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Yellow Dog Solutions

TOPIC: Installing YDEL 6.0 on IBM BladeCenter QS21/22 and Fixstars GigaAccel 180


Introduction
Yellow Dog Enterprise Linux (YDEL) 6.0 features a CentOS 5 foundation with select Fedora 7 components, Glibc 2.5, and GCC 4.1.1. Also included are select components of the IBM SDK for Multicore Acceleration Version 3.0, the Enlightenment E17 graphical environment, and OFED 1.2.5 Infiniband support.

Features unique to YDEL 6.0 and not available in other distributions include rapid NFS root installation for the diskless QS2x, binary compatibility with all other YDEL BSPs for Cell/B.E. products from IBM, Mercury, and Sony. Ease of code migration to/from other Power architecture family products, and a feature-rich desktop available via VNC make YDEL 6.0 the easy to use and learn Linux distribution for IBM QS2x/GigaAccel 180 deployment and development.

This installation guide assumes the user has a working understanding of:
- Anaconda, the installation program used by Yellow Dog Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and CentOS.
- Administrating RPM based linux distributions.

Requirements for Installation
You will need a separate x86, x86_64, or Power server running YDEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, or Fedora to host NFS, DHCP, and TFTP. A Power architecture machine is not required to create boot or installation images. This documentation was written for YDEL; minor modifications to the instructions may be required for other distributions.

For QS2x
You will also need a gigabit ethernet cable between the Linux Server and a gigabit ethernet switch module in the BladeCenter H chassis. The default configuration is to use eth0 on the QS2x blades. Please review the BladeCenter H documentation or contact your local systems administrator for assistance.

For GigaAccel 180
You will need a gigabit ethernet cable between the Server and GigaAccel 180.

Installation Procedure
  1. NFS Setup
    1. On the Server, define a directory to store the QS2x/GigaAccel 180 installations. It is recommended to use /srv/nfsroots. The YDEL installer, running from the QS2x or GigaAccel 180, will create unique directories inside this directory on the Server, based upon the QS2x's or GigaAccel 180's Machine (MAC) Address. Please ensure the location you choose has ample space as each YDEL installation will need between 2 to 6GB plus user generated files. We recommend a minimum of 20GB.

    2. You will need to add the nfsroots and ydl6installer paths to /etc/exports. For example, if you are using QS2x/GigaAccel 180 on a 192.168.100.0/24 network and have chosen the recommended /srv/nfsroots directory, the two entries you must add to /etc/exports will look like this: 
      /srv/nfsroots 192.168.100.0/24(rw,sync,no_root_squash)
/srv/nfsroots/ydl6installer 192.168.100.0/24(rw,sync,no_root_squash)
      The exports man page contains more information on configuring NFS.

    3. Once /etc/exports is configured, enable and start the NFS server:
      chkconfig nfs on [ENTER]
      service nfs restart [ENTER]

  2. DHCPD Setup
    1. Find the MAC address of the QS2x or GigaAccel 180.

      For QS2x
      1. Open a terminal Window and type:
        telnet {IP address or FQDN of Management Module } [ENTER]
      2. Enter your username and password.
      3. You should now have a "system>" prompt.
      4. To reboot the blade, log into the Advanced Management Module (AMM) by opening a web browser and navigating to the IP address of the AMM.
      5. Log in by entering the username and password. If not changed, the default is USERID and PASSW0RD. Note that 0 is the number zero, not the letter O.
      6. From the left-hand panel click "Power/Restart" under "Blade Tasks."
      7. From the right-hand window select the check box next to bay 1 (the QS22). Below that, click "Power On."
      8. At the "system>" prompt at the terminal window, immediately, type:
        console -T system:blade[X] [ENTER]
        Where "X" is the number of the slot of the blade you want to connect to, if a blade occupies more then one slot use the slot with the lowest number.
      9. Continue to enter the "console -T..." command until the blade has started to boot.
      10. Watch for the following output, which will display the MAC address for the blade:
        ...
Welcome to Open Firmware
Licensed Internal Code - Property of IBM
(c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2005, 2007 All Rights Reserved.
Cell/B.E. is a trademark of SONY Computer Entertainment Inc.
Trying to load:  from:
/axon@10000000000/plb5/plb4/pcix@4000004600000000/ethernet@1..Bootloader 1.5
Reading MAC address from device: 00:1A:64:0F:2B:A6
...
      For GigaAccel 180
      1. Connect to the GigaAccel 180 via a serial connection using the following settings:
        1. Set the baudrate to 115200
        2. Set carrier watch to OFF
        3. Set flow control to NONE
      2. Power on the GigaAccel 180 by powering on the host computer.
      3. Watch via the serial connection the GigaAccel 180 boot up: 
        ...
Welcome to Open Firmware

