DL360 G6 and booting from USB?

[David Coventry]

Does anyone know if you can boot from a USB thumbdrive on a HP DL360 G6? I have a DL360 server with no optical drive in it and I'm trying to find a way to install an OS. So far what I've found is that there is support in the BIOS for a DriveKey. I've already tried to plug in a USB DVD-ROM drive but it doesn't get recognized. I also downloaded the HP DriveKey software and tried using it but I didn't get anywhere with that and it didn't look like it was going to enable me to eventually install an OS either. I've been wondering why HP doesn't support booting from a USB drive.. or maybe its because they only offer it on some other models.. I don't know. Does anyone happen to have any ideas or something thats worked for them? I'm pretty much coming to the conclusion that I have to get an internal optical drive for this server..

Thanks in advance for any help.
Dave

[Matti_Kurkela]

If the USB DVD-ROM does not get recognized, it may be because the reset cycle of the DVD drive takes longer than the Proliant BIOS is willing to wait for. Once the OS is up and running, the DVD-ROM is detected just fine... but the problem is how to reach that point.

I once had a similar problem with a low-profile DVD drive and a p-class blade. The fix was to use an external DVD-ROM drive of a different brand. With a LG external DVD-RW (desktop-size, not low-profile), it worked just fine.

Installing Linux to a Proliant system from a 8 GB thumb drive works very well to my experience.

I'm not a Windows admin, so I don't know for sure if a Windows OS installation image can be successfully stored to a thumb drive or not; but I'd guess it's probably possible somehow.

MK

[Daniel Bowers · Accepted solution]

I know you can install Windows from a USB key by copying an .ISO image or flat files of the Windows install DVD onto a SmartStart USB key, and doing the install via SmartStart.

Here's a video of the install (start reading from the line "Today's larger USB keys...")

http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Reality-Check-Server-Insights/SmartStart-Fast-Faster-Uberfast/ba-p/80708

[Jimmy Vance]

I install OS via USB drive keys on a regular basis on the DL and BL line of ProLiant

I normally use UNetbootin to create the bootable USB drive key using .ISO images of the OS installation CD/DVD. I use UNetbootin to create the USB key for both Windows and Linux installations

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

The HP SmartStart CD and HP Firmware DVD images can be put on a USB key. Actually both can be put on the same USB drive key. The Firmware DVD contains the utility to create the USB drive key.

[David Coventry]

Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate it! I work a lot in VM's so I had to step outside and work with the physicals this time..haha Anyhow, Thanks Daniel for the recommendation of SmartStart and that URL. I was able to install SmartStart on my USB key using the utility and then just dropped my Win 2008 iso image in the root dir. All worked very well and fast too. Again many Thanks :) closing this out.

Dave

[David Coventry]

Comment on solution posted prior..