This section describes the contents of the bosinst.data file. Two example files follow the stanza descriptions.
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 overwrite. The default value is initially blank. The installation program assigns a value, depending on which version of
AIX was previously installed. See Installation Methods
for more information about installation methods.
The default method of installation is migrate if AIX Version 4.1 or 4.2 is on the machine. The default is preserve if AIX 3.1 or 4.3 is on the machine. If no AIX exists, the default method is overwrite. | ||||||
| PROMPT | Specifies whether the installation program uses menus from which you make choices. The possible values are yes (default) and no.
Note: You must fill in values for all variables in the locale stanza if you set the PROMPT variable to no. Similarly, if PROMPT equals no, you must supply values for all variables in the control_flow stanza, with two exceptions: the ERROR_EXIT and CUSTOMIZATION_FILE variables, which are optional. Attention: Fill in values for all variables in the target_disk_data stanza if you set the PROMPT variable to no. The BOS installation program assigns target disks for blank variables. You can lose data if the install program assigns a disk where you store data. | ||||||
| EXISTING_SYSTEM_OVERWRITE | Confirms that the install program will overwrite 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 will inform you if there are not enough disks matching the criteria needed to complete the install. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 will be used as a network server. You can, to save disk space, set this value to yes if the machine will not be 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 due to 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.
The default setting depends on the software configuration that you purchased. For example, if the installed machine has a full-function (server) configuration, the setting will be full. You should not change the default setting. | ||||||
| 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 install to install from the mksysb tape. At the end of the install, BOS install 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 install does not automatically assume you want to do cloning and will 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 installs, the ODM configuration database is saved in the image. The device names and attributes are automatically extracted from the database, and the BOS install 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 will send set -x debug output to the screen during BOS installation. The possible values are no (default) and yes. |
The target_disk_data stanza contains variables for disks in the machine where the program will 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 will contain the root volume group. Only one field (PVID, CONNECTION, LOCATION, SIZE_MB, HDISKNAME) must be non-null for BOS install 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.
If PVID is set, BOS install checks to see if a disk matches the value. If so, other attributes are ignored.
If PVID is empty and CONNECTION is set, then BOS install checks to see if the parent and connwhere attributes (separated by "//") match a disk. If they do, other attributes are ignored.
If either PVID or CONNECTION is set, and neither value matches a disk on the target system, and no other attributes are set, then an error message is generated, and a disk must be explicitly selected.
If other attributes are specified, then processing occurs as described below:
If LOCATION is set, BOS install ignores SIZE_MB and HDISKNAME.
If LOCATION is not set and SIZE_MB is, BOS install selects disks based on SIZE_MB and ignores HDISKNAME.
If LOCATION and SIZE_MB are both empty, BOS install chooses the disk specified in HDISKNAME.
If all fields are empty, BOS install chooses a disk for you.
Attention: If prompt=no, do not leave the target_disk_data stanzas empty, unless you do not care which disk BOS install 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 install does a "best-fit" on the disks. If the word largest is in that field, BOS install selects the largest disk. If there is more than one target_disk_data stanza, BOS install selects the two "largest" disks, and so on.
The locale stanza contains variables for the primary language the installed machine will use. Refer to Understanding Locale in AIX Version 4.3 System Management Guide: Operating System and Devices for a list of languages and the format to use when editing variables.
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 will boot into menus which 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 will be 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 install log.
If FORCECOPY is specified and no COPYDIR is specified, then the value field of the autocopydump attribute from /etc/objrepos/SWservAt is retrieved and used for the sysdumpdev -[d|D] copydir operation.
If only the COPYDIR is specified without FORCECOPY being specified, then forcecopy defaults to yes. The sysdumpdev -d (FORCECOPY = no) or sysdumpdev -D (FORCECOPY = yes) is used to set the copy directory.
If ALWAYS_ALLOW=yes, then run sysdumpdev -K. Otherwise, run sysdumpdev -k.
If any values other than yes and no are specified for FORCECOPY or ALWAYS_ALLOW, then the default actions occur, and processing continues.
If no value is specified for a particular dump field, then no analogous sysdumpdev operation is performed. This leaves the system values in the appropriate state, even for a migration or system backup image installation. If a COPYDIR is specified but FORCECOPY is not specified, then the value of the forcecopydump attribute is retrieved from /etc/objrepos/SWservAt in order to determine the proper form of sysdumpdev to invoke.