Sun Fire X4170, X4270, and X4275 Servers Linux, VMware, Solaris, and OpenSolaris Operating Systems Installation Guide Table Of ContentsPrevious ChapterNext ChapterBook Index

C H A P T E R  1
Planning the Operating System Installation

This chapter identifies the information you need to properly plan the installation of an operating system to Sun Fire X4170, X4270, and X4275 Servers.

This chapter contains the following topics:

Supported Operating Systems

The Sun Fire X4170, X4270, and X4275 Servers support the installation and use of the following operating systems, or a subsequent release of the operating systems.


TABLE 1-1 Supported Operating Systems

Operating System

Supported Version

For More Information, See:

Windows

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition (R2 with SP2, or SP2) (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (R2 with SP2, or SP2) (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard Edition (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Edition (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter Edition (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Datacenter Edition
  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Windows Operating System Installation Guide

Linux

  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 SP2
    (64-bit)
  • SLES 11 (64-bit)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4.8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • RHEL 5.3 (64-bit)
  • Oracle Enterprise Linux 4.8 and 5.3 (64-bit)

VMware

  • VMware ESX Server 3.5 Update 4
  • VMware ESXi Server 3.5 Update 4
  • VMware ESX Server 4.0
  • VMware ESXi Server 4.0

Solaris

  • Solaris 10 10/09

OpenSolaris

  • OpenSolaris 2009.06

Preinstalled Solaris 10 or OpenSolaris Image

You can order either a Solaris 10 Operating System (OS) image or an OpenSolaris OS image preinstalled on the server. If you order a preinstalled image, it is shipped on the hard disk drive. If you need to install another operating system on this drive, you can choose to partition the drive in one of the following ways:

or

The Linux operating system installation procedures described later in this guide explain the appropriate point in the installation program where you can either partition the drive to remove the preinstalled image or to support a dual-boot operating system configuration.


Note - To configure the Solaris 10 or OpenSolaris preinstalled OS image, see the Solaris 10 or OpenSolaris Preinstalled OS chapter in the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide.

Installation Prerequisites

The following requirements must be met prior to installing an operating system.


TABLE 1-2 OS Installation Prerequisites

Requirement

Mandatory or Optional

For More Information, See:

The server is mounted and powered-on in a rack.

Mandatory

  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide

The SP network management port on the server is configured with an IP address.

Mandatory

  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide

or

  • Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide

or

  • Sun Intergrated Lights Out Manauger 3.0 Documentation Collection.

Select a console option and a media option for performing the installation, as well as an installation target.

Mandatory

Ensure that factory-default settings in the BIOS utility are set.

Recommended*

*For local disk drive OS install targets.

Set up a RAID set on SAS or SATA disk drives configured with a host bus adapter (HBA), see the documentation supplied with the HBA.

Mandatory*

  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide for instructions for installing disk drives in the server
  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Service Manual for instructions for removing and replacing disk drives in the server
  • Sun Disk Management Overview For x64 Sun Fire and Sun Blade Series Servers (820-6350)

Gather the applicable vendor operating system installation documentation.

 

Note - The operating system vendor documentation should be used in conjunction with the operating system instructions in this guide.

Recommended

Applicable operating system vendor documentation:

Ensure that you have the Tools and Drivers CD that was provided with your server.

 

Note - If device drivers are required for your OS installation, the device drivers are provided on the Tools and Drivers CD/DVD.

Mandatory

  • Sun Fire X4170, X4270, and X4275 Servers Tools and Drivers CD/DVD

or

Review the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Product Notes for late-breaking news about supported operating system software and patches.

Recommended

  • Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Product Notes

Installation Methods

To determine which installation method is best for your infrastructure, consider evaluating the options and requirements summarized in the following sections:

Console Outputs

TABLE 1-3 lists the consoles that you can use to capture the output and input of the operating system installation.


TABLE 1-3 Console Options for Performing an OS Installation

Console

Description

Setup Requirement

Local console

You can install the OS and administer the server by attaching a local console directly to the server SP.

 

Examples of local consoles include:

  • Serial console
  • VGA console, with USB keyboard and mouse
  1. Attach a local console to the server.
    For details, see “Connecting to the ILOM Service Processor for the First Time” in the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide.
  2. At the ILOM prompt, type your ILOM user name and password.
  3. For serial console connections only, establish a connection to the host serial port by typing start /SP/console.
    The video output is automatically routed to the local console.

For further details about establishing a connection to the server SP, see:

  • Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide

or

  • Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Documentation Collection

Remote console

You can install the OS and administer the server from a remote console by establishing a network connection to the server SP.

