Sun Microsystems X6250 manual Important Installation Considerations

The following chapters in this document describe how to install the Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 operating system. The installation procedures apply to both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Important Installation Considerations

Please note the following important considerations before beginning the Windows Server operating system installation on your Sun Blade server module:

■When you install the Windows operating system, any data on the boot drive, including any preinstalled operating system, will be overwritten.

■If you have an optional RAID Expansion Module (REM) connected to mass storage, and you want to include your boot drive as part of a RAID configuration, you must configure your RAID volume(s) using the controller’s BIOS configuration utility (accessible during server boot) before you install the Windows operating system.

Note – For configurations that require additional hardware, you must install the hardware before you can install the operating system. You might also need to configure the boot device priority in the server’s BIOS setup program.

■If you have an optional Sun Blade RAID 5 Expansion Module (Adaptec™-based), you must create an array volume using the controller’s configuration utility on any disk you want Windows to be able to access. If you are performing an initial installation of Windows and want to boot from mass storage connected to the controller (even if do not want it part of a RAID), use the controller’s BIOS configuration utility (accessible during server boot) to create an array volume on the disk before you install the Windows operating system. Details on doing this can be found in Appendix B.

Note – More information about using your controller’s BIOS configuration utility is described in the Sun Blade X6250 Server Module Installation Guide (820-1182).

■A primary consideration during operating system installation is providing the mass storage drivers for the disk controller. Windows Server 2008 includes the mass storage drivers required for your server. Windows Server 2003 does not contain the mass storage drivers required for your server.

■If you install Windows using the Sun Installation Assistant (SIA), all required drivers are supplied at the time of installation. SIA can install Windows via a local or remote CD/DVD. For more about SIA, see “Assisted Installation Using Sun Installation Assistant (SIA)” on page 4.

2 Sun Blade X6250 Server Module Windows Operating System Installation Guide • September 2008