The netisl command enables software on a system to be accessed for network Initial System Load (ISL) by converting the system to be a network software server. Various subfunctions provide access to the server management tasks.
The subfunction is required. The subfunctions and their argument requirements are listed here:
If no product ID arguments are provided, netisl server on prepares each product installed on the system for access by remote clients. Otherwise only products specified are made accessible.
When this subfunction is run, a snapshot is taken of important bootstrap files used to initialize a client's disk. These are placed under the directory /tftpboot/isl/product_ID for each product ID specified. This subfunction is only valid with products that contain the necessary ISL bootstrap component.
If new products are added or updated after this command has been run, simply re-run it and it will update the snapshots of all products specified.
This subfunction also ensures that the server is prepared to respond to the BOOTP and TFTP protocols used by a remote client during a network ISL.
If the subfunction client add is run before server on has been run, client add automatically runs server on to prepare the system.
If no client arguments are specified, client add runs interactively and allows you to specify particular information about a series of clients, such as: system name, network card and parameters (IRQ and IO Base address), IP address, netmask, broadcast address, low-level Ethernet(MAC) address, and whether the client has a bootp chip or will boot from a floppy. If the server and client are on separate subnets, you must also supply the IP address for the gateway machine connecting them. If the client is running an SCO OpenServer system, the llistat(ADM) command displays the MAC address. Otherwise use the method documented by your hardware vendor to determine the MAC address.
If the client is to boot from floppy, client add prepares this floppy to be booted on the client system to initiate the networked installation process on that client. You should have prepared in advance a formatted floppy for each client you intend to add during a client add session. To use this floppy on the client, boot the client from the floppy and proceed as you would when installing from local media such as tape or CD-ROM.
This command also configures the server to respond to the remote boot request from the client.
client add saves information gathered about a client
for later re-use.
Thus, even if the client has been rendered un-installable
by using ``client del'' on that client,
the information still exists
on the system and a client can be made installable again by
running:
client add client_name
client_name in this case is the host name of the client, specified during a previous client add session.
To edit existing saved information about a client, run client add. When you enter the host name of that client, client add finds the information and displays it as defaults in the on-screen data entry forms.
To designate a different server for a given gateway machine, run netisl gateway on with the new server's name. The gateway machine stops sending bootp protocols to the previous server, and starts sending them to the new server.
To use netisl, the server machine must include all software you want to install on a client and must include the Network Install Support component. The server also must have TCP/IP configured. The client cannot require a Boot-time Loadable Driver for network install.