Examples of remote consoles include:

  • Web-based client connection using the Sun ILOM Remote Console application
  • SSH client connection using a serial console
  1. Establish an IP address for the server SP.
    For details, see:
  2. Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide

or

  • Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Documentation Collection
  • Establish a connection between a remote console and the server SP:
  • For web-based client connection, perform these steps: 1) In a web browser, type the IP address for the server SP; 2) log in to the ILOM web interface; 3) redirect the video output from the server to the web client by launching the Sun ILOM Remote Console; then 4) enable device redirection (mouse, keyboard, etc.) in the Device menu.
  • For SSH client connection, perform these steps:
    1) From a serial console, establish an SSH connection to the server SP (ssh root@ipaddress); 2) log in to the ILOM command-line interface; then 3) redirect the serial output from the server to the SSH client by typing start /SP/console.
  • For additional information about establishing a remote connection to the ILOM SP or using the Sun ILOM Remote Console, see the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide or the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Documentation Collection.

 


Installation Boot Media

You can start the operating system installation to a server by booting a local or remote installation media source. TABLE 1-4 identifies the supported media sources and the setup requirements for each source.


TABLE 1-4 Boot Media Options for Performing the OS Installation

Install Media

Description

Setup Requirement

Local boot media

 

Local boot media requires a built-in storage device on the server, or an external storage device attached to the server.

Supported OS local boot media sources can include:

  • CD/DVD-ROM install media, and, if applicable, floppy device driver media

To perform the installation using a local boot media, perform these steps:

  1. If your server does not contain a built-in storage device, attach the appropriate storage device to the front panel of the server using a USB connector.
  2. For more information about how to attach local devices to the server, see “Setting Up the Server” in the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide.

Note - For the Sun Fire X4275 server, which has neither a CD/DVD-ROM drive nor a USB connector on the front panel, use the Sun ILOM Remote Console to redirect the boot media from a remote storage device. For instructions, see instructions for Remote Boot Media in this table.

Remote boot media

Remote media requires you to boot the install over the network. You can start the network install from a redirected boot storage device or another networked system that exports the installation over the network using a Pre-Boot eXecution environment (PXE).

To redirect the boot media from a remote storage device, perform these steps:

1. Insert the boot media into the storage device, for example:

  • For CD/DVD-ROM, insert media into the built-in or external CD/DVD-ROM drive.
  • For CD/DVD-ROM ISO image, ensure that ISO image(s) are readily available on a network shared location.
  • For device driver floppy ISO image, ensure that ISO image, if applicable, is readily available on a network shared location or on a USB thumb drive.
  • For device driver floppy media, if applicable, insert floppy media into the external floppy drive.

2. Establish a web-based client connection to the server ILOM SP and launch the Sun ILOM Remote Console application.

For more details, see the setup requirements for web-based client connection in TABLE 1-3.

3. In the Device menu of the Sun ILOM Remote Console application, specify the location of the boot media, for example:

  • For CD/DVD-ROM boot media, select CD-ROM.
  • For CD/DVD-ROM ISO image boot media, select CD-ROM Image.
  • For floppy device driver boot media, if applicable, select Floppy.
  • For floppy image device driver boot media, if applicable, select Floppy Image.
  • For more information about the Sun ILOM Remote Console, see the Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 2.0 User’s Guide or Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Documentation Collection.

Supported OS remote media sources can include:

  • CD/DVD-ROM install media, and, if applicable, floppy device driver media
  • CD/DVD-ROM ISO install image and, if applicable, floppy ISO device driver media
  • Automated install image (requires PXE boot)

Remote boot media, continued

Note - An automated installation image enables you to perform the OS installation on multiple servers. By using an automated image, you can ensure configuration uniformity among many systems.

Automated installations use a Pre-boot eXecution Environment (PXE) technology to enable the clients without an operating system to boot remotely to the automated install server that performs the installation of the operating system.



 

To perform the installation using PXE, perform these steps:

1. Configure the network server to export the installation using a PXE boot.

2. Make the OS installation media available for PXE boot.

If you are using an automated OS installation image, you will need to create and provide the automated OS install image, for example:

  • Solaris JumpStart Image
  • RHEL KickStart Image
  • SLES AutoYaST Image
  • Windows RIS or WDS Image

For detailed instructions for automating the installation setup process, consult the operating system vendor documentation.

3. To boot the installation media, select the PXE boot interface card as the temporary boot device. For details, see the applicable PXE-based operating system installation procedure described later in this guide.


Installation Targets

TABLE 1-5 identifies the supported installation targets that you can use to install an operating system.


