Netra™ X4200 M2 Server Operating

System Installation Guide

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

www.sun.com

Part No. 820-0065-11

May 2008, Revision A

Submit comments about this document at: http://www.sun.com/hwdocs/feedback

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 Contents

Preface xi

1. Overview 1
About Installing an Operating System on a Netra X4200 Server 1
Prerequisites 1
Things You Must Decide 2
What Next 3

2. Solaris 10 5
About Solaris OS Installation 5
Overview 5
Where to Find Solaris 10 Information 9
About Preparing to Install the Solaris OS 9
Installation Prerequisites 10
How to Boot a Server in a GRUB-Based Environment 11
How to Boot a Server Over the Network By Using PXE 11
Before You Begin 12
What to Do 12
How to Install the Solaris OS From Distribution Media 13
Before You Begin 13

iii
 What to Do 13
How to Use a Serial Console to Install the Solaris OS 14
Before You Begin 14
What to Do 15

3. Sun Installation Assistant CD 17

About the Sun Installation Assistant CD 17
Error Messages 18
Log File 18
How to Use the Sun Installation Assistant 19
Before You Begin 19
What to Do 20
How to Configure the Sun Installation Assistant for PXE Boot 23
What to Do 23
Booting the Sun Installation Assistant From the PXE Server 24

4. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 25

About Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation 25
Red Hat Installation and Administration Documentation 26
Task Map for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation 27
About Preparing to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 28
Installation Prerequisites 28
Additional Software Updates or Patches 28
How to Create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Driver CD 29
Before You Begin 29
What to Do 29
How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux From Distribution Media 31
Before You Begin 31
Required Items 32

iv Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 What to Do 32
What Next 33
How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System and Drivers 33
Before You Begin 33
What to Do 34
Updating the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Software 34
Updating the SCSI Drivers 34
How to Install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS Using the Remote Console
Application 36
What to Do 36
Red Hat Enterprise Linux and PXE 38
About Red Hat Enterprise Linux and PXE 38
Task Map 38
How to Create a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server 38
Before You Begin 39
What to Do 39
How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux From a PXE Server 41
Before You Begin 41
What to Do 42

5. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 43

About SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation 43
Important SLES 9 Version Installation Guidelines 43
SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration Documentation 44
Task Map for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation 45
About Preparing to Install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 46
Installation Prerequisites 46
How to Create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1 Driver CD 46
Before You Begin 47

Contents v
 What to Do 48
How to Update the SLES9 Operating System 49
What to Do 49
How to Update the SLES9 SCSI Driver 50
What to Do 50
How to Install SLES9 From Distribution Media 51
Before You Begin 51
Required Items 52
What to Do 52
What Next 53
How to Upgrade From SLES9 to SLES9 SP1 54
Before You Begin 54
What to Do 54
How to Install the SLES9 OS Using the Remote Console Application 56
What to Do 56
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and PXE 58
About SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, SP1 and PXE 58
Task Map 59
How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install Image on the PXE Server 59
Before You Begin 59
What to Do 60
How to Install SLES9 From a PXE Server 63
Before You Begin 64
What to Do 64

A. Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 65

How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 65
Required Items 66

vi Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 Copying Files From the Resource CD 66
Configuring a DHCP Server 67
Installing Portmap 68
Configuring the TFTP Service 68
Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon 69
Configuring the NFS Service 71
Disabling the Firewall 71
Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux From the Network 72
How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of SUSE
Enterprise Linux Server 72
Required Items 73
Copying Files From the Resource CD 73
Configuring a DHCP Server 74
Installing Portmap 75
Configuring the TFTP Service 75
Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon 76
Configuring the NFS Service 77
Disabling the Firewall 78
Installing SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 From the Network 79

Index 81

Contents vii
viii Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
 Tables

TABLE 2-1 Task Map for Initial Solaris OS Installation 7

TABLE 2-2 Minimum System Requirements 7

TABLE 2-3 Installation Methods 8

ix
x Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
Preface

This Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide contains detailed
procedures for bringing the server from the packing box to a configurable, usable
state. Hardware installation and initial software configuration are covered.

Product Updates
For product updates that you can download for the Sun Fire X4100 or X4200 servers,
please visit the following Web site:

http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp

This site contains updates for firmware and drivers, as well as CD-ROM .iso
images.

xi
 Related Documentation
For the most up-to-date information on the Netra X4200 M2 server, go to this site:
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/prod/nt4200m2.srvr#hic

Information Title and Format Part Number

Safety information Important Safety Information About Sun 819- 7190

Hardware (included in system box)
Safety notices and Netra X4200 M2 Server Safety and Compliance 820-0068
international compliance Guide (PDF)
certification statements
Server setup, including Netra X4200 M2 Server Setup Guide (PDF) 820-0062
rack installation
Operating system Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System 820-0065
installation Installation Guide(PDF)
System management System Management (PDF and HTML) 819-1160
Server and software Setup and Maintenance Guide (PDF and 819-1157
setup HTML)
Late-breaking Netra X4200 M2 Server Product Notes (PDF) 820-0067
information and issues
RAID Sun LSI 106x RAID User’s Guide 820-4933
Diagnostic software SunVTS 6.0 Patch Set Documentation 819-2948
patch information Supplement for x86 Platforms (HTML)

Translated versions of some of these documents are available at the web sites described
above in French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and German.

Note that the English documentation is revised more frequently and might therefore be
more up-to-date than the translated documentation.

Using UNIX Commands

This document might not contain information about basic UNIX® commands and
procedures such as shutting down the system, booting the system, and configuring
devices. Refer to the following for this information:

xii Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
■ Software documentation that you received with your system
■ Solaris™ Operating System documentation, which is at:
http://docs.sun.com

Third-Party Web Sites

Sun is not responsible for the availability of third-party web sites mentioned in this
document. Sun does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content,
advertising, products, or other materials that are available on or through such sites
or resources. Sun will not be responsible or liable for any actual or alleged damage
or loss caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content,
goods, or services that are available on or through such sites or resources.

Preface xiii
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Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide, part number 820-0065-11

xiv Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
CHAPTER 1

Overview

About Installing an Operating System on

a Netra X4200 Server
There are several supported operating system (OS) distributions and several ways to
install each. This topic is intended only as a general guide that refers you to detailed
procedures.

Note – This document only covers supported Solaris and Linux OS installation. For
instructions on installing the Windows Server 2003 Operating System onto the Netra
X4200 servers, see the Sun Fire X4000 Series Servers Windows Operating System
Installation Guide (819-4346).

Prerequisites
You must complete the following prerequisite steps before you can begin the
installation.
■ Install the server hardware.
■ (Optional) Configure the service processor. (You can do this after installation if
you prefer.)
■ (Solaris only) Install and set up the software on the Resource CD.
■ (Linux only) Create a Driver CD or use the Sun Installation Assistant
(recommended procedure). See the topic about creating a Driver CD for your
particular Linux OS or the topics about the Sun Installation Assistant.
■ Gather needed information, such as IP address and netmask.

1
 Things You Must Decide
In addition, you must decide the following.
■ Which operating system are you installing?

Operating System Supported Versions and Notes

Solaris 10 64-bit version

Red Hat Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
SUSE Linux SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

■ Are you configuring the server for diskless booting?

Operating System Relevant Documentation on Diskless Configurations

Solaris 10 See “About Solaris OS Installation” on page 5 or Solaris 10 Installation

Guide: Network-Based Installations at
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504
Red Hat Linux See Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide at
https://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/
SUSE Linux See SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 Administration Guide at
http://www.novell.com/documentation/oes/index.html?page
=/documentation/oes/sles_admin/data/front.html

■ Which installation method will you use?

Method Solaris Red Hat SUSE

Preinstalled on disk YES NO NO

Install from distribution media (CD/DVD) on the YES YES YES
server
Install from distribution media (CD/DVD) via KVMS YES YES YES
Install from network using PXE YES YES YES
Sun Installation Assistant (Linux only) NO YES YES

2 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Note – The Netra X4200 server supports industry-standard KVMS via devices
connected to it via a USB port or the ILOM Remote Console application. For more
information on setting up USB connections to your system, see your server hardware
documentation. For more information on setting up a remote KVMS connection to
your server via the ILOM Remote Console application, see the Integrated Lights Out
Manager Administration Guide (819-1160).

For relevant procedures, see the appropriate chapter of this guide for your particular
OS.
■ Will you need to update the operating system and drivers?

In general, you need to perform updates once the operating system has been
installed. For details, see the appropriate chapter for your particular OS.

What Next
The sections in this guide provide detailed installation information—see the
appropriate chapter for your OS.

You should also gather the installation, administration, and configuration

documentation distributed with the operating system. These documents generally
accompany the distribution media as printed manuals, or else are included as PDF
files on the media itself. In many cases, the latest versions of such documents are
also downloadable from the web site of the OS vendor.

Chapter 1 Overview 3
4 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
CHAPTER 2

Solaris 10

About Solaris OS Installation

Note – This chapter contains instructions for installing the Solaris 10 operating
system from network or media. If you are configuring the preinstalled Solaris 10
operating system that is shipped with the server, refer to the Netra X4200 Server
Setup Guide for information on configuring a preinstalled Solaris Operating System
(820-0062).

This chapter describes some of what you need to know to install the Solaris™
Operating System (Solaris OS) on a Netra X4200 server and points you to the Solaris
OS documentation for the more detailed information you will need to complete the
installation.

Overview
This Solaris release supports systems that use the SPARC® and x86 families of
processor architectures: UltraSPARC®, SPARC64, IA-32, AMD64.

The supported SPARC based systems are listed in the Solaris Sun Hardware
Platform Guide at http://docs.sun.com. The supported x86 based systems
appear in the Solaris Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl. This document cites any implementation
differences between the platform types.

In this document the term “x86” refers to the Intel 32-bit family of microprocessors
and compatible 64-bit and 32-bit microprocessors made by AMD. For supported
systems, see the Solaris Hardware Compatibility List.

5
 The minimum Solaris OS for a Netra X4200 server is Solaris 10 3/05 HW1 for the
x86/x64 family of 64-bit and 32-bit AMD processors. The recommended version to
use is Solaris 10 11/06 U1. You can download or order the media for Solaris 10 11/06
U1 at

http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/get.jsp

Solaris 10 3/05 HW1 might be preinstalled on the hard drive. Additional software is
shipped separately on a Resource CD. Contact your Sun service provider if you need
to order the Solaris OS or if you are missing the Resource CD.

For updates on Solaris 10 versions and hardware compatibility, go to

http://www.sunsolve.sun.com

Note – The Solaris 10 Operating System box contains the CD and DVD media and
documentation that you will need to install the Solaris OS software for both SPARC
and x86 platforms. For a Netra X4200 server, use the media for x86 platforms.

The Netra X4200 server supports the following Solaris OS installation methods:
■ Install one server from DVD or CD-ROM media interactively with the Solaris
installation program.
■ Install one or several servers over the network with Preboot Execution
Environment (PXE) technology and the following installation methods:
■ Solaris installation program over the network from remote DVD or CD images
■ JumpStart™ installation
■ Diskless boot
■ Install using a serial console
■ Boot from the preinstalled Solaris 10 OS image on the hard drive.

The Solaris Installation Program on the Solaris 10 Operating System media can be
run with a graphical user interface (GUI) or as an interactive text installer in a
console session. The Solaris Device Configuration Assistant is included in the Solaris
Installation Program.

Use TABLE 2-1 to identify the steps you need to perform to install the Solaris OS.

Note – This topic is intended for experienced system administrators who are
familiar with using the Solaris OS on an x86 platform.

