Linux • Screw

Welcome to Linux Screw! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe our RSS feed.

Sometimes it happens that it’s necessary to install Fedora Core onto server you have not physical access to and there is to luck to find any person who can do it for you there. Some other distributions like Debian provides remote ssh installation while Fedora (as well as Red Hat and CentOS) allows to install it over telnet from different computer over the network.

To get it done it’s enough to ask somebody who has physical access to server to boot up with Fedora Core installation compact disk and type one command. All the rest you can do by yourselves from any PC located at the same network.

When Fedora CD is booted above mentioned person will see at the following screen:

Ask him (or her) to type command at “boot:” prompt (in one line):

text telnet ip=[ip.address] netmask=[netmask] gateway=[gateway.address] ksdevice=[ethernet.device]

For example:

text telnet ip=192.168.0.123 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.0.1 ksdevice=/dev/eth1

Where IP address 192.168.0.123/24 will be assigned to eth1 NIC of server you’re going to install. ksdevice refers to your Ethernet network card (NIC) designation (if there only one NIC just omit ksdevice).

After it’s done you can connect to server via telnet command, for example:

telnet 192.168.0.123

and proceed installation. Please note that it would take some time before you can login as Fedora’s anaconda installer will be loading telnet server. During remote installation it’s impossible to switch consoles. Make sure you’ve set proper settings for your NIC(s) as after reboot previous IP settings will be lost. After installation is finished and server is rebooted you can login to fresh Fedora via ssh (with root login).

You may also be interested in:
Fully automated Fedora Linux installation manual (create custom installation cd)