Installing the Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS

C H A P T E R 3

This chapter provides procedures for installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) operating system on a Sun Blade X6450 server module. If you have installed RHEL software on other Intel servers, you are already familiar with how to install it on a Sun Blade X6450 server module.

This chapter describes three methods of installing the RHEL OS on your server module:

A RHEL distribution CD in a local CD-ROM.

A RHEL distribution CD in a remote CD-ROM that is accessed using the ELOM’s Remote Console application.

An installation from the network, using a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) image stored on a PXE server on your local network or from an image stored elsewhere on your network.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Before You Begin

Installing the RHEL OS From Distribution Media

Installing the RHEL OS From a PXE Server

Updating the RHEL Operating System

Updating the Server-Specific Software

Before You Begin

This section provides RHEL reference information.

Sun Installation Assistant

The Sun Installation Assistant (SIA) is a convenient, front-end application designed to assist you in installing supported versions of Linux on your server. SIA supplements the standard installation utilities and procedures that ship with your operating system; it does not replace them. For more on the SIA, see Chapter 2 and the Sun Installation Assistant for Windows and Linux User’s Guide (820-3357), and http://www.sun.com/systemmanagement/sia.jsp.

Installation Overview

Installing RHEL software consists of the following procedures:

1. Install the RHEL software. See either:

Installing the RHEL OS From Distribution Media.

Installing the RHEL OS From a PXE Server.

2. Update the RHEL software. See Updating the RHEL Operating System.

3. Update the server-specific software. See Updating the Server-Specific Software.

RHEL Installation and Administration Documentation

Before you install the RHEL software, consult the following RHEL documentation.

TABLE 3-1 Sources for RHEL Documentation
Document	Description	Where to Find
README file	Contains late-breaking information about system requirements and system configuration for your version of the RHEL software.	On the RHEL CD 1, and online from `http://www.redhat.com/docs/`
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Quick Installation Guide	Brief printed guide containing useful information to assist you during the installation of RHEL.	Included with the RHEL distribution media
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide	Full version of the printed Quick Installation Guide.	Included on the Red Hat Documentation CD, and available for download from `http://www.redhat.com/docs/`
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Introduction to System Administration	Introductory information for RHEL system administrators.	Available for download from `http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/`
Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide	Information about customizing the RHEL software.	Available for download from `http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/`
System Administration for Diskless Booting	Information about configuring your server and Red Hat Linux for diskless booting.	Available for download as the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide for the x86, Itanium, and AMD64 Architectures at `http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/`
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Security Guide	Guide for securing the RHEL software.	Available for download from `http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/`

Use the table below to identify the installation task and the relevant procedure.

TABLE 3-2 Installation Tasks and Procedures
Installation Task	See Procedure
Install using the Sun Installation Assistant.	Sun Installation Assistant for Windows and Linux User's Guide
Install RHEL from distribution media.	Installing the RHEL OS From Distribution Media
Install RHEL from a PXE server.	Installing the RHEL OS From a PXE Server
Update RHEL software.	Updating the RHEL Operating System

Installing the RHEL OS From Distribution Media

RHEL provides both a text mode and an easy-to-use graphical interface for installing and configuring the operating system. At the boot prompt, you can select the interface that you want to use. Both options are shown later in this section.

Required Items

Installation from distribution media requires the following items:

Sun Blade X6450 server module.

RHEL media CD set.

If you are doing a local install (not a remote KVMS session) you need:

USB keyboard and mouse

USB CD/DVD

Monitor

Dongle connector to plug into the front slot of the server module

To Install RHEL From Distribution Media

1. Connect your CD/DVD device.

If you are using a CD/DVD connected to the USB:

a. Connect the USB CD/DVD drive into the USB port of the dongle.

b. Insert the RHEL Distribution CD 1 into the DVD/CD drive connected to the server module.

If you are using a KVMS, mount the CD/DVD or an equivalent ISO image using KVMS, as described in Using a Remote Control Application (KVMS).

2. Power on the system.

a. Press F8 during POST to enter the BBS Pop-up.

A boot device list appears.

b. Select the CD/DVD device from the boot list.

If you are connecting over USB, select USB CD/DVD.

If you are connecting over a KVMS, select Virtual CD/DVD.

