Creating 64-Bit Client

Images
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11 SP3
Creating 64-Bit Client Images: Using a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-Based Image
Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 11 SP3

A SUSE Linux Enterprise 11-based image server can be used to create 32-bit client
images. However, to create 64-bit client images required for booting 64-bit Point
of Service clients, it is necessary to set up a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based image
server on a dedicated machine. The following chapters provide explanation on how
to deploy a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based image server as well as create and boot
64-bit client images.

Publication Date: May 18, 2020

SUSE LLC
1800 South Novell Place
Provo, UT 84606
USA
https://documentation.suse.com
 Contents

1 Deploying and Using SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-Based

Image Server and 64-Bit Client Images 1
1.1 Setting Up a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-Based Image Building
Server 1

1.2 Building Images with KIWI 2

Understanding the KIWI Configuration 3 • Preparing the Image
Configuration 7 • Creating the KIWI Image 9 • Building Customized
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Images 10 • Deploying KIWI
Images 14

1.3 Booting 64-Bit Client Images 15

Dealing with Boot-Related Issues 16

iii Creating 64-Bit Client Images

1 Deploying and Using SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-
Based Image Server and 64-Bit Client Images

1.1 Setting Up a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-Based

Image Building Server
It is recommended to use a dedicated machine for setting up a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-
based Image Server. For a list of system requirements, refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Serv-
er 12 documentation at https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles-12/book_sle_deployment/da-
ta/sec_x86_sysreqs.html .
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service 12 Image Server is delivered as an extension to SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 and SP4. There are two options for installing the Image Server:

When performing a new SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation, select Image Server from
the list of extensions.

If SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is already installed, you can use the YaST registration
module to install the Image Server.

In both cases, make sure to install the SLEPOS_Image_Server pattern. For further information,
refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 documentation at https://www.suse.com/documen-
tation/sles-12/index.html .

Note: /var/lib/SLEPOS/ on Btrfs Subvolume

The /var/lib/SLEPOS/ directory can be hundreds of megabytes in size. If the directory
does not reside on a Btrfs subvolume, zypper will include it into snapshots. To prevent
this from happening and save disk space, make sure that the directory is placed on a
Btrfs subvolume.

Setting Up a SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-Based Image Building Server SUSE Linux Enterp…

1 11 SP3
1.2 Building Images with KIWI
KIWI is an imaging suite that allows you to configure, build, and deploy your own operating
system images. The KIWI workflow is divided into three distinct stages:

Preparing the Image Configuration (Physical Extend)

Determine which packages are installed on your image and which configuration les are
included with the image. Create a directory holding the contents of the new le system
from a software package source such as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and create an im-
age description le, ( config.xml ). The resulting infrastructure is called the physical ex-
tend. For a detailed description of the image configuration procedure, refer to Section 1.2.2,
“Preparing the Image Configuration”.

Creating the Image (Logical Extend)

The image itself is created using the data gathered in the physical extend. The resulting
image is called logical extend. The image creation process does not require user interaction,
but can be ne-tuned by modifying the images.sh script that is called during the creation
process. For a detailed description of the image creation procedure, refer to Section 1.2.3,
“Creating the KIWI Image”.

Deploying the Image

The final image can be deployed using various different methods. SUSE Linux Enterprise
Point of Service supports PXE net boot, live system images, and USB ash drive images.

Tip: Using SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Image

Templates
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service provides several templates that may be used to
create new images. All the delivered templates are stored in the /usr/share/kiwi/im-
age/SLEPOS/ directory. When using these templates, copy contents of the directory that
contains the respective configuration to a new subdirectory in /var/lib/SLEPOS/sys-
tem/ .

