Chapter 5. Installing Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors

Procedure 5.1. Booting the Hypervisor

1. Insert the RHEV Hypervisor installation media.
2. Power on the system and ensure the system boots from the installation media.
3. Once the RHEV Hypervisor has completed the boot phase, the kernel parameter prompt appears.

   ISOLINUX 3.11 2005-09-02  Copyright (C) 1994-2005 H. Peter Anvin
   This is the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor 5.7-2.2 (4.2)
   - to boot press the <ENTER> key
   or type linux and press the <ENTER> key.
   - Extra kernel command line parameters can be passed following the 
   linux keyword.
   - Boot parameters summary:
   BOOTIF=link|eth*|<MAC>(pxelinux format)
   storage_init=[usb|scsi|cciss[:serial#]]|/dev/...
   storage_vol=:SWAP_MB::CONFIG_MB:LOGGING_MB:DATA_MB
   mem_overcommit=<overcommit_ratio>
   upgrade
   ip=<client-ip> netmask=<netmask> gateway=<gw-ip>
   vlan=<VLAN-id>
   dns=server[:server]
   ntp=server[:server]
   hostname=fqdn
   management_server=RHEVM-host[:port]
   netconsole_server=RHEVM-host[:port]
   boot:

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   Enter any required kernel arguments. For example:

   :linux firstboot

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Procedure 5.2. The Storage Configuration menu

1. Select the Configure storage partitions option from the main menu to open the Configure storage partitions menu.

   Example 5.2. The Configure storage partitions menu

    Configure storage partitions
   
   1) Configure
   2) Review
   3) Commit configuration
   4) Return to the Hypervisor Configuration Menu
   Choose an option:
   

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2. Select storage device

   Select Configure.
   If you have more than one storage device available, you are prompted to select the storage device on which to install the RHEV Hypervisor. If there is only one storage device, skip to Step 3.

   Example 5.3. Select storage device

   /dev/mapper/SServeRA_venh_076A0444 (sda) (69889 MB)
   Disk Identifier: storage_serial_SServeRA_venh_076A0444
   /dev/sdb (15296 MB)
   Disk Identifier: storage_serial_UFD_USB_Flash_Drive_XFHO0KCK69T746WFHAUB
   1) /dev/mapper/SServeRA_venh_076A0444  3) Abort
   2) /dev/sdb                            4) Manual selection
   

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   Select the appropriate storage device from the menu. If the device you wish to use is not shown, select Manual selection. You will then be prompted to enter0 the path to the storage device. The path must be entered exactly; wildcards are not permitted.

3. Choose partition sizes

   You are prompted to set the size of the boot, swap, root, config, logging and data partitions. The value is accepted in megabytes (MB).
   Setting a size value of -1 sets the partition to take up all remaining disk space. Note that this can only be used with the Data partition.
   Pressing Enter without any value sets the partition to the default size.

   Important

   Do not append units onto the end of the partition size values. Using MB or similar unit on the end of a value may have adverse effects. For example, use the value 5 instead of 5MB.
   1. The boot partition contains the boot loader, kernel and initramfs.
      The default and only supported size for the boot partition is 50MB. The size of the boot partition cannot be configured.
   2. The swap partition is used for swapping underused memory to the hard drive to speed up memory performance. The default size of the swap partition is calculated based on the amount of RAM and the overcommit ratio (default is 0.5). RHEV Hypervisors must have a swap partition and the swap partition cannot be disabled by setting its size to 0. The minimum size for the swap partition is 5MB.
      Red Hat Knowledgebase has an article on determining an appropriate size for the swap partition.
      Use the formula from the Red Hat Knowledgebase and add storage for the overcommit ratio (RAM multiplied by the overcommit ratio).

      Recommended swap + (RAM * overcommit) = swap partition size

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      Pressing Enter during the installation sequence sets a recommended value for the swap partition.
   3. The root partition contains the core files for the Hypervisor and the LiveOS directory from the installation media. The default total size of the root file system partition is 512MB. This value includes 256MB for one root partition and an additional 256MB for a backup root partition.
      The default and only supported size for the root partition is 256MB. The size of the root partition cannot be configured.
   4. The config partition stores configuration files for the Hypervisor.
      The default and minimum size for the configuration partition is 5MB.
   5. The logging partition stores all logs for the Hypervisor.
      The logging partition is required and the recommended size is 2048MB.
   6. The data partition stores core files and kdump files and acts as temporary storage for ISO files. The default size of the data partition is the remaining available disk space (labeled as -1).
      When ISO files are uploaded using the ISO Uploader tool, they are temporarily stored on the data partition of a RHEV Hypervisor host, before being moved to the shared ISO Library. The data partition must include sufficient space to store these ISO files, which can be over 4GB in size for modern operating systems.
      The data partition must be large enough to hold core files for KVM. Core files depend on the RAM size for the virtual machine. The data partition must also be large enough to store kernel dump files, also known as kdumps. A kdump file is usually the same size as the host's total system RAM. The data partition also stores the RHEV Hypervisor ISO file for RHEV Hypervisor upgrades.
      The data partition must be at least 1.5x as large as the RAM on the host system plus an additional 512MB in size. The minimum size is 256MB.

