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    This topic describes the various requirements that must be met prior to setting up your provisioning environment.

    Related topics

    Setting up provisioning environments for Windows, Linux, ESX, and ESXi servers

    Setting up AIX provisioning

    Setting up Solaris provisioning

    Setting up HP-UX provisioning

    Operating systems that support provisioning

    The following lists provide details of the operating systems supported for provisioning:

    OS platformVersionArchitecture /
    Hardware 

    Citrix XenServer

    		5.5.0

    x86

    x64

     

    		5.6.0

    x86

    x64

     

    		6.0.0

    x86

    x64

    HP-UX

     

    		11.23

    PA-RISC

    IA64

     11.31

    PA-RISC

    IA64

    IBM AIX

    		5.2pSeries
     5.3pSeries
     6.1pSeries
     7.1pSeries

    Microsoft Windows

    		Windows Server 2003x86

     

    		Windows Server 2003 R2

    x64 (64-bit native)

     Windows Server 2008

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     

    		Windows Server 2008 R2

    x64 (64-bit native)

     Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1EFI

     

    		Windows Server 2012x64 (64-bit native)
     EFI
     Windows Server 2012 R2x64 (64-bit native)
     EFI

    Oracle Enterprise Linux

    		5.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     

    		6.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

    Oracle Solaris9

    SPARC (sun4u)


    		10

    SPARC (sun4u)

    SPARC (sun4v)

    SPARC (sun4us)

    x86

    x64

     

    		11

    SPARC (sun4u)

    SPARC (sun4v)

    x86

     11.2

    SPARC (sun4u)

    SPARC (sun4v)

    x86

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux

    		4.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     

    		5.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     

    		6.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

    EFI

     7.x

    x64 (64-bit native)

    EFI

    Redhat KVM5.4

    x64

     5.5

    x64

     6.0

    x64

    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

    		9.x

    x86

     

    		10.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     

    		11.x

    x86

    x64 (64-bit native)

     11 SP2EFI
     12.x

    x64 (64-bit native)

    EFI

    VMware ESX Server

    		3.0x86
     3.5x86
     4.0

    x86

    x64 with 32-bit code

    VMware ESXi Server

    4.1

    		 
     

    5.0

    		 
    Ubuntu Linux Server12.04 
     14.04 

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    Supporting software components and dependencies

    This table describes the software components in the provisioning infrastructure and their dependencies. 

    Software Component

    		Provisioning platform

    Description, Dependencies, and Requirements

    Database

    		All platforms

    Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server database. Stores the user and system objects and relationships. Requires significant computing resources.For a list of supported platforms, see Supported platforms by component. The database that supports the BMC Server Automation environment is typically a standalone system or a system used by other management tools. A database that is used for other applications or is otherwise heavily loaded should not contain the BMC Server Automation database.

    Installation mediaAll platforms

    The installation media (ISO images or contents of them) for the operating systems that you want to provision on target server.

    For example, to provision a Windows 2003 system, you need the Win2003 x86 or x64 installation media, or, to provision Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you need appropriate Red Hat installation files; and so on.

    Application Server

    		All platforms 

    BMC Server Automation Application Server.

    Requires significant computing resources.

    Often includes the NSH, but not required.

    Requires networked connections to the database.

    Console

    		All platforms 

    The BMC Server Automation Console. Provides the GUI interface to end users.

    Requires networked connections to the Application Server.

    File server (hardware component)

    		All platforms 

    Stores the Depot files, such as applications, BLPackages, and scripts. It often is located on the same host as the Application Server as a mounted drive to an external storage device.

    The file server must have:

    • Network connectivity with the Application Server — TCP port 4750 (or your configured RSCD port) must be open from the Application Server to the file server.
    • An RSCD agent installed on it.
    • ACLs configured correctly in the RSCD exports file — The exports file is typically located in /usr/lib/rsc or C:\windows\rsc.
    • Significant available space—Starting with approximately 100GB is typical.

    No further configuration is required on the file server.

    Shared data store

    		All platforms 

    Stores the operating system installation media for provisioning.

    Requires an RSCD agent.

