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Documentation›HCI›Virtualization Edition›Installation and InitializationHCI

Overview

This tutorial introduces how to install and deploy ZStack Cube Virtualization Edition.

Configure Network Environment

This section describes the network planning and switch connection requirements for deploying ZStack Cube Virtualization Edition.

Network Planning

Plan the following network resources in advance:
  • Management network: Used for managing and controlling the hardware resources of the platform. It is recommended to configure at least dual 1GbE networks.
  • Storage network: Used for providing storage services and carrying storage traffic. It is recommended to configure a dual 10GbE network.
  • Service network: The network used by virtual machines to provide application services externally. It is recommended to configure at least dual 1GbE networks.
  • Migration network: A dedicated network for VM migration, which is recommended to be configured separately. If not configured, the management network will be used for VM migration by default.
Note: During network deployment, it is recommended to ensure redundancy for switches, NICs, and other equipment to meet high availability requirements and avoid single points of failure.
Note: Host discovery requires IPv6 support from the server NICs, operating systems, and Layer 2 network. Make sure that IPv6 is enabled on the NICs used for deployment and on the host operating systems, and that switches and other network devices do not disable or block IPv6 traffic between hosts.

Switch Connections

Note: The switch connection process for HCI appliances of different models may vary slightly. Please proceed according to the specific model.
Configure switch port modes based on your VLAN requirements:
  • Configure switch ports in Trunk mode when you need to specify VLAN networks.
  • Configure switch ports in Access mode when you don't need VLAN specification.
We recommend these switch port configurations for each network:
  • Management network: Configure switch ports in Access mode.
  • Service network: Configure switch ports in Trunk mode.
  • Storage network: Configure switch ports in Access mode.
The following digram shows the network topology of the HCI appliance:
Figure 1. Network Topology


(Optional) Prepare Installation Package

The HCI appliance comes pre-installed with the ISO package, so you can skip this section. If you need to replace the ISO, follow the instructions in this section.

Procedure

  1. Contact the official technical support team to obtain the installation package.
    Note: After downloading the software, verify the checksum using an MD5 verification tool to ensure package integrity.
  2. Burn ISO using Fedora Media Writer.
    1. Connect your USB drive and open Fedora Media Writer.
    2. Click Custom Image to open the ISO image file that you obtained.
    3. After selecting the ISO image, keep the other options at their default settings and click Write Disk.
      Note: Burning the image will format the data on the USB drive. If you have important data on your USB drive, make sure to back it up before formatting.

What to do next

After the burning process completes, you can use the USB drive as a boot disk. The platform supports booting in Legacy mode or UEFI mode.

Install Operating System

About this task

To install the operating system on each server, follow these steps:
  1. Check server BIOS configurations.
  2. Select a boot device.
  3. Proceed with automated installation.
  4. Perform post-installation self-check.
  5. Confirm the OS version.

Procedure

  1. Check server BIOS configurations.
    The following BIOS settings are pre-configured before delivery and require no manual setup. Check these settings:
    • Make sure the hardware clock matches local time zone.
    • Confirm CPU VT and Hyper-Threading (HT) are enabled.
    • Confirm automatic restart after power failure is enabled.
    • Confirm CPU C State is disabled.
    • In RAID controller configuration:
      • Confirm two 480 GB SDD are configured in RAID1 for system disk.
      • Confirm remaining disks are in JBOD passthrough mode.
    • Confirm system boot disk is set as the first boot device.
  2. Select a boot device.

    Enter the BIOS system boot interface, select the prepared USB drive and begin installing the operating system.

    Figure 2. System Boot


  3. Proceed with automated installation.
    Power on all network devices and servers. The installation process will begin automatically after all servers boot into the operating system.
    Note: The installation will format all disks. Proceed with caution.
    Figure 3. Install OS


  4. Perform post-installation self-check.
    After the automatic installation is completed, the system verifies the following items:
    • Hyper_Converged_file: Check hyper-converged configuration files.
    • Bootstrap_IP: Check the bootstrap deployment IP address.
    • Bootstrap_Agent: Check the hyperconverged-bootstrap.service status.
    • Storage_path: Check storage-related files.
    • License_path: Check license-related files.
    • Serial_Number: Check the machine serial number. After the self-check, verify that the displayed serial number is a valid SN written by the hardware vendor rather than a default placeholder.
    • Data_Disk_Size: Check disk specifications.
    Note: If the self-check fails, a red error message will appear, indicating issues during the OS installation process. Please contact official technical support for verification.
    Figure 4. Self-Check


  5. Confirm the OS version.
    Log in to the server operating system and run bootstrap version to check and confirm the OS version.

