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Chapter 2 Installing Oracle VM Server

Table of Contents

This chapter discusses the installation requirements and procedures for the installation of Oracle VM Server. Since the deployment of Oracle VM Server is significantly different on x86 hardware to deployment on SPARC hardware, this chapter is divided into two primary sections, to discuss the requirements and procedure specific to each hardware platform.

Before performing an installation of Oracle VM Server it is highly recommended that you review the preinstallation tasks and requirements for your chosen platform. Failure to meet requirements may result in install failure, or could render an installation unusable.

You may also consider referring to Chapter 3, Performing a Network Installation of Oracle VM Server for information on performing automated installs of Oracle VM Server.

2.1 Installing Oracle VM Server on x86 Hardware

This section is intended for system administrators who want to install Oracle VM Server on x86 hardware. For smaller deployments installation from a bootable DVD-ROM using the provided ISO image file is common, while for larger deployments administrators may consider deployment via network installation using PXE boot.

To install Oracle VM Server using the DVD-ROM or PXE boot method, you need to visit the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud to select the Oracle VM Server ISO image file from the Oracle VM Media Pack. The Oracle VM Server ISO image file can be burned as a bootable disk and used to install Oracle VM Server from a DVD-ROM drive.

A PXE boot installation requires several additional steps to configure a DHCP/PXE boot server. Furthermore, if automated installation is required, a kickstart configuration file must be created to guide the Anaconda installation wizard through each of the installation steps. The DHCP/PXE boot server allows a bare-metal system to automatically receive an IP address via DHCP, load a kernel via TFTP, and then boot without an installed operating system. Once the bare-metal server boots, you can install Oracle VM Server from the installation media or use a kickstart file to automate the Oracle VM Server installation.

This section describes pre-installation tasks and requirements. These apply to all deployments of Oracle VM Server, regardless of your installation strategy. We also provide detailed coverage of a manual attended installation performed from bootable physical media, such as a DVD-ROM. It is recommended that you perform at least one fully attended installation of Oracle VM Server from bootable physical media, even if you intend to perform a network-based install using PXE boot. Once you have completed this, refer to Section 3.1, “Installing Oracle VM Server for x86 from PXE Boot” for more information on how to prepare for a network-based installation.

Note

If you plan to install Oracle VM Server on a system that uses a software RAID array as storage, you must use a kickstart configuration file. For more information, see Section 2.1.4, “Performing a Kickstart Installation of Oracle VM Server”.

2.1.1 Preinstallation Tasks and Requirements

Before you start the Oracle VM Server installation, make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware and software requirements and that your network is configured appropriately.

2.1.1.1 Hardware Requirements

This release of Oracle VM Server supports x86_64 host hardware only. Oracle VM Server requires a 64-bit processor with at least an i686-class processor on the host computer. This includes all Intel Pentium Pro or newer, and all AMD Athlon/Duron processors or newer. At least a Pentium 4 or Athlon CPU is recommended.

For hardware virtualized (unmodified) guest operating systems (for example, Microsoft Windows), a CPU with hardware virtualization support is required. This includes some Intel Pentium D, Core, Core2 and Xeon models, and some AMD Athlon and Opteron models. This feature may also need to be enabled in the BIOS or UEFI. Please refer to your processor documentation for information on whether your processor supports hardware virtualization and how to enable it in the system firmware interface.

A dual core CPU or multiple CPUs are recommended to run multiple guests.

The minimum memory requirement is 1 GB RAM, although it is recommended you have a computer with at least 2 GB RAM. Guest memory requirements vary for each guest operating system. You should perform your own memory sizing for guest operating systems.

It is also worth noting that if you intend to connect to SAN-based physical disks, memory consumption increases on the server for each LUN or target by around 1 MB per LUN or target. If hundreds of LUNs are to be attached to the server, you must scale memory requirements appropriately.

By default, the installer creates a root partition into which Oracle VM Server is installed and an additional partition that you can use as a local repository or as a virtual disk attached to a virtual machine. However, in cases where the additional partition is 2GB or less in size, Oracle VM Server cannot use the additional partition. Likewise, if the disk on which you are installing Oracle VM Server is small enough that the root partition takes most of the available space, the installer does not create the additional partition.

Note

In future you will upgrade your environment between errata releases and new versions. Over time these operations consume disk space. While it is possible to remove unnecessary files and clean up disk space and resize partitions, you should plan to minimize disruption and avoid issues by allocating two or three times the minimum required disk space to Oracle VM Server, where possible.

Table 2.1 Minimum Hardware Requirements for Oracle VM Server

Items	Minimum Value
Memory	1.0 GB
Processor Type	64 bit i686 P4
Processor Speed	1.3 GHz*2
Available Hard Disk Space	6 GB

2.1.1.2 Software Requirements

There are no prerequisite software requirements. Oracle VM Server includes a small Linux-based management operating system. All previous operating systems and data on the disk selected for installation are lost during the installation of Oracle VM Server.

Migration from any operating system, or previous alternate virtualization environment, is not supported in this release.

2.1.1.3 Network Requirements

Oracle VM Server requires at least one stable and static IPv4 address that does not change over server reboots. If you use DHCP to manage the IP address space in your environment, the DHCP server should be configured to map the server interface MAC addresses to specific IP assignments. This ensures that your host always receives the same IP address. The behavior of the Oracle VM Server host is undefined if used in an environment where your IP address may change due to DHCP lease expiry.

If your DHCP server is configured to provide a default gateway, this could impact on the behavior of Oracle VM Server as the gateway provided over DHCP would override any statically defined gateway set on Oracle VM Server. Therefore, Oracle recommends that you ensure that your DHCP server is not configured to provide a default gateway unless you are certain that the default route is the one that you want your Oracle VM Server instances to make use of.

Many actions performed within Oracle VM Manager require that server hostnames are properly resolved. It is highly recommended that a DNS server is configured on your network and will answer with the hostname and reverse IP lookups for each Oracle VM Server in your Oracle VM environment. If this is not feasible, you may need to add host entries to /etc/hosts on each Oracle VM Server after you have finished your installation. Since it is easy for these entries to become outdated, resulting in difficulty when troubleshooting, this approach should be avoided.

Technically, it is possible to run Oracle VM Server with a single network interface per physical server. During the installation of each Oracle VM Server the management interface is configured, and during discovery by Oracle VM Manager the server management interfaces are included in the default management network. Since the management network is capable of providing all network functions in Oracle VM, including storage and virtual machine traffic, there is no functional need for additional networks. Even if you wish to separate different types of network traffic, a single interface is enough: the management network can be run on a VLAN and additional network connections can be made via VLAN interfaces configured on top of the single physical network interface.

The main reasons to opt for multiple physical network interfaces are:

Security. You may wish to keep internal and inter-server traffic separated from networks with a route to the internet. Or you may need to guarantee that network traffic from different virtual environments, or different types of network traffic, are physically separated. The management domain, dom0, network and control ports should never be exposed to or reachable from the internet.
Redundancy. You do not want your environment to stop working if one network interface fails. A good way to avoid this is to aggregate two interfaces in a bond interface. A bond port, as it is called in Oracle VM, can work in active-backup mode, but also increases performance when used as an aggregation of two active links with twice the bandwidth and load balancing.
Performance. If you have multiple physical network interfaces, link aggregation is a good way to add bandwidth for a given network function. In addition, or as an alternative, you can create multiple physical networks and use them for dedicated functions; for example a separate storage network or a network for virtual machine traffic only.

