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CentOS Stock Install Kimsufi/OVH - VNC Method


TH-Guy
26-04-2012, 23:50
Ok so this may sound a little odd but two things you should try if you're having problems:

1. When you first build your server, make sure you use the DEFAULT LAYOUT PARTITIONS for CentOS in the OVH manager. This has been the difference between bootable server after this process, and non-bootable server (for some strange reason).

2. When you install an OS using OVH's manager... It always uses a kernel xxxx-GRSec kernel which has security mods by OVH which can cause some problems.

You should change the kernel in:

/boot/grub/grub.conf

to a compatible one without grsec

and make sure that kernel is available in:

/boot/

then restart your server to apply the new kernel.

Once your up and running on this kernel, you can begin the process of re-installing using this VNC method.

!!!!!!!

IF YOU DO GET THIS WORKING, PLEASE POST WHICH OVH SERVER YOU GOT IT WORKING ON SO THAT WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHICH SERVERS THIS WILL WORK ON

theweblab
20-01-2012, 16:38
I have tried this with an i7-2T with no luck.
The server doesnt even reply to ping.

The 2T has Intel 82574L Ethernet controller.

I have tried the following setups:

Both 32bit and 64bit for centos 5 and centos 6.

After many tries with no luck I have tried to add in the initrd.img the latest version of the ethernet driver which I compiled from source.

Again with no luck!

I also used the mac address in the ksdevice and I used IP of the ovh mirror site in the method=http://91.121.125.139/ftp.centos.org/6/os/x86_64/

Again no luck!

The server doesnt reply to pings.
Each time I waited 5-10 minutes trying to ping

I guess the best grub.conf I manage to have using centos 6 64bit is
Code:
default 0
timeout 5
title Centos Install (PXE)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz.cent.pxe vnc vncpassword=pass123 headless ip=MYIP netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=MY_9_FIRST_DIGITS_OF_IP.254 dns=8.8.8.8 ksdevice=MY_MAC_ADDRESS method=http://91.121.125.139/ftp.centos.org/6/os/x86_64/ lang=en_US keymap=us
initrd /boot/initrd.img.cent.
Does anyone has any sugestion of how could I proceed ?

Is there any way to log the boot squence of the PXE startup to investigate what is happening?

Thanks in advance for your reply!

RichardWnl
07-01-2012, 17:17
Small update for some people which might have trouble following this guide.

Step 4: nano /boot/grub/grub.conf
Step 5: Make sure this part is on only one line:
kernel /boot/vmlinuz.cent.pxe vnc vncpassword=pass123 headless ip=serverip netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=gatewayip dns=8.8.8.8 ksdevice=eth0 method=http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/centos.org/5/os/i386/ lang=en_US keymap=us


RapidSpeeds
17-02-2011, 19:18
Hi Ezay,

Nice guide, with CentOS being one of the most widely used i'm sure this will come in handy for a few people!

ezay
21-01-2011, 16:28
Glad to see this has helped.

guardhost
06-01-2011, 12:15
Managed to get this working - thanks

Neil
29-12-2010, 11:51
Hi Ezay

Nice guide, I have moved it to the HOW-TO Section.

ezay
28-12-2010, 17:41
I tried the script as soon as it installs the server fails to boot.. I haven't had a problem using VNC with a good speed to the servers it takes less than 15 mins.

Razakel
28-12-2010, 17:26
Honestly, the best way I've found is IainK's script:

http://forum.ovh.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3073

VNC install tends to be a little... unstable. This way seems much faster - and you can always edit the kickstart script URL if you need to edit partitioning.

Winit
28-12-2010, 16:12
Nice.

ezay
28-12-2010, 13:53
OVH Stock CentOS Installation 32/64bit – 11 Easy Steps

I know this guide has been posted many times before but I thought I would submit it again as it's the only method I have found that works correctly, I have modified the guide for 32/64bit os.

The server we tested it on had software raid.

Download Putty if you don’t already have it - http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~s.../download.html

Also I would recommend using TighVNC http://www.tightvnc.com/

You can use any partition layout on your drives as this will be modified when installing the stock CentOS anyway.

Step 1. Log into your sever via SSH.

Step 2. Choose the distribution you would like to install. (32/64 bit)

32bit OS for less than 4GB Ram – 64bit OS for more than 4GB Ram.

32 Bit Installation :
Run the following commands:
mkdir /centos-orig32
cd /centos-orig32
wget http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/cent...oot/initrd.img
wget http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/cent...xeboot/vmlinuz
cp vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz.cent.pxe
cp initrd.img /boot/initrd.img.cent.pxe


64 Bit Installation :
Run the following commands:
mkdir /centos-orig64
cd /centos-orig64
http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/cent...oot/initrd.img
http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/cent...xeboot/vmlinuz
cp vmlinuz /boot/vmlinuz.cent.pxe
cp initrd.img /boot/initrd.img.cent.pxe

Step 3. If grub is not currently installed run the following command to install it.

If grub is currently installed please ignore this step

yum install grub

Step 4. Now we need to add the PXE information to the grub boot loader, we can do this by running the simple command below.

nano -w /boot/grub/menu.lst

Step 5. Replace all text on that screen with the configuration below.

default 0
timeout 5
title Centos Install (PXE)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz.cent.pxe vnc vncpassword=pass123 headless ip=serverip netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=gatewayip dns=8.8.8.8 ksdevice=eth0 method=http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/centos.org/5/os/i386/ lang=en_US keymap=us
initrd /boot/initrd.img.cent.pxe


Step 6. We need to modify all the above information in red.

VNCpassword - This can be whatever you like.
IP - This needs to be the main servers IP
GatewayIP– This needs to be the servers gateway IP

If you are unsure of your servers IP details you can run the following command to get the information.

Route –n | grep UG

Step 7. Once all the above information is correct you can go ahead a press ctrl + x to save the configuration file.

Step 8. If you were previously using grub – ignore this step.
If you have just installed it run the following commands.

grub-install /dev/sda
grub-install --recheck /dev/sda


Step 9. Restart the server (Type reboot in SSH) or reboot the server using the OVH manager.

Step 10. Get a cup of coffee and give it a few minutes for the server to reboot.
When the server is responding to pings you can then proceed to login via VNC.

Hint: Use Command Prompt to ping the server constantly until the server responds to pings. Ping (serverip) –t

Step 11. If you have done all the steps above the server should now be accessible via VNC using serverip:1.

Confirmed working with OVH/Kimsufi i7-2T