2 Building Images with KIWI SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

1.2.1 Understanding the KIWI Configuration
KIWI configurations as used in SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service should always reside
in /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/image_name . The main configuration le that contains the most
important aspects of the image description is called config.xml and resides in /var/lib/
SLEPOS/system/image_name/config.xml . A typical image configuration directory for SUSE
Linux Enterprise Point of Service can include the following items:

config.xml
This le is used to define the image type, base name, repositories used to build the im-
age, profiles, options, and the package/pattern list. The wireless support is also enabled
here. For a more detailed example of a typical SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service
config.xml , refer to Example 1.1, “An Example config.xml Image Description”.

config.sh
config.sh is an optional image configuration script. It is executed at the end of the
installation of the image after the chroot command is used to switch to the image. It can
be used to configure the image system by activating or deactivating services.

images.sh
images.sh is an optional clean up script that runs before the image creation process is
started and the logical extend is created. It removes les that are only needed while the
physical extend exists.

config
The config directory is an optional directory that may contain shell scripts to be executed
after all packages have been installed. You could, for example manipulate a package to
remove parts that are not needed for the operating system by adding the relevant script
to the config directory. Make sure the name of your Bash scripts resembles the package
name specified in config.xml .

repo
The repo directory is an optional directory that could hold any RPM packages that do not
originate from one of your preconfigured repositories, but which you want to add manual-
ly. Place the RPMs in this directory and reference them by <package name="your_pack-
age"> in the config.xml le.

root
The root directory contains les, scripts and directories to customize the image after the
installation of all packages.

3 Understanding the KIWI Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

cdboot
The cdboot directory is an optional directory holding all the data needed to create a
bootable CD. It includes the isolinux.cfg , isolinux.msg , and isolinux.sh les need-
ed to build an ISO image from a pre-built CD tree. This subdirectory is needed for any
image of the type initrd-isoboot .

Tip: For More Information

Refer to the KIWI package documentation under /usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/ki-
wi.pdf for a detailed listing of all configuration les and directories available for KIWI
(Section 1.3 The KIWI Image Description).

EXAMPLE 1.1: AN EXAMPLE config.xml IMAGE DESCRIPTION

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<image name="POS_Image_Graphical4" displayname="POS_Image_Graphical4"
schemaversion="5.2"> 1

<description type="system"> 2

<author>Admin User</author>
<contact>[email protected]</contact>
<specification>POS image builder software - configuraton for graphical image</
specification>
</description>
<preferences> 3

<type checkprebuilt="true" boot="netboot/suse-SLES12" fsnocheck="true"

filesystem="ext3" compressed="true" image="pxe">
<pxedeploy server="192.168.100.2" blocksize="4096">
<partitions device="/dev/sda">
<partition type="82" number="1" size="5"/>
<partition type="83" number="2" mountpoint="/" target="true"/>
</partitions>
</pxedeploy>
</type>
<type boot="isoboot/suse-SLES12" image="iso"/>
<type boot="oemboot/suse-SLES12" filesystem="ext3" installiso="true" image="oem"/>
<version>4.0.0</version>
<packagemanager>zypper</packagemanager>
<rpm-check-signatures>false</rpm-check-signatures>
<rpm-force>false</rpm-force>
<boot-theme>studio</boot-theme>
<timezone>UTC</timezone>
<hwclock>localtime</hwclock>
<defaultdestination>/var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images</defaultdestination>
<defaultroot>/var/lib/SLEPOS/system/chroot</defaultroot>

4 Understanding the KIWI Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

 </preferences>
<users group="root"> 4

<user name="root" pwd="$1$YjyhKEyu$WWqPoJ1HtqRIyKqcD1KRa." home="/root" shell="/bin/

bash"/>
</users>
<packages type="image" patternType="onlyRequired"> 5

<opensusePattern name="SLEPOS_Template_Graphical"/>
<package name="haveged" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="posbios" bootinclude="true"/>
...
<package name="java-1_7_0-ibm"/>
<package name="aaa_base"/>
<package name="bash"/>
...
<archive name="bootsplash.tar" bootinclude="true"/>
<archive name="gdm.tar"/>
<!--begin wireless support 6

<package name="kernel-firmware" bootinclude="true"/>

<package name="wpa_supplicant" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="wireless-tools" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="libnl" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="grub" bootinclude="true"/>
<archive name="wlan.tar.gz" bootinclude="true"/>
end wireless support-->
<!--begin SUSE Manager support 7

<package name="suse_manager_client_registration" />

end SUSE Manager support-->
</packages>
<packages type="bootstrap">
<package name="filesystem"/>
<package name="glibc-locale"/>
</packages>
<repository type="rpm-md"> 8

