Operating System Installation; Installation Media - IBM System x3850 X5 Implementation Manual

7.9 Operating system installation

Scaling an x3690 X5 with MAX5 allows the OS to access additional system memory that is
installed in the MAX5. Most of the configurations are done on the hardware and firmware
level, so that the OS installation method is similar to that of a non-scaled system.
We describe the following topics in this section:
7.9.1, "Installation media" on page 346
7.9.2, "Integrated virtualization hypervisor" on page 355
7.9.3, "Windows Server 2008 R2" on page 356
7.9.4, "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11" on page 358
7.9.5, "VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1" on page 358
7.9.6, "VMware vSphere ESX 4.1" on page 362
7.9.7, "Downloads and fixes for the x3690 X5 and MAX5" on page 365
7.9.8, "SAN storage reference and considerations" on page 367

7.9.1 Installation media

The installation process requires an installation media to proceed, which usually comes in CD
or DVD form. However, in cases where CD/DVD media devices are not available or the
process needs to be performed remotely, we can take advantage of several features that are
included in the IBM System x3690 X5.
Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) network boot
The onboard Broadcom 5709 Gigabit Ethernet supports the PXE network boot, making it
possible to boot into the PXE and access installation files from a remote location.
System x3690 X5 can boot from PXE simply by setting the boot options to PXE Network in
the UEFI. The default system settings, as shown in Figure 7-43 on page 347, are to boot to
PXE network after boot attempts to CD/DVD Rom, Floppy Disk, and Hard Disk 0.
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