Note

Oracle VM Ethernet network functionality can be applied to standard 10/100/1000Mbit Ethernet interfaces as well as 10Gbit Ethernet interfaces.

2.1.1.4 Oracle VM Server Memory Settings

Installation allocates memory to dom0 using the following calculation:

(768 + 0.0205 * Physical memory (MB)) round to 8

You can use this calculation to determine memory allocation for the Oracle VM Server installation. However, you should not make the memory allocation for dom0 smaller than the calculated value.

2.1.1.5 Obtaining the Software

If you do not already have the Oracle VM Server software, download the Oracle VM Server ISO image file from:

Oracle Software Delivery Cloud: http://edelivery.oracle.com/oraclevm
Oracle Support site: https://support.oracle.com/

Note

Download the latest Oracle VM Server ISO that is available on the download site.
Be sure to always run the yum update command after the installation is completed to update the Oracle VM Server components to the latest version.
Starting with the Oracle VM 3.4.6 release, new Oracle VM Server ISOs are not always created when a new Manager ISO is released. Oracle VM Server packages, however, are continuously delivered to the yum repos and ULN channels to allow for regular updates.

See Section 1.2, “Getting Installation ISOs and Packages” for more information.

Depending on your installation strategy, you may need to perform some additional steps before you begin the installation. If you intend to install from DVD-ROM, you should burn a DVD-ROM disc with the ISO image file. See Section 1.3, “Installation From Bootable Physical Media” for information on how you can do this. If you intend to perform a network installation using PXE boot, you need to ensure that you DHCP/PXE boot server is properly set up and configured for this, that the kernel on the ISO image file is available via TFTP and that the entire ISO image file is accessible via NFS or HTTP. See Section 3.1, “Installing Oracle VM Server for x86 from PXE Boot” for further information. Finally, if you wish to perform an unattended installation, you must create a kickstart configuration file. This is discussed in Section 2.1.4, “Performing a Kickstart Installation of Oracle VM Server”.

2.1.2 Installing Oracle VM Server From a DVD-ROM

If you have not installed Oracle VM Server before, you should perform at least one installation directly from DVD-ROM. Even if you intend to perform the majority of your installations over the network using PXE boot, a successful fully attended installation of Oracle VM Server can be useful if you need to obtain a template kickstart configuration file to use for your unattended network-based installations.

You can install Oracle VM Server in legacy BIOS mode or UEFI mode. However, you cannot change modes after installation. For example, if you install Oracle VM Server in legacy BIOS mode, you cannot then switch to UEFI mode. If you want to change from legacy BIOS mode to UEFI mode, or from UEFI mode to legacy BIOS mode, you must re-install Oracle VM Server.

If you are installing Oracle VM Server in UEFI mode, you must switch from legacy BIOS mode to UEFI mode before you begin the installation process. Enter the BIOS setup utility for the target server and change the boot mode to UEFI, if necessary.

To install Oracle VM Server from a bootable physical media such as a DVD-ROM:

Insert the Oracle VM Server installation media into your optical disc drive.
Change the boot order to start from the optical disc drive in the BIOS or UEFI settings.
Boot the server with the Oracle VM Server installation media.
The boot: prompt displays. Press Enter to begin the installation.
Note
- The installer starts automatically after one minute.
- The installer is available in text mode only.
On the Disc Found screen, do one of the following:
- Select OK and then press Enter to test the installation media for errors.
  
  Warning
  
  Testing the installation media requires a server reboot to continue the installation. If you do not have physical access to the server itself, it is not recommended that you perform this test.
- Select Skip and press Enter to continue the installation without testing the media.
If the installer successfully detects the installation media, a welcome screen displays. Select OK.
On the Language Selection screen, select the language you want to use for the installation process as well as the default language for the operating system. Select OK and then press Enter.
On the Keyboard Selection screen, select the keyboard layout, for example, us for U.S. English. The keyboard layout you select becomes the default for the operating system. Select OK and then press Enter.
On the Oracle VM Server End User License Agreement screen, read the licensing terms for Oracle VM Server. Select Accept to accept the EULA and continue.

Disk Partition Layout

The Partitioning Type screen lets you choose a partitioning option for the drive into which you install Oracle VM Server.

Disk device naming and node numbering can change across reboots. This means that a local disk may not be at /dev/sda as you might have expected for each subsequent reboot, or a partition that is initially represented as sda1 may appear as sda2 after a reboot. However, Oracle VM Server uses partition UUIDs to ensure that partitions are correctly mapped to their mount points at boot time, so when reviewing partition layout, you should not expect the device node numbering to always remain the same.

Option	Description
Use entire drive	Uses all the available space on the target drive. Select this option if you are installing Oracle VM Server to a multipathed disk. See Section 2.1.3, “Installing Oracle VM Server to Multipath Storage” for more information.
Replace existing Linux system	Replaces an existing Linux system on the target drive.
Use free space	Uses only the free space available on the target drive.
Create custom layout	Lets you create and edit partitions on the target drive. You cannot create a custom partition layout if you are installing in UEFI mode.

After you select a partition layout, do the following:

Select which drive(s) you want to use for the installation.

If you are installing in legacy mode, you can select one or more drives. If you are installing in UEFI mode, you should select only one bootable drive.

Important

If you have attached USB storage to the server, it might appear as a listed disk where you are able to install Oracle VM Server. Running Oracle VM Server from a USB disk is possible but is not supported for production environments. If you are testing an installation and decide to install to a USB disk, the disk must be at least 32 GB in size. In the case where you select to install to a USB disk, the entire disk is used for the Oracle VM Server installation. Partitioning does not make excess disk space available for use as a discoverable local disk.
Select OK and press Enter.
On the Review Partition Layout screen, select one of the following:

Yes

Examines and formats the target drive before proceeding with the installation. If you are installing in legacy mode, you can select this option to ensure that the installer can successfully install Oracle VM Server with the selected partitioning layout. Do not select this option if you are installing in UEFI mode.

No

Skips the partitioning layout check and proceed with the installation.
On the Writing storage configuration to disk screen, confirm that you want to write the partitioning information to disk. Proceeding past this step erases any data on the selected partition.
Select Write changes to disk and then press Enter.

Boot Loader Partition

On the Boot loader configuration screen, do the following:

Select the partition into which you want to install the boot loader. Make sure the boot loader is installed on the bootable disk which is configured in the BIOS, or edit the boot device order accordingly within the BIOS to ensure that the correct disk is used to access the boot loader at start up.
Select Allow boot from a multipath device to install Oracle VM Server to a multipathed disk. For information and considerations on performing a multipath installation, see Section 2.1.3, “Installing Oracle VM Server to Multipath Storage”.
Select Change drive order to arrange drive order and modify where the installation program locates the Master Boot Record.
Select OK and then press Enter.

Kdump Setting

Kdump is a crash dumping mechanism that captures a memory dump image for dom0 in the event of a system crash. The Kdump mechanism reserves a small amount of memory to boot the system from the context of another kernel, instead of from the context of the crashed kernel. Kdump then generates a memory dump image, or vmcore file, which allows you to accurately determine the cause of the system crash.

By default, Kdump is disabled. However, Oracle strongly recommends that you enable Kdump during installation. If a system crash occurs for Oracle VM Server, the information that the vmcore file provides helps to accurately and efficiently diagnose issues and drastically improves the time it takes to return to production.

