Typical operating-system installation

You can use the ServerGuide program to shorten your installation time. The ServerGuide program provides the device drivers that are required for your hardware and for the operating system that you are installing. This section describes a typical ServerGuide operating-system installation.

Note: Features and functions can vary slightly with different versions of the

ServerGuide program.

1.After you have completed the setup process, the operating-system installation program starts. (You will need your operating-system CD to complete the installation.)

2.The ServerGuide program stores information about the server model, service processor, hard disk drive controllers, and network adapters. Then, the program checks the CD for newer device drivers. This information is stored and then passed to the operating-system installation program.

3.The ServerGuide program presents operating-system partition options that are based on your operating-system selection and the installed hard disk drives.

4.The ServerGuide program prompts you to insert your operating-system CD and restart the server. At this point, the installation program for the operating system takes control to complete the installation.

Installing your operating system without ServerGuide

If you have already configured the server hardware and you decide not to use the ServerGuide program to install your operating system, complete the following steps to download the latest operating-system installation instructions from the IBM Support Web page:

1.Go to http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/xseries/index.html.

2.In the Download section, click Downloads & drivers.

3.On the “Downloads and drivers” page, in the Brand field, select Servers.

4.In the Family field, select System x3950.

5.Click Continue.

6.In the View by document type field, select OS installation.

7.Select the instructions for your operating system.

Using the Boot Menu program

The Boot Menu program is a built-in configuration program that you can use to temporarily redefine the first startup device without changing settings in the Configuration/Setup Utility program.

To use the Boot Menu program, complete the following steps:

1.Turn off the server.

2.Restart the server.

3.Press F12.

4.Select the startup device.

The next time the server is started, it returns to the startup sequence that is set in the Configuration/Setup Utility program.

Chapter 3. Configuring the server 65