VMWARE/LINUX INSTALLATION DEFAULT TO SAN DISK

[pasquino bocci_1]

Hi,

I installed RHES4U4 using the scripy given in 3.50, everything worked fine.
I then presented a Vdisk to the server.
When i try to reinstall the server, the installation goes on the SAN disk, even if the boot controller order on the bios is setted on the local disk.
Same problem with VMWARE ESX.
I had to modify the script, making the partitions on dev cciss0! ( no device is specified on the scripts).
is this normal? Is this a bug?
Should HP provide 2 scripts, one for local devices, the others for SAN devices (cciss0 and SDA)?
Why linux installation default to SAN disk while Windows doesn't?
Pasquino

[Gordon Leonard]

The key is "how drives are enumerated".

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/rdp/knowledgebase/00000178.html

It's odd that you got Windows to land on the local since most of the time it lands on the SAN.

[pasquino bocci_1]

Hi,

Ok.
But it happened that a customer of mine, using a vdisk from an EVA presented to 4 ESX machines (I don't know VMWARE but it seems normal to present a vdisk to more servers) got the disk formatted when trying to deply another server with ESX!!!
The fact is: should HP have to provide 2 differents scripts , one for deplying on the locakl disk (CCISS0) and one for the SAN disk (SDA0) to avoid this kind of problem?
Pasquino.

PS: happy now you're on the top? :)

[Gordon Leonard]

So what your saying is you want to hard code a SAN or Local deploy?

I believe the motivation was to make scripts as universal as possible. In RDP 1.x hp had scripts based on the model of server and OS being deployed. What would happen to your script if you try to deploy to a non existing SAN? I asked the RDP product manager why does hp boot WinPE to configure the system and array when you could do it much faster on a LinuxPE boot. The general message was tweeking and fine tunning needs to be address by others since they [hp] needs to address the masses.

[Gordon Leonard]

Oh yeah..
Being on top is good until that guy from Italy displaces me. :)

[pasquino bocci_1]

Hi,

Since there is a procedure to setup the boot from SAN environement, I wonder why you can isntall the OS on the SAN disk without setting up your server for doing it?
In others terms, why the script deosn't read the bios configuration of the server?
If I setup the server to boot locally, why rdp will ignore it?
I repeat, it's very dangerous when you have to redeploy a server or you have to re image it!
Pasquino.

PS: the guys in this forum are not very generous assigning points!!!!! I solved some tricky problems without earning points!!!! (:

[Gordon Leonard]

I think your geeting on to something.

We could parse the system config to find boot order but how would you locate the correct disk to use? Lets say I'm set to local boot and the first drive is 70GB. Lets also say I have a SAN disk also set to 70GB (so we can't simply search for size). How could we detect the correct drive in WinPE and LinuxPE?

I liked your solution to turn off all the services except the MS stuff to get the install to work. It makes me wonder what service was stopping the install. That was a 20 point trick in my book. :)

[pasquino bocci_1]

Hi gordon

the problem is not only technical.
Just imagine a customer with a big DB on the SAN disk redoploying a server!!! The Db will be destroyed!
I think it worth making 2 different scripts, 1 for local disk, the other for SAN disk.
Pasquino