VMware3 deployment

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VMware Infrastructure 3, deployment

Deploying a VMware Infrastructure with HP ProLiant servers, storage, andmanagement products

Executive summary............................................................................................................................... 3Audience ........................................................................................................................................ 4This white paper .............................................................................................................................. 4

ESX server pre-deployment.................................................................................................................... 4Compatibility and support................................................................................................................. 4

HP ProLiant servers ....................................................................................................................... 4HP StorageWorks SAN................................................................................................................. 4HP I/O devices ............................................................................................................................ 5

Server configuration options.............................................................................................................. 5IOAPIC table setting ..................................................................................................................... 5Hyper-Threading Technology ......................................................................................................... 5Node interleaving ........................................................................................................................ 5

Platform specific considerations ......................................................................................................... 6

HP ProLiant servers with AMD Opteron processors ........................................................................... 6SAN configuration ........................................................................................................................... 7

Configuring HBAs ........................................................................................................................ 7Configuring clustering support ....................................................................................................... 7Supported SAN topologies............................................................................................................ 7MSA configuration notes ............................................................................................................... 8EVA configuration notes ................................................................................................................ 9XP configuration notes................................................................................................................. 10Supported guest operating systems............................................................................................... 10Boot From SAN.......................................................................................................................... 11

Deploying VMware ESX Server 3.0 ..................................................................................................... 12

Installation methods........................................................................................................................ 12HP Integrated Lights-Out .............................................................................................................. 12

Scripted installation .................................................................................................................... 12HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP)....................................................................... 12

Installation considerations ............................................................................................................... 13ATA/IDE and SATA drives........................................................................................................... 13 SAN ......................................................................................................................................... 13Boot From SAN.......................................................................................................................... 13Disk partitioning......................................................................................................................... 13


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A deployment guide (VMware Infrastructure 3, deployment), and

An operations guide (VMware Infrastructure 3, operations).

This white paper contains deployment information to help customers effectively deploy a VMwareInfrastructure running on HP ProLiant servers, HP StorageWorks storage solutions, and HP ProLiantEssentials management software components.

Prior to reading this guide, the reader should understand the VMware Infrastructure architecture andhow it virtualizes the hardware.

All of the HP guides, white papers and technical documents for VMware ESX Server can be foundat:www.hp.com/go/vmware.

Audience

The deployment information contained in this white paper is intended for solutions architects,engineers, and project managers involved in the deployment of virtualization solutions. The readershould be familiar with networking in a heterogeneous environment and with virtualizedinfrastructures, and have a basic knowledge of VMware ESX Server 3.0 and VirtualCenter 2.0,and HP ProLiant servers, HP StorageWorks and HP software products.

This white paperThis white paper provides information on the following topics:

Compatibility and support Identifying and configuring HP ProLiant server platforms that arecertified for VMware ESX Server 3.0.

SAN configuration Configuring supported HP StorageWorks SAN arrays for connectivity withESX Server systems

Deploying VMware ESX Server 3.0 Advanced methods for deploying ESX Server on HP ProLiantservers

HP Insight Management agents Installing HP management tools on an ESX Server system

Virtual Machine deployment Using conventional and advanced methods to deploy a virtual

machine (VM)VMware Tools Deploying management tools into a guest operating system

ESX server pre-deployment

This section contains configuration steps that should be performed before you deploy VMware ESXServer.

Compatibility and support

This section details HP servers, storage, and I/O devices that have been tested and are supported by

HP for ESX Server 3.0.HP ProLiant servers

For the most up-to-date list of supported platforms and important configuration notes refer to thesupport matrix athttp://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/software/vmware/hpvmwarecert.html.

HP StorageWorks SAN

The following is a list of HP StorageWorks SAN array systems that have been certified with VMwareESX Server 3.0. For the most up-to-date list of supported arrays and important configuration notes,

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refer to the Storage / SAN Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.0athttp://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_san_guide.pdf.

HP StorageWorks 1500cs Modular Smart Array (MSA1500)

HP StorageWorks 1000 Modular Smart Array (MSA1000)

HP StorageWorks 4000 Enterprise Virtual Arrays (EVA4000)



HP StorageWorks XP128 Disk Array (XP128)

HP StorageWorks XP1024 Disk Array (XP1024)

HP I/O devices

For the most up-to-date list of supported devices and important configuration notes, refer the HPProLiant option support matrix athttp://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/software/vmware/hpvmware-options-matrix.html.

