Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 SP1 - ARCHITECTURE-SPECIFIC INFORMATION... Manuel
SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server
www.novell.com10 SP1
March15,2007 Architecture-Specific Information
Architecture-Specic Information
All content is copyright © Novell, Inc.
Legal Notice
This manual is protected under Novell intellectual property rights. By reproducing, duplicating or
distributing this manual you explicitly agree to conform to the terms and conditions of this license
agreement.
This manual may be freely reproduced, duplicated and distributed either as such or as part of a bundled
package in electronic and/or printed format, provided however that the following conditions are ful-
lled:
That this copyright notice and the names of authors and contributors appear clearly and distinctively
on all reproduced, duplicated and distributed copies. That this manual, specically for the printed
format, is reproduced and/or distributed for noncommercial use only. The express authorization of
Novell, Inc must be obtained prior to any other use of any manual or part thereof.
For Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list http://www.novell
.com/company/legal/trademarks/tmlist.html. * Linux is a registered trademark of
Linus Torvalds. All other third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. A trademark
symbol (®, ™ etc.) denotes a Novell trademark; an asterisk (*) denotes a third party trademark.
All information found in this book has been compiled with utmost attention to detail. However, this
does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither Novell, Inc., SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, the authors,
nor the translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.
Contents
Introduction v
1System Requirements for Operating Linux 1
1.1 Hardwareforx86......................... 1
1.2 Hardware for Itanium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Hardware for AMD64 and Intel 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2Controlling the Installation 5
2.1 Installation on the Computer Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Installation Using a Serial Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3 Installation with SSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4 Installation over VNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.5 Installation with AutoYaST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3Boot and Installation Media 9
3.1 BootMedia............................ 9
3.2 InstallationMedia......................... 10
4Dealing with Boot and Installation Problems 11
4.1 ProblemsBooting......................... 11
4.2 Problems Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.3 Redirecting the Boot Source to the Boot CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introduction
This manual describes the steps necessary to prepare for the installation of SUSE®
Linux Enterprise Server on x86, AMD64, Intel 64, and Itanium computers. It introduces
the steps required to prepare for various installation methods and provides useful infor-
mation. Chapters of the Reference manual are referenced where applicable. The list of
hardware requirements provides an overview of supported systems supported by SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server. Find information about available installation methods and
several common known problems. Also learn how to control the installation, provide
installation media, and boot with regular methods.
1 Required Background
To keep the scope of these guidelines manageable, certain technical assumptions have
been made. It is assumed that:
•You have some computer experience and are familiar with common technical terms.
• You are familiar with the documentation for your system and the network on which
it runs.
• You have a basic understanding of Linux systems.
2 Documentation Conventions
The following typographical conventions are used in this manual:
•/etc/passwd: lenames and directory names
•placeholder: replace placeholder with the actual value
•PATH: the environment variable PATH
•ls,--help: commands, options, and parameters
•user: users or groups
•Alt,Alt +F1: a key to press or a key combination; keys are shown in uppercase as
on a keyboard
•File,File >Save As: menu items, buttons
•►amd64 ipf: This paragraph is only relevant for the specied architectures. The
arrows mark the beginning and the end of the text block.◄
•Dancing Penguins (Chapter Penguins, ↑Another Manual): This is a reference to a
chapter in another manual.
3 Acknowledgments
The Linux operating system has developed over a period of several years from a one-
man show of the inventor, Linus Torvalds, into a fantastic project to which countless
developers from all over the world have contributed. Thanks are due to everyone who
has helped make this project a success.
vi Architecture-Specic Information
1
System Requirements for
Operating Linux
The SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server operating system can be operated on a wide range
of hardware. It is impossible to list all the different combinations of hardware SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server supports. However, to provide you with a guide to help you
during the planning phase, the minimum requirements are presented here.
If you want to be sure that a given computer conguration will work, nd out which
computers have been certied by SUSE. Find a list of these computers at http://
developer.novell.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.
1.1 Hardware for x86
Computers based on x86 constitute a cost-effective way of building high-performance
systems. The preconditions to operating SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on this platform
are as follows:
CPU
The number of CPUs supported depends on the kernel used. Specically, these are
as follows:
Table 1.1 CPUs Supported by the Kernel
Maximum Number
of CPUs
Oldest CPU TypeKernel
1PentiumPro, Athlonkernel-default
System Requirements for Operating Linux 1
Maximum Number
of CPUs
Oldest CPU TypeKernel
32PentiumPro, Athlon MPkernel-smp
128Pentium II, Athlon XPkernel-bigsmp
Memory Requirements
A minimum of 512 MB is required. The minimum recommended memory is 1 GB.
For a multiprocessor system, 256 MB per processor is required. Systems with less
than 1 GB main memory need additional swap space that extends the virtual
memory to 1 GB.
