Software Deployment on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC€¦ · Web viewThis paper provides an overview of the Dell OpenManage deployment applications, presenting different scenarios for

Software Deployment On the Dell PowerEdge

1655MCEnterprise Systems Group (ESG)

Dell White PaperBy Hai Phung

[email protected]

November 2002

ContentsExecutive Summary.............................................................................4Dell OpenManage Deployment Software.............................................5

Dell Server Assistant......................................................................5Dell Remote Install.........................................................................5Remote Install Application...................................................................................5Remote Install Agent...........................................................................................6

Deployment Use Case Comparison.................................................6Using Dell OpenManage Remote Install for Software Deployment....8

Setup the Staging Blade Server.....................................................8Use DSA CD to Install the Operating System......................................................9Install Remote Install Agent..............................................................................11Install Dell OpenManage Software and Appropriate Software..........................12

Capturing image for deployment..................................................12Deploying Image: Common Usage Scenarios...............................13

Conclusions.......................................................................................17

FiguresFigure 1: Using Dell Deployment Applications for Software Deployment on Blade

Servers..................................................................................................................7Figure 2: On Rebooting, DSA Presents Options for Installing the OS or Running the

System Tools.........................................................................................................8Figure 3: DSA Provides Comprehensive Integrated Tools for Setting Up Blade

Servers..................................................................................................................9Figure 4: The OS Setup Option will Prompt Users to Enter all Necessary Information

..............................................................................................................................9Figure 5: Enter the Information for the Capture Image............................................12Figure 6: Select the Image for Deployment from the Pull-Down List........................13Figure 7: Pre-Deploy Creates a Virtual System.........................................................14Figure 8: Using Pre-Deploy Feature for Deploying Multiple Blades Simultaneously15

TablesTable 1: Three Typical Methods for Software Deployment.........................................7

November 2002 Page 2 Dell Enterprise Systems Group

Section 1Executive Summary

When you purchase computer hardware systems, the value of those systems to your business does not begin until they are deployed and operational. New servers sitting idle instead of operational in data centers are a waste of precious resources. The administrator needs an effective way to deploy not only the operating system, but also system management agents, and applications to the servers. Depending upon the current business requirements, the process, and the network setup, he can either deploy the software to each server locally or to a group of servers remotely over the network.Dell OpenManage™ deployment applications provide the tools that enable the administrator to effectively deploy software to the servers, thereby increasing productivity. This paper provides an overview of the Dell OpenManage deployment applications, presenting different scenarios for software deployment. It also guides the administrator through the process of deploying the software on Dell™ PowerEdge™ 1655MC (blade) servers via the Dell OpenManage deployment applications: Dell OpenManage Server Assistant (DSA) and Dell OpenManage Remote Install.


Section 2Dell OpenManage Deployment Software

Dell OpenManage deployment software comprises of two primary applications Dell OpenManage Server Assistant (DSA) and Dell OpenManage Remote Install (Remote Install):1. DSA, which provides a simple way for local deployment of the

Operating System (OS) on each individual blade server2. Remote Install, which provides a way for remotely deploying a

large number of blade servers from a central console

Dell Server Assistant DSA is a bootable, stand-alone CD. It contains the applications, BIOS, firmware, drivers, diagnostics, and utility that enable the administrator to deploy Microsoft Windows 2000 server or Red Hat Linux on blade servers.Upon boot, the DSA CD prompts the user to enter the date and time, configure the hard drives, configure the RAID, select the OS, and enter the OS configuration data. It then automatically installs the selected OS without requiring any further intervention from the user.

Dell Remote InstallWhereas DSA provides deployment capability for an individual blade server, Dell Remote Install provides the capability for deploying multiple blade servers simultaneously over the network from a central console. The Remote Install includes two primary components: Remote Install Management Station and Remote Install Managed Node.

Remote Install ApplicationRemote Install application is a web-based application that can be installed on any Dell server that runs the Microsoft Windows 2000 server. This server is called the Image Server.Upon successful installation of Remote Install Image Server on a Dell PowerEdge server, it needs to be configured before operations can begin. The following tasks are required to configure the Image Server: Define the DHCP scope. Remote Install includes a special

DHCP server, DDHCP, to support PXE booting of the target blade servers. The user needs to define the IP address range that DDHCP uses for assigning the target blade server during the PXE boot


Define the storage for image repository. This storage is used for storing the images for later use in the deployment process. The image repository storage can be on a share on the Image Server or a network share on an external shared storage system

Since Remote Install is a web-based application, its user interface can be accessed from any computer system that has a web browser. This computer system is called administrator console. From this central administrator console the user can perform the Remote install operations for the software deployment process.

