Assisted OS Installation With Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant

The Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant makes operating system installation easy. When you use the installation assistant, all you need to begin is a licensed copy of Linux or Windows OS distribution media supported for your server. All software and required server-specific drivers are supplied by the installation assistant. With a graphical wizard interface and flexible installation options, the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant brings simplicity, speed, and reliability to your server deployments.

To use Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant, simply boot the installation assistant program from the server's CD drive, a USB flash drive, or from a network image. Check for the latest Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant updates available. Select your OS distribution from the menu and follow the on-screen instructions. The installation assistant scans your system to ensure that it has the drivers it needs to configure your server components[1]. It also provides you the option of having the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant check for the latest drivers available. The installation assistant will prompt you for the appropriate media as needed and any other required information during the OS installation process (such as license keys).

Topics discussed in this chapter include:

• Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Task Overview

• How to Obtain Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant

• Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Documentation Resources

Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Task Overview

You can perform the following tasks using the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant:

• Perform an assisted installation of a Linux or Windows operating system on your server. The Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant provides the appropriate drivers and platform-specific software, eliminating the need to create a separate driver disk.

• Optionally create RAID-1 volumes on internal storage devices.

• Optionally upgrade your system Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manger (ILOM) service processor (SP), BIOS, and storage device firmware (regardless of the OS on your server).

• Optionally update your Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant session with the latest firmware and drivers.

• Optionally recover from a corrupt or inaccessible ILOM service processor.

How to Obtain Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant

The Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant is provided with most server platforms on the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant DVD. It is also available as a web download. Regular updates are made available to ensure that the latest OS versions are supported. To download the latest version of Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant for your server platform, refer to the installation assistant’s information page at:

http://www.oracle.com/goto/hia

Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Documentation Resources

If you have determined that you want to install a Windows or Linux operating system on your x86 server using Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant, refer to the following document for detailed installation instructions:

• Sun Installation Assistant 2.3 through 2.4 User’s Guide for x64 Servers

  http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/install.x64svr