General Page
This document is intended to describe the following information:
• Overview of how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server support
• Details on how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task
• Details on using the Load Logical Partition from FTP Web Services API
• Format of the file that is used to load the software’s installation program
• Overview of how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server support
• Details on how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task
• Details on using the Load Logical Partition from FTP Web Services API
• Format of the file that is used to load the software’s installation program
Overview of how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media
or FTP Server support
Software including the operating system, various other software packages, and programs that perform a meaningful task, is normally loaded into a partition from a type of storage device that is attached to an Input/Output (I/O) device available to the partition. The storage device might be attached to the partition by using a FICON® type I/O device or an FCP type I/O device. There are other types of devices that are also supported. In these cases, the operating system was written to the storage device in a way that it can be loaded, and then more software was loaded on top of the operating system by using commands provided by the operating system. At the bottom of this stack of software is the operating system, which again, is normally loaded into a partition from an I/O device available to the partition and it needs to be installed first before more software can be installed.
How does the storage device get set up with an operating system? If you already have an operating system that is installed on a device and can load the operating system into a partition, then you might be able to use commands in that operating system to set up another I/O device available to the partition with another level of the same operating system or even another operating system.
Another option might be to load an operating system’s installation program from a tape that is mounted on a tape device or some media that is mounted on another I/O device. However, what do you do if you can’t do this?
In the case of many operating systems, such as z/VM®, z/OS®, and Linux®, the software suppliers provide an installation program that can be loaded from either media that is mounted on a Hardware Management Console (HMC) or from a customer-supplied server accessible to the HMC by using the HMC network connections. At a high level, the HMC can load and start a program from either media that is mounted on the HMC or from a customer-supplied FTP or SFTP or FTPS server accessible to the HMC by using the HMC network connections.
Then, the installation program configures and sets up one or more storage devices from information that is provided to the installation program. As part of this setup, the installation program retrieves the necessary data either from the same location it was loaded from (that is, the same media or server) or from a server directly accessible to a network device available to the partition. The exact source of the actual software’s data depends upon the choice of the software supplier; for example, z/VM can retrieve its data from the same place that the HMC retrieved it from whereas Linux retrieves its actual data from a partition accessible network device. Figure 1 summarizes this overall environment.
Figure 1. Overall Components in Load from Removable Media or Server
When the software installation program starts, the user interacts with it by using normal methods, such as the Integrated 3270 Console or Integrated ASCII Console tasks or the Operating System Messages task on the HMC, or from a web browser through a network adapter available to the partition. When the program starts, it is managed the same as any other piece of software running in a partition. Figure 2 is an example of using the Integrated 3270 Console task on the HMC to interact with the z/VM installation program.
Figure 2. Interaction with the z/VM installation program using the Integrated 3270 Console
See “Details on how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task” which describes how the HMC user interface can be used to load and start the software’s installation program by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task. Also, see “Loading software by using the Load Logical Partition from FTP Web Services API operation” which describes how the HMC Web Services API can be used to load and start the software’s installation program by using the Load Logical Partition from FTP operation.
If the installation program is retrieved from a server (FTP, FTPS, or SFTP) and the Support Element (SE) on the target LPAR CPC is at version 2.14.0 or earlier, then both the HMC and the SE must have network connectivity to the server. However, if the SE of the target LPAR CPC is at version 2.14.1 or higher, then only the HMC requires network connectivity to the server.
The key to all of this is a control file. The control file has an extension of .ins (or .INS as the case is ignored). This control file describes exactly what file or files from the media that is mounted in the HMC or present on the server to load into the partition’s memory, where to load those file or files into the partition’s memory, and a brief description of what the program represents. There can be more than one control file that is on the server or media and the user can select which installation program to load and start. This way, a software supplier can provide the user with the ability to load different versions of the same software from the same media or set of data. In the past, for example, z/VM offered installation programs to install a 64-bit version and a 31-bit version for use on an older IBM Z® systems. Or, if software is customized to a specific CPC serial number, then the media or image might contain software for a customer with multiple CPCs and the customer would run the appropriate installation software for each specific CPC. See “What is the format of the file used to control the loading of the software installation program?” on page 7 for more information.