Make one of the following selections and then press Enter:

Yes: Enable Kdump. The amount of memory reserved for Kdump is calculated automatically and vmcore files are stored in the default location at /var/crash/.
No: Do not enable Kdump. This option is not recommended.

With Oracle VM Server Release 3.4.2, Kdump settings are automatically carried forward during the upgrade process. If the Kdump service was enabled previously, it is recommended that you check and confirm the settings are correct after the upgrade or enable the Kdump service after the upgrade if it was not enabled previously.

For more information on configuring Kdump, refer to Manually Configuring kdump for Oracle VM Server in the Oracle VM Administrator's Guide.

Management Network Interface

Select the network interface that you have configured for the management connection. This network interface allows Oracle VM Manager to discover the Oracle VM Server that you are installing.

Warning

As of Oracle VM Release 3.4.4, an option is available that allows you to disable the default network bond that is created during installation. This network bond is called bond0 and it should only be disabled for specific configurations approved by Oracle. Contact your Oracle support representative for more information if required.

Make one of the following selections and then press Enter:

OK: Connects the interface to a regular network.
Add to VLAN: Connects the interface to a VLAN-type network.

Management VLAN

If your Oracle VM Management network is on a VLAN, the Oracle VM Management VLAN screen lets you enter the applicable VLAN tag.

0 is reserved.
1 corresponds with "untagged".

After you enter the VLAN tag, select OK and then press Enter.

Network Interface Configuration

On the Network Interface Configuration screen, do the following:

If your computer uses a static IP address, enter the IP address and prefix (netmask) for your computer.

If your computer uses DHCP to assign its IP address, select Dynamic IP configuration (DHCP). See Section 2.1.1.3, “Network Requirements” for more information on using DHCP with Oracle VM.

Select OK and then press Enter.
The Miscellaneous Network Settings screen is displayed. Enter the Gateway, Primary DNS and optional Secondary DNS in the respective fields.

Select OK and then press Enter.
The Hostname Configuration screen is displayed. If your machine has its own hostname, select manually and enter the hostname or IP address. You should use a fully qualified hostname, for example, myserver.example.com.

If your machine uses DHCP to assign its hostname, select automatically via DHCP. See Section 2.1.1.3, “Network Requirements” for more information on using DHCP with Oracle VM.

Select OK and then press Enter.

Time and Date Settings

On the Time Zone Selection screen, configure the system time and date. Select OK and then press Enter.

Note

It is best practice to configure 3 NTP servers at a minimum. See Section 7.3, “Configure the NTP Service on the Oracle VM Manager Host” for more information.

Root and Agent Passwords

You specify the Oracle VM Agent and root user passwords during installation. For information about password security, review Installing Oracle VM Server in the Oracle VM Security Guide.

On the Oracle VM Agent password screen, do the following:

Enter a password to be used for the Oracle VM Agent in the Password field. This password is used by Oracle VM Manager to take ownership of the Oracle VM Server. This is the password you use when discovering Oracle VM Servers in Oracle VM Manager.
Re-enter the password in the Password (confirm) field.
Select OK and then press Enter. If the two passwords do not match, you must enter them again.

On the Root Password screen, do the following:

Enter a password for the root user in the Password field. The root password must be at least six characters long.
Re-enter the password in the Password (confirm) field.
Select OK and then press Enter. If the two passwords do not match, you must enter them again.

Existing Installation Check

The installer checks for an existing Oracle VM Server installation. If one is found, the System to Upgrade screen displays.

Select Reinstall System to replace the existing installation.

For instructions on upgrading, see Section 5.6.2, “Upgrading Oracle VM Server Using the ISO File”.

Note

Upgrading an Oracle VM Server from Release 2.x is not supported; you must perform a fresh install.

Final Installation Steps

When you finish configuring the installation settings, the installer performs dependency checks and then begins configuring and installing packages. The Package Installation screen displays and shows the progress and details about the installation process.

When the Oracle VM Server installation is finished, the Complete screen displays, do the following:

Remove the Oracle VM installation media.
Select Reboot.

When the server reboots, the Oracle VM Agent starts automatically.

A log of the install is located in /root/install.log. If the install fails to complete successfully, review this log file to identify possible causes.

Be sure to always run the yum update command after the installation is completed to update the Oracle VM Server components to the latest version.

2.1.3 Installing Oracle VM Server to Multipath Storage

Oracle VM Server can be installed to a multipathed disk attached to a Fibre Channel adapter. Review the following considerations before you install Oracle VM Server to a multipathed disk:

The target disk must be multipathed.
You must have a Fibre Channel HBA enabled within the boot BIOS of the target server. Refer to the documentation provided by your adapter manufacturer to obtain instructions on loading firmware and enabling the adapter.
The BIOS settings for the target server must be configured to select the HBA and target disk as the primary boot device after the installation is complete.
The boot Fibre Channel adapter must be connected to an external disk large enough for the install contents and there should be enough free space available on the disk to complete the installation.
Multipath installation does not use remaining disk space to create an additional partition for local repositories or virtual machine assignment.

To install Oracle VM Server to a multipathed disk, do the following:

Run the Oracle VM Server installation media.
Step through the installer screens until the Partitioning Type screen displays. See Disk Partition Layout for more information.
Select Use entire drive. Ensure that only one multipath disk is selected for installation and that this disk matches the one that you have prepared for the installation.

Note

Splitting an install across multiple disks for a boot-from-SAN configuration is not supported. Mixing local disks and multipath disks in an installation is not supported.
Continue with the installation process.

Note

If you are attempting to install Oracle VM Server into a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) SAN that the installer does not list, see Section 6.1.1, “FCoE SAN not Listed as Available Drive”.
When you have completed the installation, reboot the server and remove the installation media or update your PXE configuration to allow the server to boot from the Fibre Channel HBA and target disk defined as the primary boot device in the server BIOS or UEFI.
When the server has rebooted, confirm that it is using the multipathed disk for the root mount point. For example, run the df command and check that the output is similar to the following:
```
/dev/mapper/360a98000433468704234747633373175p2       51475068 1222456  47631172   3% /
```

Note

Remember, to reinstall or boot from a local disk, you must change the boot device order in the BIOS or UEFI setup for the server.

2.1.4 Performing a Kickstart Installation of Oracle VM Server

You can automate the installation of Oracle VM Server with a kickstart configuration file. A kickstart configuration file provides information about the target system to the installation program and sets installation options so that you do not need to enter them manually.

In certain cases, Oracle VM supports installation of Oracle VM Server with a kickstart configuration file only. If you plan to install Oracle VM Server on a system that uses a software RAID array as storage, you must use a kickstart configuration file.

2.1.4.1 Creating Kickstart Configuration Files

Important

You should always review the kickstart configuration before you begin the installation process. Performing installations with kickstart configuration files does not provide a method for notifying you of errors. For this reason, you should always verify that Oracle VM Server is successfully installed on the target system and that the file system partitioning is correct.

There are two recommended methods for creating kickstart configuration files for Oracle VM Server:

Manually install Oracle VM Server and copy the kickstart file that the installation program creates.

The installation program generates a kickstart configuration file that contains the options that you specify during the installation process. After you complete the installation, the file is available on the Oracle VM Server file system at: /root/anaconda-ks.cfg.
Use the Kickstart Configurator tool.

