This appendix describes the contents of the bosinst.data file. Two example files follow the stanza descriptions. (See Appendix C, bosinst.data File Examples.)
The control_flow stanza contains
variables that control the way the installation program works:
| CONSOLE | Specifies the full path name of the device you want to use as the console. This value is blank in the default bosinst.data file because the file specifies a prompted installation, which requires you to press a key to identify your console. (Instructions for which key to press are displayed on the screen.) If you change the PROMPT variable to no, you must specify a console here. |
| INSTALL_METHOD | Specifies a method of installation: migrate,
preserve, or new and complete overwrite. The
default value is initially blank. The installation program assigns a
value, depending on which version of AIX was previously installed. See Chapter 1, Installing the Base Operating System for more information.
The default method of installation is migrate if a previous version of the operating system is on the machine. If no previous version exists, the default method is new and complete overwrite. |
| PROMPT | Specifies whether the installation program uses menus from which you make
choices. The possible values are yes (default) and
no.
|
| EXISTING_SYSTEM_OVERWRITE | Confirms that the installation program overwrites existing volume
groups. This variable is applicable only for a nonprompted overwrite
installation. The possible values are no (default),
yes, and any.
When the installation is nonprompted and the target_disk_data stanza is empty, the installation process uses the value of the EXISTING_SYSTEM_OVERWRITE field to determine the disks to install on. An error message informs you if there are not enough disks matching the criteria needed to complete the installation. |
| INSTALL_X_IF_ADAPTER | Installs AIXwindows. The possible values are:
|
| RUN_STARTUP | Starts the Configuration Assistant on first boot after the BOS installation completes, if the system has a graphical interface. Starts Installation Assistant if the machine has an ASCII interface. The possible values are yes (default) and no. The no value is valid only when ACCEPT_LICENSES is set to yes. |
| RM_INST_ROOTS | Removes all files and directories in the /usr/lpp/*/inst_roots
directories. The possible values are no (default) and
yes.
The /usr/lpp/bos/inst_roots directories must remain if the machine is used as a network server. To save disk space, set this value to yes if the machine is not a network server. |
| ERROR_EXIT | Starts an executable program if an error occurs in the installation program. The default value is blank, which signals BOS installation to use a command that is shipped on the installation media. The command starts an error message routine when the installation program halts because of an error. As an alternative to the default, you can enter the path name of your own script or command for a customized error routine. |
| CUSTOMIZATION_FILE | Specifies the path name of a customization file you create. The default value is blank. The customization file is a script that starts immediately after the installation program concludes. |
| TCB | Specifies whether you want to install the Trusted Computing Base (TCB). When you install the TCB, the trusted path, the trusted shell, and system integrity checking are installed. The TCB must be installed and initialized when the operating system is installed. The TCB cannot be installed later. By not installing the TCB, installation time is reduced. The possible values are no (default) and yes. |
| INSTALL_TYPE | Specifies what software to install on the machine. The values are full (full-function configuration), client (client configuration), and personal (personal workstation configuration). The full configuration includes all the software in client and personal. Change full to client or personal if you want to install one of these subsets of the full-function configuration. |
| BUNDLES | Specifies what software bundles to install. Type the full path
name of each bundle file. Be sure there is sufficient disk space and
paging space on the target machine for the software you specify in the
BUNDLES variable.
This list of bundle file names is limited to 139 bytes. If your list of bundle file names is longer than 139 bytes, use the cat command to combine the bundle files into a single custom bundle file and enter the name of your custom bundle file in this field. If you are installing from CD-ROM or using a network installation server, specify the full path name of each bundle file as follows: /SPOT/usr/sys/inst.data/sys_bundles/BundleFileName If you are installing from tape, to specify system-defined bundles on the product media, use the full path name of each bundle file as follows: /usr/sys/inst.data/sys_bundles/BundleFileName If you are using a bosinst.data diskette to define your own bundle files, specify the full path name of each bundle file as follows: /../DirectoryName/BundleFileName. For example, if you put a bundle file named mybundle in the root directory, the full path name would be /../mybundle. If you are using Preservation Installation, create bundle files before you start the installation. Create the files in /home and specify the full path name of each bundle file as follows: /home/BundleFileName |
| SWITCH_TO_PRODUCT_TAPE | Allows you to boot from a product tape, then switch to a
mksysb tape to install. You can then switch back to the
product tape at the end of the installation if you need to install additional
device filesets for support on the target machine. This procedure is
usually used for cloning systems. The possible values are no
(default) and yes.
