This document discusses several methods for deploying Linux servers at scale, including using PXE boot, Kickstart files, Cobbler, Foreman, and Puppet Razor. PXE boot uses TFTP, DHCP, and optionally HTTP and DNS to boot servers over the network. Kickstart files allow for unattended operating system installation and configuration. Cobbler automates Linux installation tasks. Foreman is a lifecycle management tool. Puppet Razor can discover, deploy, and manage both physical and virtual servers through automated provisioning policies.

1. Deploy Linux Servers at
scale

2. Who Am I ?
● Systems Engineer @
● DevOps
● Infrastructure as a code “Puppet, Ansible”
● Cloud Computing “OpenStack, CloudStack”
● ….
● @EslamElHusseiny

3. Problem!

5. Step #1
Separation of bootable media && installation
media.

6. Installation media
● CD / DVD “/dev/cdrom”
dd if=/path/to/iso.iso of=/dev/cdrom
● USB stick “/dev/sdb1”
dd if=/path/to/iso.iso of=/dev/sdb1

7. Still not at scale ?!

8. PXE
The Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)
specification describes a standardized client-server
environment that boots a software
assembly, retrieved from a network, on PXE-enabled
clients. (Wikipedia)

9. PXE
● TFTP
● DHCP
● HTTP
● DNS (Optional)

10. Kickstart
The Red Hat Kickstart installation method is
used primarily (but not exclusively) by the Red
Hat Enterprise Linux operating system to
automatically perform unattended operating
system installation and configuration.

11. Kickstart
https://access.redhat.com/labs/kickstartconfig/

12. Kickstart

13. Get your hands dirty :)

14. Cobbler
Cobbler is a Linux installation server that allows
for rapid setup of network installation
environments. It glues together and automates
many associated Linux tasks so you do not
have to hop between many various commands
and applications when deploying new systems,
and, in some cases, changing existing ones.

15. Cobbler can help with provisioning, managing
DNS and DHCP, package updates, power
management, configuration management
orchestration, and much more.

18. Get your hands dirty :)

19. Let’s have more fun ;)

20. Foreman is a complete lifecycle management
tool for physical and virtual servers.

21. Puppetlabs Razor
● Razor is an advanced provisioning
application used to discover and deploy both
bare-metal machines and virtual systems.
● With Razor, you can automate going from a
newly racked machine with no operating
system to one that's fully installed and
managed by Puppet, without any human
intervention.

22. How Razor Works
Razor identifies a new node

23. How Razor Works
The node is tagged

24. How Razor Works
The node tags match a Razor policy

25. How Razor Works
Policies pull together all the provisioning
elements

26. How Razor Works
The node is provisioned with the designated
OS and managed with PE