C H A P T E R  5

Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9) Software

This chapter describes how to install and update SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9) Software on Sun Fire V20 and Sun Fire V40z servers. Any differences in procedure between the two servers are noted.



Note - The system-administration procedures in this chapter are intended for users with at least basic Linux administration experience.





Note - You can use the Sun Installation Assistant CD to help you install the operating system. The assistant also takes care of upgrading the SCSI and Network drivers for your server.



This chapter is organized into the following sections.


Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 From CDs

This section describes how to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 software from the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD media set.

Installing from CDs consists of the following procedures.

1. Install the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 software. See Installing the Software.

2. Update the SUSE Linux Enterprise software. See Updating the Operating System and Drivers.

Required Items

The CD installation procedure requires the following items.



Note - A mouse is recommended for the installation, but not required. If you are not using a mouse, you can use the Tab key to toggle the selections.



Installing the Software



Note - If you are using the Sun Installation Assistant CD, you begin at Step 5.



1. Connect the keyboard and monitor to the appropriate connectors on the Sun Fire V20z or Sun Fire V40z server.

2. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 and boot the server.

The server boots off of the CD. The SLES9 Bootloader appears with a number of installation options.



Note - You can change the video resolution of the installer by pressing the corresponding Function key on the keyboard shown on the selection screen.



3. Select "Installation" from the SLES9 Bootloader.

The screen will timeout with the default selection if you to do not press Enter.

4. Read the Novell Software License Agreement. If you agree with the terms, choose Accept.

5. Select the appropriate language and select Accept.

The installer will probe the server in order to obtain the recommended settings after this selection.

6. If a dialog box displays asking whether you want to perform a new installation, select New Installation and then OK.

A recommended configuration is displayed in the Installation Settings screen.

7. If the displayed configuration is acceptable for your environment, select Accept. Otherwise, select the component you wish to change and make the appropriate changes.

For most users, the default settings will be appropriate. Refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation Guide for more details about changing individual components.

8. Select Yes when prompted to start the installation.

9. When you are prompted to switch the CD, eject the CD from the drive, insert the requested CD and press OK.

You might not need all of the CDs, depending on which options you selected for installation. This installation of the RPMs will take about 15 minutes, depending on what you selected for installation.

After successful installation of the base system, a dialog box displays, instructing you to remove the inserted media.



Note - If you are using the Sun Installation Assistant CD, the Assistant GUI reappears and automatically installs the correct drivers. Once finished, the Assistant prompts you to reboot the server.



10. Remove any inserted media and select OK.

After the system has rebooted, the installer will prompt you to enter the superuser password.

11. Enter a superuser password of your choice.



Note - Ensure that you remember the password. If you forget it, you may have to re-install the operating system.



The installer prompts you to verify your network configuration.

12. Adjust the parameters to match your installation needs and select Accept.

The installer prompts you to test the Internet connection. We recommend that you skip this step.

13. Select the appropriate options to skip this step.

14. The next step is Service Configuration. This step enables you to set up trusted certificates.

Refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation Guide for more details.

15. The next step is to choose your Authentication method.

Based on your network configuration, select one of the following:

16. You can add additional users at this point, or just select Next if you do not wish to add more users.

17. The Release Notes for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 are displayed. Read the notes and select Accept.

The hardware configuration is now displayed. This step enables you to make hardware changes systems such as the video subsystem.

18. Make any changes to the hardware configuration and select Accept.

If you are satisfied with the parameters displayed, simply select Accept.

19. Select Finish.

The installation is complete.

20. Proceed to Updating the Operating System and Drivers.


Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Software From a Network

The tasks for installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 software from a networked PXE server consist of the following procedures.

1. Configure your network to support PXE installation. See Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation.

2. Create a PXE install image on a system that will be the PXE server, from which the software is downloaded to other systems (PXE clients). See Creating a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.

3. Install the SUSE Linux software to the PXE clients from the PXE server. See Installing the Software from a PXE Server.

4. Update the SUSE Linux software. See Updating the Operating System and Drivers.

Required Items

The PXE installation procedure requires the following items.

Creating a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server

This procedure describes how to create a PXE install image on the same server that is your DHCP server, so that it will also act as your PXE server. The PXE server provides the operating system files to your PXE client.



Note - Before you start this procedure, verify that your network has been configured as described in Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation.



1. Set up the directory structure that will hold the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 .

You can use a different target directory than the /home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/ directory shown. The examples in this procedure use this directory.

# mkdir -p /home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/sles9/CD1

# mkdir -p /home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD{1,2,3,4,5}

2. Insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/sles9/CD1

3. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

4. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 2 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server, by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD1

5. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 2 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

6. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 3 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server, by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD2

7. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 3 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

8. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 4 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server, by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD3

9. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 4 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

10. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 5 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server, by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD4

11. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 5 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

12. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 6 into your server and copy its contents to your PXE server, by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cp -a /media/cdrom/* \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/core9/CD5

13. Unmount the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 6 with the following command and remove it from the server:

# umount /dev/cdrom

14. Set up the boot environment for the client system to boot from by typing the following commands:

# cd /home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/

# ln -s sles9/CD1/boot .

15. Set up the content and media directories by typing the following commands:

# ln -s sles9/CD1/content .

# ln -s sles9/CD1/media.1 .

# ln -s sles9/CD1/control.xml .

16. Set up the appropriate content and instorder files by typing the following commands:

# mkdir yast

# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/order yast/

# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/instorder yast/

17. Copy the autoinst.xml file from the /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/ directory to the root of the PXE image by typing the following commands:

# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/autoinst.xml \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/

18. On your PXE server, modify and save the file /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default to add the following entry to it:

Type the text block from append through autoinst.xml as one continuous string with no returns.

default SunFire_sles9
label SunFire_sles9
kernel SunFire_sles9/boot/loader/linux

append textmode=1
initrd=SunFire_sles9/boot/loader/initrd
install=nfs://
n.n.n.n/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9 insmod=bcm5700
autoyast=nfs://
n.n.n.n/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/autoinst.xml

Where n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.



