4 Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Platform Preparation

Oracle Communications Session Router and Enterprise Session Router run on the Communications Server E6-2L platform. See the Release Notes for more information about which products run on which platforms.

See Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Installation Guide for full details about specifications and basic setup, including:
  • Server specifications and requirements
  • Server components, including front and back panel features
  • Rack installation procedures
  • Cabling procedures
  • Connecting and using Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM)

Before installing the software, you must prepare your installation media on a separate machine:

  1. On your local machine, download the appropriate release of the Session Router software.
  2. Prepare your installation media in one of the following ways:
    • To install from USB, use the filename that begins with the software version and appended with the suffix -img-usb.exe. Create a USB flash drive as described in Flash Drive Installation via Boot Media Creator, and insert it into the USB port on the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L.
    • To install using ILOM, use the filename that begins with the software version and appended with the suffix -img.iso. Use the ILOM Remote System Console Redirection page to connect to your local machine.

      See Oracle ILOM Administrator's Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware for information about setting up and using the ILOM Remote System Console.

      Note:

      The ILOM Remote System Console requires Java Runtime Environment and JDK. See Requirements for Using the Oracle ILOM Remote System Console in Oracle ILOM Administrator's Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware for information about which versions to use and how to register the JDK plugin in your web browser.
    • To install using a management device connected directly to the NET MGMT (wancom0) port, transfer the file that begins with the software version and uses the .bz extension to the management device.

The following sections describe the available connections and give steps for setting up the platform and installing the Session Router software.

Available E6-2L Connections and Ports

The Oracle Communications Server E6-2L provides the connections described in the following table.

For labeled diagrams and full descriptions of each port, see E6-2L Back Panel Features and E6-2L Back Panel Connectors and Ports Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Installation Guide. Review this information before cabling the server.

The following configurations are available on the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L for Session Router:

  • Configuration 1:
    • Oracle Dual Port 25 /100 Gb Mellanox Ethernet Adapter v2, used for wancom1 and wancom2 interfaces
    • Intel X710 Quad Port 10G module, used for s0p0, s1p0, s0p1, and s1p1 interfaces
  • Configuration 2:
    • Oracle Dual Port 25 /100 Gb Mellanox Ethernet Adapter v2, used for wancom1 and wancom2 interfaces
    • Oracle Quad Port 10GBase-T Adapter v3, used for s0p0, s1p0, s0p1, and s1p1 interfaces

Caution:

Do not use the Mellanox Ethernet Adapter for media interfaces. Session Router only supports management interfaces for Mellanox.

The following table describes the ports that you can use for connecting the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L, their descriptions, and what you need to make the connection.

Port Description You Need:
NET MGT

Provides a 100/1000 BASE-T Ethernet connection to the Service Processor (SP) through an RJ-45 connector.

The NET MGT port provides support connections to the SP using the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) CLI and Web interface.

By default, the NET MGT port is configured to use DHCP to automatically obtain an IP address. Alternatively, you can assign a static IP address to the NET MGT port.

To use the NET MGT port, you must configure its network settings. When configured, use the NET MGT port IP address to log on to the device using a browser or secure shell.
  • A category 6 (or better) Ethernet cable to connect the NET MGT port to your network
  • The IP address for this port (required from DHCP or a static address)
NET 0

The host management 1GBe 100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) port enables you to connect the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L to your network through an RJ-45 connector.
  • A Category 6 (or better) Ethernet cable to connect to the NET 0 port to your network
  • Network parameters such as an IP address (can be provided by DHCP services or assigned a static address in the OS)
SER MGT (COM1)

Provides serial connection to the SP through an RJ-45 connector.

SER MGT (COM1) connects to either Service Processor by default, but can be redirected to the host.

Default settings:

  • 8N1: eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit
  • 115200 baud
  • A terminal device (For example, terminal, connection to a terminal server, or computer such as a laptop running terminal emulation software)
  • A cable to connect the terminal device to the SER MGT (COM1) port
USB Provides USB 3.1 connection to the computer. You can connect and disconnect USB cables to the USB port without affecting server operations. Installation media

Note: The maximum USB cable length is 5 meters.

Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Installation Overview

Installing and preparing Oracle Communications Server E6-2L for Session Router involves the following tasks:

  1. Cabling the server (NICs, administration console, and ILOM connection)
  2. Configuring BIOS settings.
  3. Installing Session Router software.
  4. Formatting the disk.
  5. Post-installation tasks:
    1. Setting up interface mapping.
    2. Configuring the Session Router as needed.

Cable the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L

After mounting the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L in an equipment rack and installing all components, use the following instructions to connect all appropriate data cables to the ports before powering the system up and beginning the configuration.

Oracle recommends using category 6 (or better) Ethernet cables for all Ethernet connections.

To cable the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L:

  1. Locate all appropriate cables to connect to the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L.
  2. Cable the NICs. You do not need to use every port for proper operation.
    1. Connect wancom1 and wancom2 to the first two ports in the Mellanox NIC.
    2. Connect s0p0, s1p0, s0p1, and s1p1 to the ports in the X710 or Oracle Quad Port Base-T NIC.

    Caution:

    Do not use the Mellanox Ethernet Adapter for media interfaces. Session Router only supports management interfaces for Mellanox.
  3. Cable the Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) connection by doing one of the following:
    • For a local serial connection, using the ILOM CLI on a terminal device, connect a serial console cable with an RJ-45 connector to the SER MGT (COM1) port.
    • For remote network management, using the ILOM UI on a web browser, connect an Ethernet cable to the NET MGT port.

    For more information about these options and how to connect to the server with ILOM, see Server Management Connection Options and Using Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) in Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Installation Guide.

  4. Lead all cables neatly away from the rear panel. Keep Ethernet cables separated from power cables by at least 60mm where possible and never run them in the same channel of the rack without segregation.
  5. Connect cables to their respective destination components.

Configure Oracle Communications Server E6-2L BIOS Settings

To support Session Router, you must configure Oracle Communications Server E6-2L BIOS settings as follows:

  1. Connect your installation media in one of the following ways:
    • To install using USB, insert the USB loaded with the installation media into the USB port on the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L.
    • To install using ILOM, use the ILOM Remote System Console Redirection page to connect to your local machine.

      See Oracle ILOM Administrator's Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware for information about setting up and using the ILOM Remote System Console.

      Note:

      The ILOM Remote System Console requires Java Runtime Environment and JDK. See Requirements for Using the Oracle ILOM Remote System Console in Oracle ILOM Administrator's Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware for information about which versions to use and how to register the JDK plugin in your web browser.
    • To install using a management device connected directly to the NET MGMT (wancom0) port, connect the device to the NET MGTM port.
  2. Power on the server and access the host console locally or through ILOM as described in Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Installation Guide.
  3. Confirm that you are using at least the following firmware versions:
    • ILOM version 5.1.5.29.a
    • BIOS version 90.05.08.00

    If not, update the firmware as described in Updating Oracle ILOM Firmware in Oracle ILOM Administrator's Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware Release 5.1.x.

  4. Reset the server by doing one of the following:
    • If you are using the CLI:
      reset /System
    • If you are using the ILOM web interface:
      1. Select Host Management, then Power Control.
      2. From the Select Action list, select Reset.
      3. Click Save, and then click OK.
  5. During startup, enter the BIOS menu by pressing F2 (or Ctrl+E from a serial connection).
  6. On the BIOS Setup Utility screen, navigate to the Advanced tab.
  7. Enable the Force APCB Update option.
  8. On the Advanced tab, select AMD CBS, then CPU Common Options, then Performance, and then disable SMT Control. This disables hyper-threading (called symmetric multi-threading).
    See Hyperthreading and CPU Affinity for Oracle guidelines on hyper-threading.
  9. Without quitting the BIOS menu, continue to the next task, Install the Software on Oracle Communications Server E6-2L.

Install the Software on Oracle Communications Server E6-2L

After cabling the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L and configuring BIOS settings, you must install the Session Router software. This procedure assumes you have already prepared and connected your installation media and are still in the BIOS menu.

  1. On the BIOS Setup Utility screen, navigate to the Boot tab and select Boot Option Priorities.
  2. Set Boot Option 1 to USB, ISO, or NET MGT, depending on where you connected the installation media.