Normally, you would boot from a CD-ROM (to ensure that you have the correct device support and boot image) then tell BOS installation to install from the mksysb tape. At the end of the installation, BOS installation automatically verifies that all device support is installed on the system and installs additional device support from the CD-ROM. If you are booting from a product tape and switching to a mksysb tape, BOS installation does not automatically assume you want to do cloning and does not prompt you for the product tape again. If you want a prompt for the product tape to verify all the device support is installed, you must set this variable to yes in your bosinst.data file. |
| RECOVER_DEVICES | Specifies whether to reconfigure the devices. For mksysb installations, the ODM configuration database is saved in the image. The device names and attributes are automatically extracted from the database, and the BOS installation program attempts to recreate the devices the same way they were on the machine the mksysb was created on. This is normally what you would do for regular mksysb restores on the same system. However, for cloning, you may not want these devices configured this way, especially for network configuration. The possible values are yes (default) and no if you do not want device reconfiguration. |
| BOSINST_DEBUG | Specifies whether to show debug output during BOS installation. The value yes sends set -x debug output to the screen during BOS installation. The possible values are no (default) and yes. |
| ACCEPT_LICENSES | Specifies whether to accept software license agreements during the BOS
installation. The default is no. To automatically
accept them, set this value to yes. When the software
licenses agreements are not accepted during BOS installation, Configuration
Assistant or Installation Assistant prompts you to view and accept
them. During a BOS installation, if this value is blank, the default of
no is assumed.
For mksysb installations, when ACCEPT_LICENSES is no, the user is forced to re-accept the licenses before continuing to use the system. When ACCEPT_LICENSES is set to yes, the licenses are automatically accepted for the user. If blank, the state of the licenses is unchanged from when the mksysb was created. |
| INSTALL_64BIT_KERNEL | Specifies whether to enable the 64-bit kernel and JFS2 filesystems. If yes, and the target system is a 64-bit CHRP system, the 64-bit kernel becomes the running kernel and the filesystems are created as JFS2 filesystems instead of JFS. This field is only effective on installations using the New and Complete Overwrite method. |
| INSTALL_CONFIGURATION | Specifies Default or Minimal installations. This field applies only to an installation from an ASCII console. If Minimal, the Web-based System Manager, Java, perl, and X11 filesets required by theWeb-based System Manager are not installed. |
| DESKTOP | Specifies the desktop to be installed. Choices include CDE (the default), NONE, GNOME, and KDE. If you choose GNOME or KDE, you will install open-source software. |
The target_disk_data stanza contains variables for disks in the machine where the program is to install BOS. The default bosinst.data file has one target_disk_data stanza, but you can add new stanzas to install BOS on multiple disks, one stanza for each disk.
There can be multiple target_disk_data stanzas. They define the disks that are to contain the root volume group. Only one field (PVID, CONNECTION, LOCATION, SIZE_MB, HDISKNAME) must be non-null for BOS installation to choose a disk. The order of precedence is PVID (Physical Volume ID), then CONNECTION (parent attribute//connwhere attribute), then LOCATION, then SIZE_MB, and then HDISKNAME.
Attention: If prompt=no, do not leave the target_disk_data stanzas empty, unless you do not care which disk BOS installation overwrites. This is because the algorithm that determines the default disk for the installation is not always predictable.
The SIZE_MB field can contain either a size or the word
largest. If a size is listed, BOS installation does a
"best-fit" on the disks. If the word largest is in that
field, BOS installation selects the largest disk. If there is more than
one target_disk_data stanza, BOS installation selects the two "largest" disks,
and so on.
The locale stanza contains
variables for the primary language the installed machine is to use.
Refer to Understanding Locale in AIX 5L Version
5.1 System Management Concepts: Operating System and
Devices, which provides information about locales and the format to use
when editing variables.
The optional large_dumplv stanza specifies characteristics used
if a dedicated dump device is to be created on the systems. A dedicated
dump device is only created for systems with 4GB or more of memory:
| DUMPDEVICE | Specifies the name of the dedicated dump device. |
| SIZEGB | Specifies the size of the dedicated dump device in gigabytes. |
If the stanza is not present, the dedicated dump device is created when required. A dedicated dump device is created in machines with at least 4 Gigabytes of real memory during an overwrite install. By default, the name of the dedicated dump device is lg_dumplv and its size is determined by the following formula:
4>= RAM < 12 size of dump device= 1 GB
12>= RAM < 24 size of dump device= 2 GB
24>= RAM < 48 size of dump device= 3 GB
RAM >= 48 size of dump device= 4 GB
The dump stanza specifies system dump characteristics.
| PRIMARY | Specifies the primary dump device to be set by sysdumpdev -P -p device. |
| SECONDARY | Specifies the secondary dump device to be set by sysdumpdev -P -s device. |
| COPYDIR | Specifies the directory to which the dump is copied at system boot. |
| FORCECOPY | Specifies whether the system boots into menus that allow copy of the dump to external media if the copy fails. |
| ALWAYS_ALLOW | Specifies whether the key mode switch can be ignored when a dump is requested. |
If the stanza is not present in the bosinst.data file, then no additional dump device handling occurs beyond what is already in place. Checking on the values of the fields is limited; if the device specified for a dump device is not valid, then any error processing comes from the sysdumpdev command and is sent to the console and stored in the BOS installation log.