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Installing the Solaris 10 10/08 OS on Dell PowerEdge M805/M905 Blade Servers

Doug North, January 2009

To install the Solaris 10 10/08 Operating System on a Dell PowerEdge M805 or M905 server, use one of the following methods:

• Create a custom net install image and then use the install image. (See the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)/JumpStart Install procedure.)
• Perform a manual install using either an external USB DVD drive or a Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) virtual CD/DVD with no network connection. (See the Manual DVD/DRAC Install procedure.)

These two Dell servers come with the Broadcom NetXtreme II 5709 Gigabit Ethernet NIC, which is not currently supported in the Solaris 10 10/08 OS.

In the following procedures, these abbreviations are used:

• <media_path> stands for the path to the install media.
• <package_path> stands for the path to the package.
• <temp_path> stands for the temporary destination path in which you unpack the mini root.

Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)/JumpStart Install

1. Download the Solaris GLDv3 driver (version 4.4.3 or higher) from the Broadcom web page.

2. Extract the files to the <package_path> directory.

3. Load the install media to your net install server. (Refer to these directions for creating a net install server.)

a. Unpack the media to a temporary location:

/boot/solaris/bin/root_archive unpackmedia <media_path> <temp_path>

b. Add the driver package to the unpacked mini root:

pkgrm -R <temp_path> BRCMbnx

The previous command removes the existing bnx driver.

pkgadd -R <temp_path> -d <package_path> BRCMbnx

The previous command adds the new driver to the unpacked mini root.

c. Repack the mini root:

/boot/solaris/bin/root_archive packmedia <media_path> <temp_path>

d. Edit the finish script by adding the following lines. In order to do a hands-free install, you need to set up an administration file, as explained in Preventing User Interaction When Installing or Upgrading.

pkgrm -R /a BRCMbnx
pkgadd -R /a -d <package_path> BRCMbnx

4. Perform a PXE/JumpStart install on this client using the newly created install image.

Manual DVD/DRAC Install

1. Insert the DVD into a USB DVD drive, or load the ISO file using the DRAC virtual CD/DVD.

2. Do a regular manual install, but be sure to choose non-networked install.

3. When you have completed the install and the system has rebooted, do the following:

a. Download the Solaris GLDv3 driver (version 4.4.3 or higher) from the Broadcom web page.

b. Extract the files to the <package_path> directory.

c. Remove the current bnx driver that is installed by default, and add the new driver:

pkgrm BRCMbnx
pkgadd -d <package_path> BRCMbnx

4. At this point, you can configure the network by hand, as explained in Network Configuration on the Solaris Platform, or you can use sys-unconfig, as explained in the sys-unconfig man page.

For More Information

Here are some additional resources:

• BigAdmin resources, such as:
  • Resources for the Solaris OS on Dell Hardware for system administrators
  • Hardware Compatibility Lists for Solaris OS
  • Hardware Resource Collection
  • Solaris 10 Resource Collection
• Dell resources, such as:
  • Dell PowerEdge Blade Servers web page
  • Dell's Solaris Solutions web page
  • Solaris on PowerEdge Servers Wiki
• Sun download site
• Sun training courses at http://www.sun.com/training/, for example:
  • Advanced Installation Procedures on x64/x86-Based Systems (WS-2035-S10)
  • Intermediate System Administration for the Solaris 10 Operating System on x86-Based Systems (SA-201-S10)
• Forums, such as Sun forums and the BigAdmin Discussions collection
• Product documentation at the Documentation Center and http://docs.sun.com, such as Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Network-Based Installations and the root_archive(1M) man page
• Sun wikis, such as:
  • Sun BluePrints wiki
  • BigAdmin wiki, for example, the Servers page and the Operating System page
• Support:
  • Sun resources:
    • Register your Sun gear
    • Services
    • SunSolve Online
  • Community system administration experts
• Events of interest to users of Sun products:
  • Worldwide Developer Events and Sun Tech Days
  • Current Events

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