Important: Some software suppliers provide two software distribution packages. One is a binary ISO image that is intended to be directly booted from an I/O device that is attached to the partition and the other is a boot ISO image that boots the installation program. The Load from Removable Media or Server task or corresponding Web Services API operation requires the installation program and its associated control file, that ends in .ins or .INS. The user should verify that the media or data on the server contains the .ins or .INS file and corresponding installation program’s file(s) since the HMC can’t boot the full operating system image.
Details on how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task
The Hardware Management Console (HMC) contains the Load from Removable Media or Server task, that can be used to load and start a program from media that is mounted on the HMC or from files that are on a user-supplied server. What is loaded and started is typically the installation program for software, but what is loaded and started might also have another purpose.
The task supports loading from a server available to the HMC network connections; the server might be a server running FTP or it might be an FTPS or SFTP server. The task also supports loading from USB media that is mounted in the HMC or if the HMC hardware includes a CD/DVD drive, it also supports loading from a CD or DVD mounted in the drive. The media must be mounted in the HMC before starting the task as the task only shows the option or options to load from media if it finds media present when the task is started.
To start the process, the user needs to open the Load from Removable Media or Server task on the HMC, targeting the required partition. Figure 3 shows an example of the Load from Removable Media or Server task window that is completed for loading from an FTP server.
Figure 3. Example of Load from Removeable Media or Server task window that is completed for an FTP server
The user specifies the server host name in the Host name field. Servers have at least two main credentials, the User name and the Password. The user must enter the appropriate name and password to access the data that is to be loaded and started. There are three supported protocols: FTP, FTPS (FTP Secure), and SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol).
If you need to import an FTPS server certificate, use the Certificate Management task. From the Advanced drop-down, select Manage Trusted Signing Certificate. The Manage Trusted Signing Certificate window is displayed. From the Import drop-down, select From Remote Server. The Import Remote Certificate window is displayed. Provide the IP/Host address and port number, then click OK to confirm. The Confirm Import window is displayed, then click Yes after you verified the certificate information.
If you need to import SSH server keys, use the Manage SSH Keys task. Provide the SFTP server ID in the Address input area, then click Add.
The File path is where the files, including the control file or files, are located relative to where the user’s home directory is located. In the example in Figure 3, the File Path was left blank. Therefore, the control file or files and all files to be loaded and started must be in the user’s home directory. The File path string cannot exceed 255 characters and only includes the path but not the actual name of the control file itself. If the files are in a directory directly below (such as: CPDVD), then you would have entered in CPDVD for the File path.
When you have completed the appropriate information, you should click OK to continue. The HMC then attempts to access the server, by using the credentials and protocol that is specified and then access the directory that is specified in the File path and obtain a list of all control files (for example, files that end in .ins or .INS) and then display the list of what can be loaded in. As a reminder, the data file or files that are mentioned in the control file or files must all reside in the same directory. Figure 4 displays an example of the list of control files.
Figure 4. Example of selecting what software to install by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task
In this example, there is only one choice for the software to install, z/VM 7.1. You should ensure that the appropriate choice is selected and then you click OK again. Figure 5 is an example of the confirmation window that is displayed.
Figure 5. Example of the Load from Removable Media or Server Confirmation window
In the example, which is shown in Figure 5, you need to specify your HMC password and then click Yes to confirm and start the load of the installation program. Figure 6 is an example of the completion message.
Figure 6. Example of the Load from Removable Media or Server completion message
When the installation program is successfully loaded, the user clicks OK to clear the completion message. The user now interacts with the software installation program that was loaded by using normal methods, such as the Integrated 3270 Console or Integrated ASCII Console tasks or the Operating System Messages task on the HMC, or from a web browser through a network adapter available to the partition. When the program starts, it is managed the same as any other piece of software running in a partition. Figure 2 is an example of using the Integrated 3270 Console task on the HMC to interact with z/VM installation program.
