The Installation Server being created is running on Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10 sp1. First we'll have to make installation sources so that clients can be installed over the network. We'll do this for both SLES 10 sp1 as well as for openSuse 10.3. After that we'll create update sources for these clients, and finally we'll configure the clients to use these installation and update sources.

An installation server is created en configured within YAST. Start YAST, go to Miscellaneous and click on Installation Server.
Create an installation server with this configuration:

• HTTP source
• Directory used for sources: /install/repo
• Alias: install
• Open Port in Firewall

If you haven't installed apache on forehand it will prompt you to do so. Just follow the prompts.

An installation server needs sources to offer to the client. Check the config you'll need for SLES 10 sp1 and below that the settings you'll need to do the same thing for openSuse:

This is what the installation url will look like using the chosen settings:
SLES 10 sp1:

• Source name for SLES 10 sp1: sles10sp1
  • Install option: http://<ipadres of hostname >/install/sles10sp1/CD1/

openSuse 10.3:

• Source name for openSuse 10.3: opensuse103
  • install option: http://<ipadres of hostname>/install/opensuse103/CD1/

Note that if you install the sources from a DVD the install could ask you for a second CD. Skip that.

Because SLES is not a free software product you can't just setup an update mirror. You'll need the so called mirror credentials which you receive when you've actually paid for a subscription. You can find them on the novell website within the Novell Customer Centre.
To create a SLES update mirror you'll need the program yup (YUM Update Proxy). I installed it by adding the SDK source to the YAST installation source. Afterwards I could install yup simply through software management.

Add SDK Install Source
Adding SDK installation source in Yast �> Software �> Installation Source and use the these settings:

• HTTPS
• nu.novell.com
• /repo/$RCE/SLE10-SDK-SP1-Online/
• Username: Use the username of the mirror credentials
• Password: Use the password of the mirrror credentials

After you've added the server go to yast �> software �> novell customer centre. This will not only add the source you've added but also the update source for the SDK. It will also hash/encrypt the username and password. Afterwards you could remove the manually added source. It will be there twice now.
After installing yup you'll need to edit the config file: /etc/sysconfig/yup:

• YUP_ID=Use the username of the mirror credentials
• YUP_PASS=Use the password of the mirrror credentials
• YUP_DEST_DIR=/install/repo/sles10sp1upd/
• YUP_SUBVERSIONS=SP1

In case you also want to fetch the updates for SP2 you can change the last line for that:

• YUP_SUBVERSIONS=“SP1 SP2”

Yup default is to make a mirror for Online as well as for Updates. These are defined like this:

• Online: the patches to go from SP(N-1) to SP(N)
• Updates: the patches for SP(N)

You could change this by editing the next line in the same config file:

• YUP_SP_SUBCHANS=””

If you also want to offer the same functionality for SLED add the following line to your config file:

• YUP_PRODUCTS=“SLES10 SLED10”

Now just run yup and it will fetch your updates.

So now I configured the server to download the patches for SLES 11 as well, but it wasn't that easy.
First I created the directory

/etc/sysconfig/yup.d

Which holds two files now:

# ls /etc/sysconfig/yup.d/
yup  yup.sles11

The file yup is still the one with the configuration for SLES 10, the yup.sles11 is for SLES 11 and has the following adjustments:

• YUP_DEST_DIR=”/install/repo/sles11upd”
• YUP_ARCH=“i586”
• YUP_PRODUCTS=“SLES11”
• YUP_SUBVERSIONS=“GA”

The config files alone are sadly not enough. You need the latest version of yup as well to recognize SLES11 as a product. This version is yup-232-9.1 and can be downloaded here. Installation can be done with the command:

rpm -vi yup-232-9.1.noarch.rpm

The old version can be removed using this command:

rpm -e yup-232-2.2

OpenSuse knows a little bit easier setup. Simply make a copy of an existing update server in your existing web server and it works. Creating yor copy can be done using rsync.

If you want to use a proxy you'll have to tell rsync to do so by using a variable.

RSYNC_PROXY=<proxy ip-address or hostname>:3128
export RSYNC_PROXY

To create the mirror manually use this command:

nohup rsync -rltuzv --stats --progress --delete --delete-excluded \
--exclude "ppc/" \
--exclude "ppc64/" \
--exclude "x86_64/" \
rsync.opensuse.org::opensuse-updates \
/install/repo/opensuse103upd/ &

Notice that error output will still go to the screen, normal output will go to nohup.out.