6 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

TABLE 2-1 Task Map for Initial Solaris OS Installation

Task Description Instructions

Set up your server. Install your server hardware and Netra X4200 M2 Server Setup Guide
configure the service processor. (820-0062)
Review the Netra X4200 Server The release notes contain late- Netra X4200 M2 Server Release Notes
Release Notes. breaking news about the Solaris OS (820-0067)
software and patches.
Review the system requirements. Verify that your server meets the TABLE 2-2
minimum system requirements.
Gather the information you need to The type of information you need to “About Solaris OS Installation” on
install the Solaris OS. collect depends on your page 5
environment and the method you
choose to install the Solaris OS.
Locate the Solaris OS The Solaris OS documentation “Where to Find Solaris 10
documentation. included with your software Information” on page 9
contains most of what you need to
know about installation.
Install the Solaris OS. Choose an installation method and TABLE 2-3
locate the installation instructions.
Install additional software, if The Solaris OS drivers for the server Netra X4200 M2 Server Release Notes
necessary. are bundled in the Solaris OS. (820-0067)
However, you may need to install
additional software from the
Resource CD.
Install patches, if necessary. Patches are available from the Netra X4200 M2 Server Release Notes
SunSolve Patch Portal at: (820-0067)
http://www.sunsolve.sun.com

TABLE 2-2 Minimum System Requirements

Requirement Description

Hardware The server hardware and the initial service processor configuration
requirements must be installed before you install the Solaris OS.
Minimum Solaris OS Solaris 10 3/05 HW1 for x86/x64 platforms or later compatible
versions.
Memory to install 256 Mbytes is the recommended size. 64 Mbytes is the minimum
size.
Disk space 12 Gbytes or greater.

Chapter 2 Solaris 10 7
 TABLE 2-2 Minimum System Requirements (Continued)

Requirement Description

Swap area 512 Mbytes is the default size.

x86/x64 processor x86/x64 120-MHz or faster processor is recommended. Hardware
requirements floating point support is required.
BIOS Industry standard x86/x64 BIOS (resident in FLASH). The BIOS
must be able to boot from CD or DVD media.

TABLE 2-3 Installation Methods

Method Description Instructions

Install from DVD or Use the Solaris Installation Program on the CD or DVD “How to Install the Solaris OS
CD-ROM media. media to install one server interactively. From Distribution Media” on
page 13
Install from the You need a PXE installation to install the Solaris OS To set up for a PXE
network by using over the network from remote DVD or CD images or to installation, see “x86:
PXE. automate the installation process and install several Guidelines for Booting with
systems with a JumpStart installation. PXE,” in the Solaris 10
To boot over the network by using PXE, you need to set Installation Guide: Network-
up an install server and a DHCP server, and configure Based Installations
the BIOS on each server to boot from the network. To boot by using PXE, see
“How to Boot a Server Over
the Network By Using PXE”
on page 11
Boot from the Depending on your configuration, a Solaris OS image Solaris 10 Installation Guide:
preinstalled image. may be preinstalled on a hard drive. Basic Installations
Install from a serial Use a serial console to install the Solaris OS in a PXE- “How to Use a Serial Console
console. based network installation. to Install the Solaris OS” on
page 14
Perform a diskless Boot the Solaris OS on a Netra X4200 server without a “x86: Booting and Installing
boot. hard drive. Use this method with a PXE-based network Over the Network PXE,” in the
installation. Solaris10 Installation Guide:
Network-Based Installations

Note – The Solaris OS provides additional programs for installation, such as

booting over a wide area network (WAN), but the Netra X4200 server supports only
those methods listed in this topic.

8 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Where to Find Solaris 10 Information
Solaris OS documentation is available from the web at: http://docs.sun.com/

Select Solaris 10 to display the list of documents in the Solaris 10 Documentation

Collection.
■ For the Solaris 10 installation guides, see
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/coll/1236.1
■ For the Solaris 10 administration guides, see
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/coll/47.16
■ For information about upgrading your system, see
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5505
■ For troubleshooting information, see Appendix A at:
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504

Solaris 10 documentation is also available on the Solaris Documentation DVD

included with your Solaris OS software.

About Preparing to Install the Solaris OS

You need to gather information about your system before you install the Solaris OS.
The amount of planning and initial set up that you need to perform varies
depending on whether you are preparing for a local installation from DVD or CD, or
you are preparing for a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)-based network
installation.

You also need to obtain the appropriate media for your installation.

Media Title

DVD Solaris 10 Operating System <version> DVD

CD-ROM Solaris 10 Operating System <version> Software CDs
Solaris 10 HW1 Languages for x86 Platforms CD
Netra X4200 Resource CD
Patches See the Netra X4200 Server Release Notes for information about patches.

Chapter 2 Solaris 10 9
 Installation Prerequisites
You must complete the following tasks before you install the Solaris OS.

1. Verify that your system meets the minimum system requirements.

See the System Requirements section in the related topic about Solaris OS
installation.
If you are using the Solaris Installation Program GUI or text installer, you need a
local DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive or network connection, keyboard, and
monitor. For more information, see the Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Basic
Installations.

2. Gather the information you need to install the Solaris OS.

See the “Checklist for Installation,” in Chapter 1, at
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-0544.
For a non-networked system, you need to know the host name of the system you
are installing and the language and the locales that you intend to use on the
system.
For a networked system, use the checklist to gather the following information:
■ Host name of the system that you are installing
■ Language and locales that you intend to use on the system
■ IP address of the name server
■ Subnet mask
■ Type of name service (for example, DNS, NIS, or NIS+)
■ IP address of gateway
■ Domain name
■ Host name of the name server
■ IP address of the name server
■ Root password

3. If you are installing the Solaris OS over the network, you need to set up a PXE-
based network installation before you install the Solaris OS.
For information about setting up a PXE-based network installation, see Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations at
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504.

Note – Consult the appropriate platform guide that ships with Solaris 10 for
detailed information about remote installation via USB. If USB-based installation is
not supported, use PXE.

10 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Boot a Server in a GRUB-Based
Environment
Starting with the Solaris 10 11/06 release, the open-source GNU Grand Unified
Bootloader (GRUB) has been implemented on x86-based systems that are running
the Solaris OS. GRUB is the boot loader that is responsible for loading a boot archive
into a system's memory. The boot archive contains the kernel modules and
configuration files that are required to boot the system. For more information on
GRUB, you can see the grub(5) man page.

For information on how to boot a Netra X4200 server that is running Solaris 10 11/06
in a GRUB-based environment, refer to the Solaris 10 System Administration Guide:
Basic Administration, at this URL:

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/819-2379

How to Boot a Server Over the Network

By Using PXE
Use this procedure along with the instructions in Solaris 10 Installation Guide:
Networked-Based Installations.

The Netra X4200 server implements the Intel Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
specification required for a PXE network boot. PXE technology provides your server
with the capability to boot the Solaris OS over the network using the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Using a PXE-based network installation, you can
install the Solaris OS onto a server from the network with remote CD or DVD
images. You can also automate the installation process and install the Solaris OS on
several Netra X4200 servers using a JumpStart scenario.

A PXE network boot is a direct network boot. No boot media is required on the Netra
X4200 client system.

Chapter 2 Solaris 10 11
 Before You Begin
To boot over the network by using PXE, you first need to do the following:

1. Set up an install server.

2. Add the Netra X4200 clients to be installed.

3. Set up a DHCP server.

For instructions, see Step 1 below.

What to Do
1. Perform the tasks in “Guidelines for Booting with PXE,” located in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations, located at
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504.
If you have already set up the systems you need for a PXE boot, review the Task
Map to verify that you have performed all the steps.

2. Boot the server over the network by using PXE.

Complete the steps in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations at
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504. Follow the instructions on
the screen.
When the BIOS comes up, press F12 to tell the BIOS to perform a network boot
from the PXE server.

12 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Install the Solaris OS From
Distribution Media
Use this procedure along with the instructions for x86 platforms in Solaris 10
Installation Guide: Basic Installations to install the Solaris OS onto a Netra X4200 server
from CD or DVD media. This procedure describes an interactive installation using
the Solaris Installation Program.

The Solaris Installation Program on the Solaris 10 Operating System media can be
run with a graphical user interface (GUI) or as an interactive text installer in a
console session. The GUI or command-line interface (CLI) uses wizard panels to
guide you step-by-step through installing the OS.

Note – Solaris 10 3/05 HW1 is preinstalled. You do not need to follow this
procedure unless you are installing a new OS version.

Before You Begin

Perform the tasks described in the Related topic about how to prepare for installing
the Solaris OS.

What to Do
1. Insert the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD or CD into your Netra X4200 server.

2. Boot the system by shutting it down and then turning it off and on.
The server BIOS supports booting from a DVD or CD.

3. Continue the installation procedure by performing the steps in the procedure:

“x86: To Install or Upgrade with the Solaris Installation Program,” in Chapter 2
at http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-0544.
Start the procedure at Step 4. When prompted, answer the configuration
questions to complete the installation.
You can accept the default values on the screens to format the entire hard disk,
use auto-layout file systems, and install a preselected set of software. Or, you can
customize the installation to modify the hard disk layout, modify a Solaris fdisk
partition, and select the software that you want to install.

Chapter 2 Solaris 10 13
 How to Use a Serial Console to Install the
Solaris OS
The Solaris text installer enables you to type information in a terminal or a console
window to interact with the Solaris OS Installation Program. Use this procedure to
use a serial console to install the Solaris 10 OS on a Netra X4200 server with a PXE-
based network installation.

Before You Begin

Before you set up the serial console, you need to set up the following systems for a
PXE-based network installation:
■ An install server
■ A DHCP server

To set up these systems, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations at

http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504.

14 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

What to Do
To use a serial console to install the Solaris OS, do the following.

Note – For Steps 1 through 3, see Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based

Installations at http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504.

1. Connect a terminal to the serial port on the service processor.

A terminal can be a VT100, a PC running terminal emulation, or a terminal
server.

2. Set the terminal to receive at 9600 baud.

3. Add an x86 install client to an install server and specify a boot device to use
during the installation.
If you specify the boot device when you set up the install client, you are not
prompted for this information by the Device Configuration Assistant during the
installation.

The examples below use the following values:

■ Client IP address: 00:07:e9:04:4a:bf
■ Server IP address (GRUB only): 192.168.0.123
■ Client macro name (GRUB only): 01000039FCF2EF
Use the commands specified in the examples below for the operating system
version that you are using:
■ For a Solaris 10 3/05 HW1 system:
# cd /export/boot/Solaris_10/Tools
# ./add_install_client -d -e "00:07:e9:04:4a:bf" \
-b "console=ttya" \
-b "bootpath=/pci@0,0/pci1022,7450@1/pci8086,1011@1"
i86pc
■ For Solaris 10 11/06 or later system with GRUB booting:
# cd /export/boot/Solaris_10/Tools
# ./add_install_client -d -e "00:07:e9:04:4a:bf" i86pc
# dhtadm -A -m 01000039FCF2EF \
-d ":BootSrvA=192.168.0.123:BootFile=01000039FCF2EF:"
# pntadm -f 01 -A $CLIENT_IP -i 01000039FCF2EF \
-m 01000039FCF2EF $CLIENT_NET

Chapter 2 Solaris 10 15
 Note – See the man pages for these commands for more information on the
commands and options.

4. Log in to the service processor as an Administrator.

5. Type this command to use the serial console:

start /SP/console

6. Boot the Netra X4200 server.

Follow the instructions in Solaris 10 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations
at: http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-5504. When prompted, use
the following setting:
To boot via PXE, press F12 at the BIOS.

7. After the system is installed, log in to the system and use the eeprom
command to change bootenv.rc:
eeprom input-console=ttya

16 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

CHAPTER 3

Sun Installation Assistant CD

About the Sun Installation Assistant CD

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant CD can be used remotely with the ILOM
Remote CD-ROM feature and the Remote Console Application. For more details, see
the topic that describes the Remote Console application.

The Sun™ Installation Assistant CD helps you to install a supported Linux operating
system (OS) on your Netra X4200 server. It provides a set of Sun-supported drivers
that have been tested for quality assurance.

