1COBBLERD(8)                         Cobbler                        COBBLERD(8)
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NAME

6       cobblerd - Cobblerd Documentation
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8       Cobbler - a provisioning and update server
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PREAMBLE

11       We  will  refer to cobblerd here as "cobbler" because cobblerd is short
12       for cobbler-daemon which is basically the  server.   The  CLI  will  be
13       referred to as Cobbler-CLI and Koan as Koan.
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DESCRIPTION

16       Cobbler  manages  provisioning using a tiered concept of Distributions,
17       Profiles, Systems, and (optionally) Images and Repositories.
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19       Distributions contain information about  what  kernel  and  initrd  are
20       used, plus metadata (required kernel parameters, etc).
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22       Profiles  associate  a Distribution with an automated installation tem‐
23       plate file and optionally customize the metadata further.
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25       Systems associate a MAC, IP, and other networking details with  a  pro‐
26       file and optionally customize the metadata further.
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28       Repositories  contain  yum  mirror information. Using cobbler to mirror
29       repositories is an optional feature, though  provisioning  and  package
30       management share a lot in common.
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32       Images  are  a  catch-all concept for things that do not play nicely in
33       the "distribution" category. Most users will  not  need  these  records
34       initially and these are described later in the document.
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36       The  main  advantage of cobbler is that it glues together many disjoint
37       technologies and concepts and abstracts  the  user  from  the  need  to
38       understand  them. It allows the systems administrator to concentrate on
39       what he needs to do, and not how it is done.
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41       This manpage will focus on the cobbler command line  tool  for  use  in
42       configuring  cobbler.  There is also mention of the Cobbler WebUI which
43       is usable for day-to-day operation of  Cobbler  once  installed/config‐
44       ured.  Docs  on  the API and XML-RPC components are available online at
45       https://cobbler.github.io or https://cobbler.readthedocs.io.
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47       Most users will be interested in the Web  UI  and  should  set  it  up,
48       though  the command line is needed for initial configuration -- in par‐
49       ticular cobbler check and cobbler import, as well as the repo mirroring
50       features. All of these are described later in the documentation.
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SETUP

53       After  installing, run cobbler check to verify that cobbler's ecosystem
54       is configured correctly. Cobbler check will direct you on how to modify
55       it's config files using a text editor.
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57       Any problems detected should be corrected, with the potential exception
58       of DHCP related warnings where you will need to use your  judgement  as
59       to  whether they apply to your environment. Run cobbler sync after mak‐
60       ing any changes to the configuration files to ensure those changes  are
61       applied to the environment.
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63       It  is  especially  important that the server name field be accurate in
64       /etc/cobbler/settings, without  this  field  being  correct,  automatic
65       installation  trees will not be found, and automated installations will
66       fail.
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68       For PXE, if DHCP is to be run from the cobbler server, the DHCP config‐
69       uration  file  should be changed as suggested by cobbler check. If DHCP
70       is not run locally, the next-server field on the DHCP server should  at
71       minimum point to the cobbler server's IP and the filename should be set
72       to pxelinux.0. Alternatively, cobbler can also generate your DHCP  con‐
73       figuration file if you want to run DHCP locally -- this is covered in a
74       later section. If you don't already have a DHCP setup managed  by  some
75       other tool, allowing cobbler to manage your DHCP environment will prove
76       to be useful as it can manage DHCP reservations and other data. If  you
77       already  have a DHCP setup, moving an existing setup to be managed from
78       within cobbler is relatively painless -- though usage of the DHCP  man‐
79       agement feature is entirely optional. If you are not interested in net‐
80       work booting via PXE and just want to use Koan to install virtual  sys‐
81       tems  or  replace  existing  ones,  DHCP  configuration  can be totally
82       ignored. Koan also has a live CD (see Koan's manpage)  capability  that
83       can be used to simulate PXE environments.
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AUTOINSTALLATION (AUTOYAST/KICKSTART)

86       For  help in building kickstarts, try using the system-config-kickstart
87       tool, or install a new system and  look  at  the  /root/anaconda-ks.cfg
88       file left over from the installer. General kickstart questions can also
89       be asked at kickstart-list@redhat.com. Cobbler ships  some  autoinstall
90       templates in /etc/cobbler that may also be helpful.
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92       For AutoYaST guides and help please refer to the opensuse project.
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94       Also  see  the  website  or documentation for additional documentation,
95       user contributed tips, and so on.
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OPTIONS

98       -B --daemonize
99              If you pass no  options  this  is  the  default  one.  The  Cob‐
100              bler-Server runs in the background.
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102       -F --no-daemonize
103              The Cobbler-Server runs in the foreground.
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105       -f --log-file
106              Choose a destination for the logfile (currently has no effect).
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108       -l --log-level
109              Choose a loglevel for the application (currently has no effect).
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AUTHOR

112       Enno Gotthold
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115       2020, Enno Gotthold
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1203.2                              Oct 25, 2020                      COBBLERD(8)
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