<source path="{SLEPOS 12 SP4 x86_64}"/>

</repository>
<repository type="rpm-md">
<source path="{SLES 12 SP4 Updates x86_64}"/>
</repository>
<repository type="rpm-md">
<source path="{SLEPOS 12 SP4 Updates x86_64}"/>
</repository>
<repository type="rpm-md">
<source path="{SLES 12 SP4 x86-64}"/>
</repository>
<!--begin wireless support
<drivers type="drivers"> 9

<file name="drivers/net/wireless/*"/>

5 Understanding the KIWI Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

 <file name="drivers/net/wireless/*/*"/>
</drivers>
end wireless support-->
</image>

1 The image element carries all basic information on the image description le. The name
attribute provides the base name of the image, the displayname attribute allows the setup
of the boot menu title and schemeversion the current version of KIWI.
2 The description element is used to provide some basic information on the creator of the
image and a basic description of the image's purpose. The author element holds the image
author's real name and the contact element a valid e-mail address. specification holds
a short description of the image's purpose.
3 The preferences element holds information needed to create the logical extend. The
type element determines the type of image to be created. SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of
Service supports the following values for type : oem , pxe , and iso . If your config.xml
contains more than one type element, you either need to add the primary attribute (with
its value set to true ) to the type that should be used for the final image, or the rst entry
is used by default.
defaultdestination and defaultroot are used if KIWI is not called with the destdir
option or the root option, respectively.
4 The Users element lists the users belonging to the group specified with the group attribute.
At least one user child element must be specified as part of the users element. Multiple
users elements may be specified.
SLEPOS image templates contain the root user by default. The default root password is
linux .

5 The packages element serves as a container for all the package elements used to designate
the packages to be handled by KIWI. There are several types of package sets supported by
KIWI: image includes all the packages which make up the image and are used to finish the
image installation, boot includes the list of packages needed to create a new operating
system root tree, and delete includes all packages marked for deletion and which are not
needed in the final image.
6 The section, marked in config.xml by begin/end wireless support , contains the con-
figuration necessary for booting using PXE via wireless networks. It is commented out in
the default configuration le of the minimal image. WPA configuration ( /etc/wpa_sup-
plicant/wpa_supplicant.conf ) is contained in the wlan.tar.gz TAR archive. WPA
configuration can be eventually adjusted there.

6 Understanding the KIWI Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

 7 The section, marked in config.xml by begin/end SUSE Manager support , contains the
package needed for SUSE Manager integration. Note that SUSE Manager Client is a separate
module that is not part of SLES. To install the module, add the appropriate repository to
the image configuration.
8 The repository element references any package sources used in building this image.
Repositories are referenced using repository aliases, for example {SLES 12 SP4 x86_64} .
These aliases are mapped to repository urls via the /etc/kiwi/repoalias le. You also
need to specify the type of the repository, in this case rpm-md .
9 This section contains drivers needed for the wireless operation.

Note: SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Client as Salt

Minion
Although the Salt minion packages are available in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of
Service 12 repository, they are not included in the image templates by default. Thus they
must be added manually to the configuration le, if needed.

1.2.2 Preparing the Image Configuration

To prepare a new image configuration using one of the customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point
of Service templates, proceed as follows:

1. Create the directory to hold the image description.

To create a system image of a graphical operating system without a desktop environment,
use the following command:

mkdir /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/graphical-default

2. Copy the template configuration to the image description directory:

cp -R /usr/share/kiwi/image/SLEPOS/graphical-3/* \
/var/lib/SLEPOS/system/graphical-default/

3. Create an empty directory to hold the final image:

mkdir /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/image/graphical-default

7 Preparing the Image Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

 4. Adjust the image configuration le config.xml to match your purpose:

a. Check whether the value of defaultroot points to the proper directory for the ch-
root environment needed to build the image. In this case: /var/lib/SLEPOS/sys-
tem/chroot/graphical-default .

b. Check whether the value of defaultdestination points to the appropriate desti-

nation directory to hold the final image. In this case: var/lib/SLEPOS/system/im-
ages/graphical-default .

c. Add the paths to the repositories needed to build your image. If you are building your
image from the standard SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service package sources,
specify /var/lib/SLEPOS/dist/base_distribution .

d. Add any optional configuration or scripts you need for your particular image as
described under Section 1.2.1, “Understanding the KIWI Configuration”.

