| Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server Installation Guide |    
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| C H A P T E R 3 |
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Configuring the Preinstalled Solaris Operating System |
This chapter walks you through the steps for configuring the Solaris Operating System (OS) that has been preinstalled on your Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server. Solaris 10 4/08 is required for the Sun Fire X4540 Server.
| Note - Unlike SPARC® systems, you do not see most of the output of the pre-installed Solaris 10 image through a monitor when you power on the server. You will see the BIOS Power-On Self Test (POST) and other boot information output.
You have the option of displaying the installation process as shown in the section: To Redirect the Console Output to a Root Device, Root Mirror, or VGA. The server ships with its console redirected to the serial port. For more information, see To Connect to the Server Using a Terminal Program. |
This chapter covers the following topics:
Before you begin configuring the preinstalled OS:
1. Perform initial configuration of the server’s Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) Service Processor (SP) and determine the server’s network settings, as described in Configuring the Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server Through the Service Processor.
2. Gather the information that you need for the configuration, as listed in Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet. Note that default values are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Use the worksheet in TABLE 3-1 to gather the information that you need for configuring the preinstalled Solaris OS.
The IO board and SP MAC addresses are printed on their respective PC boards, but they are also printed on the system controller handle.
Note the following important guidelines when installing the Solaris OS on the Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server:
The controller number of the bootable disk differs depending on the server’s configuration. For example, the controller number of the bootable disk is set during installation based on:
Thus, you must identify the bootable disk during the installation procedure.
The Sun Fire X4500 Server comes with six controllers, each supporting up to eight SATA drives, for a total of 48 SATA drives. Before you reinstall the Solaris OS, you need to determine the logical device name that corresponds to the two bootable disks, which is in the form:
cXtYdZsW
The Sun Fire X4540 Server comes with six controllers, each supporting up to eight SATA drives, for a total of 48 SATA drives. Before you reinstall the Solaris OS, you need to determine the logical device name that corresponds to the two bootable disks, which is in the form:
cXtYdZsW
| Note - Compact Flash (CF) storage impacts the number of SATA drives. So the SATA number might change. |
To determine the bootable disk, use the command cfgadm as described below. The cfgadm command provides configuration administration operations on dynamically reconfigurable hardware resources. For more information this command, see the man page.
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This procedure assumes you are running the Solaris Installation Program and you are reinstalling the Solaris 10 operating system.
1. From the Solaris Installation Program, choose the installation type.
From the Solaris Installation Program, you should see a screen similar to this:
Select the type of installation you want to perform: 1 Solaris Interactive 2 Custom JumpStart 3 Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop session) 4 Solaris Interactive Text (Console session) 5 Apply driver updates 6 Single user shell Enter the number of your choice followed by the <ENTER> key. Alternatively, enter custom boot arguments directly. If you wait 30 seconds without typing anything,an interactive installation will be started.
a. Choose option 1 or 3 as the installation type as these options allow you to open a terminal window while running the installation program. Opening a terminal window is required in Step 4.
b. Alternatively, you can choose 4, Console session, exit the installation after verifying that the system is complete, type the commands in Step 4, and restart the installation by using the suninstall command.
2. Use the information gathered in Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet to help you enter the system and network information when prompted.
3. When prompted for the type of installation you want to perform, click Next.
4. Find the logical disk name for the bootable disks.
a. Open a terminal window by right-clicking your mouse and choosing the option Program > Terminal.
b. Determine the bootable disk for installing the operating system by typing:
This command lists all the disks. The first two disks listed in the first two controller channels are bootable disks for the server.
5. Go back to the installation program and select the logical disk name that corresponds to the bootable disk onto which you want to install the Solaris OS.
In this example, the bootable disk in physical slot #0 has the logical disk name of c4t0d0.
| Note - You might see a message that the disk is not a bootable disk drive. Ignore this message and continue. |
a. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the bootable disk determined in Step 4 and press F2 to continue.
b. If the disk you chose contains Windows or Linux partitions, you need to create a Solaris partition that can coexist with the Windows or Linux partition. To do this, follow the prompts to create a Solaris fdisk partition to hold the Solaris OS installation.
