Finding the correct install disk for my kickstart file

[kri-2]

Hi,

we are going to install some Dell T330 which have internal harddisk and a SD Card module. Our goal is to install ESXi6.5 on the SD Card with a pxe installation and a ks.cfg file.

One big problem is to define the target installation disk in the kickstart file:

The "install --firstdisk=local --overwritevmfs" option in the ks file does not work since firstdisk=local is interprated as the local harddisk.

I also tried "install --firstdisk=usb-storage --overwritevmfs", but this one fails with the error, that such disk does not exist.

So what would be the right parameter for the "install..." option?

I did a manual install and took a screenshot that shows how esx intereprets the storage.

See the screenshot attached.

Any help would be appreciated,

Chris

[kri-2]

Ok I solved it myself now using the %pre and %include sections:

%include /tmp/DiskConfig

network --bootproto=dhcp --device=vmnic0
reboot

%pre --interpreter=busybox
DISK=`ls /vmfs/devices/disks|grep Internal_Dual_SD|grep -v :`
echo "install --disk=$DISK --overwritevmfs --novmfsondisk">/tmp/DiskConfig

[DDinu]

Am having the same issue.

Can you help understand what does %per and %include do ?

[SilentT]

Thanks for this help, im not used the same filter for me but i search the smaller disk

 

disk=`du /vmfs/devices/disks/* | grep -v : | grep -v "^0" | sort -n | head -n 1 | awk -F/ '{print $(NF)}'`

 

[Mik3]

Hi all, 

I am trying to force install on the largest disk (RAID6 with 2 virtual disks).

Inspired by these posts and a bit of playing around I came up with:

du -s /dev/disks/* | sort -nr | head -n1 | awk -F / '{print $(NF)}'

which when run in the shell will return the correct "naa.xxx" name. 

Can anyone help with adding this to the KS file.

At the minute I get errors:

1. Unknown argument  "$(NF)}"
2. --disk= specified, but drive "du -s /dev/disks/* | sort -nr | head -n1 | awk -F / '{print" was not found

Top of my current KS.CFG file is below.

vmaccepteula

rootpw SuperS3ecretP@ss

#clearpart --disk --overwritevmfs
install --disk='du -s /dev/disks/* | sort -nr | head -n1 | awk -F / '{print $(NF)}'' --overwritevmfs

#Keyboard
keyboard 'United Kingdom'

#Host Network Settings
network --bootproto=static --device=vmnic1 --addvmportgroup=1 --ip=10.0.0.120 --netmask=255.255.255.0 --gateway=10.0.0.20 --nameserver=10.0.0.1 --hostname=xxx

#Reboot
reboot --noeject

Thanks,

Mike

[Mik3]

@SilentT could you provide an example of this line in your wider KS file?

I am trying to use 

du -s /dev/disks/* | sort -nr | head -n1 | awk -F / '{print $(NF)}' 

to install ESXi onto the larger of two RAID6 drives.

When I run the command in the shell it works as I expect and returns the correct naa.xxxxx

disks="$(du -s /dev/disks/* | sort -nr | head -n1 | awk -F / '{print $(NF)}')" 
echo $disks

but, when I try to incorporate this into my KS file, it fails.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mike

[SilentT]

You execute this command on %pre and you write it on /tmp and it be include

accepteula


# Clean all partition for clean any existant OS
clearpart --alldrives --overwritevmfs


#Install Now its Dinamic generated in %pre for find the smaller disk 
#install --firstdisk=$disk --novmfsondisk --overwritevmfs

%include /tmp/DiskConfig

%pre --interpreter=busybox
# Delete all partition of all disk
for disk in `ls /vmfs/devices/disks/* | grep -v : `; do partition_ids=$(partedUtil get $disk | tail -n +2| awk '{print $1}'); for partition_id in $partition_ids; do partedUtil delete $disk $partition_id ; done done

#Search Smaller Disk
disk=`du /vmfs/devices/disks/* | grep -v : | grep -v "^0" | sort -n | head -n 1 | awk -F/ '{print $(NF)}'`

# Write Install command with dynamic disk and include it
echo "install --disk=$disk --novmfsondisk --overwritevmfs" > /tmp/DiskConfig