Performing a Full System Software Installation

Overview

Before starting the system software installation, download the Windows ISO image. This ISO image is used for the following editions of Windows Server:

• Windows Server 2022 (x64) Standard Edition

• Windows Server 2022 (x64) Datacenter Edition

The Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity key that you enter during or after the installation determines your edition of Windows Server.

To download a Windows Server ISO image

1. From a remote Windows system, click the following link to access the Stratus Customer Service Portal:

   https://www.stratus.com/support

2. Scroll down and click Log-in to the Stratus Service Portal, click Login, enter your credentials, and click Sign In.

3. On the Welcome to Customer Service page, click Software Downloads.

4. On the Software Downloads page, select your product, operating system, and model. For example, if you want to download the ISO image for a ztC Endurance 3100, 5100, or 7100 system running Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange for Windows, select the following values:

   1. Under Product, select ztC Endurance.

   2. Under Operating System, select Windows.

   3. Under Model, select 3100, 5100, 7100.

   ztC Endurance - Windows Downloads is displayed.

5. Click WINServerISO.

6. Click Windows Server 2022 OEM ISO English-US to download the ISO image.

7. After the download completes, use Windows commands to copy the Windows ISO image to an NTFS-formatted USB storage device. This device is not intended to be bootable.

The following procedure describes how to power on and log on to the system.

To power on the system and log on

1. If the ztC Endurance system is already powered on, go to step 2.

   If the ztC Endurance system is not already powered on:

   1. Turn on the monitor(s).

   2. Press the power button on the control-panel ear of the system.

2. Use the keyboard connected to compute module B to log on to the Standby OS as the zenadmin user with the default password zenadmin (or other credentials, if provided).

Optionally (but recommended), perform the procedure described in Preparing the Installation Configuration File to create an installation configuration file, zen_config.yaml, that contains the configuration settings that you gathered earlier in Gathering Information. If you use this file as input to the BMC configuration script (bmc_config.sh), software installation script (install.sh), or network configuration script (net_config.sh), you do not need to manually enter the configuration settings while those scripts run.

If you do not create the installation configuration file, be prepared to manually enter the information from Gathering Information when running the BMC configuration script, software installation script, or network configuration script.

The following procedure describes how to use a USB storage device to transfer the Windows ISO image to the ztC Endurance system.

To transfer the Windows ISO image to the ztC Endurance system

1. Mount a USB storage device in the Standby OS on compute module B:

   1. Using the keyboard connected to compute module B, log on to the Standby OS as the zenadmin user with the default password zenadmin (or other credentials, if provided).

   2. Connect the USB storage device to one of the USB 3.0 ports on compute module B. To locate the USB 3.0 ports, see Location of VGA and USB Ports.

      Notice: Do not connect the USB storage device to the USB 2.0 port on the control-panel ear A module located at the front right of the ztC Endurance system. It houses a USB 2.0 port, power button for the ztC Endurance system, and LEDs that indicate system power status (PWR), fault conditions (ATTN), and module identification status (UID)..

   3. Run the lsblk command to determine the Linux device name (in the format sdxx) for the USB storage device. In the following example, the output fragment shows that the USB storage device containing the Windows ISO was assigned the device ID of /dev/sde1.

      $ lsblk
      .
      .
      sde		8.64	1  14.6G  0  disk
      |__sde1	8:65	1  14.6G  0  part    <--- USB device ID

   4. Create a directory as a mount point, and mount the USB storage device.

      Note: To use privileged commands in the zenadmin account, you need to add the sudo directive.

      $ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb
      $ sudo mount /dev/sde1 /mnt/usb

   5. List the contents of the USB storage device to confirm that the Windows ISO is present. For example:

      $ ls /mnt/usb
      en-us_windows_server_2022_updated_nov_2024_x64_dvd_19a258ed.iso

2. Copy the Windows ISO file to the Standby OS on compute module B:

   1. Copy the Windows ISO into the /opt/stratus/install directory on the Standby OS.

      $ sudo cp /mnt/usb/en-us_windows_server_2022_updated_nov_2024_x64_dvd_19a258ed.iso /opt/stratus/install
      

   2. Confirm that the ISO is present in that directory. (Note that the following example shows only the Windows ISO file, although the directory contains other files.)

