Using the self-serve net installer/CentOS Stream
Installing CentOS Stream using the BitFolk installer.
Supported distributions
- CentOS Stream 9.x
- CentOS Stream 8.x
- CentOS Linux 7.x
Supported install methods
All of the supported versions of CentOS Stream and CentOS Linux use a semi-automated installation method which has automated partitioning and a minimal selection of packages. If you require a custom partitioning scheme then you will need to write your own kickstart file and provide BitFolk's installer with a URL to it.
About kickstart
All RHEL-like installs use a kickstart profile.
The default kickstart profile
BitFolk's default kickstart profiles perform a mostly automatic install. In particular, the default installer kickstart has automated partitioning and package selection.
If you're curious about what the default kickstart profile contains, use the kickstart Xen Shell command to see the URL to the file. You can just view it in your web browser.
Briefly, the default kickstart does this:
- Automatically blanks your xvda disk then puts a single partition across the whole of it for a root filesystem (XFS).
- Automatically blanks your xvdb disk then puts a single partition across the whole of it for a swap partition.
- Installs a minimal package selection.
- Leaves you to interactively set up a user account as the only manual step.
Selecting a different kickstart profile
Since version v1.48bitfolk16 you can use the kickstart Xen Shell command to choose from some alternate kickstart profiles, or (from version v1.48bitfolk18) to specify a URL to your own custom profile.
You should use BitFolk's default kickstart file as a template for making your own modifications.
It is possible to make your install entirely automated if you're willing to put (crypted) password information in your kickstart file.
Encrypting your filesystem
One of the supplied alternate kickstart profiles installs to an encrypted partition (with the passphrase changeme which you should change after install). You can use that profile as-is, or take a copy of it to use as the basis for your own automated kickstart profile.
CentOS 7.x's text mode installer
On CentOS 7.x the default kickstart sets all defaults and leaves you to set your own root password. If you wish it is then possible at this point for you to alter most settings apart from disk partitioning. The initial installer screen will look something like the following:
Starting automated install......
Generating updated storage configuration
Checking storage configuration...
================================================================================
================================================================================
Installation
1) [x] Language settings 2) [x] Timezone settings
(English (United Kingdom)) (Etc/UTC timezone)
3) [x] Software selection 4) [x] Installation source
(Custom software selected) (http://lon.static.bitfolk.com/
5) [x] Network settings centos/7/os/x86_64)
(Wired (eth0) connected) 6) [x] Install Destination
7) [x] Kdump (Custom partitioning selected)
(Kdump is enabled) 8) [!] Create user
9) [!] Set root password (No user will be created)
(Password is not set.)
Please make your choice from above ['q' to quit | 'b' to begin installation |
'r' to refresh]:
You will need to select 9 to set a root password.
In what appears to be a bug, after setting the root password the installer will insist now that "3) Software selection" now needs completing. Select 3 and then make your selection (e.g. just 1 for a minimal install), then c to continue.
The installer screen will now resemble:
1) [x] Language settings 2) [x] Timezone settings
(English (United Kingdom)) (Etc/UTC timezone)
3) [!] Software selection 4) [!] Installation source
(Processing...) (http://lon.static.bitfolk.com/
5) [x] Network settings centos/7/os/x86_64)
(Wired (eth0) connected) 6) [x] Install Destination
7) [x] Kdump (Custom partitioning selected)
(Kdump is enabled) 8) [x] Create user
9) [x] Set root password (No user will be created)
(Password is set.)
Please make your choice from above ['q' to quit | 'b' to begin installation |
'r' to refresh]:
r to refresh until it changes to:
1) [x] Language settings 2) [x] Timezone settings
(English (United Kingdom)) (Etc/UTC timezone)
3) [x] Software selection 4) [x] Installation source
(Minimal Install) (http://lon.static.bitfolk.com/
5) [x] Network settings centos/7/os/x86_64)
(Wired (eth0) connected) 6) [x] Install Destination
7) [x] Kdump (Custom partitioning selected)
(Kdump is enabled) 8) [x] Create user
9) [x] Set root password (No user will be created)
(Password is set.)
Please make your choice from above ['q' to quit | 'b' to begin installation |
'r' to refresh]:
and then you are ready to use b to begin the installation. There will be no further questions until the installation is completed.
If you desire an entirely automated installation then:
- Take a copy of the default kickstart file.
- Add an appropriate rootpw command.
- Host your kickstart file on some web server.
- Select your kickstart file from BitFolk's Xen Shell.
The addition of a rootpw command to the default kickstart will result in an entirely automated install that will not pause for input at all.
CentOS Stream 8.x's text mode installer
The CentOS 8.x installer with the default kickstart is very similar to the CentOS 7 version above, except:
- It doesn't have an option to set root password. Instead there is only option 8, to create a user. You should give that user administrator privileges, then it will be able to use sudo. The root password is locked.
- The bug where you have to set some other things again is fixed. After adding an admin user you'll use b to begin and then the install will be entirely automated.
The CentOS 8 installer (Anaconda) now runs under tmux, a terminal multiplexer.
While you can normally complete the install without ever switching between the installer's screens — or even pressing a key at all, if you used an automated kickstart file — you may wish to do so when debugging the process or for other advanced tasks.
As with normal usage of tmux you can switch to other screens by using the command sequence Ctrl+b and then the screen number (e.g. Ctrl+b then 2). The usual screens are:
- main installer on screen 1
- shell prompt on screen 2
- logs on screen 3
- command output on screen 4
The ElRepo kernel-lt will be automatically installed
 Warning: | As of CentOS 8, Red Hat removed the ability to boot their kernels under Xen PV and PVH mode, even though the upstream Linux kernel enables this by default. Therefore BitFolk's CentOS installers will automatically switch you to the kernel-lt longterm kernel from the ElRepo project. |
SELinux relabel
Upon first boot the first thing your install will do is an SELinux relabel so that SELinux functions correctly. If you're watching on the console it will tell you it's doing this, and then after a minute or so it will reboot. You can then use the Xen Shell console command to again connect to its console and see the subsequent normal boot.
CentOS Stream 9.x's text mode installer
The CentOS Stream 9.x installer is very similar to the one for Stream 8.x, except that it is now possible to set a root password when creating an admin user. If you don't set a root password then the root account will be locked and the only way to gain root access will be with sudo. As usual, the user you have designated as admin will have sudo access.