Setting up the server to share virtual optical image files with the client system for installation and upgrade

The following directions show how to set up the server to share virtual optical image files with the client system for installation and upgrade of IBM® i.

1. Create a virtual optical device.

   To create a device description, enter the following:

   CRTDEVOPT DEVD(virtual-device-name) RSRCNAME(*VRT)+
    ONLINE(*YES) TEXT(text-description)

2. Vary on the virtual optical device
   Enter the following:

   VRYCFG CFGOBJ(virtual-device-name) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)

3. Create an image catalog

   Create an image catalog for the licensed programs that you want to install. The Create Image Catalog (CRTIMGCLG) command associates an image catalog with a target directory where the optical image files are loaded.

   CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(catalog-name) DIR(catalog-path) 
    CRTDIR(*YES) TEXT(text-description)

   If you have downloaded your images into an image catalog directory, there is a fast way to add all of the images at one time into your image catalog. There are two methods to do this.

   • Use the CRTIMGCLG command from a system installed with IBM i 7.2 or later

     
         CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(catalog-name) DIR(catalog-path) ADDVRTVOL(*DIR) 
          IMGTYPE(*ALL) TEXT(text-dscription)

     
   • Use the QVOIFIMG API when the image catalog already exists

     
         CALL PGM(QVOIFIMG) PARM('catalog-name' '*ALL' 0)

     
     
     Note: This function was delivered as a PTF in IBM i 7.1 and IBM i 7.2. See the Updates and PTFs section found in the IBM i and Related Software .
     
4. Add an image catalog entry

   Add an image catalog entry for each physical media or optical image file that you have. You need to repeat this step for each volume of media. You should add the physical media or optical image files in the same order as if you were going to install from them. Start with the first media in the list and continue until all the media are loaded.

   You can add the entries from either an optical device or from an existing optical image file. Select one of the following ways:

   From an image file:

   • (This is the fastest way.) To add an image entry to an image catalog from an integrated-file-system file that is already in the image catalog directory, enter the following:

     ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(catalog-name) FROMFILE(file-name)
      TOFILE(*fromfile) TEXT(text-description)

   • If you have multiple images to add, see the CRTIMGCLG command and the QVOIFIMG API to add all the images at the same time.
   • To add an image catalog entry to an image catalog from an existing integrated-file-system optical image file from a directory other than the image catalog directory, enter the following:

     ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(catalog-name)
      FROMFILE(/directory-name/directory-name/file-name)
      TOFILE(file-name or *FROMFILE) TEXT(text-description)

   From a physical device:

   • To add an image catalog entry to an image catalog from a physical optical media using optical device named OPT01, enter the following:

     ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(catalog-name) FROMDEV(OPT01) 
      TOFILE(file-name or *GEN) TEXT(text-description)

   Note: To generate a name for the TOFILE parameter, specify *GEN. To generate a text description from the media, specify *GEN.
5. Load the image catalog

   This step associates the virtual optical device to the image catalog. Only one image catalog at a time can be associated with a specific virtual optical device. To load the image catalog, type the following command:

   LODIMGCLG IMGCLG(catalog-name) 
    DEV(virtual-device-name) OPTION(*LOAD)

6. Verify that the images are in the correct order
   Attention: If you are here because you are performing the steps in Preselecting the licensed programs to install, do not perform this step at this time. You are directed to perform this step later.

   If you are preparing for an upgrade, you need to verify that the required media for an upgrade exist and are sorted in the correct sequence. You also need to verify that your software agreements have been accepted, that you have enough storage on the load source, and that you have enough reserved storage for the Licensed Internal Code. Refer to Required (If upgrading from IBM i 7.1): Allocating additional space for Licensed Internal Codefor details.

   Enter the following command:

   VFYIMGCLG IMGCLG(catalog-name) TYPE(*UPGRADE) SORT(*YES)

   To verify that images are added, an additional method would be to enter the following:

   WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(catalog-name)

   Then press PF7 to prompt for the VFYIMGCLG command. Enter *UPGRADE for the type and *YES for the sort field.

   The system puts the images in the correct order. (If you are not successful, refer to Image catalog recovery.) By default, the volume with the lowest index is mounted. Then all the other volumes are loaded. To see the order of the images, use the Work with Image Catalog Entries (WRKIMGCLGE) command:

   WRKIMGCLGE IMGCLG(catalog-name)

   After completing these steps, your image catalog is ready for use. The next steps show how to set up the server to share virtual optical image files with the client system for installation and upgrade of IBM i.

7. After the image catalog has been created and loaded, you need to verify the image catalog to create a volume list file (VOLUME_LIST) that will be used by the virtual optical device on the client system. The following command is an example of how to create the volume list file:
   • VFYIMGCLG IMGCLG(INSTALL) TYPE(*UPGRADE) NFSSHR(*YES)

   Note: The VFYIMGCLG command creates the volume list file and adds a new subdirectory called BOOTP in the image catalog directory. The subdirectory contains files required to perform the IBM i install.

   The volume list file can also be created by using an ASCII editor. There are specific guidelines that must be met when creating a volume. Refer to Requirements for virtual optical storage within a Network File System network for more information.

8. Ensure that the NFS file servers are running.
   Enter either one of the following Start Network File System Server (STRNFSSVR) commands:

   • Run all these commands on your servers:
     • STRNFSSVR *RPC
     • STRNFSSVR *SVR
     • STRNFSSVR *MNT
   • Or start all the servers with this command:
     • STRNFSSVR *ALL
9. Export the image catalog directory.
   This example restricts access by all NFS clients because it is read-only. Ensure that the exported directory is in the public directory and that it is a subdirectory of the NFSROOT path.

   • CHGNFSEXP OPTIONS('-i -o ro') DIR('directory-name')
10. Specify the level of authority for the user id (UID), group id (GID), or *PUBLIC that owns or manages the image catalog directory and the image files. The minimum authority that is required is the following:
    • Execute (*X) data authority for the exported directory and any subdirectories
    • Read (*R) data authority for files in the exported directory and any subdirectories.

    The following example is for the use of the authority *PUBLIC:

    CHGAUT OBJ('/catalog_directory') USER(*PUBLIC) DTAAUT(*RX) SUBTREE(*ALL)

11. Add the /CATALOG_DIR/BOOTP directory as the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) alternate source directory by using CHGTFTPA command:
    • CHGTFTPA AUTOSTART(*YES) ALTSRCDIR('/catalog_directory/BOOTP')

    TFTP is able to find the BOOTP images as long as they are somewhere within the subdirectory structure of the specified ALTSRCDIR directory. This makes it possible to serve up multiple install images at the same time without ending and restarting the TFTP server. For example, you could specify '/installimages' for ALTSRCDIR, and the following image catalog directories will be served up at the same time.

    '/installimages/catalog1/BOOTP'
    '/installimages/catalog2/BOOTP'
    .
    .
    '/installimages/catalogN/BOOTP'

    Note: Make sure your image catalog directory is specified as '/installimages/catalogN'.
12. Ensure QTFTP has *RX authority to all install files located in the TFTP alternate source directory:
    • CHGAUT OBJ('/catalog_directory/BOOTP') USER(QTFTP) DTAAUT(*RX) SUBTREE(*ALL)
13. Ensure that the TFTP servers are started and reflect the previous changes made by stopping/starting the servers:
    • ENDTCPSVR *TFTP
    • STRTCPSVR *TFTP