Start bootstrap_ui Service

After completing network connections and powering on all hosts in the HCI appliance, select one server for environment deployment. Before deploying the platform through the UI, configure the bootstrap deployment IP and start the bootstrap_ui service.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the management node system as root. The default password for the root account is cube_password.
  2. Run bootstrap init_ui to configure the bootstrap deployment IP and start the bootstrap_ui service.

    When you run this command, the system automatically scans all NICs. After the scanning is completed, select one NIC from management network/storage network/other network segment to start the bootstrap_ui service. It is recommended to use the management network for bootstrap service. After saving the configuration, the system successfully starts the bootstrap_ui service.

    [root@localhost ~]# bootstrap init_ui  //Configure bootstrap_ui

Step 1: Choose Network Interface  //Choose interface for bootstrap IP configuration
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please select an interface (enter the number)  //Select network interface

Step 2: Network Configuration for Selected Interface  //Network interface settings
---------------------------------------------------------------
1) Enter IP Address (default: xxx.xx.xx.xxx)  //Set IP address (recommended: management network IP)

2) Enter Subnet Mask (default: xxx.xxx.x.x)  //Set netmask

3) Enter Gateway (leave blank if none)  //Set gateway (optional)

4) Enter VLAN ID [1-4096] (leave blank if none)  //Set VLAN ID (must match switch configuration)

Step 3: Confirmation  //Confirm settings
--------------------------------------------------------------
Choose an option

1) Confirm configuration

2) Modify configuration

3) Exit without applying changes

Enter Welcome Page

Procedure

  1. After successfully starting the bootstrap_ui service, connect your laptop to the business network switch.
    Configure your laptop with an IP address in the same subnet as the bootstrap_ui IP. For example, if the configured bootstrap_ui IP is 172.26.30.242, set your laptop IP to 172.26.30.245.
  2. Open the URL http://172.26.30.242:18080 in your browser to access the HCI deployment wizard.
    Figure 5. Enter Welcome Page


  3. On the wizard page, click Deploy.

Discover Hosts

The system automatically scans and displays host hardware information. Select at least three hosts for deployment.

Before you begin

  • It is recommended to select hosts with the same version or upgrade the selected hosts to the same version before the deployment.
  • Make sure that each selected host has a valid, unique device SN written by the hardware vendor. Default placeholders are not valid SNs.
  • The selected host must have at least one 10GbE NIC with the same name and in UP status.
  • Make sure that IPv6 is enabled on the NICs used for deployment and on the operating systems of the selected hosts, and that IPv6 connectivity is available between hosts.
  • The disk types of the selected hosts must be consistent. For example, all hosts should have either all SSD disks or a mix of SSD and HDD disks.

Procedure

  1. On the Discover Host page, select the hosts you want to deploy.
    Note: To scan for newly added hosts, click Rescan.
  2. Confirm your selection and click Next.
    Figure 6. Discover Host


Configure Networks

Configure the management network, storage network, business network, and BMC network according to your network plan.

Procedure

  1. Configure management network.
    Set the following parameters:
    • NIC: Select one or two NICs with the same speed for Bond configuration.
    • Bond Mode: Supports Link Aggregation and Active-Backup mode.
      Note:
      • Management or business network Bond mode must match switch configuration. Use Link Aggregation mode only when the switch is configured for dynamic/static LACP. Use Active-Backup mode when the switch has no link aggregation.
      • When configuring a single NIC, only Active-Backup mode is supported.
    • IP Range: Set the management network IP range.
    • Netmask: Configure the management network netmask.
    • Gateway: Specify the gateway address
    • VLAN ID: Optional. Enter VLAN ID if the management network uses VLAN.
      Note:
      • When switch ports are in Access mode, the HCI platform must be configured as NoVLAN network and leave VLAN ID blank.
      • When switch ports are in Trunk mode, the HCI platform must be configured as VLAN network and enter the corresponding VLAN ID.
    Figure 7. Configure Management Network


