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Solution Quick Start Guide | HP Graphics Server Blade RedHat Enterprise Linux Quick Start

Solution Quick Start Guide

HP Graphics Server Blade RedHat

Enterprise Linux Quick Start

Implementation procedure overview on WS460c Graphics Server Blades

Version 1, December 2013

Table of Contents

Purpose of this document ....................................................................................................................................... 2

Skill Set .................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Prerequisite Recommend Reading .......................................................................................................................... 2

Overview of Linux configuration options for WS460c with RGS .............................................................................. 2

Linux X Server configuration options .................................................................................................................. 2

X Configuration Option 1 - Virtual display method – Single Screen .................................................................... 3

X Configuration Option 2 - Connected CRT display method – Single Screen ...................................................... 4

X Configuration Option 3 - TwinView display method – Dual Screen ................................................................. 6

WS460c G6 and Gen8 Configuration guidelines for Linux. .................................................................................... 10

Configuring Hardware Accelerated Graphics on WS460c Graphics Server Blade ............................................. 10

Installing RHEL on WS460c G6 and Gen8 wth HP RGS. .......................................................................................... 13

Required Installation steps for RHEL ................................................................................................................ 13

Suggested Post-Installation configuration steps on WS460c .......................................................................... 13

Resources .............................................................................................................................................................. 18

Summary of content (18 pages)