Server configuration options

This section provides information on configuring the IOAPIC table, Intel Hyper-Threading, and node

interleaving for AMD Opteron-based systems. All of these options can be configured in the ROM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU). To access the RBSU, press F9 when prompted during the Power-On SelfTest (POST).

IOAPIC table setting

The IOAPIC (Input/Output Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) controls the flow of interruptrequests in a multi-processor system. It also affects the mapping of IRQs to interrupt-driven subsystemssuch as PCI or ISA devices.

Full IOAPIC table support should be enabled for all HP ProLiant servers running VMware ESXServer. This option can be found in the Advanced Options menu of the RBSU. Full IOAPIC tablesupport is enabled by default in current generation ProLiant servers.

Note:Previous generation ProLiant servers may refer to this optionas MPS Table Mode.

Hyper-Threading Technology

Hyper-Threading Technology is an embedded Intel processor technology that allows the operatingsystem to view a single CPU as two logical units. The processor is capable of managing multiple tasksgenerated by different applications.

Hyper-Threading is supported by ESX Server. To enable or disable Hyper-Threading at the systemlevel, select Processor Hyper-Threading from theAdvanced Options menu in the RBSU.

Node interleaving

To optimize performance over a wide variety of applications, the AMD Opteron processor supportstwo different types of memory access: Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) and Uniform Memory

Access (UMA), or node interleaving.

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NUMA is enabled by default on Opteron-based ProLiant servers. To place the server in UMA mode,enable Node Interleaving from theAdvanced Options menu in the RBSU.

Additional details about memory access and configuration for Opteron-based ProLiant servers areprovided in the next section.

Platform specific considerations

The following section contains configuration details and consideration specific to various ProLiant

server lines.

HP ProLiant servers with AMD Opteron processors

As mentioned above, the Opteron processor supports two different types of memory access: non-uniform memory access (NUMA) and sufficiently uniform memory access (SUMA), or nodeinterleaving.

A node consists of the processor cores, including the embedded memory controller and the attachedDIMMs. The total memory attached to all the processors is divided into 4096 byte segments. In thecase of linear addressing (NUMA), consecutive 4096 byte segments are on the same node. In thecase of node interleaving (SUMA), consecutive 4096 byte segments are on different or adjacentnodes.

Linear memory accessing (NUMA) defines thememory starting at 0 on node 0 and assigns thetotal amount of memory on node 0 the nextsequential address, up to the memory total onnode 0. The memory on node 1 will then startwith the next sequential address until the processis complete.

Node interleaving (SUMA) breaks memory into4KB addressable entities. Addressing starts withaddress 0 on node 0 and sequentially assigns

through address 4095 to node 0, addresses4096 through 8191 to node 1, addresses 8192through 12287 to node 3, and addresses 12888through 16383 to node 4. Address 16384 isassigned to node 0 and the process continuesuntil all memory has been assigned in thisfashion.

ESX Server currently offers NUMA support for Opteron-based systems and implements severaloptimizations designed to enhance virtual machine performance on NUMA systems. However, somevirtual machine workloads may not benefit from these optimizations. For example, virtual machinesthat have more virtual processors than the number of processor cores available on a single hardware

node cannot be managed automatically. Virtual machines that are not managed automatically by theNUMA scheduler still run correctly; they simply don't benefit from ESX Server's NUMA optimizations.In this case, performance may be improved by activating node interleaving.

For best performance, HP recommends configuring each node with an equal amount of RAM.Additionally, each ProLiant server may have its own rules and guidelines for configuring memory.Please see the QuickSpecs for each platform available athttp://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/ProductBulletin.html

For more information on ESX Server and NUMA technology, refer toVMware Knowledge Basearticle 1570.

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SAN configuration

This section contains important information for both server and SAN administrators to use whenconfiguring ESX Server hosts for SAN connectivity.

Configuring HBAs

This section contains information on obtaining the World-Wide Port Names (WWPNs) from yourFibre Channel HBAs and configuring them for clustering support.

Obtaining World-Wide Port Name (WWPN)

In order to configure an HP StorageWorks SAN, you will need to know the WWPN for each HBAyou intend to connect to the SAN. Follow the instructions for your HBA model below to obtain the

WWPN. Write down the WWPN for later use.