See Figure 7 for an example of the options available to load from a USB mounted in the HMC.
Figure 7. Example of the Load from Removable Media or Server task window displaying the USB options
For media, the File path field works the same way as it does for loading from an FTP server. In this case, the file path is relative to the lowest directory, sometimes referred to as the root directory, of the media. For example, if the .ins or .INS file or files are located in the CPDVD directory of the media, then CPDVD should be entered into the File path field.
Note that there are two options: Hardware Management Console USB flash memory drive and Hardware Management Console USB flash memory drive and assign for operating system use. Normally, you will only use the Hardware Management Console USB flash memory drive option. Do not use the other option unless explicitly told to choose this option by the software installation documentation. If your HMC hardware has a drive to support compact disks (CDs) and DVDs and you mount a CD or DVD in the HMC drive, then you see two similar options for the CD/DVD drive. You should not select the option that includes "assign for operating system use" unless explicitly told to choose this option by the software’s installation documentation.
Loading software by using the Load Logical Partition from FTP Web Services API operation
The Web Services API supports an operation that provides the equivalent functions of the Load from Removable Media or Server task although it is limited to loading from a server. The actual operation is called Load from Logical Partition from FTP and it is an operation available for the Logical Partition object. See the Hardware Management Console Web Services API Version 2.15.0, SC27- 2638, for more information on the API operation and the fields for this operation request. The names of the API fields are similar to those names available on the task window. See “Details on how to install software by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task” for more information on how to use the various fields.
What is the format of the file used to control the loading of the software installation program?
The loading and startup of the software installation program, by using the Load from Removable Media or Server task on the HMC or the equivalent Web Services API operation, is specified by a control file. The control file has an extension of .ins (or .INS as the case is ignored). This control file describes what file or files from the media that is mounted in the HMC or present on the server to load into the partition’s memory, where to load those file or files into the partition’s memory, and a brief description of what the program represents.
There can be more than one control file on the server or media and the user can select which installation program to load and start. This way the software supplier can provide the user the ability to load different versions of the same software from the same media or set of data. In the past, for example, z/VM offered installation programs to install a 64-bit version and a 31-bit version for use on a previous IBM Z. Or, if software is customized to a specific CPC serial number, then the media or image might contain software for a customer with multiple CPCs and the customer would run the appropriate installation software for each specific CPC.
The .ins files represent packages of software or programs that can be loaded. They have a file extension of ins. and are in the form:
*Description line
/relative path/filename1.extension < space > < address of where to load >
/relative path/filename2.extension < space > < address of where to load >
/relative path/filename3.extension < space > < address of where to load >
.
.
.
/relative path/filenameN.extension < space > < address of where to load >
Where path is relative to the location of the ins file.
For example, Sample1.ins could contain:
* SuperUtilities Package Version 12.34
/directory1/file1.txt 0x00000000
/directory2/file2.txt 0x00100000
All addresses start with "0x", followed by an eight character hexadecimal address of where to start to load the file in memory.
An asterisk (*) in the first line of the file starts a comment line and is used to supply a one-line description of the file that is used on this window and on the confirmation window. The remainder of the file is a list of Loading software by using the Load Logical Partition from FTP Web Services API operation which files on the source (relative to where the load control file is located) and the addresses of where to load the data. It is important that the first line in the file begins with an asterisk (*) and that it includes a brief description.
Generally, data files are a multiple of 4 bytes. If a file is only 2 bytes long and contains 0x1234, then 4 bytes are loaded into memory as 0x12340000. The highest address that is allowed is 0x7FFFFFFF. Load from removable media device or FTP server is intended for loading a software or utility installation program, not for normal IPLs.
Data files must be located in the same directory as the control file. For example, if the control file is located in a directory that is called CPDVD, which is in the home directory of the user’s server login or lowest media directory, then the data files must also be in CPDVD and the file name that is specified on the task should also be CPDVD.
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Document Information
Modified date:
20 September 2024
UID
ibm17167899