The exact way to specify custom boot options is different on every system architecture. For architecture-specific instructions about editing boot options, see:
- for 64-bit AMD, Intel and ARM systems
- for IBM Power Systems servers
There are several different ways to edit boot options at the boot menu (that is, the menu which appears after you boot the installation media):
- The inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 1 prompt, accessed by pressing the Esc key anywhere in the boot menu. When using this prompt, the first option must always specify the installation program image file to be loaded. In most cases, the image can be specified using the inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 2 keyword. After that, additional options can be specified as needed. Pressing the Tab key at this prompt will display help in the form of usable commands where applicable. To start the installation with your options, press the Enter key. To return from the inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 1 prompt to the boot menu, restart the computer and boot from the installation media again.
- The inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 4 prompt on BIOS-based AMD64 and Intel 64 systems, accessed by highlighting an entry in the boot menu and pressing the Tab key. Unlike the inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 1 prompt, this prompt allows you to edit a predefined set of boot options. For example, if you highlight the entry labeled inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm 6, a full set of options used by this menu entry will be displayed on the prompt, allowing you to add your own options. Pressing Enter will start the installation using the options you specified. To cancel editing and return to the boot menu, press the Esc key at any time.
- The GRUB2 menu on UEFI-based 64-bit AMD, Intel and ARM systems. If your system uses UEFI, you can edit boot options by highlighting an entry and pressing the e key. When you finish editing, press F10 or Ctrl+X to start the installation using the options you specified.
In addition to the options described in this chapter, the boot prompt also accepts dracut kernel options. A list of these options is available as the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
7 man page.
Boot options specific to the installation program always start with
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
8 in this guide. Currently, this prefix is optional, for example,
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
9 will work exactly the same as
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
0. However, it is expected that the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
8 prefix will be mandatory in future releases.
Specifying the Installation Source
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
2
Specifies the installation source - that is, a location where the installation program can find the images and packages it requires. For example:
The target must be either:
- an installable tree, which is a directory structure containing the installation program’s images, packages and repodata as well as a valid inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg 3 file
- a DVD (a physical disk present in the system’s DVD drive)
- an ISO image of the full CentOS installation DVD, placed on a hard drive or a network location accessible from the installation system (requires specifying NFS Server as the installation source)
This option allows for the configuration of different installation methods using different formats. The syntax is described in the table below.
Table 1. Installation Sources Installation source Option format
Any CD/DVD drive
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
4
Specific CD/DVD drive
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
5
Hard Drive
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
6
HMC
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
7
HTTP Server
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
8
HTTPS Server
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
9 FTP Server
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
0 NFS Server
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
1 [] In previous releases of CentOS, there were separate options for an installable tree accessible by NFS (the
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
2 option) and an ISO image located on an NFS source (the
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
3 option). In CentOS 7, the installation program can automatically detect whether the source is an installable tree or a directory containing an ISO image, and the
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
3 option is deprecated. Disk device names can be set using the following formats: - Kernel device name, for example
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
5 or
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
6 - File system label, for example
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
7 or
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
8 - File system UUID, for example
inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
9 Non-alphanumeric characters must be represented as
X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
0, where NN is the hexadecimal representation of the character. For example,
X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
1 is a white space ("").
X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
2
Specifies the location of the installation program runtime image to be loaded. The syntax is the same as in . This option expects a path to a directory containing a valid
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
3 file; the location of the runtime image will be read from this file if found. If a
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
3 file is not available, Anaconda will try to load the image from X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
5.
Use the option multiple times to specify multiple HTTP, HTTPS or FTP sources.
inst.stage2=host1/install.img inst.stage2=host2/install.img inst.stage2=host3/install.img
By default, the X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
2 boot option is used on the installation media and set to a specific label (for example, X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
7). If you modify the default label of the file system containing the runtime image, or if you use a customized procedure to boot the installation system, you must ensure this option is set to the correct value. X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
8
If you need to perform a driver update during the installation, use the X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
8 option. It can be used multiple times. The location of a driver RPM package can be specified using any of the formats detailed in . With the exception of the X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
0 option, the device name must always be specified. For example:
Using this option without any parameters (only as X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
- will prompt the installation program to ask you for a driver update disk with an interactive menu.
Driver disks can also be loaded from a hard disk drive or a similar device instead of being loaded over the network or from X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
2. Follow this procedure:
- Load the driver disk on a hard disk drive, a USB or any similar device.
- Set the label, for example, DD, to this device.