5. Check whether config.xml is still well-formed XML to avoid parser problems when run-
ning the actual image building commands:

xmllint --noout /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/graphical-default/config.xml

If this command does not return any messages, the XML is well-formed and you can pro-
ceed with creating the image. If it returns error messages, x the errors it returned and
retry until no more errors occur.

6. Perform the actual image preparation, but make sure the following requirements are met,
before you execute the kiwi command:

A chroot directory under /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/chroot/graphical-de-

fault must not exist before you start preparing the image. Remove any remainders
of earlier image builds.

Warning: Directories Mounted with the --bind Option

When removing /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/chroot/graphical-default ,
make sure that no bind mount is done in that directory. These may be left
over by a previous preparing process aborted unexpectedly. To check for such
leftovers, run the command:

mount | grep bind

8 Preparing the Image Configuration SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

 If you have any bind mount result inside that directory, rst unmount it with
the command umount <target-directory> .

Zypper or YaST must not run while you invoke the image preparation and build
commands. These commands use Zypper and will be blocked by other processes
requesting the same services.

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/
kiwi --prepare ./graphical-default --root ./chroot/graphical-default

1.2.3 Creating the KIWI Image

After the image preparation has finished successfully, proceed with creating the image:

1. Run the imaging command:

kiwi --create ./chroot/graphical-default --destdir ./images/graphical-default

KIWI creates the system image and any additional les needed to deploy the image.
Find the result of the imaging process under /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/graph-
ical-default .

2. Check whether the resulting image matches your needs. If not, you may modify the image
configuration inside the prepared physical extend by either:

editing the les under /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/chroot/graphical-default , or

entering the chroot environment with chroot /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/ch-

root/graphical-default , using the utilities available in the image to edit the con-
figuration and exiting the chroot environment with exit .

Re-run the imaging command:

kiwi --create ./chroot/graphical-default --destdir ./images/graphical-default

For more information on the KIWI command and the options available, run the kiwi --help
command.

9 Creating the KIWI Image SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

1.2.4 Building Customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service
Images
SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service supports building various different types of images suit-
able for different deployment scenarios. To complete some of these images, additional KIWI
commands must be executed. The following sections introduce the different image types and
their build process.

1.2.4.1 Building Network Boot Images

In environments where the available network infrastructure is suitable to boot SUSE Linux En-
terprise Point of Service terminals over the LAN, you can use network boot images and boot
clients using PXE. To build network boot images with KIWI, proceed as follows:

1. Select the pxe image type in config.xml as described in Section 1.2.1, “Understanding the
KIWI Configuration”.

2. Run the --prepare and --create commands of KIWI as described in Section 1.2.3, “Cre-
ating the KIWI Image”.

1.2.4.2 Creating Images for Wireless Setup

Boot images used for the wireless setup must have wireless setup enabled. The following lines
must be in the config.xml le, in the <packages type="image"...< section:

<!-- begin wireless support -->

<package name="kernel-firmware" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="wpa_supplicant" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="wireless-tools" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="libnl" bootinclude="true"/>
<package name="grub" bootinclude="true"/>
<archive name="wlan.tar.gz" bootinclude="true"/>
<!-- end wireless support -->

Also, the wireless drivers must be enabled in the drivers section of the config.xml le:

<!-- begin wireless support -->

<drivers type="drivers">
<file name="drivers/net/wireless/*"/>
<file name="drivers/net/wireless/*/*"/>
</drivers>

Building Customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Images SUSE Linux Enterp…

10 11 SP3
<!-- end wireless support -->

The necessary lines are already present in the provided configuration of the minimal image,
they are just commented out. The wireless configuration is contained in the /etc/wpa_sup-
plicant/wpa_supplicant.conf le present in the wlan.tar.gz TAR archive and can be ad-
justed there.
To create the initial boot image with KIWI, use the kiwi --bootusb initrd command. The
image must be of the netboot type. The initrd must be an initrd le with wireless support
enabled in the config.xml le. The kernel is expected to be in the same directory and follow
the same naming convention. For example:

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/jeos-5.0.0
kiwi --bootusb initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.gz

The resulting image can be used for booting from a USB ash drive or it can be preloaded on
the hard disk.

Important: Wireless Network Encryption

Make sure to enable a strong encryption method like WPA2 if the terminals are connected
to the branch servers over Wi-Fi.

