Using any VNC viewer software, you can remotely control the
installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise from virtually any operating system. This
section introduces the setup using a VNC viewer application or a Web
browser.
Preparing for VNC Installation
All you need to do on the installation target to prepare for a
VNC installation is to provide the appropriate boot options at the
initial boot for installation (see Section 4.4.3,
Using Custom Boot Options). The target system boots into
a text-based environment and waits for a VNC client to connect to the
installation program.
The installation program announces the IP address and display
number needed to connect for installation. If you have physical
access to the target system, this information is provided right after
the system booted for installation. Enter this data when your VNC
client software prompts for it and provide your VNC password.
Because the installation target announces itself via OpenSLP, you can
retrieve the address information of the installation target via an
SLP browser without the need for any physical contact to the
installation itself provided your network setup and all machines
support OpenSLP:
-
Start the KDE file and Web browser Konqueror.
-
Enter service://yast.installation.suse in
the location bar.
The target system then appears as an icon in the Konqueror
screen. Clicking this icon launches the KDE VNC viewer in which to
perform the installation. Alternatively, run your VNC viewer
software with the IP address provided and add
:1 at the end of the IP address for the
display the installation is running on.
Connecting to the Installation Program
Basically, there are two ways to connect to a VNC server (the
installation target in this case). You can either start an
independent VNC viewer application on any operating system
or connect using a Java-enabled Web browser.
Using VNC, you can control the installation of a Linux system from
any other operating system, including other Linux flavors, Windows, or
Mac OS.
On a Linux machine, make sure that the package
tightvnc is installed. On a Windows machine,
install the Windows port of this application, which can be obtained at
the TightVNC home
page (https://www.tightvnc.com/download.html).
To connect to the installation program running on the target
machine, proceed as follows:
-
Start the VNC viewer.
-
Enter the IP address and display number of the installation
target as provided by the SLP browser or the installation program
itself:
ip_address:display_number
A window opens on your desktop displaying the YaST
screens as in a normal local installation.
Using a Web browser to connect to the installation program makes
you totally independent of any VNC software or the underlying
operating system. As long as the browser application has Java support
enabled, you can use any browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer,
Konqueror, Opera, etc.) to perform the installation of your Linux
system.
To perform a VNC installation, proceed as follows:
-
Launch your preferred Web browser.
-
Enter the following at the address prompt:
https://ip_address_of_target:5801
-
Enter your VNC password when prompted to do so. The browser window
now displays the YaST screens as in a
normal local installation.