  2. Configure storage network.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Configuration:
      • Configure Public Network and Cluster Network Together: Shares the same configuration between public network and cluster network, including NICs, Bond mode, IP range, netmask, and VLAN ID.
      • Configure Public Network and Cluster Network Separately: Requires independent configuration for public network and cluster network, including NICs, Bond mode, IP range, netmask, and VLAN ID.
      • Reuse Management Network: Applies management network configuration to both storage networks. Any management network changes will automatically update the storage networks.
    Note:
    • When configuring a single NIC, only Active-Backup mode is supported.
    • When switch ports are in Access mode, the HCI platform must be configured as NoVLAN network and leave VLAN ID blank.
    • When switch ports are in Trunk mode, the HCI platform must be configured as VLAN network and enter the corresponding VLAN ID.
    • Storage networks require 10GbE NICs. You cannot reuse 1GbE management NICs for storage networks.
    Figure 8. Configure Storage Network


  3. (Optional) Configure business network.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Configure Business Network: Choose whether to configure business network. By default, this switch is enabled.
    • NIC: Select one or two NICs with the same speed for Bond configuration.
    • Bond Mode: Supports Link Aggregation and Active-Backup mode.
      Note:
      • Management or business network Bond mode must match switch configuration. Use Link Aggregation mode only when the switch is configured for dynamic/static LACP. Use Active-Backup mode when the switch has no link aggregation.
      • When configuring a single NIC, only Active-Backup mode is supported.
    • IP Range: Specify the business network IP range.
    • Netmask: Set the business network netmask.
    • VLAN ID: Optional. Enter VLAN ID if the business network uses VLAN.
      Note:
      • When switch ports are in Access mode, the HCI platform must be configured as NoVLAN network and leave VLAN ID blank.
      • When switch ports are in Trunk mode, the HCI platform must be configured as VLAN network and enter the corresponding VLAN ID.
    Figure 9. Configure Business Network


  4. (Optional) Configure BMC network.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Configure BMC Network: Choose whether to configure BMC network for host IPMI remote connection and management. By default, this switch is disabled.
      Note: Before configuration, make sure each host has a BMC NIC attached.
    • IP Range: Specify the BMC network IP address range.
    • Netmask: Set the BMC network netmask.
    • Gateway: Configure the gateway address.
    Figure 10. Configure BMC Network


  5. Confirm the configuration and click Next.

Configure Host System Information

Configure system information in bulk, including hostnames and root passwords, with support for modifying individual host configurations.

Procedure

  1. Set host information in batch.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Hostname: Set the hostname and starting sequence number for the first host. Subsequent hosts will automatically generate hostnames based on this sequence.
    • Root Password: Set a root password for all hosts.
    • Confirm Root Password: Re-enter the root password for verification.
  2. (Optional) Adjust host configurations.
    The Host System page displays all host information including device SN, hostname, management IP, and storage IP. You can sort by device SN and modify hostname and IP address.
    Note:
    • When starting the bootstrap_ui service, if the bootstrap IP is configured on the management network or storage network segment, and this IP address is set as the host's management or storage network IP, then this IP address cannot be modified or reordered.
    • When the storage network and management network are shared, only the management IP can be modified manually. The storage network will update automatically.
    • When Public Network and Cluster Network are shared, only the Public IP can be modified manually. The Cluster IP will update automatically.
  3. Confirm the configuration and click Next.
    Figure 11. Configure Host System Information


Configure Management Node

Configure the HCI platform management node and distributed storage.

