Article Number: 000130160
This article explains how to install an Operating System (OS) on Dell PowerEdge Servers. Including step-by-step instructions and, OS installation videos, e.g. Windows Server 2016 installation with LifeCycle Controller.
Before installing a new operating system, please update the server firmware to benefit all the features.
This article explains How-To Dell Server: Install an Operating System on a PowerEdge.
Download the Dell OS Driver Pack Downloaded from Support Site.
1. Access to the Support Site, enter the service tag of your system or click Browse all products and select your product.
2. Click DRIVERS and DOWNLOADS tab type "Dell OS Driver Pack." In the keyword box and download then Upload to the Dell OS Driver Pack iDRAC's update and rollback section. For more information refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Dell PowerEdge: Update the firmware of Single System Components Remotely Using the iDRAC.
For installing the operating system, a source media has to be available to the server. The installation files can be provided through:
For installing the operating system on a virtual disk, ensure that a Software RAID or PowerEdge RAID controller is installed and at least two (or more, depending on the desired RAID level) hard-disk drives are available. In specific scenarios, OS can be installed on SD cards.
Two methods are available for installing an operating system:
Using LifeCycle Controller for Supported OS
How to Mount and Unmounting the driver packs via iDRAC9 on a Dell PowerEdge Server (14G/iDRAC9 only)
Login to the Server's iDRAC9 Navigate to 1.Configuration > 2.Virtual Media > 3.Mount Drivers
Booting directly from the OS Media
This is the preferred method to install the OS. The LifeCycle Controller simplifies the installation of the Operating System with the "OS Deployment" feature. When using this feature, drivers are preloaded before the installation process. The OS is smoothly installed as all components are well recognized by the OS.
Steps to follow:
Detailed information about OS Deployment steps can be found in the LifeCycle Controller manual.
Figure 1: PowerEdge 12G Lifecycle Controller GUI
For 9G and 10G Dell Servers, the LifeCycle Controller feature was not released. The alternative is to use the "Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD ISO" file which allows after booting on the file to deploy a supported OS. This file can also be used to update any Dell Server by booting to it.
Steps to install the OS:
Select the installed operating system, enter a matching Keyword in the intended field and press Enter,find the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD ISO.
Refer to the Systems Management Tools And Documentation Version 8.1 Installation Guide.
When manually installing an Operating System, the PERC driver may be missing. In that scenario, the drives are not recognized and no disk or storage place to be recognized for the installation.
Download and manually import the PERC driver during the OS installation.
Refer to Dell Knowledge Base article Dell PowerEdge: PERC H310 / H810 Configuration and FAQ for an example of PERC driver loading during the Windows installation.
To use the iDRAC virtual console to install OS using ISO file. Refer to the article Using the Virtual Media function on iDRAC6, 7, 8 and 9.
It is possible to boot directly from the OS installation media to install the operating system. Some components of the server may be not recognized as the OS media may not include all the needed drivers. Drivers can be downloaded from the Dell Support site and installed later once the OS will be installed.
Steps to follow:
Dell EMC collaborates with Operating System vendors to ensure consistent and reliable performances. The Operating System Library page provides the list of supported OS per PowerEdge model. An unsupported operating system may cause failures during the installation process or not work properly with hardware components.
To enable all functions of an operating system. A licenses (Windows and ESXi) or subscriptions (Linux) might be needed. Here you find links to the most common vendors of supported operating systems:
Licensing resources:
Subscription resources for:
If drivers for hardware components are not in the operating system, download the missing software from the Dell homepage:
Go to www.dell.com/drivers, and choose the desired system type by entering the Service Tag or selecting the product type manually.
Select the installed operating system, enter a matching Keyword in the intended field and press Enter.
Now the corresponding drivers are shown below. Click the download sign to receive the desired file.
Figure 3: Software search on Dell homepage
Since the 14th generation of Dell PowerEdge servers, a factory password is set for preinstalled VMware ESXi. The root password is the Service Tag of the machine followed by the character "!". This can be changed during deployment.
Previously there was no password set and this change only affects 14G systems. Example : "AAAXXX1!. This can be changed during deployment.
Find more details in the dedicated article Dell 14G PowerEdge: What is the Default VMWare ESXi Root password for R740, R640, and 14G Servers.
Servers, PowerEdge, Legacy Server Models, PowerEdge M420, PowerEdge M520, PowerEdge M620, PowerEdge M620 (for PE VRTX), PowerEdge M820, PowerEdge R320, PowerEdge R420, PowerEdge R520, PowerEdge R620, PowerEdge R720, PowerEdge R720xd, PowerEdge R820See more
07 Mar 2022
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