You can use a kickstart file to install every available package by specifying @Everything or simply * in the %packages section. Red Hat does not support this type of installation.
Moreover, using a kickstart file in this way will introduce package and file conflicts onto the installed system. Packages known to cause such problems are assigned to the @Conflicts (variant) group, where variant is Server or Client. If you specify @Everything in a kickstart file, be sure to exclude @Conflicts (variant) or the installation will fail:
@Everything (Server)
-@Conflicts
Note that Red Hat does not support the use of @Everything in a kickstart file, even if you exclude @Conflicts (variant).
Use the %packages command to begin a kickstart file section that lists the packages you would like to install (this is for installations only, as package selection during upgrades is not supported).
Packages can be specified by group or by individual package name, including with globs using the asterisk. The installation program defines several groups that contain related packages. Refer to the variant/repodata/comps-*.xml
In most cases, it is only necessary to list the desired groups and not individual packages. Note that the Core and Base groups are always selected by default, so it is not necessary to specify them in the %packages section.
Here is an example %packages selection:
%packages
@ X Window System
@ GNOME Desktop Environment
@ Graphical Internet
@ Sound and Video
dhcp
As you can see, groups are specified, one to a line, starting with an @ symbol, a space, and then the full group name as given in the comps.xml file. Groups can also be specified using the id for the group, such as gnome-desktop. Specify individual packages with no additional characters (the dhcp line in the example above is an individual package).
You can also specify which packages not to install from the default package list:
-autofs
The following options are available for the %packages option:
--nobase
Do not install the @Base group. Use this option to perform a minimal installation, for example, for a single-purpose server or desktop appliance.
--resolvedeps
The --resolvedeps option has been deprecated. Dependencies are resolved automatically every time now.
--ignoredeps
The --ignoredeps option has been deprecated. Dependencies are resolved automatically every time now.
--ignoremissing
Ignore the missing packages and groups instead of halting the installation to ask if the installation should be aborted or continued. For example:
%packages --ignoremissing
