From cfa323e9af364cbaab8ccf59d46d5da677457685 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Claude Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:47:51 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add detailed button-by-button walkthrough for phases 4-6 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Phase 4 — H730 RAID configuration: - Lifecycle Controller navigation to RAID Configuration - Identifying 2.5" OS drives vs 3.5" data drives by size - Clearing foreign configurations if drives have prior RAID history - Full VD creation wizard with every screen described - Fast Initialize and verification Phase 5 — Proxmox install: - ISO download from proxmox.com - USB creation for Windows (Rufus, DD mode), Mac (Etcher), Linux (dd) - F11 UEFI boot menu navigation - Every installer screen with what to type/select - Certificate warning walkthrough, subscription nag explained Phase 6 — Post-install: - SSH connection - Repo fix (enterprise → no-subscription community) - apt dist-upgrade - Tool installation with explanation of what each does - Repo clone to /opt/local_proxmox https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD --- docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md | 611 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 611 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md diff --git a/docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md b/docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c8c55c3 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/walkthrough-phases-4-6.md @@ -0,0 +1,611 @@ +# Phases 4–6: RAID Config, Proxmox Install, Post-Install +### Dell R730xd — Button-by-button walkthrough + +--- + +## Phase 4 — H730 RAID Configuration + +**Goal:** Mirror the two 2.5" rear drives together so a single drive failure +cannot take down Proxmox. Leave every 3.5" drive untouched — the `perc-nonraid.sh` +script handles those later from inside Proxmox. + +**Why mirror the OS drives here instead of using ZFS?** The H730 presents the +RAID1 mirror as a single virtual disk to the OS. Proxmox installs onto it and +never needs to think about the fact that two physical drives are underneath. +This is the simplest and most reliable approach for an OS volume. + +--- + +### Step 4.1 — Enter Lifecycle Controller + +Power on (or reboot) the server and press **F10** at the Dell splash screen. + +Wait for Lifecycle Controller to load. You will see the main menu on the left: + +``` +Home +Firmware Update +OS Deployment +RAID Configuration ← go here +Hardware Configuration +Settings +``` + +Arrow to **RAID Configuration** and press **Enter**. + +--- + +### Step 4.2 — Open the RAID configuration wizard + +You will see: + +``` +RAID Configuration + + View Current Configuration + Create New VD + ... +``` + +First, click **View Current Configuration** to see what is already there. + +You are looking at the physical drives the H730 can see. Drives are listed under +their controller — it will say something like: + +``` +PERC H730 Mini (Slot 0) + + Physical Disks: + Port 0: SEAGATE ST4000NM0023 4.0 TB State: Unconfigured Good + Port 1: SEAGATE ST4000NM0023 4.0 TB State: Unconfigured Good + ... + Port 8: TOSHIBA MK1401GRRB 146 GB State: Unconfigured Good ← 2.5" + Port 9: TOSHIBA MK1401GRRB 146 GB State: Unconfigured Good ← 2.5" +``` + +> **Identifying the 2.5" OS drives:** They will be noticeably smaller than the +> 3.5" drives — likely 146 GB, 300 GB, 600 GB (SAS) or 120–480 GB (SSD). +> The 3.5" drives will be 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, or larger. Size is the giveaway. + +> **If drives show "Foreign Configuration":** They were previously part of a +> RAID array. See Step 4.3a before continuing. + +> **If the 2.5" drives appear under a different controller** (e.g., "PERC H330 +> Mini"): The R730xd sometimes puts the rear bays on a separate mini controller. +> That is fine — just create the RAID1 on whichever controller owns those drives. + +Press **Back** to return to the RAID Configuration menu. + +--- + +### Step 4.3a — Clear foreign configurations (only if needed) + +If any drives showed "Foreign Configuration" in Step 4.2, you need to clear +them before you can create a new virtual disk. + +In the RAID Configuration menu, look for: + +``` +Clear Foreign Configuration +``` + +Select it, choose **All Foreign Configurations**, click **Apply**. + +A warning will appear saying all data on those drives will be lost — click **Yes**. +(We are building a new system so there is nothing to keep.) + +After clearing, go back to **View Current Configuration** and