HP ProLiant iSCSI Boot for Linux User Guide Part Number 599738-001 March 2010 (First Edition)
© Copyright 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Confidential computer software.
Contents Overview..................................................................................................................................... 4 iSCSI boot overview .................................................................................................................................. 4 System requirements .................................................................................................................................. 4 Limitations .........................................
Overview iSCSI boot overview The HP iSCSI boot feature allows a server to boot from a remote disk (known as the iSCSI target) on a Storage Area Network (SAN) without having to directly attach a boot disk. Booting from a remote disk on a SAN allows the boot process to be centralized and consolidates equipment resources. Unlike other implementations, iSCSI boot does not require a separate DHCP server or a PXE server.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ES/AS for x86_64 (Update 4, 5, and 6) • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 for x86 • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 for x86_64 • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SP3, SP4) for x86 • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SP3, SP4) for x86_64 Supported hardware • Servers.
• On some blade systems, after the system is booted and the GUI is started, the system console on a KVM switch may report that it is in an unsupported mode. The iLO2 integrated remote console works fine. This is a problem with the SLES 10 installation procedure and not with the iSCSI boot installation procedure. • After booting a system over iSCSI, if the SmartStart Linux PSP is installed it changes the default boot kernel in the boot loader conf file /boot/grub/menu.lst.
• If CHAP is used with SLES10 for the root disk, the same CHAP user name and password must be used for all additional data disks being connected to the system. This is a limitation on the SLES10 open-iscsi initiator. • If the RBSU utility is used to reset system defaults, the iSCSI boot parameters will be lost. You will need to rerun the DOS EV utility or the Linux ibootcfg utility to reset the parameters.
Installation and configuration Summary of installation and configuration Currently the method for setting up an iSCSI boot implementation consists of the following. 1. Install a HP ProLiant Gigabit Ethernet Multifunction server adapter in your server. 2. Update the firmware to the latest iSCSI boot option ROM and the latest boot code. 3. Initialize the iSCSI boot option ROM data. 4. Install the binary RPM on the iSCSI boot install server. 5.
mezzanine adapters. For embedded adapters, both can be updated and co-exist but at any point of time only one can be used.
To replace the PXE image with iSCSI, complete the following steps. 1. The firmware utility requires the adapter interface to be up and running. Bring up a network adapter interface using the following command: # ifup ethx or # ifconfig ethx up 2. 3. Update the firmware using the following command: #./CPXXXXXX.scexe The utility discovers all network adapters in the system and prompts you to upgrade the specified firmware image.
Variable name Description should use the MAC address assigned to the hardware. LUN The logical unit number for the target. Some targets do not start numbering iSCSI target data LUNs at 0. ForceBoot This value specifies that the iSCSI initiator should override the IPL boot order for disk controllers and install itself as the boot disk. "True", "TRUE", "true", or "1" indicates that the iSCSI boot option ROM should install itself as the handler for the boot device.
# Hard coded Target IP .. No DNS support # TargetName=iqn.2003-05.com.hp1510i:Target01 TargetIP=10.10.10.13 # # local name the iSCSI client will present to the Target # and local IP settings. No DNS or DHCP support # InitiatorName=iqn.client01 InitiatorIP=10.10.10.02 InitiatorNetmask=255.255.255.0 InitiatorRoute=10.10.10.1 TargetPort=3260 ## Locally Admin Address (MAC address) and VLAN (Enabled/Disabled) # LAA=000000000000 VLAN=Disabled ## LUN Mapping. This should match what the target LUN offers.
o Execute the following on the server with the option ROM. ev -c
/opt/hp/iboot_install/scripts/autoinst.xml /opt/hp/iboot_install/utils/optrom/ibootcfg Additionally, the directory /opt/hp/iboot_install/ddimages contains driver diskette images for all supported releases of Linux. Customizing the control file Before installing an operating system on your iSCSI boot target drive, you must first customize the sample ks.cfg file for Red Hat installations. The ks.
3. Upon completion, safely remove the diskette or USB device (Disk 1). 4. Insert a second diskette or USB device and execute the following to copy the iSCSI boot and configuration scripts, bnx2 source RPM (the bnx2 source RPM is packaged with the iSCSI boot feature), and linux-iscsi-boot source RPM. This diskette or USB device (Disk 2) is inserted during the post-installation stage of the operating system install. a. For network installs, skip this step and go to step 5. b.
iSCSI Boot target install method The iSCSI target disks must be installed with one of the supported operating systems described in System requirements.