Note - For console-based installations, add console=ttyS0,19200 to the append line.



19. Create a directory to hold the updated Ethernet and SCSI driver RPMs.

# mkdir /home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/rpms

20. Copy the Ethernet and SCSI RPMs into this new directory by typing the following command:

# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/*.x86_64.rpm \
/home/pxeboot/SunFire_sles9/rpms/

Installing the Software from a PXE Server

This procedure describes how to initiate the request from the target Sun Fire V20z or Sun Fire V40z server to download the boot image file from the PXE/DHCP server and to install the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 software onto the target server.



Note - This procedure assumes that you have already preconfigured your network and PXE server install image as described in Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation and Creating a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.



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

The PXE client is the target Sun Fire V20z or Sun Fire V40z server to which you are installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 software.

2. When the PXE client prompts you for a network boot, press the F12 key.

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

3. Press the F8 key to begin the downloading of the PXE boot image.

4. When you are prompted at the boot: prompt, type in the label you gave the image during Step 18 of Creating a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 install image downloads onto the target Sun Fire V20z server.

5. To configure the Linux operating system for your server, refer to the manual that is shipped with your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 media kit.

6. Proceed to Updating the Operating System and Drivers.


Updating the Operating System and Drivers

The CD media may not contain the most up-to-date versions of the software. Since the media has been released, there have been many updates to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server software.

See the following procedures for instructions on updating the SUSE Linux Enterprise 9 software.

Updating SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Software

To keep your system protected against security threats and increase stability, you should run the yast2 program when the system is fully installed. Refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 documentation for futher details on YaST Online Update.

This procedure assumes you have your system configured to connect to the Internet.

1. Log in as the superuser.

2. Run the following command:

# you

3. Follow the directions on the screen.



Note - If a newer kernel is installed as part of the update, it might downgrade some drivers. Refer to Upgrading SCSI and Network Drivers for information on upgrading the drivers.



Upgrading SCSI and Network Drivers

The kernel that is installed on the system might not contain the optimal drivers that Sun Microsystems recommends. Updating the drivers ensures proper system performance.

The instructions below describe how to copy the latest drivers from the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z Servers Documentation and Support Files CD. You can also download the driver RPMs from the product pages for the Sun Fire V20z and Sun Fire V40z servers. The following URL is valid for both servers:

http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/v20z/downloads.html

 

1. Determine which kernel is currently installed on the system by running the following command:

# rpm -qa | grep kernel

The following is an example of the output you might get:

kernel-smp-2.6.5-7.97

2. Insert the Documentation and Support Files CD into the Sun Fire V20z or Sun Fire V40z server.

3. Mount the CD and locate the Ethernet and SCSI drivers by typing the following commands:

# mount /media/cdrom

# cd /media/cdrom/support/drivers/suse/sles9_64/

4. Determine which driver RPMs correspond to the kernel version as determined in Step 1.

The filenames of the RPMs contain the kernel version and type. For example, for the kernel version in Step 1, the Ethernet (bcm5700) and SCSI (mptlinux) drivers would be:

bcm5700-smp-7.3.5_2.6.5_7.97-sles9_2.x86_64.rpm

mptlinux-smp-3.01.14.23_2.6.5_7.97-sles9_1.x86_64.rpm

Where 2.6.5_7.97 represents the kernel number that correponds to
kernel-smp-2.6.5-7.97.

5. Run the following command to install the RPM files:

# rpm -Uvh /media/cdrom/support/drivers/suse/sles9_64/broadcom/bcm5700-driver.rpm

 

# rpm -Uvh /media/cdrom/support/drivers/suse/sles9_64/lsi/mptlinux-driver.rpm

Where bcm5700-driver and mptlinux-driver refers to the appropriate Ethernet and SCSI driver rpm files, as determined in Step 4.



Note - The following steps are for installing NPS drivers, which include JNET and machine check kernel drivers, as well as POCI, a monitoring daemon. This software is required in order to enable hardware monitoring, OS-state reporting and SNMP proxy service to the server's service processor.



6. Locate the NPS RPM on the Documentation and Support Files CD that corresponds to your operating system version and architecture.

The NPS RPM files are located in OS-specific directories within this top level path on the CD: /support/sysmgmt/

7. Install the NPS RPM by typing the following command:

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/support/sysmgmt/suse/sles9/ \<nps-OS_name_version-Build_number-V2>.rpm

Where nps-OS_name _version-Build_number-V2 represents the OS name and OS version number, the build number, the NSV version and the architecture of the NPS RPM file. A sample file name is:

nps-sles9-2.6.5-7.97-smp-V2.2.0.6-0.x86_64.rpm 

Alternatively, the NPS RPM can be compiled and installed from source by typing the following commands:

# cd /usr/src/packages

# tar -xvf /mnt/cdrom/support/sysmgmt/src/<nps_filename>.tar.gz

# rpm -bb SPECS/nps.spec

# rpm -ivh `find ./RPMS | grep nps`



Note - Some Linux variants might require the rpmbuild command instead of the rpm command. Check with the documentation for your version of Linux.



8. After successful installation, reboot the system by running the following command:

# reboot