- Start the installation with:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
as the boot argument. Replace DD with a specific label and replace dd.rpm with a specific name. Use anything supported by the
X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
3 command instead of LABEL to specify your hard disk drive.
Kickstart Boot Options X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
4
Gives the location of a Kickstart file to be used to automate the installation. Locations can be specified using any of the formats valid for X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
3. See for details.
Use the option multiple times to specify multiple HTTP, HTTPS and FTP sources. If multiple HTTP, HTTPS and FTP locations are specified, the locations are tried sequentially until one succeeds:
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
If you only specify a device and not a path, the installation program will look for the Kickstart file in X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
6 on the specified device. If you use this option without specifying a device, the installation program will use the following: inst.ks=nfs:next-server:/filename
In the above example, next-server is the DHCP X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
7 option or the IP address of the DHCP server itself, and filename is the DHCP X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
8 option, or X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
9. If the given file name ends with the
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
0 character,
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
1 is appended. For example:
Table 2. Default Kickstart File Location DHCP server address Client address Kickstart file location
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
2
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
3
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
2:
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
5
Additionally, the installer will attempt to load a Kickstart file named
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
6 from a volume with a label of
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
7 if present. If your Kickstart file is in this location, you do not need to use the X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
4 boot option at all.
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
9
Adds headers to outgoing ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
0 requests with the MAC addresses of all network interfaces. For example: X-RHN-Provisioning-MAC-0: eth0 01:23:45:67:89:ab
This can be useful when using ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
1 to provision systems. ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
2
Adds a header to outgoing ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
0 requests. This header will contain the system’s serial number, read from ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
4. The header has the following syntax: X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
Console, Environment and Display Options ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
5
This kernel option specifies a device to be used as the primary console. For example, to use a console on the first serial port, use ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
6. This option should be used along with the ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
7 option.
You can use this option multiple times. In that case, the boot message will be displayed on all specified consoles, but only the last one will be used by the installation program afterwards. For example, if you specify ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
8, the installation program will use ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
9.
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
0
Disables access to the root shell during the installation. This is useful with automated (Kickstart) installations - if you use this option, a user can watch the installation progress, but they cannot interfere with it by accessing the root shell by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F2.
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
1
Sets the language to be used during the installation. Language codes are the same as the ones used in the
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
2 Kickstart command as described in . On systems where the system-config-language package is installed, a list of valid values can also be found in
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
3.
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
4
Configures geolocation usage in the installation program. Geolocation is used to preset the language and time zone, and uses the following syntax:
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
5
The value parameter can be any of the following:
Table 3. Valid Values for the inst.geoloc Option
Disable geolocation
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
6
Use the Fedora GeoIP API
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
7
Use the Hostip.info GeoIP API
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
8
If this option is not specified, Anaconda will use
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
9.
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
0
Specifies the keyboard layout to be used by the installation program. Layout codes are the same as the ones used in the
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
1 Kickstart command as described in . ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
7
Forces the installation program to run in text mode instead of graphical mode. The text user interface is limited, for example, it does not allow you to modify the partition layout or set up LVM. When installing a system on a machine with a limited graphical capabilities, it is recommended to use VNC as described in .
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
3
Forces the installation program to run in command line mode. This mode does not allow any interaction, all options must be specified in a Kickstart file or on the command line.
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
4
Forces the installation program to run in graphical mode. This mode is the default.
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
5
Specifies the screen resolution in graphical mode. The format is NxM, where N is the screen width and M is the screen height (in pixels). The lowest supported resolution is
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
6.
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
7
Specifies that the machine being installed onto does not have any display hardware. In other words, this option prevents the installation program from trying to detect a screen.
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
8
Specifies the name of the
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
9 driver to be used both during the installation and on the installed system.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
00
Tells the installation program to use the frame buffer
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
9 driver instead of a hardware-specific driver. This option is equivalent to
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
02.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
03
Blacklists (completely disables) one or more drivers. Drivers (mods) disabled using this option will be prevented from loading when the installation starts, and after the installation finishes, the installed system will keep these settings. The blacklisted drivers can then be found in the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
04 directory.
Use a comma-separated list to disable multiple drivers. For example:
modprobe.blacklist=ahci,firewire_ohci
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
05
Starts the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
06 service during the installation, which allows you to connect to the system during the installation using
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
07 and monitor its progress. For more information on SSH, see the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
08 man page and the corresponding chapter in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 System Administrator’s Guide.
