This chapter contains an overview for installing a new operating system (OS) on your Sun Netra X4250 server. This chapter also provides the OS installation preparation procedures.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Supported Operating Systems
Preparing for OS Installation
Accessing the Server Output During Installation
Erasing the Primary Boot Hard Disk
Configuring Your Server for RAID
Choosing an OS Installation Method

Note - If you have the Oracle Solaris 10 operating system (OS) preinstalled on your Sun Netra X4250 server, see the Sun Netra X4250 Server Installation Guide for information about configuring the OS.

Supported Operating Systems

The Solaris 10 Operating System (OS) might be preinstalled on your server. If you do not plan to use the preinstalled Solaris OS, you can install one of the following supported minimum OS versions listed below:

Solaris 10 08/07 OS
Red Hat Enterprise Linux – RHEL 5, 32-bit and 64-bit
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server – SLES 10 SP2, 64-bit
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise SP2, 32-bit and 64-bit

Additional OS Support

Support for additional operating systems is available after the initial release of the Sun Netra X4250 server. An updated list of the supported operating systems is available at http://www.sun.com/servers/netra/X4250/os.jsp.

Retaining the Packaged Installation Instructions

Instructions for installing the supported operating systems are provided in the media sets that are packaged with the OS software. Retain these installation instructions for use in these procedures.

Ordering Supported Versions of Linux From Sun

You can order supported versions of Red Hat and SUSE operating systems from Sun at http://www.sun.com/software/linux/index.html.

Preparing for OS Installation

The following task map provides an overview of the tasks and relevant procedures for installing a new OS. Perform the tasks in the order given.

Task Description	Section or Procedure
Set up the display environment.	Accessing the Server Output During Installation
If you are not planning to install the Solaris OS, then you must erase the primary boot disk. Or, if you have the Solaris OS preinstalled on the server, you must remove it before installing a new OS.	Erasing the Primary Boot Hard Disk
Configure your server for RAID. If you plan to configure your server for RAID operation, you must perform some setup tasks before installing the OS.	Configuring Your Server for RAID
Install the OS, update the drivers, and run the OS updates, as necessary.	Choosing an OS Installation Method and the chapter that corresponds to your OS: Chapter 3, “Solaris Operating System Installation” Chapter 4, “Linux Operating System” Chapter 5, “Windows Server 2003 Operating System Installation”

Accessing the Server Output During Installation

If you are not using the local DVD drive and a monitor for the OS installation CD/DVD (or tasks related to the Tools and Drivers DVD), you have the following options for your display environment:

View system output serially, through the service processor (SP) or through the physical port. See the Sun Netra X4250 Server Installation Guide for instructions on viewing system output through the serial console using the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) SP.
Use the Remote Console feature of the ILOM. See the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide for instructions on setting up the remote KVMS Over IP for virtual CD operation.

Erasing the Primary Boot Hard Disk

The Sun Netra X4250 server might have the Solaris 10 OS preinstalled on the hard drive, depending on your hard drive configuration. If you want to install a different OS or reinstall the Solaris 10 OS, use the Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk option on the Sun Netra X4250 Server Tools and Drivers DVD main menu. This option enables you to erase previously installed operating systems to make room for the new installation.

Caution - Selecting the Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk option from the Tools and Drivers DVD erases all of the partitions on the hard drive, with the exception of the diagnostic partition. All user data is lost. Ensure that you back up the hard drive before performing this action.

To Erase the Primary Boot Hard Drive

Back up the data on the hard drive that you want to save.

Insert the Tools and Drivers DVD into the server’s optional DVD drive.

If you have a system without a DVD drive, you can boot the Tools and Drivers DVD from a PXE server.

Boot the system from the Tools and Drivers DVD.

When the main menu appears, choose the following option from the Tools and Drivers DVD main menu:

4. Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk

This option erases all partitions currently located on the primary hard drive, except for the diagnostic partition. If the diagnostic partition is present, it remains untouched.

Preinstalled Diagnostic Partition

A diagnostic partition is preinstalled on the Sun Netra X4250 server. If the diagnostic partition has been removed from the server, refer to the Sun Netra X4250 Server Service Manual for information about how to reinstall the partition from the Sun Netra X4250 Tools and Drivers DVD.

Configuring Your Server for RAID

Your Sun Netra X4250 server supports the LSI SAS3081E‐R RAID controller cards. TABLE 1-1 list the RAID drive options. More information is available in RAID Support Using the LSI SAS3081E-R Card.

**TABLE 1-1 RAID Drive Options Based on SAS Card**
SAS CARD	RAID Configuration Supported
LSI SAS3081E-R	IM (integrated mirror) array. 2-disk minimum, plus up to 2 hot-spare disks. Data on primary disk might be merged.
	IME (integrated mirror enhanced) array. 3 to 10 disks including up to 2 hot-spares. All data is deleted during creation.
	IS (integrated striping) array. 2 to 10 disks. All data is deleted during creation.

RAID Support Using the LSI SAS3081E-R Card

The LSI SAS3081E-R SAS card supports all operating systems for SAS hard disks, and several RAID levels (see TABLE 1-1). Refer to the Sun Netra X4250 Server Service Manual for instructions on installing and cabling the LSI PCIe card. For LSI RAID support, you must have installed the LSI SAS3081E-R card and cables installed.

See the chapter that corresponds to the OS that you want to install for further details on configuring RAID:

OS	Section
Solaris	Chapter 3, Solaris Operating System Installation
Linux	Chapter 4, Linux Operating System Installation
Windows Server 2003	Chapter 5, Windows Server 2003 Operating System Installation

Choosing an OS Installation Method

This section provides an overview of the OS installation methods:

Method	Section
CD/DVD	Using the CD/DVD Drive
Network/PXE	Using Network Installation
Remote console	Using Remote Console With Virtual CD-ROM
Serial redirection	Using Serial Redirection

Using the CD/DVD Drive

This method includes installing the OS directly onto the server, using the server’s CD/DVD drive and a VGA monitor attached to the system.

For information about CD/DVD installation for your specific OS, refer to the instructions included in your OS installation software or the online documentation referenced in the specific OS chapters in this document.

Using Network Installation

This method involves setting up an installation on a host server, and then installing the OS using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) protocol over the network. Network installation methods include:

AutoYast for the SUSE
Kickstart for Red Hat
JumpStart for the Solaris OS
Remote Installation Services (RIS) for the Windows OS

For details on network installation for your specific OS, refer to the instructions included in your installation software or the specific OS chapters in this document. For instructions on RIS installation for the Sun Netra X4250 server, see Appendix B.

Using Remote Console With Virtual CD-ROM

This method includes using a remote networked system to install the OS onto the Sun Netra X4250 server. The CD/DVD drive of the remote system (virtual CD-ROM) is used to access the OS media. The output of the Sun Netra X4250 server is displayed on the remote system (Remote Console). Specific details on using the Remote Console in ILOM can be found in the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide.

For more details on Remote Console installation, refer to the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide or to the instructions included in your installation software or the specific OS chapters in this document.

Note - This procedure assumes that you are familiar with the ILOM web-based interface (web GUI) administration. For more information, see the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide.

Using Serial Redirection

Serial redirection involves directing the server output to a terminal connected to the server’s serial port. For detailed instructions for other operating systems, refer to the installation instructions for your OS or specific OS chapters in this document.

Operating System Installation Overview and Preparation