Licensed Internal Code - Property of IBM
(c) Copyright IBM Corp. 2005, 2008 All Rights Reserved.
Cell/B.E. is a trademark of SONY Computer Entertainment Inc.
      4. At the prompt that is displayed, type: 
        boot net
      5. You will then see the following output containing the MAC address for the GigaAccel 180: 
        Trying to load:  from: 
/axon@10000000000/plb5/plb4/pcix@40000046/ethernet@1 ...  Bootloader 1.6
Reading MAC address from device: 00:1a:64:7e:01:f0
...
      6. Configure the DHCPD server to contain a host entry for each QS2x or GigaAccel 180. To do this, edit the /etc/dhcpd.conf file. The following provides an example of a dhcpd.conf file defining three systems: 
        allow bootp; 
ddns-update-style interim; 
default-lease-time 60000; 
subnet 192.168.100.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 { 
	host {HOSTNAME1} {
		hardware ethernet	{MAC ADDRESS1}; 
		filename		"{HOSTNAME1}.img"; 
		fixed-address		{IP ADDRESS1}; 
	}
	host {HOSTNAME2} {
		hardware ethernet	{MAC ADDRESS2}; 
		filename		"{HOSTNAME2}.img"; 
		fixed-address		{IP ADDRESS2}; 
	}
	host {HOSTNAME3} {
		hardware ethernet	{MAC ADDRESS3};
		filename		"{HOSTNAME3}.img"; 
		fixed-address		{IP ADDRESS3}; 
	}
	option routers		192.168.100.1;
	option subnet-mask	255.255.255.0; 
	next-server		192.168.100.1; 
	allow bootp;
	range dynamic-bootp	192.168.100.2 192.168.100.99; 
	}
      7. Replace {HOSTNAME1}, etc. with what you plan to set the hostnames of the QS2x or GigaAccel 180 to later during the install.
      8. Replace the {MAC ADDRESS1}, etc. with the MAC address of the eth0 on the QS2x or GigaAccel 180.
      9. Replace {HOSTNAME} in each filename ("{HOSTNAME1}.img").
      10. Replace {IP ADDRESS1}, etc. with the IP address of the QS2x or GigaAccel 180.
      11. Be sure to configure the routers, subnet-mask, etc.

      12. Enable and start DHCPD:
        chkconfig dhcpd on [ENTER]
        service dhcpd restart [ENTER]


    2. Enable TFTPD
      1. Type:
        chkconfig tftp on [ENTER]


    3. Installation Media Setup
      YDEL supports installation via NFS, FTP and HTTP. This guide documents NFS installations; FTP and HTTP require additional configuration that is beyond the scope of this guide.

      NFS Installations
      1. Mount the YDEL 6.0 DVD.
      2. Copy the contents of the DVD to a configured content location on the Server. Configuring NFS is the fastest means to complete the installation, as it is required for post-installation netbooting.
        cp -av [/path/to/YDEL-6.0-DVD] /srv/nfsroots/ydl6installer [ENTER]
      3. To netboot (TFTP) the QS2x or GigaAccel 180, copy /srv/nfsroot/ydl6installer/images/netboot/ppc64.img to /tftpboot/[$filename] where $filename was defined in your dhcpd.conf, above.

      4. Restart XINETD:
        service xinetd restart [ENTER]


    4. Installation
      For instructions in the basic use of Anaconda, please refer to the most current Yellow Dog Linux Guide to Installation for Apple or PS3. You may either use the DVD for a full, local installation, or use TFTP to conduct a full network installation with no local media.

      For QS2x
      You must first enter the QS2x blade firmware via a Serial-Over-LAN (SOL) connection.

