What is the Automated Installer?

The automated installer is used to automate the installation of the OpenSolaris OS on one or more SPARC and x86 systems over a network. The installations can differ in architecture, packages installed, disk capacity, and other parameters.

The minimal configuration necessary to use the automated installer is to have one system as the install server and one client on which to install. On the server, you set up an installation service, which is associated with manifests, or specifications, for specific x86 installations or SPARC installations. Manifests can include information such as target device, additional packages, partition information, and other parameters. When the client boots, this boot initiates a search for a manifest that matches the client's machine specifications. When a matching manifest is found, the client is installed with the OpenSolaris release according to the specifications in the manifest files.