Automated Installation Benefits
The automated installer provides support for network installations, where one installation specification can
be applied to multiple systems.
The automated installer includes the following features that support multiple client installations in
a network:
The automated installer uses DNS services, so that, when you boot a client, any new install services that were added to the network before the client booted are automatically available to the client. No individual client configuration is necessary for clients to access install services.
Installation setup is decentralized. You can maintain multiple, disparate locations for installation services and for client configuration. Installation services can be created on several machines, enabling you to make available multiple install services of the same type and release. The client is notified of all available install services on the network when the client boots.
If all of your client systems have the same hardware characteristics, then the default installation specifications that you setup using the installadm create-service command can be used for all client installations. If you want to install the OpenSolaris OS on clients with varying hardware characteristics, you can create custom manifests tailored for specific hardware characteristics. Then, using the installadm add command, you can add the custom manifest to an install service to make it available on the network for client installations.
Depending on your network configuration, basic setup of an install server and an initial install service can be a straightforward process. For further information about simple setup and advanced setup options, see Chapter 3, Automated Installer Setup Instructions.