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Solution Quick Start Guide | HP Graphics Server Blade RedHat Enterprise Linux Quick Start Solution Quick Start Guide HP Graphics Server Blade RedHat Enterprise Linux Quick Start Implementation procedure overview on WS460c Graphics Server Blades Version 1, December 2013 Table of Contents Purpose of this document ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Skill Set ................................................
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Purpose of this document Provides an overview of the configuration steps for setting up RHEL with HP RGS on HP WS460c Graphics Server Skill Set The installer should be familiar with Linux and basic X server configuration as well as HP BladeSystems, WS460c Graphics Server Blade G6 and/or Gen8, and HP RGS. Prerequisite Recommend Reading Please read “Hardware Accelerated Graphics for Desktop Virtualization” for a detailed conceptual overview of the overall solution before proceeding.
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X Configuration Option 1 - Virtual display method – Single Screen     The Virtual display method is the easiest to setup (Note – RGS does not support Match Receiver Display Resolution with this method) One screen size only per xorg.conf The “taskbar” will span across all displays, and when application windows are maximized they will maximize across all displays. Virtual display can support LARGE virtual display limited only by frame buffer memory.
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X Configuration Option 2 - Connected CRT display method – Single Screen   A single screen using the “ConnectedMonitor” “CRT” to fake the driver into thinking there is a CRT attached. In CRT Method – the “taskbar” with spans across all displays, and when application windows are maximized they will maximize across all displays. Configuring CRT Display  Below is configuration example, red text is configuration changes to focus on.
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Without the Modes line you get a basic default configuration! With a model line that has a single value.
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X Configuration Option 3 - TwinView display method – Dual Screen   In Twin View – the “taskbar” will span only one display, and when application windows are maximized they will only maximize to a single display (not across multiple displays). TwinView is a mode of operation where two display devices (digital flat panels, CRTs) can display the contents of a single X screen in different configuration. This method of multiple monitor use has several distinct advantages over other techniques.
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With the above MetaModes defined, you can support a single and dual display sender with each display configured at 1680x1050. To support mode receiver display resolutions, define additional combinations in the MetaModes line. Section "Screen" Identifier “Screen0" Device "Device0" Monitor "Monitor0" DefaultDepth 24 ### Dual-monitor (headless) configuration: Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-0:/etc/X11/lp2465edid.bin; DFP-1:/etc/X11/lp2465edid.
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Important Note: For dual display receivers, BOTH displays must have the same resolution and orientation! It should also be noted that depending on your graphics card being use, the “ConnectedMonitor” line will have to be modified. Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-0,DFP-1” For example, the Quadro 6000 has 3 external outputs, only two can be used at once. These three external ports are DFP-0 for the DVI-I connector and DFP-1 & DFP-2 for the display ports.
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To get the custom EDID file, you can use the nVidia tool nvidia-settings Note: You must have a system with your display attached to it to use the tool. Desk side systems are the easiest way to capture the displays EDID as you can connect them directly to the nVidia card. In this example we have a system with two different LCD displays attached, a L2035 and a LP2465. Under the GPU section you select the DFP-0 (or DFP-1) and then the Acquire EDID… button.
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WS460c G6 and Gen8 Configuration guidelines for Linux. There are many difference between the WS460c G6 and Gen8, but from the perspective of configuring graphics on the WS460c, the only difference with impact is that the embedded video cards are different. On the WS406c G6 the embedded card is an ATI Corporation video card, on the new Gen8 it is a Matrox.
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Admin Mode  This mode disables the NVIDIA card and only the ATI is active.  Add in graphics cards are disabled but system still registers as a WS460c Blade Workstation. Server Mode  This operates the same as Admin mode but switches the BIOS to run as ProLiant BL server and not a workstation. Configuring blade workstation video mode. As shown in Figure 4, Remote Console Mode can be viewed or changed during POST. To view or set Remote Console Mode during boot (POST):: 1. 2.
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Configuring the blade workstation PCIe mode (Gen 6 Only) PCIe mode can be viewed or changed during POST. To view or set PCIe Mode during boot (POST): 1. 2. Using either iLO remote console or the Local I/O Connector, view the boot console using iLO 2, which provides direct control of the Blade Workstation. When prompted during boot, press the F9 key. The ROM-based Setup Utility appears. 3. As shown in Figure 5, select System Options > HP Graphics Expander x16. The current Expander mode 4. appears.
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Installing RHEL on WS460c G6 and Gen8 wth HP RGS. Please use RedHat installation documentation for detailed instructions and configuration for RHEL 5 and 6. This section only highlights certain steps that may be required for WS460c for successful installation.
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5. Log into system with SSH from a client like PUTTY. a. Change run level to 3. b. On RHEL 6 only, disable the default RHEL Nouveau driver. i. Edit /boot/GRUB/GRUB.conf file ii. On the line beginning with ‘kernel’, append the following string: rdblacklist=nouveau nouveau.modeset=0 As an example, the original line may look like: kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.32-220.el6.x86_64 ro root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root rd_NO_LUKS LANG=en_US.
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14. Configure xorg.conf files c. Xorg.NVIDIA (Both G6 and Gen8) NOTE: There is a section on bottom of xorg file adding by RGS installation that must remain in tack. i. Make following changes in sections highlighted below in red, making sure you customize the BusID line in “device”section using the PCI ID you recorded earlier. Section "Monitor" Identifier "Monitor0" HorizSync 30.0 - 110.0 VertRefresh 50.0 - 150.
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i. Make following changes, making sure you customize the BusID line in “device”section using the PCI ID you recorded earlier. Section "Monitor" Identifier VendorName ModelName HorizSync VertRefresh Option "DPMS" EndSection Section "Device" Identifier Driver VendorName BusID Option EndSection "Monitor0" "Unknown" "Unknown" 28.0 - 33.0 43.0 - 72.
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15. Remove old xorg.conf file, after making sure you have a backup. 16. Create a new script in /etc/init.d that will automatically detect what mode you are in and change to the appropriate xorg file. f. On Gen8 Systems i. Create new file with vi called VID_CHANGE # vi /etc/init.d/VID_CHANGE 1. Add the following lines to file: #!/bin/sh if lspci |grep 'Matrox';then ln -sf /etc/X11/xorg.MATROX /etc/X11/xorg.conf else ln -sf /etc/X11/xorg.NVIDIA /etc/X11/xorg.conf fi ii. g.
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Resources To read more about HP ProLiant WS460c Gen8 Graphics Server Blade, go to hp.com/go/bladeworkstation To learn more about HP Client Virtualization reference architectures, go to hp.com/go/cv HP and Citrix, hp.com/go/citrix and citrix.com/hp Citrix XenDesktop, citrix.com/xendesktop Citrix XenApp, citrix.com/xenapp Microsoft Hyper-V, microsoft.com/hyper-v HP and VMware View, hp.com/go/vmware and vmware.com/view Learn more at hp.com/go/cv Sign up for updates hp.