6.3 zVM first steps

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6.3 z/VM first steps

Note 

If you are installing Linux in an LPAR, you can skip this section and go to 6.4, "Prepare and IPL Linux in an LPAR" on page 95.

Once you have a z/VM user ID defined, the first steps on z/VM are to get access to the three IPL files, optionally to create a REXX EXEC to start installation, and to start the installation.

To IPL Linux from the z/VM reader, three files need to be punched, in the following order. The file names on the SuSE SLES-8 CD are specified:

1. The Linux kernel—vmrdr.ikr

2. A parameter file—parmfile

3. An initial RAMdisk—initrd

You will have to move the three files to be punched to the reader over to VM. The kernel and RAMdisk are moved in binary, while the parameter file must be converted from ASCII to EBCDIC. If you do not have access to the FTP command on z/VM, it can be accessed with the following commands:

    link tcpmaint 592 592 rr    acc 592 f 

Once you have access to FTP from VM, copy the files over in fixed 80-byte records. For example, if your FTP server is 9.117.99.3 and the directory over which SLES-8 CD1 is mounted is /mnt/sles8cd1, the following FTP commands will copy the files to z/VM with file names and types that are intuitive:

    ftp 9.117.99.3    USER (identify yourself to the host): <FTP user name>    Password: <password>    ftp> cd /mnt/sles8cd1/boot    ftp> asc    ftp> locsite fix 80    ftp> get parmfile sles8.parmfile    ftp> bin    ftp> get initrd sles8.ramdisk    ftp> get vmrdr.ikr sles8.kernel    ftp> quit 

It is recommended, but not necessary, to create a REXX EXEC that punches these files into the reader and then IPL from it. Following is an example named SLES8 EXEC:

    /* REXX EXEC for loading SUSE SLES-8      */    say 'Loading files for SuSE SLES-8 into reader...'    'CP CLOSE RDR'    'CP PURGE RDR CLASS L'    'CP SPOOL PUN * RDR CLASS L'    'PUNCH SLES8 KERNEL A (NOH'    'PUNCH SLES8 PARMFILE A (NOH'    'PUNCH SLES8 RAMDISK A (NOH'    'CP SPOOL RDR KEEP CLASS L'    'CP IPL 00C CLEAR' 

If the correct three files are already in the reader and you want to IPL the same installation system, you can bypass the EXEC and simply enter IPL 00C CLEAR.

To run the exec, just enter sle8 from the command line:

    sles8    Loading files for SuSE SLES-8 into reader...    0000003 FILES PURGED    RDR FILE 0004 SENT FROM LINUX4   PUN WAS 0004 RECS 027K CPY  001 L NOHOLD NOKEEP    RDR FILE 0005 SENT FROM LINUX4   PUN WAS 0005 RECS 0002 CPY  001 L NOHOLD NOKEEP    RDR FILE 0006 SENT FROM LINUX4   PUN WAS 0006 RECS 088K CPY  001 L NOHOLD NOKEEP    0000003 FILES CHANGED    hwc low level driver: can write messages    hwc low level driver: can not read state change notifications    hwc low level driver: can receive signal quiesce    hwc low level driver: can read commands    hwc low level driver: can read priority commands    Linux version 2.4.19-3suse-SMP (root@s390l5) (gcc version 3.2) #1 SMP Thu Oct 17     11:03:16 UTC 2002    We are running under VM (31 bit mode) 

Linux should begin booting, as shown above. If there is a problem, be sure you FTPed the files over correctly with the proper attributes. For reference, the CMS files are shown using the filelist command:

    filel sles8 *    Cmd   Filename Filetype Fm Format Lrecl   Records   Blocks          SLES8    EXEC     A1 V         50        10        1          SLES8    RAMDISK  A1 F         80     87865     1717          SLES8    KERNEL   A1 F         80     27060      476          SLES8    PARMFILE A1 V         50         2        1 

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