Update the installer using latest CentOS 7.x

[schakrava]

connected forum post: https://forum.rockstor.com/t/grub-install-fails/2278

[phillxnet]

Looks like CentOS 7.3 (1611) is just becoming available so maybe this would make a good base, although there are some sha256sum available:
https://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/ReleaseNotes/CentOS7.3

c455ee948e872ad2194bdddd39045b83634e8613249182b88f549bb2319d97eb  CentOS-7-x86_64-DVD-1611.iso
27bd866242ee058b7a5754e83d8ee8403e216b93d130d800852a96f41c34d86a  CentOS-7-x86_64-Minimal-1611.iso

There are someanaconda, systemd, and selinux updates we may have to watch out for (linked in above), plus some consequent network adaptor name changes.

I see some 5-9th December 2016 isos on some mirrors now.
https://www.centos.org/download/mirrors/
eg:
http://mirrors.mit.edu/centos/7.3.1611/isos/x86_64/

[schakrava]

Thanks for creating this issue @phillxnet . Really appreciate the detail. I've been testing a new/upcoming iso based on 1511 and it's working well. Reading the wiki makes me think 1611 is a bit too cutting edge for 3.8.16, but perhaps we can use it in a couple of months.

This part is what concerns me the most to adopt this image right away:

<!> Because of these rebases some 3rd party repositories (Like EPEL, ELRepo, nux!, etc.) may not have all their packages rebuilt to use the newer packages in this release. This may cause the inability to update to the new release until those repositories fix their dependencies. You should contact the 3rd party repository owner to get problems fixed, or remove problem packages from 3rd party repositories to complete the update to this release.

[phillxnet]

Linking to regression reports from forum members tazzydemon and kwetiaw respectively for the indicated rebase on the 1511 upstream iso:
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/3-8-16-seems-to-not-like-braswell-n3700-uefi/2789
and
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/installation-stuck-on-hp-microserver-n40l/2795

N.B. tazzydemon's forum thread also indicated success with a CentOS-7-x86_64-Minimal-1611.iso where 3.8.16 (1511 based) install failed, this was for a UEFI install.

Please update these forum threads on the next iso installer update.

[tazzydemon]

I installed Centos 1611 with BTRFS just to see if I could. Is it permissible to put the Rockstor repo on this machine and install Rockstor using YUM?

[phillxnet]

Linking to a related forum report buy @tazzydemon of a possible Braswell UEFI install issue where generic 1611 CentOS installs OK but our latest iso builds do not:

https://forum.rockstor.com/t/3-9-centos-version/3105

[phillxnet]

Noting further enquiry by @tazzydemon in the following forum thread:
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/announcing-rockstor-3-9-1/3452

[phillxnet]

Updating this issue to hopefully pertain to re-basing the iso on CentOS 7.4 (1708) given it's pending release after the latest RHEL 7.4 point release on August 1st:
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/html/7.4_Release_Notes/index.html
and:
https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/red-hat-bridges-hybrid-multi-cloud-deployments-latest-version-red-hat-enterprise-linux-7

From: https://seven.centos.org/2017/08/centos-linux-7-1708-based-on-rhel-7-4-source-code/
we have:
"Historically, the final release becomes available 3 to 6 weeks after the release of the source code by Red Hat. So, we would expect our full release to happen sometime between August 22nd and September 12th, 2017."

Expected repository directory name: "7.4.1708" at: http://mirror.centos.org/centos-7/

Linking to another relevant forum thread requesting CentOS 7.4 base:
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/rebase-to-centos-7-4-1708/3652

[phillxnet]

Please also update the following forum thread with this issues resolution:
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/installer-seems-to-dislike-new-hardware/3720

[phillxnet]

Thanks to forum member g6094199 in my penultimate forum link reference to date within this issue we have a 'heads up' on CentOS 7.4 availability.

The expected release directory now exists:

http://mirror.centos.org/centos-7/7.4.1708/

From: https://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/2017-September/022532.html
we have:

"I am pleased to announce the general availability of CentOS Linux 7 (1708) for 64 bit x86 compatible machines. Effectively immediately, this is the current release for CentOS Linux 7 and is tagged as 1708, derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4"

[phillxnet]

Thanks to forum members Saywot and haraoka for highlighting another upstream bug in our now old upstream installer which has reportedly now been fixed.

See the following thread for context:
https://forum.rockstor.com/t/install-hang-3-9-1/5373/19

However it may now make more sense to concentrate on our proposed openSUSE move and it's consequent installer changes, ie possibly image transfer based. Far simpler, faster, and less likely to end up in an incompatible (with Rockstor code) root arrangement.