Front cover Acrobat bookmark Linux on the IBM iSeries Server An Implementation Guide Benefit from the advantages of running Linux on the iSeries server Find out how to install and use Linux on iSeries Learn which Linux applications can run on iSeries Sungsim Park Klaas Bals Michel Fleury Gary Hansen Gene Meyer Rebecca Mills Peter Poeml Tim Robison Tadayuki Yoshida ibm.com/redbooks International Technical Support Organization Linux on the IBM ~ iSeries Server: An Implementation Guide January 2002 SG24-6232-00 Take Note! Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information in “Special notices” on page xi. First Edition (January 2002) This IBM Redbook was updated for softcopy publication on July 2, 2002. This edition applies to Version 5, Release 1 of OS/400. Comments may be addressed to: IBM Corporation, International Technical Support Organization Dept. JLU Building 107-2 3605 Highway 52N Rochester, Minnesota 55901-7829 When you send information to IBM, you grant IBM a non-exclusive right to use or distribute the information in any way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to you. © Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2002. All rights reserved. Note to U.S Government Users - Documentation related to restricted rights - Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Contents Contents . iii Special notices . xi IBM trademarks . xii Preface . xiii The team that wrote this redbook. xiii Special notice. .xv Comments welcome. .xv Chapter 1. Getting acquainted with Linux on the iSeries server . 1 1.1 What Linux is. 2 1.2 What open source is . 3 1.2.1 Distributions . 5 1.2.2 Linux on all platforms . 5 1.3 Why use Linux on the iSeries server. 5 1.4 Linux on iSeries implementation . 6 1.4.1 What is possible . 6 1.4.2 Definitions . 7 1.4.3 Environment . 10 1.4.4 Shared processors . 10 1.4.5 Virtual I/O . 11 1.4.6 Native I/O: IOAs directly attached to the Linux partition . 12 1.5 Linux application scenarios on iSeries . 13 1.6 Performance . 14 1.7 Summary. 15 Chapter 2. Installation and operation of Linux on the iSeries server. 17 2.1 System requirements . 18 2.2 Getting started. 19 2.3 LPAR considerations. 20 2.3.1 Configuring a service tools user ID . 21 2.3.2 Configuring a guest partition . 23 2.4 Linux installation . 36 2.4.1 Choosing a distribution . 37 2.4.2 Installation details . 37 2.4.3 Creating an initial network server description (CRTNWSD) . 38 2.4.4 Boot parameters of the NWSD . 38 2.4.5 Create Network Server Storage Space (CRTNWSSTG) . 40 2.4.6 Connecting to the virtual Linux console . 44 2.4.7 Starting the Linux partition . 49 2.5 Virtual I/O . 51 2.5.1 Virtual LAN configuration . 52 2.5.2 Using the virtual CD-ROM. 60 2.5.3 Using virtual tape . 62 2.6 Linux native adapters and disk (hosted or non-hosted partitions). 62 2.6.1 Allocating resources . 62 2.6.2 Native SCSI support . 80 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2002 iii 2.6.3 Native LAN adapters. 81 2.6.4 Configuring for a non-hosted partition. 81 2.7 Troubleshooting . 81 Chapter 3. Linux administration . 87 3.1 General Linux concepts . 88 3.1.1 Configuration files . 88 3.1.2 Editing files using text editors . 88 3.1.3 Configuration tools . 89 3.1.4 The man command . 89 3.2 Devices . 90 3.2.1 Linux devices . 90 3.2.2 Creating devices . 90 3.2.3 iSeries-specific devices. 91 3.2.4 Device name changes . 94 3.3 Handling virtual and direct attached hard disks . 95 3.3.1 Looking at partition information of hard disks . 95 3.3.2 Creating and adding a virtual disk. 96 3.3.3 Partitioning the added disk . 97 3.3.4 Creating the file system (formatting the disk partition) . 99 3.3.5 Mounting a disk partition . 99 3.3.6 Unmounting a disk partition . 99 3.3.7 Automatically mounting a disk partition at boot time. 100 3.3.8 Moving a virtual disk between partitions . 101 3.4 Working with network devices (virtual and direct) . 101 3.5 Directory hierarchy . ..