8
Upgrading requires careful planning and attention. For detailed information about upgrading
individual XenServer hosts and pools, see Chapter 7, Upgrading XenServer.
3.2. Installing the XenServer Host
Warning:
Installing XenServer will overwrite data on any hard drives that you select to use for the
installation. Back up data that you wish to preserve before proceeding.
To install or upgrade the XenServer host:
1. Boot the computer from the installation CD or PXE-boot from your TFTP server, if applicable.
2. Following the initial boot messages and the Welcome to XenServer screen, select your keyboard layout for
the installation.
Tip:
Throughout the installation, quickly advance to the next screen by pressing F12. Use Tab to
move between elements, and Space or Enter to select. For general help, press F1.
Note:
If a System Hardware warning screen is displayed and you suspect that hardware
virtualization assist support is available on your system, check the support site of your
hardware manufacturer for BIOS upgrades.
3. The Welcome to XenServer Setup screen is displayed.
XenServer ships with a broad driver set that supports most modern server hardware configurations.
However, if you have been provided with any supplemental packs containing additional essential drivers,
press F9. The installer will then step you through installing the necessary drivers.
Once you have installed all of the required drivers, select Ok to proceed.
4. The XenServer End User License Agreement (EULA) is displayed. Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to
scroll through and read the agreement. Choose Accept EULA to proceed.
5. Select an installation action, as appropriate. You may see any of the following options:
• Perform clean installation
• Upgrade: if the installer detects a previously-installed version of XenServer, it offers the option to upgrade.
For details on upgrading your XenServer host, see Chapter 7, Upgrading XenServer.
• Restore: if the installer detects a previously-created backup installation, it offers the option to restore
XenServer from the backup. For details, see the XenServer Administrator's Guide.
Make your selection, and choose Ok to proceed.
6. If you have multiple local hard disks, choose a Primary Disk for the installation. Select Ok.
7. Choose which disk(s) you would like to use for virtual machine storage. Information about a specific disk
can be viewed by pressing F5.
If you want to use Thin Provisioning to optimize the utilization of available storage, select Enable thin
provisioning. XenDesktop users are strongly recommended to select this option in order for local caching to
work properly. For details, see Chapter 5, XenServer and IntelliCache.
Choose Ok.
8. Select your installation media source.
If installing from a CD, choose Local media. If installing using PXE, select HTTP or FTP or NFS, as appropriate.
Choose Ok to proceed.