Implementing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on HP ProLiant servers
Technical white paper | Implementing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on HP ProLiant servers
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Abstract
This white paper provides the information you need to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on HP ProLiant servers. Key topics
addressed in this paper include:
• Supported configurations on HP ProLiant servers
• Recommended system configuration and server platforms
• Supported software, storage options, and network adapters
• Procedures for installations
• Known issues and workarounds
You can obtain more information at the following HP website:
hp.com/go/linux
Red Hat provides Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 in the following architectures:
• I386 (PAE enabled in I386)
• AMD64/Intel64
Note
To obtain an evaluation version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 OS, see the following Red Hat website:
https://access.redhat.com/downloads
A paid subscription is required for downloading from the Red Hat Software and Download Center. However, a free
evaluation subscription can be requested at the same site.
This link and other Red Hat links given in this paper will take you outside the Hewlett-Packard website. HP does not control
and is not responsible for information outside HP.com.
Introduction to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is the newest generation of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS. In this release, Red Hat integrates
improvements across the server, systems, and overall Red Hat open source experience. The improvements and
enhancements include updates to virtualization; greater scalability and efficiency; environmentally sustainable IT; and much
more. For a complete list of improvements, enhancements, and fixes, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise documentation at:
https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/docs/manuals/enterprise/
New features
New hpsa driver supporting SCSI-based controllers
Among the new features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is the new Linux hpsa device driver from HP. The hpsa driver is an
SCSI-based driver for the latest controllers such as HP Smart Array controllers. It replaces the cciss driver, which was
based on block technology. As an SCSI-based driver, the hpsa brings enhanced capabilities by using tools available through
the SCSI interface. For example, the hpsa driver presents logical disk devices in the standard SCSI namespace, providing
greater compatibility with system tools and utilities designed to work with SCSI storage. The hpsa driver will automatically
bind to newer Smart Array controllers, legacy controllers will continue to be supported by the traditional cciss driver. For
more information about the hpsa driver, see the document
Migrating to hpsa: A SCSI-based Linux device driver for HP Smart
Array Controllers.
Processor Clocking Control for enhanced power management
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 also features the Processor Clocking Control (PCC) driver that facilitates power management
collaboration between the operating system and the platform. The PCC is enabled by default on HP platforms with firmware
supporting the PCC interface.
If necessary, you can disable the PCC interface in the system BIOS by setting the Collaborative Power Control setting in the
ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU) to “Disabled”. For more information about using RBSU, see the
HP ROM-Based Setup Utility
User Guide.
For more information about PCC and the pcc-cpufreq power management driver, see the following documentation: