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Installing VERDEOS

Installing VERDEOS begins by downloading the VERDEOS ISO file. A link to the ISO is provided to you in the NComputing Management Portal when you requested a trial version or when you purchased VERDE VDI. When first installing a trial copy of VERDE VDI, you will be supplied with a temporary trial user license key that you will need to redeem using the VERDE Management Console as the final step in the installation process. Note: If you are installing VERDEOS from a bootable DVD drive you will need to download the VERDE ISO file, if you plan to install from a bootable USB stick you will need to download the VERDE IMG.

ClosedInstallation Steps

Installation Prerequisites

  • The VERDE for bare metal installation (VERDEOS) is a self-installing software package. Burn the installation package .ISO file to a bootable DVD or USB stick. Keep the following in mind.
  • When using external storage in a cluster environment, the external storage must be connected and accessible from the servers prior to installing. Please refer to the Administrator Guide for more details.
  • Confirm the machine contains the number of network interfaces necessary to support VERDE guest and management traffic. These interfaces will be configured through the VERDE Menu as a step in the installation process.
  • All machines in the VERDE environment must be installed with the same installation type—VERDEOS or RPM based —including the data center cluster and any Branch Servers.

To facilitate the installation, collect the data listed in the table below prior to starting the installation.

  • Static or dynamic IP address for the server.
  • Subnet or netmask address.
  • Broadcast IP address.
  • Default Gateway IP address.
  • Primary/Secondary/Additional DNS Server Address(es).
  • Public IP Address or FQDN of the server – The hostname or IP address for clients to connect to this server.
ClosedInstalling the VERDEOS Package

Boot the host server from the VERDE bare metal installation CD or USB device containing the installation package. A VERDE VDI Welcome screen will be displayed. Select one of the following options:

  • Boot from local drive (skip the installation of VERDEOS from the bootable DVD or thumb drive)
  • Quick Install*. Automatically partitions and formats ALL attached storage devices; non-USB storage devices)
  • Expert Install. (Manually partition and format storage devices.)
  • Upgrade an existing system to this version of VERDE.

You may only upgrade VERDE from the most current previous version of VERDE

* It is recommended that you select the quick install method unless you require specific Linux disk partitioning settings.

ClosedQuick Install

Select the "Quick Install" option from the main menu of the Welcome screen. This option automatically partitions the server drives.

  1. On the Choose Language screen, select a default language, then select “Next.”
  2. On the Time Zone screen, choose the time zone for the server and determine if UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is used. After picking a time zone, select "Next” to prompt the installation to begin.

The process of formatting and partitioning storage takes several minutes. When this step is completed, you will see the Installing VERDE progress bar. When the installation completes, the system will automatically reboot.

  1. Enter a user administration password after installation is complete.
  2. Enter a root password for the root user and confirm it.
  3. After the Welcome screen appears, press "F6” to open the VERDE Menu to the Network Configuration screen.

Take note of the ‘*’ in the welcome message and in the menus to follow; the ‘*’ denotes items that require configuration in order to start the system and VERDE services.

ClosedNavigating the VERDE Menu

The VERDE Menu enables networking, server, and storage configuration. The following procedures provide a general workflow for installing and configuring the system:

  • Menu items with an asterisk (*) are required to start VERDE Services.
  • Press "F5" to back to a previous step.
  • Press "F6" to go forward to the next step in a sequence.
  • Menus that have sub-menus are marked.

The VERDE Menu consists of the following options.

  • Network Configuration
  • Branch Configuration
  • Stop System Services
  • Restart the Management Console
  • Generate Support Report
  • Power Off this Server
  • Server Configuration
  • Start System Services
  • Stop System Services and Networking
  • Root Shell
  • Reboot the Server
  • Log out of Menu
ClosedAccessing the VERDE Menu Remotely

After the initial setup, the VERDE Menu can run remotely through an SSH connection as admin or root. Networking must be configured and started on the VERDE server to access the VERDE Menu remotely. If logging in via SSH with the admin credentials you will be taken directly to the menu.

If logging via SSH as ‘root’, you will need to enter /usr/lib/verde/bin/verde-menu from the command line in order to access the menu.

Network Connection

The network configuration portion of the menu can be accessed during or after installation to configure VLAN tagging and bonded pairs. When configuring OpenvSwitch on the server, the networking configuration program performs the following tasks:

  • The program discovers each free interface and asks to configure it.
  • The program tests the network for confirmation that the configuration is valid.