6. Install the latest version of required patches as described on the product download site. To access the product download site, go to the following web site and locate the Downloads section.
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4500/support.xml
Sun provides flexible training options that accommodate your personal schedule and learning style. The training options include instructor-led, web-based online, CD-ROM and Live Virtual classes. For Solaris 10 Training and Certification options at a glance, please visit:
http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/solaris10.html
When installing Solaris 10 onto an X4540 Server using a Compact Flash (CF) card as the boot media, do the following:
1. Use the preferred (supported) version of Solaris 10, update 5, build 10.
2. Use only 8-GB or 16-GB CF devices.
3. During the install process, relocate swap and /var onto a partition of an internal drive so that those active partitions do not remain on the CF card.
4. Once the installation is complete, set up another partition on the selected internal device for core dumps. Issue the following command to direct core files to the partition on the internal device:
dumpadm -c kernel -d /dev/dsk/cXtYd0sZ -s savecore-dir
| Note - Leaving swap and /var on the CF card will work, but your CF card will degrade much faster than it would if relocating those active partitions to another device. |
After the installation, you are able to boot up from the CF device and utilize the maximum amount of drive space on the system.
The Solaris 10 Operating System is preinstalled on the drive in slot 0 and the mirrored drive in slot 8. Use the information that you gathered in Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet as you configure this preinstalled OS.
You can access the system console by connecting to the service processor CLI as described here:
You can redirect the Console output:
You can configure the preinstalled Solaris OS by using another system to connect to the server:
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In this procedure, you connect to the service processor CLI, and use it to access the system console. You can do this using two methods:
| Note - The system console screen should remain blank until the system is powered on. |
If you are going to use SSH (method 1), the following conditions must be present:
If these conditions are not present, use a serial cable (method 2).
See the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User's Guide for more details.
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1. Connect to the service processor using one of the following methods:
Method 1: To connect using SSH:
b. Type the following command:
-> ssh -l root <sp_ip_address>
The service processor displays its login prompt.
Method 2: To connect using a serial cable and a terminal capture program:
a. Use a cable to connect the serial port of the server to the serial port of the serial capture host system.
b. Start a terminal session to capture the serial port output:
-> $ tip -9600 /dev/ttya
The service processor displays its login prompt.
2. Log in to the service processor as an Administrator, for example:
login: root
password: changeme
The service processor displays its prompt:
->
3. Start the system console by typing the following:
-> start /SP/console
The system console remains inactive (blank) until you turn on the system power.
4. Use a pointed object to press and release the recessed Power button on the server front panel. See FIGURE 1-17 for the location of the Power button.
Messages scroll by on the system console screen.
5. Follow the Solaris 10 onscreen prompts.
6. Use the information gathered in the Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet to help you enter the system and network information as you are prompted.
The screens that are displayed vary, depending on the method that you chose for assigning network information to the server (DHCP or static IP address).
After you have entered the system configuration information, the server posts a warning then reboots the system. When it reboots, the Solaris login prompt appears.
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After completing the preceding steps and while logged in to the SP, if you wish to redirect the console output to the video port, run the eeprom command at the prompt using the following arguments:
/eeprom console=text/
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The server’s console is automatically directed to the serial port. GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB), the open-source boot loader, is the default bootloader in the Solaris OS for X86 or X64-based systems. GRUB is the first software program that runs after you power-on a system.
From the GRUB menu, you have the option of booting from the root device, the root mirror, or VGA as shown here.
GNU GRUB version 0.95 (619K lower / 4094912K upper memory) **************************************************************** * Solaris 10 8/07 s10x_u3wos_10 X86 * * Solaris failsafe * * Solaris 10 8/07 s10x_u3wos_10 X86 (VGA) * * Solaris 10 8/07 - Mirror disk * * Solaris 10 8/07 - Mirror disk (VGA) * ****************************************************************
Use the up and down keys to select which entry is highlighted. Press Enter to boot the selected OS, e to edit the commands before booting, or c for a command line.