      $ ls /opt/stratus/install
      en-us_windows_server_2022_updated_nov_2024_x64_dvd_19a258ed.iso 

   3. Unmount the USB storage device so that you can safely disconnect it from the compute module.

      $ sudo umount /mnt/usb

Overview

Run the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) configuration script, bmc_config.sh, as described in To configure the BMC network settings. Running the BMC configuration script configures the network settings for the BMCs in the ztC Endurance system. You can also configure the BMC network settings in the system BIOS configuration utility, but the BMC configuration script simplifies the changes and allows you to change the configuration on a running system.

The BMC configuration script is located in /opt/stratus/bin/bmc_config.sh.

BMC configuration script usage:

Usage : bmc_config.sh {options}

Options:
-h            prints this menu
-u url        url with ISO image location
-f filename   path to ISO image
-y filename   path to configuration yaml file

Run the BMC configuration script with the installation configuration file (zen_config.yaml) to avoid manually entering the configuration settings when running the script.

To configure the BMC network settings

1. Start the BMC configuration script by running one of the following commands:

   Note: To use privileged commands in the zenadmin account, you need to add the sudo directive.

   • If you created the installation configuration file: sudo /opt/stratus/bin/bmc_config.sh -y /opt/stratus/install/zen_config.yaml

     (In the preceding command, if you installed zen_config.yaml in a different directory, specify that directory instead.)

   • If you did not create the installation configuration file and want to respond to prompts for each setting: sudo /opt/stratus/bin/bmc_config.sh {options}

2. The BMC configuration script loads any existing settings from the installation configuration file and begins prompting for input.

   Note: If you already entered the settings into the installation configuration file, the BMC configuration script prompts only for the settings you have not entered.

3. Type the BMC Web console admin password and press Enter to continue.

4. The BMC configuration script prompts for the BMC configuration settings. Type new values for the settings you need to change and press Enter to continue. To accept an existing value, leave the field blank and press Enter. Repeat until the script displays Confirm input.

5. The BMC configuration script displays a summary of the settings you entered and prompts you to apply the settings or prompt for each setting again to make any corrections. Do one of the following:

   • To accept the settings that you entered and apply them to the BMCs, type y and press Enter.

   • To display each prompt again with passwords hidden, type n and press Enter. For each prompt, type any changes and press Enter to continue.

   • To display each prompt again with passwords in clear text, type unhide. For each prompt, type any changes and press Enter to continue.

6. The BMC configuration script begins to implement the BMC settings that you specified, and then exits.

7. View the output to confirm that the BMC configuration script completed successfully.

Overview

After running the BMC configuration script, run the software installation script, install.sh, as described in To install Windows and Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange. Running the software installation script automatically:

• Installs Windows

• Installs Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange components

• Mirrors the pair of system disks

• Mirrors any additional disk pairs in the system, if present

The software installation script is located in /opt/stratus/bin/install.sh.

Software installation script usage:

Usage : install.sh {options}
Options:
-h            prints this menu
-u url        url with AUL-SE installer image location
-f filename   path to AUL-SE installer ISO image
-y filename   path to configuration yaml file

Run the software installation script with the installation configuration file (zen_config.yaml) to avoid manually entering the configuration settings when running the script.

If you exit out of the software installation script before completing the installation process, the system automatically saves a copy of your latest configuration entries in a configuration file with a time-stamped file name in the /opt/stratus/install directory.

The software installation takes approximately 60 minutes.

To install Windows and Automated Uptime Layer with Smart Exchange

1. Start the software installation script by running the following command:

   sudo /opt/stratus/bin/install.sh -y /opt/stratus/install/zen_config.yaml

   (In the preceding command, if you installed zen_config.yaml in a different directory, specify that directory instead.)

   The software installation script loads any existing settings from the installation configuration file and begins prompting for input.

2. Read the ztC Endurance EULA. To accept the terms and continue, type y and Enter to continue.

3. Read the ztC Endurance Service Terms and Conditions. To accept the terms and continue, type y and Enter.

4. The software installation script runs. If you already entered the settings into the installation configuration file, the installation script prompts only for the settings you have not entered. For any settings that you need to enter, see the settings you gathered in Gathering Information.

   1. When prompted to configure the BMC network interfaces:

      • If you have already run bmc_config.sh, type n , and press Enter.

      • If you have not already run bmc_config.sh, type y to configure the interfaces now or n to configure them later, and press Enter.

