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Chapter 4. Installation

4.1. Interactive Installation
4.1.1. Booting from the Installation Media
4.1.2. Installation Procedure
4.2. Automated Installation
4.2.1. How the Kernel Arguments Work
4.2.2. Required Parameters
4.2.3. Storage Parameters
4.2.4. Networking Parameters
4.2.5. Red Hat Network (RHN) Parameters
4.2.6. Authentication Parameters
4.2.7. Other Parameters
4.2.8. Example: Automated Hypervisor Installation
This chapter documents the installation of the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor. The Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Installation Guide covers installation of a Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager or a Red Hat Enterprise Linux host.
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors are able to use Storage Area Networks (SANs) and other network storage for storing virtualized guest images. Hypervisors are also able to be installed on SANs, provided that the Host Bus Adapter (HBA) permits configuration as a boot device in BIOS.
Hypervisors are able to use multipath devices for installation. Multipath is often used for SANs or other networked storage. Multipath is enabled by default at install time. Any block device which responds to scsi_id functions with multipath. Devices where this is not the case include USB storage and some older ATA disks.

Important — Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager Installation

The Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager for the environment must be installed and configured before Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Installation Guide for instructions on installing the Manager.
There are two methods for installing Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors:

4.1. Interactive Installation

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors must be installed on physical servers, not virtual machines.
The instructions in this section cover installation on a single system. When deploying on multiple systems always remember to use unique hostnames and IP addresses to avoid networking conflicts.

4.1.1. Booting from the Installation Media

There are several methods for booting Hypervisors, refer to Chapter 3, Preparing Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor Installation Media for detailed instructions on preparing boot media for Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor installation.
Procedure 4.1. Booting from the Installation Media
  1. Insert the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor installation media.
  2. Power on the system and ensure the system boots from the installation media.
  3. The boot splash screen appears. If no input is provided, the Hypervisor installation will commence in 30 seconds, using default kernel parameters.
  4. To modify the boot options, press any key. The boot menu will display.
    The following boot options are available:
    Install or Upgrade
    Boot the Hypervisor installer.
    Install or Upgrade with Serial Console
    Boot the Hypervisor installer, with the console redirected to a serial device attached to /dev/ttyS0.
    Reinstall
    Uninstall the current Hypervisor before booting the Hypervisor installer.
    Reinstall with serial console
    Uninstall the current Hypervisor before booting the Hypervisor installer, with the console redirected to a serial device attached to /dev/ttyS0.
    Uninstall
    Uninstall the current Hypervisor and reboot the machine.
    Boot from Local Drive
    Boot the operating system installed on the first local drive.
    Select the appropriate boot option from the boot menu.
  5. Where required additional kernel parameters should be appended to the default parameters displayed. A press of the Enter key boots the Hypervisor installation with the default kernel parameters. Alternatively press the Tab key to edit kernel parameters for the selected boot option.

    Important — Kernel Parameters

    In edit mode you are able to add or remove kernel parameters from the list. Kernel parameters must be separated from each other by a space. Once the desired kernel parameters have been set press Enter to boot the system. Alternatively pressing Esc reverts any changes that you have made to the kernel parameters.
    For more information on the kernel parameters, refer to Section 4.2, “Automated Installation”.

    Note — Upgrading Existing Hypervisors

    To upgrade an existing hypervisor installation, the kernel must be booted with the upgrade parameter. This will automatically upgrade and reboot the system, rather than displaying the interactive configuration menu. For more information, refer to upgrade.

    Note — PXE Booting

    Kernel boot arguments are able to be appended to the PXE configuration file (/pxelinux.cfg/default). This file is able to be used to run an automated setup, covered in Section 4.2, “Automated Installation”, and will be the more appropriate option in some environments.