To use the Kickstart Configurator tool, you should install Oracle Linux Release 6 with a graphical user environment. You can then install and run system-config-kickstart. For more information, see:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E37670_01/E41137/html/ol_kickstart.html

2.1.4.2 Kickstart Configurations

Before you attempt to install Oracle VM Server with a kickstart configuration, you should review the following examples:

You should also review the information in Considerations for Kickstart Configurations.

Single Disk Partitions

The following shows a kickstart configuration for an installation of Oracle VM Server onto a single disk:

# Kickstart configuration

install
nfs --server=n.n.n.n --dir=/srv/install/ovs
eula Accepted
lang en_US.UTF-8
keyboard us
network --onboot yes --device eth0 --mtu=1500 --bootproto dhcp --noipv6
ovsagent --iscrypted $6$pkg8GsEJFbLPdRf6$JvBX.yJo6F9oyz1qIldIPy0bHvPpOHElZKvg3FR9DIWW07nMy/k2T5r3r
ovsmgmntif eth0
rootpw  --iscrypted $6$TO0IU.UJCLq2JZio$iJj1RPwV5wX7pD3puIUrZh1j7R2aF.cGFs6FEs2K9Py2yO3eEntR2vRKo4

firewall --service=ssh
authconfig --enableshadow --passalgo=sha512
selinux --disabled
timezone --utc America/Los_Angeles

bootloader --location=mbr --driveorder=sda,sdb --append="rhgb quiet crashkernel=auto"

clearpart --all --drives=sda

part / --fstype=ext4 --grow --maxsize=51200 --size=1024
part /boot --fstype=ext4 --size=500
part swap --grow --maxsize=16128 --size=16128

part None --fstype=ext4 --grow --size=100

reboot

%packages
@base
@core
@ovs-virtualization

%end

The preceding kickstart configuration includes the following options:

Use an NFS server at the path to the Oracle VM Server ISO image file:
```
nfs --server=n.n.n.n --dir=/srv/install/ovs
```
Accept the EULA (End User License Agreement) in a kickstart configuration:
```
eula Accepted
```
Important

You should read the EULA before you accept the terms in the kickstart configuration. The EULA is available on the Oracle VM Server ISO.
Install the boot loader on the Master Boot Record, specify that the sda drive is before the sdb drive in the BIOS drive order, and append the rhgb and quiet kernel parameters:
```
bootloader --location=mbr --driveorder=sda,sdb --append="rhgb quiet crashkernel=auto"
```
Note

The crashkernel=auto directive enables Kdump during installation. The installer automatically calculates appropriate memory and offset values to reserve for the crash kernel and appends the correct information to the GRUB 2 configuration. For more information, see Diagnostic Tools for Oracle VM Server in the Oracle VM Administrator's Guide.
Clear all partitions on the disk where you are installing Oracle VM Server:
```
clearpart --all --drives=sda
```
Create a root partition with the ext4 file system type that is 1024 MB in size and can grow in size to a maximum of 51200 MB:
```
part / --fstype=ext4 --grow --maxsize=51200 --size=1024
```
Create a boot partition with the ext4 file system type that is 500 MB in size:
```
part /boot --fstype=ext4 --size=500
```
Create a swap partition that is 16128 MB in size and can grow in size to a maximum of 16128 MB:
```
part swap --grow --maxsize=16128 --size=16128
```
Create an additional partition with the remaining space on the local disk:
```
part None --fstype=ext4 --grow --size=100
```
Ignore all disks other than the target installation disk:
```
ignoredisk --only-use=/dev/disk/by-path/pci-0000:00:1f.2-scsi-0:0:0:0
```
Automatically reboot Oracle VM Server after installation:
```
reboot
```

Software RAID Partitions

You can configure a software RAID in a kickstart configuration to install Oracle VM Server on an array of disks.

Important

Oracle VM Server supports installation on software RAID devices on BIOS-based systems only.
You should not attempt to install Oracle VM Server on a software RAID if a disk that is 2 TB or larger is a member of the array. Due to a limitation with the Master Boot Record (MBR), Oracle VM Server cannot boot from disks that are 2 TB or larger in a software RAID configuration.

The following is an example kickstart configuration for installing Oracle VM Server on a software RAID device:

# Kickstart configuration for software RAID

install
url --url http://hostname/path/to/ISO
eula Accepted
lang en_US.UTF-8
keyboard us
network --device MAC_address --bootproto static --ip ip_address \
--netmask mask --nameserver ip_address --hostname hostname
ovsagent --iscrypted $6$upZltfKbh46roUFg$uMZl9u.aVfHb4KTe0VoiVPtz63fM4OtY9aY7GgvOJ0ChPwOBKu4rx/

ovsmgmntif MAC_address
rootpw --iscrypted $1$5VD6GV8E$ums7BMsNiFRcYz0D8HrD6/
firewall --disabled
authconfig --enableshadow --enablemd5
selinux --disabled
timezone --utc America/Los_Angeles

bootloader --location=mbr --driveorder=disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --append="crashkernel=auto"
iscsiname iSCSI_initiator_name

zerombr yes

clearpart --initlabel --all --drives=disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID,disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID

part raid.boota --size 500 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.bootb --size 500 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid /boot --fstype=ext4 --level=1 --device=md0 raid.boota raid.bootb

part raid.roota --size 32768 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.rootb --size 32768 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid / --fstype=ext4 --level=1 --device=md1 raid.roota raid.rootb

part raid.swapa --size 8192 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.swapb --size 8192 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid swap --fstype=swap --level=1 --device=md2 raid.swapa raid.swapb

reboot

%packages
#@everything
@base
@core
@ovs-virtualization

The preceding kickstart configuration includes the following options:

Access the contents of the Oracle VM Server ISO image file at a URL:
```
url --url http://hostname/path/to/ISO
```
Accept the EULA (End User License Agreement) in a kickstart configuration:
```
eula Accepted
```
Important

You should read the EULA before you accept the terms in the kickstart configuration. The EULA is available on the Oracle VM Server ISO.
Install the boot loader on the Master Boot Record, specify the BIOS drive order, and append the crashkernel=auto kernel parameter:
```
bootloader --location=mbr --driveorder=disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --append="crashkernel=auto"
```
Note

The crashkernel=auto directive enables Kdump during installation. The installer automatically calculates appropriate memory and offset values to reserve for the crash kernel and appends the correct information to the GRUB 2 configuration. For more information, see Diagnostic Tools for Oracle VM Server in the Oracle VM Administrator's Guide.
Assign a name to the iSCSI node that is attached during installation:
```
iscsiname iSCSI_initiator_name
```
Initialize any invalid partition tables on disks:
```
zerombr yes
```
Note

This option destroys all contents of disks that have invalid partition tables.