By using the Sun Installation Assistant CD, you can install the operating system, the
appropriate drivers, and additional software on your system. The Sun Installation
Assistant eliminates the need to create a Driver CD.

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant CD does not automate the OS installation
process. You will still need to follow the procedures provided in the Help topics
about Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 installation, but
you will not need to create a Driver CD. The Sun Installation Assistant automatically
installs the Sun-supported drivers.

The Sun Installation Assistant performs the following tasks:

■ Identifies the hardware on your system.
■ Installs the operating system.
■ Identifies and installs drivers and platform-specific software.

The use of the Sun Installation Assistant CD is optional but is provided to make the
installation of Linux easier for the user.

17
 Error Messages
If the Sun Installation Assistant encounters an error or an unexpected condition, it
will generate an error message. You might encounter a number of straightforward
error messages such as the following:
You have inserted Disc 3 but the system requires Disc 2. Please insert
Disc 2.

You might also attempt to use the Sun Installation Assistant with versions of Linux
that are not supported. In that case you might see error messages such as the
following:
The media you have provided is not a release that is supported by Sun
Microsystems, Inc. on this platform. You cannot use the Sun
Installation Assistant to install this product and associated
software.

In this case, choose one of the following options:

■ To install a supported product, click Back and then insert the appropriate media.
■ To install this unsupported product, click Exit to exit the Sun Installation
Assistant and reboot the system. You can now install the unsupported product as
you normally would.

Log File
A log file of the Sun Installation Assistant is written to the /root directory of the
newly installed system.

To review this log file, refer to the file /root/SunInstallationAssistant.log.

18 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Use the Sun Installation
Assistant
This procedure explains how to use the Sun Installation Assistant to install Linux on
your server.

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant does not automate the OS installation process.
However, you will not need to create a driver CD because the Sun Installation
Assistant automatically installs the Sun supported drivers. Once the installation is
complete, you will return to the Sun Installation Assistant screen.

The Sun Installation Assistant can be booted from either the server’s CD-ROM,
remote KVM with CD-ROM redirection or via a PXE network boot. Instructions for
configuring PXE network boot can be found in the topic that describes how to
configure the Sun Installation Assistant for PXE boot. In the steps below that
mention booting from the CD-ROM, simply substitute selecting network boot.

Media for the Linux system to be installed can be either a network image or a CD-
ROM. Installation from a network image on a LAN is significantly faster to install.

Before You Begin

Installing the Sun Installation Assistant software consists of the following
procedures:

1. Boot the Sun Installation Assistant via the local CD, remote KVM with CD-
ROM redirection, or via PXE booting the images contained on the CD.

2. Follow the prompts to provide the media or network image from which to
install Linux.
See the Help topic about how to update the operating system and drivers.

Chapter 3 Sun Installation Assistant CD 19

 What to Do
To use the Sun Installation Assistant, do the following.

1. Insert the Sun Installation Assistant CD into the server’s CD/DVD drive, use
PXE booting, or use the remote KVM with CD-ROM redirection. See the topic
that describes how to PXE boot or how to start and stop CD-ROM drive
redirection.

2. Power on or reboot the server.

Your server boots the Sun Installation Assistant. This can take a few minutes. The
first screen that appears is the Software License Agreement screen.

3. Read through the terms of the agreement.

You must scroll to the bottom of the license text window to make active the
Accept radio button.
■ If you agree, select the Accept radio button and click Next to continue. (The Next
button becomes active only when you select the Accept radio button.) The
Welcome screen now appears with an introduction to the Sun Installation
Assistant.
■ If you do not agree, select the Decline radio button and click Exit to close the Sun
Installation Assistant. The system then prompts you to reboot the server.

4. On the Welcome screen, click Next.

The Welcome screen explains what the Sun Installation Assistant will do. Click
Next to proceed.

5. Enable networking.
If you want to use an HTTP or FTP install image, select Yes to bring up the
Ethernet interface to reach that network install image. Select No to install from
CD-ROM, and skip to Step 7.

6. Configure networking.
Answer questions for the IP configuration and click Next. The Assistant now
identifies the hardware on which it is running and scans for any SCSI devices, as
the following example shows:
Identifying hardware... identified as .
Scanning for SCSI devices... done.
It will then automatically proceed to the next screen.

7. Select installation method.

Select whether you want to install the Linux distribution from CD, HTTP, or FTP.
If the network has not been enabled yet and you select HTTP or FTP, you will be
prompted to enable the network.

20 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

8. Provide installation media.
Installing from HTTP or FTP:
If you selected network installation, you will be prompted to supply the URL of
the network image to install from. For example:
http://host.name/path/to/install/image
http://ip.address/path/to/install/image
ftp://host.name/path/to/install/image
ftp://ip.address/path/to/install/image
Installing from CD:
The Assistant now identifies the hardware on which it is running and scans for
any SCSI devices. It will then eject the Sun Installation Assistant CD and display
a list of supported Linux distributions. This list of distributions is specific to the
server hardware.
The Netra X4200 server supports the following Linux distributions:
■ Red Hat Linux 3.0 Update 5 and later updates, 32-bit and 64-bit
■ Red Hat Linux 4.0 Update 1 and later updates, 64-bit
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP1 and later SPs, 64-bit

Insert Disc 1 for one of the supported distributions into the server’s CD/DVD drive.

Note – To install SLES9 SP1, insert the SLES9 CD 1 first. You will be prompted to
insert the SP1 CD after the SLES9 installation is complete.

Note – For the administrator’s convenience, the CD-ROM redirection feature of the
SP can be used. See the topic that describes how to start and stop CD-ROM drive
redirection.

Note – You must supply the OS media on the same CD-ROM as you booted the Sun
Installation Assistant.

9. Click Next.
The Assistant identifies the Linux distribution, as the following example shows:
Identifying distribution... identified as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
Update 1 AS - 64bit.

Note – If you provide an unsupported media, you will see an error message.

Chapter 3 Sun Installation Assistant CD 21

 10. Click Next to start the installer for this distribution.
The installation software specific to the version of Linux that you are installing
now takes over.

11. Proceed through the installer screens.

12. After the installation is complete, the Sun Installation Assistant installs RPMs
for the Linux OS kernel(s) that you have just installed.
The Assistant installs only those RPMs for your specific Linux OS kernel.

Note – This operation replaces the steps for manually upgrading the drivers for
your server, as outlined in the Help topics that describe how to update the drivers.

13. Verify that the correct software has been installed.

The final screen identifies additional software that is installed, as the following
example shows:
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 1 AS - 64bit installation has
completed.
Installing drivers... completed.
The installation has completed.

Note – You will be prompted to insert the SLES9 SP1 CD from this screen before the
drivers are installed. Installing the patches from the SP1 CD will take a few minutes.

14. Click Reboot to reboot the server with the newly installed operating system.

22 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Configure the Sun Installation
Assistant for PXE Boot
This procedure explains how to configure a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to
boot the Sun Installation Assistant on your server.

What to Do

Note – This section presumes the user is already familiar with configuring a PXE
boot server. The following information is relevant to adding the Sun Installation
Assistant boot target on an existing PXE boot server.

Configuring the Sun Installation Assistant software for PXE boot consists of the
following procedures:

1. Preconfigure your network to support PXE as described in Appendix A.

2. Create a new subdirectory in the PXE Linux directory for the Sun Installation
Assistant images.
# mkdir /home/pxeboot/suninstall

3. Insert the Sun Installation Assistant CD into the PXE server CD drive and
mount the CD.

4. Copy the vmlinuz and initrd files from the CD to the PXE Linux directory.
Use the correct path to the mounted CD image. This example uses
/mnt/cdrom.
# cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/vmlinuz /home/pxeboot/suninstall
# cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/initrd.img /home/pxeboot/suninstall

5. Add the Sun Installation Assistant to the PXE configuration file. Enter the
following lines to /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default:

Chapter 3 Sun Installation Assistant CD 23

 Note – Type the text block from append through netboot as one continuous string
with no returns.

default suninstall
label suninstall
kernel vmlinuz
append initrd=initrd.img vga=0x314 ramdisk_size=400000 root=
/dev/ram netboot

6. Unmount and remove the CD.

Booting the Sun Installation Assistant From the PXE Server

1. Connect the Netra X4200 server to the same network as the PXE server and
power on the system.

2. Press the F12 key on your system while it is initializing to start a network boot.
The system will attempt to get an IP address from the DHCP server.

3. Press the F8 key to begin the downloading of the PXE boot image.

4. When you are prompted at the boot: prompt, type in suninstall.

5. The Sun Installation Assistant image downloads onto your system. You can
continue with the installation as described in“How to Use the Sun Installation
Assistant” on page 19.

24 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

CHAPTER 4

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

About Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Installation
If you have installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on other Intel or AMD
Opteron servers, you are already familiar with how to install it on a Netra X4200
server. The two most common methods to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on your
server are:
■ Installation from your Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution media
■ Automatic kickstart installation from Red Hat Enterprise Linux software
(installation tree) stored on a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) network
server

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant is a convenient, front-end application

designed to assist you in installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on your server. The
Sun Installation Assistant supplements the standard installation utilities and
procedures that ship with Red Hat Enterprise Linux; it does not replace them.

25
 Red Hat Installation and Administration
Documentation

Before you install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on a Netra X4200 server,
consult the following Red Hat Enterprise Linux documentation.

Document Description Where to Find

README file Contains late-breaking information On the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 1,
about system requirements and and online from
system configuration for your http://www.redhat.com/docs/
version of the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux software.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Quick Brief printed guide containing Included with the Red Hat Enterprise
Installation Guide useful information to assist you Linux distribution media
during the installation of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Full version of the printed Quick Included on the Red Hat
Installation Guide Installation Guide. Documentation CD, and available for
download from
http://www.redhat.com/docs/
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Introductory information for Red Available for download from
Introduction to System Hat Enterprise Linux system http://www.redhat.com/docs/ma
Administration administrators. nuals/enterprise/
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Information on customizing the Available for download from
System Administration Guide Red Hat Enterprise Linux http://www.redhat.com/docs/ma
software. nuals/enterprise/
System Administration for Information on configuring your Available for download as the Red Hat
Diskless Booting server and Red Hat Linux for Enterprise Linux Installation Guide for the
diskless booting. x86, Itanium™, and AMD64 Architectures
at
http://www.redhat.com/docs/ma
nuals/enterprise/
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Guide for securing the Red Hat Available for download from
Security Guide Enterprise Linux software. http://www.redhat.com/docs/ma
nuals/enterprise/

26 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Task Map for Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Installation
Consult the following table to determine which topics documented in this Help
system are relevant to the installation tasks that you want to perform.

Installation Task (Goal) Relevant Topic

Collect information about your system and “About Preparing to Install Red Hat
network. Enterprise Linux” on page 28
Create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux driver “How to Create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux
CD. Driver CD” on page 29
Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from “How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux
distribution media using a local or network- From Distribution Media” on page 31
attached CD or DVD drive.
Update Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating “How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise
system files and drivers. Linux Operating System and Drivers” on
page 33
Run the Sun Installation Assistant. “How to Use the Sun Installation Assistant”
on page 19

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 27

 About Preparing to Install Red Hat
Enterprise Linux
Although you can install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software from a local
CD/DVD, a remote CD/DVD, or the network, you will need to collect some
information about your system and your network before you proceed with any of
these installation methods.

Installation Prerequisites
The following is information you might need to collect relevant to the installation of
the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on the server.

Item to Verify Value

DHCP server name servername

MAC address of server MAC_address

Additional Software Updates or Patches

After installing the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software on the server, you might also
need to update your system software with the following patches and packages.

Patch or Software Package Explanation

SCSI drivers Download the driver RPMs from the product pages for the
server. See the Help topic about updating the operating
system and drivers for details.
Operating system update Use the Red Hat up2date program. See the Help topic about
updating the operating system and drivers for details.

