Configuring the ZENworks zenpartition with a Static IP Address

  • 3000121
  • 28-Apr-2006
  • 30-Apr-2012

Environment

Novell ZENworks 7 Desktop Management - ZfD7 Imaging
ZENworks zenpartition on local drive is used for imaging
workstations have static IP addresses assigned
DHCP services may not exist in the environment

Situation

How is a static IP configured for the zenpartition Linux boot environment?
Unable to identify the steps required to configure a static IP for the zenpartition Linux boot process
Setting the IP information with zisedit only applies to the base operating system and not the Linux boot process
Setting the IP address in the settings.txt file during the installation of the zenpartition only applies for that boot
Allowing the zenpartition Linux boot to use DHCP causes conflicts with existing IP assignments for other workstations
There seems to be no editor in the zenpartition to edit configuration settings

Resolution

There is a settings.txt file that is stored in the zenpartition that controls the settings including the method used to assign or get an IP address for the workstation when it is booting to the zenpartition on the local drive. These settings are applied after the Linux kernel is loaded into memory. This file is not visible from the bash prompt after booting as the zenpartition is not mounted. In order to modify the settings.txt file the zenpartition must be manually mounted.
Once the partition is mounted the regular Linux editing utilities (ed, vi, etc.) are not available so an alternate editor has been provided. The editor "joe" provides basic full screen editing functions. The available "joe" commands are listed by entering the keystrokes"ctrl-k""h" to get joe's help screen. To save any editing changes exit "joe" with the keystrokes "ctrl-k" "x". To cancel the editing session without saving any changes use the keystroke"ctrl-c".
Steps to configure a static IP for the zenpartition boot process:
1. At the bash prompt mount the zenpartition:
mount $ZENDEVICE /mnt/harddisk
2. Switch to the root of the zenpartition filesystem:
cd /mnt/harddisk
3. Editing the settings.txt file using joe:
joe settings.txt
4. Change the settings from DHCP to a static IP setting by commenting out the first line noted below, uncommenting the next four lines and provide the appropriate values for the network:
#netsetup=dhcp
netsetup=1
HostIP=x.x.x.x                         {use the appropriate staticIP here}
netmask=255.255.255.0            {use the appropriate mask for the subnet}
gateway=x.x.x.x                       {use the subnet's gatewayIP address here}
5. (Optional) Change the PROXYADDR value to point to the appropriate Imaging server for the network as required.
6. (Optional) Add the NOABORTBUTTON option to prevent users from Aborting an imaging session. Add the following line near the end of the settings.txt:
export NOABORTBUTTON="1"
7. Save your changes and close the file:
enter"ctrl-k" and "x"
8. Unmount the zenpartition and restart the workstation:
cd /
umount $ZENDEVICE
reboot