Installing the Server Operating System or Hypervisor

This chapter includes the following sections:

Operating System or Hypervisor Installation Methods

E-Series Servers support several operating systems and hypervisors. Regardless of the platform being installed, you can install it on your server using one of the following tools:

  • KVM console
  • PXE installation server
  • Host image mapping

KVM Console

The KVM console is an interface accessible from CIMC that emulates a direct keyboard, video, and mouse connection to the server. The KVM console allows you to connect to the server from a remote location. Instead of using CD/DVD or floppy drives physically connected to the server, the KVM console uses virtual media, which are actual disk drives or disk image files that are mapped to virtual CD/DVD or floppy drives. You can map any of the following to a virtual drive:

  • CD/DVD or floppy drive on your computer
  • Disk image files (ISO or IMG files) on your computer
  • USB flash drive on your computer
You can use the KVM console to install an operating system or hypervisor on the server and to do the following:
  • Access the BIOS setup menu by pressing F2 during bootup.
  • Access the CIMC Configuration Utility by pressing F8 during bootup.
  • Access the WebBIOS to configure RAID, by pressing the Ctrl and H keys during bootup.

Installing an Operating System or Hypervisor Using the KVM Console

Before You Begin
  • Locate the operating system or hypervisor installation disk or disk image file.

Note

VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ requires a customized image. To download the customized image, see Downloading the Customized VMware vSphere Hypervisor Image.
Procedure
    Step 1   Load the operating system or hypervisor installation disk into your CD/DVD drive, or copy the disk image files to your computer.
    Step 2   If CIMC is not open, log into the CIMC GUI.
    Step 3   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
    Step 4   On the Server tab, click Summary.
    Step 5   From the Actions area, click Launch KVM Console.

    The KVM Console opens in a separate window.

    Step 6   From the KVM console, click the Virtual Media tab.
    Figure 1.



    Step 7   In the Virtual Media tab, map the virtual media using either of the following methods:
    • Check the Mapped check box for the CD/DVD drive containing the operating system or hypervisor installation disk.
    • Click Add Image, navigate to and select the operating system or hypervisor installation disk image, click Open to mount the disk image, and then check the Mapped check box for the mounted disk image.
    Note   

    You must keep the Virtual Media tab open during the installation process. Closing the tab unmaps all virtual media.

    Step 8   Set the boot order to make the virtual CD/DVD drive as the boot device.

    To set the boot order, see Configuring the Server Boot Order.

    Step 9   Reboot the server.

    When the server reboots, it begins the installation process from the virtual CD/DVD drive. Refer to the installation guide for the platform being installed to guide you through the rest of the installation process.
    Step 10   If disk drives are not displayed after you install the operating system or hypervisor, you must install drivers. See the appropriate operating system or hypervisor documentation for instructions on how to install drivers. For instructions on how to install drivers on a Microsoft Windows operating system, see Installing Drivers for the Microsoft Windows Operating System.
    What to Do Next

    After the installation is complete, reset the virtual media boot order to its original setting.

    PXE Installation Servers

    A Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) installation server allows a client to boot and install an operating system or hypervisor from a remote location. To use this method, a PXE environment must be configured and available on your LAN, typically a dedicated provisioning LAN. In addition, the server must be set to boot from the network. When the server boots, it sends a PXE request across the network. The PXE installation server acknowledges the request, and starts a sequence of events that installs the operating system or hypervisor on the server.

    PXE servers can use installation disks, disk images, or scripts to install the operating system or hypervisor. Proprietary disk images can also be used to install the platform, additional components, or applications.


    Note

    PXE installation is an efficient method for installing a platform on a large number of servers. However, considering that this method requires setting up a PXE environment, it might be easier to use another installation method.

    Installing an Operating System or Hypervisor Using a PXE Installation Server

    Before You Begin
    • Verify that the server can be reached over a VLAN.

    Note

    VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ requires a customized image. To download the customized image, see Downloading the Customized VMware vSphere Hypervisor Image.
    Procedure
      Step 1   Set the boot order to PXE.
      Step 2   Reboot the server.

      If a PXE install server is available on the VLAN, the installation process begins when the server reboots. PXE installations are typically automated and require no additional user input. Refer to the installation guide for the operating system or hypervisor being installed to guide you through the rest of the installation process.

      What to Do Next

      After the installation is complete, reset the LAN boot order to its original setting.

      Host Image Mapping

      The Host Image Mapping feature allows you to download, map, unmap, or delete a host image. Download a host image, such as a Microsoft Windows, Linux, or VMware from a remote FTP, FTPS, HTTP, or HTTPS server onto the CIMC internal repository, then map the image onto the virtual drive of a USB controller in the E-Series Server. After you map the image, set the boot order to make the virtual drive, in which the image is mounted, as the first boot device, and then reboot the server. The host image must have .iso as the file extension.

      The Host Image Mapping feature also allows you to download and mount a diagnostics image. The diagnostics image must have .diag as the file extension.

