Description

When setting up many devices, autoinstallation can help automate the configuration process by loading configuration files onto new or existing devices automatically over the network. The autoinstallation feature enables you to deploy multiple devices from a central location in the network.

Auto-installation is enabled by default on switches booting with factory-default settings.

This feature is available starting from JUNOS Release 9.4.



Symptoms


Solution

Autoinstallation is the automatic configuration of a device over the network from a preexisting configuration file that you create and store on a configuration server. Autoinstallation takes place when you power on a device that has the factory default configuration settings or one that is manually configured for autoinstallation. Autoinstallation enables you to deploy multiple devices from a central location in the network.

Autoinstallation takes place automatically when you connect the me0 or the front-panel network interfaces on a new switch to the network and power on the switch. The autoinstallation process begins anytime an EX switch is powered on and cannot locate a valid configuration file in the flash memory. Typically, a configuration file is unavailable when an EX switch is powered on for the first time, or if the configuration file is deleted from the flash memory. The autoinstallation feature enables you to deploy multiple EX switches from a central location in the network.

To simplify the process, you can explicitly enable autoinstallation on a switch and specify a configuration server, an autoinstallation interface, and a protocol for IP address acquisition.

Auto-installation helps automate the configuration process by loading the configuration files onto EX switches automatically over the network. For the autoinstallation process to work, you must store one or more host-specific or default configuration files on a configuration server in the network and have a service available, typically Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign an IP address to the EX switch.

NOTE:

  • Auto-installation is supported through me0 and front-panel network interfaces.
  • Auto-installation is not supported through console interface.
  • Auto-installation does not support RARP.

The auto-installation enabled on EX switch sends out DHCP/BOOTP requests to obtain an IP Address.

  • The DHCP server responds with some or all of the following information:

  1. IP address for the auto-installation interface (required)

  2. The TFTP server location (IP address or DNS name) (required)

  3. The configuration file to be requested from the TFTP server

Auto-installation configuration

For a switch booted with factory-default configuration, the auto-installation configuration is included as shown below:

[edit system]
user@switch# show
autoinstallation {
  delete-upon-commit; ## Deletes [system autoinstallation] upon change/commit
  traceoptions {
    file autodlog;
    level all;
    flag {
      all;
    }
  }
  interfaces {
    vlan {
      bootp;
    }
    me0 {
      bootp;
    }
  }
}
Auto-installation show output :

root> show system autoinstallation status
Autoinstallation status:
Master state: Active
Last committed file: network.conf
Configuration server of last committed file: 192.168.1.1
Interface:
  Name: vlan
  State: Configuration Commit
  Acquired:
   Address: 192.168.1.3
   Hostname: win
   Hostname source: DNS
   Configuration filename: win.conf
   Configuration filename server: 192.168.1.1
  Address acquisition:
   Protocol: DHCP Client
   Acquired address: 192.168.1.3

NOTE:

  • If DHCP times out and switch can't acquire an IP address or retrieve the configuration files, the auto-installation fails. The current switch configuration is left intact.

  • When auto-installation is going on and if the user manually does a 'commit' operation through CLI, then the auto-installation process terminates.