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3. On the command line, use vm-param-set to set the PV-args parameter to make use of a Kickstart file
xe vm-param-set uuid=<vm_uuid> PV-args="ks=http://server/path ksdevice=eth0"
4. Set the repository location so XenServer knows where to get the kernel and initrd from for the installer
boot:
xe vm-param-set uuid=<vm_uuid> other-config:install-repository=<http://server/path>
Note:
To install using a kickstart file without the New VM wizard, you can add the appropriate
command to the Advanced OS boot parameters text box. For example, for RHEL
5.4, this command would be ks=nfs:telos:/linux/distros/auto-install/
rhel54.cfg.
5.5. Installing the Linux Guest Agent
Although all the supported Linux distributions are natively paravirtualized (and therefore do not need special
drivers for full performance), XenServer includes a guest agent which provides additional information about the
VM to the host. This additional information includes:
• Linux distribution name and version (major, minor revision).
• Kernel version (uname).
• IP address of each Ethernet interface.
• Total and free memory within the VM.
It is important to install this agent and keep it up-to-date (see Chapter 7, Updating VMs) as you upgrade your
XenServer host.

To install the guest agent:

1. The files required are present on the built-in xs-tools.iso CD image, or alternatively can be installed
by using the VM > Install XenServer Tools option in XenCenter.
2. Mount the image onto the guest by running the command:
mount -o ro,exec /dev/disk/by-label/XenServer\\x20Tools /mnt
Note:
If mounting the image fails, you can locate the image by running the following:
blkid -t LABEL="XenServer Tools"
3. Execute the installation script as the root user:
/mnt/Linux/install.sh
4. Unmount the image from the guest by running the command:
umount /mnt
5. If the kernel has been upgraded, or the VM was upgraded from a previous version, reboot the VM now.
Note:
CD-ROM drives and ISOs attached to Linux Virtual Machines appear as devices, such as /
dev/xvdd (or /dev/sdd in Ubuntu 10.10 and later) instead of as /dev/cdrom as you
might expect. This is because they are not true CD-ROM devices, but normal devices. When
the CD is ejected by either XenCenter or the CLI, it hot-unplugs the device from the VM and the
device disappears. This is different from Windows Virtual Machines, where the CD remains
in the VM in an empty state.