Installing an OS on a dedicated server through IPMI
Over IPMI you attach an ISO image from your own machine as a virtual drive, switch the boot order to CD-ROM, reboot the server and walk through the installer in a graphical console exactly as if you were standing at the rack. It is the only way to deploy a system the panel templates do not carry: your own build, an older release, Windows Server or a hypervisor.
- KVM/IPMI access on ZevsHost costs $5 per month and is already included in the Dedicated Enterprise US plan.
- Virtual Media streams the image from you to the server, so the install runs at the speed of your upload link.
- Decide the RAID layout before you start; repartitioning an array after the data lands costs more than reinstalling.
- For repeatable installs use preseed (Debian/Ubuntu) or kickstart (RHEL family).
What to prepare first
Collect four things: the BMC address and credentials, the ISO image of the version you want, the network parameters of the server (IP, netmask, gateway, DNS) and a disk layout plan. Connecting to the console and the basic commands are covered in the article on IPMI and KVM-over-IP.
Settle the array question separately. With a hardware controller the volume is created in its own utility before the installer starts, and the OS sees a single logical disk. A software array is assembled by the installer. The difference is covered in hardware RAID versus mdadm, and picking the level in the article on RAID levels 0, 1, 5 and 10.
Step by step
1. Attach the image
In the BMC web interface open the Virtual Media section (inside the iKVM console on Supermicro, under Configuration on Dell, in the Virtual Drives menu on HP), pick the ISO file and mount it. Some boards will not upload a file directly and ask for an SMB or NFS path instead.
2. Set a one-time boot from the drive
# boot once from the virtual CD-ROM
ipmitool -I lanplus -H 10.20.0.5 -U admin -f /root/.ipmipw chassis bootdev cdrom
# the same for a board running in UEFI mode
ipmitool -I lanplus -H 10.20.0.5 -U admin -f /root/.ipmipw chassis bootdev cdrom options=efiboot
# reboot with a full power cycle
ipmitool -I lanplus -H 10.20.0.5 -U admin -f /root/.ipmipw chassis power cycleWithout the word persistent the setting applies to exactly one boot and clears itself. That is what you want: after the install the server starts from disk.
3. Run the installer in the console
On a narrow link, lower the console resolution and turn off cursor animation in the applet settings. For Debian and Ubuntu the text installer (Install instead of Graphical install) is noticeably more responsive.
4. Layout for a software RAID
# building a mirror by hand from the installer shell
mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/nvme0n1p2 /dev/nvme1n1p2
mdadm --detail --scan >> /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf
# put the bootloader on both disks, or one failure leaves a dead machine
grub-install /dev/nvme0n1
grub-install /dev/nvme1n1Ways to install a system, and when each fits
| Method | IPMI required | Choice of OS version | Layout control | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel template | no | from a fixed list | minimal | a standard web or database server |
| Virtual Media over IPMI | yes | any image | full | custom build, Windows, hypervisor |
| PXE boot | yes, to change bootdev | any image | full | dozens of identical machines |
| Install from rescue | no | limited | full | disk image transfer, debootstrap |
Automation: preseed and kickstart
If the install repeats more than twice, describe it in an answer file and serve it to the installer over HTTP. A kickstart for AlmaLinux and Rocky looks like this:
cat << 'EOF' > /var/www/html/ks.cfg
text
lang en_US.UTF-8
timezone Europe/Berlin --utc
network --bootproto=static --ip=203.0.113.10 --netmask=255.255.255.248 --gateway=203.0.113.9
rootpw --iscrypted PASSWORD_HASH
clearpart --all --initlabel
autopart --type=lvm
reboot
EOFThe file is referenced with the kernel parameter inst.ks=http://203.0.113.5/ks.cfg on the installer boot line. On Debian and Ubuntu the same role belongs to preseed, and the parameter is called auto url=.
Unmount the image and restore the boot order. If you leave the ISO attached and set bootdev cdrom options=persistent, the server reopens the installer after every reboot, and with an answer file it wipes the disks again. Verify before the first production reboot: ipmitool chassis bootparam get 5 must report Boot Device Selector : No override, and Virtual Media must list no attached media.
What to do right after the install
- Check the array state:
cat /proc/mdstat, or the controller utility. - Confirm that networking comes up after a reboot, not only by hand from the console.
- Configure console redirection to the serial port so that next time SOL is enough.
- Compare the hardware configuration against the order using the checklist in accepting a dedicated server.
The list of configurations where the KVM/IPMI option is available for $5 per month is on the dedicated servers page.
Key takeaways
- Virtual Media over IPMI lets you deploy any image, including ones missing from the templates.
- The KVM/IPMI option on ZevsHost costs $5 per month and is included in Dedicated Enterprise US.
- Change the boot order with
ipmitool chassis bootdevand leave out the wordpersistent. - Decide the layout and RAID level before the installer runs; install the bootloader on both disks.
- After the install, unmount the image and confirm the boot override is cleared.