    Note:

    You may need to scroll through the list to reach the appropriate option, which will be prefixed according to your connection point and end with CDROM2.05.
  3. Press F10 to save your changes and exit the BIOS Setup Utility.
    The Oracle Communications Server E6-2L boots from the selected option, starting the Session Router installation.
  4. Interrupt the boot in progress by pressing the space bar when prompted to stop auto-boot.
  5. Set the following boot parameters:
    • Target Name: Set to your preferred name for the device.
    • Console Device : Leave this set to the default, VGA.
    • IP Address: Set to the IP address for your management port.
    • Netmask: Set for the management port IP address.
    • Gateway: Set for the management port IP address.

    See the Change Boot Parameters by Interrupting a Boot in Progress topic in the Boot Management chapter of this guide for information about navigating the boot parameters list and changing values.

  6. Type @ and press Enter to save and quit the boot parameter list.
    The Oracle Communications Server E6-2L reboots, applying the new parameters.
  7. If you are installing from USB, remove the USB when prompted.
  8. Allow the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L complete the installation process.
  9. After installation, enter the BIOS menu and navigate to the Boot tab. Select the newly-installed Session Router software to boot from and select Save.
    The Oracle Communications Server E6-2L boots the Session Router software. Continue to the next task, Format the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L disks.

Format the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L Disks

After installing Session Router on the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L platform, when the system boot the Session Router for the first time, you must format the system and data disks.

Oracle Communications Server E6-2L includes two 480GB M.2 NVME SSDs. You format one as the system disk and the other as the data disk. After formatting, the system disk includes the /boot, /code, and /opt partitions. The data disk includes the /mnt/sys and /mnt/app partitions.

To format the disks:

  1. Format the system disk by running format system-disk. When prompted, accept the defaults.
  2. Format the data disk by running format data-disk. When prompted, accept the defaults.

You can run show space command with the hard-disk, system-disk, data-disk arguments to display the partition details. The following is sample output from the show space hard-disk command immediately after formatting: 

Mount                Size         Used         Avail        Use%

/boot                1.9GB        776.8MB      1.1GB        40%

/code                1.8GB        336.0KB      1.8GB        0%

/opt                 435.4GB      100.2MB      435.3GB      0%

/mnt/sys             351.0GB      1.0MB        351.0GB      0%

/mnt/app             3.1TB        1.0MB        3.1TB        0%

After formatting, you do not need to power cycle the system. Continue to the next task, Next Steps After the Software Installation on Oracle Communications Server E6-2L.

Next Steps After the Software Installation on Oracle Communications Server E6-2L

After installing Session Router on the Oracle Communications Server E6-2L platform and formatting the disk, complete the following steps:

  1. Map physical interfaces to configuration names by running the interface-mapping commands. You can use interface-mapping show to see the default settings and interface-mapping swap <interface_1_name> <interface_2_name> to swap the interface names mapped to MAC addresses.
    Oracle recommends using the following mapping:
    Interface Mapping Info
-------------------------------------------
Eth-IF     MAC-Addr             Label
wancom0    A8:69:8C:59:D7:F6    #onboard
wancom1    94:6D:AE:32:96:D4    #generic
wancom2    94:6D:AE:32:96:D5    #generic
s0p0       F0:B2:B9:29:14:E0    #generic
s1p0       F0:B2:B9:29:14:E2    #generic
s0p1       F0:B2:B9:29:14:E1    #generic
s1p1       F0:B2:B9:29:14:E3    #generic
spare      FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF    #dummy
s0p2       FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF    #dummy
s1p2       FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF    #dummy
s0p3       FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF    #dummy
s1p3       FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF    #dummy

    The wancom1 and wancom2 interfaces are used by the Mellanox NIC, and the sXpY interfaces are used by the Intel or Oracle Quad Port Base-T NIC. The wancom0 port is a baseboard port.

    See SBC ACLI Reference Guide for details about the interface-mapping commands.

  2. Configure the system as needed for your deployment, including running setup product and selecting Session Router. See the SBC Configuration Guide for complete details.

    Note:

    When you run setup product and select Session Router, the following datapath configuration modifications are made:
    • Signaling cores: 30
    • Forwarding cores: 1
    • DOS cores: 1
    • sip-threads: default 16, can be tuned up to 30

    These modifications optimize signalling core allocation to maximize SIP session processing capacity and ensure stable high-performance operation.