      Mapping the Host Image

      Before You Begin
      • Log into CIMC as a user with admin privileges.
      • Obtain the host image file from the appropriate third-party.

      Note

      VMware vSphere Hypervisor™ requires a customized image. To download the customized image, see Downloading the Customized VMware vSphere Hypervisor Image.

      Note

      If you start an image update while an update is already in process, both updates will fail.
      Procedure
        Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
        Step 2   On the Server tab, click Host Image Mapping.
        Figure 2. Host Image Mapping



        Step 3   In the Install Pane, complete the following fields:
        Name Description

        URL field

        The URL of the remote server on which the image is located.

        If the remote server requires user authentication, you must add the username and password of the remote server in the URL. The remote server can be an FTP, FTPS, HTTP, or HTTPS server.

        The URL syntax must be: protocol://username:password@server-ip-address/path/filename

        Image Name field

        The name of the image.

        • If you are installing a host image, that image must have .iso as the file extension.
        • If you are installing a diagnostics image, that image must have .diag as the file extension.
        Step 4   Click Download.

        The image file is downloaded from the specified FTP, FTPS, HTTP, or HTTPS server onto the CIMC internal repository.
        Step 5   Click Map Image to Host.

        The image is mounted on the virtual drive of a USB controller. The virtual drive can be one of the following:

        • HDD—Hard disk drive
        • FDD—Floppy disk drive
        • CDROM—Bootable CD-ROM
        Step 6   Set the boot order to make the virtual drive in which the image is mounted as the first boot device.

        To set the boot order, see Configuring the Server Boot Order.

        Tip   

        To determine in which virtual drive the image is mounted, see the Host Image Update area in the Host Image Mapping page.
        Step 7   Reboot the server.
        Step 8   If the image contains an answer file, the operating system or hypervisor installation is automated and the image is installed. Otherwise, the installation wizard is displayed. Follow the wizard steps to install the image.
        Step 9   If disk drives are not displayed after you install the operating system or hypervisor, you must install drivers. See the appropriate operating system or hypervisor documentation for instructions on how to install drivers. For instructions on how to install drivers on a Microsoft Windows operating system, see Installing Drivers for the Microsoft Windows Operating System.
        What to Do Next

        • After the installation is complete, reset the virtual media boot order to its original setting.
        • Unmap the host image. See Unmapping the Host Image.

        Installing Drivers for the Microsoft Windows Server


        Note

        If you purchased E-Series Server Option 1 (E-Series Server without preinstalled operating system or hypervisor), and you installed your own version of the Microsoft Windows Server, you must install drivers.

        Microsoft Windows operating system requires that you install three drivers:

        • On-Board Network Drivers for Windows 2008 R2
        • LSI Drivers (On-Board Hardware RAID Controller) for Windows 2008 R2
        • Intel Drivers for Windows 2008 R2

        If you have purchased a 10 Gigabit add-on card, you must also install the 10G PCIe Network Drivers for Windows 2008 R2.

        Procedure
          Step 1   Download the drivers from Cisco.com. See Obtaining Software from Cisco Systems.
          Step 2   Copy the driver files into an USB flash drive.
          Step 3   Install your own version of Microsoft Windows Server.

          During the installation process, you will be prompted for the LSI Drivers.
          Step 4   Plug the USB flash drive into the USB slot in the E-Series Server, and then install the LSI Drivers.
          Step 5   After the Microsoft Windows Server installation is complete, install the On-Board Network Drivers (Broadcom) and the Intel Drivers.

          Unmapping the Host Image

          Before You Begin
          • Log into CIMC as a user with admin privileges.
          Procedure
            Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
            Step 2   On the Server tab, click Host Image Mapping.
            Figure 3. Host Image Mapping



            Step 3   Click Unmap Image.

            The image is unmounted from the virtual drive of the USB controller.

            Deleting the Host Image

            Before You Begin
            • Log into CIMC as a user with admin privileges.
            Procedure
              Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Server tab.
              Step 2   On the Server tab, click Host Image Mapping.
              Figure 4. Host Image Mapping



              Step 3   Click Delete Image.

              The image is removed from the SD card.

              Note   

              After the image is removed from the SD card, the information that was originally displayed in the Existing Image Information area and the Host Image Update area is erased.

              Downloading the Customized VMware vSphere Hypervisor Image

              Use this procedure to download the customized VMware vSpere Hypervisor™ image.

              Procedure
                Step 1   Navigate to https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/login.

                The VMware login page appears.
                Step 2   Enter your VMware credentials, and then click Log In.

                If you do not have an account with VMware, click Register to create a free account.
                Step 3   Under the Support Requests pane, click Knowledge Base.
                Step 4   In the Search field located on the top right corner, enter ESXi-5.0.0-623860-custom-Cisco-2.0.1.6.iso, and then click Search.
                Step 5   From the Search Results, click Download VMware View 5.1 to download the customized VMware vSpere Hypervisor™ image.
                What to Do Next

                Install the VMware vSpere Hypervisor™ image. For installation instructions, see Mapping the Host Image.