On Sun, 29 Jun 2008, YT wrote:

> Trying to install SL5.2 i386 via NFS on host CLNT from NFS server SRV.
> Server SRV running SL5.1.
> Directory on SRV contains SL-52-062608-i386-DVD.iso (integrity verified).
>
> CLNT boots fine using boot.iso CD.
> Everything works until after the path of the distribution
> directory is specified.  Then failure with "loader received SIGSEGV!".
> SRV log shows that the file system is mounted by CLNT.
> CLNT running SL5.2 from disk can NFS mount SL distribution
> directory from SRV and can mount the DVD.iso file properly.

Just to check if I understand what you are doing.  The client is NFS 
mounting a directory containing a .iso of the install media?  I never knew 
the installer could be pointed at a remote .iso image.

> Had the same problem with SL5.1.  However, SL5.0 worked fine.
> Everything works fine with CentOS 5.1 or 5.2
> with the distribution on the same file system on the same
> host (SRV) and with the same client (CLNT) (so it seems unlikely
> that this is an NFS config problem).
>
> With SL5.1 the workaround I used was to copy the .iso file
> to a partition on the local disk and install from there.
> This worked fine but is a hassle.

Surely it is simpler not to use any .iso files at all but just to point 
the installer at a directory containing the tree it needs ie by mirroring 
the right bits from sl (or copying them from the matching .iso I suppose).

> The question is what has changed with SL regarding installation
> via NFS from SL5.0 to SL5.1, or, alternatively, what is different
> regarding installation via NFS between SL5.1 and CentOS 5.1 or
> between SL5.2 and CentOS 5.2 ?

We do NFS installs (usually with kickstart) all the time with sl50/51 and 
our test installs of the sl52 (betas) worked too.  Once we have finished 
our big 'replace lots of network kit' pain this week I'll check again with 
the final sl52 but I'd be shocked if it didn't work.

  -- Jon