Chapter 19. Sample Parameter Files
The IBM System z architectures use a special parameter file to set up networking before the installation program (anaconda) can be started. This section describes the contents of the parameter file.
The parameter file has a limit of 32 total parameters. To accommodate limitations of the parameter files, a new configuration file on a CMS DASD should be used to configure the initial network setup and the DASD specification. The .parm file should contain the real kernel parameters, such as root=/dev/ram0 ro ip=off ramdisk_size=40000, and single parameters which are not assigned to variables, such as vnc. Two new parameters which point the installation program at the new configuration file need to be added to the .parm file. They are CMSDASD and CMSCONF .
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CMSDASD=cmsdasd_address
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Where cmsdasd_address represents the list of the device ID of the CMS DASD device which contains the configuration file. This is usually the CMS user's 'A' disk. This option is applicable only for users who have a CMS formatted disk (z/VM) available.
For example: CMSDASD=191
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CMSCONFFILE=configuration_file
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Where configuration_file represents the name of the configuration file. This value must be specified in lower case. It is specified in a Linux style file name format. The CMS file REDHAT CONF is specified as redhat.conf. This option is applicable only for users who have a CMS formatted disk (z/VM) available.
For example: CMSCONFFILE=redhat.conf
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DASD=dasd-list
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Where dasd-list represents the list of DASD devices to be used by Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Although automatic probing for DASDs is done if this parameter is omitted, it is highly recommended to include the DASD= parameter, as the device numbers (and therefore the device names) can vary when a new DASD is added to the guest. This can result in an unusable system.
For example: DASD=0.0.0100,0.0201-0.0.0204
The following parameters are required to set up networking:
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SUBCHANNELS=
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Provides required device bus IDs for the various network interfaces.
qeth: SUBCHANNELS="read_device_bus_id,write_device_bus_id,
data_device_bus_id"
lcs: SUBCHANNELS="read_device_bus_id,write_device_bus_id"
Due to the length of the qeth command line, it has been broken into two lines.
Note
The CTC, and NETIUCV drivers have been deprecated and are no longer supported in Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
For example (a sample qeth SUBCHANNEL statement):
SUBCHANNELS=0.0.0600,0.0.0601,0.0.0602
The following parameters are optional:
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HOSTNAME=string
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Where string is the hostname of the newly-installed Linux guest.
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NETTYPE=type
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Where type must be one of the following: qeth or lcs.
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IPADDR=IP
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Where IP is the IP address of the new Linux guest.
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NETWORK=network
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Where network is the address of your network.
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NETMASK=netmask
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Where netmask is the netmask.
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BROADCAST=broadcast
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Where broadcast is the broadcast address.
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GATEWAY=gw
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Where gw is the gateway-IP for your eth device.
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MTU=mtu
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Where mtu is the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) for this connection.
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DNS=server1:server2:additional_server_terms:serverN
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Where server1:server2:additional_server_terms:serverN is a list of DNS servers, separated by colons. For example:
DNS=10.0.0.1:10.0.0.2
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SEARCHDNS=domain1:domain2:additional_dns_terms:domainN
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Where domain1:domain2:additional_dns_terms:domainN is a list of the search domains, separated by colons. For example:
SEARCHDNS=example.com:example.org
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PORTNAME=osa_portname | lcs_portnumber
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This variable supports OSA devices operating in qdio mode or in non-qdio mode.
When using qdio mode: qeth_portname is the portname specified on the OSA device when operating in qeth mode. PORTNAME is only required for z/VM 4.3 or older without APARs VM63308 and PQ73878.
When using non-qdio mode: lcs_portnumber is used to pass the relative port number as integer in the range of 0 through 15.
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FCP_* (FCP_1, FCP_2, ...)
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These variables can be used on systems with FCP devices to preconfigure the FCP setup (these can be changed during the installation).
Use the following samples as a guide to formatting proper parameter files.
Sample file with minimally required parameters:
root=/dev/ram0 DASD=200
Note
The installation program prompts the user for any required parameters not specified in the parameter file.
Sample file configuring a QETH networking device:
Example of redhat.parm file:
root=/dev/ram0 ro ip=off ramdisk_size=40000
CMSDASD=191 CMSCONFFILE=redhat.conf
vnc
Example of redhat.conf file (pointed to by CMSCONFFILE in redhat.parm)
DASD=200
HOSTNAME="foobar.systemz.example.com"
DASD="200-203"
NETTYPE="qeth"
IPADDR="192.168.17.115"
SUBCHANNELS="0.0.0600,0.0.0601,0.0.0602"
PORTNAME="FOOBAR"
NETWORK="192.168.17.0"
NETMASK="255.255.255.0"
BROADCAST="192.168.17.255"
SEARCHDNS="example.com:systemz.example.com"
GATEWAY="192.168.17.254"
DNS="192.168.17.1"
MTU="4096"