Clear all partitions on the disks in the array:

clearpart --initlabel --all --drives=disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID,disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID

Create a boot partition with RAID level 1 and filesystem type ext4 that is 500 MB in size on each disk in the array. Also assign md0 as the device name:

part raid.boota --size 500 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.bootb --size 500 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid /boot --fstype=ext4 --level=1 --device=md0 raid.boota raid.bootb

Create a root partition with RAID level 1 and filesystem type ext4 that is 32768 MB in size on each disk in the array. Also assign md1 as the device name:

part raid.roota --size 32768 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.rootb --size 32768 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid / --fstype=ext4 --level=1 --device=md1 raid.roota raid.rootb

Create a swap partition with RAID level 1 and filesystem type swap that is 8192 MB in size on each disk in the array. Also assign md1 as the device name:

part raid.swapa --size 8192 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk1-ID --asprimary
part raid.swapb --size 8192 --ondisk disk/by-id/scsi-disk2-ID --asprimary
raid swap --fstype=swap --level=1 --device=md2 raid.swapa raid.swapb

Automatically reboot Oracle VM Server after installation:
```
reboot
```

Considerations for Kickstart Configurations

You should also consider the following points when you create your kickstart configuration:

Oracle VM Release 3.4 supports installations of Oracle VM Server onto a single disk or LUN only. As a result, kickstart installations using multiple disks in a non-software RAID configuration is not supported.
As a security best practice, you should ensure the console=hvc0 option is not appended to the boot loader configuration. This option can echo your password in the server console at login.
Several other options may be appended to the bootloader line depending on your environment requirements. See Section 5.7, “Finalizing Upgrades on Oracle VM Server for x86” for more information on the other options that you may want to append here.
If your server has multiple network interfaces, you should at least specify the network interface to be used for the management interface first. If you have more than one network interface specified in a kickstart file, the first interface is used as the management interface. It is preferable to not include lines for any of the other network interfaces available on your server within the kickstart configuration file, as this can confuse the installer. You can configure additional network interfaces on a server within Oracle VM Manager after installation and discovery.
It is possible to create a %post division in your kickstart configuration file for the purpose of automating some actions after the install has completed, but before the server has rebooted. This can prove useful if you need to perform additional tasks, such as copying SSH keys from a location accessible to the server, or for triggering a change to a PXELinux configuration parameter to prevent an install loop as discussed in Section 3.1, “Installing Oracle VM Server for x86 from PXE Boot”.
Disk device names and node numbering can change after Oracle VM Server reboots. As a result, non-persistent device names, such as /dev/sda, change between reboots. For this reason you should use persistent names such as the device UUID or WWID when identifying disks in a kickstart configuration. You can use the following command to identify disks:
```
# ls -lR /dev/disk
```

2.2 Installing Oracle VM Server on SPARC Hardware

In addition to x86-based hardware, this release of Oracle VM Manager can manage SPARC-based host hardware. This chapter discusses installing and configuring the software required to support management of server pools, Oracle VM Servers, and guest virtual machines on SPARC systems in Oracle VM Manager. This chapter is intended for system administrators who want to install the software required to manage Oracle VM Server for SPARC systems in Oracle VM Manager.

Note

Access the Oracle VM Server for SPARC documentation at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/documentation/vm-sparc-194287.html. To determine the version of the Oracle VM Server for SPARC documentation to reference, run the pkg list ldomsmanager command.

2.2.1 Preinstallation Tasks and Requirements

Your SPARC server must meet the minimum hardware and software requirements listed in this section.

2.2.1.1 Hardware Requirements

To install Oracle VM Server for SPARC, you need a SPARC T-series, SPARC M-series, or SPARC S-series server. See Supported Platforms in the Oracle VM Server for SPARC Installation Guide.

2.2.1.2 Software and System Firmware Requirements

The software required to configure your SPARC server so that it is discoverable by Oracle VM Manager is as follows:

Table 2.2 Required Software and System Firmware for SPARC Servers

Software and System Firmware	Description
Oracle Solaris OS	Install the latest Oracle Solaris 11.3 SRU OS on the control domain. See the following sections in the Oracle VM Server for SPARC Installation Guide: Oracle Solaris 11.3 OS requirements, see Oracle Solaris OS Versions. Oracle Solaris OS installation and upgrade procedures, see Installing and Upgrading the Software. Note Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Release 3.4.6 supports Oracle Solaris 11.4. For information about upgrading to this Release 3.4.6, see Section 5.8.2.2, “Updating to Oracle Solaris 11.3 Manually ”.
SPARC System Firmware	The firmware for your SPARC servers must match the required version to support Oracle VM Server for SPARC. See the following sections in the Oracle VM Server for SPARC Installation Guide: SPARC system firmware requirements for Oracle Solaris 11.3 or Solaris 11.4 OS, see System Firmware Versions and Oracle Solaris OS Versions. Upgrade procedures for SPARC system firmware, see Upgrading the System Firmware.
Oracle VM Server for SPARC	Install at least Oracle VM Server for SPARC 3.3 on your SPARC server. Note that this software is included by default with the Oracle Solaris 11.3 OS. The Oracle VM Server for SPARC 3.4 software is included by default with the Oracle Solaris 11.3 SRU 8 OS. Note Run the pkg list ldomsmanager command to obtain the version of the Oracle VM Server for SPARC software.
Oracle VM Agent for SPARC	Oracle VM Agent for SPARC must be installed in the control domain. Oracle VM Agent for SPARC enables systems running Oracle VM Server for SPARC to be discovered and managed by Oracle VM Manager. Note As of Oracle VM Release 3.4.3, the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC runs with Python 2.7. See Section 2.2.1.6, “Obtaining the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Software” for information on downloading and installing Oracle VM Agent for SPARC.
Oracle Solaris Image Package System (IPS) Repositories	An IPS repository must be configured to host the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC software when using an automated installer for Oracle VM Server for SPARC. For more information, see Section 3.2.2, “Setting up an IPS repository”. When upgrading Oracle VM Servers running on SPARC hardware, two Oracle Solaris IPS repositories are required to ensure you have access to the Oracle Solaris updates and the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC software. For more information, see Section 5.8.3.1, “Setting Up IPS Repositories” in the Upgrading from Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Release 3.3.x or Between 3.4.x Errata Releases section.

2.2.1.3 Network Requirements

Oracle VM Server for SPARC has the same basic network requirements as specified for x86 hardware in Section 2.1.1.3, “Network Requirements”.

Oracle VM Server for SPARC has the following additional network requirements:

Network Configuration Profile. In Oracle Solaris 11.3, the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC requires the control domain to be configured with the DefaultFixed network configuration profile. If this network configuration profile is not enabled on the control domain then, during the installation of the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC software, the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC setup tool offers the opportunity to enable this network configuration profile and to reconfigure the network.

Alternatively, you can manually configure the DefaultFixed network configuration profile and the network on the control domain before installing the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC. For more information about network configuration profiles, see Configuring and Administering Network Components in Oracle Solaris 11.3 available at:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/

Note

This section applies only to Oracle Solaris 11.3. In Oracle Solaris 11.4, the Default Fixed network configuration profile has been removed.

Server Hostname. The server hostname should be different from "localhost" and it should resolve to an IP address different from 127.0.0.1.

You can check the hostname of the server with the hostname command:

# hostname
  foo.example.com

If the command returns "localhost" then use the hostname command to change the hostname.

You can check that the hostname resolves to an IP address with the getent command:

# getent hosts `hostname`
  192.168.1.1

If the command does not return an IP address or returns 127.0.0.1 then update the /etc/hosts file or your name service so that the hostname resolves to a valid IP address. For more information about naming services, see the Working With Oracle Solaris 11.3 Naming and Directory Services: DNS and NIS documentation at:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/

2.2.1.4 Storage Requirements

Although not a strict requirement, Solaris I/O Multipathing should be enabled for all storage used on the server (SAS, FC, iSCSI). Solaris I/O Multipathing provides higher availability for storage devices through the use of multipathed connections. On a default Solaris installation, Solaris I/O Multipathing is enabled only for SAS controllers using the mpt_sas driver, but it is not enabled for Fibre Channel and iSCSI controller ports. For more information about Solaris I/O Multipathing, refer to Managing SAN Devices and Multipathing in Oracle Solaris 11.3 at:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/

Enabling Solaris I/O Multipathing. To enable Solaris I/O multipathing on all supported multipath capable controller ports, use the stmsboot command:

# stmsboot -e

Note

Note that device names change once under Solaris I/O multipathing control, and a reboot is required for changes to take effect.

