Tribblix: manual page: bootparams.5

BOOTPARAMS(5) File Formats and Configurations BOOTPARAMS(5)

NAME

bootparams - boot parameter data base

SYNOPSIS

/etc/bootparams

DESCRIPTION

The bootparams file contains a list of client entries that diskless
clients use for booting. Diskless booting clients retrieve this
information by issuing requests to a server running the
rpc.bootparamd(8) program. The bootparams file may be used in
conjunction with or in place of other sources for the bootparams
information. See nsswitch.conf(5).

For each client the file contains an entry with the client's name and
a list of boot parameter values for that client. Each entry has the
form:

clientname keyword=value...

The first item of each entry is the host name of the diskless client.
You can use the asterisk ('*') character as a "wildcard" in place of
the client name in a single entry. A wildcard entry applies to all
clients for which there is not an entry that specifically names them.

In a given entry, the host name or asterisk is followed by one or
more whitespace characters and a series of keyword--value pairs
separated by whitespace characters. There must not be any whitespace
within a keyword--value pair.

Each keyword--value pair has the syntax:

keyword=value

The preceding form breaks out further as:

keyword=server:value

Where server can be null and value can be a pathname.

An example that includes a server is:

client1 root=server1:/export/client1/root

An example where server is null is:

client1 rootopts=:vers2

A minor variation of the keyword=value syntax is used for the domain
keyword. Unlike the forms shown above, this syntax does not use a
colon. For example:

client1 domain=bldg1.example.com

Entries can span multiple lines. Use the backslash ('\') character as
the last character of a line to continue the entry to the following
line. For multiple-line entries, you can split a line only in places
where whitespace is allowed. For example, you can use a backslash to
split the following entry between the end of the path (root) and the
keyword domain:

client1 root=server1:/export/client1/root domain=bldg1.example.com

In entries that specify a server, server is the name of the server
that will provide the file or filesystem to the diskless client and
value is the pathname of the exported file or filesystem on that
server.

In entries that use the domain keyword, the domain name specified
must be the client's domain name. The algorithm for determining a
client's domain name is to first check for a domain keyword in the
client-specific entry and then in "wildcard" entry. If none is found,
the server's domain name is used.

For the JumpStart installation of machines that do not have video
displays, use the term keyword to identify the terminal type of the
boot server. Terminal types are listed in /usr/share/lib/terminfo
(see terminfo(5)).

An entry with the ns keyword associates a server (a name server)
with, instead of a pathname, a specific name service (NIS+, NIS,
LDAP, or none) and, if that server is not on a local subnet, the
netmask needed to reach it. For example:

ns=hoot:nisplus(255.255.255.0)

An ns entry forces sysidtool to use the specified name service. By
default, sysidtool uses NIS+ in preference to NIS or LDAP if it can
find an NIS+ server for the system's domain on the subnet. An ns
entry might be necessary if you are trying to set up a hands-off
installation, or if the name server is on a different subnet, which
is common with NIS+.

If an ns keyword is not used, sysidtool uses broadcast to attempt to
bind to either a NIS+, NIS, or LDAP server. If a name server is not
on the local subnet, which is possible for NIS+ or LDAP, the bind
will fail, automatic configuration of the name service will fail, and
an interactive screen is displayed, prompting the user to specify the
name service.

The ns keyword can be set in add_install_client or by Host Manager.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Sample bootparams Entry

Here is an example of an entry in the bootparams file:

client1 root=server1:/export/client1/root rootopts=:vers=2 \
domain=bldg1.example.com
client2 root=server2:/export/client2/root ns=:nis
client3 root=server2:/export/client3/root ns=watson:
client4 root=server2:/export/client4/root \
ns=mach:nisplus(255.255.255.0)

Example 2: Sample Entry for JumpStart

The following is an example of an entry that might be used for the
JumpStart installation of diskless clients that do not have displays.

mozart root=haydn:/export/install/sparc/os/latest/Solaris_9/boot \
install=haydn:/export/install/sparc/os/8.1/latest boottype=:in \
install_config=haydn:/usr/local/share/lib/jump-net \
ns=otis:nisplus(255.255.255.0) term=:xterms domain=eu.cte.example.com

FILES