28 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Create a Red Hat Enterprise
Linux Driver CD
If you are installing a RHEL 4 Update 2 or later version, the drivers needed to install
the OS are incorporated into installation image. You do not need to create an
additional driver CD.

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant automatically installs this driver. You can skip
this procedure if you use that application. For details, see “How to Use the Sun
Installation Assistant” on page 19.

The LSISAS1064 SCSI controller on your Netra X4200 server is new to the market. The
driver for that SCSI controller has not yet been made available on the Red Hat
Enterprise Linux distribution, so Sun Microsystems has provided the driver on its
Resource CD. To install this driver on your server, you must create a Red Hat-
specific CD that contains an installation-ready driver image.

Before You Begin

Before you create a Red Hat-specific Driver CD, you must have access to a
functioning Linux server or Linux workstation that can burn a CD.

What to Do
To create a Red Hat-specific Driver CD from the driver images distributed on the
Resource CD, do the following.

1. Log in as root to the Linux server or workstation that has the CD recorder
drive.

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 29

 2. Determine the name of the recordable CD drive. Do one of the following:
■ If the recordable CD drive is an IDE (ATAPI) drive, type:
# cdrecord -scanbus dev=ATAPI
The system reports the names of matching devices:
scsibus0:
0,0,0 0) ’SAMSUNG ’’CDRW/DVD SM-352F’’T900’Removable CD-ROM
0,1,0 1) *
0,2,0 2) *
In this example, the name of the IDE CD device is ATAPI:0,0,0.
■ If the recordable CD drive is a SCSI drive, type:
# cdrecord -scanbus
The system reports the names of matching devices:
scsibus4:
4,0,0 0) ’SONY’’DVD RW DRU-530A’’1.0e’Removable CD-ROM
4,1,0 1) *
4,2,0 2) *
In this example, the name of the SCSI CD device is 4,0,0.

3. Insert the Resource CD into the local system CD drive.

4. Mount the CD. Type:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

5. Copy the driver image to the local /tmp directory. Type:

Note – The driver disk image in this step depends on the version of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux you are attempting to install. The example shows Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit version. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 64-bit versions,
use -/mnt/cdrom/support/update_media/rhel3/64/driverUpdate.iso.
For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit versions, use
-/mnt/cdrom/support/update_media/rhel4/64/driverUpdate.img.

# cp
/mnt/cdrom/support/update_media/rhel3/32/driverUpdate.img
/tmp

6. Unmount the Resource CD. Type:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

7. Insert a blank CD-R disc into the CD recorder drive.

30 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

8. Create the Driver CD. Type:
# cdrecord dev=drivename /tmp/driverUpdate.img
Where drivename is the device name of the CD recorder you obtained in Step 2.

Note – If you use a program other than cdrecord, it might warn you that
driverUpdate.img is not a valid file. You can ignore this warning.

9. Remove the newly created CD from the CD recorder when the recording
process is complete and the CD recorder ejects the CD.

Note – Use this Red Hat-specific Driver CD when you install the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux software from the Red Hat distribution media.

How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux

From Distribution Media
Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides both a text mode and an easy-to-use graphical
interface for installing and configuring the operating system. You can select the
interface that you want to use from the boot prompt, and both options are shown
later in this section.

Before You Begin

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux software from CDs consists of the following
procedures:

If you are using RHEL 4 Update 2 or later version, you do not need to do
Procedure 1. Proceed to Procedure 2.

1. If necessary, create the Enterprise Driver CD or use the Sun Installation

Assistant CD.
See the “How to Create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Driver CD” on page 29 or
“How to Use the Sun Installation Assistant” on page 19.

2. Install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software.

3. Update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux software.

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 31

 See “How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System and
Drivers” on page 33.

Required Items
Installation from distribution media requires the following items:
■ Netra X4200 server equipped with:
■ DVD-ROM drive
■ USB keyboard and mouse
■ Monitor
■ Red Hat Enterprise Linux media CD set
■ Driver CD

You create this yourself. See the Help topic about how to create a Red Hat Enterprise
Linux Driver CD.

What to Do
To perform a basic installation from local media, do the following.

1. Insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Distribution CD 1 into the local DVD/CD
drive on the Netra X4200 server.

2. Power on the system.

The server will boot off of the CD and display a boot: prompt.

3. Select one of the following installation methods at the boot prompt:

■ For text mode: Type the following command:
boot: linux dd
■ For graphical mode: Press Enter.
The installer starts, and prompts you for a driver disk with the following
message:
Do you have a driver disk?
The installer then prompts you to Insert your driver disk into /dev/hda and
press Ok.

4. Eject the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Distribution CD 1.

32 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

5. If necessary insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Driver CD.

This is the CD you created earlier. See “How to Create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Driver CD” on page 29.

6. Select Ok.

The installer loads the updated mptbase and mptscsih drivers needed to access the
hard drives. When the installer is finished loading the drivers, it prompts with Do
you have any more driver disks?.

7. Select No and remove the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Driver CD from the
system.

8. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide to guide you through the
remainder of the installation process.

What Next
See “How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System and Drivers”
on page 33.

How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Operating System and Drivers
This procedure describes how to update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating
system and drivers.

Before You Begin

Since software is constantly being updated, your distribution media might not
contain the most up-to-date versions of the operating system. In addition, the kernel
that is installed on the system might not contain the proper SCSI drivers that the
server requires. Updating the drivers helps ensure proper system operation.

The following two procedures assume that you have already installed the Red Hat
Enterprise Linux software on the Netra X4200 server. These procedures explain how
to update that Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation with the latest OS and driver
software.

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 33

 What to Do

Updating the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Software

Follow these steps to update the operating system software.

1. Set up the up2date program on the server.

Refer to the documentation included with your Red Hat Enterprise Linux media
kit for details.

2. Run the up2date program.

Select the kernel packages in the available package updates section.

Caution – Do not reboot the server after running the up2date program. If the
server is rebooted before you installed the updated SCSI driver, the server might not
function properly upon restart.

3. If necessary, After you have finished running up2date, proceed to the next
section to update the SCSI drivers before rebooting the server.

Note – If you did reboot the system after updating the kernel and before updating
the SCSI drivers, the system might fail to boot and you must boot from the
installation media in rescue mode by typing linux rescue at the installation boot
prompt. For more information, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration
Guide located at http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/

Updating the SCSI Drivers

Note – If you are installing RHEL 4 Update 2 or later version, you do not need to
update the SCSI drivers.

This procedure describes how to copy the latest drivers from the Resource CD. You
can also download the driver RPMs from the product page for the Netra X4200 server:

http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp

34 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

1. Determine which kernel is currently installed on the system. Type the
following command:
# rpm -qa --qf="%{name}-%{version}-%{release}.%{arch}\n" |
grep ^kernel
The following is an example of the output you might get:
kernel-2.4.21-32.EL.athlon
kernel-smp-2.4.21-32.EL.athlon
This example shows the 2.4.21-32.EL.athlon kernel.

2. Insert the Resource CD into the server’s DVD-ROM drive.

3. Mount the CD and locate the SCSI drivers by typing the following commands:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cd /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/rhel3/32/

Note – The above command assumes that you are running Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 3 32-bit. If you are running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 64-bit or Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit, use the following different paths to the drivers. For Red
Hat Enterprise Linux 3 64-bit, use: /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/rhel3/64.
For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit, use:
/mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/rhel4/64.

4. Determine which driver RPMs correspond to the installed kernel.

The file names of the RPMs contain the kernel version and type. Using the
example kernel versions shown above, the appropriate SCSI (mptlinux) drivers
would be:
mptlinux-2.06.16_2.4.21_32.EL-rhel3_1.athlon.rpm
mptlinux-smp-2.06.16_2.4.21_32.EL-rhel3_1.athlon.rpm

5. Type the following command to install the driver RPM files:

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/rhel3/32/mptlinux-
drivers.rpm
Where mptlinux-drivers.rpm refers to the appropriate SCSI driver RPM files
determined in the previous step.

Note – Be sure to pick the correct architecture of the driver for the kernel you are
running. For example, if you are running the i686 kernel, be sure to choose the
correct driver RPM that ends with .i686.rpm.

6. After successful installation, reboot the system by typing:

# reboot

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 35

 How to Install the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux OS Using the Remote Console
Application
This topic explains how to install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system on
your server using the ILOM Remote Console application.

What to Do
Use the following procedure to install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 OS using the
ILOM Remote Console application.

1. Locate your Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation CD/DVD or the equivalent
iso images.

Note – The Remote Console application can redirect iso images.

2. Locate the appropriate LSISAS DriverUpdate.iso file from the resource CD.
Check the directory /support/drivers/rhel3/32/,
/support/drivers/rhel3/64/, or /support/drivers/rhel4/64/ on the
resource CD.

Note – This driver disk image can be written to a floppy disk or left as an image file
because the Remote Console application can redirect a floppy image. If your hard
drive is not displayed during the Red Hat installation process, verify that this driver
disk was recognized during Red Hat boot.

3. Connect to the ILOM Service Processor web GUI.

See the topic that describes how to log in to and out of the Sun ILOM web GUI.

4. Choose the Remote Control—Redirection tabs to start the Remote Console

application.
See the topic that describes how to launch the Remote Console application.

5. Start keyboard and mouse redirection.

See the topic that describes how to redirect keyboard, video, mouse, or storage
devices.

36 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 6. Start CD/DVD redirection.
There are two choices of redirection type, either to redirect a CD-ROM drive
using the Devices menu and to insert either installation CD 1 into the redirect
CD-ROM drive, or to redirect CD-ROM images using the Devices menu. Select
disk 1 iso image when prompted.

7. Start floppy drive redirection.

There are two choices of redirection type, either to redirect a floppy drive using
the Devices menu and to insert the driver disk floppy into the redirect floppy
drive, or to redirect floppy images using the Devices menu. Select driver image
when prompted.

8. Power on the server using the ILOM web GUI.

See the topic that describes how to control power on the host server.

9. Press F2 to enter BIOS Setup and set the BIOS boot device to use AMI Virtual
CDROM, or press F8 and select AMI Virtual CDROM when prompted.

10. When the boot prompt appears, type linux dd.

11. When prompted for the driver disk, select Yes.

12. When prompted for the driver disk source, select sda.

13. After the driver is done loading, select No when asked for additional driver.

14. When prompted for testing the CD media before installation, select Skip if
you do not want the media test to run.

15. Proceed with Red Hat OS installation as usual.

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 37

 Red Hat Enterprise Linux and PXE

About Red Hat Enterprise Linux and PXE

The network interface card (NIC) in your Netra X4200 server supports the Preboot
Execution Environment (PXE) network booting protocol. The system BIOS and
network interface BIOS on your server automatically query the network for a DHCP
server. If that DHCP server on the network has been configured to support the PXE
protocol and PXE image servers on the same network, then the BIOS on your system
can be used to install a bootable Red Hat Enterprise Linux image on your server.
PXE is a powerful and convenient solution for setting up a number of Netra X4200
servers so their configuration is identical.

Task Map
To take advantage of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and PXE on your network, you need
to perform the following tasks.

Task Related Help Topic

Set up your Linux network and PXE server. See Appendix A.

Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux images on “How to Create a PXE Install Image on the
that PXE server. PXE Server” on page 38
Configure your server to install from a Red “How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Hat Enterprise Linux image on a PXE server. From a PXE Server” on page 41

How to Create a PXE Install Image on the PXE

Server
This procedure describes how to create a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
install image on the same server that is your DHCP server, so that it will also act as
your PXE server. The PXE server provides the operating system files to your PXE
client.

Note – If you are installing RHEL 4 Update 2 or later version, you do not need to
complete the steps that refer to installing the drivers.

38 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Before You Begin
Before you install a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image on your PXE server, you must
configure your Linux network to support PXE images. See Appendix A for
instructions on preconfiguring your network to support PXE installations of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux.