During the installation, the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
09 account has no password by default. You can set a root password to be used during the installation with the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
10 Kickstart command as described in .
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
11
Enables or disables the Kdump configuration screen (add-on) in the installer. This screen is enabled by default; use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
12 to disable it. Note that disabling the add-on will disable the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
13 screens in both the graphical and text-based interface as well as the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
14 Kickstart command.
Network Boot Options
Initial network initialization is handled by dracut. This section only lists some of the more commonly used options; for a complete list, see the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
7 man page. Additional information on networking is also available in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Networking Guide.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16
Configures one or more network interfaces. To configure multiple interfaces, you can use the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 option multiple times - once for each interface. If multiple interfaces are configured, you must also use the option
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
18, and you must specify a primary boot interface using the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
19 option, described below. Alternatively, you can use the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 option once, and then use Kickstart to set up further interfaces.
Table 4. Network Interface Configuration Formats Configuration Method Option format
Automatic configuration of any interface
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
21
Automatic configuration of a specific interface
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
22
Static configuration
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
23
Automatic configuration of a specific interface with an override []
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
24
The
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
25 parameter can be any the following:
Table 5. Automatic Interface Configuration Methods Automatic configuration method Value
DHCP
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
26
IPv6 DHCP
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
27
IPv6 automatic configuration
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
28
iBFT (iSCSI Boot Firmware Table)
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
29
If you use a boot option which requires network access, such as
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
30, without specifying the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 option, the installation program will use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
32.
To connect automatically to an iSCSI target, a network device for accessing the target needs to be activated. The recommended way to do so is to use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
33 boot option.
In the above tables, the ip parameter specifies the client’s IP address.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
34 addresses can be specified by putting them in square brackets, for example,
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
35.
The gateway parameter is the default gateway. IPv6 addresses are accepted here as well.
The netmask parameter is the netmask to be used. This can either be a full netmask for IPv4 (for example
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
- or a prefix for IPv6 (for example
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
37).
The hostname parameter is the host name of the client system. This parameter is optional.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
38
Specifies the address of the name server. This option can be used multiple times.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
39
You must use the option
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
18 if you use more than one
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 option. Alternatively, to set up multiple network interfaces you can use the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 once, and then set up further interfaces using Kickstart.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
43
Specifies the boot interface. This option is mandatory if you use more than one
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
17 option.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
45
Assigns a given interface name to a network device with a given MAC address. Can be used multiple times. The syntax is
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
46. For example: ifname=eth0:01:23:45:67:89:ab
Using the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
45 option is the only supported way to set custom network interface names during installation.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
48
Specifies the DHCP vendor class identifier. The
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
49 service will see this value as
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
50. The default value is
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
51.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
52
Using the inst.waitfornet=SECONDS boot option causes the installation system to wait for network connectivity before installation. The value given in the SECONDS argument specifies maximum amount of time to wait for network connectivity before timing out and continuing the installation process even if network connectivity is not present.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
53
Sets up a Virtual LAN (VLAN) device on a specified interface with a given name. The syntax is
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
54. For example:
The above will set up a VLAN device named
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
55 on the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
56 interface. The name can take the following forms:
Table 6. VLAN Device Naming Conventions Naming scheme Example
VLAN_PLUS_VID
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
57
VLAN_PLUS_VID_NO_PAD
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
55
DEV_PLUS_VID
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
59.
DEV_PLUS_VID_NO_PAD
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
60.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
61
Set up a bonding device with the following syntax:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
62. Replace name with the bonding device name, slaves with a comma-separated list of physical (ethernet) interfaces, and options with a comma-separated list of bonding options. For example:
bond=bond0:em1,em2:mode=active-backup,tx_queues=32,downdelay=5000
For a list of available options, execute the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
63 command.
Using this option without any parameters will assume
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
64.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
65
Set up a team device with the following syntax:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
66. Replace master with the name of the master team device and slaves with a comma-separated list of physical (ethernet) devices to be used as slaves in the team device. For example:
Advanced Installation Options
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
67
If this option is specified, the installer will use the kexec system call at the end of the installation, instead of performing a reboot. This loads the new system immediately, and bypasses the hardware initialization normally performed by the BIOS or firmware.
Due to the complexities involved with booting systems using kexec, it cannot be explicitly tested and guaranteed to function in every situation.