TABLE 1-5 Installation Targets for OS Installations

Install Target

Description

Setup Requirement

Supported OS

Local hard disk drive (HDD)

or

Solid state drive (SSD)

You can choose to install the operating system to any of the HDDs or SSDs installed in the server.

  • Ensure that the HDD or SSD is properly installed and powered-on in the server.
    For more information about installing and powering on an HDD or SDD, refer to the installation guide or service manual provided with your server.

Fibre Channel (FC) Storage area network (SAN) device

For servers equipped with Fibre Channel PCI Host Bus Adapter (HBA), you can choose to install the operating system to an external FC storage device.

  • Ensure FC PCI HBA is properly installed in the server and is operating.
    For more information about installing an HBA in a server, refer to the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Installation Guide.
  • The SAN must be installed and configured to make the storage visible to the host. For instructions, refer to the documentation supplied with the FC HBA.

CompactFlash card

If your system is equipped with an optional compact flash card, you can choose to install a Linux or Solaris operating system to the compact flash card.

  • Ensure that the compact flash card option is properly installed in the server.
    For more information about installing this option, see the service manual supplied with your server.
  • All Linux and Solaris operating systems listed in TABLE 1-1

Verify BIOS Settings for New Installations

For all new operating system installations on a hard disk drive, you should verify that the following BIOS settings are properly configured before you perform the operating system installation:

In the BIOS Setup utility, you can set optimal defaults, as well as view and edit BIOS settings as needed. Note that all changes you make in the BIOS Setup utility (through F2) are permanent until the next time you change them.


Note - If necessary, you can specify a temporary boot device by pressing F8 during the BIOS start-up. A temporary boot device setting is only in effect for the current system boot. After the system boots from a temporary boot device, the permanent boot device setting specified through F2 (in the BIOS) will be in effect.

Before You Begin

Ensure the following requirements are met prior to accessing the BIOS Setup utility:


procedure icon  View or Edit BIOS Settings for New Installations

1. Reset the power on the server.

For example:

For further details for powering on or off your server, see the Sun Fire X4170, X4275, and X4275 Servers Service Manual.

The BIOS screen appears.


Graphic showing the BIOS screen.

2. When prompted in the BIOS screen, press F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

After a few moments, the BIOS Setup utility appears.


Graphic showing the BIOS Setup utility screen.

3. To ensure that the factory defaults are set, do the following:

a. Press F9 to automatically load the optimal factory default settings.

A message appears prompting you to continue this operation by selecting OK or to cancel this operation by selecting CANCEL.

b. In the message, highlight OK, then press Enter.

The BIOS Setup utility screen appears with the cursor highlighting the first value in the system time field.

4. In the BIOS Setup utility, do the following to edit the values associated with the system time or date.

a. Highlight the values you want to change.

Use up or down arrow keys to change between the system time and date selection.

b. To change the values in the highlighted fields, use these keys:

5. To acces the boot settings, select Boot from the BIOS Setup utility menu bar.

The Boot Settings menu appears.


Graphic showing the Boot Settings screen.

6. In the Boot Settings menu, use the down arrow key to select Boot Device Priority, then press Enter.

The Boot Device Priority menu appears listing the order of the known bootable devices.

Note that the boot device order listed on your screen might differ from the device order shown in the sample screen below.


Graphic showing the Boot Device Priority menu screen.

The first device in the list has the highest boot priority.

7. In the Boot Device Priority menu, do the following to edit the first boot device entry in the list:

a. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the first entry in the list, then press Enter.

b. In the Options screen, use the up and down arrow keys to select the default permanent boot device, then press Enter.

Note that the boot options listed on your screen might differ from the options shown in the sample screen below.


Graphic showing the Options screen.


Note - The device strings listed on the Boot menu and Options menu are in the format of: device type, slot indicator, and product ID string.


Note - You can change the boot order for other devices in the list by repeating Steps 7a and 7b for each device entry you want to change.

8. To save the changes made and exit the BIOS Setup utility, press F10.


Note - When using the Sun ILOM Remote Console, F10 is trapped by the local OS. You must use the F10 option listed in the Keyboard drop-down menu that is available at the top of the Remote Console.

Alternatively, you can save the changes and exit the BIOS Setup utility by selecting Save on the Exit menu.

A message appears prompting you to save changes and exit setup.

9. In the message dialog, select OK, then press Enter.



Sun Fire X4170, X4270, and X4275 Servers Linux, VMware, Solaris, and OpenSolaris Operating Systems Installation Guide 820-5828-13 Table Of ContentsPrevious ChapterNext ChapterBook Index

Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.