1COBBLERD(8) Cobbler COBBLERD(8)
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6 cobblerd - Cobblerd Documentation
7 Cobbler - a provisioning and update server
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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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16 Cobbler manages provisioning using a tiered concept of Distributions,
17 Profiles, Systems, and (optionally) Images and Repositories.
18 Distributions contain information about what kernel and initrd are
20 used, plus metadata (required kernel parameters, etc).
21 Profiles associate a Distribution with an automated installation tem‐
23 plate file and optionally customize the metadata further.
24 Systems associate a MAC, IP, and other networking details with a pro‐
26 file and optionally customize the metadata further.
27 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.
31 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.
35 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.
40 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.
46 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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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.
56 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.
62 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.
67 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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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.
91 For AutoYaST guides and help please refer to the opensuse project.
93 Also see the website or documentation for additional documentation,
95 user contributed tips, and so on.
96
98 -B --daemonize
99 If you pass no options this is the default one. The Cob‐
100 bler-Server runs in the background.
101 -F --no-daemonize
103 The Cobbler-Server runs in the foreground.
104 -f --log-file
106 Choose a destination for the logfile (currently has no effect).
107 -l --log-level
109 Choose a loglevel for the application (currently has no effect).
110
112 Enno Gotthold
113
115 2020, Enno Gotthold
1163.2 Oct 25, 2020 COBBLERD(8)