IBM Support

Installing Red Hat Linux v6.1 - Servers

How To


Summary

This document provides instructions for installing Red Hat Linux v6.1 on IBM eServer xSeries and IBM Netfinity servers.

Steps

Revision Level: 1.1
Updated: 04/05/2000


Follow the network operating system (NOS) installation instructions provided in this document sequentially unless you are instructed differently. The windows and messages on your screen might differ from those in this document. Read each installation screen carefully.

 
Sections within this document
1.0 What you need
2.0 Where to download drivers and files
3.0 Quick installation instructions for experienced users
4.0 Detailed installation instructions
4.1 Setting up the Netfinity 3500 M10 hardware for NOS installation
4.2 Setting up the basic input/output system (BIOS)
4.3 Installing Red Hat Linux 6.1
Appendix A: Configuring arrays using the IBM ServeRAID adapter
Appendix B: Installing the VESA/Frame Buffer Server


1.0 What you need



2.0 Where to download drivers and files
If you are familiar with SCSI, hardware, and the installation process, scroll to section 3.0 Quick installation instructions for experienced users. If you are not, scroll to section 4.0 Detailed installation instructions.


3.0 Quick installation instructions for experienced users
  1. Click the product family that pertains to you to verify that the latest levels of BIOS and firmware are installed:
2. Insert the Red Hat 6.1 Linux CD and start (boot) the server.
3. At the boot: prompt, type Text to perform a text mode installation.
4. Follow the instructions that guide you through the installation process.
NOTE : At the Install Type window, select Custom. Use the partitioning tool and the Disk Druid to create the following partitions:
  • Mount Point "/" of a size greater than 500 MB (1 GB is required for everything), and "Type" "Linux Native" must be selected
  • Mount Point "/boot" which has a maximum size of 25 MB (minimum 10 MB)
  • A Swap partition of at least the size of RAM and preferably twice the size of system memory (The mount point information for the swap partition is left blank, and "Type" "Linux Swap" must be selected)

5. At the Package Group Selection window, select Select Individual packages to install the SMP kernel. At the following Individual Package Selection window, select the System Environment -> Kernel groups-> kernel-smp package . If you are using a graphical installation, click the Select Package for Installation box.
6. At the Video Card Selection window, for the Netfinity 1000, 3000, and 5600 systems, select S3 Trio3D from the list.
7. At the Starting X window, select Skip to defer the Xconfigurator from starting X. See Appendix B: Installing the VESA/Frame Buffer Server for post-installation instructions.
8. When you see the Congratulations screen, the installation is complete. If you use two or more SCSI controllers, press Ctrl+Alt+F2 . See the Retain Tip H167940 instructions. Otherwise, click OK to restart server. Remove the CD from the CD-ROM drive.


4.0 Detailed installation instructions

  1. For ServeRAID adapters, initialize all the logical array drives before you install an operating system. If the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Management CD is available, configure the logical drives. Update the BIOS and firmware. Otherwise, obtain the IBM ServeRAID DOS Configuration Diskette version 3.50C 09n7691.exe file and see Appendix A: Configuring arrays using the IBM ServeRAID adapter for details.
  2. The Netfinity 7000 M10 has a single 10 Mb/s Ethernet RJ-45 port built into the systems management adapter. This port is solely for the purpose of communicating with the systems management adapter and is not detected or supported by Linux. Network adapter devices can be installed and configured during or after the installation of Linux.
  3. The presence of multiple processors in a system is not autodetected and the kernel-smp package must be selected during the installation process.

4.1 Setting up the Netfinity 3500 M10 hardware for NOS installation
  1. Unplug the server. Remove the side cover.
  2. For the initial installation process, install all the microprocessors you plan to use and remove all the adapters and devices that are not required to have the base operating system installed.
NOTE : If you plan to use an external DASD enclosure, the following instructions do not apply. See the documentation provided with the external enclosure for the proper setup and continue to 4.2 Setting up the BIOS.
3. Install the desired number of hard disk drives in the drive bays. Install the drives in the lower bay to take advantage of the additional cooling fan.
NOTE : The SCSI ID of the drive is set using jumpers on the drive. Set the SCSI ID of your boot drive to 0. Each installed drive must have a unique ID.
4. If you install the drives in the lower bay, complete the installation of the drives and continue with step 15. If you install a drive in the upper bay, continue with step 5.
5. To install a drive in the upper bay, you must first remove the DASD cage. The DASD bracket removal label on the DASD cage includes instructions on how to remove the top cap and the two screws.
6. Remove the cables from all the devices installed in the upper bay.
NOTE : You can remove the audio cable from the CD-ROM by squeezing the connector from top to bottom while simultaneously removing the cable.
7. Pull the DASD cage back and remove it.
8. Use the four shoulder screws to mount the hard disk drive in the DASD cage.
9. Replace the diskette drive cables.
10. Remove the adhesive cover strip from the hook and loop fastener and the SCSI connector which is the second one from the end of the cable with the cable terminator.
11. Insert the connector into the hard disk drive, press the hook and loop fastener onto the hard disk drive, and attach a power cable.
12. Place the hook and loop fastener below the CD-ROM drive. Use the hook and loop fastener to attach the terminator on the SCSI cable to the bottom of the CD-ROM drive.
13. Reattach the cables to the CD-ROM drive.
14. Replace the DASD cage, the screws, and the top cap.
15. Reinstall the side cover.
16. Plug in the server.


