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I run XenServer on my full machine. How do I install an OS?

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:51 pm
by Edge100x
Independent of your OS solution, first:

1. Download and install XenCenter. You can find it here: http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/l ... 15.asp#top.
2. Open up the XenCenter application, then click "Add New Server" at the top. Enter your server's main IP and root password (the ones that we gave you) in the blanks and click "Add".
3. Click "Save and restore server connection state on startup" on the next screen, then click "OK".
4. Click "New VM" from the main window, while your machine is selected.

Then, follow instructions that differ based on your OS.

Windows

1. Make sure that the OS that you need is in the Template list. Obtain a valid, licensed copy of the Windows OS that you wish to install in CD/DVD format.
2. On your personal machine, make an ISO version of your CD/DVD using a program like ImgBurn.
3. Open up a SSH window to the server using a program such as PuTTY, using the same login information that you used for XenServer.
4. Copy-and-paste in these commands (by selecting them here, hitting "Control-C", and then right-clicking on the black part of your SSH window):

Code: Select all

mkdir -p /var/opt/xen/iso_import
xe sr-create name-label=Uploaded\ isos type=iso device-config:location=/var/opt/xen/iso_import device-config:legacy_mode=true content-type=iso
5. Open up a SFTP transfer application such as WinSCP. Log in to the same server using SFTP, using the same login and password that you used for Xen.
6. Navigate to the /var/opt/xen/iso_import folder.
7. Upload the ISO file that you created, by dragging-and-dropping it into the SFTP window.
8. Go back to the XenServer application, and the dialog that is open. Choose your OS on the "Template" page and click "Next >".
9. Choose a name for your new VM (or just use the default) and click "Next >".
10. From the "Install from DVD drive:" drop-down, select the ISO that you just uploaded and click "Next >".
11. On the next page, click "Next >".
12. Select the number of virtual CPUs to give your new VM, and the amount of memory to give it, and click "Next >". For Windows, we recommend that you provide a minimum of 1 GB of memory.
13. The default size of the virtual drive is set to 8 GB. If you'd like to change that, use the "Properties" option. When done, click "Next >".
14. On the next page, click "Next >".
15. On the next page, click "Finish".
16. There will be a pause of a up to a minute while Xen creates your new VM. It will appear under your server IP in the main screen; when you see the green play button indicating that it is running, click on the name.
17. Click the "Console" tab.
18. You will see the standard Windows installation screen from here, and can proceed with installing the OS.
19. While installing the OS, you will be asked for network adapter properties, such as the IP to use. Make sure to use a free IP -- a different one than XenServer or any other VM uses. You can find a full list of your IPs on the "IP List" page of your NFOservers.com control panel. If you need more IPs, please contact us. (Do NOT use DHCP.)
20. After you are finished installing the OS, to maximize performance, you should consider installing GPLPV drivers corresponding to the OS, from here: http://www.meadowcourt.org/downloads/

Linux

1. Make sure that the OS that you need is in the Template list. If it's not, search around for a XenServer template for it (or, if a prior version is listed, try using that template with the latest OS edition -- usually it will work). There are a template and instructions for Ubuntu 10.04 here: http://community.citrix.com/display/xs/ ... bit%29+LTS
2. In the XenServer application, choose your OS on the "Template" page and click "Next >".
3. Choose a name for your new VM (or just use the default) and click "Next >".
4. Click "Install from URL:" and enter a valid repository for the Linux distribution that you are using. For instance, CentOS 5.5 would use http://mirror.centos.org/centos/5.5/os/x86_64, and Ubuntu 10.04 would use http://archive.ubuntu.net/ubuntu.
5. On the next page, click "Next >".
6. Select the number of virtual CPUs to give your new VM, and the amount of memory to give it, and click "Next >".
7. The default size of the virtual drive is set to 8 GB. If you'd like to change that, use the "Properties" option. When done, click "Next >".
8. On the next page, click "Next >".
9. On the next page, click "Finish".
10. There will be a pause of a up to a minute while Xen creates your new VM. It will appear under your server IP in the main screen; when you see the green play button indicating that it is running, click on the name.
11. Click the "Console" tab.
12. You will see the standard installation screen for your Linux distribution from here, and can proceed with installing the OS.
13. While installing the OS, you will be asked for network adapter properties, such as the IP to use. Make sure to manually enter a free IP -- a different one than XenServer or any other VM uses. You can find a full list of your IPs on the "IP List" page of your NFOservers.com control panel. If you need more IPs, please contact us. (Do NOT use DHCP.)

Here's a link to the XenSource Documentation that talks about these topics in some more depth, mostly from a command-line perspective: http://docs.vmd.citrix.com/XenServer/5. ... guest.html