Unsupported content This version of the product has reached end of support. The documentation is available for your convenience. However, you must be logged in to access it. You will not be able to leave comments.

Installing the BladeLogic PXE server

This topic describes how to the PXE server, which are functional components required for the BMC Server Automation provisioning solution, on Microsoft Windows.

Note

  • For successful provisioning, the RSCD agent must be installed on the same host computer as the PXE server. You can install the agent before or after you install the PXE server.
  • The PXE server installation task requires you to specify information about the database that you plan to use for provisioning. If you plan to set up a multidatabase provisioning environment, specify one database here in the PXE installation task, then add additional databases as described in Setting up a multiple database provisioning environment.
  • If the PXE and DHCP servers are running on separate host computers, the PXE server must be able to receive the initial DHCP packet broadcast from the target server being provisioned. If the PXE server is on a different subnet than the target server, an IP Helper address must be added to the network router to forward broadcasts from the target server to the PXE server.

 This topic contains the following information:

Before you begin

  • Do not run the installer on the same VM where you install the products; use a separate VM. You can recover this VM later, after you finish the cloud installation.
  • Accept the default values in the installer unless you have a good reason to change them.
  • Do not mix IP addresses and hostnames during product select in the Host Information panel. Enter all IP addresses or all hostnames, but do not combine them.
  • Some special characters create problems during installation. For more information, see Restricting the use of certain characters in passwords.
    • For BMC Network Automation, do not use special characters except _. 
    • For BMC Server Automation, do not use #. 
  • To install the PXE server, you must have local Administrator privileges.
  • If you are using Windows Terminal Services or Citrix Presentation Server to install or if you are installing on Windows 2003 or 2008, you must either:
  • On 64-bit Windows systems, confirm that the <WINDIR>\SysWOW64 directory contains a copy of the chcp.com file. The installer uses this file to set the code page of standard output (stdout). You can obtain the file from a 32-bit version of Windows.

To install the PXE Server

  1.  Review the following settings for the PXE server:
    • Installation directory. By default:
      • C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic (Windows)
      • /opt/bmc/bladelogic (Linux)
    • Database connectivity information 
      The PXE server uses the same database as the Application Server. One way to obtain this information is to start the Application Server Administration Console (also known as the blasadmin utility) and enter the following command: 
      show database all
    • Host name and IP address of the PXE server
    • DHCP server location (local or remote)
    • TFTP root directory
      You do not have to record the name and location of the data store. By default:
      • C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic\tftp (Windows)
      • /opt/bmc/bladelogic/tftp (Linux)
    • If the Multi-Database mode is being used, make a note of the additional database configuration parameters found in the <install directory>\PXE\br\deployments\_pxe\pxe-data-sources.xml file.
  2. Make a backup copy of configuration files.
    If you are using the pxe.conf configuration override file, make a copy of the <install directory>\PXE\br\pxe.conf file.
  3. Download the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management solution from the EPD site, as instructed in Downloading-the-installation-files.
  4. Start the installer:
    • On Microsoft Windows, double-click the setup.cmd file.

    • On Linux, launch the installer by using Xmanager.
      With Xmanager, X applications installed on remote UNIX based computers run seamlessly with Windows applications side by side.

      You can also use VConsole to launch the installer.

  5. In the lower right corner of the Welcome page, click Next.
  6. Review the license agreement, click I agree to the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.
  7. On the Installation Prerequisites panel, review all the prerequisites that you must complete before you start the upgrade. 

  8. Select the I have read the prerequisites check box and click Next.
    (optional) Select the Do not display this panel for subsequent installations check box if you do not want to view the prerequisites again during other product upgrades.  

    If you have not completed any of the prerequisites listed on the Installation Prerequisites panel, exit the installer and complete the steps first.

