C H A P T E R  1

Getting Started

This chapter introduces the Sun Installation Assistant (SIA) features and describes how to get started using SIA to perform deployment or recovery tasks on your Sun server. This document applies to SIA versions 1.0 through 2.2.

Topics discussed in this chapter include:


About the Sun Installation Assistant

The Sun Installation Assistant (SIA) is a tool designed to be used with x64 Sun Fire and Sun Blade servers to assist in the deployment of supported Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems (OS), as well as system firmware upgrades. With SIA, your deployment tasks can be completed using the graphical wizard-based interface or in unattended mode.

If you decide that you do not want to use SIA to assist in the installation of your server’s operating system, information about manually installing an operating system may be found in the following documents included with your server:

SIA Features and Benefits

SIA provides the following features and benefits:

SIA Task List

SIA can perform the following server-specific deployment and recovery tasks. The table below provides a list of tasks that may be performed in SIA from the Task Selection dialog screen, however the list of tasks is server-dependant and not all tasks are available for all servers.


Task

Description

Operating System Installation

Assisted operating system installation of supported versions of Microsoft Windows and Linux.

System BIOS and ILOM Upgrade

Upgrades the system BIOS and ILOM Service Processor firmware. Displays the installed version and what version is available for an upgrade. These components are upgraded together so that tested version levels are matched Requires a server reboot to use the new version.

HBA Firmware Upgrade

Upgrades the firmware of the server’s integrated HBA (Host Bus Adapter). Displays the installed version and what version is available for an upgrade. Requires a server reboot to use the new version.

Expander Firmware Upgrade

Upgrades the firmware of the server’s integrated disk expanders. Displays the installed version and what version is available for an upgrade. Requires a server reboot to use the new version.

SP Recovery

This feature may be used to recover a service processor that is non-functional (either inaccessible, or displays corrupt data). Requires a server reboot to use the recovered version.


Server Support and SIA Media Availability

The SIA CD/DVD is available for most new Sun servers that support the x64 processor architecture (might come with the server or be available as an X-option). For a complete list of supported Sun server platforms, refer to the SIA information page at:

http://www.sun.com/systemmanagement/sia.jsp

An ISO CD-ROM image of SIA is also available for download from the Sun download page (select “View by Category” and then “x64 servers & workstations”):

http://www.sun.com/download/index.jsp

Updates to the SIA program can be obtained easily during the SIA installation by using the Remote Update option in the SIA.

Supported Operating Systems

SIA is available for supported Microsoft Windows and Linux installations. A list of supported operating systems is available on the SIA information page:

http://www.sun.com/systemmanagement/sia.jsp


Before You Begin

The following prerequisites must be met before using SIA and the OS installation media.



Note - If you have a Sun StorageTek RAID disk controller (Adaptec-based), you must configure an array volume through the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility (accessible by pressing Ctrl-A when prompted during server boot) before it can be made available to SIA. This must be done whether you intend to use RAID or not. Please consult your platform installation documentation for instructions on how to do this.



What’s Next