How to install a server

After the delivery of your server, you can begin installing it.

1. From the console, click Server > Server list on the top menu. A list of your servers displays.

2. Click Manage next to the server you want to install. The server install wizard displays.

3. Select the type of operating system you want to install.

   Tip:

   For more information about OS types, refer to the dedicated servers concepts page.

   Note:

   If you wish to complete your installation using KVM Over IP, click Install over KVM on this page.

4. Choose the operating system, and the OS version. Then, click Install.

5. Personalize the partitioning configuration:

   You can select the Filesystem, RAID level and set the mount point as well as the partition size in MB.

   If the server has two disks, the RAID levels RAID 0, RAID 1 and No RAID are proposed. If the server has more than two disks installed, RAID 5 is also proposed. Set the configuration towards your needs, if a software RAID is configured, make sure that the partitioning on all disks of the RAID is identical.

   The following restrictions apply during partitioning:

   • The disks can have a maximum of 4 primary partitions.
   • Do not create a /var partition, it is likely that the installation will fail.
   • The / partition must be at least 2048MB large.
   • Once configured click VALIDATE to confirm the partition layout and to proceed to the next step.

6. Set a user and eventually administrator password and select SSH keys that will be able to connect to the server. Click Next Step once all set.

7. A configuration summary displays. Confirm the configuration by clicking DELETE ALL MY DISKS AND INSTALL THE SYSTEM!. This launches the automatic installation of the server.

   Important:

   This will delete all data present on the disks. Make sure to have a backup of your data before launching the re-installation of a Scaleway Dedibox to avoid data loss!

   Important:

   When you start a CentOS installation with custom partitioning, you need to keep about 5 GB of unallocated disk space to prevent the automatic installation system from crashing.

8. Configure the system parameters. You can edit parameters such as the name of the server, add a username, password and SSH key, and configure monitoring alerts and updates.

   Note:

   To connect to your server via SSH, it is recommended that you create and upload your SSH key at this stage so that it can be transferred to your server during installation.

9. Check that all information you entered is correct on the installation summary tab.

Once the installation completes, your server will reboot on its hard disk.