Dell Power Solutions

Guide to Deploying Microsoft Windows Server 2003 on Dell PowerEdge Servers

By The Dell Server Operating Systems Engineering Group (May 2003)

The Microsoft^® Windows^®  Server 2003 operating system (OS) brings new capabilities to Intel^®  processor-based servers, and Dell worked extensively with Microsoft throughout the development of the OS. During the development process Dell, its partners, and Microsoft performed comprehensive testing across Dell^TM PowerEdge^TM  servers and other Dell hardware and software products to ensure compatibility with the new OS. In addition to testing performed in Dell labs, Dell worked with many customers in the Microsoft Joint Development Program (JDP). These customers received prerelease versions of device drivers, BIOS and firmware releases, and Dell OpenManage^TM  Server Administrator software components. The intent of the JDP was as follows:

Help Dell and Microsoft customers to deploy the Windows Server 2003 family throughout the OS development process Capture customer issues from production environments Enhance Dell hardware and software product readiness for Windows Server 2003

Based on information gathered in the JDP and through extensive testing, this article discusses Microsoft Windows Server 2003 deployment planning, includes lists of supported hardware and software components, and explains installation options.

Deployment planning for the Windows Server 2003 OS

The information in this section is designed to help IT professionals deploy Windows Server 2003 on Dell PowerEdge servers. Deploying a new release of Windows Server 2003 requires careful planning and understanding of an organization's current IT infrastructure, supported systems, and devices and applications that will run under the new OS.

Proper planning begins with selecting the appropriate Windows Server 2003 edition for a server's intended use (see Figure 1 ). The Windows Server 2003 family includes the Web Edition, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Datacenter Edition. The Microsoft Web site provides a comprehensive list of Windows Server 2003 features.

Supported Dell PowerEdge servers

Thorough testing by Dell and Microsoft engineering teams has helped to ensure the readiness of Windows Server 2003 on PowerEdge servers. Figure 2 provides a comprehensive list of the PowerEdge servers that support Windows Server 2003 and the lowest versions of BIOS supported. All the software and firmware versions specified in this document are the minimum versions supported by Windows Server 2003. Any later releases will also be supported by Windows Server 2003.

Dell-supported network components

The entire network architecture has a significant impact on the overall network performance of Windows Server 2003 systems. PowerEdge servers can include many peripherals, such as an embedded Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) network card that enables the system to interact with the physical network through the PCI interface. This section provides comprehensive lists of the Dell-supported peripherals that are compatible with Windows Server 2003. Figures 3 and 4 list supported Intel cards and compatible LAN on Motherboard (LOM) adapters, while Figures 5 and 6 list Broadcom^®  PCI network cards and compatible LOM adapters.

Figure 7 lists the Windows Server 2003—compatible adapters that support teaming on Dell systems. Using teaming, administrators can improve throughput by balancing network traffic across a group of adapters. Administrators also can configure adapters so that if an adapter fails, a standby adapter can take over from the failed adapter and help prevent data loss.

Windows Server 2003 also provides software network bridging capability. A network bridge can create connections between different types of network media, help administrators to manage LAN segments, and create a single subnet for the entire network. No configuration or additional hardware is required.

To obtain BIOS, firmware, or drivers from the Dell support site:

Visit http://support.dell.com. Select the system to download by clicking the down arrow under "Select Server."

To obtain BIOS, firmware, or drivers using the Server Assistant CD:

Insert the Server Assistant CD into a machine running a Windows OS. Select the system to update by clicking the down arrow under "Select Server." Click the file to download under "Select Drivers/Utilities Set." Click "Continue" to go to the next screen, and follow the instructions on the screen to download the BIOS, firmware, or driver.

Right-click the My Computer icon. Select the Manage menu option. The Computer Management dialog box appears. Select the Device Manager option. Right-click the failed device. Select the Properties menu option. Select the Driver tab. Click the Update Driver button. The Update Device Driver wizard appears. This wizard will help install the software for the failed device. Follow the prompts until the proper driver is loaded.

Administrators can also obtain PCI device IDs through Device Manager.

3Com®  3C980 network interface card (NIC), base drives only Basic Rate Interface (BRI) Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) cards Aztech modems Alteon®  Gigabit Ethernet1 NICs GiganetTM cLANTM  host bus adapters (HBAs) and switches

Dell-supported storage components

SCSI is the most common and predominant technology used to connect disk devices to servers. Fibre Channel technology has made significant inroads into the disk subsystem arena, especially for very large environments and for storage area network (SAN) implementations. Dell offers primary, secondary, and external storage components that support Windows Server 2003.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In environments that have PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 2 (PERC 2), PERC 2/Single Channel Integrated (Si), PERC 3/Si, or PERC 3/Dual Channel Integrated (Di) with a controller firmware version earlier than 2.7-1, administrators must not use the native driver on the Windows Server 2003 CD. Instead, update the driver to at least version 2.7-1.

