IBM X3850 X6 User Manual

Chapter 6. Operating system installation 197
6.5 Booting from SAN
Boot from SAN (or SAN Boot) is a technique used when the node in the chassis has no local
disk drives. It uses an external storage system LUN to boot the operating system. Both the
operating system and data are on the SAN. This technique is commonly used to provide
higher availability and better utilization of the systems storage (where the operating system
is). Hot spare Nodes or “Rip-n-Replace” techniques can also be easily implemented by using
boot from SAN.
To successfully implement SAN Boot, the following conditions need to be met:
򐂰 Storage system supports SAN Boot.
򐂰 Operating system supports SAN Boot.
򐂰 FC HBAs, or iSCSI initiators support SAN Boot.
Here are some useful guidelines for booting from SAN:
򐂰 Check if UEFI recognizes the adapter. Select UEFI  System Settings  Adapters and
UEFI Drivers. The Adapters and UEFI Drivers panel displays, as shown in Figure 6-19.
You need to see Card - HBA. If not, reflash the UEFI, IMM, and Firmware of the HBA and
check again.
Figure 6-19 Adapters visible in UEFI
򐂰 If you do not have internal drives, disable the onboard SAS RAID Controller by selecting
System Settings  Devices and IO ports  Enable/Disable Onboard Devices and
disabling the SAS Controller or Planar SAS.
򐂰 Set the HBA as the first device in the Option ROM Execution Order by selecting System
Settings  Devices and IO Ports  Set Option ROM Execution Order.
򐂰 For legacy operating systems only that do not support UEFI, set Legacy Only as the first
boot device.
򐂰 Remove all devices, which might not host an OS, from the boot order. The optimal
minimum configuration is CD/DVD and Hard Disk 0. For legacy operating systems only,
set Legacy Only as the first boot device.
򐂰 Enable the BIOS from your HBA.
򐂰 Verify that your HBA can see a logical unit number (LUN) from your storage.
򐂰 For Microsoft Windows installations, make sure that the LUN is accessible through only
one path, either Zoning or LUN masking.
򐂰 After installation, remember to install the multipath driver
before you set more than one
path, if you have more than one path to the LUN.

IBM X3850 X6 Specifications

General

Chipset	Intel C602J
Network Controller	Integrated quad-port Gigabit Ethernet
Processor	Up to four Intel Xeon E7-4800 v2 series processors or Intel Xeon E7-8800 v2 series processors
Memory	Up to 6 TB of DDR3 ECC Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) or Load-Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs)
Form Factor	4U rack server
Storage	Up to 24x 2.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA HDDs or SSDs
Expansion Slots	Up to 11 PCIe 3.0 slots
Power Supply	Up to four 1400W or 900W hot-swap power supplies
Memory Type	DDR3 RDIMM/LRDIMM
Storage Controller	ServeRAID M5210 SAS/SATA controller
RAID Support	RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60
Operating System Support	Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, VMware

Summary

Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1 Target workloads

Overview of workloads supported by IBM X6 servers, focusing on databases, analytics, and enterprise applications.

1.2 Key features

Highlights the advantages of IBM X6 server technology including performance, agility, and resilience.

1.5 Flash storage

Chapter 2. Technology

2.1 Modular design

Explains the modular 'bookshelf' design of X6 servers, including Compute, Storage, and I/O Books.

2.2 System architecture

Details the overall architecture of x3850 X6 and x3950 X6 servers, including processor interconnects.

2.3 Processors

Discusses the Intel Xeon E7-4800/8800 v2 processors and their features.

2.4 Memory

Covers DDR3 memory options, modes, mirroring, sparing, and Chipkill.

2.6 Internal storage

2.8 Integrated Management Module

Details the IMM2 service processor for remote server management and monitoring.

2.9 Scalability

Chapter 3. Product information

3.1 Product features

Describes the key features and capabilities of IBM X6 servers.

3.2 Specifications

Lists the standard specifications for x3850 X6 and x3950 X6 servers.

3.3 Standard models of X6 servers

3.4 Physical design

3.5 Ports and controls

3.6 Compute Book

Details the design and components of the Compute Book, the core modular element.

3.7 Processor options

Lists available Intel Xeon processor options for X6 servers.

3.8 Memory

3.9 IBM eXFlash memory-channel storage

3.10 Storage subsystem

3.11 I/O subsystem

3.12 Primary I/O Book

3.13 Half-length I/O Books and Full-length I/O Books

3.14 Hot-swap adapter support

3.18 Partitioning

3.19 Standard onboard features

3.21 Hot-swap capabilities

3.22 Power subsystem

3.24 Upgrading to an 8-socket X6 server

Chapter 4. Infrastructure planning

4.1 Physical and electrical specifications

Lists physical, electrical, and environmental specifications for X6 servers.

4.2 Rack selection and rack options

4.5 Power advice

Provides considerations for power subsystem planning and distribution.

4.6 Cooling advice

4.8 PDU and line cord selection

Chapter 5. Preparing the hardware

5.1 Configuring the IMM2 settings

Guides on configuring IMM2 settings for server management and troubleshooting.

5.2 UEFI settings for performance

Details UEFI settings for tuning system performance and operating modes.

5.3 UEFI common settings

5.4 PCIe adapter placement advice

5.5 Hot-swap procedures

Explains how to hot-swap components like power supplies and I/O Books.

5.6 Partitioning the x3950 X6

5.7 Updating firmware

Guides on updating system firmware using UpdateXpress, BoMC, and IMM.

5.8 Troubleshooting

Overview of tools and considerations for problem resolution and extended outages.

Chapter 6. Operating system installation

6.1 Installing without a local optical drive

Explains methods for OS installation using IMM, USB port, or PXE.

6.2 IBM ServerGuide

6.3 IBM ServerGuide Scripting Toolkit

Chapter 7. Management

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Integrated Management Module II (IMM2)

Explains the features and configuration of the IMM2 for server management.

7.3 Remote control

Details how to use the IMM2 remote control feature for server access.

7.4 IBM Systems Director

7.6 Advanced Settings Utility

7.7 MegaRAID Storage Manager