Installing a node via ISO

SD-WAN ISOs are available on the management server for use in provisioning nodes. These images contain a full version of SD-WAN pre-installed on one of our supported distributions. Before you can make use of these images, you must first use a tool such as balenaEtcher or the Linux dd command to write the ISO to a removable storage medium such as a USB key.

Note

An internet connection is only required when installing a node with a node key. In this case, the connection is used to grab the configuration from the management server and update the software if a newer version is available.

Default nodes require no internet connection to be installed.

Warning

If you intend to install and configure a node using a node key, ensure that a corresponding node record with a working interface and address configuration has been created on the management server before continuing. More information about adding, editing, and deleting node records and configuring interfaces and addresses can be found in the node management and interfaces and addressing documentation.

Downloading the ISO

  1. SD-WAN ISOs are available by clicking the Install button located underneath a node’s name on the node details page:

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  1. Clicking the Install button will open up a modal with further instructions:

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  1. From here you can select the version of SD-WAN you would like to download for any of the supported distributions.

Note that you do not need to click a particular node’s Install button to get the ISO for that node; all node ISOs are identical and work for installing any node.

Mounting the ISO

Once the ISO has been downloaded, you must write it to a bootable medium such as a USB stick using one of the following tools.

Etcher

balenaEtcher is a free, open-source tool for creating bootable USB sticks on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can find balenaEtcher at the following link: https://etcher.balena.io/

Linux CLI

dd is a command built-in to most Linux distributions that can be used to write an ISO file to a USB stick.

First, plug the USB stick into the device.

Then, get the disk filename assigned to the USB stick. You can do this by running dmesg on the command line:

root@host:~ # dmesg
...
[88787.078204] usb 2-1: new SuperSpeed USB device number 4 using xhci_hcd
[88787.099364] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0781, idProduct=5591, bcdDevice= 1.00
[88787.099383] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[88787.099391] usb 2-1: Product:  SanDisk 3.2Gen1
[88787.099397] usb 2-1: Manufacturer:  USB
[88787.099402] usb 2-1: SerialNumber: 0101f35a1440f403baac922e74032cb1617e0ea6825e80586a124a3c277cc08f07d7000000000000000000008c9ea993ff0a4a00915581073ab20b6b
[88787.101351] usb-storage 2-1:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[88787.102006] scsi host4: usb-storage 2-1:1.0
[88788.119267] scsi 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access      USB      SanDisk 3.2Gen1 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[88788.120093] sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[88788.120468] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] 120164352 512-byte logical blocks: (61.5 GB/57.3 GiB)
[88788.121540] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
[88788.121557] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
[88788.122012] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[88788.129510]  sdb: sdb1
[88788.129955] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

The line [88788.129510]  sdb: sdb1 shows that the disk has been given the filename /dev/sdb.

Next, use the dd command to write the image. Ensure that if= points to the location of the SD-WAN ISO:

dd if=laywire-7.0-opensuse-leap-15.6.x86_64.install.iso of=/dev/sdb

You can now safely remove the device:

eject /dev/sdb

Using the terminal interface

You should now be able to mount the USB key on the node hardware. Note that the installation medium may not mount automatically if it does not have a high enough priority in the device’s boot order. In that case, you may have to press a common key on startup such as tab, F12, F10, F8 or F2 to locate the BIOS’s boot menu, and use it to select or reorder the boot order. If none of those keys work, consult your device’s manufacturer documentation.

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After selecting Install Laywire, you will be presented with three console options:

installing-a-node-via-iso-4

Console: Graphical

Install using a physical display and keyboard connected to the device.

Console: Serial 1 (ttyS0)

Install using the first serial interface of the device with:

  • 115,200 baud

  • No parity

  • 8 data bits

  • 1 stop bit

  • No flow control

Console: Serial 2 (ttyS1)

Install using the second serial interface of the device, with all of the same serial options as Serial 1.

Note

Devices come with a variety of default serial settings. You may need to update the serial settings of the device to 115,200 baud. To change the settings, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation or read these examples.

After selecting your console option, you will need to configure networking:

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Network: DHCP

Set up addressing on the node using DHCP.

Network: Static

Set a static IP on the node, usually used when setting up core nodes. See the instructions below to set it up.

Network: None

No network will be configured and it will need to be set up manually after install.

Once the networking option has been determined, you will need to choose your configuration option:

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With node key

The install will prompt for a node key and download the node’s configuration from the management server.

Default laywire

The install will not prompt for a node key and will provision the device as a default node.

Once this has been selected, you will be asked to confirm your selections. Press ESC if you need to make any changes.

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Next, you will be asked to set the root password on the device:

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After confirming the root password, if you selected the With node key configuration option, you will be asked to enter the node key associated with the node record of the device on the management server:

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From here you will be prompted to destroy all existing data on the device. Select “Yes” to continue with installation. If there are multiple disks, a selection menu will display to choose which one to use.

Setting a static address during installation

If a DHCP server is not available on the device’s network, or if you are setting up a core node, you can configure a static address on the device by selecting the Network: Static option during installation. This will present you with the following screen:

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