Customize a Golden Image or RHEL ISO with kickstart file? Rhel4/5/6//7

Issue

 

• How can we create a customized RHEL6 ISO with kickstart file included in the ISO?
• How to include a kickstart file in ISO image and create customized ISO?

Resolution

1. Download the RHEL installation dvd iso or minimal boot media boot.iso

2. Mount the ISO

    # mount /path/to/rhel-dvd.iso /mnt/ -o loop


3. Copy the entire contents of the disk to another location.

    # mkdir /rhel
    # shopt -s dotglob
    # cp -ai /mnt/* /rhel

4. Create a kickstart file.
This is an example: 

5. Copy the kickstart file to the /rhel directory

      # cp /path/to/ks.cfg /rhel

6. Change the file '/rhel/isolinux/isolinux.cfg',  change the following lines :

     label linux
      menu label ^Install or upgrade an existing system
      menu default
      kernel vmlinuz
      append initrd=initrd.img

to

     label linux
      menu label ^Install or upgrade an existing system
      menu default
      kernel vmlinuz
      append initrd=initrd.img  ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg
NOTE: For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, use the following append line:

append initrd=initrd.img inst.stage2=hd:LABEL=***Volume_ID*** quiet ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg
Replace Volume_ID by the same value as one specified in -V option of the following mkisofs command.

7. Rebuild the DVD iso image

    # cd /rhel
    # mkisofs -o /tmp/new.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat --no-emul-boot --boot-load-size 4 --boot-info-table -J -R -V disks .

NOTE: In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, please make sure that you specify the volume id with -V option, and it's same as Volume_ID in step 6.

8. Boot the machine from this ISO