Procedure

  1. Configure the HCI platform management node.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Management Node: Select two hosts with identical versions as HCI platform management nodes.
    • Management Node VIP: Enter the virtual IP address for management nodes.
    • DNS Server: Optional. Choose whether to configure DNS server for network resolution services.
    • NTP Server: Set NTP server address, supporting both internal and external NTP servers. By default, the system uses an internal NTP server, indicating the use of a node as the internal time source. If you have an NTP server address, you can set it to an external NTP server.
  2. Configure distributed storage.
    Set the following parameters:
    • Storage System: Select your distributed storage product based on actual conditions.
    • Management Monitor Role: Select three hosts to serve as both monitoring and management nodes for the distributed storage system.
    • Replicas: Displays the current replica count for distributed storage.
    • Deployment Mode: Determined by the type of disks mounted on each host.
      • All-Flash pool: When all hosts use SSD disks.
      • Normal pool: When all hosts use HDD disks.
      • Hybrid pool: When hosts use both SSD and HDD disks.
  3. Confirm the configuration and click Next.
    Figure 12. Configure Management Node


Preview

Procedure

  1. The interface displays all completed configurations, which you can view either by Device or by Batch Configuration.
  2. Confirm the configuration and click Next to begin deployment.
    Figure 13. Preview


Deploy HCI Platform

Procedure

  1. Wait for the deployment to complete.
    The deployment page displays real-time progress for each host in list format, with options to view logs and export configuration.
    Note: If the deployment fails, click Retry Now to reinstall affected hosts.
    Figure 14. Deploy Host


  2. After successful deployment, click Enter HCI Platform to log in to the platform.
    Figure 15. Enter HCI Platform


What to do next

  • The system provides comprehensive bootstrap CLI tools for additional configuration tasks, including database inspection and firewall rule management. Run bootstrap -h to view available commands.
  • After logging in to the HCI platform, follow the wizard to complete initial environment configuration.
  • Starting from ZStack Cube Virtualization Edition 2.4.10.20, for ZCE-X distributed storage, if you need to access the distributed storage management interface directly, the default login credentials are admin/Admin@123

Initialize ZStack Cube Virtualization Edition

The initialization wizard helps you quickly set up necessary resources for your environment.

You can initialize the environment through the following methods:
  • Initialize automatically
  • Initialize manually
  • Restore from backup data
Notes during the initialization:
  • If you exit the Wizard midway, you will not be able to enter the Wizard again.
  • If no resources are created during the initialization, you can initialize the environment again from the Dashboard page.
  • If you accidentally exit the Wizard, you can delete the data center and re-enter the initialization wizard from the Dashboard page.
    Note: Deleting a data center will delete clusters, hosts, networks, and data storage resources, along with all subordinate resources of each resource. Proceed with caution.

Initialize Automatically

With the automatic initialization wizard, you can scan hardware information with one click and automatically deploy necessary resources for initiating a new environment.

Procedure

  1. In the Welcome to Initialization Wizard dialog, select Initialize Automatically.
  2. Click Next.
  3. In the Auto Initialization dialog, review and confirm the configuration details for each resources, then click Initialize.
    The initialization wizard will begin configuring the platform according to the resource configurations.
  4. In the Auto Initialization dialog, check the initialization progress or task details.
  5. When initialization completes successfully, the Automatic Initialization Complete dialog appears.
    • If all resources initialized successfully, click New Virtual Machine to begin using the platform.
    • If no distributed switch or distributed port group is created during the automatic initialization, you need to manually configure these network resources before using the platform.

Initialize Manually

You can follow the wizard to initiate a new environment by creating necessary resources, including data center, cluster, host, data storage, image storage, image and distributed port group.

