Creating operating system repositories

Operating system (OS) repositories are used to control Linux distributions that are available for use in deployment workflows. This section describes the fields and controls available for the operating system repositories task.

Through the OS images tab, you can create, modify, and delete operating system repositories. Before you can use an operating system repository in a workflow, you must create it through the OS images tab.

The OS images tab displays information about the current repositories in the OS repositories table.

Note: Toolkit shows the correct set of OS repositories according to source media setting in Toolkit Preferences. If source media is Leave in network, the OS repositories whose source is Optical disks, Network, or ISO images are shown in the OS repositories table. If source media is Use local media, the OS repositories whose source is Bundled in USBKey or Retail CD are shown in the OS repositories table.

Creating an OS repository

To create an operating system repository, you must acquire the files that will be in the repository and store them in a location that is accessible to the source server.

When you have acquired and stored the files, follow these steps to create an OS repository:
  1. On the OS images tab, click Create to open the OS repository configuration window.
  2. In the OS repository creation settingswindow, complete the following fields in the Repository:
    Name
    The name by which you will refer to this repository. This is the name that you use to include the repository in a workflow.
    Distribution
    From this Distribution list, select the Linux distribution to be included in this repository. If a distribution is not in the list, it is not supported by Linux Scripting Toolkit.
    The supported distribution list depends on your source media preference, which can be set in Toolkit Preferences. If you set source media as Leave in network, all operating systems supported by the Toolkit will be in the list. Otherwise, if source media is set to Use local media, only the following appear in the list.
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 x64 Base U1
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1/SP2/SP3/SP4
    Source
    The source for the distribution files depends on your source media preferences, which can be set in Toolkit Preferences.
    If source media is set to Leave in network, select one of the following:
    Optical disks
    Indicates that the files are on a CD or DVD.
    Network
    Indicates the network protocol to use when accessing the distribution. Valid values are nfs, ftp, and http. The default is nfs.
    ISO images
    The path to the distribution files on the source server. After inserting the location of the ISO images, click List to show all available ISO images.
    If source media is set to Use local media, select one of the following:
    Bundled in USBKey
    The path to the distribution files on the source server. After providing the location of the ISO images, click List to show all available ISO images.
    Retail CD
    Indicates that the distribution files are on a retail CD or DVD. With this OS source, Toolkit requires that you insert the OS CD or DVD as the boot media on the target server.

When you have saved your selections, the OS images tab adds the new repository to the repositories table.