Table 1. Obtaining WWPNs for HBAs

HBA How to obtain WWPN

QLogic

The WWPN can be found by entering the QLogic Fast!UTIL utility during server post. Select

the appropriate host adapter (if more than one is present), then go to Configuration SettingsHost Adapter Settings and look forAdapter Port Name.

EmulexThe WWPN can be found by entering the Emulex BIOS Utility during server post. Select theappropriate host adapter (if more than one is present). The WWPN will be displayed at thetop of the screen.

Configuring clustering support

Clustering your virtual machines between ESX Server machines requires shared disks. To configure anHBA for clustering support, follow the instructions for your HBA listed in the table below.

Table 2. Configuring clustering support

HBA Configuring clustering support

QLogic

Enter the QLogic Fast!UTIL utility during server POST, then select the desired HBA. SelectConfiguration SettingsAdvanced Adapter Settings; ensure that the following settings areconfigured:

Enable LIP Reset is set to No

Enable LIP Full Login is set toYes

Enable Target Reset is set toYes

Emulex N/A

Supported SAN topologies

All HP StorageWorks SANs are supported in both single-fabric and multi-fabric environments. Directconnect is not supported except when using the HP StorageWorks MSA SAN Switch 2/81.

1 The MSA SAN Switch 2/8 is a true fibre channel switch thus does not represent a true direct connect architecture.

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For more information on specific SAN topologies, refer to the HP SAN Design Reference Guideavailable athttp://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00403562/c00403562.pdf.

IMPORTANT:For high availability, multi-path capability is providednatively by ESX Server. Do not attempt to install other multi-path software such as HP Secure Path or Auto Path.

MSA configuration notes

Before configuring an MSA1000 or MSA1500 SAN and an ESX Server machine, HP recommendsupgrading the array controller to an appropriate firmware version, as specified in Table 3.

Table 3. Array controller firmware levels

Array Minimum Recommended

MSA1000 4.48 4.48

MSA1500 4.98 5.02

For more information on upgrading the firmware and configuring the MSA, seehttp://h18006.www1.hp.com/storage/arraysystems.html

For proper communications between the MSA and an ESX Server host, set the connection profile foreach HBA port to Linux.

Follow these steps:

1. Determine the World Wide Port Name (WWPN) for each HBA port to be connected to the array.

2.

Set the profile for each HBA port using either the Command Line Interface (CLI) or ArrayConfiguration Utility (ACU).

CLI

Provide a unique name for the connection and set the profile by typing the following command:

CLI> add connection wwpn= profile=Linux

To verify that each connection has been correctly set, type the following command:

CLI> show connections

For each connection, verify that the profile is set to Linux and that its status is Online. If there areany problems, refer to the MSA1000/MSA1500 documentation for troubleshooting guidelines.

ACU

Enable Selective Storage Presentation (SSP).

Review the list of HBAs connected to the array.

Assign a unique name to each connection and select Linux from the drop-down list as thedesired profile.

Enable access to the LUNs you wish to present to the ESX Server systems.

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Table 5. Array controller connection type

Array Firmware Connection Type

EVA3000

EVA5000

VCS 3.028 Custom:

000000002200282E

EVA3000

EVA5000

VCS 4.004 VMware

EVA4000EVA6000

EVA8000

XCS 5.031 Custom:00000000220008BC

EVA4000

EVA6000

EVA8000

XCS 5.100 VMware

Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 guestVM support requires using the "vmxlsilogic" SCSI emulation.

XP configuration notes

Before configuring an XP SAN and ESX Server, HP recommends upgrading the array controller to anappropriate firmware version, as specified in Table 6.

Table 6. Array controller firmware levels

Array Minimum Recommended

XP128

XP1024

21.14.18.00/00 21.14.18.00/00

For more information on upgrading the firmware of an XP array and on configuring this array, see:http://h18006.www1.hp.com/storage/arraysystems.html

The host mode for all XP arrays should be set to 0x0C.

