.

container (optional, mutually excludes register_vaagent/register_vstorage_ui)

container --special=va-mn --ip=<VA_MN_IPv4_addr> [--hostname=<VA_MN_hostname>]
          --rootpw=<VA_MN_passwd>
container --special=vstorage-ui --ip=<vstorage_UI_IPv4_addr> [--hostname=<vstorage_UI_hostname>]
          --rootpw=<vstorage_UI_passwd>

Creates containers for Virtuozzo Automator Management Node and Virtuozzo Storage management panel. You will need to specify container’s IP address and hostname, type of the management panel to install, and root user’s password.

Typically, you create containers for both the VA MN and Virtuozzo Storage management panel on the first node of your infrastructure.

register_vaagent (optional, mutually excludes container)

register_vaagent --mn_addr=<VA_MN_IPv4_addr> --rootpw=<VA_MN_passwd>

Registers the node in the previously installed VA MN.

register_vstorage_ui (optional, mutually excludes container)

register_vstorage_ui --ui_addr=<vstorage_UI_IPv4_addr> [--token=<token>]

Registers the node in the previously installed Virtuozzo Storage management panel. The --token=<token> parameter is only required to deploy the second and other nodes in your Virtuozzo Storage infrastructure. Tokens can be obtained from the Virtuozzo Storage management panel usually installed on the first node.

3.2.3. Options Specific to Virtuozzo Storage with CLI Management

Important

You can only use one set of options, for either GUI or CLI management.

vstorage clusterpw (mandatory)

vstorage clusterpw <passwd>

Creates a new or supplies the existing password when creating or joining Virtuozzo Storage clusters.

Note

Keeping plain-text passwords in the kickstart file is a security risk if your network is not isolated. In this case, consider installing Virtuozzo Hybrid Server first and configuring Virtuozzo Storage clusters manually later.

vstorage ipaddr (optional, mutually excludes mds_create/mds_join –ip)

vstorage ipaddr <IP_address>

Sets an IP address through which Virtuozzo Storage services on this node will communicate with similar services on other cluster nodes. The network interface that has the IP address will be added to firewall’s trusted zone and all ports will be open for it. It is recommended to keep this interface’s network internal and separated from other networks. If the node has a single network interface, avoid opening all ports on it by creating a VLAN for internal traffic.

This option replaces the --ip parameter of the vstorage mds_create and vstorage mds_join options. The --ip parameter remains supported, but if both ipaddr and --ip are used for some reason, their values must be identical. If a storage role is selected, the IP address must be specified by either ipaddr or --ip.

vstorage mds_create (optional, mutually excludes mds_join)

vstorage mds_create <name> [--ip=<IP_address>]

Does the following:

  • Creates a Virtuozzo Storage cluster with the name <name>. A name may contain the characters a-z, A-Z, 0-9 as well as minuses (-) and underscores (_).

  • Configures the node as a metadata server (MDS) for the Virtuozzo Storage cluster.

  • If --ip is specified, assigns the IP address <IP_address> to the MDS. It is recommended, however, to use vstorage ipaddr instead of --ip.

Metadata servers are part of any Virtuozzo Storage cluster. They store metadata about chunk servers, data chunks, and chunk replicas. You must set up at least one MDS for a cluster to function.

Take note of the following:

  • MDS servers must have static IP addresses assigned. If you are using DHCP, you should map an IP address to the MAC address of the MDS server.

  • For detailed information on deploying and managing Virtuozzo Storage clusters, consult the Virtuozzo Storage Administrator’s Guide.

  • The current version of Virtuozzo Storage supports setting up one cluster per kickstart file. So when specifying several vstorage commands, make sure that all commands use the same cluster name.

vstorage mds_join (optional, mutually excludes mds_create)

vstorage mds_join <name> [--ip=<IP_address>]

Does the following:

  • Configures the node as a metadata server (MDS) for the Virtuozzo Storage cluster with the name <name>. A name may contain the characters a-z, A-Z, 0-9 as well as minuses (-) and underscores (_).

  • If --ip is specified, sets <IP_address> as the IP address from which the node will connect to the MDS. It is recommended, however, to use vstorage ipaddr instead of --ip.

vstorage reg_timeout (optional)

vstorage reg_timeout <minutes>

Sets the number of minutes during which MDS servers, chunk servers, and clients can try to register with the master MDS server and join the cluster. Every minute, one registration attempt is made. The default value is 0, which assumes that the master MDS server is already up and running.

vstorage cs_join (optional)

vstorage cs_join <name> [<options>]

Configures the server as a chunk server for the Virtuozzo Storage cluster with the name <name>. You can use the following options with this command:

Option

Description

--mpoint=<mnt_point>

Specify the mount point under which the chunk server is to be mounted on the server.

--ssd=<MNT_POINT>,<SIZE>

Specify the mount point under which the SSD drive is to be mounted on the server.

--ssd=no

Specify this option to forbid the use of SSD drives for write journaling.

--tier=<TIER>

Specify the tier, from 0 to 3, defining the type of storage to use for storing data chunks. You can use tiers to keep different categories of data on different chunk servers.

--allow-system-disk

Allow creating chunk servers on system disks. Have in mind that doing so may result in cluster performance degradation.

Do not use these options except for --ssd=no if you are creating the default partition layout and chunk server configuration using the autopart standard option.

Chunk servers store the contents of virtual machines and containers as 64MB data chunks. All data chunks are replicated, and their replicas are stored on different chunk servers. You must set up at least one chunk server for a cluster to function.

vstorage client (optional)

vstorage client <name> [--ssd=<MNT_POINT>|--ssd=no]

Configures the server as a client for the Virtuozzo Storage cluster with the name <name>.

Option

Description

--ssd=<MNT_POINT>

Manually specify the mount point under which the SSD drive is to be mounted on the server. Do not use this option if you are creating the default partition layout and chunk server configuration using the autopart standard option.

--ssd=no

Forbid the use of SSD drives for storing the local cache.

Clients are computers with Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7 from where you run virtual machines and containers stored on your Virtuozzo Storage.

vstorage key (optional)

vstorage key <key>

Installs the Virtuozzo Storage product key on the server.