When kexec is used, device registers (which would normally be cleared during a full system reboot) might stay filled with data, which could potentially create issues for some device drivers.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
68
Force the installation program to install partition information into a GUID Partition Table (GPT) instead of a Master Boot Record (MBR). This option is meaningless on UEFI-based systems, unless they are in BIOS compatibility mode.
Normally, BIOS-based systems and UEFI-based systems in BIOS compatibility mode will attempt to use the MBR schema for storing partitioning information, unless the disk is 232 sectors in size or larger. Most commonly, disk sectors are 512 bytes in size, meaning that this is usually equivalent to 2 TiB. Using this option will change this behavior, allowing a GPT to be written to disks smaller than this.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
69
Configure the system for multilib packages (that is, to allow installing 32-bit packages on a 64-bit AMD64 or Intel 64 system) and install packages specified in this section as such.
Normally, on an AMD64 or Intel 64 system, only packages for this architecture (marked as
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
- and packages for all architectures (marked as
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
71 would be installed. When you use this option, packages for 32-bit AMD or Intel systems (marked as
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
- will be automatically installed as well if available.
This only applies to packages directly specified in the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
73 section. If a package is only installed as a dependency, only the exact specified dependency will be installed. For example, if you are installing package bash which depends on package glibc, the former will be installed in multiple variants, while the latter will only be installed in variants specifically required.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
74
By default, SELinux operates in
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
75 mode in the installer, and in
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
76 mode in the installed system. This option disables the use of SELinux in the installer and the installed system entirely.
The
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
74 and
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
78 options are not the same. The
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
74 option disables the use of SELinux in the installer and the installed system, whereas
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
78 disables SELinux only in the installer. By default, SELinux is set to operate in
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
75 mode in the installer, so disabling it has little effect.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
82
This option controls which Kickstart files and installation logs are saved to the installed system. It can be especially useful to disable saving such data when performing OEM operating system installations, or when generating images using sensitive resources (such as internal repository URLs), as these resources might otherwise be mentioned in kickstart files, or in logs on the image, or both. Possible values for this option are:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
83 - disables saving of the input Kickstart file (if any).
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
84 - disables saving of the output Kickstart file generated by Anaconda.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
85 - disables saving of both input and output Kickstart files.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
86 - disables saving of all installation logs.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
87 - disables saving of all Kickstart files and all installation logs.
Multiple values can be combined as a comma separated list, for example:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
88
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
89
This option controls the usage of zRAM swap during the installation. It creates a compressed block device inside the system RAM and uses it for swap space instead of the hard drive. This allows the installer to essentially increase the amount of memory available, which makes the installation faster on systems with low memory.
By default, swap on zRAM is enabled on systems with 2 GiB or less RAM, and disabled on systems with more than 2 GiB of memory. You can use this option to change this behavior - on a system with more than 2 GiB RAM, use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
90 to enable it, and on systems with 2 GiB or less memory, use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
91 to disable this feature.
Enabling Remote Access
The following options are necessary to configure Anaconda for remote graphical installation. See for more details.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
92
Specifies that the installation program’s graphical interface should be run in a
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
93 session. If you specify this option, you will need to connect to the system using a VNC client application to be able to interact with the installation program. VNC sharing is enabled, so multiple clients can connect to the system at the same time.
A system installed using VNC will start in text mode by default.
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
94
Sets a password on the VNC server used by the installation program. Any VNC client attempting to connecting to the system will have to provide the correct password to gain access. For example,
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
95 will set the password to
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
96. The VNC password must be between 6 and 8 characters long.
If you specify an invalid password (one that is too short or too long), you will be prompted to specify a new one by a message from the installation program:
VNC password must be six to eight characters long. Please enter a new one, or leave blank for no password. Password:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
97
Connect to a listening VNC client at a specified host and port once the installation starts. The correct syntax is
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
98, where host is the address to the VNC client’s host, and port specifies which port to use. The port parameter is optional, if you do not specify one, the installation program will use
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
99.
Debugging and Troubleshooting
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
00
Specifies the location of the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
01 file to be applied to the installation program runtime. The syntax is the same as in the X-System-Serial-Number: R8VA23D
3 option - see for details. In all formats, if you do not specify a file name but only a directory, the installation program will look for a file named
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
01.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
04
Specifies the minimum level for messages to be logged on a terminal. This only concerns terminal logging; log files will always contain messages of all levels.