Supported guest operating systems

The following guest operating systems are supported with HP StorageWorks SAN arrays andVMware ESX Server:

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Table 7. Supported Guest Operation Systems

Microsoft Windows SuSE Linux Red Hat

Windows 2000 SP3 andSP4

SLES 8 SP3 RHEL 2.1 U6 and U7

Windows 2003 base andSP1

SLES 9 SP1 and SP2 RHEL 3 U4 and U5

RHEL 4 U2

RHEL 2.1, RHEL 3, and SLES8 support requires using the "vmxlsilogic" SCSI emulation.

Boot From SAN

Enabling Boot From SAN on an HP ProLiant server is a two-stage process: enabling and configuringthe QLogic BIOS, and configuring the servers host boot order in the RBSU. Perform the followingsteps:

Configuring the BIOS

1.While the server is booting, press Ctrl Q to enter Fast!UTIL.

2. From the Select Host Adaptermenu, choose the adapter you want to boot from, then press Enter.

3. In the Fast!UTIL Options menu, choose Configuration Settings, then press Enter.

4. In the Configuration Settings menu, choose Host Adapter Settings, then press Enter.

5. In the Host Adapter Settings menu, change the Host Adapter BIOS setting to Enabled by pressingEnter.

6. Press ESC to go back to the Configuration Settings menu. Choose Selectable Boot Settings, thenpress Enter.

7. In the Selectable Boot Settings menu, enable the Selectable Boot option, then move the cursor to thePrimary Boot Port Name, LUN:, then press Enter.

8. In the Select Fibre Channel Device menu, choose the device to boot from, then press Enter.

9. In the Select LUN menu, choose the supported LUN.

10.Save the changes by pressing ESC twice.

Configuring the host boot order

1.While the system is booting, Press F9 to start the BIOS Setup Utility.

2. Choose Boot Controller Order.

3. Select the primary HBA (that is, the HBA dedicated to your SAN or presented to your LUN) andmove it to Controller Order 1.

4. Disable the Smart Array Controller.

5. Press F10 to save your configuration and exit the utility.

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Deploying VMware ESX Server 3.0

Installation methods

VMware ESX Server 3 includes both a graphical and a text-mode installer. The graphic-mode installeris the default and recommended method for installation.

When using the VMware installation media, you will be presented with a boot prompt at system

startup. Press Enterto start the graphical installer or type esx text at the boot prompt to use thetext-mode installer.

HP Integrated Lights-Out

Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) is a web-based, remote management technology available on HP ProLiantservers. iLO offers complete control as if you were physically standing in front of the target server from any network accessible location.

The iLO Virtual Media feature offers a number of options for booting a remote machine in order toinstall ESX Server.

Table 8. Options for booting a remote machine

How? Where?

Using a standard 1.44-MB floppy diskette On a client machine

Using a CD-ROM On a client machine

Using an image of the floppy diskette or CD-ROM From anywhere on the network

ESX Server supports installation via iLO Virtual Media using either the physical installation CD or anISO2 image from a client machine or the network.

Virtual Media requires an iLO/iLO2 Advanced license. For more information about iLO, refer towww.hp.com/servers/ilo.

Scripted installation

Once ESX Server has been deployed on an HP ProLiant server, IT staff can use this system to automatefurther deployments. This is particularly useful when deploying ESX Server instances on a number ofsimilarly configured servers.

See the Installation and Upgrade Guide available from VMware athttp://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_installation_guide.pdf for more information on creating ascripted installation.

HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP)

Beginning with Rapid Deployment Pack 3.1 (releasing in 4th

Quarter of 2006), VMware ESX Server 3is a supported operating system for deployment. The primary advantages of deploying ESX Server3.0 with RDP are as follows. The HP Insight Management Agents are deployed along with theoperating system which saves a step in the deployment process. Also, numerous systems can bedeployed and personalized simultaneously eliminating the need for customized scripted installs. RDPalso eliminates the need to configure individual hardware settings on HP ProLiant servers.

2 As prescribed by ISO standard ISO 9660

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Installation considerations

This section highlights some additional items that you may wish to consider before beginning yourdeployment.

ATA/IDE and SATA drives

VMware supports booting from ATA/IDE and SATA devices; however you cannot create a VMFSvolume on these devices. An ESX Server host must have SCSI/SAS storage, NAS, or a SAN on

which to store and run virtual machines.

SAN

Before installation, you should zone and mask all SAN LUNs away from your server except thoseneeded during installation. This includes shared LUNs with existing VMFS partitions. This will helpprevent accidental deletion of critical VMs and data. After installation, you may then unmask theshared LUNs.