For more information about enabling Solaris I/O Multipathing, refer to section Enabling and Disabling Multipathing in Managing SAN Devices and Multipathing in Oracle Solaris 11.3 available at:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54792/gpiio.html#scrolltoc

Third-Party Storage Devices. Using Solaris I/O Multipathing with a third-party storage device may require additional configuration. If you have enabled Solaris I/O multipathing using the stmsboot and you are using a third-party storage device and Solaris I/O Multipathing is not effectively enabled for that storage device, then refer to Configuring Third-Party Storage Devices in Managing SAN Devices and Multipathing in Oracle Solaris 11.3 available at:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54792/gfjtx.html#scrolltoc

2.2.1.5 Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Configuration Requirements

Before you install the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC, ensure that the server is in the factory-default configuration. During installation, the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC setup tool creates and stores a configuration that is suitable for use with Oracle VM Manager.

Use the following procedure to configure the platform with the factory-default configuration:

If there are domains other than the primary domain, then stop and unbind all domains except the primary domain.
```
# ldm stop-domain -a
# ldm unbind-domain <domain>
```
Specify the factory-default configuration and shut down the primary domain.
```
# ldm set-spconfig factory-default
# shutdown -i5 -g0 -y
```
From the service processor, perform a power cycle of the system to load the factory-default configuration.
```
-> stop /SYS
-> start /SYS
```

2.2.1.6 Obtaining the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Software

If you do not already have the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC software, download Oracle VM Agent for SPARC from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud:

https://edelivery.oracle.com/oraclevm

See Section 1.2, “Getting Installation ISOs and Packages”, in the appendix, for more information.

Use of Oracle VM Agent for SPARC is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 license at:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Since SPARC systems already include a hypervisor within the firmware by default, installation of Oracle VM Server for SPARC does not replace the existing operating system. Therefore, it is possible to perform the installation from within the existing control domain. Save the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC archive file in the control domain.

2.2.2 Installing the Distributed Lock Manager (DLM) Package

If you have not already installed the DLM package, you should download and install it before you install Oracle VM Agent. The DLM package is required to support server pool clustering.

Download the DLM package, ovs-dlm-3.4.1-bxxx.p5p, from https://edelivery.oracle.com/oraclevm. For more information about downloading software, see Section 1.2, “Getting Installation ISOs and Packages”.

To install the DLM package, do the following:

Stop the ovs-config service:
```
# svcadm disable -s ovs-config
```

Install the DLM package:

# pkg install -g ovs-dlm-3.4.x-bxxx.p5p dlm

Restart the ovs-config service:
```
# svcadm enable ovs-config
```

2.2.3 Installing Oracle VM Agent for SPARC

Before you install Oracle VM Agent for SPARC, configure the solaris publisher on the system, for example:

# pkg set-publisher -P -g https://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/support/ solaris

For detailed instructions, refer to the repository documentation at https://pkg-register.oracle.com/register/product_info/1/. In addition, for more information about configuring publishers, see http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54739/publisher-config.html#scrolltoc.

To install Oracle VM Agent for SPARC, do the following:

On the control domain, unpack the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC archive file:
```
# tar xzf ovs-ldoms-xx.tar.gz
```
Run the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC installer:
```
# cd ovs-ldoms-xx
# ./install
Oracle VM Agent Release 3.x.x Installer 
```
The installer includes a check to determine whether or not you are running a supported version of Solaris. If the Solaris version is below 11, the installer exits with an error message.

The installer installs all required packages

- Installing Packages

           Packages to install:  6
       Create boot environment: No
Create backup boot environment: No
            Services to change:  1

DOWNLOAD                                PKGS         FILES    XFER (MB)   SPEED
Completed                                6/6       226/226      1.6/1.6    0B/s

PHASE                                          ITEMS
Installing new actions                       353/353
Updating package state database                 Done
Updating image state                            Done
Creating fast lookup database                   Done
Reading search index                            Done
Updating search index                            6/6

The installer runs the Oracle VM Agent setup tool, ovs-agent-setup. For more information about the Oracle VM Agent setup tool, see Section 2.2.4, “Configuring Oracle VM Agent for SPARC”.
```
- Configuring the OVS Agent
```
The installer enables all required SMF services. See Section 2.2.6, “Using the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Service” for information on using the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC service.
```
- Enabling Required Services
Installation Completed.
```

The Oracle VM Agent for SPARC is installed in the control domain. Oracle VM Server for SPARC is now configured and ready to be discovered and managed by Oracle VM Manager.

2.2.4 Configuring Oracle VM Agent for SPARC

The Oracle VM Agent for SPARC can be configured using the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC setup command, ovs-agent-setup. This command checks that the system is properly configured to run the Oracle VM Agent . If the system is not properly configured then the command attempts to fix the configuration. The ovs-agent-setup command is automatically run when installing the Oracle VM Agent.

It is possible to run this command manually to control the configuration of the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC, run the ovs-agent-setup command on the control domain:

# ovs-agent-setup configure

2.2.4.1 Configuring the Network

If the server is not configured with the DefaultFixed network configuration profile, then the network profile configuration menu is displayed.

Network Configuration
*** ERROR: The DefaultFixed network profile is not enabled.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Profile Configuration

The system must be configured with the DefaultFixed network
profile. You can manually configured the DefaultFixed network
or you can use this tool to do the configuration. This tool
will configure a single network interface, all other network
interfaces will be unconfigured.

Do you want to use this tool to configure the network?

  1) Yes, use this tool to configure the network
  2) No, I will configure the network manually

Choice (1-2) [1]:

To use the tool to enable the DefaultFixed network configuration profile and configure the network, select 1.

To skip the configuration of the network, select 2. In which case, you must manually enable the DefaultFixed network configuration profile and configure the network.

When configuring the network, if you are not connected to the system console then a warning is displayed.
```
!!! WARNING !!!

You are not connected to the system console. Reconfiguring
the network can disrupt your remote connection to the server
and you can lose the remote access to the server.

!!! WARNING !!!

Are you sure that you want to continue?

  1) Yes, continue and configure the network
  2) No, cancel the configuration of the network

Choice (1-2):
```
To continue the network configuration, select 1.

Warning

Configuring the network can disrupt current network connections to the server and you can potentially lose your connection to the server. So it is safer to configure the network from the system console.

To cancel the configuration of the network, select 2. Then connect to the system console, and restart the configuration by running the ovs-agent-setup configure again.

The Oracle VM Management Interface menu is displayed.

Collecting information about network interfaces...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Oracle VM Management Interface

Choose the network interface to use for the management of this
machine.

  1) net0: 00:14:4f:e3:0f:12 (nxge0)
  2) net1: 00:14:4f:e3:0f:13 (nxge1)
  3) net2: 00:14:4f:e3:0f:14 (nxge2)
  4) net3: 00:14:4f:e3:0f:15 (nxge3)

Interface (1-4) [1]:

Select the network interface to use for the management of the server.

The Network Interface Configuration menu is displayed.
```
IPv4 Configuration for net0

  1) Dynamic IP configuration (DHCP)
  2) Manual address configuration

IPv4 Configuration (1-2) [1]:
```
To configure the network interface with DHCP, select 1. To configure the network interface with a static IP address, select 2.