  9. On the Directory Selection panel, navigate to the location on the host where you want to install the planner and click Next.
    The default location is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\Planner.
  10. On the Installation Preview panel, review the information and click Install.
  11. If NSH is not installed, the system prompts you to install it.
    The default location is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\NSH. 
  12. In the Select Installation Type panel, select Install and then click Next.
  13. In the Select Deployment Type panel, select Modify Existing Deployment and then click Next. 
    You use this option because installing the PXE Server is dependent upon your previous installation of the BMC Server Automation - App Server & Console. You already installed one or more products in the solution. Now you want to add install additional products. 
  14. Click Next. The Deployment Tier Selection panel appears. You can upgrade products in the Control Tier, products in the Workload Tier, or products in both tiers. 
  15. Select Workload Tier, and then click Next. 
    The default is Both, but this example only upgrades the PXE Server in the Workload Tier. The Host Information panel appears for the Control Tier.
  16. Enter the PXE Server product host in your environment, and then click Next.
    You do not need to enter a host name in every field on this panel, just the product hosts currently used in your environment. 
  17. If prompted, enter the operating system user credentials and passwords for the target host, and then click Next. 
    The installer copies files to the target host, deploys the RSCD Agent on the target host, and performs additional installation actions.  
  18. Review the information in the Summary panel, and then click Next.
  19. Review the PXE Server Welcome panel, and then click Next.
  20. Take a VM snapshot and database backup, as prompted by the installer. 
  21. If NSH is not detected on the remote server, the installer prompts you to install it. Click Next to continue. 
    The default location is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic. 
  22. Review the Remote Destination Directory settings of the target host, and then click Next. 
    The default is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic.  
  23. Review the access information for the existing BladeLogic Application Server database, and then click Next.

  24. Enter the PXE Server Options, and then click Next. 

    Field

    Description

    Interface to bind

    Ethernet interface that the PXE server uses to listen, for example, eth0 or eth1. Type the name of an interface. If you do not specify a valid interface, the PXE server binds to all active interfaces.

    Multicast address

    IP address of the multicast group that the PXE server listens on. By default, the BMC Server Automation PXE server listens on the multicast address of 224.1.5.1. Multicast addresses must fall in the range 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. If you check Use broadcast, you must set the Multicast address to the PXE server's IP address. This setting prevents the PXE server from continuing to use the multicast address.

    Listening port

    Port on which the PXE server listens for connections from target machines being provisioned. By default, the PXE server listens on port 4011.

    Prompt timeout

    Length of time (in seconds) that the boot prompt is displayed before the boot process begins. If the time-out expires without interruption, the default boot option runs automatically. If you enter 0, the boot prompt is not displayed.

    PXE Server Domain

    Domain of the PXE server.

    Use multicast

    Check this option (default) if the PXE server should listen to multicast requests. Then set the Multicast address.

    Use broadcast

    Check this option if the PXE server should listen to broadcast requests. A broadcast transmits to an entire network and thus uses network bandwidth less efficiently than a multicast. If you check this option, enter the IP address of the PXE server for Multicast address.

  25. Enter the TFTP Options, and then click Next. 

    Field

    Description

    IP Address

    IP address that the TFTP server listens on.

    Base Directory

    Base directory of the file system used to store operating system bootstrap programs to be downloaded.

    MTFTP Settings

    Multicast address that the TFTP server listens on.

    Client Port

    Multicast port that servers being provisioned should use to communicate with the TFTP server.

    Server Port

    Multicast port that the TFTP server should use to listen for communication from servers being provisioned.

  26. In the DCHP Configuration panel, select where your DHCP server is located, and then click Next. 

    Field

    Description

    Locally (on this server)

    Selected by default.

    Externally (on another server)

    Another server or network device, selectExternally (On another server). If the DHCP server is located on another host computer, the installation program automatically configures this server to function as a DHCP proxy.

  27. Review the PXE Server Upgrade storage area settings (typically you should accept the defaults, but you can leave the name blank to configure it manually), and then click Next.
  28. Review the install preview settings, and then click Install.
  29. Review the installation summary,and then click Done.
  30. Review the progress of your installation, and then click Next.
  31. Review the installation log, and then click Done to exit the installer and finish the session.
     

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*