Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Steffen Maier]

On 1/7/22 22:27, Mondy, Stephen (US - Texas) wrote:

I have a requirement to quickly install Red Hat Linux 8.5 on z/VM 7.2 for a
proof of concept of a Linux application.



I need the best
fast path, cookie cutter document/process to get the installs A-Z ( 2
instances ) completed ASAP. Is there one?



These are the docs I have been reviewing so far;
SG24-8147-02 - Virtualization Cookbook Vol 1 IBM zVM 7.2
SG24-8303-01 - The Virtualization Cookbook for IBM Z Volume 2 Red Hat 
Enterprise Linux Server 8.2


I think the cookbooks are rather for larger scale penguin farms and might be
overkill for a PoC with just two Linux instances.


SC24-6287-04 - zVM720 Getting Started with Linux on IBM Z



red_hat_enterprise_linux-8-performing_a_standard_rhel_installation-en-us


I would start with that RHEL install guide. In particular, the following parts:

Typically installing Linux on Z is done over the network, so you need some
network server providing the content of the RHEL DVD ISO such that your Linux
z/VM guest can access it.
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/prepare-installation-source_installing-rhel#ports-for-network-based-installation_prepare-installation-source

The Z part of the installation:

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/planning-for-installation-on-ibm-z_installing-rhel

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/overview-of-the-ibm-z-installation-process_installing-rhel

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/booting-the-installation_installing-rhel

The custom content of generic.prm is important, e.g. to get the network
configured used during installation (FWIW, since RHEL7 I don't use CMS
configuration files anymore and instead put everything in generic.prm):
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/customizing-boot-parameters_installing-rhel

Here is a generalized examples of what it often looks like in my case; you need
to customize things in angle brackets such as network device numbers (bdf?), IP
addresses, etc.:

ro ramdisk_size=4 cio_ignore=all,!condev
rd.znet=qeth,<0.0.bdf0>,<0.0.bdf1>,<0.0.bdf2>,layer2=<1>
ip=:enc:none
nameserver=
inst.repo=
inst.vnc inst.vncpassword=<...> inst.sshd

You'd probably use the z/VM Reader to IPL the installer:
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/installing-under-z-vm_installing-rhel

I typically connect from my workstation via VNC to the RHEL graphical installer
running on Z.

Next, things continue pretty much like with RHEL on any other architecture:

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/performing_a_standard_rhel_installation/graphical-installation_graphical-installation


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Mit freundlichen Gruessen / Kind regards
Steffen Maier

Linux on IBM Z and LinuxONE

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Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Steffen Maier]

On 08/12/2014 02:59 PM, Mark Post wrote:

On 8/11/2014 at 06:56 PM, Cameron Seay  wrote:

All:

I got an eval disk from SUSE for Enter 11.  I want to try out their KVM for
System z.  Do I just pop this in the DVD drive on the SE and IPL the LPAR?


Yes and no.  That is one of the ways to _start_ the install.  But you
will still need a network installation server to provide access to
the installation media once the network is up.


SLES additionally provides one method of IPL/boot/start of the installer 
*and* access stage2 and packages not over the (computer) network but 
over an FCP SAN:


https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/book_sle_deployment/data/sec_zseries_prep.html
HINT: IPL from DVD
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on DVD
Using an FCP-Attached SCSI DVD Drive
LPAR Installation: IPL from FCP-Attached SCSI DVD
z/VM Installation: IPL from FCP-Attached SCSI DVD

(NB: This is only for FCP-attached SCSI *DVD*, neither SAN-attached DASD 
nor SCSI disk work for linuxrc/YaST on System z.)


Nevertheless, you would still need to setup a (computer as opposed to 
storage) network connection for interactive installations in order to 
have the installer present its user interface (vnc/x11/ssh).



This is because only
IBM knows how to access the DVD in the HMC from an operating system
running in an LPAR.  An open source method to do that is currently
going through IBM Legal, but it's not available yet.

So, since you need to have a working network from the HMC to an
installation server, you could just as well use the "boot from remote
FTP server" option on the HMC to kick things off.  Either way will
work.  Some sites just have more restricted access to the raised
floor.


Mark Post

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Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Kind regards
Steffen Maier

Linux on System z Development

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Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Alan Altmark]

On Tuesday, 08/12/2014 at 09:01 EDT, Mark Post  wrote:
> So, since you need to have a working network from the HMC to an
installation
> server, you could just as well use the "boot from remote FTP server"
option on
> the HMC to kick things off.  Either way will work.  Some sites just have
more
> restricted access to the raised floor.

Please be aware that the current System z design is such that the FTP
server must be plugged into the internal HMC-SE network, as the SEs will
not use the HMC as a gateway to the outside world.  So "remote" is a
relative term.  :-)

Alan Altmark

Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant
IBM System Lab Services and Training
ibm.com/systems/services/labservices
office: 607.429.3323
mobile; 607.321.7556
alan_altm...@us.ibm.com
IBM Endicott

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Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Mark Post]

>>> On 8/11/2014 at 06:56 PM, Cameron Seay  wrote: 
> All:
> 
> I got an eval disk from SUSE for Enter 11.  I want to try out their KVM for
> System z.  Do I just pop this in the DVD drive on the SE and IPL the LPAR?

Yes and no.  That is one of the ways to _start_ the install.  But you will 
still need a network installation server to provide access to the installation 
media once the network is up.  This is because only IBM knows how to access the 
DVD in the HMC from an operating system running in an LPAR.  An open source 
method to do that is currently going through IBM Legal, but it's not available 
yet.

So, since you need to have a working network from the HMC to an installation 
server, you could just as well use the "boot from remote FTP server" option on 
the HMC to kick things off.  Either way will work.  Some sites just have more 
restricted access to the raised floor.


Mark Post

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Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Cameron Seay]

Peter:

Thanks. From this doc it looks like we just put the DVD in and press GO.  I
have never installed Linux directly to the LPAR.  It looks like the install
is the same.

Cameron


On Tue, Aug 12, 2014 at 1:41 AM, Peter Linnell  wrote:

> >>> Cameron Seay  8/11/2014 03:56 PM >>>
> All:
>
> I got an eval disk from SUSE for Enter 11.  I want to try out their KVM for
> System z.  Do I just pop this in the DVD drive on the SE and IPL the LPAR?
>
> Thanks.
>
> I would start here to understand all the options and kvm limits and
> features.
>
> https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/book_kvm/data/book_kvm.html
>
> Hope that helps,
>
> Peter
>
>
> Peter Linnell
> SUSECon 2014
> Register at suse.com/susecon
> Follow us at twitter.com/susecon14
>
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> For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
> send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or
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> For more information on Linux on System z, visit
> http://wiki.linuxvm.org/
>



--
Cameron Seay, Ph.D.
Department of Computer Systems Technology
School of Technology
NC A & T State University
Greensboro, NC
336 334 7717 x2251

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Re: Installing Linux on VM

[Peter Linnell]

>>> Cameron Seay  8/11/2014 03:56 PM >>> 
All:

I got an eval disk from SUSE for Enter 11.  I want to try out their KVM for
System z.  Do I just pop this in the DVD drive on the SE and IPL the LPAR?

Thanks.

I would start here to understand all the options and kvm limits and features.

https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/book_kvm/data/book_kvm.html

Hope that helps,

Peter 


Peter Linnell
SUSECon 2014
Register at suse.com/susecon
Follow us at twitter.com/susecon14 

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