CHAPTER 04

Installing SimpleVM

11 sections · 15 min read · SimpleVM 10.1

SimpleVM is distributed as a custom ISO installer based on Rocky Linux 10.1. The installer deploys a minimal, security-hardened host with all required virtualization components already installed and configured, so the result is a ready-to-use virtualization platform rather than a Linux system you have to assemble. The work in this chapter is the bare-metal installation itself: you prepare the media, boot the installer, review and adjust a short set of defaults, create an administrator account, and start the installation. When the host reboots, it displays the address you use to reach the web console.

Before you install, complete the planning in Chapter 3, System Requirements and Planning — sizing, storage separation, networking, and host identity. Installation writes to disk and replaces whatever was on the target disk, so a few minutes of planning and a careful disk selection prevent the most serious mistakes. The installer is deliberately conservative on this point: it does not touch any disk until you select Begin Installation.

The installation at a glance. The SimpleVM installer follows a guided, single-screen flow. From the Installation Summary you open and confirm each area, then start the install:

• Installation Summary — the hub where you review and change settings (Section 4.3).
• Installation Destination — choose the disk and partitioning (Section 4.4).
• Network & Host Name — confirm networking and set the host name (Section 4.5).
• User Creation — create the administrator account (Section 4.6).
• Begin Installation — write the system to disk (Section 4.7), then reboot to the host console (Sections 4.8–4.9).

Each step below explains what you are doing and why, not only which control to use.

Before you begin

Confirm the following before you start. Most map to planning decisions from Chapter 3:

• Planning complete. Hardware sizing, storage layout, networking, and host identity decided. See Chapter 3, System Requirements and Planning.
• A supported 64-bit host with hardware virtualization enabled. Intel VT-x or AMD-V must be turned on in the system firmware (BIOS or UEFI) before installation, or the host cannot run virtual machines. See Section 3.2, CPU and Virtualization Requirements.
• An installation disk you have permission to erase. Installation replaces the contents of the target disk. Identify the disk by its size, model, and controller — not by its device name. See Section 3.4, Storage Planning.
• The SimpleVM 10.1 installation media, prepared as described in Section 4.1.
• A network decision. Whether the host will use DHCP or a static address, its host name, and its DNS and time settings. See Section 3.5, Network Planning, and Section 3.6, Hostname, DNS, and Time Synchronization Planning.
• A way to reach the server’s console and boot menu — a directly attached keyboard and monitor, or the server’s remote management controller (for example, a BMC or IPMI console).

4.1 Preparing Installation Media

Overview

SimpleVM is installed from a bootable ISO image based on Rocky Linux 10.1. Preparing the media means obtaining the SimpleVM 10.1 ISO, verifying it against the checksum or signature SimpleVM publishes, and writing it to media the host can boot from. Verifying the image before you install confirms it downloaded completely and was not altered.

Procedure

1. Obtain the SimpleVM 10.1 ISO from the official SimpleVM source.
2. Verify the downloaded ISO against the checksum or signature SimpleVM provides. The general approach is to compute the file’s checksum and compare it to the published value:

sha256sum <simplevm-10.1-iso-file>

The computed value must match the checksum SimpleVM publishes for that release.

1. Write the verified ISO to bootable media — for example, a USB drive — or make it available to the server as a mounted ISO or as remote virtual media through the server’s management controller.

4.2 Booting the SimpleVM Installer

Overview

Boot the server from the prepared media to start the SimpleVM installer. The installer uses the familiar Rocky Linux 10 graphical installation flow, SimpleVM-branded, and opens to the Installation Summary screen.

Procedure

1. Set the server to boot from the installation media — either through a one-time boot menu or by adjusting the boot order in the system firmware (BIOS or UEFI). The key to open the boot menu varies by server vendor; consult the server’s hardware documentation.
2. Start or restart the server and select the installation media from the boot menu.
3. Wait for the installer to load. When it finishes loading, the Installation Summary screen appears (Section 4.3).

4.3 Reviewing the Installation Summary

Overview

The Installation Summary is the installer’s hub. It groups settings under Localization, Software, System, and User Settings. From here you open any item, make a change, and return to the summary. SimpleVM presets sensible defaults; for most installations you only need to confirm the destination disk, the network and host name, and the administrator account. Nothing is written to disk while you are on this screen — the installer states it will not touch your disks until you select Begin Installation.

Confirmed defaults. On the SimpleVM 10.1 Installation Summary, the following defaults are shown:

The sections that follow cover the three items you most often open from this screen — the installation destination (Section 4.4), the network and host name (Section 4.5), and the administrator account (Section 4.6) — before you begin the installation in Section 4.7.