confirm the drives +now show **Unconfigured Good**. + +--- + +### Step 4.4 — Create the RAID 1 virtual disk + +In the RAID Configuration menu, select **Create New VD** and press **Enter**. + +The wizard walks you through four screens: + +--- + +**Screen 1 — Select RAID Level** + +``` +Select RAID Level: + + RAID 0 (no redundancy, faster) + RAID 1 (mirror, one drive can fail) ← select this + RAID 5 (requires 3+ drives) + RAID 6 (requires 4+ drives) + RAID 10 (requires 4+ drives) +``` + +Select **RAID 1** and click **Next**. + +--- + +**Screen 2 — Select Physical Disks** + +A list of all available physical disks appears. You need to select **only the +two 2.5" drives**. Do not select any 3.5" drives. + +Click the checkbox next to each of the two 2.5" drives (identified by their +smaller size). Leave all 3.5" drives unchecked. + +Click **Next**. + +--- + +**Screen 3 — Virtual Disk Attributes** + +``` +Virtual Disk Name: OS-Mirror +Virtual Disk Size: (auto-filled — leave it) +Strip Element Size: 64KB (leave default) +Read Policy: Adaptive Read Ahead (leave default) +Write Policy: Write Back (leave default) +Disk Cache Policy: Enabled (leave default) +``` + +The only thing you need to change is the name — type `OS-Mirror` so it is easy +to identify. Everything else can stay at defaults. + +Click **Next**. + +--- + +**Screen 4 — Confirm** + +Review the summary. It should show: +- RAID Level: 1 +- Physical Disks: 2 (your 2.5" drives) +- Virtual Disk Size: whatever the smaller of the two drives is + +Click **Finish**. + +--- + +### Step 4.5 — Initialize the virtual disk + +After creating the VD, Lifecycle Controller will ask about initialization: + +``` +Initialize virtual disk? + Fast Initialize ← select this + Full Initialize (writes zeros to every sector — takes hours, not needed) + Skip +``` + +Select **Fast Initialize** and click **OK**. + +Fast initialization takes 30–60 seconds. A progress bar will appear. Wait for it. + +--- + +### Step 4.6 — Verify and exit + +When initialization finishes, go back to **View Current Configuration**. + +You should now see: + +``` +PERC H730 Mini + + Virtual Disks: + VD 0: OS-Mirror RAID 1 ~146 GB State: Optimal + + Physical Disks: + Port 0–7: 3.5" drives State: Unconfigured Good + Port 8–9: 2.5" drives State: Online (member of VD 0) +``` + +The 3.5" drives should all show **Unconfigured Good**. That is exactly what you +want. Leave them that way. + +Click **Back** repeatedly until you reach the Lifecycle Controller home screen, +then click **Exit**. The server will reboot. + +--- + +## Phase 5 — Install Proxmox VE 9.1 + +### Step 5.1 — Download the Proxmox ISO + +On your other computer, open a browser and go to: + +``` +https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads +``` + +Click **Proxmox Virtual Environment** → find the latest **Proxmox VE 9.x ISO +Installer** and click **Download**. + +The file will be named something like `proxmox-ve_9.1-1.iso` and is about 1 GB. + +--- + +### Step 5.2 — Write the ISO to a USB drive + +You need to write the ISO as a disk image (not copy the file). Use one of these +tools depending on your computer: + +#### Windows — Rufus (free, no install needed) + +1. Download Rufus from: **https://rufus.ie** (click the first .exe link) +2. Plug in your USB drive (8 GB or larger — all data on it will be erased) +3. Open Rufus +4. **Device:** select your USB drive from the dropdown +5. **Boot selection:** click **SELECT** and choose the Proxmox ISO file +6. **Partition scheme:** select **GPT** +7. **Target system:** select **UEFI (non CSM)** +8. Click **START** +9. A dialog appears asking about ISO mode vs DD mode — select **Write in DD Image + mode** and click **OK** +10. Click **OK** again when warned that the USB will be wiped +11. Wait for it to finish (1–3 minutes), then click **CLOSE** + +#### Mac — Balena Etcher (free) + +1. Download from: **https://etcher.balena.io** — click **Download for macOS** +2. Open Etcher +3. Click **Flash from file** → select the Proxmox ISO +4. Click **Select target** → select your USB drive +5. Click **Flash** — enter your Mac password if prompted +6. Wait for it to finish + +#### Linux — terminal + +```bash +# Find your USB drive device name (look for your drive size) +lsblk + +# Write the ISO (replace sdX with your actual USB device, e.g. sdb — NOT sdb1) +dd if=proxmox-ve_9.1-1.