How to Install Windows Using Local or Remote Media

Before You Begin

• If your server ships with an LSI-based integrated RAID controller and you want to include your boot drive as part of a RAID configuration, you need to configure a RAID volume on it before installing the operating system. See Configuring RAID.

• If you have a Sun StorageTek RAID disk controller (Adaptec-based), you need to configure an array volume through the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility (accessible by pressing Ctrl-A when prompted during server boot process). This must be done whether you intend to use RAID or not. Consult your platform installation guide for instructions on how to do this.

• The instructions below assume local CD/DVD drive access. Be sure to modify the instructions accordingly if you are using a local USB flash drive (see Launching Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Using a USB Flash Drive), or if you are launching the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application from a remote console (or KVMS) with CD-ROM redirection.

1. Launch the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application. See Launching the Application and Performing Provisioning Tasks.
   
2. At the Select a Task screen click the Operating System Installation button.

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   Note - The Select a Task screen only appears if your server supports additional tasks other than OS installation. It does not appear if the only available task is OS installation. Additionally, the Select a Task screen only lists task options supported for your server.

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3. Click Next.

   The Install Media screen appears.

   
   
4. To view supported versions of your OS, expand the listing by clicking the toggle.

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   Note - You cannot use the Hardware Installation Assistant application to install an unsupported version of an OS.

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5. To select the location of your OS installation media, click the appropriate button.

   You have the following options for media delivery methods:

   • CD/DVD: This option allows you to install the OS source from a local CD/DVD, a redirected CD/DVD, or an ISO CD-ROM image.

   • Network (Linux): This option allows you to install the OS source from a network share on a Linux system.

   • Network (Windows): This option allows you to install the OS source from a network share on a Windows system.

6. For installation instructions based on the media delivery method, go to one of the following steps:

   • If you are installing from a local CD/DVD, go to Step 7.

   • If you are installing from a redirected CD/DVD or ISO CD-ROM image, go to Step 8.

   • If you are installing from a network share drive, go to Step 9.

7. For an installation from a local CD/DVD, do the following at the Install Media Information screen:
   1. Ensure that the CD/DVD radio button is selected.
   2. Select the server's CD/DVD drive from the CD Location drop-down list.
   3. Eject the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant CD/DVD from the drive then insert the first CD of the OS distribution into the drive.
   4. Click Next at the Install Media Information screen and proceed to Step 12.
8. For an installation from a redirected CD/DVD or ISO CD-ROM image using the server’s Oracle ILOM Remote Console application, do the following at the Install Media Information screen:
   1. Ensure that the CD/DVD radio button is selected.
   2. Select the virtual CD-ROM from the CD Location drop-down list.
   3. At the server’s Oracle ILOM Remote Console, redirect the OS installation media (CD-ROM or CD-ROM Image) using one of the following methods.

      • If you booted the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application from a CD/DVD drive, eject the CD from this drive and insert the first disk of the OS into the drive. In the Remote Console, select the CD-ROM option from the Devices menu.

      • If you booted the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application from an ISO CD-ROM image, unmount the ISO image by deselecting CD-ROM Image from the Devices menu, then select CD-ROM Image and specify the location of the ISO OS CD-ROM image.

   4. When done, click Next at the Install Media Information screen and proceed to Step 12.
9. For installation from a Network share, do the following at the Install Media Information screen:
   1. Ensure that the Network (Windows) radio button is selected.
   2. In the address bar that appears, specify the http or ftp accessible network address to the Windows ISO image media. See table below for examples.

      For operating systems requiring multiple images (for example, CD1, CD2), multiple address fields are available.

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      Note - The URL address can not contain spaces.

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      Transfer Method OS Source Location What to Type HTTP ISO image file in a directory Path to directory containing the OS install ISO image file. Example: http://hostname_or_IPaddress/imagepath/ISOimage.iso FTP ISO image file in a directory Path to directory containing the OS install ISO image file. Example: ftp://hostname_or_IPaddress/imagepath/ISOimage.iso

      In the table, hostname_or_IPaddress is either the hostname or the IP address of the server containing the image file, and ISOimage.iso is the name of the Windows OS installation ISO image (.iso) file. For Windows, the complete path to the required ISO file must be included.

   3. Click Next.

      The Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application checks the supplied media to ensure it is a supported version and displays the results in the Identifying Distribution screen.

10. To select option cards from the list, click the check boxes next to the name of the cards.
11. When done, click Next .
12. If you are installing Windows Server 2003, the Windows Preinstallation Information screen appears. Fill in the required information, click Next and then proceed to Step 15.
13. If you are installing Windows Server 2008, the Setup WinPE Environment screen appears (shown below). Select a boot disk for the WinPE partition from the drop-down list and click Next.
    

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    Note - This partition is required for Windows Server 2008 installation.

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    The WinPE partition for Windows Server 2008 installation is created.

14. For Windows Server 2008 installation, you are prompted to select a partition for the OS (see below). Select available space on the disk other than the WinPE partition, and click Next.
    

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    Note - The first 8 GB of the disk is reserved for the WinPE partition and cannot be used for anything else.

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    The Windows boot partition is created and the OS preinstallation environment is complete.

15. Depending on the version of Windows you are installing, the Installing Additional Software screen might appear. Review the information presented to ensure there are no errors.

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    Note - If you see an error listed during installation, check the SunInstallationAssistant.log file for more details.

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16. Remove the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant media and click Reboot.

    The server boots from the newly installed OS. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete any additional OS setup tasks.

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    Note - If you are installing the OS on a disk other than disk 0, you need to change the system boot order to identify the correct boot disk. This can be done either through the system BIOS Setup Utility (if your disk is connected to an integrated disk controller), or an option card BIOS setup program (if your disk is connected to an optional HBA). Follow the instructions in your system or option card documentation to set boot order.

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    Note - The default administrator account password for Windows Server 2008 is changeme.

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Next Steps

Once the OS is installed, complete the following post installation tasks, as necessary:

• Install and configure additional drivers for your server not installed by the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant application. This provides you the supported feature set for installed server components and option cards (for example, additional drivers may include ACPI, video, network and mass storage). Additional drivers can be found on the latest Tools and Drivers CD/DVD for your server.

• Install Oracle-specific optional software and utilities available on the latest Tools and Drivers CD/DVD for your server.

• Install Sun Service Tags. The installation files are automatically copied to your server during OS installation, but they must be run by the system administrator to be properly installed. See Installing Service Tags.