Procedure

  1. In the Welcome to Initialization Wizard dialog, choose Initialize Manually.
  2. Click Next.
  3. On the Initialize Manually page, create a data center.
    1. Enter a name and description for the data center.
    2. Click OK.
  4. Create a cluster.
    1. Enter a name for the cluster.
    2. Select a CPU architecture for the cluster. Options include x86_64 and aarch64.
    3. Click OK.
  5. Add a host.
    1. Select the addition method.
      • Add Automatically: Automatically retrieves host configurations from the hyper-converged bootstrap process.
      • Add Manually: Enter the host name, IP address, SSH port, SSH username, and SSH password.
    2. Click OK.
  6. Add a data storage.
    1. Select the addition method.
      • Add automatically: Automatically retrieves data storage configurations from the hyper-converged bootstrap process.
      • Add Manually: Enter the data storage name, select data storage type, and complete storage configurations.
        • Local storage: Set mount path and host disk configurations.
          Note:
          • Avoid system directories such as /, /dev/, /proc/, /sys/, /usr/bin, and /bin for mount path. Using system directories might cause the hosts unable to work properly.
          • Host disk configuration will format the selected disks and completely erase all partitions, file systems, and data on the disk.
        • ZCE distributed storage: Set whether to enable key authentication, add monitoring node, and specify image cache pool, storage pool, and storage network.
          Note: Make sure the key authentication configuration is consistent with the platform configuration. Otherwise, virtual machine creation may fail.
        • ZHPS distributed storage: Enter IP address, port, username, and password. Add a storage pool.
        • ZBS distributed storage: Add MDS nodes and Enter the pool name of the storage pool.
    2. Click OK.
  7. Add an image storage.
    1. Select the addition method.
      • Add Automatically: Automatically retrieves the image storage configurations from the hyper-converged bootstrap process.
      • Add Manually: Enter the image storage name, select image storage type, and complete disk configurations.
        • Standalone image storage: Enter the image storage IP address, SSH port, username, and password. Complete the disk configurations, including addition method, mount path, whether to retrieve existing image, image sync network, and data network.
          Note:
          • If you select free disk for addition method, this configuration will format the selected disks and completely erase all partitions, file systems, and data on the disk.
          • Avoid system directories such as /, /dev/, /proc/, /sys/, /usr/bin, and /bin for mount path. Using system directories might cause the image storage unable to work properly.
        • Distributed image storage: Configure the monitoring node, including monitoring node IP address, SSH port, username, and password. Specify an image storage pool UUID as needed. If not specified, the platform creates one automatically.
    2. Click OK.
  8. Add an image.
    1. Select the image path. Options include URL and local file.
    2. Enter a name for the image.
    3. Select the image type. Options include system image and disk image.
    4. Select the image format. Options include qcow2, iso, vmdk, and raw.
    5. Click OK.
  9. Create a distributed port group.
    1. Enter a name for the distributed port group.
    2. Select the distributed switch for the distributed port group. Options include default switch and new switch.
      • Default switch: Automatically created based on host configuration when adding the first host to a cluster. Primarily used for host management network. You can reuse this switch for both management network and business networks.
      • New switch: To realize network separation between management network and business network, you can create a distributed switch as needed. This option is recommended for production environment. If you select this option, you need to configure aggregated interface configuration, uplink name, bond mode, hash policy, and host NC.
    3. Select the VLAN type. Options include none and standard VLAN.
      You need to specify a VLAN ID when selecting standard VLAN.
    4. Choose whether to enable the DHCP service.
      When enabled, you need to configure the network range method (IP range or CIDR), gateway, IP allocation policy, and DHCP IP.
    5. Enter a DNS.
    6. Click OK.
  10. The Manual Initialization Complete dialog appears. Click New Virtual Machine.
    You have completed the necessary resource creations for environment initialization. You may now start using the platform.

Restore from Backup Data

In the event of a disaster in the local data center, you can rely on the platform's database backup data to rebuild the data center and restore business. You can quickly restore the whole environment from an existing platform database backup using the initialization wizard.

Before you begin

You have at least one valid platform backup.

Procedure

  1. In the Welcome to Initialization Wizard dialog, choose Restore from Backup Data.
  2. Click Next.
  3. In the Restore from Backup Data dialog, set the following parameters to complete server configurations:
    Parameter Description
    Backup Storage IP Enter the IP address of the backup storage that stores the platform backup data.
    URL URL of the backup storage.
    SSH Port SSH port of the backup storage. Default is 22.
    Username Username of the backup storage.
    Password Password of the backup storage.
  4. Click Test Connection to validate network connectivity to the backup storage.
  5. After successful connection, set the following parameters to complete backup data configurations:
    Parameter Description
    Database Backup Select platform backup data.
    Note: To avoid management node start failure due to insufficient licensed quota, select the appropriate data to restore. You can click Update License to renew your licensed quota.
  6. Review the configuration and click OK.
  7. In the Restore Platform Database dialog, enter the database root password and click OK.
    Note: Restoring the platform database requires a management node restart, during which the management interface will be unavailable. This process takes a few minutes and does not affect your resources.
  8. After the platform database is successfully restored, click Log in Again.

What to do next

After platform database recovery, all resources on the platform will be recovered to the state at which the backup is created. Click Scan Backup Data in the local backup storage to obtain real-time backup data.
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