Remote Install AgentIn order to establish the communication between the Image Server and the target blade server, the Remote Install agent needs to be installed on the blades. The Remote Install agent supports both the Windows 2000 server and the Red Hat Linux.

Both the Remote Install application and the Remote Install agent are available on Dell System Management (SM) CD.The Remote Install application can be found under the Management Station optionThe Remote Install agent can be found under the Managed NodeFor details on how to install the Remote Install application and the Remote Install agent, please refer to the Remote Install User Guide

Deployment Use Case ComparisonDepending on the scope, current business needs, network setup, and process, the administrator may select different methods for software deployment. Table 1 outlines the three typical methods for software deployment and the environment most suitable for each:

Methods Tools Deployment steps Target environment

Local & Attended

Traditional retail Operating System CDs

1. Install operating system

2. Configure operating system

3. Install required drivers

4. Install OpenManage Software

5. Repeat these steps for each individual blade server

Not suitable for blade servers


Methods Tools Deployment steps Target environment

Local & Unattended

DSA CD 1. Select the OS and enter configuration data

2. Start the OS unattended installation

3. Install software

4. Repeat the step for each individual blade server

Environment where there are less than 5 blade servers

Remote & Unattended

Remote Install 1. Set up Remote Install Image Server

2. Install Remote Install agent and software

3. Capture the image

4. Deploy the image to multiple blade servers

Environment where there are more than 5 blade servers

Table 1: Three Typical Methods for Software Deployment


Section 3Using Dell OpenManage Remote Install for Software Deployment

Remote software deployment using Dell OpenManage Remote Install involves three primary phases:1. Setup the staging blade server2. Capturing the image for deployment3. Deploying the image to other blade serversNote: Steps one and two are required only when the image is not available on the image repository.Figure 1 depicts the high-level deployment topology.

Local Install

Capture Deployment andConfiguration

DSA CD

Dell SMCD

Remote Install Image Server

Target Blade servers

Set up of the staging blade

Figure 1: Using Dell Deployment Applications for Software Deployment on Blade Servers

Setup the Staging Blade Server

The process of preparing the staging blade server can involve several phases depending on the user environment. However, at the minimum, the staging server requires the installation of the OS and the Remote Install agent. The OS can be Dell Factory-Installed or user installed. As stated earlier, DSA CD provides the most effective way to install the OS on the individual blade.


Use DSA CD to Install the Operating SystemTo start the installation process, insert the DSA CD into the provided USB CD on the blade server and reboot the system. Upon rebooting, the DSA will present the option for setting up the OS or running the integrated system tools (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: On Rebooting, DSA Presents Options for Installing the OS or Running the System Tools

The user can select the System Tools option to configure the blade server. This option provides a comprehensive set of integrated tools (see Figure 3).


Figure 3: DSA Provides Comprehensive Integrated Tools for Setting Up Blade Servers

The OS setup option will prompt the user to enter all the necessary information for the OS installation. After entering the information, the installation process will start, needing no further intervention from the user (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: The OS Setup Option Prompts Users to Enter all Necessary Information


Install Remote Install Agent

To start the Remote Install agent installation, insert the Dell SM CD into the USB CDROM; the SM CD setup program will start automatically. If the setup program does not start, click on the setup.exe or start.sh from the root of the SM CD for the Windows 2000 and Red Hat Linux systems respectively. The Remote Install agent installation can be found under the Managed Systems option. Follow the instructions of the SM CD to install the Remote Install agent. There are two options for installing the Remote Install agent:1. Keeping the existing configuration on the target blade (default

option)2. Using the Image Server to configure the target bladeSelect the appropriate option for your system.On the success of the Remote install agent installation, reboot your system to start the communication between the target blade and the Image server. Depending upon the selected installation option, the target blade will be discovered with one of the following status: “Up”, if the “Keep the existing configuration…” option was

selected. This indicates to the administrator that the blade is up and running and is ready for the capture process

“Wait for Configuration”, if the “Use Image Server to configure the target blade” option was selected. The administrator needs to apply the selected configuration data from the Image Server to the target blade. After the configuration process is successfully completed, the target blade will transition the status to “Up”.

A pre-OS agent will be downloaded to RAM disk on the target blade during the discovery process. This pre-OS agent will detect, collect information, and report the status of the target server to the Image Server. Following are some of the common status. For the complete list, please refer to the Remote Install User Guide.