Possible values for this option from the lowest to highest level are:
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
05,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
06,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
07,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
08 and
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
09. The default value is
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
06, which means that by default, the logging terminal will display messages ranging from
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
06 to
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
09.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
13
Once the installation starts, this option sends log messages to the syslog process on the specified host. The remote syslog process must be configured to accept incoming connections. For information on how to configure a syslog service to accept incoming connections, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 System Administrator’s Guide.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
14
Specifies a
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
15 port (a character device at
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
- to be used for forwarding logs. The default value is
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
17; if this port is present, it will be used.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
18
If this option is specified, the stage 2 image will be copied into RAM. When the stage2 image on NFS repository is used, this option may make the installation proceed smoothly, since the installation is sometimes affected by reconfiguring network in an environment built upon the stage 2 image on NFS.
Note that using this option when the stage 2 image is on an NFS server will increase the minimum required memory by the size of the image - roughly 500 MiB.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
19
A debugging option that prevents anaconda from and rebooting when a fatal error occurs or at the end of the installation process. This allows you to capture installation logs which would be lost upon reboot.
Deprecated and Removed Boot Options
Deprecated Boot Options
Options in this list are deprecated. They will still work, but there are other options which offer the same functionality. Using deprecated options is not recommended and they are expected to be removed in future releases.
Note that as describes, options specific to the installation program now use the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
8 prefix. For example, the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
21 option is considered deprecated and replaced by the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
22 option. These changes are not listed here.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
23
Configured the installation method. Use the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
2 option instead.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
25
In NFS installations, specified that the target is an ISO image located on an NFS server instead of an installable tree. The difference is now detected automatically, which means this option is the same as
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
26.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
27
Configured the Domain Name Server (DNS). Use the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
38 option instead.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
29,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
30,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
31,
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
33
These options have been consolidated under the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
35
Select network device to be used at early stage of installation. Different values have been replaced with different options; see the table below.
Table 7. Automatic Interface Configuration Methods Value Current behavior
Not present
Activation of all devices is attempted using
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
26, unless the desired device and configuration is specified by the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16 option or the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
38 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
39
Similar to the above, with the difference that network will always be activated in the initramfs, whether it is needed or not. The supported
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
40 dracut option should be used to achieve the same result.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
41
Ignored (the BOOTIF= option is used by default when specified)
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
42
Replaced with the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
33 dracut option
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
44
Replaced with
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
45
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
46
Replaced by specifying the device name using the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16 dracut option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
48
Used to disable specified drivers. This is now handled by the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
03 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
50
Disabled support for the FireWire interface. You can disable the FireWire driver (
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
- by using the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
03 option instead:
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
0
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
53
Used to indicate the delay after which the network was considered active; the system waited until either the gateway was successfully pinged, or until the amount of seconds specified in this parameter passed. In CentOS 7, network devices are configured and activated during the early stage of installation by the dracut modules which ensure that the gateway is accessible before proceeding. For more information about dracut, see the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
7 man page.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
55
Used to configure how long anaconda should wait for a link on a device before activating it. This functionality is now available in the dracut modules where specific
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
56 options can be configured to handle issues caused by slow network device initialization. For more information about [application]*dracut*, see the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
7 man page.
Removed Boot Options
The following options are removed. They were present in previous releases of CentOS, but they cannot be used anymore.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
58,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
59
The installation program’s
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
60 is now completely non-interactive, which means that these options are not available anymore. Instead, use the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
2 to specify the installation method and
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16 to configure network settings.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
63
This option forced Anaconda to use the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
64 console as the output. Use the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
65 (or similar) instead.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
66
Specified the location of updates for the installation program. Use the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
00 option instead.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
68,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
69,
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
70
Configured wireless network access. Network configuration is now being handled by dracut, which does not support wireless networking, rendering these options useless.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
71
Used in the past to configure additional low-level network settings. All network settings are now handled by the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
16 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
73
Allowed you to debug the loader. Use
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
74 instead.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
75
Verified the installation media before starting the installation. Replaced with the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
76 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
77
Specified a 3.5 inch diskette as the Kickstart file source. These drives are not supported anymore.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
78
Configured a remote display. Replaced with the
inst.dd=hd:LABEL=DD:/dd.rpm
92 option.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
80
Added UTF8 support when installing in text mode. UTF8 support now works automatically.
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
81
Used to disable IPv6 support in the installation program. IPv6 is now built into the kernel so the driver cannot be blacklisted; however, it is possible to disable IPv6 using the
inst.ks=host1/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host2/directory/ks.cfg inst.ks=host3/directory/ks.cfg
82 dracut option.