Configuring the Network with DHCP
1. If the network interface is to be configured with DHCP, then the Hostname Configuration menu is displayed.
```
Hostname Configuration

If your system is part of a larger network where hostnames
are assigned by DHCP, select automatically via DHCP.
Otherwise, select manually and enter a hostname for your
system.

  1) automatically via DHCP
  2) manually

Hostname Configuration (1-2) [1]:
```
  If the server uses DHCP to assign its hostname, select 1. If the server has its own hostname, select 2. Then, at 'Hostname' prompt, enter the hostname to be used.
2. The Oracle VM management interface configuration is displayed:
```
Oracle VM Management Interface

  Interface: net0
  IP Address: DHCP
  Hostname: DHCP

Are these parameters correct?

  1) Yes, configure the network with these parameters
  2) No, enter new parameters for the network configuration

Choice (1-2):
```
  Select 1 to confirm that parameters are correct. The tool then configures the network. Select 2 if you want to enter new parameters, the process to configure the network then restarts from the beginning.
Configuring the Network With a Static IP
1. If the network interface is to be configured with a static IP configuration, then the tool requests to enter IP configuration information.
```
IP Address [192.168.1.10]:
  Prefix (Netmask) [255.255.255.0]:
  Gateway [192.168.1.1]:
  Primary DNS [192.168.168.168]:
  Secondary DNS [192.168.169.169]:
  Hostname [foo.example.com]:
```
2. The Oracle VM management interface configuration is displayed:
```
Oracle VM Management Interface

  Interface: net0
  IP Address: 192.168.1.10
  Prefix (Netmask): 255.255.255.0
  Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  Primary DNS: 192.168.168.168
  Secondary DNS: 192.168.169.169
  Hostname: foo.example.com

Are these parameters correct?

  1) Yes, configure the network with these parameters
  2) No, enter new parameters for the network configuration

Choice (1-2):
```
  Select 1 to confirm that parameters are correct. The tool then configures the network. Select 2 if you want to enter new parameters, the process to configure the network then restarts from the beginning.
Configuring the Hostname

The setup tool checks if the server is configured with a valid hostname, that is a hostname different from "localhost" and that resolves to an IP address different from 127.0.0.1.
1. If the hostname of the server is set to localhost, then an error is displayed.
```
*** ERROR: The server has an invalid hostname (localhost).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Server Hostname

The server has no hostname or an invalid hostname. Use
the "hostname" command to check and configure the hostname
of the server. You might also want to check the network
configuration of the server.

Press <return> to continue...
*** ERROR: The server has an invalid hostname (localhost).
```
  After the setup tool exists, you must use the hostname command to configure the hostname of the server.
2. If the hostname resolves to the 127.0.0.1 then an error is displayed and the /etc/hosts file is updated to not resolve the hostname to 127.0.0.1.
```
*** ERROR: The server hostname (foo) should not resolve to 127.0.0.1.
Configuring /etc/hosts to not resolve foo to 127.0.0.1
Updating /etc/inet/hosts, the previous file is backed up as /etc/inet/hosts.20121128190648
```
  When the setup tool updates the /etc/hosts file, the original /etc/hosts file is backup as /etc/inet/hosts.<date-and-time>.
3. If the hostname does not resolve to an IP address then an error is displayed.
```
*** ERROR: The server hostname (foo) does not resolve to an IP address.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Server IP Address

The server hostname does not resolve to an IP address.

  hostname: foo

Update the /etc/hosts file or the name service so that the
hostname of the server is resolved to a valid IP address.
You might also want to check the network configuration of
the server.

Press <return> to continue...
*** ERROR: The server hostname (fooxxx) does not resolve to an IP address.
```
  After the setup tool exits, you must update the /etc/hosts file or your name service so that the hostname resolves to a valid IP address. For more information about naming services, see the Working With Oracle Solaris 11.3 Naming and Directory Services: DNS and NIS documentation at:
  
  http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/

2.2.4.2 Configure the Storage

The setup tool checks if all disks are configured with Solaris I/O Multipathing. If some disks are not configured with Solaris I/O Multipathing, then the tool prints warning messages, and displays instructions for enabling Solaris I/O Multipathing.

Storage Configuration
*** WARNING: disk c6t216000C0FF8089D5d4s2 is not configured with I/O multipathing
*** WARNING: disk c5t216000C0FF8089D5d4s2 is not configured with I/O multipathing
*** WARNING: disk c3t4d0s2 is not configured with I/O multipathing
*** WARNING: disk c3t0d0s2 is not configured with I/O multipathing
*** WARNING: disk c3t1d0s2 is not configured with I/O multipathing

*** WARNING: Some disks are not configured with I/O multipathing, the usage of Solaris
I/O multipathing is recommended.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Solaris I/O Multipathing
The usage of Solaris I/O multipathing is recommended. To enable Solaris
I/O multipathing on all supported multipath capable controller ports, run
the following command:
    stmsboot -e
Note that a device will have a different name from its orginal name when
it is under Solaris I/O multipathing control, and a reboot is required for
changes to take effect.
Refer to the stmsboot(1M) man page for more information.
Press <return> to continue...

Note

The setup tool does not automatically enable Solaris I/O Multipathing. For more information about enabling Solaris I/O Multipathing, refer to Section 2.2.1.4, “Storage Requirements”.

2.2.4.3 Configure Clustering

The setup tool checks the clustering software is correctly configured.

If the clustering software is not correctly configured then its configuration is automatically updated.

Cluster Configuration
Cluster Configuration OK

2.2.4.4 Oracle VM Agent Configuration

If the Oracle VM Agent password is not defined then the Oracle VM Agent password menu is displayed.

*** ERROR: The Oracle VM Agent password is not defined.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Oracle VM Agent password

Enter a password for the Oracle VM Agent (ovs-agent)
This password is used in Oracle VM manager to manage
and monitor this server and its guest VMs. You must
type it twice to ensure you know what it is and
didn't make a mistake in typing.

Password:
Password (confirm):

Enter a password to be used for the Oracle VM Agent. This password is used by Oracle VM Manager to manage and monitor the Oracle VM Server for SPARC, and the guests created and running within it. This is the password you use when discovering Oracle VM Servers in Oracle VM Manager.

Then re-enter the password.

The password characters are not echoed to the screen. If the two passwords do not match, the tool prompts you to enter them again.

2.2.4.5 Configuring the Logical Domains Manager

The setup tool checks if the Logical Domains Manager is correctly configured.

If the Logical Domains Manager is not correctly configured then its configuration is automatically updated.

LDoms Manager Configuration
*** WARNING: The LDoms Manager is not configured for outgoing migration.
Configuring the domain manager
LDoms Manager Configuration OK

2.2.4.6 Activating a Logical Domain Configuration

The setup tool checks if the logical domain configuration is correct. If the logical domain configuration is not correct then it is automatically updated and saved on the Service Processor:

LDoms Configuration
*** ERROR: The vcc service is not configured on the primary domain.
*** ERROR: The vds service is not configured on the primary domain.
*** WARNING: The primary domain is configured with too many cpus for creating guest virtual
  machines.
*** WARNING: The primary domain is configured with too much memory for creating guest
  virtual machines.
*** WARNING: The primary domain is not configured with the recommended number of cpus (8).
*** WARNING: The primary domain is not configured with the recommended amount of memory (8GB).
*** WARNING: The system is not using the ovm-initial configuration.
Configuring the vcc service
Configuring the vds service
Configuring the primary domain
Saving the ovm-initial configuration on the service processor
LDoms Configuration OK

If the logical domain configuration has been updated then the logical domain configuration menu is displayed.

