Installation guide

Chapter 11. Steps to Get You Started

1. Upgrade or Install?

For information to help you determine whether to perform an upgrade or an installation refer to

Chapter 23, Upgrading Your Current System.

2. Preparation for IBM eServer System p and

System i

The IBM eServer System p and IBM eServer System i systems introduce many options for parti-

tioning, virtual or native devices, and consoles. Both versions of the system use the same kernel

and have many of the same options available, depending on the system configuration.

If you are using a non-partitioned System p system, you do not need any pre-installation setup.

For systems using the HVSI serial console, hook up your console to the T2 serial port.

If using a partitioned system, whether IBM System p or IBM System i the steps to create the

partition and start the installation are largely the same. You should create the partition at the

HMC and assign some CPU and memory resources, as well as SCSI and Ethernet resources,

which can be either virtual or native. The HMC create partition wizard steps you through the cre-

ation.

For more information on creating the partition, refer to IBM's Infocenter article on Configuring

Linux logical partitions available online at: ht-

tp://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/index.jsp?topic=/iphbi/iphbikickoff.htm

If you are using virtual SCSI resources, rather than native SCSI, you must configure a 'link' to

the virtual SCSI serving partition, and then configure the virtual SCSI serving partition itself. You

create a 'link' between the virtual SCSI client and server slots using the HMC. You can configure

a virtual SCSI server on either AIX or i5/OS, depending on which model and options you have.

For more information on using virtual devices, including IBM Redbooks and other online re-

sources see: ht-

tp://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/eserver/v1r3s/index.jsp?topic=/iphbi/iphbirelated.htm

Additional information on virtualization eServer i5 can be found in the IBM Redbook

SG24-6388-01, Implementing POWER Linux on IBM System i Platform. This can be accessed

at: http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/abstracts/sg246388.html?Open

Once you have your system configured, you need to Activate from the HMC or power it on. De-

pending on what type of install you are doing, you may need to configure SMS to correctly boot

the system into the installation program.

3. Do You Have Enough Disk Space?

Nearly every modern-day operating system (OS) uses disk partitions, and Red Hat Enterprise