{{ $t('productDocDetail.updateTime') }}: 2025-12-31

The third-party server installation system can use IPMI for ISO and USB flash disk installation. The main difference between the two methods is in the image mounting. The installation part is the same.

1.4.2.1Server Configuration

Hardware configuration requirements

When installing HCI using a third-party server, each host hardware must meet the following minimum configuration requirements. Selecting the server hardware according to the recommended configuration is recommended to ensure the best effect.

RAID Card Configuration Requirements

If there is a raid card, it is recommended to select a RAID card that supports JBOD / non-RAID passthrough and supports transparent transmission of trim instructions. If the RAID card does not support JBOD / Non-RAID, disable the raid card directly and enable normal disk mode (AHCI / IDE).

BIOS Configuration Requirement

When using a third-party server, you need to modify some BIOS options to ensure the efficient operation of the HCI platform. BIOS configuration requirements:

• BIOS time synchronization

• Enable VT-x or VMX

• Turn Off Energy Saving Mode

• Turn on power on self start

• Configure IPMI address (optional)

Specific Configuration Examples

The method of entering BIOS is defined by the BIOS vendor. Usually, when the server is powered on and started, the screen will prompt to press del, ESC, F10, F11, and other keys to enter the BIOS Setup interface.

1. BIOS Time Synchronization

The BIOS time of the server will be read as the system time when installing the hyper fusion platform. If the system time is inaccurate, the operation of some services may be affected. Therefore, you first need to modify the BIOS time to the current time.

2. Enable VT-x

When the HCI runs the virtual machine, the host is required to support the hardware-assisted virtualization technology of Intel VT-x. Therefore, in addition to the CPU supporting VT-x technology, you also need to enable this function in BIOS. If the CPU does not support VT-x, or VT-x is not enabled in the BIOS, the hyper fusion platform cannot be successfully installed.

3. Turn Off Energy Saving Mode

Turn off the CPU energy-saving mode (disable EIST, CPU Status, and other options).\ The names may differ according to the hardware (such as PowerPperformance).

CPU Status	Status interpretation	Status type	Use suggestions
C0	Operating State	The normal working state of CPU.	----
C1	Halt	It is recommended to disable CPU sleep states at different levels and depths.	Disable
C1E	Enhanced Halt		Disable
C2	Stop Grant/Clock		Disable
C2E	Extended Stop Grant		Disable
C3	Sleep		Disable
C4	Deeper Sleep		Disable
C4E/C5	Enhanced Deeper Sleep		Disable
C6	Deep Power Down		Disable
EIST	Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology	Automatically adjust the voltage and frequency of the processor.	Disable

Table 5:CPU Energy Saving Mode

4. IPMI Address Configuration

Log in to the BIOS interface, select Server MGMT > BMC Network Configuration > BMC IPv4 network configuration / BMC IPv6 network configuration, and press enter to view the configuration of current BMC IPv4 and BMC IPv6 network parameters.

BMC Sharelink is the first interface that multiplexes IPMI addresses on the NIC. BMC dedicated is the address configured for a separate IPMI interface. When configuring the out-of-band management network, modify BMC dedicated and select manual to write the static address manually.

1.4.2.2Install an ISO Image

Precautions

5. An Inspur server is used as an example.
6. Software: Chrome.
7. You need to install Java for your PC in advance. jdk-8u181-windows-x64.exe is recommended.
8. Switch and server configurations shall meet the requirements in section 2.2 "Installation Preparations" of this manual.
9. If the HCI installation progress is stuck at 6% for a long time, you need to check whether the disk is offline.
10. If the server fails to be started after a USB key is inserted, you need to set USB 3.0 Support to Enabled in BIOS settings.
11. Use the legacy mode rather than the UEFI mode for installation. Specifically, select a boot disk without UEFI.