LDoms Configuration

The LDoms configuration has been created and stored on the
service processor. To activate this configuration, you need
to reboot the system.

Do you want to reboot the system now?

  1) Yes, reboot the system now
  2) No, I will reboot the system later

Choice (1-2):

Select 2 to exit the installer so that you can manually reboot the system to activate the logical domain configuration.

2.2.4.7 Configuring Virtual I/O Services

The setup tool checks that virtual I/O services are correctly configured.

If a virtual I/O service is not correctly configured then its configuration is automatically updated.

Virtual I/O Services Configuration
*** ERROR: The virtual disk service (vds) is not configured to be disabled at boot time.
*** ERROR: The virtual switch service (vsw) is not configured to be disabled at boot time.
Configuring the virtual disk service
Configuring the virtual switch service
Virtual I/O Services Configuration OK

2.2.5 Control Domain CPU and Memory Settings

The Oracle VM Agent setup tool configures the control domain with 1 CPU core. If the server has 16 GB of memory or more, the control domain is allocated 8 GB of memory. If the server has less than 16 GB of memory, the control domain is allocated 2 GB of memory and a warning message is displayed. ^[1] If you encounter performance issues because the control domain does not have enough CPUs or memory, you can increase the number of CPU cores and the amount of memory assigned to the control domain. Note, with the Oracle VM Agent, you cannot assign less than 1 CPU core and 2 GB of memory to the control domain, while 8 GB of memory for the control domain is the recommended minimum.

Use the following procedure to change the number of CPU cores or the amount of memory assigned to the control domain:

To change the number of CPU cores or memory assigned to the control domain

Connect as root to the control domain.
Specify the number of CPU cores to assign to the control domain. For example, to assign 2 cpu cores to the control domain:
```
# svccfg -s ovs-config setprop config/core_count=2
```
Specify the amount of memory (in GB) to assign to the control domain. For example, to assign 16 GB of memory to the control domain:
```
# svccfg -s ovs-config setprop config/memory_size=16
```

Refresh and restart the ovs-config service:

# svcadm refresh ovs-config
# svcadm restart ovs-config

The restart of the ovs-config service automatically reconfigures the control domain with the specified number of CPU cores and amount of memory and restarts the other Oracle VM Agentservices (ovs-agent and ovmwatch). Check that all services come back online:
```
# svcs ovm/*
STATE          STIME    FMRI
online         15:40:59 svc:/ovm/ovs-config:default
online         15:40:59 svc:/ovm/ovmwatch:default
online         15:41:18 svc:/ovm/ovs-agent:default
```
If a service fails to restart and goes into the maintenance state, check for errors in the log file of the service. The restart of the ovs-config service fails if the control domain cannot be configured with the specified number of CPU cores and amount of memory.

Note that the reconfiguration of the control domain is achieved dynamically without rebooting the control domain, but the new configuration persists if the control domain is rebooted. The reconfiguration can be achieved while virtual machines are running, and the change impacts any running virtual machines. The server can continue to be managed with Oracle VM Manager while the ovs-agent is not fully restarted.

To restore the default configuration, use the same steps to set the core_count and memory_size to 0.

2.2.6 Using the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Service

To check the status of the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC service:

# svcs ovs-agent

To start the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC service:

# svcadm enable -r ovs-agent

To stop the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC service:

# svcadm disable ovs-agent

If the Oracle VM Agent service fails to come online, look for errors in the /var/svc/log/ovm-ovs-agent:default.log file.

You can also check if the configuration has any error by running the following command:

# ovs-agent-setup check

If the command reports any error, then the Oracle VM Agent service is be unable to start.

For more detailed information about managing Oracle Solaris 11 services, see Managing System Services in Oracle Solaris 11.3:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54799/eqbrs.html#scrolltoc

2.2.7 Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Log File

The Oracle VM Agent for SPARC log file is located at:

/var/log/ovs-agent.log

The Oracle VM Agent for SPARC service log file is located at:

/var/svc/log/ovm-ovs-agent:default.log

The Oracle VM Agent for SPARC configuration service log file is located at:

/var/svc/log/ovm-ovs-config:default.log

2.2.8 Uninstalling Oracle VM Agent for SPARC

To uninstall Oracle VM Agent for SPARC:

On the control domain, change directory to the location in which you uncompressed the Oracle VM Agent (see Section 2.2.3, “Installing Oracle VM Agent for SPARC”), and run the following as the root user:
```
# cd ovs-ldoms-xx
# ./uninstall
```
The script uninstalls Oracle VM Agent for SPARC and removes the default Oracle VM Storage Connect plug-ins.

^[1] This is only likely to occur on older SPARC systems such as the T2, T2+ and the T3, since these systems can have a minimum of 4 GB or 8 GB of memory. Newer servers like the T4 (with a minimum of 16 GB) and the T5 (with a minimum of 128 GB), are unaffected and are automatically configured so that the control domain is allocated a full 8 GB of memory.

Chapter 2 Installing Oracle VM Server

2.1 Installing Oracle VM Server on x86 Hardware

2.1.1 Preinstallation Tasks and Requirements

2.1.1.1 Hardware Requirements

2.1.1.2 Software Requirements

2.1.1.3 Network Requirements

2.1.1.4 Oracle VM Server Memory Settings

2.1.1.5 Obtaining the Software

2.1.2 Installing Oracle VM Server From a DVD-ROM

Disk Partition Layout

Boot Loader Partition

Kdump Setting

Management Network Interface

Management VLAN

Network Interface Configuration

Time and Date Settings

Root and Agent Passwords

Existing Installation Check

Final Installation Steps

2.1.3 Installing Oracle VM Server to Multipath Storage

2.1.4 Performing a Kickstart Installation of Oracle VM Server

2.1.4.1 Creating Kickstart Configuration Files

2.1.4.2 Kickstart Configurations

Single Disk Partitions

Software RAID Partitions

Considerations for Kickstart Configurations

2.2 Installing Oracle VM Server on SPARC Hardware

2.2.1 Preinstallation Tasks and Requirements

2.2.1.1 Hardware Requirements

2.2.1.2 Software and System Firmware Requirements

2.2.1.3 Network Requirements

2.2.1.4 Storage Requirements

2.2.1.5 Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Configuration Requirements

2.2.1.6 Obtaining the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Software

2.2.2 Installing the Distributed Lock Manager (DLM) Package

2.2.3 Installing Oracle VM Agent for SPARC

2.2.4 Configuring Oracle VM Agent for SPARC

2.2.4.1 Configuring the Network

Configuring the Network with DHCP

Configuring the Network With a Static IP

Configuring the Hostname

2.2.4.2 Configure the Storage

2.2.4.3 Configure Clustering

2.2.4.4 Oracle VM Agent Configuration

2.2.4.5 Configuring the Logical Domains Manager

2.2.4.6 Activating a Logical Domain Configuration

2.2.4.7 Configuring Virtual I/O Services

2.2.5 Control Domain CPU and Memory Settings

2.2.6 Using the Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Service

2.2.7 Oracle VM Agent for SPARC Log File

2.2.8 Uninstalling Oracle VM Agent for SPARC