When Session Settings are created in the VERDE Management Console, assign the network name and any VLAN tags to enable guest sessions to access these settings.

  1. From the Main Menu, choose the "Network Configuration" option.
  2. Press "Enter," then select the Network Configuration Wizard.
  3. Press "Enter." The Choose Interface screen will be displayed. VERDE detects the available network interfaces and lists them incrementally as em<n+> or eth<n+> options. Configure the interfaces that VERDE will be using. Enter the option number to configure an interface:
    • vbinat0: NAT interface. This is pre-configured for VERDE system use; keep the default unless the "192.168.84" network is already in use.
    • em1 interface. This is the first network interface detected.
    • em2 interface. This is the second network interface detected.
    • Use Standard Network Configuration. This option enables VERDE to use standard Linux networking.

Additional interfaces will be listed if they are detected.

  1. Press "Enter." The NIC Usage screen will display.
  2. Select the "Form new Network" option. If this is not the first interface to be configured, other options will be displayed.
  3. Press "Enter." Type a name for this interface in the "Enter a name for the Network" field or keep the default.
  4. Press "Enter." In the "Enter the MTU for this Network" field, define the maximum size for a package as it travels across this network. The default is 1500.

When configuring VLAN, it is recommended to use at least 1504.

  1. Press "Enter" to continue. The Network Host-Access/VLAN Configuration screen will be displayed.

The following options are available:

  • Add VLAN or non-VLAN Host-Access
  • Configure non-VLAN Host-Access (present after initial configuration)
  • Remove non-VLAN Host-Access (present after initial configuration)
  • Go back to previous step (F5)
  • Continue to next step (F6)
  1. Select the "Add VLAN or non-VLAN Host-Access" option to define the first network interface.
  2. Press "Enter." Type a VLAN Tag for this network. A value of "0 "defines non-VLAN trunk port. If configuring only one network, enter a value of "0."
  3. Press "Enter." Define if the VLAN will obtain the network address from DHCP (Y/N).

If no, you'll need to configure the following options:

  1. Will this interface provide the server's public address? (Y/N) This is the address used to connect to the VERDE Server. Press "Enter."
  2. Enter the Host Access IP Address. Type an address and press "Enter."
  3. Enter the Host Access Netmask. Type the netmask and press "Enter."
  4. Enter the Host Access Broadcast Address. Type the address and press "Enter."

If yes for DHCP, only the prompt for the server's public address will display. Choose (Y/N) and press "Enter."

  1. The menu returns to the Network Host-Access/VLAN Configuration screen.

Multiple VLANs can be added from this screen:

  1. Select an option to add or configure another interface, change a setting that was just configured, or press "F6" to continue to the next step. "F6" will display the Choose Interface screen. If DHCP is not configured for any of the network interfaces, the Default Route/Gateway Setup screen will display. Based on previous options, a default route may be entered. Press "Enter" to accept the default or type a new address.
  2. On the DNS Server Setup screen, enter the DNS Server address for the network, then press "Enter." Separate multiple entries with commas.
  3. After interfaces are configured, the Server Roles screen will be displayed.

SERVER AND STORAGE CONFIGURATION

  1. On the Server Configuration screen, choose menu item 2 and press "Enter."
  2. On the Server Role screen, choose one of the following roles for the sever:
    1. Cluster Master + Management Console + VDI Server (default)
    2. Cluster Master + Management Console (does not host VDI sessions)
    3. VDI Server only (cluster node)
    4. Gateway only (connection broker)
  3. Press "Enter." On the Public-Address screen, enter the IP address or externally available host name that external clients will use to connect to this server.
  4. If you are using external storage (required if setting up a clustered VERDE environment), on the External Storage Type screen, select one of the following options:
    1. CIFS-style mount (Windows)
    2. NFS-style mount (Linux Server)
    3. Do not configure mount-point
  5. Press "Enter."
  6. If you choose either option 1 or 2, provide additional External Storage mount information, including the NFS or CIFS server IP address and NFS or CIFS mount path.
  7. Press "Enter."
  8. Enter "6" to exit to the Main Menu.
  9. Select "Network Configuration."
  10. Select option 5, "Test Network."
  11. Select option 7 "Return to..."
  12. On the Network Configuration sub-menu, select "Restart Network." If the networking settings are valid, a success message will display.