4. Review

   Select the Review menu option. The review menu output is similar to the screenshot below:

   The local disk will be repartitioned as follows:
   ================================================
   Physical Hard Disk:           /dev/hdb (10000 MB)
   Disk Identifier:              storage_serial_QM00002
   Boot partition size:          50 MB
   Swap partition size:          2233 MB
   Installation partition size:  256 * 2 MB
   Configuration partition size: 5 MB
   Logging partition size:       2048 MB
   Data partition size:          5152 MB

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5. Select Commit configuration to accept the partitions. The following warning displays:

6. !!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!                                                    !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!                                                    !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!! If you proceed, all data on your selected storage  !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!! device will be destroyed and your hard disk        !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!! will be irreversibly reconfigured.                 !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!                                                    !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!                                                    !!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!
   !!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!!
   
   Do you wish to proceed([Y]es or [N]o)?

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7. Press Y to proceed and format the partitions.

Procedure 5.3. Set the administrator password

1. Select Configure authentication from the main configuration menu.

   Example 5.4. The Configure authentication menu

   SSH remote access is currently disabled
   
   1) Set administrator password
   2) Toggle SSH password authentication
   3) Return to the Hypervisor Configuration Menu
   Choose an option to configure:

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2. Select Set the administrator password.
3. The password prompt displays.

   Set the system administrator's (root) password:
   New UNIX password:

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   Enter the preferred password. You will be prompted to retype the password.

4. Changing password for user root.
   passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.
   storing to /config :
   /etc/shadow File persisted

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   This message indicates that the password has been set and saved to local storage.

Procedure 5.4. Optional: Configure SSH password authentication

1. Select Toggle SSH password authentication from the Configure authentication menu.

2. Enable SSH password authentication ([Y]es or [N]o)?

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   Press y to enable SSH password authentication.
3. If successful, the following message is displayed:

   SSH remote access is currently enabled.

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1. Select the Set the hostname option from the main menu.
2. Enter the hostname in the following format: anyname.domain.example.com. Where anyname is the individual name for the host on the specified domain.

   What is this Hypervisor's hostname?

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   Enter the hostname for the Hypervisor and press Enter.
3. If the hostname setting procedure is successful, this message is displayed:

   The hostname is set.

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Procedure 5.5. Resetting hostnames

1. Open the Set the hostname menu.
2. The specify a hostname prompt appears:

   What is this Hypervisor's hostname?

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   Press the Enter key without typing anything else to reset the hostname.

1. Select the Networking setup option.
2. The network devices attached to your system are listed.

3. Choose an interface or a configuration option:

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   Select the network interface which will be used to connect to the RHEV Manager. On systems with one network interface there is only eth0 to choose from.

   Important

   Wireless and logical network devices are presently unsupported.

4. Identifying the interface

   Hypervisors include a tool to assist in physically identifying which network interface was selected.

   Help identify eth0 by blinking the lights 
   for 10 seconds ([Y]es or [N]o)?

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   Press y to identify which socket eth0 is. This is useful for systems with multiple network interfaces.
   If assistance is not required, continue by pressing n.
   If the selected network interface does not support this feature, the system will display the following message:

   Blinking is not supported by your network interface.

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5. VLANs

   A prompt will be displayed asking whether to include VLAN support:

   Include VLAN support ([Y]es, [N]o or [A]bort)?

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   • If VLAN support is not required, press n.
   • To enable VLAN support, enter y.

     1. What is the VLAN ID for this device (a=abort)

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        Enter the VLAN ID number when prompted.

6. IPv4

   The IPv4 prompt appears.

   Enable IPv4 support ([S]tatic IP, [D]HCP, [N]o or [A]bort)?

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   Select DHCP or Static IP depending on your networking environment.
   • Press D to enable IPv4 support with DHCP. It is required to statically map all IP addresses for each RHEV Hypervisor on your DHCP server.
   • Alternatively, assign a static IP address by pressing S. You are then prompted for the IP address, Netmask and gateway.
   Confirm your settings.

   Is this correct ([Y]es, [N]o or [A]bort)?

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   If the settings are correct, press Y to continue.

7. DNS

   Configure DNS if using static network configuration or of your DHCP server is not assigning DNS servers.
   1. Enter the IP address of the first DNS gateway or press Enter to abort.