Although all the RAID and SCSI devices listed in Figures 8 through 11 work with the native drivers on the Windows Server 2003 CD (with the exception of PERC 2, PERC 2/Si, PERC 3/Si, and PERC 3/Di), Figure 12 lists recommended drivers and firmware versions that are essential when running the Dell OpenManage Array Manager systems management tool. (See important note above.)

The backup utility creates a volume shadow copy of the data to create an accurate point-in-time copy of the contents of the hard drive, including any open files or files being used by the system. Users can continue to access the system while the backup utility is running without risking loss of data. Figure 13 lists the Dell PowerVault^TM  secondary storage components that function with the Windows Server 2003 backup utility.

Dell|EMC SANs . For Dell|EMC Fibre Channel SANs and associated hardware and software components, support for Windows Server 2003 is offered with the Dell|EMC FC and CX series storage families. These families include the FC4500, FC4700, FC5300, CX200, CX400, and CX600 storage systems. More information on the supported configurations can be obtained from the EMC support matrices available at http://www.emc.com/horizontal/interoperability/interop_support_matrices.jsp.

PowerVault SANs . Figure 14 shows the Fibre Channel external storage components that will support Windows Server 2003 in the future. For additional information, administrators should contact their Dell representatives.

QLogic®  2100 Series HBAs PowerVault 530F storage array PowerVault 650F storage array PERC 1

Supported Dell software components

Windows Server 2003 is compatible with Dell OpenManage systems management products, which allow administrators to manage, monitor, and control the health of a Dell PowerEdge server from a central or remote location. The Dell OpenManage suite can be downloaded from http://support.dell.com and is available through the Dell OpenManage Subscription Service. For more information about Dell OpenManage and Windows Server 2003, see "Deploying Dell OpenManage on Windows Server 2003" by Paul Rad; Mohammad Dhedhi; Joseph Ondrejik, Ph.D.; and Candace Hobson in Dell Power Solutions , May 2003 Special Issue.

Provisioning Windows Server 2003

To suit different customers' needs, Dell offers several methods for ordering and installing Microsoft operating systems on PowerEdge servers. Also, Windows Server 2003 supports many deployment and support tools, which are available on the Windows Server 2003 CD in the support\tools directory. This directory also contains deptool.chm, an online help file. For more information about provisioning Windows operating systems, see "Provisioning Microsoft Operating Systems on Dell PowerEdge Servers" by Lara Benson and Matthew Paul in Dell Power Solutions , November 2002.

Dell factory installation (build-to-order process). When a customer orders factory installation of Windows Server 2003 on a PowerEdge server, Dell factory personnel incorporate the latest Dell-qualified and Dell-supported device drivers.

Installation through Dell OpenManage Server Assistant. Dell OpenManage Server Assistant helps administrators install and configure a supported version of Windows on a Dell PowerEdge server. The Server Assistant CD also contains drivers, system BIOS updates, and utilities that administrators need to operate PowerEdge servers. Server Assistant ships with all PowerEdge servers and also can be ordered through the Dell OpenManage Subscription Service.

Manual installation. Before manually installing the OS, administrators should download the latest version of the appropriate drivers from the Dell support site at http://support.dell.com.

Microsoft unattended installation. To save time when deploying multiple instances of Windows Server 2003, administrators can use Microsoft unattended installation, which offers several tools that allow the use of answer files to automate the installation process. Using answer files, administrators can quickly install the Microsoft OS in unattended setup mode on multiple servers. Unattended setup does not require user intervention because the answer files contain all required setup information-including computer name and network adapter configuration-that administrators would normally enter during a standard installation.

Setup Manager (see Figure 15 ), which is located on the support\tools directory on the Windows Server 2003 CD, is a wizard-based deployment tool that assists administrators in automating either a clean installation or upgrade.

Remote Installation Services. Windows Server 2003 Remote Installation Services (RIS), which permit network-initiated setup, are capable of deploying both client and server operating systems onto a bare metal server (see Figure 16 ). One of the significant improvements in Windows Server 2003 is that RIS allows administrators to deploy server operating systems, including Windows Server 2003 (except Datacenter Edition) and Windows 2000 Server (except Datacenter Edition and 64-bit versions).

Target machines must meet the minimum hardware requirements for the Windows Server 2003 OS, support the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) option in their system BIOS, and have at least one supported network adapter that complies with PXE Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)-based boot ROM version 1.0 or later. In addition, the boot floppy disk supports certain additional PCI network adapters that are not PXE capable.

