Step A: Prepare hardware and download files

Prepare hardware and network

To prepare your hardware and network, make sure the following steps are complete:

• You have physically installed (racked) the hardware unit.

• You have set up the unit as a node on your organization's network.

• You have configured network cards and ensured that they're able to reach other machines on the network.

• You have set up a method, such as SCP, for transferring files between your workstation and the node.

Note your activation code

You should have received an email with your activation code. You need this number for the installation.

If you're installing Elemental Live software on more than one hardware unit, you received an activation code for each instance. Decide which activation code you will use for each unit, and make a note. The codes are not tied ahead of time to any specific hardware unit, but you cannot use the same code on more than one.

Download installation files

Download the installation files for Elemental Live.

To download installation files

1. Log in to AWS Elemental Support Center Activations. For detailed steps to download installation files, see Downloading Elemental Live software.

2. Download your files.

   You need the following files for Elemental Live:

   • A kickstart file (.iso) file for creating a USB boot drive. For example, centos-20161028T12270-production-usb.iso.

     You use this file to put a preconfigured installation of your operating system on your physical hardware unit. If you're downloading the kickstart file for several products, make a note of which file belongs to which product. Files are not interchangeable across products.

   • An installation (.run) file for the Elemental Live software itself. For example:

     elemental_production_live_2.25.4.12345.run.

Create bootable kickstart

At your workstation, use a third-party utility (such as PowerISO or ISO2USB) to create a bootable USB drive from the .iso file. For help, see this knowledge base article.