Required Items
The PXE installation procedure requires the following items:
■ A CD/DVD drive on the DHCP Server
■ Red Hat Enterprise Linux media CD set
■ Resource CD

What to Do
To create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image on your PXE server, do the following.

1. Insert the Resource CD into the CD/DVD drive of the DHCP/PXE server.

2. Type the following commands to copy the Sun support files from the CD to the
/tmp directory on your DHCP/PXE server:

Note – The compressed tar file that is used in this step depends on which Red Hat
Enterprise Linux you are creating an install image. The remainder of the instructions
will assume that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit is being used. Modify the
example based on the version you are using. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit,
use rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz, for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 64-bit, use
rhel3_64-pxefiles.tar.gz, for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit, use
rhel4_64-pxefiles.tar.gz,for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 32-bit, use
rhel4_32-pxefiles.tar.gz.

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz
/tmp
# cd /tmp
# tar -zxvf rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz
# umount /mnt/cdrom

3. Set up the directory structure that will hold the Red Hat Enterprise Linux
software. Type:

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 39

 Note – You can use a different target directory than the /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/
directory shown below. The examples in this procedure use this directory.

# mkdir -p /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/

4. For each Red Hat Enterprise Linux Distribution CD, type the following
commands to copy the contents of the Distribution CD to the appropriate PXE
target subdirectory:
# mount dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/
# umount /mnt/cdrom
Eject and insert Red Hat Enterprise Linux CDs only when the CD/DVD drive is
unmounted.

5. Copy the kickstart file ks.cfg to your PXE server. Type:

# cp /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/ks.cfg /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/
The kickstart configuration file contains a configuration that might not be
optimal for your operating environment. Modify the file as necessary to suit your
environment.

6. Copy the initial ramdisk from the PXE files uncompressed in Step 2 into the
base of the PXE image. Type:
# cp /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/initrd.img
/home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/

7. If necessary, copy the updated SCSI driver RPM files to the target directory.
Type:
# cp /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/mptlinux* /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/

8. On your PXE server, edit and save the kickstart file,

/home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/ks.cfg.
Edit the nfs line is as follows:
nfs --server n.n.n.n --dir /home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/
Where n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server. Ensure that the location
indicated after --dir is pointing to the top level of your image.

9. Add the following entry to the file /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default:

40 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Note – Type the text block from append through ks.cfg as one continuous string
with no returns.

default rhel3_32
label rhel3_32
kernel rhel3_32/vmlinuz
append ksdevice=eth0 console=tty0 load_ramdisk=1
initrd=rhel3_32/initrd.img network
ks=nfs:n.n.n.n:/home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/ks.cfg
Where n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.

Note – For console-based installations, add console=ttyS0,9600 to the append

line.

10. Save the modified version of the /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

file.

11. Insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Distribution CD1 into the CD/DVD drive
of the DHCP/PXE server.
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp /mnt/cdrom/images/pxeboot/vmlinuz
/home/pxeboot/rhel3_32/

How to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux From a

PXE Server
This procedure describes how to configure your Netra X4200 server to initiate the
request to download the boot image file from the PXE/DHCP server and how to
install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot image onto your Netra X4200 server.

Note – If you are installing RHEL 4 Update 2 or later version, you do not need to
complete the steps that refer to updating the drivers.

Before You Begin

Before you configure your server to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a PXE
server, you need to have done the following:

Chapter 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 41

 ■ Configured your Linux network to support a PXE server. See the topic that
describes how to preconfigure your network to support PXE installation of Red
Hat Enterprise Linux.
■ Installed a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image on that Linux PXE server. See the
topic that describes how to create a PXE install image on the PXE server.

What to Do
To configure your server to install a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image from a PXE
server, do the following.

1. Connect the PXE client to the same network as the PXE server, and power on
the PXE client.
The PXE client is the target Netra X4200 server to which you are installing Red Hat
Enterprise Linux software.

2. When the PXE client prompts you for a network boot, press the F12 key.
The PXE client connects to the PXE server and attempts to obtain an IP address
from the DHCP server.

3. Press the F8 key to begin the downloading of the PXE boot image.

4. When you are prompted at the boot: prompt, type in the label you gave the
image when you installed a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image on the PXE server.
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux install image downloads onto the targetNetra X4200
server.

5. To configure the Linux operating system for your server, refer to the manual
that is shipped with your Red Hat Enterprise Linux media kit.

6. Update the operating system files and driver files, if necessary.

See “How to Update the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System and
Drivers” on page 33.

42 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

CHAPTER 5

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9

About SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9

Installation
If you have installed the SLES9 operating system (OS) on other x86-based servers,
you are already familiar with how to install Linux on your Netra X4200 server. The
most common methods to install SLES9 on your server are:
■ Installation from your SLES9 Distribution CD (local or remote)
■ Installation from the network, either from a Preboot Execution Environment
(PXE) image stored on a PXE server on your local network or from an image
stored elsewhere on your network.

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant is a convenient, front-end application

designed to assist you in installing SUSE Linux on your server. The Sun Installation
Assistant supplements the standard installation utilities and procedures that ship
with SLES9; it does not replace them.

Important SLES 9 Version Installation Guidelines

Read the following guidelines for specific versions of the SLES 9 operating system:
■ The minimum supported SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) version is SLES 9
Service Pack 1 (SP1).

43
 ■ If you are installing SP1, you will need to first install the base SLES9 package
before installing SLES 9 SP1, because SP1 consists of packages that are installed
on top of the base SLES9 operating system. See SLES9 version guidelines for more
information.
■ If you are installing SP2, you cannot install the SP on top of the base SLES9
package. If the base SLES9 package is already installed on the system, you will
need to remove the base package, and install SLES9 SP2 by inserting the SP2 CD
first.
■ If you are installing a version higher than SLES 9 SP1, refer to the SLES
documentation for installation information. You will not need Sun-supplied
drivers for SP2 and higher.

SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration

Documentation
Before you install SLES9 Linux on your server, consult the following SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server 9 documentation:
■ README file—The README file on your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
Documentation CD contains late-breaking information about system requirements
and system configuration for your version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation Manual—This manual provides detailed
information about installation requirements, disk partitioning, the YaST2
installation application, and other configuration options.
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Administration Manual—This manual provides
additional information about configuring your system and integrating it with
your existing network services.
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Support Sites—SUSE provides considerable
technical information about the Enterprise Server operating system at its product
and support web sites. See the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Home Page at
http://www.novell.com/products/linuxenterpriseserver for
additional support information.

44 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Task Map for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
Installation
Consult the following table to determine which procedures documented in this Help
system are relevant to the installation task(s) that you need to perform.

Installation Task (Goal) Relevant Procedure(s) or Source(s)

Collect information about your system and “About Preparing to Install SUSE Linux
network. Enterprise Server 9” on page 46
Create a Driver CD. “How to Create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1
Driver CD” on page 46
Run the Sun Installation Assistant. “How to Use the Sun Installation Assistant”
on page 19
Install SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 from local or “How to Install SLES9 From Distribution
remote CD/DVD drive. Media” on page 51
Install SLES9 SP2 or later version from local SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation
or remote CD/DVD drive or PXE server. Manual
Install SLES9, SLES9 SP1, or SLE9 SP2 from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 Installation
an image stored on a networked system. Manual
Install SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 from a PXE Appendix A: “Preconfiguring Your Network
server. to Support PXE Installation” on page 65
“How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install
Image on the PXE Server” on page 59
“How to Install SLES9 From a PXE Server”
on page 63
Update SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 software and “How to Update the SLES9 Operating
drivers. System” on page 49
“How to Update the SLES9 SCSI Driver” on
page 50

Note – SLES9 SP2 and later versions do not require additional Sun-supported
drivers. Make sure to include the all of the drivers recommended by SUSE when
installing the operating system. See “SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration
Documentation” on page 44 for more information on installing SLES 9 SP2 and later,
and obtaining the correct drivers.

Before you install SUSE Linux from CD, from DVD, or from the network, you need
to gather information about your system and your local area network.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 45

 About Preparing to Install SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server 9
Although you can install the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) operating
system (OS) from a local CD/DVD, remote CD/DVD, or the network, you will need
to collect some information about your system before you proceed with any one of
these installation.

The server ships with a DVD-ROM device. However, an external CD-ROM device
can also be used.

Note – The Sun Installation Assistant is a convenient, front-end application

designed to assist you in installing SUSE Linux on your server. The Sun Installation
Assistant supplements the standard installation utilities and procedures that ship
with SLES9; it does not replace them.

Installation Prerequisites
Before installing SLES9 on your server, verify or collect the following information:
■ DHCP server name
■ MAC address on system label

How to Create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1

Driver CD
Note – The Sun Installation Assistant automatically installs this driver. You can skip
this procedure if you use that application. For details, see “How to Use the Sun
Installation Assistant” on page 19.

The LSISAS1064 SCSI controller on your Netra X4200 server is new to the market. The
driver for that SCSI controller is not yet available on the SUSE Linux distribution, so
Sun Microsystems has provided that driver on its Resource CD. You must install this

46 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

new driver. To install this driver on your server, you must create a SLES9 or SLES9
SP1-specific CD that contains an installation-ready image of the driver distributed
on the Resource CD.

Note – SLES9 SP2 and later versions do not require additional Sun-supported
drivers. Make sure to include the all of the drivers recommended by SUSE when
installing the operating system. See “SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration
Documentation” on page 44 for more information on installing SLES 9 SP2 and later,
and obtaining the correct drivers.

Before You Begin

Before you create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1-specific Driver CD, you must have the
following:
■ Access to another Linux server or Linux workstation that can burn a CD.
■ The name of the CD device on that Linux server or workstation that can create the
SUSE-specific Driver CD. Type one of the following commands on the Linux
server or workstation to determine the name of that CD device:
■ If your Linux server or workstation uses IDE drives, type the following:
# cdrecord -scanbus dev=ATAPI
The system reports the names of matching devices:
scsibus0:
0,0,0 0) ’SAMSUNG’’CDRW/DVD SM-352F’’T900’Removable CD-ROM
0,1,0 1) *
0,2,0 2) *
In this example, the name of the CD drive would be ATAPI:0,0,0.
■ If your Linux server or workstation uses SCSI drives, type the following:
# cdrecord -scanbus
The system reports the names of matching devices:
scsibus4:
4,0,0 0) ’SONY’’DVD RW DRU-530A’’1.0’Removable CD-ROM
4,1,0 1) *
4,2,0 2) *
In this example, the name of the CD drive would be 4,0,0.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 47

 What to Do
To create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1-specific Driver CD from the driver images
distributed on your Resource CD, do the following.

Note – The instructions below show how to create a driver disk for SLES9. For
SLES9 SP1 or substitute the SLES9 SP1 or driver disk iso.

1. Log in as root to the Linux server or workstation that has a CD recorder drive.

2. Insert the Resource CD into the local system CD drive.

3. Mount the CD. Type:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

4. Copy the driver image from the Resource CD to the local /tmp directory. Type:
# cp
/mnt/cdrom/support/update_media/sles9/64/driverUpdate.iso
/tmp

5. Unmount the Resource CD. Type:

# umount /mnt/cdrom

6. Remove the Resource CD.

7. Insert a blank CD into the CD recorder drive.

8. Create a SUSE-specific Driver CD from the local copy of the driver image.
Type:

Note – Use the device name of the CD recorder obtained in the “Before You Begin”
on page 47.

# cdrecord -v -eject dev=ATAPI:0,0,0 /tmp/driverUpdate.iso

9. Remove the newly created CD from the CD recorder when the recording
process is complete and the CD recorder ejects the CD.

Note – Use this SUSE-specific Driver CD when you install SLES9 Linux from the
SUSE Distribution CDs.