1.2.4.3 Building Bootable CD Images With a System Image

In environments where no suitable network infrastructure is available to boot SUSE Linux En-
terprise Point of Service terminals over the LAN, you can use bootable CDs containing system
images. To build such image CDs, proceed as follows:

1. Select the isoboot image type in config.xml as described in Section 1.2.1, “Understanding

the KIWI Configuration”.

2. Run the --prepare and --create commands of KIWI as described in Section 1.2.3, “Cre-
ating the KIWI Image”.

3. Change to the directory containing your image data:

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/image_name

4. Burn the ISO image to CD using a CD burning application of your choice (k3b or Nautilus,
for example).

Building Customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Images SUSE Linux Enterp…

11 11 SP3
1.2.4.4 Building Bootable CD Images Without a System Image

If the terminals are not able to boot from network over PXE but network is present, CDs without
a system image can be used for booting the client system. The system image is downloaded via
the network after the boot. To build such images, proceed as follows:

1. Select the pxe image type in config.xml as described in Section 1.2.1, “Understanding the
KIWI Configuration”.

2. Run the --prepare and --create commands of KIWI as described in Section 1.2.3, “Cre-
ating the KIWI Image”.

3. Change to the directory containing your image data:

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/image_name

4. Build the ISO image using the following KIWI command:

kiwi --bootcd path_to_initrd

5. Burn the resulting ISO image to CD using a CD burning application of your choice (k3b
or Nautilus, for example).

1.2.4.5 Booting Images from USB Flash Drive

The image can be booted from a USB ash drive. In that case it initializes the service partition
on the hard disk identified by the DISK variable in the configuration le. This way, it is possible
to set up a shop faster without the need of having network connections upfront and without
the initial PXE boot cycle to ll the system partitions. The resulting partition table should be
identical to what would be the outcome of a regular PXE boot/install.
To create an offline USB image on Combo Server, proceed as follows:

1. Start with a built image. Only boot image is needed, so you can use both the minimal
and the graphical image:

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/graphical-3.4.0

2. Create the bootusb image:

kiwi --bootusb initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.gz

Building Customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Images SUSE Linux Enterp…

12 11 SP3
 3. Add 1 GB of free space to the image:

dd if=/dev/zero bs=1M count=1024 >> initrd-netboot-suse-

SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.raw

4. Resize the partition (using fdisk delete it and create a new one - it defaults to whole disk):

fdisk initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.raw <<EOT

d
n
p
1

w
EOT

5. Set up the partition device:

DEV=/dev/mapper/`kpartx -s -v -a initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.raw
|cut -f 3 -d ' '`

6. Resize the le system on the partition:

e2fsck -f $DEV
resize2fs $DEV

7. Set the partition label to SRV_SLEPOS_TMPL . This label marks the partition with newest
offline configuration:

tune2fs -L SRV_SLEPOS_TMPL $DEV

8. Mount the le system:

mount $DEV /mnt

9. Install POS_Image-Tools (not part of the default admin.branch server pattern):

zypper -n in POS_Image-Tools

10. Use the existing config.mac as a template for offline installation. This creates config.default
and the referenced les to the partition:

posSyncSrvPart --source-config config.00:00:90:FF:90:04 --dest-dir /mnt

Building Customized SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service Images SUSE Linux Enterp…

13 11 SP3
 11. Unmount everything:

umount /mnt
kpartx -d initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.raw

12. The initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.raw image is now ready.

Alternatively, the KIWI/config.default can be created manually. This is an example:

IMAGE=/dev/sda3;minimal.x86_64;3.4.0;192.168.124.254;8192
PART=3000;83;/srv/SLEPOS,1000;82;swap,3000;83;/
DISK=/dev/disk/by-id/pci-0000:00:1f.2-scsi-0:0:0:0
POS_KERNEL=linux
POS_INITRD=initrd.gz
POS_KERNEL_PARAMS= panic=60 ramdisk_size=710000 ramdisk_blocksize=4096
vga=0x314 splash=silent console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 mac_separator=":"
POS_KERNEL_PARAMS_HASH=db8571ae6dfacaf1
fd24053b74a07aa4

The partition must contain the referenced les, i.e.:

image/minimal.x86_64-3.4.0
image/minimal.x86_64-3.4.0.md5
boot/linux
boot/linux.md5
boot/initrd.gz
boot/initrd.md5

It is recommended to specify the DISK device by /dev/disk/by-path/ because it avoids prob-

lems with random ordering of sda, sdb. This is important especially for booting o a USB ash
drive. /dev/disk/by-path is however hardware dependent, so it cannot be used for generic
image.