    Requires significant space.

    Share using Samba or Windows share

    DHCP

    		Windows and Linux only 

    Provides access to the PXE server and TFTP server for provisioning purposes.

    During the provisioning process, the target servers issue a PXE boot broadcast which must be received by a DHCP server and the PXE server that were specifically configured for your BMC Server Automation environment. This broadcast must not be received by or replied to by any other PXE or DHCP servers. To avoid conflicts, the DHCP server used for provisioning should not be on the same broadcast domain as any other PXE or DHCP servers.

    You can use either:

    • (Typical) An existing DHCP server. Requires additional configuration.
    • A DHCP instance configured specifically for provisioning.

    You can use an existing DHCP server with some specific options defined. For information, see Configuring a DHCP server on Windows or Configuring a DHCP server on Linux.

    PXE server

    		Windows and Linux only 

    Provisions servers with operating systems and boot images.

    Network Shell (NSH) required on the same server with the PXE server.

    Requires networked connections to the Application Server, the TFTP server, and the data store.

    TFTP server

    		Windows and Linux only 

    Transfers preboot images to servers on request from the PXE server.

    Requires an RSCD agent if you are generating Windows boot images.

    Typically installed on the same host as the PXE server. Otherwise, requires networked connections to the Application Server, the PXE server, and the data store.

    Web server

    		Linux or ESX systems 

    Shares the data store using web server sharing. Typically installed on the same host as the data store. Otherwise, requires networked connections to the data store.

    Required to provision Linux or ESX operating systems; otherwise, not needed. The web server must be configured to permit web sharing of the operating system (OS) installers.  Sharing the datastore  describes how to configure the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server. Apache is another popular web server.

    Windows AIK or Windows ADK

    Windows only

    Enables creation of WinPE images. Required for provisioning Windows preboot environments (and not needed otherwise). Typically installed on the same host as the PXE server.

    Use WinPE 2.x and Windows AIK 2.1 for Windows 2003 or 2008. Use WinPE 5.1 and Windows ADK 8.1 for Windows 2008 or later. For more information, see Installing the Microsoft Windows AIK or ADK.

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    Requirements for PXE-based provisioning

    The following sections highlight the requirements for PXE-based provisioning. To set up other provisioning environments, see the following topics:

    Pre-installation checklist for PXE-based provisioning

    For an easy and fast configuration process, prepare your environment as described in the following checklist. 

    Complete?

    Action

    Details

     

    Determine the server architecture for your BMC Server Automation installation:

    • Number of servers required.
    • Identify the specific servers.

    See Software Component Dependencies.

     

    Prepare all infrastructure servers:

    • Load the operating systems.
    • Ensure that all servers are accessible to other components in the network as shown on the diagram in the System Architecture section.
    • Ensure that all servers have network connectivity to the database server.

    —

     

    Prepare the database:

    • Ensure that the database server is ready for an administrator to create a new database.
    • Ensure that the database server is online and accessible to other components in the network as described in the Software Component Dependencies section.
    • Copy the contents of the db_scripts directory to the database server.

    • The BBSA<version>-<platform>.zip file contains database configuration scripts and other files in the BBSA8x-<platform>\files\configurations\db_scripts directory.

     

    Ensure that port 4750 is open between the BMC Server Automation infrastructure servers and all hosts that have RSCD agents. RSCD agents listen on port 4750 (default).

    See BMC Server Automation ports.

     

    • Download all required software.
    • Copy software onto the appropriate infrastructure server.

    See Installation software required for PXE-based provisioning.

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    Installation software required for PXE-based provisioning

    The following table lists the files that you must download and make available to the appropriate infrastructure servers. File downloads are time-consuming. If you download all of the files first, the installation and configuration tasks progress more quickly. 

    Item

    File name

    Additional information

    Application Server Installer

    BBSA<version>-<platform>.<xxx>
    For example: BBSA87-WIN32.exe

    Installs the Application Server.