      Enter the first DNS server (or press the Enter key to exit):

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   2. Enter the IP address of the second DNS gateway or press Enter to skip.

      Enter the second DNS server (or press the Enter key to exit):

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   3. Confirm your settings.

      Is this correct ([Y]es, [N]o or [A]bort)?

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      Press Y if correct to continue.

8. Network Time Protocol (NTP)

   The Network Time Protocol (NTP) keeps system clocks in time with the rest of the world. NTP is crucial for some host systems with inconsistent clocks, as inaccurate timekeeping prevents Hypervisors from migrating virtual machines.

   1. Enter an NTP server:

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      Enter the IP address or hostname of an NTP server, or press Enter to abort.
   2. You will be prompted to enter additional NTP servers. Enter as many as required and press Enter on a blank line to save your selection.
9. Select Save And Return To Menu to save the configuration.
10. If the network is configured correctly, the output should be similar to Figure 5.1, “Working network configuration”.
    

    View larger image

    

    Figure 5.1. Working network configuration

• Select Register Host to RHN from the main menu.
  • To register to the public RHN system, select 1) Register to public RHN

    1. Enter RHN account username:

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       Enter your RHN account username.

    2. Enter password for RHN account:

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       Enter your RHN account password.

    3. Enter profile name for this system (optional):

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       Enter a profile name for this system. This parameter is optional. If a blank profile name is provided, the system hostname will be used by default.

    4. Enter HTTP proxy in host:port format, e.g. proxy.example.com:3128 (leave blank if not required):

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       Enter your HTTP proxy address. This parameter is optional. If a blank proxy address is provided, no proxy server will be used.
  • To register to an RHN Satellite, select 2) Register to RHN Satellite

    1. Enter URL of RHN Satellite (ie. https://satellite.example.com)

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       Enter your the URL of your RHN Satellite.

    2. Enter location of satellite cert (https://satellite.example.com/pub/RHN-ORG-TRUSTED-SSL-CERT):

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       Enter the URL of your satellite certificate, or press enter to select the default URL shown.

    3. Enter RHN account username:

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       Enter your RHN account username.

    4. Enter password for RHN account:

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       Enter your RHN account password.

    5. Enter profile name for this system (optional):

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       Enter a profile name for this system. This parameter is optional. If a blank profile name is provided, the system hostname will be used by default.

    6. Enter HTTP proxy in host:port format, e.g. proxy.example.com:3128 (leave blank if not required):

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       Enter your HTTP proxy address. This parameter is optional. If a blank proxy address is provided, no proxy server will be used.

1. Select Configure the host for RHEV from the main menu.

2. Connecting RHEV Manager

   Once the Configure the host for RHEV menu item is selected the following output displays:

   Enter the RHEV Manager's hostname or IP address.
   Optionally: append a port after the hostname or IP address
   For example, 10.0.0.1:443 or rhev.example.com:443

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   1. Enter the RHEV Manager's hostname or IP address in the specified format.
      If the RHEV Manager port is skipped the setup will use the default port, port 443. However, if a port has previously been assigned, the RHEV Hypervisor uses that port as the default instead. For example, if port 12345 was specified during a previous installation then the default port for future installations is port 12345.

      Note

      RHEV Managers use port 443 by default. If you configured another port when installing the RHEV Manager, use it instead. Once another port is specified for the RHEV Hypervisor, that port will be recorded as the new default port.
   2. If the RHEV Manager is successfully located, the following output is displayed:

      The RHEV Manager's address is set.
      The RHEV Manager's port is set.

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3. NetConsole access

   Enter the NetConsole manager's hostname or IP address.
   Optionally: append a port after the hostname or IP address
   For example, 10.0.0.1:25285 or rhev.redhat.com:25285
   If you are unsure, use the RHEV Manager's address, without a port.

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   1. Enter the NetConsole server and port. In most cases, this server is the RHEV Manager. The NetConsole port is the NetConsole port number specified during the installation of the RHEV Manager.
   2. If the NetConsole server is successfully found, the following output is displayed before being returned to the configuration menu:

      The NetConsole manager address is set.
      The NetConsole manager port is set.

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1. Select Install locally and reboot from the Hypervisor Configuration Menu.

2. This option exits the menu and requires a reboot.
   Ensure local storage and networking is configured
   correctly on the previous menu before continuing.
   
   The current kernel boot parameters are
   crashkernel=128M@16M elevator=deadline processor.max_cstate=1
   
   Enter additional kernel boot parameters (press Enter to use the present arguments):

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   Press Enter to continue.

3. Do you wish to proceed ([Y]es or [N]o)?

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   Press Y to continue.