4.2 Setting up the BIOS
  1. Power on the server.
  2. Press F1 to start the Configuration/Setup program when the IBM logo appears on the monitor.
  3. Highlight the menu option System Information, select Product Data and press Enter . The Flash EEPROM Revision Level field contains the BIOS version. The numbers in positions 5, 6, and 7 of the level are the current BIOS level.
4. Click the product family that pertains to you to verify that you have the latest levels of BIOS: 5. If the BIOS requires updating, download the appropriate image. The image is a self-extracting, executable file (under DOS or OS/2) that creates a startable system BIOS flash diskette. Build the diskette image by running the .exe file (under DOS or OS/2) and answering Y on the last page of the licensing agreement.
6. Start the server with the BIOS diskette in the server and answer the questions appropriately. After the BIOS update is complete, you might receive a "162 Configuration has changed" error; ignore this message. The Configuration/Setup program starts and you can continue with step 7.
NOTE : If you do not see the "162 Configuration has changed" message at startup, press F1 to start the Configuration/Setup program when the IBM logo appears.
7. Highlight Load Default Settings and press Enter .
8. Highlight Exit Setup and press Enter .
9. At the Exit Setup menu, select the menu option Yes, save and exit the Setup Utility and press Enter.


4.3 Installing Red Hat Linux 6.1
  1. Insert the Red Hat 6.1 Linux CD and start the server.
  2. At the boot: prompt, type Text to perform a text mode installation.
  3. Follow the instructions that guide you through the installation process.
NOTE: Defaults might be taken unless otherwise specified.
4. At the Mouse Configuration window, select Generic 2 Button Mouse (PS/2) (two-button mouse) or Generic 3 Button Mouse (PS/2) (three-button mouse), depending on the mouse type installed.
5. At the Install Type window, select Custom . A custom-class installation allows you to work with disk partitions and to select and install packages such as the Intel Symmetric Multi-Processors (SMP) Support.
6. Use the partitioning tool and the Disk Druid to crea te the following partitions If you are not familiar with partitioning, refer to Appendix C: An Introduction to Disk Partitions in the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Gui de for more information):

NOTE: You must create at least the following partitions:

  • Mount Point "/" of a size greater than 500 MB (1 GB is required for everything), and "Type" "Linux Native" must be selected
  • Mount Point "/boot" which has a maximum size of 25 MB (minimum 10 MB)
  • A Swap partition of at least the size of RAM and preferably twice the size of system memory (The mount point information for the swap partition is left blank, and "Type" "Linux Swap" must be selected)
7. At the Package Group Selection window, select Select Individual packages to install the SMP kernel. At the following Individual Package Selection window, select the System Environment-> Kernel groups -> kernel-smp package .
8. At the Video Card Selection window, for the Netfinity 1000, 3000, and 5600, select S3 Trio3D from the list. The video cards on all other systems are autodetected.
9. At the Starting X window, select Skip to defer the Xconfigurator from starting X. Currently , there is no support other than VESA/Frame Buffer. See Appendix B: Installing the VESA/Frame Buffer Server for post-installation instructions.
NOTE: Other installation components, such as choosing software, setting up your startup hard disk drive/file systems, and root password, are dependent upon the specifications of your site. Consult your local system administrator for details.
10. When you see the Congratulations screen, the installation is complete. If you are using two or more SCSI controllers, press Ctrl+Alt+F2 . See Retain Tip H167940 for instructions. Otherwise, click OK to restart the server. Remove the CD from the CD-ROM drive.
 