A list of supported network adapters can be found in the rbfg.exe utility available in the Windows Server 2003 installation CD.

Microsoft System Preparation tool. The Microsoft System Preparation (Sysprep) tool allows administrators to take a snapshot of one system and copy it to an identical system (see Figure 17 ). This is a particularly fast way of deploying a fully configured system—including software and OS settings—to multiple target systems. Certain restrictions apply when using Sysprep. In particular, source and target systems should be identical in the following aspects:

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support Hardware abstraction layers (HALs) Mass-storage device controllers

Plug-and-play devices need not be the same because Sysprep detects these devices on the first reboot.

Windows Server 2003 installation options

While a clean installation is always recommended, this article also provides information about upgrading. Administrators should be sure to back up critical data before installing the new OS when performing an upgrade.

Prepare BIOS and firmware.  A clean installation starts with an upgrade to the Dell server's BIOS, Embedded Server Management (ESM), and primary storage systems. Before installing Windows Server 2003, administrators should download the appropriate BIOS and ESM from the Dell support site (http://support.dell.com) or use the latest Server Assistant CD that supports Windows Server 2003. Install the Windows Server 2003 OS.  Administrators can perform a clean installation by using the Server Assistant CD. Administrators also can perform a clean installation manually by using the retail CD or System Locked Preinstallation (SLP)-enabled CD. Verify device drivers.  After installing the Windows Server 2003 OS, administrators must use Device Manager to verify that all device drivers have installed with no problems and are working correctly. An improperly working device is usually an indication that a driver is needed. In such an instance, administrators can download drivers from the Dell support site or the Server Assistant CD. Install Windows Server 2003 versions of Dell software.  Administrators finish the upgrade process by installing Windows Server 2003 versions of Dell tools and software, such as Dell OpenManage components.

Uninstall previous versions of Dell software.  An upgrade installation starts with an uninstallation of previously installed Dell tools and software, such as Dell OpenManage components. Upgrade BIOS and firmware.  Administrators should upgrade the server's BIOS, ESM, and primary storage firmware. Before installing Windows Server 2003, administrators should download the appropriate BIOS and firmware from the Dell support site (http://support.dell.com) or use the latest Server Assistant CD that supports Windows Server 2003. Upgrade to the Windows Server 2003 OS.  An upgrade to the Windows Server 2003 OS is supported only through the retail CD. Install Windows Server 2003 versions of Dell software.  Administrators finish the upgrade process by installing Windows Server 2003 versions of Dell tools and software, such as Dell OpenManage components.

The Windows Server 2003 CD that ships with PowerEdge servers has a built-in anti-piracy technology known as System Locked Preinstallation (SLP). The SLP feature enables administrators to bind the OS to a system's specific hardware so that activating Windows Server 2003 is not necessary. When an SLP-enabled CD is used to install the OS, administrators need not type in a unique product key.

Because SLP-enabled CDs are designed only for clean installations of Windows Server 2003, administrators installing the OS using the CD should also boot from it. SLP is not supported while running setup.exe or winnt32.exe, because these executable files run from within an existing Windows environment.

An SLP implementation is transparent to the end user, without any noticeable difference from a manual installation using retail media. However, the SLP process works only on supported PowerEdge servers that ship with Windows Server 2003. In addition, any tampering with the SLP-enabled CD automatically invokes WPA. The SLP-enabled CD is available only for 32-bit versions of Windows Server 2003, not 64-bit versions.

Smooth deployment and product compatibility

The compatibility testing of Dell servers as well as network, storage, and software components has helped Microsoft and Dell to ensure a holistic release of Windows Server 2003 on PowerEdge servers. The article "Dell and Microsoft: Partnering to Deliver Windows Server 2003 on PowerEdge Servers" by Lara Benson and Keith Matteson in Dell Power Solutions , May 2003 Special Issue, contains detailed information about the collaboration between Dell and Microsoft during the development of the new OS. The compatibility that resulted from this close partnership, along with the recommended installation and migration techniques discussed in this article, can facilitate a fast and efficient deployment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.microsoft.com

http://support.dell.com

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PCI HOT PLUG AND WINDOWS SERVER 2003

PCI Hot Plug is a standards-based technology that minimizes server downtime by allowing users to add or replace PCI devices while the operating system is running. Dell supports PCI Hot Plug functionality on the PowerEdge 4400, 4600, 6300, 6350, 6400, 6450, 6600, 6650, and 8450 servers, and additional hot-plug capable servers are in development. For more information about PCI Hot Plug and Windows Server 2003, see "Using PCI Hot Plug on Dell PowerEdge Servers Running Windows Server 2003" by Scott M. Callaway and Faisal Ahmed in Dell Power Solutions , May 2003 Special Issue.