Centos 7 as master OS on Microserver G8. FAQ.

[Tmorfuss 5]

CentOS 7 is a clone of Red Hat EL7. Without commercial components of Red Hat.

Good and cheap choice for general purpose SOHO server.

 

There are two ways of installation as master OS, not in VM.

a) use AHCI and software RAID of Linux (md) and listen noise of cooler forever.

use b120i para-RAID. Temperature sensors workig well, less CPU utilization during i/o (not confirmed, opinion).

 

 

a) - mount ISO throw ILO Remote console (if ILO not full - obtain 60-days license from HP for free, or get it forever for money, it cheap)

  Install normally.

 

 

0. Bring up ACU and configure RAID. You can add SSD for system and place it in ODD bay. 

   You need SSD, SATA data cable, Molex->SATA power connector, Molex Y-connector. Molex power connector placed under ODD bay, you can access it.

   Setup SSD volume in ACU (Set it as RAID0, Bootable)

1. Mount Centos ISO throw ILO

2. Place b120i .DD image (fore RHEL 7) to local computer, rename it to .IMG

3. Mount as "floppy" image in ILO

4. Boot-up to Centos setup tool

5. Press escape, add parameters: linux modprobe.blacklist=ahci inst.dd

6. select HP driver. Check (see menu) and go ahead 

In Centos installation menu you should see RAID volumes. NOT AHCI devices! If you see separate drives - go to 1.

 

Process installation process normally. There are a lot of types of installation, but no Microserver specific.

Don't forget add swap space. M.b. you don't use it, but it must be exist. Let it be.

If you don't plan to extend memory to 8-16G, place swap to SSD and HDD.

If you want use server for torrents, btsync, developing (many pieces of files added and removed), don't swich from XFS filesystem, because XFS can fight fragmentation on-line and performance not degraded after a year or two

Make coffe, but try to not smoke, because now, it prohibed in Russia almost everywhere...

 

After install:

1. Work-arount x2apic bug. In G8 servers ity works normally, but BIOS reports "not"

add  intremap=no_x2apic_optout to /etc/defaults/grub, to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX. Remake GRUB2 config normally.

 

2. If you are use SSD, check are /tmp mounted to RAM.

mount | grep tmpfs

if not - boot with the "single" option, clean up /tmp and invoke "systemctl enable tmp.mount"

Select server role in "tuned" (no HP specific), "yum upgrade" and enjoy.

 

Or tune-up something else:

 

3. install what are you want. Plex, transmission-daemon, samba, etc. 

My (you can do, or not) recomendation, place Transmission-daemon and other internet-connected services to virtual machine. (KVM is part of CentOS)

Allow VM to see only needed data.

Opinion: Use Samba imstead of NFS, because it performs better and make less load to CPU (i already hated by red-eyed persons with adenoids)

 

If torrents runned, better to add defragmentation in cron. Normally, no HP-specific

For RH/Centos you cam swich on autoupdates, RH7 - commercial system, without unstable fixes.

 install yum-cron package and setup it.

 

[Royco 15]

Nice addition Thanks.

[Simon_ 0]

Where can I get b120i .DD image?

[Tmorfuss 5]

1. Placed on virtual drive (if enabled in BIOS) 

2. From HP site

3. In SUP

[Simon_ 0]

1. Placed on virtual drive (if enabled in BIOS) 

2. From HP site

3. In SUP

I can not find a version for RHEL 7 - Do you have a link?

 

What is SUP?

[Royco 15]

You'll need this driver from the hp website:

 

I'm not sure if copying the URL will work:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5293150&swItemId=MTX_841ec4bdf9a34e64b2b911c85d&swEnvOid=4176#tab3

[Simon_ 0]

You'll need this driver from the hp website:

[iMAGE]

 

I'm not sure if copying the URL will work:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5293150&swItemId=MTX_841ec4bdf9a34e64b2b911c85d&swEnvOid=4176#tab3

 

 

Thank you for your help  I am a very notice user 

 

How does CentOS know how to load the drivers from the floppy form this command? linux modprobe.blacklist=ahci inst.dd

 

The file is .rpm not .dd :/

Edited March 3, 2015 by Simon_

[Royco 15]

Yep, this is an RPM. I'll check and see where I got the driver disk image. I look at home.

Check this out:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c03326739

 

 

 

For older model:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c03249896

Location of DUD:

 

http://downloads.linux.hp.com/SDR/repo/spp/rhel/7/x86_64/2014.06.0_supspp_rhel7.0_x86_64/hpvsa-1.2.10-120.rhel7u0.x86_64.dd.gz

[Simon_ 0]

Thank you.

What is the difference between DUD and DD?

[Royco 15]

DUD = Driver Update Diskette. The name HP gave to the disk image file with the HPVSA driver on it.

DD = is a unix disk copying utility. So the file is a disk image (.dd) made with dd. You can use the windows version of dd to copy it a usb disk.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Royco