Appendix A: Configuring arrays using the IBM ServeRAID adapter
NOTE: These instructions are only applicable if you are using the IBM ServeRAID DOS Configuration Diskette version 3.50C or later. Upon initial start up, you might receiv e an error message that reads "Following drives not responding
(oldstate:newstate:ch:bay) (ONL:DDD:2:1)(ONL:DDD:2:2) Identifiers for the following drives do not match configuration..."
  1. Press F10 Exit without change.
  2. If the BIOS version of the ServeRAID adapter is already 3.50.12, insert the IBM ServeRAID DOS Configuration Diskette version 3.50C and restart the server. Continue with step 5. If the BIOS version of the IBM ServeRAID adapter is not 3.50.12 or later, restart the server with the IBM ServeRAID BIOS and Firmware Diskette version 3.50C in the diskette drive. Continue with step 3.
  3. At the IBM ROM Update Program menu, select Update . The utility updates the BIOS and firmware.
  4. Remove the IBM ServeRAID BIOS and Firmware Diskette version 3.50C. Insert the IBM ServeRAID DOS Configuration Diskette version 3.50C. Restart the server. Repeat step 1 if necessary.
  5. If you received the message described in step 1, select Advanced Functions -> Init/View/Synchronize Config -> Initialize Configuration .
  6. Confirm the initialization request with a Yes .
  7. After initializing, exit to the main menu. Otherwise, continue with step 8.
  8. On the main menu, select Create/Delete/Copy Log Drive-> press Enter-> select Create Disk Array .
  9. Use the arrow keys to select RDY drives for each new array. Press Enter on each highlighted drive to change to ONL. Add it to the array.
  10. Press Esc when finished selecting drives and press Enter .
  11. Select Define Logical Drive .
  12. Select an array on which to define a drive.
  13. Specify the RAID level for the new logical drive and press Enter .
  14. Specify a size for the new logical drive by keeping or over-typing the size presented and confirm with a Yes .
  15. A message stating that "All logical drives must be initialized after being created" will appear. Press Enter .
  16. Confirm the command to initialize the new logical drive with a Yes .
NOTE: If a RAID-5 logical drive was defined, a message stating "All RAID-5 logical drives must be synchronized after initialization" will appear.
17. Confirm the synchronization of the new logical drive with a Yes . The synchronization process takes place in the background. It is safe to continue the installation while this synchronization occurs. The synchronization completes in the background while the normal server operation takes place.
18. Press Esc to return to the main menu. Select Advanced Functions and select Backup IPS ServeRAID Config .
19. Verify the IBM ServeRAID DOS Configuration diskette is not write-protected.
20. In the window Config box, type the name of the file where the configuration is saved or press Enter to accept the default. Select Yes to confirm.
21. Exit the utility and ignore the message to back up the RAID configuration and again confirm with a Yes .
NOTE: The procedure outlined in steps 22 through 28 disables the integrated Adaptec controller startup (boot) capability. You can still access devices attached to it with the proper device drivers loaded.
22. Remove the diskette, restart the server, and press Ctrl+A when you are prompted.
23. Select the channel you want to configure.
NOTE: If you are using both channels of the integrated Adaptec disk controller, repeat steps 23 through 28 for both channels.
22. Select Configure/View Host Adapter Settings .
23. Select Advanced Configuration Options .
24. Set the Host Adapter BIOS to Disabled:scan bus if the non-start (non-boot) devices, such as CD-ROM drives or tape drives, are attached to the internal Adaptec controller. If no devices are attached, set Host Adapter BIOS to Disabled:NOT scan .
25. Press Esc twice to confirm the changes you made.
26. Press Esc a third time to return to the Bus:Device:Channel selection window.
27. Continue with section 4.3 Installing Red Hat Linux 6.1.


Appendix B: Installing the VESA/Frame Buffer Server
  1. With the system started in command mode, log in as root .
  2. Mount the Red Hat Linux 6.1 C D and install the frame buffer server package as follows:
  • # mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
  • # cd /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS
  • # rpm -ivh XFree86-FBDev-3.3.5-3.i386.rpm
3. Save the current symbolic link by running # mv /etc/X11/X /etc/X11/X.old.
4. Create a new symbolic link by running # ln -s ../../usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_FBDev /etc/X11/X.
5. Edit /etc/lilo.conf to add a new entry for the frame buffer server by copying the existing entry. Only add a vga=773 line after the image line and change the label so that it is unique to other entries. The following is an example of a SMP kernel entry with frame buffer server installed:
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.12-20smp
vga=773
label=linux-fb
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.2.12-20smp.img
read-only
root=/dev/sdxx
NOTE : Do not remove the existing entry. Do not make changes to the root line in the new entry. The default line in /etc/lilo.conf contains the label of the kernel loaded by default. If there is no default specified, then the first kernel entry in etc/lilo.conf is loaded by default. The digits 773 indicate 1024 x 768-pixel density with 8-bit color depth. For more information, see /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt (kernel-source-2.2.12-6.i386.rpm package).
6. Update the master boot record and the LILO boot loader by running # lilo -v .
7. Edit /etc/X11/XF86Config to create a new section entry for the frame buffer server under Screen section. Copy the following example of a Screen entry and make the necessary changes.
NOTE : xxxx and yyyy depends upon predefined strings in XF86Config. Replace xxxx with the string following Identifier under Device in the Graphics device section. Replace yyyy with the string following Identifier under Monitor in the Monitor section.
Section "Screen"
Driver "fbdev"
Device "xxxx"
Monitor "yyyy"
Subsection "Display"
Modes "default"
EndSubsection
EndSection
8. Reboot the system and remove the media.
9. At the LILO boot prompt, press Tab for the kernel options or press Enter if the new kernel was set as the default kernel.
10. After the system has restarted in command mode, issue the startx command to enter the X Window system.

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Operating System

Older System x:Red Hat Linux

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Document Information

Modified date:
27 January 2019

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