Site and System Preparation

Site Prep 1: Prepare Required Equipment and Information

Connection required during system preparation and Avance installation Two physical machines (PMs)

• Server model/configuration conforming to Avance Compatibility Matrix, for HP Servers.
• PMs are similar configurations from identical product family/generation
• At least two disks each (except HP ML370 G5, which requires at least 4)
• Either an internal DVD drive or USB DVD drive can be used for the installation.

Use keyword “firmware” and release “3.0″ to search the Known Issues database to check for any firmware incompatibilities prior to upgrade or install.

1. Login to the Avance Customer or Partner Portal.
2. Click on Search for known issues under technical support.
3. Select release 3.0 and issue type firmware.

CAT5E, CAT6, or CAT7 network cables for all network ports Monitor and keyboard for system preparation and installation Computer for Avance Management Console

• Locate near Avance unit during installation
• Browser conforming to the Avance Compatibility Matrix, which is basically Chrome, FireFox, or IE9.
• Current version of Java™ Runtime Environment (JRE™)

Site Prep 2: Configure Networks

Private Network Connect a network cable between the first embedded network port of each PM, which should be labelled port1.

See Planning for Split Site Deployment if the PMs are in separate locations. Storage Sync Networks (Optional) Avance supports additional Sync links for increasing data replication performance between PMs. These links must be dedicated 10Gb and connected between PMs in the same manner as the private link. Setting up redundant Sync links is recommended. Business Networks Connect Ethernet cables from the second embedded port in each PM to the business network, which should be labelled port2.

If the network includes a large number of add-on business network (NIC) ports,  defer installation until the basic install is completed. Refer to the section entitled Connecting Business Links  for  more details.

Site Prep 3: Configure Storage

Each physical machine must have at least two physical disks populated in the server’s lowest numbered slots. Exception: HP370-G5 systems require an additional 2 disks placed in slots 8 and 9.

• Configure the RAID controller to boot off the first logical disk.
• Each RAID array can have only one logical volume assigned to it.
• RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10 are the only RAID levels supported.
• Set up RAID configurations identically on both physical machines before installing Avance software.
• If the 1^st logical disk is RAID 1, 5, 6, or 10, Avance will apply an MBR format.
• If the 1^st Logical disk is RAID 0, Avance requires a 2^nd logical disk of any RAID type. Avance will apply an MBR format.
• Multiple HP RAID controllers of the same type in the same node are not supported.

Site Prep 4: Connect Power

Configure servers with redundant power supplies connected to separate sources. UPS (Optional) Connect one or two uninterrupted power sources (UPS) to the Avance unit: Single UPS Dual UPS Remote Power Control For remote locations, consider a networked UPS or switched Power Distribution Unit (PDU) such as provided by APC. These enable remote power-cycling of PMs through a network.

Site Prep 5: Configure BIOS

Avance automatically configures most required BIOS settings. There are some optional settings which the user may want to consider:

HP DL180 G6 Server BIOS Initialization

1. Connect a monitor and keyboard to the first physical machine (PM).
2. Power on the PM.
3. Hit F10 when prompted to enter the ROM-based Setup Utility.
4. Set IPMI Configuration -> Set LAN Configuration -> BMC NIC Allocation to Shared
5. The following settings should be correct if left at the default.
   1. CPU Configuration -> Intel Virtualization Tech Enabled
   2. Set CPU Configuration -> Execute-Disable Bit Capability Enabled
   3. Set CPU Configuration -> Embedded NIC Port 1 PXE Enabled
   4. Set PCI Configuration -> Execute-Disable Bit Capability Enabled
6. Leave boot order at the default order
   1. Network
   2. CD/DVD
   3. Hard Drive