48 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

How to Update the SLES9 Operating
System
The operating system installation media shipping with SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 9 (SLES9) software might not contain the most up-to-date versions of the
SUSE software. Since the media has been released, there have been many updates to
the SLES9 software that you should install. This procedure describes how to update
the SUSE operating system software on your Netra X4200 server after you have
installed it from a PXE server or from Distribution CDs.

What to Do
To update your SLES9 operating system files, do the following.

1. Log in as the superuser.

2. Type the following command to run the YaST Online Update:

# you

3. Follow the directions on the screen.

Caution – Do not reboot your system after the YaST Online Update has completed
its updates. You must update your SCSI driver before rebooting. See the topic that
describes how to update the SLES9 SCSI driver.

Note – If a newer kernel is installed as part of the update, it might downgrade some
drivers. Refer to the topic that describes how to update the SLES9 SCSI driver.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 49

 How to Update the SLES9 SCSI Driver
The kernel that is installed on your system might not load the optimal drivers that
ensure proper system performance. Periodically Sun releases sets of drivers that
have been optimized for your system and for your operating environment. This
procedure describes how to locate and install the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server 9 (SLES9) SCSI driver distributed by Sun for your server. Sun distributes
updated drivers for your server in two ways:
■ On the Resource CD
■ At Sun server product web sites:
http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp

Note – SLES9 SP2 and later versions do not require additional Sun-supplied drivers.
Make sure to include all of the drivers recommended by SUSE when installing the
operating system. See “SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration Documentation”
on page 44 for more information on obtaining the correct drivers.

What to Do
To update the SLES9 SCSI driver distributed by Sun Microsystems on the Resource
CD, do the following.

Note – For updating SLES9 Service Pack 1 (SP1), substitute SLES9 SP1 driver RPMs
in the following example.

1. Determine which kernel is currently installed on the system. Type:

# rpm -qa | grep kernel
The following is an example of the output you might get:
kernel-smp-2.6.5-7.97

2. Insert the Resource CD into the local DVD-ROM drive of your Netra X4200
server.

3. Mount the CD and locate the SCSI driver. Type:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# ls /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/sles9/64

50 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

4. Determine which driver RPM corresponds to the kernel version as determined
in Step 1.
The file names of the RPM contain the kernel version and type. For example, for
the kernel version in Step 1, the SCSI (mptlinux) drivers would be: mptlinux-
smp-3.02.18_2.6.5_7.97-sles9_1.x86_64.rpm
Where 3.02.18_2.6.5_7.97 represents the kernel number that corresponds to
kernel-smp-2.6.5-7.97.

5. Type the following command to install the RPM files:

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/sles9/64/mptlinux-
driver.rpm
Where mptlinux-driver refers to the appropriate SCSI driver RPM files, as
determined in Step 4.

6. After successful installation, remove the CD and reboot the system. Type:
# umount /mnt/cdrom
# reboot

How to Install SLES9 From Distribution

Media
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) provides an easy-to-use graphical interface
for installing and configuring the operating system. Whether you are using
Distribution CDs to install SUSE Linux from a locally attached CD/DVD drive or
from a remote CD/DVD drive attached via KVMS, the installation procedure is
fundamentally the same. The following procedure documents how to install SUSE
Linux from a local CD/DVD drive.

Note – To install SLES9 SP2 or later versions, use the instructions in the
documentation listed in the documentation in “SUSE Linux Installation and
Configuration Documentation” on page 44.

Before You Begin

Installing SUSE software from CD consists of the following procedures:

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 51

 1. Create the Driver CD or use the Sun Installation Assistant CD.
See “How to Create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1 Driver CD” on page 46 or “How to
Use the Sun Installation Assistant” on page 19.

2. Install the SLES9 software.

3. Update the SLES9 software.

See “How to Update the SLES9 Operating System” on page 49 and “How to
Update the SLES9 SCSI Driver” on page 50.

Required Items
Installation from distribution media requires the following items:
■ Netra X4200 server equipped with:
■ DVD-ROM drive

Note – The server ships with a DVD-ROM device. However, an external CD-ROM
device can also be used.

■ USB keyboard and mouse

■ Monitor
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 media CD set
■ Driver CD
You create this yourself. See “How to Create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1 Driver CD” on
page 46.

What to Do
To perform a basic installation from local CD/DVD drive, do the following.

1. Insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 (or the DVD) into your local
CD/DVD drive.

Note – During the installation process, you will be prompted to swap Distribution
CDs and to remove media before reboots. Follow the prompts.

2. Power on the system.

SUSE Linux boots from the Distribution CD. The graphical boot loader displays
several boot options.

52 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 Note – You can change the video resolution of the installer by pressing the
corresponding Function key on your keyboard displayed on the selection menu.

3. Press F6 Driver Update so the installer will prompt you for the additional
driver disk that you created when you followed the procedure that explained
how to create a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1 Driver CD.

4. Select Installation from the driver boot menu.

The SLES9 boot loader prompts you to insert a CD with updated drivers into the
CD/DVD drive.

5. Eject the SLES9 Distribution CD and insert the SLES9-specific Driver CD that
you created from the Resource CD.

6. Click OK to begin installation of the updated drivers.

Note – You might be prompted to specify the name of the CD/DVD drive
containing the updated Driver CD from the list of available devices.

7. Click OK once the SLES9 boot loader has completed installation of the
updated drivers.
The SLES9 boot loader installs the updated drivers and prompts you to replace
the updated Driver CD with the SLES9 Distribution CD.

8. Eject the updated Driver CD and insert the SLES9 Distribution CD.

9. Click Back from the SUSE boot loader menu to continue installing SUSE Linux
from CD/DVD.

10. Follow the installation instructions provided with the SLES9 Installation
Guide to complete installation of the system software.

What Next
Proceed to the Help topics on updating the SUSE operating system and updating
SLES9 drivers.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 53

 How to Upgrade From SLES9 to SLES9
SP1
Note – The Sun Installation Assistant will install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
(SLES9) and SLES9 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) for you. You can skip this procedure if
you use the Sun Installation Assistant. For details, see the topic that describes using
the Sun Installation Assistant.

This procedure describes how to upgrade from SLES9 to SLES9 SP1.

Note – If the base version of SLES 9 is already installed on a system, SLES 9 SP2
cannot be installed until the base SLES 9 version if removed. To install SLES9 SP2,
use the instructions in the documentation listed in the documentation in “SUSE
Linux Installation and Configuration Documentation” on page 44.

Before You Begin

Before upgrading your system, you must gather the following:
■ Netra X4200 Resource CD
■ SLES9 SP1 disks
■ System with SLES9 preinstalled

What to Do
Follow these steps to upgrade from SLES9 to SLES9 SP1.

1. Perform the SLES9 installation described in the Related topic.

2. Log in as root.

3. Insert the Resource CD and copy the RPM driver files to the hard drive. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp /mnt/cdrom/support/drivers/sles9/64/*rpm /tmp
# umount /mnt/cdrom

4. Remove the Resource CD from the DVD-ROM drive.

54 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 5. Insert the SLES9 SP1 update disk. Type:
mount /dev/cdrecorder /mnt/cdrom

6. Execute the command for YaST. Type:

# yast

7. Within YaST, select “software->change source of installation.”

8. Select Add and choose the Local Directory option. Type:

/mnt/cdrom
YaST will read the SLES9 SP1 update disk and add it to the source of installation
list.

9. Select Finish.

10. Within YaST, select “software->system update.”

A summary of the updates will be displayed. At this point you can customize the
update or do nothing and accept the default, which is recommended.

11. Select Next to continue.

Installation of the update will start and proceed automatically.

12. When the installation is complete, exit YaST and return to the command
prompt.

Caution – Do not reboot your system after the YaST Update has completed its
updates. You must update your SCSI drivers before rebooting.

13. Remove the SLES9 SP1 CD after you type the following command:
umount /mnt/cdrom

14. Determine whether you are using an SMP or default kernel. Type:
# ls -l /boot/vmlinux
This command will return the kernel that will be used at the next boot. You will
see a kernel of type -default or -smp.

15. Install the updated storage driver.

■ In the previous step, if you see a file that has -smp, type the following:
# rpm -Uvh /tmp/mptlinux-smp-3.02.18_2.6.5_7.139-
sles9_1.x86_64.rpm
■ In the previous step, if you see a file that has -default, type the following:
# rpm -Uvh /tmp/mptlinux-default-3.02.18_2.6.5_7.139-
sles9_1.x86_64.rpm

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 55

 16. Verify that mptlinux drivers for kernel version 2.6.5_7.139 were installed
correctly. Type:
# rpm -qa | grep 139
You will get a list of RPMs. Verify that you see the mptlinux for kernel
2.6.5_7.139.
If you do not see the correct drivers, repeat Steps 11 through 13.
The update to SLES9 SP1 is now complete.

17. Reboot your system. Type:

# shutdown -r now

How to Install the SLES9 OS Using the

Remote Console Application
This topic explains how to install the SLES9 OS on your Netra X4200 server using the
ILOM Remote Console application.

Note – To install SLES9 SP2 or later versions, use the instructions in the
documentation listed in “SUSE Linux Installation and Configuration
Documentation” on page 44.

What to Do
Use the following procedure to install the SLES9 OS on your Netra X4200 server using
the ILOM Remote Console application.

1. Locate your SLES9 installation CD/DVD or the equivalent iso images.

Note – The Remote Console application can redirect iso images.

2. Locate the appropriate DriverUpdate.iso file from the resource CD.

Check the directory /support/drivers/sles9/64 on the resource CD.

56 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 Note – This image can be transferred to a floppy disk or left on a hard disk drive
because the Remote Console application can redirect a floppy image. If your hard
drive is not displayed during the SLES9 installation process, verify that this driver is
loaded.

3. Connect to the ILOM Service Processor web GUI.

See the topic that describes how to log in to and out of the Sun ILOM web GUI.

4. Choose Remote Control—Redirection to start the Remote Console application.

5. Start keyboard and mouse redirection.

See the topic that describes how to redirect keyboard, video, mouse, or storage
devices.

6. Start CD/DVD redirection.

There are two choices of redirection type, either to redirect a CD-ROM drive
using the Devices menu and to insert either installation CD 1 into the redirect
CD-ROM drive, or to redirect CD-ROM images using the Devices menu. Select
disk 1 iso image when prompted.

7. Power on the server using the ILOM web GUI.

See the topic that describes how to control power on the host server.

8. Press F2 to enter BIOS Setup and set the BIOS boot device to use AMI Virtual
CDROM, or press F8 and select AMI Virtual CDROM when prompted.

9. When the SLES9 installation menu appears, use arrow keys to select
Installation. Do not press ENTER.

Note – Make this selection quickly before another value (the default) executes.

10. (Optional) Press F2 to change the display resolution to 1024x768.

This is the default display resolution for the Remote Console application.

11. Press F6 to load the driver.

SLES9 will indicate that you must have a driver floppy/CD ready.

12. Press ENTER to continue with the installation.

SLES9 will prompt you for that driver disk.

13. Insert the driver disk into the redirected CD/DVD drive or (if using iso
images) switch images by selecting CD-ROM Image from the Devices menu.

14. Select the CD/DVD image again and select driver iso image when prompted.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 57

 15. Select sr0 and press ENTER when SLES9 prompts you for which device the
driver disk is in.

16. Select OK when SLES9 finishes installing the driver.

17. Choose Back.

18. Switch back to the SLES9 installation CD-1 or iso image-1 when SLES9
prompts you to insert CD-1 into the drive.

Note – If SLES9 at this point indicates that there is not enough memory for
graphical installation and that you must use text-based installation, use Tab keys to
navigate options.

19. Proceed with SLES9 installation as usual.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and PXE

About SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, SP1 and

PXE
The network interface card (NIC) in your Netra X4200 server supports the Preboot
Execution Environment (PXE) network booting protocol. The system BIOS and
network interface BIOS on your server automatically query the network for a DHCP
server. PXE is a powerful and convenient solution for setting up a number of Netra
X4200 servers so their configuration is identical.