      1. Log into the Advanced Management Module (AMM) by opening a web browser and navigating to the IP address of the AMM.
      2. Log in by entering the username and password. If not changed, the default username is USERID and default password is PASSW0RD. Note that 0 is the number zero, not the letter O.
      3. From the left-hand panel click "Power/Restart" under "Blade Tasks."
      4. From the right-hand window select the check box next to the QS2x you wish to restart. Below that, click "Power On."
      5. Open a terminal Window and type:
        telnet {IP address or FQDN of Management Module }" [ENTER]
      6. Enter your username and password
      7. You should now have a "system>" prompt
      8. Type:
        console -T system:blade[X]
        Where "X" is the number of the slot of the blade you want to connect to, if a blade occupies more then one slot use the slot with the lowest number.
      9. Reboot the blade via the AMM. Repeatedly press "s" as the blade is powering on; this prevents the QS2x from performing a net boot.
      10. To begin the installation:
        • TFTP Installations
          To conduct a TFTP installation:
          boot net [ENTER]
        • Graphical Installer over VNC
          If you desire to use a graphical installer over VNC, add “vnc” to the boot arguments either in OpenFirmware when conducting a network boot:
          boot net vnc [ENTER]
          ... or from yaboot when conducting a DVD installation:
          linux vnc [ENTER]
          The default behavior, if you do not select VNC is an installation over serial (SOL) cable.
      11. Anaconda, the Yellow Dog Enterprise Linux installer will launch via your SOL connection.

        • When prompted to select the media type, select the method chosen in the Installation Media Setup section.
        • You must set a hostname during the installation.
        • Instead of prompting for drive partition instructions, the installer will prompt for information pertaining to your NFS server and the path to the location where YDEL will be installed. Use the server and path information configured in NFS Setup. The installer will create a directory inside the specified directory which is named after the MAC address of the eth0 interface. This new directory is where YDEL 6.0 will be installed.



      For GigaAccel 180
      1. Connect to the GigaAccel 180 via a serial connection using the following settings:
        • Set the baudrate to 115200
        • Set carrier watch to OFF
        • Set flow control to NONE
      2. Power on the GigaAccel 180 by powering on the host computer.
      3. Type:
        setenv bootfile
      4. To begin the installation:
        • TFTP Installations
          To conduct a TFTP installation:
          boot net [ENTER]
        • Graphical Installer over VNC
          If you desire to use a graphical installer over VNC, add “vnc” to the boot arguments either in OpenFirmware when conducting a network boot:
          boot net vnc [ENTER]
          ... or from yaboot when conducting a DVD installation:
          linux vnc [ENTER]
          The default behavior, if you do not select VNC is an installation over serial (SOL) cable.
      5. Anaconda, the Yellow Dog Enterprise Linux installer will launch via your SOL connection.

        • When prompted to select the media type, select the method chosen in the Installation Media Setup section.
        • You must set a hostname during the installation.
        • Instead of prompting for drive partition instructions, the installer will prompt for information pertaining to your NFS server and the path to the location where YDEL will be installed. Use the server and path information configured in NFS Setup. The installer will create a directory inside the specified directory which is named after the MAC address of the eth0 interface. This new directory is where YDEL 6.0 will be installed.



    5. Booting the Host-Installed Kernel
      1. Once the installation is complete, a file will be placed within the /{MAC ADDRESS}/boot directory within the specified NFS path of the new YDEL installation on the Server. For example, if the NFS directory was /srv/nfsroot, the file will be placed in /srv/nfsroot/{MAC ADDRESS}/boot. The file will be named "$hostname-nfsroot-$uname.img" where $hostname is the manually configured hostname of the QS2x/GigaAccel 180 and $uname is the kernel version.

        Copy this file to the /tftpboot directory. The file may need to be renamed to match the image name configured on your DHCPD server during the DHCPD Setup. For example, it may need to be renamed {HOSTNAME}.img if this is what you set the "filename" to in the dhcpd.conf file.

      2. Restart XINETD:
        service xinetd restart [ENTER]
      3. Reboot the QS2x or GigaAccel 180 server.


      Appendix A - Kickstart
      Appendix B - Manipulating the boot process and NFS roots
      Appendix C - Trouble Shooting


    6. Support
      Terra Soft Solutions offers a variety of support services with fast, friendly, and personalized service. Please contact your Terra Soft Solutions account manager with any issues or questions you may have regarding the installation and use of Yellow Dog Enterprise Linux v6.0 for the IBM BladeCenter QS21/22 or for the Fixstars GigaAccel 180.
    This HOWTO was prepared by Owen Stampflee and Kai Staats, Fixstars Solutions, Inc.



 
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