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| Note - This procedure assumes that you have connected the server to your network through an Ethernet cable. |
1. Determine the service processor’s IP address:
a. Power on the main power to the platform by using a stylus to press the recessed Power button on the front panel.
Power-On Self-Test (POST) messages appear on your screen as the OS boots.
b. Initialize the BIOS Setup utility by pressing the F2 key while the system is performing the POST.
The main BIOS screen is displayed.
The Advanced screen is displayed.
d. Select IPMI 2.0 Configuration.
The IPMI 2.0 Configuration screen is displayed.
e. Select the LAN Configuration menu item.
f. Select the IP Address menu option.
The service processor’s IP address is displayed using the following format:
Current IP address in BMC: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
2. Using a client system, establish a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to the service processor’s IP address.
-> ssh -l root <sp_ip_address>
3. Log in to the service processor as an administrator, for example:
login: rootpassword: changeme
4. If you have changed the SP Serial Port default settings, make sure you reset them to the default settings.
The default settings are 9600 baud, 8N1 (eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit), no flow control.
5. Start the serial console mode by typing the following:
-> start /SP/console
| Note - Only accounts with Administrator privileges are enabled to configure the SP serial port. |
6. Follow the Solaris preinstallation on-screen prompts.
7. Use the information gathered in Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet to help you enter the system and network information as you are prompted.
The screens that are displayed will vary, depending on the method that you chose for assigning network information to the server (DHCP or static IP address).
After you have entered the system-configuration information, the server completes the boot process and displays the Solaris login prompt.
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1. Use a cable to connect the serial port of the server to the serial port of the host system where you will run a terminal program.
| Tip - You might need a Sun RJ45 to terminal concentrator adapter. For serial port pinouts, see TABLE 2-1. |
2. Make sure the communication properties of the serial port of the system are set to the default.
The default settings are 9600 baud, 8N1 (eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit), no flow control.
3. Start a terminal program to connect to the serial console:
On a client running Solaris OS, type:
-> $ tip -9600 /dev/ttyx
where x is a, b, c, and so on.
On a client running Windows OS, start a program such as HyperTerminal.
On a client running Linux OS, start a program such as Minicom, a text-based serial communication program that is included in the Linux distributions. For more information, see the man pages included in the Linux distribution.
4. Log in to the service processor as an administrator, for example:
login: rootpassword: changeme
5. Start the serial console by typing the following:
-> start /SP/console
6. Power on the main power to the server by using a stylus to press the recessed Power button on the front panel.
Power-on self test (POST) messages display on your screen as the OS boots.
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1. Use a cable to connect the serial port of the server to the serial port of the serial capture host system.
2. Make sure the communication properties of the serial port of the system are set to the default.
The default settings are 9600 baud, 8N1 (eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit), disable flow control.
3. Start a terminal session to capture the serial port output:
On a client running Solaris OS, type:
-> $ tip -9600 /dev/ttya
On a client running Windows, start a program such as Hyperterminal.
On a client running Linux, start a program such as Minicom, a text-based serial communication program that is included in the Linux distributions. For more information, see the man pages included in the Linux distribution.
4. Log in to the service processor as an Administrator, for example:
login: root
password: changeme
The service processor displays its prompt:
5. Start the serial console by typing the following:
-> start /SP/console
6. Power on main power to the server by using a pointed object to press the recessed Power button on the front panel.
POST messages appear on your screen as the OS boots up.
7. Follow the Solaris 10 onscreen prompts.
8. Use the information gathered in the Gathering Information for the Installation Worksheet to help you enter the system and network information as you are prompted.
The screens that are displayed vary, depending on the method that you chose for assigning network information to the server (DHCP or static IP address).
After you have entered the system configuration information, the server completes the boot process and displays the Solaris login prompt.