Procedure

1. Press Del to enter BIOS and press the right arrow key to go to the ServerManager tab. Select BMC network configuration. Set Configuration Address source to Static. Insert the network cable into the BMC port (usually the leftmost port identified by the BMC or mgmt text) and configure the network.

2. Configure the Java program on your PC. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Java. In the Java Control Panel pop-up window, click Security. Select High for Security level for applications not on the Exception Site list, and add the IP address of the BMC of the server to Exception Site List.

3. Enter http://IP address in your browser and log in to the BMC console with your account and password. In the console, go to Remote Control > Console Redirection.

4. On the Console Redirection page, click Java Console. This will download the jviewer.jnlp file displayed on a pop-up page. Then, run the downloaded file. In the pop-up Security Warning window, select I accept the disk and want to run this app, and click Run.

5. Open JViewer and click the CD/DVD icon to pop up the Virtual Media window. Click Browse in the CD/DVD Media:I section and select the HCI_6.2.0 ISO image. Then, click Connect CD/DVD and then Close. Click the CD/DVD icon again to check whether the connection is successful.

6. Restart the server and press Del or F12 to enter BIOS. On the Boot Menu, make CD/DVD the first bootable option. Alternatively, press F11 to enter the boot item selection page and select CD/DVD.
7. Then, the boot page is displayed. Select Install Sangfor HCI on this machine and press Enter.

8. Select Sangfor HCI Installer and press Enter.

9. Select a disk to install Sangfor HCI and click OK. Or click OK if there is only one disk.

:

HCI needs to be installed on a disk with a storage capacity of more than 2 TB and an available capacity of more than 60 GB. You are advised to use the UEFI mode for installation.

10. Then, you will be prompted that this operation will format the disk. Enter format in the input box and select OK. If you need to retain disk data, select Cancel and go back to the disk selection step. If you do not need the disk speed test, select No in the pop-up dialog box.

11. After system installation, you will be prompted to configure the NIC. If you need to configure NIC aggregation for the management interface, select Yes to enter the aggregate interface configuration page; otherwise, select No to enter the single-NIC configuration page.

If you skip NIC configuration, the default IP address 10.250.0.7 and netmask 255.255.255.0 will be configured for the management interface eth0. If you skip NIC configuration for multiple devices, an IP address conflict will occur because the same default IP address is configured for them.

• NIC aggregation:

• Select the network interfaces comprising the aggregate interface.

• Select the aggregation mode.

• Configure the VLAN.

• Configure the name, IP address, netmask, default gateway, MTU, and VLAN ID for the aggregate interface.

• Single-NIC configuration:

• Select an interface.

• Configure the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for the interface.

• Specify whether to configure the VLAN.

12. The default username and password for the admin account are both admin. You need to change the password upon first login to ensure account security.
13. Remove the USB flash drive and select Reboot to complete the installation.

14. Then, you can log in to the HCI console through https://configured IP address in your browser.
    3. USB Flash Disk Installation

Precautions

1. UltraISO should be the latest version.

2. The writing format of the USB drive should be USB-HDD or USB-HDD+.  Click Verify to check whether the image file is written correctly.
3. USB drive capacity should be greater than the size of the ISO file.
4. The server configuration and switch configuration shall meet the configuration requirements of the server and switch in Chapter 2.2 Preparation Before Installation.

Steps

1. First, insert the USB flash disk into the personal PC, then open the software UltraISO, select File > Open, and load the ISO file of Sangfor HCI software from the local disk.

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2. Select Bootable > Write Disk Image and choose the USB drive into which you want to write the image file. Then, click the Write button and keep others' settings unchanged.

13. You can remove the USB drive after the image file is written to the USB drive.
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3. The target of writing is USB flash disk or optical disc. Be sure to check Verify. The write method (usually USB-HDD+) is determined according to the USB startup type supported by the server.

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4. Insert the USB flash disk into the third-party server and boot from the USB flash disk in BIOS.
5. Enable Virtualization Technology in BIOS, as shown below (Note: BIOS settings vary from computer to computer).

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