The server boots from the selected media and displays a boot: menu.

3. At the boot prompt, select one of the following:

For text mode, type the following command:

boot: linux text

For graphical mode, press Enter.

4. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide to guide you through the remainder of the installation process.

5. Update the operating system.

See Updating the RHEL Operating System.

If the installation process does not recognize the CD inserted, please refer to the Sun Blade X6450 Server Module Product Notes.

Installing the RHEL OS From a PXE Server

This procedure describes how to configure your server module to initiate the request to download the boot image file from the PXE/DHCP server and how to install the RHEL boot image on your server module.

Before You Begin

Before you configure your server to install RHEL from a PXE server, you need to do the following:

Configure your Linux network to support a PXE server. See the Red Hat Linux documentation.

Install a RHEL image on that Linux PXE server.

To Install RHEL From a PXE Server

1. Connect the server module to the same network as the PXE server, and power on the server module.

2. During POST, press the F12 key.

The PXE client connects to the PXE server and attempts to obtain an IP address from the DHCP server.

3. When prompted, press the F8 key to begin downloading the PXE boot image.

4. At the boot: prompt, type the label you gave the image when you installed a RHEL image on the PXE server.

The RHEL installation image is downloaded onto the target server module.

5. To configure the Linux operating system for your server, refer to the manual that is shipped with your RHEL media kit.

6. Update the operating system files.

See Updating the RHEL Operating System .

Updating the RHEL Operating System

This procedure describes how to update the RHEL operating system.

Because software is constantly being updated, your distribution media might not contain the most up-to-date versions of the operating system.

Follow this procedure after your operating system is installed.

To Update the RHEL Operating System

1. Navigate to the Red Hat web site.

http://rhn.redhat.com

2. Follow the instructions to update your RHEL operating system.

You need your enterprise account information to download the updated ISO images. An enterprise account is an account that the customer creates to access Red Hat's support network after purchasing the RHEL media kit.

Updating the Server-Specific Software

This section describes how to install server-specific software from the Tools and Drivers CD.

The following procedures assume that you have already installed the RHEL OS and updates.

All files are located on the Tools and Drivers CD.

The updates include:

Sun StorageTek RAID Manager (SSTRM)

AST2000 Driver

LSI Driver

MegaRAID Storage Manager (MSM)

To Install SSTRM

Note - This utility is only required for server modules equipped with a Sun Blade RAID 5 Expansion Module.

1. Type the command:

cd /mnt/linux/tools/ASM/name/manager

where name is x86 for 32-bit, or x86_64 for 64-bit.

2. Type the command:

For 32-bit:

rpm -ihv StorMan-5.50.i386.rpm

For 64-bit:

rpm -ihv StorMan-5.50.x86_64.rpm

When the rpm command is done, you can start and use the SSTRM utility.

To Install the AST2000 Driver

1. Type the commands:

cd /mnt/linux/drivers/video
cp lxdrv.tar.gz /tmp
tar -zxf /tmp/lxdrv.tar.gz

2. Follow the instruction in README.txt to install the drivers.

3. When you are done, reboot the system to initialize the new driver:

reboot

To Install the LSI Driver

Note - This driver is only required for server modules equipped with a Sun Blade RAID 0/1 G2 Expansion Module.

1. Type the commands:

cd /mnt/linux/drivers/lsi

For RHEL 4.6, 32-bit:

rpm -ivh mptlinux-redhat4.0-3.13.04.00-1.i686.rpm

For RHEL 4.6, 64-bit:

rpm -ivh mptlinux-redhat4.0-3.13.04.00-1.x86_64.rpm

For RHEL 5.0, 64-bit:

rpm -ivh mptlinux-4.00.42.00-1-rhel5.x86_64.rpm

2. When the rpm command is done, reboot the system to initialize the new driver:

reboot

To Install the MegaRAID Storage Manager

Note - This utility is only required for server modules equipped with a Sun Blade RAID 0/1 G2 Expansion Module.

1. Type the commands:

cd /mnt/linux/tool/MSM/

cp MSM_linux_installer-2.35-01.tar.gz /tmp

tar -zxf /tmp/MSM_linux_installer-2.35-01.tar.gz

2. Follow the instruction in README.txt to install the utility.

When you are done, you can start and use the MSM utility.