| Sun Fire X2250 Server Operating System Installation Guide |    
|
| C H A P T E R 1 |
|
Operating System Installation Overview |
This chapter presents an overview of the information you should consider when planning the installation of a new operating system on a Sun Fire X2250 server.
This chapter contains the following topics:
TABLE 1-1 identifies the minimum operating system editions supported for the X2250 server.
For future reference, an updated list of the most recent operating systems supported or certified on the X2250 server can be found at this site:
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/X2250/os.jsp
You can also purchase supported editions of Red Hat, SUSE, or Windows operating system software from Sun at the following site:
For your convenience, you can order hard disk drives (HDDs)for the X2250 server with factory-installed operating system software. This means that the software for the operating system is completely installed on the HDD, including the latest operating system device drivers. However, you must perform some setup actions prior to using the operating system. For more information about performing these initial setup actions, see “Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris 10 Operating System” chapter in the Sun Fire X2250 Server Installation Guide (820-4591).
Each X2250 server is shipped with a DOS-based Pc-Check Utility. You can access and execute this diagnostic program from the Sun Fire X2250 Server Tools and Drivers CD. The Pc-Check diagnostic program detects and tests all motherboard components, ports, and slots. If you encounter hardware-related error messages such as memory errors or hard disk errors, you can run one of the following Pc-Check diagnostic tests:
For more information about these tests and how to access and execute the Pc-Check diagnostic program, see the “Performing Diagnostics” chapter in the Sun Fire X2250 Server Service Manual (820-4953).
When planning the installation of an operating system (OS) on a Sun Fire X2250 server, review the following topics before you begin the installation:
Note that if you are planning to perform a software RAID prior to installing the Windows operating system, see Configure Software RAID (optional).
When installing an OS on a Sun Fire X2250 server, you can use any of the following console options to capture the output or input of the installation.
You can establish console access to the OS installation program through the serial port on the Sun Fire X2250 server. If you choose to use this option when performing the OS installation, you must:
| Note - A dumb terminal (such as VT100) or a laptop attached to a serial port are considered examples of a serial console. |
start /SP/console
You can establish console access to the OS installation program through the VGA port on the X2250 server. If you choose to use this console option to perform the OS installation, you must:
The Sun ILOM Remote Console is a Java
application that is launched from the ILOM web interface. For this console option, the text output device is the remote console that is running the Sun ILOM Remote Console application. The input devices are the remote keyboard and mouse.
If you choose to use the Sun ILOM Remote Console to perform the OS installation, you must:
For details about configuring ILOM for remote KVMS and launching the Sun ILOM Remote Console, see Appendix A.
You can establish console access through a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the X2250 server SP. This console option is similar to the “console connection using serial port connection” except that it uses a SSH connection to the serial port.
If you choose to use this console option to perform the OS installation, you must:
start /sp/console
You can choose to use local or remote installation media when installing an operating system on a X2250 server. Which media option you choose to use will depend on the type of installation you want to perform.
To use this method you must either have a local CD/DVD drive on the X2250 server or you must physically attach a CD/DVD drive to the USB connector on the X2250 server.
Automating the installation process (with RIS, JumpStart, KickStart, or AutoYaST) can eliminate some or most of the manual tasks of setting up the operating system installation for the first time on multiple systems. Instead, you simply apply the properly configured image on the targeted installation servers for installation.
The remote media method does not require you to be physically near the server. You can choose to boot the installation media over the network using a virtual drive or PXE client.
Some of the hardware and software requirements to install the operating system using remote media include:
For the initial release of the X2250 server, all operating systems must be installed to the local hard drive on the X2250 server.
You can choose to install a Linux or Windows operating system on the X2250 server by following the installation instructions provided in this guide. Alternatively, you can choose to use the Sun Installation Assistant (SIA) utility when installing a Linux or Windows operating system on a X2250 server.
The Sun Installation Assistant is a tool that assists in the installation of supported Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems. With SIA, you can install the OS, the appropriate drivers, and if necessary, additional system software by simply booting the SIA media and following the prompts.
SIA does not automate the OS installation process. You still need to follow the vendor installation procedures for your OS, but you do not have to inventory your system hardware, search out and download device drivers most recently supported by Sun, nor will you need to create a separate driver CD. SIA does that work for you.
For more information about using SIA to install a Linux or Windows operating system on a X2250 server, see the Sun Installation Assistant for Windows and Linux User’s Guide (820-3357).
| Sun Fire X2250 Server Operating System Installation Guide | 820-4592-12 |
|
Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.