1.2.5 Deploying KIWI Images

The deployment process of available KIWI images strongly depends on the type of image built.
Detailed information about how each implementation works is provided in Section 1.4 “Acti-
vating an Image” in /usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/kiwi.pdf .
There are also several real life examples available in this document which guide through the
deployment details of all the respective image types. See also Section 1.6 “Real-Life Scenarios -
A Tutorial” in /usr/share/doc/packages/kiwi/kiwi.pdf .

14 Deploying KIWI Images SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

1.3 Booting 64-Bit Client Images
Branches that only use either 64-bit or 32-bit images require no additional configuration.
Mixed branches are configured as described in https://www.suse.com/documentation/sle-
pos11/singlehtml/book_slepos/book_slepos.html#sec.adminserv.newkernel .
The default scDistributionContainer LDAP object is used for the rst boot of terminals with
undetermined architecture. This object must contain the 32-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 kernel
that can be booted on both 32-bit and 64-bit clients.
If the terminal fails to boot the default 32-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 11-based image, the initial
boot can be done via USB using a special image (see Section 1.2.4.2, “Creating Images for Wireless
Setup” for further info):

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/jeos-5.0.0
kiwi --bootusb initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.gz

Alternatively, it is possible to manually create an scWorkstation object in the LDAP database

prior to the rst boot. The scWorkstation entry must point to the 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise
12-based image in the custom scDistributionContainer LDAP object.
The boot process with the custom scDistributionContainer LDAP object consists of the fol-
lowing steps:

1. The terminal boots the 32-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 11-based boot image.

2. The terminal is registered. This creates the scWorkstation object in the LDAP database
and the config.MAC le.

3. The generated config.MAC le points to the 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based image
in the custom scDistributionContainer LDAP object.

4. The system image is downloaded.

5. Kernel parameters (including version) are compared, and the terminal is then rebooted. If
the /srv/SLEPOS service partition is configured, the new boot image is started via Kexec.

6. The client boots the 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based boot image.

7. The SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based system image is activated and booted.

15 Booting 64-Bit Client Images SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3

1.3.1 Dealing with Boot-Related Issues

Problem: Point of Service terminal fails to boot the default kernel

Solution: The terminal must be configured to use specific kernel before the rst boot. To do
this, create a USB boot image with the correct kernel as shown in the following example:

cd /var/lib/SLEPOS/system/images/jeos-5.0.0
kiwi --bootusb initrd-netboot-suse-SLES12.x86_64-2.1.1.splash.gz

Use then the created image for the initial boot of the terminal. For further information
about creating a boot image, refer to Section 1.2.4.2, “Creating Images for Wireless Setup”.
In cases when the MAC and hwtype properties of the terminal are known and external
DHCP is not used, you can use the following command to prepare a MAC-specific PXE
configuration that points to terminal-specific kernel and initrd:

echo "HWTYPE=<string>" > /srv/tftpboot/upload/hwtype.MAC.HASH

The <string> refers to the machine name as reported by BIOS (for

example, IBM4852526). The optional HASH value is used to prevent
le conflicts (see https://www.suse.com/documentation/slepos11/singlehtml/book_sle-
pos/book_slepos.html#ad_cntrlhw ). Since no conflicts should occur before the initial reg-
istration, the HASH value can be omitted:

echo "HWTYPE=<string>" > /srv/tftpboot/upload/hwtype.MAC

Problem: Booting the Point of Service client fails with the "vga=0x314 option is deprecated" error
message
Solution: For SUSE Linux Enterprise 12-based branches, remove the vga=0x314 kernel
parameter from the posdefaults object in the LDAP database using the posAdmin tool.
For mixed branches, remove the vga=0x314 kernel parameter from the posdefaults
object and add the parameter to each SUSE Linux Enterprise 11-based boot image via the
scDistributionContainer object.

16 Dealing with Boot-Related Issues SUSE Linux Enterp… 11 SP3