The documentation listed in this section provides instructions for using the Solaris Installation program and is available at the following web site:
Make sure you follow the instructions for x86-based systems, not SPARC-based systems. For more information, see the Solaris 10 Release and Installation Collection for the version of the Solaris 10 operating system you have installed. This documentation is available at:
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/solaris.10
Make sure the Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server is connected to:
For locations of connections, see FIGURE 1-15.
After you configure the preinstalled Solaris OS, the Solaris Installation program reboots the system and prompts you to log in. The system displays the message of the day, indicating the preloaded software that comes with your system:
Online documentation for this software can be found at:
Sun Java Enterprise System (Java ES) is a set of software components that provide services needed to support enterprise-strength applications distributed across a network or Internet environment.
Sun Studio 11 includes high-performance, optimizing C, C++, and Fortran compilers for the Solaris OS on SPARC and x86/x64 platforms, plus command-line tools and a NetBeans-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for application performance analysis and debugging of mixed source language applications. The tools offer multi-platform support, compatible with gcc, Visual C++, C99, OpenMP, and Fortran 2003.
Sun xVM Ops Center is a highly scalable, unified management platform for physical and virtual environments. Sun xVM Ops Center manages multi-platform x64 and SPARC systems distributed throughout a global datacenter and integrates with existing toolsets. Sun xVM Ops Center facilitates many aspects of compliance reporting (ITIL), data center automation, and enables the simultaneous management of thousands of systems.
The Solaris OS is preinstalled on the drive in physical slot 0 and is mirrored on the drive in physical slot 8. Drives in physical slots 2 through 26 are configured as a single ZFS volume. See the following documentation for more information about managing the server.
Installing the hd utility is recommended. The hd utility enables you to map the logical-to-physical devices for the server. You need to understand this mapping to administer the system, manage the drives, and troubleshoot the system. The hd utility is available from:
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4500/support.xml
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4540/support.xml
For more information about the utility, see the x64 Servers Utilities Reference Manual on the product documentation web site. If you reinstall the Solaris 10 operating system, you need to use the pkgadd command to reinstall the hd utility.
If you want to reinstall the Solaris OS or to install a different version of the Solaris OS, you can install it in one of several ways, including by DVD and network (using Preboot eXecution Environment [PXE]).
For step-by-step procedures, see the book, Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic Installations.
In addition to installing the Solaris 10 Operating system, you must install any required patches as described in the product download site. To access the product download site, go to either of the following web sites to locate the Downloads section.
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4500/support.xml
http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4540/support.xml
If you want to restore your system software to its pre-installed state, see “Recreating the Preinstalled OS“ in Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Servers Administration Guide.
When you reinstall the OS, the drive names change depending on the ILOM version and USB CD storages devices present at the time of OS installation.
The following applies for the drive and device mapping for systems with pre-ILOM 2.0.2.5 and ILOM 2.0.2.5 and later installed:
| Note - Only a fully populated system with all 48 drives is supported. |
When no USB devices are present, there is a direct 1:1 physical controller number to /dev/cXtY mapping. For example, Controller 2 has a c2 name, Controller 3 has a c3 name, and Controller 4 has a c4 name, etc.
When the ILOM version is 2.0.2.5 or later, the remote floppy and remote CD-ROM are now treated as USB storage devices and are only mapped when they are enabled in the javaRConsole. The channel numbers change depending on how many total USB storage devices are present at the time of OS installation. All USB devices gets enumerated between physical Controller 1 and Controller 2, which causes a shift in naming when compared to systems without any USB storage devices. For example, a USB DVD gets the c2 name and Controller 2 gets the c3 name:
The following drives mapping table applies to a system with three USB storage devices present. For example, three USB DVD gets c2, c3, and c4 names at the time of OS installation:
If you need to reinstall software, you can download the software from these sites:
http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/get.jsp
http://sunsolve.sun.com/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=home
For information on installing other operating systems, see the following:
Other operating systems might require software updates. See the appropriate release notes for the software release that supports the OS you want to install.
| Sun Fire X4500/X4540 Server Installation Guide | 820-4855-12 |
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Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
To Determine the Bootable Disks and to Reinstall the Solaris OS
Enterprise System (Java ES)