xseries.org – xSeries install tips

the info here is as is and is not guaranteed to be neither 100% accurate nor 100% comprehensive

See the disclaimer at the bottom.

This document is a quick and dirty (or maybe not so quick) rundown for doing an IBM xSeries server install.

It is NOT a step by step, click this button, type these words kind of document.

This info (URLs in particular) is current as of the date listed below. Beyond that date, there may be newer versions.

You may want to check www.xseries.org for updated links to anything listed below.

 

Latest update made to this document:     Aug 2, 2004

 

 

Step 1: Downloads

You need several key items to make things mostly smoothly:

- UpdateXpress CDs      

            This gets updated the last day of every quarter. You want the latest and greatest. Pull the ISO images and burn them.

            <check the link on the www.xseries.org home page, as it may change>

- ServerGuide CD

            This is IBM's automated setup and OS install scripting tool Again, you'll want the latest and greatest ISO image.

<check the link on the www.xseries.org home page, as it may change. Also, there may be more than one version, so get the latest appropriate one for your system>

- Drivers (if you aren't using the ServerGuide CD)

            This varies from model to model. However, since Microsoft isn't always great with including things on release, you'll likely need the following:

            - LSI 53C1030 SCSI drivers

            - ServeRaid drivers (to match your model)

            - HAL (for x365 and x445 models, or their followons)

            - IBM Service Process, RSA-2, etc drivers (these will be under Adv Sys Mgmt or Remote Supervisor Adapter)

            - Active PCI (aka, hotplug)

 

Step 2: Run UpdateXpress

            This is a bootable CD. Boot it. Everything should go automagically, but monitor it just in case.

            If all goes right, this will update firmware on eveyrthing it knows about in the system.

 

Step 3: Run ServerGuide

            This is a bootable CD. Boot it. (even if you aren't going to use the OS install piece)

            It will walk you through setting up the system. It also tries to update firmware, but the UpdateXpress usually has the more current versions. Let it upgrade anything it wants to, though.

            It will also prompt you to do Raid setup. This is also true if you are running just the LSI SCSI chipset with a raid-1 pair. I only recommend automatic if you want a single raid-1 pair (in systems that only have 2 drives). Otherwise, go custom and walk through. It's all drag an drop and should be pretty self evident, except:

                        1 - first you set up a physical array. This is the number of drives in a failure set, not an actual data array

                        2 - then you set up the logical drives. This is where you set up raid level and % of the physical array

            The OS visible LUNs are the logical drives. You can set up multiple raid types on a single physical array, with each logical drive having it's own data protection properties. Best recommendation -- use 100% of the physical array for your logical drive. This makes things simple for administration as well as troubleshooting, should that be needed later.

            Then you get to set up the OS install. Fill in the blanks, it builds a script and prompts you to reboot. Life is good.

 

Step 4: Manual OS install (assuming Windows)

            If you absolutely have to install the OS from scratch rather than using the ServerGuide CD, then you need to be prepared for a lot of annoyance.

            1 - have your driver floppies ready

            2 - If you have an x445, have your Windows HAL diskette ready

            3 - Boot the OS CD

            4 - Hit F6 to add customer drivers (hit F5 at this point if you are doing an x445, this lets you add a HAL)

            5 - Add the drivers

            6 - After the OS is up (and you have lots of unidentified devices)

                        a - the first couple of likely unidentified devices are the System Management Bus (SMB) devices.

                        These drivers are on the UpdateXpress CD

                        b - any other drivers may be needed to be pulled off of floppy disks

 

If you would like to add to this, add commentary on this, etc, please send feedback to admin@xseries.org

As always, if you know something else that SHOULD be up here, please submit it.

Again, this info is as is, and is not guaranteed accurate, politically correct, or anything else. Gross inaccuracies will happily be adjusted.

 

Disclaimer:                                                                                                                                        

The sole intent of this site is to be a community supported website for enthusiasts and users of IBM's Intel Architecture based servers.

This is not a for profit site in any way, shape or form. No advertising or consideration of any type is accepted.

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Any opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors

All content should be considered to be the opinion of the site administrator and contributors rather than any manufacturer

and is not guaranteed accurate or useful.

It is not the intent of this site to in any way replace the manufacturers' support sites or their content.

It is simply to make things easier for the users of this site.