Redbook addendum for SLES 9 installs

Note: For i 5.4, see the Linux on an integrated xSeries solution topic in the Information Center rather than using the Redbook and this addendum.

At the time this Redbook was published, only Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 3 (RHEL 3) and SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 8 (SLES 8) were supported.

For installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9), the sections below contain addendums to the corresponding sections in Chapter 2 of the Redbook. These addendums are only for specific text or steps that require modification specific to a SLES 9 install. Reference the Redbook directly for all other Linux install information not specifically modified below.

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9)
  SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 can only be installed on an Integrated xSeries Adapter-attached System x™ (xSeries) model.

• For SUSE
  http://developer.novell.com/yessearch/Search.jsp
  On this page input the following:
       Keywords: xSeries
       Company: IBM
       Novell Product: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 for x86
  You will see a list of System x models/types. Click on the Bulletin number for your specific System x to see details on configurations and requirements for install.

• Linux distributions
  Select *SLES9 for a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 install.

1. The System x model boots from the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 disc 1 located in the System x CD-ROM drive. A list of options will appear in a menu list for 20 seconds. You must select Installation, press F6 for Driver Update and then press Enter. If you do not make any selections within the 20 seconds, the default option to Boot from Hard Disk will be used. Since there is no operating system on the hard disk yet, the message 'Failed to start from Harddisk' will be displayed. Press OK and make the selections as described above.
   Important: If you do not press F6 for Driver Update, you will not be prompted for the driver update floppy, which will cause the installation to fail to find hard drives when you get to step 8. At which point you will have to abort the installation and reboot your server, which will start the installation again as described in step 8.
2. When you press F6, the following message is displayed:
        Please get your Driver Update Floppy ready.
   Press Enter.
3. Insert the driver diskette when prompted. Press Enter.
4. A dialog will be presented with the message
        Please choose the Driver Update Medium.
   From the menu list, select fd0 (floppy), select the OK button and press Enter.
5. The driver diskette will be scanned and you will see the message
        Reading the Driver Update...
   and then the message
        Driver Update OK.
   Press Enter.
6. The dialog in step 4 will reappear. Select Back and press Enter.
7. The YaST installation wizard starts and the License agreement is displayed. Click I Agree to accept the terms and continue with the installation.
8. The YaST installation wizard will display the phases of install on the right part of the screen. Specific settings are required for the Base Installation - Installation Settings phase and the Configuration - Online update phase. Settings in all other phases may be answered as you prefer. For more information about installing SLES with YaST, you can reference the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Installation and Administration manual which you will find on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 disc 1 under /doc/en/manual.pdf.
   Important: If you did not press F6 as described in step 1, you will see a message indicating that no hard drives were found. You must click on Abort Installation and then select Exit/Reboot. Your server will reboot and will start the installation over again. Make sure you press F6 as described in step 1.
9. During the Base Installation - Installation Settings phase, the categories listed below require the indicated settings. For any other categories, you may select the settings you prefer. To modify the settings in these categories, either click on the category heading or click on Change... and select the category from the list.
   • Partitioning - The default settings are OK.
     Important: If you choose to modify the partition setup, you must not modify the FAT partition on /dev/sdb1. Otherwise the server will not boot.
   • Software - You must verify that the correct kernel is being installed. Linux on integrated System x models only supports 32-bit kernels. To check which kernel has been selected:
     1. Click on Software.
     2. On the Software Selection screen, select Default System and click on the Detailed selections button.
     3. Click on the Filter drop down list and select Package Groups. This will show the RPM packages for the install.
     4. Under System select Kernel.
     5. In the list of kernels in the upper-right panel, if kernel-default (32 bit uni-processor kernel) is checked, the install has determined that this is a uni-processor system. In this case, you do not need to make any changes. If kernel-bigsmp (64-bit multi-processor kernel) is checked, you must uncheck it and check kernel-smp (32-bit multi-processor kernel).
     6. Click Accept.
   • Booting - This must be set to Grub (MBR on /dev/sda) which is the default.
10. After you have finished customizing the settings click Accept then Yes, install when the warning message appears. The install will prompt you for various SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 CDs and will reboot when it is done copying data to start the Configuration phase of the install.
11. During the Configuration - Online update phase of the install, you will see a screen labeled Test Internet Connection. You must select No, Skip this test.
    Attention: If you do not select No, Skip this test, a SLES 9 update will be peformed at this time which may cause unrecoverable damage to your server. A SLES 9 update should only be done after the server has completed the install and you have completed the steps as described in section 2.10 Completing the post-installation tasks of the Redbook.
12. Continue on with the rest of the configuration phases of install.
13. When the configuration phases are complete, you will be prompted to sign on to the sever. You must follow the instructions described in section 2.10 Completing the post-installation tasks of the Redbook.
14. Once the post-installation instructions are complete, you may apply SLES 9 updates to your server.
    Important: After applying SLES 9 updates, you must run ixsupdt before you reboot your server. Details for ixsupdt are listed in the Redbook section 3.11 Maintaining the Linux integration code.