    RSCD Agent Installers

    RSCD<version-platform>.<xxx>
    For example:
    RSCD87-WIN32.msi

    Installs the RSCD agent. Download all of the agent installer files that match the operating systems for all of the following:

    • File server host.
    • Data store host.
    • TFTP server host (if you plan to generate WinPE boot images).
    • Servers that you plan to manage.
    • OS to provision on bare-metal servers.

    PXE/TFTP Server Installer

    PXE<version>-<platform>.exe
    For example: PXE87-WIN32.exe

    Installs the primary provisioning component for Windows servers. For Linux servers, the PXE/TFTP Server installation is an option in the Application Server installer.

    BMC Server Automation Console Installer

    BBSACONSOLE<version>-<platform>.<xxx>
    For example: BBSACONSOLE87-WIN32.exe

    Installs the end user client software.

    db_scripts directory

    BBSA8<xx>-<xxx>\files\configurations\ db_scripts in BBSA<version>-<platform>.zip

    Contains database scripts and documentation.

    Provision-Files.zip

    8<xx>-<xxx>-provision-files.zip

    Contains files for stocking the data store and generating boot image files.

    Application Server Upgrade Installer

    BBSA<version>- <SPnoHFno> -<platform>.<xxx>

    Upgrades the Application Server, PXE server, and TFTP server to the latest service pack or hotfix.

    Console Upgrade Installer

    BBSACONSOLE<version>- <SPnoHFno> -<platform>.<xxx>

    Upgrades the console to the latest service pack or hotfix.

    Windows AIK version 2.1

    6001.18000.080118-1840-kb3aikl_en.iso

    Installs AIK 2.1 for use with WinPE 2.x. This file is obtained from Microsoft. It is approximately 1.4 GB. Expect it to take a long time to download or transfer.

    Windows ADK version 8.1

    ADKSetup.exe

    Installs ADK 8.1 for use with WinPE 5.1. This file is obtained from Microsoft.

    OS Installation Media

    (varies by OS) Obtain these files from the OS vendor websites.

    Stocks the data store with the OS files for provisioning the target servers.

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    System architecture required for PXE-based provisioning

     

    The following diagram shows the three tiers of the BMC Server Automation infrastructure required for PXE-based provisioning.

    The lines in the diagram indicate the network connectivity required between the components. Each number indicates a default port, which you can modify if necessary. 

    The number of physical servers in the middle tier varies, depending on the number of infrastructure servers available to the BMC Server Automation environment.  

    The components in the middle tier of the infrastructure should be installed on more than one host computer. Typical provisioning installations allocate all components among three or four hosts.  

    The hosts can be virtual servers. However, using a virtual server for the Application Server or the database server can result in degraded performance. 

    Although it is possible to configure all of the middle tier components on one physical server, BMC typically does not recommend this type of configuration. Unless the server is an extremely powerful one, a one-server environment can experience performance issues. The database and the Application Server compete for resources during periods of significant activity.

    Hardware requirements for PXE-based provisioning

    The following minimum specifications are recommended for all physical servers in the middle tier:

    • 2 vCPU/2 CPU
    • 4 GB RAM
    • 50 GB Disk

    These requirements are intended as general guidelines for planning purposes. For information about hardware requirements, see Minimum hardware requirements.

    Network connectivity for PXE-based provisioning

    The servers in the PXE-based provisioning environment require network connections, either among themselves in a LAN or with a shared network. For specific connection requirements, see the diagram in the System Architecture section. The following network connections are required:

    • The Application Server must have connectivity with the target devices to be provisioned.
    • To prevent interactions with other PXE based solutions, establish a separate VLAN for provisioning. The VLAN must include the PXE server, DHCP, TFTP server, and the data store server. The Application Server must have access to the provisioning VLAN.
    • The BMC Server Automation Console must have connectivity to the Application Server.
    • Although not mandatory, it is useful to have access to the devices that you are provisioning, so that you can monitor progress during the provisioning process. To gain access, you can use an out-of-band solution, such as an Integrated Lights Out (ILO) or Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) connection; direct physical console access; or some other method.
    • To provision Windows servers, the data store must be shared using Samba or a Windows share.

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    Where to go from here

    Planning the provisioning jobs

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