Contents
This chapter encompasses all the decisions that need to be made
before installing SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium
hardware. Find the current
hardware and software requirements for installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium in the Architecture-Specific Information
manual, which is contained on the first CD or DVD as a printable PDF in the
/docu
directory.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is normally installed as an independent operating system. With the introduction of Xen, it is also possible to run multiple instances of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on the same hardware. However, the controlling Domain-0 installation for Xen is done like a typical installation with some additional packages. The installation of Xen guests is described in Installation and Administration, which is available in the installed system as well as on the first CD or DVD.
Depending on the hardware used, the following boot methods are available for the first boot procedure prior to the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server:
Table 1.1. Boot Options¶
Boot Option | Use |
---|---|
CD or DVD drive | The simplest booting method. The system requires a locally-available CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive for this. |
Floppy or USB disks |
Find the images required for creating boot disks on the
first CD or DVD in the |
PXE or bootp | Must be supported by the BIOS or by the firmware of the system used. This option requires a boot server in the network. This task can be handled by another SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. |
Hard disk |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can also be booted from hard disk. For this, copy the kernel
( |
When installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, the actual installation data must be available in the network, on a hard disk partition, or on a local CD-ROM or DVD. To install from the network, you need an installation sever. To make the installation data available, set up any computer in a Unix or Linux environment as an NFS, HTTP, or FTP server. To make the installation data available from a Windows computer, release the data with SMB.
The installation source is particularly easy to select if you configure an SLP server in the local network. For more information, see Section “Setting Up the Server Holding the Installation Sources” (Chapter 4, Remote Installation, ↑Installation and Administration).
Most installations are to a local hard disk. Therefore, it is necessary for the hard disk controllers to be available to the installation system. If a special controller, like a RAID controller, needs an extra kernel module, provide a kernel module update disk to the installation system.
Other installation targets may be all kinds of block devices that
provide sufficient disk space and speed to run an operating
system. This includes network block devices like
iSCSI
or SAN
.
It is also possible to install on network file systems that offer
the standard Unix permissions. However, it may be problematic to
boot these, because they must be supported by the
initramfs
before the actual system can
start. Such installations are useful if there is a need to start
the same system in different locations or if you intend to use Xen
features like domain migration.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server offers several different methods for controlling installation:
Installation on the console
Installation via serial console
Installation with AutoYaST
Installation via SSH
Installation with VNC
By default, the console is used. If you have a large number of similar computers to
install, it is advisable to create an AutoYaST configuration file and make
this available to the installation process.
See also the documentation for autoyast2
in Chapter Automated Installation (↑Installation and Administration).