1 Planning for SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro #

The implementation of an operating system either in an existing IT environment or as a completely new rollout must be carefully prepared. At the beginning of the planning process, you should try to define the project goals and necessary features. This must always be done individually for each project, but the questions to answer should include the following:

To make sure that your system will run flawlessly, always try to use certified hardware. The hardware certification process is an ongoing process and the database of certified hardware is updated regularly. Find the search form for certified hardware at https://www.suse.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.

In case you intend to install only several nodes of SLE Micro, you can choose the manual installation or you can directly deploy pre-built images. For a large-scale deployment it is recommended to use the automatic installation by using AutoYaST, SUSE Manager, or wherever you can easily copy the pre-built images to the desired machines, you can also use the pre-built images for a large-scale deployment.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro provides you with a broad variety of services. Most of the needed configurations can be made with YaST, the SUSE configuration utility. In addition, many manual configurations are described in the corresponding chapters.

In addition to the plain software installation, you should consider training the end users of the systems and help desk staff.

Note: Terminology

In the following sections, the system to hold your new SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro installation is called target system or installation target. The term repository (previously called “installation source”) is used for all sources of installation data. This includes physical media, such as CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, and network servers distributing the installation data in your network.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro operating system is a well-tested and stable system. Unfortunately, this does not prevent hardware failures or other causes for downtime or data loss. Make sure that you have a backup solution in place for mission-critical tasks.

For optimal security and data safety, you should make regular updates of all the operated machines. If you have a mission critical server, you should run a second identical (pre-production) machine that you can use to test all changes. This also gives you the possibility of switching machines in case of hardware failure.

To get technical support and product updates, you need to register and activate your SUSE product with the SUSE Customer Center. We recommend to register during the installation, since this will enable you to install the system with the latest updates and patches available. However, if you are offline or want to skip the registration step, you can complete registration from the running system.

In case your organization does not provide a local registration server, registering SUSE Linux Enterprise requires a SUSE Customer Center account. In case you do not have one yet, go to the SUSE Customer Center home page (https://scc.suse.com/) to create one.

During the manual installation you will be asked to enter your registration code. For details, refer to Section 12.5, “Registration”. If you deploy SLE Micro pre-built images, you need to register your system after the installation, for details refer to Section 10.1, “Registration”.

If you deploy your instances automatically using AutoYaST, you can register the system during the installation by providing the respective information in the AutoYaST control file. For details, see Section 4.3, “System registration and extension selection”.