Deployment Guide
- About This Guide
- 1 Planning for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
- I Architecture-Specific Installation Considerations
- II Manual Deployment
- 5 Deployment Strategies
- 6 Installation with YaST
- 7 Updating SUSE Linux Enterprise
- 8 Setting Up Hardware Components with YaST
- 9 Installing or Removing Software
- 10 Installing Add-On Products
- 11 Installing Multiple Kernel Versions
- 12 Managing Users with YaST
- 13 Changing Language and Country Settings with YaST
- 14 Remote Installation
- 15 Advanced Disk Setup
- 16 Subscription Management
- III Imaging and Creating Products
- IV Automated Installations
- A Documentation Updates
- B GNU Licenses
3 Installation on IBM POWER
This chapter describes the procedure for preparing the installation of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on IBM POWER systems.
3.1 Requirements #
A standard installation requires at least 512 MB of RAM. The installation of a standard system with the GNOME desktop requires at least 3.5 GB of free hard disk space; for more information about hard disk space requirements, see Hard Disk Requirements.
3.1.1 Hardware Requirements #
The SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating system can be operated on a wide range of hardware. To provide you with a guide to help you during the planning phase, the minimum requirements are presented here.
If you want to be sure that a given computer configuration will work, check the database of hardware certified by SUSE. Find a list of certified hardware at http://www.suse.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server may support additional IBM POWER systems not listed below. For the latest information, see the IBM Information Center for Linux at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/lnxinfo/v3r0m0/index.jsp?topic=%2Fliaam%2Fliaamdistros.htm.
Find up-to-date firmware at IBM FixCentral (http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/). Select your system from the Product Group list.
3.1.2 Software Requirements #
A Web browser able to connect to PowerKVM running on the PowerLinux server is required. With this Web browser you will perform pre-installation steps using the Kimchi Web interface.
3.2 Preparation #
This section describes the preparatory steps that must be taken before the actual installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The installation procedure depends on the system used. See the following documentation:
For IBM PowerLinux servers with IBM PowerKVM using Kimchi, see Section 3.2.1, “Installation on IBM PowerLinux Servers with IBM PowerKVM using Kimchi”.
If SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server needs to be installed on a number of systems or partitions, it is recommended you create a network installation source. The same source can also be used for the concurrent installation on several partitions or several systems. The configuration of a network installation source is described in Section 14.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
The installation can be controlled with a VNC client. For more information about VNC, see Section 14.1.1, “Simple Remote Installation via VNC—Static Network Configuration”.
To participate in the linuxppc-dev mailing list,
register using the forms at
http://lists.ozlabs.org/listinfo/linuxppc-dev/. The
following links are pertinent to the maintenance of an installation:
http://www.suse.com/support/kb/ is an effective help tool for assisting customers in solving problems. A corresponding article is published whenever SUSE discover that a special case could lead to serious problems. Search the portal using keywords like POWER or PowerKVM.
Find security alerts at http://www.suse.com/support/security/. SUSE also maintains two security-related mailing lists to which anyone may subscribe.
suse-security— General discussion of security regarding Linux and SUSE. All security alerts for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server are sent to this list.suse-security-announce— The SUSE mailing list exclusively for security alerts.
3.2.1 Installation on IBM PowerLinux Servers with IBM PowerKVM using Kimchi #
This section covers the preparatory steps for installing SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on IBM PowerLinux systems with PowerKVM. It explains the installation from an ISO image with the Kimchi Web interface. Kimchi is a tool for administrating IBM PowerKVM.
This section assumes you have PowerKVM running on your IBM PowerLinux server. If PowerKVM is not pre-installed see “Configuring IBM PowerKVM on Power Systems” on http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/linuxonibm/liabp/liabpkickoff.htm for installing and setting up PowerKVM.
3.2.1.1 Creating a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Template with Kimchi #
Templates are the installation source for PowerKVM guests.
Procedure 3.1: Creating a Template with Kimchi #
In the Web browser, enter the URL of the PowerLinux server where PowerKVM is running, for example
https://powerlinux_ip:8001(replace powerlinux_ip with the IP address of your system).Click the tab to activate the page.
Click the green plus sign () to create the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server template.
Provide either a local or a remote ISO image of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Check , and specify the path to the file of the ISO image.
To configure the newly created template, click › , and change the default values as required by your workload.
For more information, see “Setting up a template using Kimchi” on http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/linuxonibm/liabp/liabpkimchitemplate.htm.
3.2.1.2 Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as a Guest with Kimchi #
In the Web browser, enter the URL of the PowerLinux server where PowerKVM is running, for example
https://powerlinux_ip:8001(replace powerlinux_ip with the IP address of your system).Click the tab to activate the page.
Click the green plus sign () to create the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guest.
Enter a for the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guest.
Choose the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server template created in Section 3.2.1.1, “Creating a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Template with Kimchi” and click .
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guest is created and ready to be started.
Click the red power button to start the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guest. Alternatively, select from the pull-down button.
Click › , and connect your VNC viewer to the installation process as outlined in Section 14.5.1.2, “Connecting to the Installation Program”.
Now you can continue with the default installation via VNC.
3.2.2 Installation on IBM PowerLinux Servers with IBM PowerKVM using virt-install #
Alternatively, use the virt-install command line tool,
if you need to install multiple virtual machines on IBM PowerLinux
Server systems. virt-install allows many installation
scenarios; in the following a remote installation scenario via VNC and
PXE boot is outlined. For more information about
virt-install, see
Section “Installing from the Command Line with virt-install”, Chapter 9, Guest Installation, Virtualization Guide.
Prepare a repository with the installation sources and PXE boot enabled target system as described in Section 14.1.3, “Remote Installation via VNC—PXE Boot and Wake on LAN”.
On the command line, enter something similar as follows (adjust the options according to your needs and matching your hardware):
virt-install --name server_sle12 --memory 4096 --vcpus=2 --pxe \ --graphics vnc --os-variant sles12 \ --disk pool=default,size=3000,format=qcow2,allocation=1G,bus=virtio \ -w mac=mac_address,model=spapr-vlan
It will use VNC graphics, and it will automatically launch the graphical client.