Citrix XenServer

Citrix XenServer can be downloaded from http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_1688615.asp . It will come in an ISO format. Current version as of August 2009 is 5.5.

The ISO will boot up to a Linux installer and run the installation wizard. Follow the prompts and provide the appropriate information.

NOTE: for the selection of where to store the VM images it is most likley you will need only 1 drive. It is best to choose the same drive to where you are installing XenServer, providing there is adequate space.

After installation the XenServer will boot into a rudimentary configuraiton screen where you can view/change settings.

Below descibes how to configure the physical disks in XenServer:

From the command line interface list the contents of the above mentioned folder and note the relevant device name, e.g.:

# ls -l /dev/disk/by-id/
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 Aug 12 12:30 scsi-SATA_ST3500320AS_9QM13WP2 -> ../../sdb
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 Aug 12 12:30 scsi-SATA_ST380815AS_6QZ5Z1AM -> ../../sda
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Aug 12 12:30 scsi-SATA_ST380815AS_6QZ5Z1AM-part1 -> ../../sda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Aug 12 12:30 scsi-SATA_ST380815AS_6QZ5Z1AM-part2 -> ../../sda2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Aug 12 12:30 scsi-SATA_ST380815AS_6QZ5Z1AM-part3 -> ../../sda3

Suppose /dev/sdb was the device I want to create an SR on. Use its SCSI UUID instead of /dev/sdb – this will ensure that your SR is attached regardless of the order in which the kernel discovers the device (i.e. could be /dev/sdc next time you reboot, depending on circumstances).

Create the SR:

xe sr-create content-type=user device-config:device=/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_ST3500320AS_9QM13WP2 name-label=”LOCAL SR”

This SR should now appear in Xencenter. Should you have any troubles please post back.

Link to the XenCenter UI control is

http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_1688615.asp . After installation open the applicaiton and connect to the desired XenServer to perform configuraiton and management.