I recently had to install XenServer onto a Dell R710.
This is an unlicensed install, Xen Server is now open source so this valid.
However in a unlicensed install updating the xenserver has to be down via the console.
Note: I had issues installing on to the R710 initially, I kept getting an unrecoverable error message. Stating something about the utility partition being unsupported on partition 2 (I cannot remember the exact message but I could not find anything on the internet about the message). However I fixed the problem by recreating the RAID5 array (PERC H700) and then reinitialising the array. Then I could happily install XenServer.
Once installed, I was able to browse to the XenServer IP I assigned via http, and I download XenCenter.
Once downloaded, I installed XenCenter on my Windows 7 x64 machine.
I then added the XenServer to XenCenter.
I then bonded to of the NICs together in an active-passive format (for redundancy). This took the nic setup I chose during installation, and applied it across the bonded nics. It was very easy to do.
There were 2 hot fixes to apply and this is where it started to depart from easyland.
With the unlicensed version they do not support installation of updates very the XenCenter, which would have been nice, you have to use the command line. I am not familiar with XenServer so this process was a bit alien to me.
1. Download the hotfixes and unzip the files.
2. Connect to XenServer via SFTP (I used FileZilla via SFTP, using root to connect).
3. I then changed to the \tmp folder and created a \tmp\updates folder, and uploaded the hot fixes into that folder. You only need the *.xsupdate files, not the *.tar.bz2 files.
4. Now we have to add to the pool database. In XenCenter goto the console. Change directory to the \tmp\updates folder.
5. xe patch-upload filename=<Path of file and name>
6. Record the UUID that is returned. Repeat step 5 for however many updates have been uploaded.
7. Run xe patch-list, this will list out the updates and you can check.
8. Run xe host-list, this will list out the UUID of the hosts. Not these UUIDs as these will be needed.
9. Now run xe patch-apply uuid=<UUID of the patch> host-uuid=<UUID of the host>
10. Repeat for all updates and then reboot the host server.
11. Once the reboot has completed you should be able to review the updates in XenCenter under the General tab for the host server, under the updates section.
References:
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX132791