4.4 Selecting the Installation Destination

Overview

The Installation Destination is where you choose the disk SimpleVM installs onto and how it is partitioned. By default the installer selects automatic partitioning, which lays out the operating system disk for you. The most important decision here is which disk to use: installation replaces the contents of the selected disk.

Keep the operating system separate from virtual machine storage. Wherever practical, install SimpleVM onto its own disk and keep virtual machine data on separate storage. This is the single most important storage design decision, and it is assumed by later chapters on configuration, storage, backup, and migration. See Section 3.4, Storage Planning.

Identify the disk by its characteristics, not its name. Device names such as /dev/sda and /dev/sdb vary by server and controller. Select the target disk by its size, model, and controller or RAID mapping, and confirm any existing partitions before continuing.

Procedure

1. On the Installation Summary, select Installation Destination.
2. Select the disk SimpleVM will be installed onto. Confirm it is the intended disk by its size and model.
3. Keep Automatic partitioning unless your environment requires a custom layout. Automatic partitioning prepares the operating system disk without manual steps.
4. Confirm or accept the storage configuration, then return to the Installation Summary.

Preparing the separate data volume that holds storage pools is a post-installation task, covered in Chapter 5, Post-Installation Configuration (see Section 5.6, Prepare the Data Volume for Storage Pools).

4.5 Configuring Network and Hostname

Overview

The Network & Host Name screen confirms how the host connects to the network and sets its host name. A working network connection and a stable host name matter immediately after installation: the host console displays the management URL on the network address it has, and that URL is how you reach the web console. In the reference capture, the host is connected on the interface ens192.

Choose DHCP or a static address. Give the host a network address it can keep. A static address (or a DHCP reservation) keeps the management URL stable, which matters for day-to-day access, updates, and clustering. See Section 3.5, Network Planning.

Set a stable host name. Use a fully qualified domain name where DNS supports it (for example, tw-rnd1.thinware.lab). A correct, stable host name matters for updates, support, time synchronization, migration, and clustering. See Section 3.6, Hostname, DNS, and Time Synchronization Planning.

Procedure

1. On the Installation Summary, select Network & Host Name.
2. Confirm the network interface is connected and enabled. Note the address it receives.
3. If the host should use a static address, configure the address, subnet, gateway, and DNS for the interface rather than leaving it on automatic (DHCP).
4. Set the host name for the system.
5. Apply the settings and return to the Installation Summary.

You can change this later. Network settings, DNS, and the host name configured here can be reviewed and adjusted from the web console after installation. See Chapter 15, Managing Host Networking (see Section 15.6, DNS and Hostname Settings).

4.6 Creating Administrative Access

Overview

SimpleVM creates an administrator account during installation and leaves the root account disabled by default. This is part of the installer’s security hardening: routine administration is done through a named administrator account and the web console, not as root. You sign in to the web console with the account created here.

The default administrator name is svmadmin. This is the default account name the installer offers; it is not required, and your organization may use a different administrator name. Whatever name you choose, give it a strong password and keep a record of it — with root disabled, this account is your way in.

Procedure

1. On the Installation Summary, select User Creation.
2. Enter the administrator user name. The default is svmadmin; change it if your environment uses a different name.
3. Set a strong password and confirm it.
4. Confirm the account is created as an administrator, then return to the Installation Summary.
5. Leave the Root Account disabled.

Keep the root account disabled. Leaving root disabled is the intended security posture for a SimpleVM host. Administer the host through the named administrator account and the web console. If you ever need elevated privileges for a specific task, elevate from within the web console using Administrative access, rather than enabling root. Account and access management is covered in Chapter 17, User Access and Administrative Tasks.

You can change this later. Administrator accounts and access can be reviewed and managed after installation. See Chapter 17, User Access and Administrative Tasks.

4.7 Beginning Installation

Overview

When the Installation Summary is correct, you start the installation. This is the point at which the installer writes to disk — it partitions the target disk and installs the SimpleVM system. Up to this moment, nothing on the disks has changed.

Procedure

1. Review the Installation Summary one final time. Confirm the installation destination (Section 4.4), the network and host name (Section 4.5), and the administrator account (Section 4.6).
2. Make sure no item shows a warning. The Begin Installation button becomes available once required items — the installation destination and the administrator account — are set.
3. Select Begin Installation.
4. The installer partitions the disk and installs the system. Let it run to completion (Section 4.8).

Revert this change

Up to this point, you can stop safely. To leave the installer without changing any disk, select Quit — the installer confirms it has not touched your disks until installation begins.