2. After the target disk is configured for iSCSI boot, complete the standard operating system installation as prompted. NFS install 1. Power on the iSCSI boot target and insert disk one of the operating system installation CDs in the CD-ROM drive. During POST, review the iSCSI option ROM messages to ensure that the iSCSI boot option ROM initialized successfully and is able to log in onto the target disk.
append initrd=/images/pxeboot/\ initrd.img ramdisk_size=10000 dd=nfs::/opt/hp/\ iboot_install/ddimages/iboot_install_.dd \ ks=nfs::/opt/hp/iboot_install/scripts/ks.cfg 7. Optionally, you can modify /tftpboot/linux-install/msgs/boot.msg to use custom boot messages. Installing targets using PXE 1. Power up the server. 2.
2. The driver diskette images can be copied to a removable diskette or USB device, or they can be accessed through the network using NFS or PXE. Modify the following variables as needed. a. For diskette installations, do not modify the COPYMETHOD, NFSSERVER, or NFSSHARE variables. b. For NFS installations, modify the COPYMETHOD, NFSSERVER, and NFSSHARE variables.
• PXE network installs The iSCSI boot target drives are installed using the following sources: driver diskette images in the /opt/hp/iboot_install/ddimages directory; the linux-iscsi-boot source RPM on the designated iSCSI boot install server; and the operating system installation CD-ROMs. After the installation completes, reboot the system for an iSCSI boot to occur. Diskette or USB install Skip this section if you are doing a network installation, such as PXE or NFS.
1. Power on the server with the first OS installation CD in the CD-ROM drive. 2. Immediately review the iSCSI option ROM messages during POST to confirm that the Option ROM initialized successfully and is able to login onto the target disk. 3. At the boot: prompt type the following: linux ks=nfs::/opt.hp/hp-iscsi-boot/scripts/ks.
4. Enter the label number (specified in the above section) at the PXE boot prompt and press the Enter key. The installation starts pulling the installation sources from the NFS server. SLES installations SLES 9 installations The following describes how to install SLES 9 on iSCSI boot targets. Installing the binary RPM To install the binary RPM for Red Hat EL4 or SLES 9 enter the following command on the install server: # rpm -ihv //linux-iscsi-install..
4. The driver diskette images can be copied to a removable diskette or USB device, or they can be accessed through the network using NFS or PXE. Modify the following variables as needed. a. For diskette installations, do not modify the COPYMETHOD, NFSSERVER, or NFSSHARE variables. b. For NFS installations, modify the COPYMETHOD, NFSSERVER, and NFSSHARE variables. COPYMETHOD=nfs NFSSERVER= NFSSHARE= 5. The root password is set to root123 in the autoinst.xml file.
# mount –o loop iboot_install__driver.dd /mnt # cp –r /mnt/01 / # find /01 -name "bnx2.*o" -exec rm {} \; # umount /mnt Converting disks for iLO Virtual Floppy setup If you are using iLO Virtual Floppy, convert the Disk 1 and Disk 2 iSCSI boot diskette images to driver images as follows: 1. Insert the driver diskette (Disk 1) into the drive on the install server and issue the following command: # dd if=/dev/fd0 of=driver_disk1.img 2.
3. If you are using a local CDROM for the install, select Manual installation when prompted and pass the following boot options: autoyast=floppy:///autoinst.xml Or, if you are using a USB or iLO virtual floppy drive, then pass the following boot options: autoyast=device://sda/autoinst.xml 4. The modules from the driver diskette (Disk 1) will be copied to memory. The iSCSI boot install driver will read the option ROM data and connect to the target disk.
3. At the boot: prompt execute the following commands. autoyast=nfs://://opt/hp/iboot_install/scripts/autoinst.xml install=nfs://: netdevice=eth a. If the LOMs are not HP ProLiant Gigabit Ethernet Multifunction server adapters, then pass the following boot options at the boot: prompt. autoyast=nfs://://opt/hp/iboot_install/scripts/autoinst.xml install=nfs://: netdevice=eth insmod=tg3 insmod=bnx2 b.
8. Optionally, you can modify /tftpboot/linux-install/msgs/boot.msg to use custom boot messages. Installing targets using PXE 1. Power up the server. 2. Immediately review the iSCSI option ROM messages during POST to confirm that the Option ROM initialized successfully and is able to login onto the target disk. 3. When prompted, press for PXE installation. 4. Enter the label number (specified in the above section) at the PXE boot prompt and press the Enter key.