The maximum number of LUNs supported by the ESX Server installer is 128, and the maximum forESX Server is 255. Keep these maxima in mind when configuring and presenting LUNs.

Boot From SAN

ESX Server does not support booting from a shared LUN. Each ESX Server host should have itsown boot volume, and this volume should be masked away from all other systems.

IMPORTANT:Unlike ESX 2.5, ESX 3.0s Boot From SAN installation isintegrated with the boot from local disk installation. If youdo not mask your LUNs properly during a manualinstallation, the SAN LUNs will be available for selection atthe Advanced Options screen. If you select one of theseLUNs and it is housing Virtual Machines they will be erased

during installation when the LUN is formatted.

Disk partitioning

The following table shows how the ESX Server hosts storage should be partitioned. The sizesprovided are recommended minima, and optional partitions are noted.

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Table 9. Default storage configuration and partitioning for a VMFS volume on internal drives

Partitionname

File systemformat

Size Description

/boot ext3 100MB The boot partitions stores files required to boot ESXServer.

/ ext3 2560MB Called the root partition, this contains the ESX Serveroperating system and Web Center files. Allocate anadditional 512MB if you plan to use this server for

scripted installations.

NA Swap 544MB The swap partition is used by the service console andtools like the HP Insight Management agents.

vmkcore vmkcore 100MB This partition serves as a repository for the VMkernelcore dump files in the event of a VMkernel core dump.

VMFS VMFS-3 1200MB+ The VMFS file system for the storage of virtual machinedisk files. Must be large enough to hold your VM disks.

/home(optional)

ext3 512MB Storage for individual users.

/tmp

(optional)

ext3 1024MB Partition used for temporary storage.

/var(optional)

ext3 1024MB Partition is used for log file storage. HP recommendscreating a /var partition to prevent unchecked log filegrowth from creating service interruptions.

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Installing and configuring IM agents

After the tar file has been downloaded and unpacked, view the included README file for importantinstallation and configuration information.

Before starting the installation, you should consider or have available the following information:

SNMP settings

During the installation, you will be asked to supply community stringsboth read-only and read-

writefor SNMP communication with the localhost and with a management station such as HPSystems Insight Manager. The settings you provide will be written to the SNMP configuration file,/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf. You must specify a read-write community string for the localhost. Thiscommunity string is used by the agents to write data to the SNMP Management Information Base(MIB) tree. If you are using HP SIM or other management software, see Central Management Server(CMS) below.

Central Management Server

If using a central management system such as HP Systems Insight Manager, you will need toprovide the IP address or DNS name for the management server during the installation. Enter themanagement servers IP address along with the community string that matches the settings in yourmanagement server. When using HP SIM, you only need to allow read-only access to the CMS.

Firewall Configuration

VMware ESX Server 3.0 uses a firewall to restrict network communications to and from the ESXServer host to essential services only. For full functionality of health and management agents, thefollowing ports must be opened:

Table 11. Ports

Port Protocol ESX Firewall Service Description

161 tcp/udp snmp snmpd SNMP traffic

162 tcp/udp snmp snmpd SNMP traps

2381 tcp https N/A HP System Management Homepage

During the installation, you will be given the option to have the installer configure the ESX Serverfirewall for you.

For more information about the HP health and management agents, please see the Managing ProLianServers with Linux HOWTOat ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/Linux/linux.pdf.

Although this HOWTO was written for enterprise Linux systems, much of the information contained isalso applicable to VMware ESX Server environments.

To begin the installation, login as root and run the following command:%> ./installvm.sh --install

The installation script performs some basic checks and guides you through the installation process.

After the installation has completed, you may wish to configure the System Management Homepage(SMH). To start the SMH configuration wizard, run the following command:

%> /usr/local/hp/hpSMHSetup.pl

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For detailed information on configuring SMH, refer to the System Management Homepage InstallationGuideavailable at http://docs.hp.com/en/381372-002/381372-002.pdf.

Silent installation

The installation script may also be run in silent mode, installing and configuring the IM agents basedon settings contained in an input file without user interaction.

To automate the installation of the agents, create an input file using the hpmgmt.conf.example filefrom the download package as a template. Information on the available options is given in theexample file; at a minimum, you should configure local read-write community access for SNMP.