58 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Task Map
To take advantage of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLSE9), Service Pack 1 (SP1)
and PXE on your network, you need to perform the following tasks.

Task Related Help Topic

Set up your Linux network and PXE server. Appendix A

Install SUSE Linux images on that PXE “How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install
server. Image on the PXE Server” on page 59
Configure your server to boot from or to “How to Install SLES9 From a PXE Server”
install from a SLES9 or SLES9 SP1 image on on page 63
a PXE server.

How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install Image on

the PXE Server
This procedure describes how to create a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
install image on the same server that is your DHCP server, so that it will also act as
your PXE server. The PXE server provides the operating system files to your PXE
client.

Before You Begin

Before you install a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) image on your PXE
server, you must configure your Linux network to support PXE images. See
Appendix A for instructions on how to preconfigure your network to support PXE
installations of SLES9.

Required Items
The PXE installation procedure requires the following items:
■ The DHCP server that you set up when you preconfigured your network to
support PXE installation, equipped with a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 media CD set
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP1 media CD set
■ Netra X4200 Resource CD

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 59

 What to Do
Follow these steps to create a PXE install image on the PXE server.

Note – Before you start this procedure, verify that your network has been
configured as described in the topic about preconfiguring your network to support
PXE installation.

1. Insert the Resource CD into the DVD-ROM drive.

2. Copy the PXE support files from the Resource CD into the /tmp directory by
typing the following commands:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz
/tmp/.
# cd /tmp
# gunzip sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz
# tar xvf sles9-pxefiles.tar
# umount /mnt/cdrom

3. Set up the directory structure that will hold the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
9 software. Type:

Note – You can use a different target directory than the /home/pxeboot/sles9/
directory shown. The examples in this procedure use this directory.

# mkdir -p /home/pxeboot/sles9/sles9/CD1
mkdir -p /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD{1,2,3,4,5}

4. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/sles9/CD1

5. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 1 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

6. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 2 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD1

60 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

 7. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 2 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

8. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 3 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD2

9. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 3 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

10. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 4 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD3

11. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 4 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

12. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 5 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD4

13. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 5 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

14. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 6 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/core9/CD5

15. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CD 6 from the server after you type
the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 61

 16. Insert the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SPx CD 1 into your server and copy
its contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/SPx/CD1
Replace x with 1 for SP1.

17. Remove the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SPx CD 1 from the server after
you type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom
Replace x with 1 for SP1.

18. Insert SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SPx CD 2 into your server and copy its
contents to your PXE server. Type:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp -a /mnt/cdrom/* /home/pxeboot/sles9/SPx/CD2
Replace x with 1 for SP1.

19. Remove SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SPx CD 2 from the server after you
type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom
Replace x with 1 for SP1.

20. Set up the boot environment for the client system to boot from. Type:
# cd /home/pxeboot/sles9
# ln -s sles9/CD1/boot .

21. Set up the content and media directories. Type:

# ln -s sles9/CD1/content .
# ln -s sles9/CD1/media.1 .
# ln -s sles9/CD1/control.xml .

22. Set up the appropriate content and instorder files. Type:

# mkdir yast
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/order yast/
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/instorder yast/

23. Copy the autoyast.xml file from the /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/ directory to

the root of the PXE image. Type:
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/autoyast.xml /home/pxeboot/sles9/

62 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

24. Copy the updated initrd file from the /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/ directory to
the root of the PXE image. Type:
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/initrd /home/pxeboot/sles9/

25. Create a directory to hold the updated Ethernet and SCSI driver RPMs. Type:
# mkdir /home/pxeboot/sles9/rpms

26. Copy the Ethernet and SCSI RPMs into this new directory. Type:
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/*.x86_64.rpm
/home/pxeboot/sles9/rpms/

27. On your PXE server, modify and save the file

/home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default to add the following entry to it:

Note – Type the text block from append through autoyast.xml as one continuous
line with no returns.

default sles9
label sles9
kernel sles9/boot/loader/linux
append textmode=1 initrd=sles9/initrd install=
nfs://n.n.n.n/home/pxeboot/sles9 insmod = mptbase insmod=
mptscsih
autoyast=nfs://n.n.n.n/home/pxeboot/sles9/autoyast.xml
Where n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.

Note – For console-based installations, add console=ttyS0,9600 to the append

line.

How to Install SLES9 From a PXE Server

This procedure describes how to configure your Netra X4200 server to initiate the
request to download the boot image file from the PXE/DHCP server and how to
install the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) boot image onto your Netra X4200
server.

Chapter 5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 63

 Before You Begin
Before you configure your server to install SUSE Linux from a PXE server, you need
to have done the following:
■ Configured your Linux network to support a PXE server. See the topic that
describes how to preconfigure your network to support PXE installations of
SLES9.
■ Installed a SLES9 image on that Linux PXE server. See the topic that describes
how to create a PXE install image on the PXE server.

What to Do
To configure your server to install a SLES9 image from a PXE server, do the
following.

1. Connect the PXE client to the same network as the PXE server, and power on
the PXE client.
The PXE client is the target Netra X4200 server to which you are installing SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server 9 software.

2. When the PXE client prompts you for a network boot, press the F12 key.
The PXE client connects to the PXE server and attempts to obtain an IP address
from the DHCP server.

3. Press the F8 key to begin the downloading of the PXE boot image.

4. When you are prompted at the boot: prompt, type in the label you gave the
image when you installed a SUSE image on the PXE server.
The SLES9 install image downloads onto the target Netra X4200 server.

5. To configure the Linux operating system for your server, refer to the manual
that is shipped with your SLES9 media kit.

6. Update the operating system files.

See the topic that describes how to update the SUSE Linux operating system.

7. Update system driver files.

See the topic that describes how to update the SCSI drivers.

64 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

APPENDIX A

Preconfiguring Your Network to

Support PXE Installation

This appendix contains procedures for preconfiguring your network prior to

performing a PXE installation.

Follow the procedures in the section appropriate for your operating system:
■ “How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux” on page 65.
■ “How to Preconfigure Your Network to Support PXE Installation of SUSE
Enterprise Linux Server” on page 72.

How to Preconfigure Your Network to

Support PXE Installation of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux
These procedures describe how to preconfigure your network running Red Hat
Enterprise Linux to support PXE installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux software
on your server. These procedures assume that you already have a bootable server
that is running a version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system.

Note – Some of the following procedures might not be necessary if you confirm that
the server packages are already in place and are configured.

65
 Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation involves the following procedures:
■ Copying Files From the Resource CD
■ Configuring a DHCP Server
■ Installing Portmap
■ Configuring the TFTP Service
■ Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon
■ Configuring the NFS Service
■ Disabling the Firewall

Required Items
Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation requires the following items:
■ Red Hat Enterprise Linux server equipped with:
■ DVD drive
■ USB keyboard
■ Monitor
■ Red Hat Enterprise Linux media set
■ Resource CD

Copying Files From the Resource CD

This section describes how to copy the PXE support files, which are required for PXE
configurations, from the Resource CD. You can also download the driver RPMs from
the Netra X4200 server. The download links are at:
http://www.sun.com/servers/

1. Insert the Resource CD into the DHCP/PXE server.

2. Create a temporary directory to copy the PXE support files in to. Type:
# mkdir /tmp

3. Type the following commands to copy the files to the /tmp/ directory:

66 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Note – The compressed tar file that is used in this step depends on which version of
Red Hat Enterprise Linux you are preconfiguring. The remainder of the instructions
will assume that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-bit is being used. Modify the
example based upon the version you are using. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 32-
bit, use rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 64-bit, use
rhel3_64-pxefiles.tar.gz. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit, use
rhel4_64-pxefiles.tar.gz.

#mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# cp /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz
/tmp/

4. Uncompress and extract the contents of the tar file into the /tmp/ directory.
Type:
# cd /tmp
# tar -zxvf rhel3_32-pxefiles.tar.gz

When you extract the file, a directory with all required files is created at
/tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/

Configuring a DHCP Server

Complete the following steps on the server that will be your DHCP server.

1. Power on the server and log in as superuser.

2. Determine whether the DHCP server package is already installed on the

server. Type:
# rpm -qa | grep dhcp-

3. If the DHCP server package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux
CD 1 and install the DHCP server. Type:

Note – For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, insert CD 5.

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/dhcp-*.rpm

4. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 67

 5. Set up your DHCP configuration file (for example, /etc/dhcpd.conf) so that
only PXEClient requests receive PXEClient responses.
Add the following entry to the DHCP configuration file. Refer to the
dhcpd.conf man page for more information.
class "PXE" {match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9)
="PXEClient"; option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient"; }

Note – If the server does not already have a dhcpd.conf file in its /etc directory,
you an copy the dhcpd.conf file from the sample DHCP configuration file in the
/tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles directory.

6. Start the DHCP service. Type:

# service dhcpd start

7. Configure the server to always start DHCP. Type:

# chkconfig dhcpd on

Installing Portmap
Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the portmap server package is already installed on the

server. Type:
# rpm -qa | grep portmap

2. If portmap is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD 2 and install
the portmap service with the following commands:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/portmap-*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

Configuring the TFTP Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the TFTP server package is already installed on the server.
Type:
# rpm -qa | grep tftp-server

68 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

2. If the TFTP server package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux
CD 1 and install the TFTP service with the following commands:

Note – For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, insert CD 4.

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/tftp-server*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

4. Edit and save the /etc/xinetd.d/tftp file.

Make the following changes:

■ Change the -s /tftpboot entry to -v -s /home/pxeboot.
■ Change the disable attribute to no.

5. Restart the inetd server. Type:

# service xinetd restart

Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server

Daemon
Complete the following steps on your DHCP server. The neopxe server is designed
for use with a DHCP server that is running on the same system.

1. Install the neopxe boot server daemon onto your system that is your DHCP
server. Type:
# cd /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0
# ./configure
# make
# make install

2. Append the path /usr/local/sbin/neopxe to the rc.local file by typing

the following command, making sure to use two greater-than signs:
# echo "/usr/local/sbin/neopxe" >> /etc/rc.d/rc.local

3. Copy the PXE Linux image from the /tmp/ directory. Type:
# mkdir /home/pxeboot
# cp /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/pxelinux.0 /home/pxeboot

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 69

 4. Configure the PXE Linux image. Type:
# mkdir /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/
# touch /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

5. Edit the /usr/local/etc/neopxe.conf configuration file, which is read by

neopxe at startup.
■ If the neopxe.conf file is not in the /usr/local/etc directory, you can copy it from
the /tmp/rhel3_32-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0/ directory.
■ A valid configuration file must have entries for each of the following lines,
including at least one service line.
ip_addr=n.n.n.n
prompt=boot-prompt-string
prompt_timeout=timeout
service=service-number,boot-server,boot-file,label
Where:
■ n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.
■ boot-prompt-string is the character string displayed during a network boot that
prompts the user to press the F8 key for a boot menu.
■ timeout is the number of seconds the prompt is displayed before the server
defaults to the first service for booting.
■ service-number is an integer in the range of 1 to 254 that identifies the boot
service.
■ boot-server is the IP address of the boot server for that boot service.
■ boot-file is the name of the boot file that is read from your /home/pxeboot
directory.
■ label is the text string that is displayed when the boot menu is invoked by
pressing the F8 key.
For example:
ip_addr=192.168.0.1
prompt=Press [F8] for menu.. .
prompt_timeout=10
service=1,192.168.0.1,pxelinux.0,Linux
service=2,192.169.0.1,nbp.unknown,Solaris

Note – Refer to the neopxe.conf man page for more information.