4.1.2. Installation Procedure

When the Hypervisor is first booted the interactive installation script starts. This script facilitates installation of the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor using graphical prompts. The following keys are be used to manipulate the screens which support Hypervisor installation.
Menu Actions
  • The directional keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) are used to select different controls on the screen. Alternatively the Tab key cycles through the controls on the screen which are enabled.
  • Text fields are represented by a series of underscores (_). To enter data in a text field select it and begin entering data.
  • Buttons are represented by labels which are enclosed within a pair of angle brackets (< and >). To activate a button ensure it is selected and press Enter or Space.
  • Boolean options are represented by an asterisk (*) or a space character enclosed within a pair of square brackets ([ and ]). When the value contained within the brackets is an asterisk then the option is set, otherwise it is not. To toggle a Boolean option on or off press Space while it is selected.
Procedure 4.2. Hypervisor Installation
  1. To commence Hypervisor installation select Install Hypervisor and press Enter.
  2. Disk Configuration

    The installation script automatically detects all disks attached to the system. This information is used to assist with selection of the boot and installation disks that the Hypervisor should use. Each entry displayed on these screens indicates the Location, Device Name, and Size (GB) of the relevant disk.
    1. Boot disk

      The first disk selection screen is used to select the disk from which the Hypervisor will boot. The Hypervisor's boot loader will be installed to the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the disk that is selected on this screen. The Hypervisor attempts to automatically detect the disks attached to the system and presents the list from which you choose the boot device. Alternatively you are able to manually select a device, by specifying a block device name, by enabling the Other Device option.

      Important — Boot Order

      The disk selected must be identified as a boot device and appear in the boot order either in the system's BIOS or in a pre-existing boot loader.
      • Automatically Detected Device Selection

        1. Select the entry for the disk the Hypervisor is to boot from in the list.
        2. Select the <Continue> button and press Enter. This action will save the boot device selection and start the next step of installation.
      • Manual Device Selection

        1. Select the Other Device entry from the list.
        2. Select the <Continue> button and press Enter.
        3. When prompted to Please enter the disk to use for booting RHEV Hypervisor enter the name of the block device from which the Hypervisor should boot.
          Example 4.1. Other Device Selection
          Please enter the disk to use for booting RHEV Hypervisor
          /dev/sda
          

        4. Select the <Continue> button and press Enter. This action will save the boot device selection and start the next step of installation.
      Once a disk has been selected it is necessary to select the <Continue> button and press Enter to save the selection and continue with Hypervisor installation.
    2. Installation Disk(s)

      The disk(s) selected for installation will be those to which the Hypervisor itself is installed. The Hypervisor attempts to automatically detect the disks attached to the system and presents the list from which installation devices are chosen.

      Warning — Data Loss

      All data on the selected storage device(s) will be destroyed.
      1. Select each disk which the Hypervisor is to use for installation and press Space to toggle it to enabled. Repeat this step for all disks you want the Hypervisor to use. Where other devices are to be used for installation, either solely or in addition to those which are listed automatically, enable the Other Device option.
      2. Select the <Continue> button and press Enter to continue.
      3. Where the Other Device option was specified a further prompt will appear. Enter the name of each additional block device to use for Hypervisor installation separated by a comma. Once all required disks have been selected then select the <Continue> button and press Enter.
        Example 4.2. Other Device Selection
        Please select the disk(s) to use for installation of RHEV Hypervisor
        Enter multiple entries separated by commas
        /dev/mmcblk0,/dev/mmcblk1______________
        

      Once the installation disk, or disks, have been selected the next stage of the installation starts.
  3. Password

    The Hypervisor requires that a password be set to protect local console access by the admin user. The installation script prompts you to enter the desired password in both the Password and Confirm Password fields.
    A strong password must be used. Strong passwords consist of a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numeric, and punctuation characters. They are six or more characters long and do not contain dictionary words.
    Once a strong password has been entered select <Install> and press Enter to install the Hypervisor to disk.
  4. Result:
    Once installation is complete the message RHEV Hypervisor Installation Finished Successfully will be displayed. Select the <Restart> button and press Enter to reboot the system.
    Further post installation configuration is required to connect the Hypervisor to the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager. See Chapter 5, Configuration for further details.

    Note — Remove Boot Media

    The boot media should be removed and the boot device order changed to prevent the installation sequence restarting after the system reboots.