The installation process assumes a basic familiarity with the IBM eServer System z platforms. For additional information on these platforms, refer to the IBM Redbooks available online at:
https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/
This manual assumes you are familiar with the related Redbooks and can set up logical partitions (LPARs) and virtual machines (VMs) on an IBM eServer System z system.
Before you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you must perform the following steps:
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Allocate sufficient Disk Storage Space using DASDs[8] or SCSI[9] partitions to provide suitable disk space (for example, 2 GB is sufficient for server installations, while 5 GB is minimally required to install all packages).
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Acquire a minimum of 512 MB RAM (1 GB is strongly recommended) to designate for the Linux virtual machine.
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Determine if you need swap space and if so how much. While it is possible (and recommended) to assign enough memory to z/VM and let z/VM do the necessary swapping, there may be cases where the amount of required RAM is not predictable. Such instances should be examined on a case-by-case basis.
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Decide on the environment under which to run the operating system (on an LPAR or as a guest operating system on one or more virtual machines).
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Finally, it is important to review sections 3.3 through 3.8, and Chapters 5 and 6 of the IBM Linux for System z Redbook, as it explains the different configurations and install scenarios available on the zSeries platform as well as how to setup an initial LPAR or Linux virtual machine (z/VM).
