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#### Sun Fire X4470 Server Installation Guide for Linux Operating Systems |

| Part I Linux Software Installation on x86 Servers |

Chapter 2

## Getting Started

This chapter describes how to get started installing a Linux operating system manually on your server.

Note - The term “manually” refers to performing the installation by following the instructions provided in this guide, and not using the Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant. If you prefer to perform an assisted Linux installation by using Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant, see Chapter 1, Assisted OS Installation With Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant of this guide.

Topics discussed in this chapter include:

- Supported Linux Operating Systems

- Linux Installation Prerequisites

- Linux Installation Task Overview

### Supported Linux Operating Systems

The Sun Fire X4470 Server supports the following Linux operating systems:

Linux OS | Edition
--- | ---
Oracle | Oracle Linux 5.5 for x86 (64-bit) and the Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Linux
SUSE | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10 SP3 SLES 11 (64-bit) SLES 11 SP1 (64-bit)
Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.5 for x86 (64-bit)

For a complete and updated list of all the supported operating systems on the Sun Fire X4470 Server, go to the following web site and navigate to the Operating System link:

http://www.oracle.com/goto/x4470

### Linux Installation Prerequisites

Refer to the following important considerations before beginning the Linux operating system installation on your server.

###### Prerequisites for Installing a Linux Operating System

Requirement | Description | For more information, see:
--- | --- | ---
Server is set up and operational | The server is mounted and powered-on in the rack and communication to the SP has been established. | Sun Fire X4470 Server Installation Guide (821-0332)
Established deployment method that enables you to boot the Linux install program | Guidelines for deploying a Linux operating system installation. | Appendix A, Supported Installation Methods
RAID volume creation | If you want to include your boot drive as part of a RAID configuration, you need to configure a RAID volume on it. Use the LSI integrated RAID controller setup utility before you install Linux. | LSI MegaRAID Software SAS User’s Guide at: http://www.lsi.com/support/sun/
Verification of BIOS settings for new OS installations | Prior to installing the Linux operating system, you should verify that the BIOS factory-default properties are set. | Appendix C, BIOS Defaults for New Installations
Linux vendor documentation | Gather the applicable vendor documentation for the Linux installation. The vendor documentation should be used in conjunction with the installation instructions provided in this guide. | http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/ Note - Installation instructions for Oracle Linux and the Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Linux are provided in Chapter 3, Installing Oracle Linux of this document.
Tools and Drivers DVD | Ensure that you have the Tools and Drivers software that is provided with your server. | http://www.oracle.com/goto/x4470
SLES 11 - Prepare LSI Storage Floppy Image or Floppy Disk | The SLES 11 install media does not include the LSI device drivers for the Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe HBA option cards (SG-SAS6-INT-Z or SG-SAS6-EXT-Z). If you have one of these SAS PCIe HBA option cards installed, the LSI mass storage driver for the HBA option must be mounted from a floppy image or floppy disk during the installation. | SAS PCIe HBAs Requiring Storage Drivers for SLES 11 Installations
Access to late-breaking information | Review the Sun Fire X4470 Server Product Notes for late-breaking information about supported operating system software and patches. | Sun Fire X4470 Product Notes (821-0704)

### Linux Installation Task Overview

To install a Linux operating system, complete the following tasks in the order specified:

1. Gather the Linux operating system installation media and documentation. You can download the Linux installation program from the appropriate vendor’s web site, for example:

   - For Oracle Enterprise Linux, see: http://edelivery.oracle.com/linux

   - For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, see: http://www.novell.com

   - For Red Hat Enterprise Linux, see: http://www.redhat.com

2. If necessary, obtain the Tools and Driver DVD provided or download the latest drivers for your server as described in Appendix D, Downloading the ISO Image for the Tools and Drivers DVD.

   If you are installing SLES 11 and you have a Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe HBA card installed on your server, you must copy the LSI storage drivers for the HBA option card to a floppy disk or floppy image prior to performing the SLES 11 installation. For more details, see SAS PCIe HBAs Requiring Storage Drivers for SLES 11 Installations

3. Choose and set up an installation method for deploying Linux as described in Appendix A, Supported Installation Methods

4. Follow the instructions for performing a manual installation of a Linux Server operating system as described in:

   - Chapter 3, Installing Oracle Linux for Oracle Linux

   - Chapter 4, Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

   - Chapter 5, Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Red Hat Enterprise Linux

5. Follow the specific operating system instructions for performing the post installation tasks as described in:

   - Post Oracle Linux Installation Tasks

   - Post SLES Installation Tasks

   - Post RHEL Installation Tasks

#### SAS PCIe HBAs Requiring Storage Drivers for SLES 11 Installations

The SLES 11 installation media does not include the LSI mass storage driver for the following SAS PCIe HBA option cards described in SAS PCIe HBA Requiring LSI Mass Storage Drivers for SLES 11.

Note - Some PCIe HBA option cards might not be available for purchase at the time of this publication. To determine which HBA option cards are supported and available for purchase on the Sun Fire X4470 Server, go to the following web site and navigate to the appropriate page:http://www.oracle.com/goto/x4470.

###### SAS PCIe HBA Requiring LSI Mass Storage Drivers for SLES 11

SAS PCIe HBA Option | Option Number | Driver Required During Installation
--- | --- | ---
Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe HBA, Internal | SG-SAS6-INT-Z | LSI Adapter SAS Falcon
Sun Storage 6 Gb SAS PCIe HBA, External | SG-SAS6-EXT-Z | LSI Adapter SAS Falcon

If you have one of the SAS PCIe HBA option cards (described in SAS PCIe HBA Requiring LSI Mass Storage Drivers for SLES 11) installed on your server and you are installing SLES 11, the LSI mass storage driver for the HBA option must be mounted from a floppy disk or floppy image during the SLES 11 installation process.

Prior to starting the SLES 11 installation, use one of the following methods to prepare the LSI mass storage driver floppy disk or floppy image:

- Mount Floppy Disk. Use the LSI storage floppy image on the Tools and Drivers DVD to create a floppy disk. Then, mount the floppy disk as a device from the ILOM Remote Console.

- Mount Floppy Image. Copy the LSI storage floppy image on the Tools and Drivers DVD to a network location; then mount the floppy image from the ILOM Remote Console.

  The LSI storage floppy image on the Tools and Driver DVD is located in the following directory: `Linux/SLES/SLES11/FloppyImages/64bit`

Instructions for loading the LSI mass storage driver during the SLES 11 installation are provided in Step 6 of the Installing SLES 11 Using Local or Remote Media.

If you do not have a copy of the Tools and Driver DVD, you can download the ISO image for the Tools and Driver DVD. For details, see Appendix D, Downloading the ISO Image for the Tools and Drivers DVD.

Note - The SLES 11 installation media includes the required LSI mass storage drivers for the Sun Storage SAS PCIe RAID HBA option cards SG-SAS6-R-INT-Z and SG-SAS6-R-EXT-Z.

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