3.3 Installing an OES 2 Linux Virtual Machine

Creating an OES 2 Linux virtual machine requires you to complete the following major tasks.

3.3.1 Specifying Options for Creating an OES 2 Linux Virtual Machine

The Create Virtual Machine Wizard helps you through the steps required to create a virtual machine and install the desired operating system.

  1. Launch the Create Virtual Machine Wizard by using one of the following methods:

    • From the virtualization host server desktop, click YaST > Viritualization > Create Virtual Machine

    • From within Virtual Machine Manager, click New.

    • At the command line, enter vm-install.

    If the wizard does not appear or the vm-install command does not work, review the process of installing and starting the virtualization host server. The virtualization software might not be installed properly.

  2. After specifying that you want to create a virtual machine, click Forward.

  3. Choose between installing an operating system or using a disk or disk image that already has an installed operating system, then click Forward.

    The option to set up a virtual machine based on an existing disk or disk image is only supported if the existing disk or disk image was originally set up through the Create Virtual Machine Wizard.

  4. On the Type of Operating System page, select Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 (Linux), then click Forward.

  5. Change the settings on the Summary page to meet your configuration requirements.

    The following recommendations help you quickly set up a virtual machine running OES 2 Linux. Detailed explanations of these options are available in Virtualization: Configuration Options and Settings .

    1. On the Virtualization Method page, select Full Virtualization or Paravirtualization, then click Apply.

    2. On the Name Of Virtual Machine page, specify a name for the virtual machine in the Name field, then click Apply.

    3. On the Hardware screen:

      1. Specify the amount of initial and maximum memory for the virtual machine to consume from the available memory.

      2. Specify the number of processors that you want the virtual machine to use.

      3. Click Apply.

    4. On the Graphics page, select the type of graphic support desired, then click Apply.

    5. On the Disk page, specify the block device that you want to create the virtual device on, then click Apply. Some options include a partition, a volume, or whether it is file backed.

  6. On the Network Adapters page, view the default setting, edit the default settings, or click New and specify the setting for another network board of your choice, then click Apply.

  7. On the Operating System Installation page,

    1. Specify the URL for the network installation source.

      IMPORTANT:In this release, the Xen virtualization software does not support switching physical media during the installation; therefore, you must use a network installation source rather than physical media when installing OES 2 Linux.

    2. If you are using an AutoYaST control file to specify the settings for virtual machine operating system, specify the path to the file in the AutoYaST File field or click the Find button to the right of the field to locate the file on the local host server.

    3. If needed, use the Additional Arguments field to specify additional install or boot parameters to assist the installation.

      For example, if you wanted to specify the parameters for an IP address of 192.35.1.10, a netmask of 255.255.255.0, a gateway of 192.35.1.254 for the virtual server, and use ssh to access installation, you could enter the following parameters in the Additional Argument field:

      hostip=192.35.1.10 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.35.1.254 usessh=1 sshpassword= password

    4. Click Apply.

  8. Click OK to start the virtual machine and launch the operating system installation program.

  9. Continue with Section 3.3.2, Completing the OES 2 Linux Virtual Machine Installation.

3.3.2 Completing the OES 2 Linux Virtual Machine Installation

  1. Follow the on-screen prompts using the information contained in the following sections of the OES 2: Linux Installation Guide :

    1. Specifying the Installation Mode.

    2. Specifying the Add-On Product Installation Information.

    3. Setting Up the Clock and Time Zone.

    4. Specifying the Installation Settings for the SLES Base and OES Linux Installation.

    5. Specifying Configuration Information.

      During the configuration portion of the installation, you might see additional prompts concerning hardware detection of the network cards, DSL, PPPoE DSL, ISDN cards, and modems.

      When specifying the time source, note the following:

      • Paravirtualization: When configuring an OES 2 Linux virtual machine in the paravirtual mode, you should use a local time source by specifying the IP address of the host server because the virtual machine always synchronizes its time with the host’s time source.

        For servers joining a tree, the installation will not let you proceed if you select the Use Local Clock option. Instead, specify the IP address of the host server when specifying the time source.

        The host computer should be configured to use a reliable, external time source.

      • Full Virtualization: When configuring an OES 2 Linux virtual machine in the full virtualization mode, you should use a NTP time source because the virtual machine does not synchronize its clock time with the host computer.

      For more information on this configuration issue, see Synchronizing Virtual Machine Clock Time in the Virtualization: Configuration Options and Settings guide.

    6. Finishing the Installation.

      During the hardware configuration, graphics and sound cards are not recognized when installing OES 2 Linux as a virtual machine.

  2. Complete the server setup by following the procedures in Completing Installation or Upgrade Tasks on OES 2 Linux in the OES 2: Linux Installation Guide .