6. Start the neopxe daemon. Type:

# /usr/local/sbin/neopxe

70 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Configuring the NFS Service
Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the NFS service package is already installed on the server.
Type:
# rpm -qa | grep nfs-utils

2. If the NFS service package is not listed, insert the Red Hat Enterprise Linux
CD 1 and install the NFS service with the following commands:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS/nfs-utils-*

3. Remove the CD from the server after you type the following command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

4. Edit and save the /etc/exports file to add the following line to it:
/home/pxeboot *(no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,insecure)

5. Start the NFS service. Type:

# service nfs start

6. Configure the server to always start the NFS service. Type:

# chkconfig nfslock on

Note – If you are using a DNS server, verify that DNS entries exist for the range of
addresses defined in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file. If
you are not using a DNS server, edit the /etc/hosts file to add the range of host
addresses found in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file.

Disabling the Firewall

If you enabled firewall security when you installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux
software on the system that will be your PXE server, complete the following steps to
disable the firewall so that PXE clients can download from the server.

1. Stop the ipchains service. Type:

# service ipchains stop

2. Stop the iptables service. Type:

# service iptables stop

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 71

 3. Stop the ipchains service from starting when you restart the server. Type:
# chkconfig ipchains off

4. Stop the iptables service from starting when you restart the server. Type:
# chkconfig iptables off

Note – You might encounter error messages if the ipchains service is not installed
on the server. You can safely ignore these messages.

Note – When you disable the firewall protection on the system that is your PXE
server, the security of the data on that server cannot be ensured. If this server is
networked outside of your local intranet, be sure to re-enable the firewall after
downloading software to PXE clients.

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux From the

Network
When you have completed all the previous configuration steps, do the following.

1. Reboot the PXE/DHCP server.

2. Refer to “How to Create a PXE Install Image on the PXE Server” on page 38.

How to Preconfigure Your Network to

Support PXE Installation of SUSE
Enterprise Linux Server
These procedures describe how to preconfigure your network running SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) software to support PXE installation of SUSE Linux
software on your Netra X4200 server. These procedures assume that you already have
a bootable server that is running a version of the SLES9 operating system.

72 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Note – Some of the following procedures might not be necessary if you confirm that
the server packages are already in place and are configured. You might be prompted
for a UnitedLinux CD.

Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation involves the following procedures:
■ Copying Files From the Netra X4200 Resource CD
■ Configuring a DHCP Server
■ Installing Portmap
■ Configuring the TFTP Service
■ Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server Daemon
■ Configuring the NFS Service
■ Disabling the Firewall

Required Items
Preconfiguring your network for PXE installation requires the following items:
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 server equipped with:
■ CD/DVD drive
■ USB keyboard
■ Monitor (optional)
■ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 media set
■ Netra X4200 Resource CD

Copying Files From the Resource CD

This section describes how to copy the PXE support files, which are required for PXE
configurations, from the Resource CD. You can also download the driver RPMs from
the Netra X4200 web site. The downloads links are at:

http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp

Note – This procedure provides instructions for copying files from the Resource CD
on SLES9. However, these instructions are also valid for SLES9 with Service Pack
(SP1). For SP1, substitute SLES9SP1 where SLES9 appears in the commands.

1. Insert the Resource CD into the DHCP/PXE server.

2. Create a temporary directory to copy the PXE support files to. Type:
# mkdir /tmp

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 73

 3. Type the following commands to copy the files to the /tmp/ directory:
# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cp /mnt/cdrom/support/pxeboot/sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz /tmp/

4. Uncompress and extract the contents of the tar file into the /tmp/ directory.
Type:
# tar -zxf /tmp/sles9-pxefiles.tar.gz
When you extract the file, a directory with all required files is created at
/tmp/sles9-pxefiles/

5. Remove the Resource CD from the server after you type the following
command:
# umount /mnt/cdrom

Configuring a DHCP Server

Complete the following steps on the server that will be your DHCP server.

1. Power on the server and log in as superuser.

2. Determine whether the DHCP server package is already installed on the

server. Type:
# rpm -qa | grep dhcp-server

3. If the DHCP server package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:
# yast -i dhcp-server

4. Set up your DHCP configuration file (for example, /etc/dhcpd.conf) so that

only PXEClient requests receive PXEClient responses.
Add the following entry to the DHCP configuration file. Refer to the
dhcpd.conf man page for more information.
class "PXE" {match if substring(option vendor-class-
identifier, 0, 9) ="PXEClient"; option vendor-class-
identifier "PXEClient"; }

Note – You can start with a sample DHCP configuration file in the /tmp/sles9-
pxefiles directory.

74 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

5. Edit the /etc/sysconfig/dhcpd file and verify that the DHCPD_INTERFACE is
set to the interface that is connected to the network you are planning to run the
PXE server.
For example, if you are using Ethernet interface 0, the DHCPD_INTERFACE
variable would be set as follows:
DHCPD_INTERFACE="eth0"

6. Start the DHCP service. Type:

# /etc/init.d/dhcpd start

7. Configure the server to always start DHCP. Type:

# chkconfig dhcpd on

Installing Portmap
Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the portmap server package is already installed on the

server. Type:
# rpm -qa | grep portmap

2. If portmap is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:

# yast -i portmap

Configuring the TFTP Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

1. Determine whether the TFTP server package is already installed on the server.
Type:
# rpm -qa | grep tftp

2. If the TFTP server package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:
# yast -i tftp

3. Edit and save the /etc/xinetd.d/tftp file.

Make the following changes:
■ Change the -s /tftpboot entry to -v -s /home/pxeboot
■ Change the disable attribute to no

4. Restart the inetd server. Type:

# /etc/init.d/xinetd restart

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 75

 Installing and Configuring the neopxe Boot Server
Daemon
Complete the following steps on your DHCP server. The neopxe server is designed
for use with a DHCP server that is running on the same system.

1. If a compiler is not installed on the server, use YaST to install gcc with the
following commands:
# yast -i gcc
# yast -i make

2. Install the neopxe boot server daemon onto your system that is your DHCP
server. Type:
# cd /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0
# ./configure
# make
# make install

3. Append the path /usr/local/sbin/neopxe to the rc.local file by typing

the following command, making sure to use two greater-than signs:
# echo "/usr/local/sbin/neopxe" >> /etc/rc.d/boot.local

4. Copy the PXE Linux image from the /tmp/ directory. Type:
# mkdir /home/pxeboot
# cp /tmp/sles9-pxefiles/pxelinux.0 /home/pxeboot

5. Configure the PXE Linux image. Type:

# mkdir /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/
# touch /home/pxeboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

6. Edit the /usr/local/etc/neopxe.conf configuration file, which is read by

neopxe at startup.
■ If the /usr/local/etc/ directory does not exist, create it with the following
command:
# mkdir /usr/local/etc
■ If you need to create the neopxe.conf file, you can copy it from the
/tmp/sles9-pxefiles/neopxe-0.2.0/ directory.

76 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

■ A valid configuration file must have entries for each of the following lines,
including at least one service line.
ip_addr=n.n.n. n
prompt=boot-prompt-string
prompt_timeout=timeout
service=service-number,boot-server,boot-file,label
Where:
■ n.n.n.n is the IP address of your PXE server.
■ boot-prompt-string is the character string displayed during a network
boot that prompts the user to press the F8 key for a boot menu.
■ timeout is the number of seconds the prompt is displayed before the server
defaults to the first service for booting.
■ service-number is an integer in the range of 1 to 254 that identifies the boot
service.
■ boot-server is the IP address of the boot server for that boot service.
■ boot-file is the name of the boot file that is read from your /home/pxeboot
directory.
■ label is the text string that is displayed when the boot menu is invoked by
pressing the F8 key.
For example:
ip_addr=192.168.0.1
prompt=Press [F8] for menu.. .
prompt_timeout=10
service=1,192.168.0.1,pxelinux.0,Linux
service=2,192.169.0.1,nbp.unknown,Solaris

Note – Refer to the neopxe.conf man page for more information.

7. Start the neopxe daemon. Type:

# /usr/local/sbin/neopxe

Configuring the NFS Service

Complete the following steps on your DHCP server.

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 77

 1. Determine whether the NFS service package is already installed on the server.
Type:
# rpm -qa | grep nfs-utils

2. If the NFS service package is not listed, install the package using YaST. Type:
# yast -i nfs-utils

3. Edit and save the /etc/exports file to add the following line to it:
/home/pxeboot
*(sync,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,insecure)

4. Start the NFS service. Type:

# /etc/init.d/nfsserver start

5. Configure the server to always start the NFS service. Type:

# chkconfig nfslock on
# chkconfig nfsserver on

Note – If you are using a DNS server, verify that DNS entries exist for the range of
addresses defined in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file.
If you are not using a DNS server, edit the /etc/hosts file to add the range of host
addresses found in the PXE subnet dynamic-bootp entry in the dhcpd.conf file.

Disabling the Firewall

If a firewall is enabled on your PXE/DHCP server, you must disable it before
attempting to install a PXE image onto the client system.

Note – When you disable the firewall protection on the system that is your PXE
server, the security of the data on that server cannot be ensured. If this server is
networked outside of your local intranet, be sure to re-enable the firewall after
downloading software to PXE clients.

1. Execute the YaST command. Type:

yast

2. Choose Security & Users.

3. Choose Firewall.
■ Choose none to disable the firewall for all network interfaces.
■ Choose specific interfaces to enable the firewall on those only.

78 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008

Installing SLES9 and SLES9 SP1 From the
Network
When you have completed all the previous configuration steps, do the following.

1. Reboot the PXE/DHCP server.

2. Refer to the “How to Create a SLES9 SP1 PXE Install Image on the PXE Server”
on page 59.

Appendix A Preconfiguring Your Network to Support PXE Installation 79

80 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008
 Index

D product updates
documentation Sun Fire X2100 server, xi
Solaris 10 Operating System, 9 Sun Fire X4100 server, xi
downloads, xi PXE configuration
driver CD creation Sun Installation Assistant, 23 to 24
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 29 to 31 PXE installation
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 46 to 48 Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 38 to 42
creating a PXE install image, 38 to 41
E installing the OS, 41 to 42
preconfiguring the network, 65 to 72
error messages, Sun Installation Assistant, 18
Solaris 10, 11 to 12
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 58 to 64
I creating the install image, 59 to 63
installing an operating system installing the OS, 63 to 64
overview, 1 to 3 preconfiguring the network, 72 to 79
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 25 to 42
Solaris 10, 5 to 16
R
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 43 to 64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation
driver CD creation, 29 to 31
L media installation, 31 to 33
log file, Sun Installation Assistant, 18 overview, 25 to 27
preparation, 28
M PXE installation, 38 to 42
media installation creating a PXE install image, 38 to 41
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 31 to 33 installing the OS, 41 to 42
Solaris 10, 13 preconfiguring the network, 65 to 72
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 51 to 53 remote console installation, 36 to 37
updating the operating system, 33 to 35
P updating the SCSI drivers, 34
preparing for installation related documentation, xii
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 28 remote console installation
Solaris 10, 9 to 10 Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 36 to 37
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 46 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 56 to 58

81
S
SCSI driver update
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 34
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 50 to 51
serial console installation
Solaris 10, 14 to 16
SLES, see SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Solaris 10 installation
media installation, 13
overview, 5 to 9
preparation, 9 to 10
PXE installation, 11 to 12
serial console installation, 14 to 16
Sun Installation Assistant
error messages, 18
how to use, 19 to 22
log file, 18
overview, 17 to 18
PXE configuration, 23 to 24
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation
driver CD creation, 46 to 48
media installation, 51 to 53
overview, 43 to 45
preparation, 46
PXE installation, 58 to 64
creating the install image, 59 to 63
installing the OS, 63 to 64
preconfiguring the network, 72 to 79
remote console application, 56 to 58
updating the operating system, 49
updating the SCSI driver, 50 to 51
upgrading to SP1, 54 to 56

T
typographic conventions, xiv

U
updating SCSI drivers
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 34
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 50 to 51
updating the operating system
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 33 to 35
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 49

82 Netra X4200 M2 Server Operating System Installation Guide • May 2008