After you select Begin Installation, the installer writes to the target disk and replaces whatever was on it. From that point, the installation cannot be “undone” in place — the only ways to reverse it are to reinstall, or to restore the disk from a backup taken before installation. This is why you confirm the installation destination carefully in Section 4.4.

Choices made earlier in the installer are not permanent in the same way: the host name and network settings can be changed afterward (see Chapter 15, Managing Host Networking), and administrator accounts can be managed afterward (see Chapter 17, User Access and Administrative Tasks). Only the partitioning and the target disk require a reinstall to change.

4.8 Completing Installation

Overview

When installation finishes, the installer prompts you to reboot. The one action that matters here is to remove the installation media before or during the reboot, so the server starts from the newly installed disk instead of booting back into the installer.

Procedure

1. When the installer reports that installation is complete, select the option to reboot the system.
2. Remove or detach the installation media — eject the USB drive, or disconnect the mounted ISO or remote virtual media.
3. Allow the host to boot from the installation disk. The host console appears after startup (Section 4.9).

4.9 First Boot After Installation

Overview

After the reboot, the host displays its console. This confirms the installation succeeded and, importantly, shows the management URL you use to reach the web console. You do not log in at this text console for routine work — administration happens in the browser-based web console — but you read the management address from here.

What the console shows. On first boot, the SimpleVM host console displays:

• The product and build: Thinware SimpleVM 10.1.2601.1.
• The base system and kernel: Rocky Linux 10.1, kernel 6.12.0-124.31.1.el10_1.x86_64.
• The management address, listed under Management Console, in the form https://<host>:9090 — for example, https://tw-rnd1.thinware.lab:9090 and https://10.0.0.52:9090.
• A login prompt for the host (for example, tw-rnd1 login:).

Procedure

1. Read the management URL shown under Management Console on the host console.
2. If more than one URL is listed — which happens when the host has more than one network address — note the address on the network you manage the host from.
3. Record this URL. You use it to open the web console and verify the installation (Section 4.10). Signing in to the web console is covered in Chapter 6, Accessing the SimpleVM Management Interface.

Terminology: The host console labels the address Management Console, while this guide refers to the same thing as the web console or the SimpleVM management interface. These are the same interface, reached at https://<host>:9090 — the difference is wording, not function.

4.10 Post-Installation Verification

Overview

Before moving on, confirm the host is healthy and reachable. These are minimum checks to prove the installation is sound: you can reach and sign in to the web console, the host reports its resources and storage, and the network works. Full readiness configuration — preparing the data volume, confirming storage pools, and reviewing networking, firewall, and SELinux — is the subject of Chapter 5, Post-Installation Configuration.

Procedure

From a workstation that can reach the host on port 9090:

1. Open a web browser and go to the management URL from the host console (for example, https://tw-rnd1.thinware.lab:9090). If a certificate warning appears, confirm the address matches the intended host, then continue.
2. Sign in with the administrator account created during installation. The host Overview page should load. Detailed sign-in guidance is in Chapter 6, Accessing the SimpleVM Management Interface.
3. On the Overview page, confirm the host reports expected health, resource usage, the correct host name, and the system time. The page presents four panels: Health, Usage, System information, and Configuration.
4. Confirm storage is visible and healthy, and that the network is working (the host is reachable and able to check for updates).
5. Note any updates or warnings shown in the Health panel, so you know what to address next.

Optional: confirm from the host console first. If you prefer to confirm the basics at the host console before opening a browser, the following read-only commands report the host name, addresses, storage, memory, and any failed services. They only display information and change nothing:

hostnamectl # host name, operating system, and kernel ip address show # assigned network addresses df -h # filesystem usage, including the OS disk free -h # memory systemctl --failed # any services that failed to start

The web terminal and command-line access are covered in Chapter 19, Host Administration Tools.

Verification

The installation is verified when you can reach the management URL in a browser, sign in with the administrator account, and the host Overview page loads showing the correct host name and a healthy status.

Troubleshooting

If the web console does not load, confirm the host is powered on and showing its console, confirm you entered the address with the https:// prefix and the:9090 port, and confirm the workstation can reach the host on the network. If the console listed more than one URL, try the alternate address. If sign-in fails, recheck the administrator user name and password. Installation and access problems are covered in detail in Chapter 25, Troubleshooting (see Section 25.2, Installation Issues, and Section 25.3, Login and Access Issues).

Next steps. With the installation verified, continue to Chapter 5, Post-Installation Configuration, to complete the readiness checks before running production workloads (see Section 5.12, Post-Installation Readiness Checklist). For day-to-day access to the management interface, see Chapter 6, Accessing the SimpleVM Management Interface.