“Up”: System has OS and has been configured; up and running. Ready for image capturing“Wait for Deployment”: This is a bare-metal system“Unmanaged”: The system has OS but does not have Remote Install agent installed“Wait for Configuration”: The system has OS and Remote Install agent, but has not been configured by the Image Server

The key objective of the Remote Install operations is to bring the target blades to the “Up” status


Install Dell OpenManage Software and Appropriate Software

Once the status of the staging blade server is “Up”, the blade server is ready for the capture process. However, Remote Install is a tool not only for Operating System deployment but also for software deployment. In general Remote Install can be used for most software, except software applications that contain configuration data unique to the system (e.g., security identifier (SID), IP address, hostname). These software applications are not compatible with Remote Install for deploying to other blades. Although the OS configuration data will be changed during the deployment process to keep it unique to each blade, the software configuration data will not be changed. Therefore, the application may stop or not function properly.Through the Remote Install testing process we have confirmed that the Dell OpenManage software, except ITA, can be used with Remote Install for deploying to other blade servers.

Capturing Image for Deployment

After successfully preparing the staging blade, the user can start to capture the image from the staging server. The captured image will be stored in the selected image repository that has been defined previously. The image from the image repository can be used for later deployment. To start the capturing process:1. Click on the Capture tab. Only the blade servers with the “Up”

status will be available for capture2. Select the blade from the list. Click Next3. Enter the information for the captured image. Click Next (see

Figure 5)4. Click on confirm to confirm the process. The capture process

will startOn completion of the capturing process, the blade will be in the following status: “Up”, if the capture for backup option was selected “Wait for Configuration”, if the capture for deployment

option was selected


Figure 5: Enter the Information for the Capture Image

Deploying Image: Common Usage Scenarios

There are three common usage scenarios for deploying an image on the blade servers:1. Deploying new bare-metal blade server2. Redeploying an existing blade server3. Deploying a group of blade servers

Deploying New Bare-Metal Blade ServerA bare-metal blade server is an empty server. Upon power up, the bare-metal blade server will be discovered by the Image Server with the “Wait for Deployment” status. This status indicates that the systems will need to be deployed. The blade servers will stay in this wait status until a deployment process is manually created and initiated.To start the deployment process:1. Select the “Deploy” tab. Only “Wait for Deployment” blade

servers are available for deployment2. Select one or more blade servers from the list. Click Next3. Select an image from the pull down list for deployment. Click

Next (See Figure 6) 4. Select the configuration file from the list. Click Next5. Click “Confirm” to confirm the process. The deployment

process will start


The deployment process will push the selected image to the target blade. It will also automatically configure the target blade with the selected configuration data specified in step 4. Upon the successful completion of the deployment process, the target blade will show the “Up” status on the Image Server.

Figure 6: Select the Image for Deployment from the Pull-Down List

Redeploying Existing Blade Servers

When necessary the existing server may be re-deployed for new tasks. Remote Install offers two ways to effectively re-deploy the existing blade servers:1. Re-deploy the blade in the “Up” status

Re-deploying a blade in the “Up” status requires that the system be brought to the “Admin” status (you can think of “Admin” as a maintenance mode). To bring a blade from the “Up” status to “Admin” status:- Click on the blade service tag to display detailed system information- Click the “Reset” button. This will reboot the blade and bring it to “Admin” statusOnce the system is in the “Admin” status, you can follow the deployment process described in the previous section.

2. Re-deploy the blade by using the “Pre-deploy” option “Pre-deploy” means preparing a deployment task first before the target blade is discovered by the Image Server, thus creating a virtual system (see Figure 7). Preparing the deployment task for a virtual system requires entering the system’s service tag and selecting the image and configuration data. Once the virtual system is created the target blade will be discovered by the Image Server when it is powered up. The deployment process will then start automatically


Figure 7: Pre-Deploy Creates a Virtual System

Deploying a Group of Blade Servers There is more than one way to deploy a group of blade servers simultaneously. The Pre-Deploy feature is one of the most effective methods. To start this feature:1. Create multiple virtual blade servers as described in the

previous section (see Figure 8)2. Power up all the blade servers, then the deployment process

will start simultaneously. Currently Remote Install supports the simultaneous deployment of up to 12 blade servers

Figure 8: Using Pre-Deploy Feature for Deploying Multiple Blades Simultaneously


Section 4Conclusions

Dell OpenManage deployment applications provide a quick and simple process for deploying software to several blade servers effectively. Using Dell OpenManage deployment applications the IT administrator can easily deploy software and quickly bring a number of blade servers to operation, thereby increasing production and lower costs.

THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

Dell and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

©Copyright 2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.


Documents

Software Deployment on the Dell PowerEdge 1655MC€¦ · Web viewThis paper provides an overview of the Dell OpenManage deployment applications, presenting different scenarios for