To automate the configuration of the System Management Homepage, place a copy of the SMHconfiguration file (smhpd.xml) with the desired setting into the same directory as the agent installationscript. It is recommended to use a file from a pre-existing installation rather than edit the file by hand.The smhpd.xml file can be found in /opt/hp/hpsmh/conf/. During a silent installation, the installerwill check for the presence of this file. If found, it will be used to configure SMH; otherwise, SMH willbe configured with the default options.

When you are ready to begin the installation, login as root and run the following command:

%> ./installvm.sh --silent --inputfile input.file

The installation process starts immediately; you are not prompted for confirmation. However, ifnecessary information from the configuration file is missing, you may be prompted for it during theinstallation.

Re-configuring the IM agents

To change the configuration of the agents after the installation is complete, login as root and run thefollowing command:

%> service hpasm reconfigure

This command stops the agents and reruns the interactive configuration wizard. After reconfiguringthe agents, you must restart the SNMP service.

ESX Server configuration

After installing ESX Server, you will need to configure the hosts networking, storage, and securitysettings. Please see the Virtual Infrastructure: Server Configuration Guidefor complete details onconfiguring your ESX Server host.

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Virtual Machine deployment

The provisioning and deployment of a virtual machine (VM) is, in many ways, similar to theprovisioning and deployment of a physical server. Servers are first configured with the desiredhardware (such as CPUs, memory, disks, and NICs) then provisioned with an operating system moslikely via physical media such as a CD-ROM or DVD, or over the network. Likewise, a VM is createdwith a specific virtual hardware configuration; however, in addition to the more conventional methodsof server provisioning, VMs offer some unique options.

This section discusses conventional and advanced methods for deploying VMs.

Creating new VMs

Many of the deployment options used for physical servers are also available to virtual machines.Some of the more widely-used options (the use of standard media, a network deployment, and theuse of HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP)) are discussed below.

Using standard media

The most basic method of installing an operating system is by using the physical install media mostlikely a CD-ROM or DVD or, perhaps, a floppy diskette. A VMs CD-ROM drive can be mapped

directly to the CD-ROM drive of the host machine, permitting a very simple guest operating systeminstallation.

The VMs CD-ROM drive can also be mapped to an image file on the host or the hosts network. WithESX Server 3.0 and the Virtual Infrastructure Client, you can now also use images on the client orclients network. By creating a repository for CD-ROM images on the network or SAN, you canmaintain a central location for images to be shared by all ESX Server machines, eliminating the needto locate and swap CD-ROMs between hosts.

VMs can also access CD-ROMs and image files via the HP ProLiant server hosts iLO Virtual Mediafeature. When connecting a VMs CD-ROM to the iLO Virtual CD, take note of the following:

Use the special device /dev/scd0 rather than the standard /dev/cdrom.

It is NOT necessary to first mount the device in the ESX service console.

When using iLO Virtual Floppy, the device is typically /dev/sda; however, if a SAN or some otherSCSI device is attached, this may not be the case. To verify which device is attached to the VirtualFloppy, run the dmesg command in the service console after connecting the floppy in the iLOinterface. Look for lines similar to the following example:

scsi3 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices

Vendor: HP Model: Virtual Floppy Rev: 0.01

Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02

VMWARE: Unique Device attached as scsi disk sde at scsi3, channel

0, id 0, lun 0

Attached scsi removable disk sde at scsi3, channel 0, id 0, lun 0

Note that the fourth and fifth lines of this example show the Virtual Floppy attached to /dev/sde.

Network deployment

Many operating systems now support some method of installation over the network (for example,Microsoft Remote Installation Service). This scenario is usually accomplished by remote bootingwith a Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) ROM or by using special boot media containingnetwork support. PXE boot is supported by ESX Server VMs.

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A VM with no guest operating system installed attempts to boot from devices (hard disk, CD-ROMdrive, floppy drive, network adapter) in the order in which these devices appear in the bootsequence specified in the VMs BIOS. As a result, if you plan to use PXE boot capability, HPrecommends placing the network adapter at the top of the boot order. To achieve this, press F2when the VM first boots to enter the VMs BIOS; update the boot order in the BIOS.

Note:The PXE boot image must contain drivers for the UniversalNetwork Device Interface (UNDI) or the VMs virtual networkadapter to support network connectivity.