Hard Disk Requirements
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation. Commonly, you need
more space than the installation software itself needs to have a system that works
properly. Minimal requirements for different selections are:
Hard Disk RequirementsSystem
1.2 GBMinimal X Window System
3.2 GBGNOME Desktop
2.7 GBKDE Desktop
7 GBAll patterns
Boot Methods
The computer can be booted from CD, USB hard drive, oppy, or the network. A
special boot server is required to boot over the network. This boot server can be
congured with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. To use USB hard drives, the BIOS
or rmware must support booting from USB devices. Create an bootable USB hard
drive with mkbootdisk, which is found on the rst installation CD in the direc-
tory /boot/i386/ or /boot/x86_64. For more information, read the docu-
mentation in the /boot directory.
2Architecture-Specic Information
1.2 Hardware for Itanium
The Itanium architecture is 64-bit and allows operation of large servers.
CPU
Itanium II (older Itanium CPUs are no longer supported). Dual core CPUs and
hyperthreading are also supported.
Maximum Number of CPUs
At most, 1024 CPUs are supported. For the calculation of the CPU count, a dual-
core CPU counts as two CPUs and a hyperthreaded CPU with two siblings also
counts as two CPUs. 1024 CPUs could mean 512 dual cores, 512 single cores with
hyperthreading, or 256 dual cores with hyperthreading.
Memory
A minimum of 1GB RAM per CPU socket is required.
Hard Disk Requirements
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation selected. Commonly, you
need more space than the installed software itself needs to have a system that works
properly. Minimal requirements for different selections are:
Hard Disk RequirementsSystem
4 GBMinimal System
10 GBRecommended
Boot Methods
Options for booting the computer depend on the available hardware. All boot
methods available to the machine should work. A special boot server is required
to use PXE boot over the network. This may also be set up with SUSE Linux En-
terprise Server.
System Requirements for Operating Linux 3
1.3 Hardware for AMD64 and Intel 64
The AMD64 and Intel 64 architectures support the simple migration of x86 software
to 64 bits. Like the x86 architecture, they constitute a value-for-money alternative.
CPU
All CPUs available on the market to date are supported. This includes dual-core
CPUs.
Maximum Number of CPUs
The maximum number of CPUs supported by AMD64 and Intel 64 is 128.
Memory Requirements
A minimum of 512 MB of memory is required. Requirements depend on the appli-
cation. However, the minimum recommended is 1024 MB or 512 MB per CPU on
multiprocessor computers. The theoretical upper limit on the amount of memory
supported by the kernel is 512 GB.
Hard Disk Requirements
The disk requirements depend largely on the installation selected. The required
space for this architecture is similar to x86 but you should plan some space for
compatibility libraries. Minimum requirements for different selections are:
Hard Disk RequirementsSystem
1.4 GBMinimal X Window System
3.5 GBGNOME Desktop
3 GBKDE Desktop
8.5 GBAll patterns
Boot Methods
The computer can be booted from CD or network. A special boot server is required
to boot over the network. This can be set up with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
4Architecture-Specic Information
Ce manuel convient aux modèles suivants
1
Table des matières
Autres manuels Novell Logiciel
Novell
Novell GROUPWISE 7 - SECURITY POLICIES Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 STORAGE Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell PLATESPIN ORCHESTRATE 2.0.2 - VIRTUAL MACHINE MANAGEMENT GUIDE... Manuel de programmation
Novell
Novell ZENWORKS 10 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT SP3 - NETWORK DISCOVERY DATABASE... Guide rapide
Novell
Novell SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE DESKTOP 11 SP1 - 8-18-2010 VIRTUALIZATION WITH... Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell OPEN ENTERPRISE SERVER - CONVERSION GUIDE... Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE DESKTOP 11 - ADMINISTRATION GUIDE... Guide de référence rapide
Novell
Novell SERVICE DESK - INSTALLATION V6.1 Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE DESKTOP 11 - ADMINISTRATION GUIDE... Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell IDENTITY AUDIT 1.0 - GUIDE Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell CUSTOMER CENTER 2.3 - GUIDE 4-8-2009 Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell GROUPWISE 7 - SECURITY POLICIES Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE DESKTOP 10 - IPRINT CLIENT Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell EDIRECTORY 8.8 - GUIDE 09-2006 Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 STORAGE Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell IDENTITY MANAGER 3.6.1 - JOBS GUIDE Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell GROUPWISE 7 - SECURITY POLICIES Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 10 - STORAGE ADMINISTRATION GUIDE FOR... Mode d’emploi
Novell
Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE REAL TIME 10 SP1 Manuel utilisateur
Novell
Novell PLATESPIN PORTABILITY SUITE 8.1 Manuel utilisateur
Manuels Logiciel populaires d'autres marques
Canon
Canon Vixia HF21 Manuel utilisateur
Canon
Canon ZR950 Manuel utilisateur
Samsung
Samsung Auto Backup Manuel utilisateur
Polycom
Polycom Vortex EF2201 Instructions d'installation et d'utilisation
Brocade Communications Systems
Brocade Communications Systems Brocade 8/12c Manuel utilisateur
Lexmark
Lexmark Apps Manuel de service