Use the following workflow to create a USB ISO installation flash drive and to install the operating system on an Edge 8000 unit. The operating system can be either of the following:

  • Alma Linux
  • Ribbon OEM Host Operating System (ROHOS), which contains the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) operating system that Federal and other high-security deployments require

Prerequisites

  • A USB data storage device, also known as a flash drive or pen drive, which is used to hold the operating system software in the form of an ISO image file. It must be 8GB or greater.
  • Ventoy 1.0.98 Windows zip software, an application used to copy the ISO image file onto the USB storage device.
  • PuTTY or equivalent Windows-based software, used to establish a serial or telnet connection to the Edge 8000 Console port.
  • A laptop with a serial communications port. The laptop must have Windows installed.
  • A serial or telnet connection to the Edge 8000 unit:
    • A serial connection requires a serial cable from your laptop to the unit's Console port on the front panel. Refer to Front and Back Panels for the location of the RJ-45 Console port. Refer to Console Settings and Pin Assignments for Console port information.
    • A telnet connection requires local area network access from your laptop to the terminal server that connects to the unit's Console port. You will need the hostname or IP address of the terminal server and the port number that connects to the unit's Console port.
  • Login credentials as user sysadm to the Command Line Interface (CLI).
  • Access to the operating system ISO file supplied by Ribbon or available in the Ribbon Global Service Center (GSC).

Workflow

StepAction
1

Create the USB ISO Installation Drive.

2

Connect to the Edge 8000 system Console port, using either of these methods:

3Install the Software From the Installation Drive.

Create the USB ISO Installation Drive

Use this procedure to create a bootable USB installation drive containing the operating system software.

The procedure shows the use of Ventoy, a free and open-source tool.

Note

Ribbon recommends first backing up any files currently held on the USB storage device. In this procedure, the USB device will be formatted and all data lost.

Start

  1. Download the ISO file and the ventoy.json file to your laptop.
  2. Insert the USB storage device into your system.
  3. Extract the Ventoy software and run the Ventoy2Disk.exe utility. The software automatically detects the USB device and displays the USB name in the Device field.
  4. Click the Option tab and select Partition Configuration.
  5. Select FAT32 for File System and click OK.
  6. Click Install.
  7. Click Yes when prompted with the following warning.
    Example - Warning


    The device will be formatted and all the data will be lost. Continue?

    Yes or No

  8. Type YES in the text box when prompted with the following warning.
    Example - Warning


    Warning: Data will be lost! 

    Please enter YES in the text box below to confirm that you indeed want to do a fresh install instead of upgrade.”


    		<== YES

    OK or Cancel

  9. Click OK.
  10. Click Yes when prompted with the following warning. 
    Example - Warning


    The device will be formatted and all the data will be lost. Continue? (Double Check)

    Yes or No

     
    Clicking Yes erases all data, and Ventoy 1.0.98 software package is successfully installed to your USB storage device.
    Attention

    The ISO-burning utility (such as Ventoy) may erase all existing data from the USB device. Be sure to back up any files you wish to save before burning the ISO file onto the device.

  11. Verify that Ventoy In Package (that you downloaded) and Ventoy In Device (that you installed) are identical.


  12. Select the USB drive on your laptop and select Eject; then remove the USB storage device and reattach it to the system.
    A new partition with label VENTOY is mounted to the system.
  13. In the VENTOY partition, create a new folder named ventoy and copy the ventoy.json file inside it.
  14. Copy the downloaded ISO file into the VENTOY partition.
  15. Close the system window and eject the USB storage device.
    You can now use the device to perform an ISO installation on the Edge 8000 hardware. 

Connect With a Serial Cable

Use this procedure to connect to the Edge 8000 system console using a serial cable connected to the front panel Console port. This is the connection method Ribbon recommends.

Note
Ribbon recommends connecting to the system console through a serial cable connection as the preferred method. This is because, during the boot-up process after the ISO installation, the system redirects log messages to the serial console. This ensures that no network disruptions between the connecting computer (laptop) and the Edge 8000 device impede the view of Edge 8000 logs during the bootup sequence.

The procedure shows the use of PuTTY, a free and open-source DOS utility. However, you can connect to the unit using PuTTY or any equivalent software. 

Start

  1. Connect the 9 pin DIN connector to the serial port of the laptop. 
  2. Connect the other end of the console cable with RJ45 connector to the Console port of your Edge 8000 device.
  3. Use PuTTY or equivalent software to open a serial port connection. 
    Enter the following settings:
    1. Connection type: Serial
    2. Serial line: COM3
    3. Speed: 115200
      Example:
  2. Click Open to start the connection (or click an equivalent button if using other software).
    If necessary, press Enter on your keyboard to invoke the e8000 login prompt.

Connect With Telnet

Use this procedure to connect to the Edge 8000 system console through a telnet connection across a local area network. This is an alternate method of connecting to the device.

The procedure shows the use of PuTTY, a free and open-source DOS utility. However, you can connect to the unit using PuTTY or any equivalent software.

Start

  1. Use PuTTY or equivalent software to open a telnet connection to the Edge 8000 system console. You will need the host name or IP address, and the port number, of the terminal console of the Edge 8000 device.
    Enter the following settings:
    1. Connection type: Telnet
    2. Host Name (or IP address): Enter the host name or IP address of the Edge 8000 terminal console (example: 10.54.20.200).
    3. Port: Enter the port number of the Edge 8000 terminal console (example: 3004).
      Example:
  2. Click Open to start the connection (or click an equivalent button if using other software).
    If necessary, press Enter on your keyboard to invoke the e8000 login prompt.

Install the Software From the Installation Drive

Attention

To see the status messages during the system boot-up, you must be connected to the system console.

  1. Insert the USB installation drive into the USB port.
    Use the USB port located next to the Config button on the Edge 8000 front panel.

  2. Verify you are connected to the serial Console port. See Connect With a Serial Cable or Connect with Telnet.
  3. Power cycle the Edge 8000 unit.
    Do this by flipping the power switch on the back panel or by pressing the recessed reset button on the front panel.

  4. Select the SERIAL option to install the ISO image.
    Selecting the serial option instructs the system to send log messages to the serial console port, where you can view them through your Console port connection.
    Use the "up" and "down" keys of your keyboard to change the selection. Press the Enter key to make the selection.

    Example (showing the ROHOS RHEL operating system; Alma Linux will be similar)
    Install RHEL SERIAL 
Troubleshooting -->

     

  5.  Wait for the installation to complete (approximately 30 minutes).

  6. Once the installation finishes, the system prompts you to proceed.
    Enter y or Y.
    Example:

    Example
    Installation is complete, press 'y/Y' to proceed: Y

  7. The system finishes internal checks and starts to reboot. 

  8. Remove the USB installation drive. Removing the USB drive allows the system to reboot off the hard drive.

  9. Once the reboot finishes, log in with the default credentials for user sysadm.
    Refer to Default Passwords for First-Time Logins.
  10. Follow the prompts to change the default password to a new password of your choice.