        Note: If you are connected to the console of the compute module through the BMC Web console, you will lose your connection if you change the BMC network settings. If applicable, consider configuring the BMC network settings at a later time as described in V. Configure BMC Network Settings or Updating Network IP Configuration Settings.

   2. Type the new BMC Web console admin password, the ztC Endurance Management zenadmin password, and the Windows Administrator password. Type each password and press Enter to continue.

   3. If you chose to configure the BMC network interfaces now, type the BMC hostnames. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.

   4. Type the BMC network protocol, dhcp or static, and press Enter.

   5. If you selected dhcp, skip to the next step; otherwise, if you selected static, type the four BMC IP addresses. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.

   6. Type the Standby hostnames for each compute module. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.

   7. Type the Standby network protocol, dhcp or static, and press Enter.

   8. If you selected dhcp, skip to the next step; otherwise, if you selected static, type the four Standby IP addresses and name server, if applicable. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.

   9. Type the Windows hostname and press Enter.

   10. Type the Windows network protocol, dhcp or static, and press Enter.

   11. If you selected dhcp, skip to the next step; otherwise, if you selected static, type the Windows IP address, gateway, netmask, and name server, if applicable. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.
       

       Notice: You cannot set an IPv6 address or gateway during installation. If you want your system to support IPv6 addresses or gateways after installation, run the net_config.sh script as described in Updating Network IP Configuration Settings. In net_config.sh, IPv6 can be used for the primary Windows interface but cannot be used for the Windows Management Network.

   12. Type the Windows type, standard or datacenter, and press Enter.

   13. Type the file path or URL to the Windows ISO and press Enter. For example, if you copied the Windows ISO to the Standby OS as described earlier in this procedure, the file path would be similar to:

       /path/en-us_windows_server_2022_updated_nov_2024_x64_dvd_19a258ed.iso.

   14. Type the Windows management network protocol, dhcp or static, and press Enter.

   15. If you selected dhcp, skip to the next step; otherwise, if you selected static, type both Windows management IP addresses. Type each entry and press Enter to continue.

   16. Choose if you want to enable Support Notifications over the ASN. Type y or n and press Enter.

       Activating Support Notifications over the ASN allows the ztC Endurance system to send health and status notifications to Stratus Customer Service over a secure Internet connection.

   17. Type the asset ID to your system, which you wrote down earlier while installing the system hardware. (See Installing the System in a Cabinet if you need more information.) Press Enter.

5. The software installation script displays a summary of the settings you entered and prompts you to begin the installation or prompt for each setting again to make any corrections. Do one of the following:

   • To accept the settings that you entered and begin the installation, type y and press Enter. The installation begins immediately.

   • To display each prompt again with passwords hidden, type n and press Enter. For each prompt, type any changes and press Enter to continue.

   • To display each prompt again with passwords in clear text, type u or unhide. For each prompt, type any changes and press Enter to continue.

6. After you confirm your input, the software installation script begins to implement the settings that you specified and verify that all system components are ready and properly configured for installation.

7. Read the Windows EULA. To accept the terms and continue, type y and Enter.

   After you accept the Windows EULA, the software installation script continues the implementation and verification process.

8. When prompted to continue installing Windows, type y and Enter to proceed.

9. The software installation script automatically installs Windows and begins configuring the system software. The script reboots compute module A up to four times while it completes the configuration steps, begins mirroring the pair of system disks, and then mirrors any other pairs of data disks in the system.

   Notes:  

   1. The ztC Endurance system reboots when the progress bar reaches 100 percent. After the system boots, it shows that Windows is finalizing settings and then reboots again. During this second reboot:

      • The system displays the KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED error message but does not freeze. No action is needed. The error is harmless and does not affect other parts of the installation.

      • The system may freeze for 10-15 seconds while displaying the KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED error message. No action is needed.

      • The system may freeze while displaying the No Signal error message, and it loses connection to the BMC Web console. If this occurs, power off compute module A from the BMC Web console and then power it back on to continue the installation. The installation will then continue without intervention. The error is otherwise harmless and does not affect other parts of the installation.

   2. If you see the message Please monitor your Windows host. You will need to login manually after the reboot for the installation to complete., you can disregard it until after you see the Installation completed successfully. message.

10. Upon successful installation of the system, the software installation script displays the current system settings as well as the two IP addresses for the ztC Endurance console​ and the single IP address for the Windows host. If you have not already done so, make note of these settings now to ensure that you have this information.

    The software installation script also displays the Installation completed successfully. message.