Control if rsync is running:

>netstat -nap | grep rsync
tcp     4344      0 10.1.8.69:13507         10.1.8.11:3128          ESTABLISHED 10297/rsync
unix  3      [ ]         STREAM     CONNECTED     217536 10298/rsync
unix  3      [ ]         STREAM     CONNECTED     217535 10297/rsync

Schedule
Create a script called opensuse-update:

# vi /root/bin/opensuse-update
# chmod 777 /root/bin/opensuse-update

And add the following lines:

#!/bin/bash

export RSYNC_PROXY=<proxy>:3128
YOU_DIR=/srv/nfs/updates
UPDATEPATH=opensuse/update/10.3
DESTINATIONPATH=$YOU_DIR"/"$UPDATEPATH
SOURCEPATH=rsync.opensuse.org::opensuse-updates/.

test -d $DESTINATIONPATH || mkdir -p $DESTINATIONPATH

echo -e "Syncing patches from $SOURCEPATH \n"

rsync -rltuzv --stats --progress --delete --delete-excluded \
       --exclude "ppc/" \
       --exclude "ppc64/" \
       --exclude "x86_64/" \
       $SOURCEPATH $DESTINATIONPATH

logger -t patch-download-cronjob[$$] Updating of SuSE 10.3 from $SOURCEPATH finished.

Exit 0

Add the script to cron:

# vi /etc/crontab
0 4 * * * root /root/bin/opensuse-update

See for more information:
http://en.opensuse.org/Mirror_Setup_Howto
http://en.opensuse.org/Mirror_Infrastructure
http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Setting_up_a_local_repository_server_for_OpenSuSE_10.3

Follow these directions to tell your clients how to use the installation and update sources. Consider the next table:

service name	purpose	url
SLES 10 SP1	Use this service to install SLES 10 SP1	http://<ip-address or hostname>/sles10sp1/CD1/
SLES 10 SP2	Use this service to install SLES 10 SP2	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/sles10sp2/CD1/
OpenSuse 10.3	Use this service to install openSuse 10.3	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/opensuse103/CD1/
SLES10-SP1-Online	Use this service to update SLES 10 to SLES 10 SP1	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/sles10upd/SLES10-SP1-Online/sles-10-i586/
SLES10-SP1-Updates	Use this service to patch SLES 10 SP1	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/sles10upd/SLES10-SP1-Updates/sles-10-i586/
SLES10-SP2-Online	Use this service to update SLES 10 SP1 to SLES 10 SP2	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/sles10upd/SLES10-SP2-Online/sles-10-i586/
SLES10-SP2-Updates	Use this service to patch SLES 10 SP2 te patchen	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/sles10upd/SLES10-SP2-Updates/sles-10-i586/
OpenSuseUpd	Use this service to patch openSuse 10.3	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/opensuseupd/10.3/
OpenSuseUpd	Use this service to patch openSuse 11	http://<ip-address or hostname>/install/opensuseupd/11.0/

Boot the systeem using one of these choices:

• DVD
• CD1
• Opensuse network cd (You'll receive a couple of notices concerning your repository. You can ignore these.)

Use installation options in the initial boot screen, and use the table as stated above:
For example, when installing SLES 10 SP1 use this:
install=http://<ip-address or hostname>/sles10sp1/CD1/

Required:

• noapic
• nolapic
• nosmp
• clock=pit

Optional to do a graphical installation:

• vnc=1
• vncpassword=12345678 (minimal 8 characters)

Optional in case you don't have DHCP:

• hostip=10.x.x.x
• netmask=255.255.0.0
• gateway=10.x.x.x
• nameserver=10.x.x.x

Example:

• install=http://<ipp-addres or hostname>/install/sles10sp1/CD1 noapic nolapic nosmp clock=pit vnc=1 vncpassword=12345678

In case you've chosen to use the vnc options you'll see a textbased environment with IP-address information to connect your vnc viewer to.
In case you did not use the vnc options you'll get a textbased environment to perform the installation using the textbased version of yast.

Perform the installation as stated in the manual: http://www.novell.com/documentation/sles10/#installation or like SLES 10 SP2.

Go to yast �> software �> installation source and click on 'add'. If you choose http you'll see this window:

Fill in the following settings in case you want to patch SLES 10 SP1:

server = <ipp-addres or hostname>
directory = /install/sles10upd/SLES10-SP1-Updates/sles-10-i586/

Afterwards you'll need to disable the NCC registration. You won't need it anymore.

Go to yast �> software �> software repositories and click on 'add'. Use these settings:

Finished!

To install a support pack on SLES using the installation server follow these steps: The examples are used to upgrade SLES SP1 to SP2.

1. Make suse your current version is up to date
   1. Example: Configure the installation source SLES10-SP1-Updates (see table) and run Online Update. Reboot if necessary.
2. Configure the correct update servers
   1. Example: Configure the installation sources SLES10-SP2-Online and SLES10-SP2-Updates.
3. Run online update (Yast → Software → Online Update)
4. Reboot

To upgrade SLES 9 to SLES 10 you need to run a minimum of SP3. In case your not it's necessary to do so first. Afterwards you can follow these guidelines:

1. Boot the installation using a medium described above in the installation procedure. Use the install option to use the the installation source of SLES 10 SP2.
2. Follow the start of the installation as described in the manual: http://www.novell.com/documentation/sles10/#installation
3. In the third screen, the Select Mode screen choose for Update.
4. With the software selection install the software you want and upgrade already installed software.
5. After the installation, including two reboots you need to set up the update servers as described above. After that, run Online Update, reboot if neccessay and you're done.