2. 3. Modify the following variable to update the hostname. You may use the default hostname if you do not want to set a new name. The available value for boot loader type is GRUB. LiLO is not supported in this release. SYSNAME= BOOT_LOADER= The driver diskette images can be copied to a removable diskette or USB device, or they can be accessed through the network using NFS or PXE. Modify the following variables as needed. a.
iSCSI Boot target install method The iSCSI target disks must be installed with one of the supported operating systems described in System requirements.
NFS install Prior to beginning the NFS install, set up the NFS server with iSCSI boot and configuration-related code and utilities. Setting up NFS 1. Verify that you installed the binary RPM hp-iscsi-boot on the NFS Server as described in "Installing the binary RPM (on page 18, on page 27)." 2. Export the folder /opt/hp/hp-iscsi-boot for NFS sharing (See the NFS documentation). You may copy the contents under /opt/hp/hp-iscsi-boot to some other folder and then NFS share that folder.
4. Configure DHCP. These steps are not described in this guide. See your vendor's respective documentation for details. 5. Configure the NFS server to export the install diskette image of the iSCSI boot and configurationrelated code and utilities. See "NFS install (on page 30)." 6. Execute the following command on the PXE server. # vi /tftpboot/linux-install/pxelinux.cfg/default 7.
Performing an iSCSI boot Booting from the iSCSI drive The following sequence describes the iSCSI boot sequence. At server boot 1. On power up, system BIOS detects the iSCSI boot option ROM. 2. iSCSI boot option ROM obtains iSCSI boot parameters from iLO/RILOE memory using the iSCSI environment variables. 3. iSCSI boot option ROM establishes an iSCSI session with the iSCSI targets defined in the environment variables. 4.
bnx2 driver update Upgrading the bnx2 driver If a newer version of the bnx2 driver needs to be installed on an iSCSI booted system, execute the following commands on the iSCSI booted server. A system reboot is required for the changes to take affect. Red Hat 4 SLES 9 # # # # # # # rpm -e bnx2- rpm -ivh bnx2-.src.rpm rpmbuild -bb /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/bnx2.spec rpm -ivh --force /usr/src/redhat/RPMS//bnx2-.rpm cd /opt/hp/iboot/bin .
Uninstalling the RPM packages Uninstalling linux-iSCSI-install RPM To remove the install RPM packages, complete the following on the install sever. For RH4 and SLES 9 1. 2.
Troubleshooting ProLiant BL685c servers fail to finish boot sequence Symptom On some ProLiant BL685c servers with more than 4 GB of memory, the system fails to finish the boot sequence after a SLES10 install. Resolution Add the parameter "numa=off" to the list of parameters given for boot options or in the PXE configuration file depending on the type of install.
• The target service is not running on the target server • Target's firmware is outdated. Update to the latest firmware version Target login problems Symptoms: The iSCSI initiator is able to connect to the target but is unable to log in successfully.
Symptoms: Post installation fails to read the iSCSI install scripts from the iLO virtual floppy. Resolution: On the iLO web page select Virtual Devices > Virtual Media and then select Virtual Media Applet. In the Virtual Floppy/USB Key box, disconnect and reconnect the Virtual Floppy Drive by first clicking disconnect and then clicking connect. Symptoms: After successful OS installation, the server will not boot Linux from the iSCSI target.
Technical support Before you contact HP Be sure to have the following information available before you call HP: • Technical support registration number (if applicable) • Product serial number • Product model name and number • Product identification number • Applicable error messages • Add-on boards or hardware • Third-party hardware or software • Operating system type and revision level HP contact information For the name of the nearest HP authorized reseller: • See the Contact HP worldwi
• For downloadable support software for HP Digital Networking Products, Hubs, Integrated Access Devices, Modems and ISDN, Adapters, Remote Access Concentrators/Servers, Software, and Switches, go to the HP software and drivers website (http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/server). • All SoftPaqs sorted by SoftPaq number can be found at the HP ftp support website (ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/). An ASCII version of a SoftPaq can be found by selecting a SoftPaq at the HP ftp support website.
Acronyms and abbreviations BIOS Basic Input/Output System CHAP Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol EFI extensible firmware interface HBA host bus adapter iLO Integrated Lights-Out IP Internet Protocol IPL initial program load iSCSI Internet Small Computer System Interface LAA locally administered address LUN logical unit number NFS network file system Acronyms and abbreviations 40
PDU power distribution unit PXE Preboot Execution Environment RBSU ROM-Based Setup Utility RDP Remote Desktop Protocol RILOE Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition ROM read-only memory SAN storage area network SSL Secure Sockets Layer TCP Transmission Control Protocol UNDI Universal Network Driver Interface VLAN virtual local-area network Acronyms and abbreviations 41
Index A S autoinst.
