Triton hardware configuration

This page provides detail on the settings required for hardware (head node and compute nodes) to boot Triton. Please be sure you have familiarized yourself with the high level hardware requirements in the early document entitled Triton hardware selection.

Required BIOS Settings

• Boot order

  • The head node will always boot from the USB key. The USB key should be in place at all times in the event the head node is rebooted or if an update requires write access to the USB key. For this reason an internal connector for the system USB key is highly recommended.
  • Compute nodes should boot from the USB key if possible; this allows them to use the most recent version of iPXE supplied with our software. As with the head node, an internal USB connector is advised here as this key should not be removed from a running server.
  • Compute nodes can boot using firmware-based PXE, however this is not recommended.

• Server console

  • Triton is administered using serial-over-LAN (SOL) functionality, and the operating system will expect the system's boot console to be on the second serial port, which may be referred to as ttyb, COM2, or similar.
  • If your server provides SOL functionality on a device other than the second serial port, you will need to modify the boot settings.
  • MNX recommends you consult your server vendor's documentation for information on the configuration and usage of their SOL functionality.
  • Triton is also capable of using VGA+keyboard for console access.

• Other BIOS settings

  • Triton requires that Processor Virtualization (VT-x) is enabled
  • CPUs must neither offer nor enter C6 or C7.
  • As all server vendors are different, you will need to consult the documentation provided by your vendor in order to determine how to achieve these settings with your hardware.
• Triton Certified Hardware
  • As noted in the Triton hardware selection guide, customers with a current support contract need to contact MNX for validation/certification of their hardware configuration.

CPU configuration

Consideration should be made as to whether the installed systems are going to host untrusted tenants, and whether simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) should be disabled as a result. See Setting server parameters for more details on how to configure SMT.

RAID and disk configuration

• The use of Hardware RAID is not recommended. If Hardware RAID is present, you will need to enable pass through. If pass though cannot be enabled, configure and initialize a single RAID10 or RAID5 volume across all the available disks. This can be accomplished in the BIOS by setting the Personality Mode to "HBA-Mode" and then reboot the system in order to apply the mode.
• Triton will lay down a ZFS ZPOOL across all available disks on install; the type of ZPOOL will be determined by the installer's disklayout program.
• Disks must be free of any data (such as remnants of ZPOOLS, control information for software RAID, filesystems, etc.).
  • Disks with existing data may cause the installer to fail to create the necessary ZPOOL for Triton installation.
  • If the system was in use previously, the disks should either be initialized through the controller interface (for systems that have one) or by booting into Rescue Mode and using the format(1M)command.