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=1M status=progress conv=fsync +sync +``` + +--- + +### Step 5.3 — Boot the server from USB + +1. Plug the USB drive into one of the USB ports on the front or back of the server +2. Power on (or reboot) the server +3. At the Dell splash screen, press **F11** + +The **Boot Manager** screen appears: + +``` +Boot Manager + + BIOS Boot Menu + UEFI Boot Menu ← go here + One-shot BIOS Boot Menu + ... +``` + +Arrow to **UEFI Boot Menu** and press **Enter**. + +You will see a list of bootable devices. Look for your USB drive — it will be +listed as something like: + +``` +UEFI: SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0, Partition 1 +``` + +Arrow to it and press **Enter**. + +> **If the USB does not appear in the UEFI Boot Menu:** Make sure Rufus wrote in +> DD mode and GPT was selected (Step 5.2). Legacy/MBR USB drives will not appear +> in the UEFI menu. + +--- + +### Step 5.4 — Proxmox installer boot menu + +The server boots from the USB and shows the Proxmox boot menu — white text on +a blue/dark background: + +``` +Proxmox VE Installer + + Install Proxmox VE (Graphical) ← select this + Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI) + Advanced Options + ... +``` + +Arrow to **Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)** and press **Enter**. + +The graphical installer loads. This takes about 30–60 seconds. + +--- + +### Step 5.5 — End User License Agreement + +The EULA screen appears. Read it or don't — click **I agree** at the bottom right. + +--- + +### Step 5.6 — Target disk selection + +This is the most important screen. You are choosing where Proxmox installs. + +You will see a dropdown labeled **Target Harddisk**. Click it. + +The list shows all visible storage. You are looking for the RAID1 virtual disk +you created in Phase 4. It will appear as a single disk — something like: + +``` +/dev/sda (146.00 GB) ← this is the OS-Mirror RAID1 VD +/dev/sdb (4.00 TB) +/dev/sdc (4.00 TB) +... +``` + +Select the small one — your OS-Mirror virtual disk (146 GB or whatever size your +2.5" drives are). + +> **Do not select a 3.5" drive.** Those are your VM data drives. + +**Filesystem:** Click the **Options** button next to the disk selector. + +``` +Filesystem: ext4 ← leave this as ext4 +``` + +Leave it as `ext4`. The H730 RAID1 already gives you drive redundancy. Adding +ZFS here would be redundant overhead with no benefit. + +Click **Next**. + +--- + +### Step 5.7 — Location and timezone + +``` +Country: [type your country, e.g. United States] +Time Zone: [auto-filled based on country, e.g. America/New_York] +Keyboard: [your keyboard layout, e.g. U.S. English] +``` + +Adjust if needed. Click **Next**. + +--- + +### Step 5.8 — Password and email + +``` +Password: [choose a strong root password — write it down] +Confirm: [same password again] +Email: [any email address — used for system alerts] +``` + +> The root password is how you log into Proxmox. If you forget it, recovery is +> painful. Write it on a piece of paper and put it somewhere safe. + +Click **Next**. + +--- + +### Step 5.9 — Network configuration + +``` +Management Interface: [auto-selected — usually em1 or eno1, the first NIC] +Hostname (FQDN): pve.local +IP Address: 192.168.1.10 ← change to an IP on your network +Netmask: 255.255.255.0 +Gateway: 192.168.1.1 ← your router's IP +DNS Server: 192.168.1.1 ← your router's IP (or 8.8.8.8) +``` + +**Choosing a static IP for Proxmox:** +- Log into your router and find its DHCP range +- Pick an IP outside that range (same subnet) +- Example: if DHCP is 192.168.1.100–200, use 192.168.1.10 +- This IP is how you will reach the Proxmox web UI and SSH from now on + +Click **Next**. + +--- + +### Step 5.10 — Summary and install + +The installer shows a summary of everything you chose. Confirm: +- Target disk: your small RAID1 virtual disk +- Filesystem: ext4 +- Hostname and IP look correct + +Click **Install**. + +The installation takes 5–10 minutes. A progress bar shows the steps: +- Formatting disk +- Copying files +- Setting up bootloader +- Configuring system + +When it finishes you will see: + +``` +Installation successful! +Remove the installation medium and press Enter to reboot. +``` + +**Pull the USB drive out**, then press **Enter**. + +--- + +### Step 5.11 — First login to the Proxmox web UI + +The server reboots. After about 60 seconds it shows a text console with +Proxmox's login prompt and this message: + +``` +Welcome to the Proxmox Virtual Environment. + +Please use your web browser to configure this server - +connect to: https://192.168.1.10:8006/ +``` + +On your other computer, open a browser and go to: + +``` +https://192.168.1.10:8006 +``` + +(Use the IP you set in Step 5.9.) + +**Certificate warning:** Your browser will show a security warning because +Proxmox uses a self-signed SSL certificate. This is expected and safe on +your local network. + +- Chrome/Edge: click **Advanced** → **Proceed to 192.168.1.10 (unsafe)** +- Firefox: click **Advanced** → **Accept the Risk and Continue** + +The Proxmox login page appears — a dark interface with two fields: + +``` +User name: root +Password: [the password you set in Step 5.8] +Realm: Linux PAM standard authentication ← leave this as-is +``` + +Click **Login**. + +**Subscription nag:** A popup immediately appears saying "No valid subscription". +Click **OK** to dismiss it. This appears every login until you fix the repos in +Phase 6. It does not affect anything. + +You are now looking at the Proxmox web interface — the main dashboard. + +--- + +## Phase 6 — Proxmox Post-Install + +From this point you will use **SSH** instead of the web console for most tasks. +SSH is faster and lets you paste commands directly. + +--- + +### Step 6.1 — Connect via SSH + +On your other computer, open a terminal (Mac/Linux) or PuTTY/Windows Terminal +(Windows) and run: + +```bash +ssh root@192.168.1.10 +``` + +Type `yes` when asked to confirm the host fingerprint. Enter your root password. + +You will see the Proxmox shell prompt: + +``` +root@pve:~# +``` + +All the commands in the rest of this guide are typed here. + +--- + +### Step 6.2 — Fix the package repositories + +Proxmox installs with "enterprise" apt repositories configured. These require +a paid subscription and will fail with an authentication error when you try to +update. We switch them to the free community repositories. + +Run these commands one at a time: + +```bash +# Disable the enterprise repo (comment it out) +echo "# disabled - no subscription" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.list + +# Disable the enterprise Ceph repo +echo "# disabled - no subscription" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ceph.list + +# Add the no-subscription community repo +echo "deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription" \ + > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-no-subscription.list +``` + +Now update and upgrade all packages: + +```bash +apt update && apt dist-upgrade -y +``` + +This will download and install updates. It may take 5–15 minutes depending on +your internet speed. Answer **Y** if prompted about any config file changes +(just press Enter to accept the default). + +When it finishes, reboot: + +```bash +reboot +``` + +Wait about 60 seconds, then SSH back in: + +```bash +ssh root@192.168.1.10 +``` + +--- + +### Step 6.3 — Install the tools the scripts need + +```bash +apt install -y ipmitool lsscsi ledmon hdparm git curl +``` + +What each tool does: + +| Tool | Used for | +|------|---------| +| ipmitool | Fan control — sends IPMI commands to iDRAC | +| lsscsi | build-bay-map.sh — lists SCSI drives with details | +| ledmon | build-bay-map.sh — blinks drive bay LEDs for identification | +| hdparm | stagger-spinup.sh — checks drive power state, wakes drives | +| git | Cloning this repo onto the host | +| curl | Downloading packages and health checks | + +--- + +### Step 6.4 — Clone this repo onto the Proxmox host + +```bash +git clone https://github.com/outis1one/local_proxmox.git /opt/local_proxmox +chmod +x /opt/local_proxmox/scripts/*.sh +cd /opt/local_proxmox +``` + +All scripts and configs are now at `/opt/local_proxmox/`. + +--- + +### Step 6.5 — Dismiss the subscription warning permanently (optional) + +If the "No valid subscription" popup annoys you every time you log into the +web UI, you can remove it with one command. This does not affect functionality: + +```bash +sed -i.bak "s/data.status !== 'Active'/false/g" \ + /usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js +systemctl restart pveproxy +``` + +After running this, refresh the Proxmox web UI — the popup will be gone. + +--- + +### Phase 6 complete — where you are now + +| What is done | Status | +|---|---| +| Proxmox VE 9.1 installed on RAID1 OS mirror | ✓ | +| Free community repos configured | ✓ | +| All packages up to date | ✓ | +| Tools installed | ✓ | +| Repo cloned to /opt/local_proxmox | ✓ | + +**Next:** Phase 7 — Run `perc-nonraid.sh` to convert the 3.5" drives to +non-RAID/per-disk mode, then map the physical bays. That walkthrough is in +`docs/walkthrough-phases-7-9.md`. From 376a328ac477b7517494d7e25818f5df6a5564bd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Claude Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:50:33 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Correct iDRAC section: server has Express not Enterprise - Clarify iDRAC8 Express vs Enterprise with explicit feature table - Remove incorrect claims (virtual console, virtual media) that require Enterprise - Note physical monitor + keyboard required through Phase 5 (no remote KVM on Express) - Confirm IPMI over LAN and racadm are available on Express (fan control and stagger spinup scripts both work) - Update "what you need" list to correctly state monitor is required until Phase 6 https://claude.ai/code/session_01TxTSnxDjgEVuNztdsWQjMD --- docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md | 50 +++++++++++++++++++++------------- 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md b/docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md index cb811f6..770d073 100644 --- a/docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md +++ b/docs/walkthrough-phases-1-3.md @@ -15,26 +15,35 @@ its own processor, its own RAM, its own network port, and it runs 24 hours a day as long as the server has power — even when the server is "off". Dell calls this second computer iDRAC. -What it lets you do: -- See a virtual screen of the server from your web browser (like sitting in front - of it with a monitor plugged in, but over the network) -- Power the server on and off remotely -- Mount a virtual USB drive so you can install an OS without physically being there -- Read temperatures, fan speeds, and hardware health -- See hardware logs when something fails -- Send IPMI commands — which is how our fan control script talks to the fans +This server has **iDRAC8 Express**, which is the version built into the board +at no cost. There is a paid upgrade called iDRAC8 Enterprise but you do not +need it. Here is exactly what Express gives you and what it does not: -**Do you need to pay for it?** No. The R730xd shipped with **iDRAC8 Enterprise** -already built in and fully licensed. You will not be asked to pay for anything. -The features are already there. +**Express includes (everything this guide uses):** +- iDRAC web UI — hardware health dashboard, temperatures, fan speeds, event logs +- Power the server on and off remotely from the web UI +- IPMI over LAN — lets `ipmitool` send fan control commands from Proxmox +- racadm — command-line control used by the stagger spin-up script +- SSH directly into iDRAC for management -The confusion people sometimes have: there is a separate **Proxmox subscription** -(about €100/year) which gives you access to their enterprise update servers and -commercial support. You do not need this either. We will configure the free -community repositories in Phase 6. iDRAC and the Proxmox subscription are -completely unrelated things. +**Express does NOT include:** +- Virtual Console — you cannot see the server's screen in a browser window. + A **physical monitor and keyboard are required** for all setup steps until + Proxmox is installed and SSH is working. After that you will never need the + monitor again. +- Virtual Media — you cannot mount an ISO file over the network. A **physical + USB drive** is required for the Proxmox installer. -**Summary: pay nothing, skip nothing.** +Nothing in this guide requires Enterprise. The fan control script and stagger +spin-up both use IPMI over LAN and racadm, which are both available on Express. + +**Do you need to pay for anything?** No. iDRAC Express is already there and +covers everything we need. The only other "subscription" people sometimes ask +about is the **Proxmox subscription** (about €100/year for enterprise update +servers and commercial support). You do not need that either — we configure the +free community repositories in Phase 6. The two are completely unrelated. + +**Summary: pay nothing, skip nothing. Keep a monitor plugged in through Phase 6.** --- @@ -43,8 +52,11 @@ completely unrelated things. - The server plugged into power and a network switch/router - A **separate network cable** for the iDRAC port (the small RJ45 on the back labeled "iDRAC" — it is separate from the four main NIC ports) -- A monitor and USB keyboard plugged into the server for the initial setup - (after Phase 2 you can do everything from your regular computer over the network) +- A **monitor and USB keyboard** plugged into the server — required through + Phase 5 (the Proxmox installer). iDRAC Express does not include a remote + KVM, so you cannot see the server's screen from another computer. After + Proxmox is installed and SSH is working (end of Phase 6) the monitor + can be unplugged permanently. - A USB drive (8 GB or larger) — needed later for the Proxmox installer - Another computer or phone to read this guide