Using RDP

RDP includes predefined jobs for deploying an operating system to a VM. However, before using oneof these jobs, you must perform some additional steps, as described below.

First, you must set the PXE NIC to appear first in the VMs boot order. To achieve this, perform thefollowing steps:

1.Power on the VM.

2. Press F2 during POST to enter the VMs BIOS configuration utility.

3. From the Boot menu, select Network Boot and then press the + (plus) key until the PXE NIC is firstin the boot order.

Next, allow the VM to PXE boot and connect to the Deployment Server. Once connected, the VM isdisplayed under New Computers in the Deployment Server console as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The VM is displayed in the Deployment Server console

The default deployment scripts will use the console name as the system name. You should considerrenaming the VM using a name that complies with the requirements of the operating system thatwill be deployed, or modify to deployment job to use/create a valid system name. The deploymentjob may now be run on the VM.

To customize the deployment of the operating system on the VM, use the same procedures as youwould for a physical server. For example, if installing a Windows operating system, you mustcreate an unattend.txt file that is customized for the specific VM, then configure the deploymentjob to use your custom unattend.txt file.

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Using RDP to install VMware Tools

RDP can be used to automate the installation of VMware Tools into a Windows guest OS. Perform thefollowing steps:

Note:With ESX 3, it is no longer necessary to ignore theDriverSigningPolicy specified within Microsoft KB article

298503 for the installation of VMware Tools to beautomated. All drivers within ESX 3 virtual machines aresigned by Microsoft.

1. To copy VMware Tools files to the Deployment Server, first use the Virtual Infrastructure Client toattach to an existing VMs console.

2. Connect the VMs virtual CD-ROM to the VMware Tools ISO image at/usr/lib/vmware/isoimages/windows.iso.

3. Copy the contents of the CD-ROM toVMwareTools, a newly-created directory under\lib\softwareon the Deployment Server.

4.Create a new Distribute Software task in a new or existing job.

5. Configure the task to support the silent installation of all VMware Tools components, as shown inFigure 3.

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Figure 3. Configuring a task for the silent install of all VMware Tools components

Note:When scheduling this task, be aware that the VM rebootswhen the installation is complete.

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Using HP Systems Insight Manager

Host management

This section provides details on configuring HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM) to manage yourHP ProLiant servers running ESX Server 3.0.

SNMP settings

Before discovering your host, you should install and configure the HP Insight Management agentsaccording to the instructions above. Verify that you have provided read-only SNMP access to theCMS and that the community string matches one provided to HP SIM. To check the community strings,go to Options Protocol Settings Global Protocol Settings.

Figure 4. To check community strings:

You can provide up to 8 global community strings. If you need more, you can provide additionalstrings for each host after discovery.

Note:If you use public for a community string, HP recommendsmaking it the lowest priority.

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For more information

Resource description Web address

HP website www.hp.com

HP ProLiant servers www.hp.com/go/proliant

HP ProLiant Server Management

Software

www.hp.com/go/hpsim

HP StorageWorks www.hp.com/go/storageworks

VMware server virtualization www.hp.com/go/vmware

VMware website www.vmware.com

VMware Infrastructure www.vmware.com/products/vi/

VMware Infrastructure Documentation www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html

VMware Knowledge Base www.vmware.com/kb

VMware and HP Alliance www.vmware.com/hp

Other resources

Microsoft KB Article http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=298503

2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information containedherein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP productsand services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying suchproducts and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting anadditional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors oromissions contained herein.

Intel is a trademark or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiariesin the United States and other countries. AMD Opteron is a trademark ofAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registeredtrademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
http://www.hp.com/http://www.hp.com/go/prolianthttp://www.hp.com/go/hpsimhttp://www.hp.com/go/storageworkshttp://www.hp.com/go/vmwarehttp://www.vmware.com/http://www.vmware.com/products/vi/http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/kbhttp://www.vmware.com/hphttp://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=298503http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=298503http://www.vmware.com/hphttp://www.vmware.com/kbhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/products/vi/http://www.vmware.com/http://www.hp.com/go/vmwarehttp://www.hp.com/go/storageworkshttp://www.hp.com/go/hpsimhttp://www.hp.com/go/prolianthttp://www.hp.com/

Documents

VMware3 deployment