Platform9 OS Beta Installation

Platform9 OS is currently in closed beta. Access is by invitation only. To request an invitation or learn more, contact your Platform9 account manager.

Overview

Platform9 OS is powered by Rocky Linux by CIQ (RLC) and Private Cloud Director. It provides a seamless way to deploy the operating system and PCD dependencies in a single workflow using an ISO image. No separate OS installation or manual agent setup is required.

Customers interested in joining the beta program should contact their Platform9 account manager.

Prerequisites

All prerequisites noted on the hypervisor configuration prerequisites page continue to apply to this installation mode.

Installation walkthrough

Step 1: Boot from the ISO

Boot your target server from the Platform9 OS ISO. The Rocky Linux by CIQ (RLC) 10.1 installer screen appears, showing the Installation Summary view organized into four categories: Localization, Software, System, and User Settings.

Select Installation Destination to configure the target disk. On the Installation Destination screen, choose the target disk under Local Standard Disks. Optionally configure Storage Configuration — select Automatic for a standard layout or Custom to define your own partition scheme. Click Done and then Begin Installation to start the process.

Step 2: OS installation and reboot

The installer displays installation progress, including post-installation script execution. When the process completes, a Reboot System prompt appears. Allow the system to reboot.

Step 3: PCD Installer wizard

After the reboot, a four-step text-based installer titled Private Cloud Director Installer launches automatically. Navigate using the keys shown in the footer: Tab to navigate between fields, Space to edit a selection, Enter to confirm, Esc to go back, and Ctrl+C to exit.

Network Configuration (Step 1 of 4)

Configure the network interfaces that this host will use. You can optionally bond multiple interfaces for redundancy using the Create Bond action.

If your environment requires an outbound proxy to reach the management plane, enable the Outbound Proxy field and enter the proxy address in the format http://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>.

After configuring your network settings, run the built-in network test to verify connectivity before proceeding.

Root user password (Step 2 of 4)

Enter and confirm a root user password. This password is used for direct server administration access.

GPU Configuration (Step 3 of 4)

This step is optional. If the host has GPUs installed, you can configure them now. The following options are available:

• Skip GPU configuration — do not configure GPUs during this installation.

• PCI Passthrough — pass discrete GPUs directly to guest VMs for exclusive, bare-metal GPU access.

• vGPU pre-configure — prepare the host for NVIDIA vGPU host driver setup.

• vGPU SR-IOV configure — configure SR-IOV vGPU mode for hardware-partitioned GPU sharing.

• Validate Passthrough — verify that a previously configured passthrough setup is functioning correctly.

• Validate vGPU — verify that a previously configured vGPU setup is functioning correctly.

For in-depth details on GPU Passthrough and vGPU setup, configuration options, and supported GPU models, see GPU Support in Private Cloud Director.

PCD Connection Details (Step 4 of 4)

Enter the management plane connection details so the host can register with your PCD instance:

• Account URL: the URL of your PCD management plane.

• Username: your PCD account username.

• Password: your PCD account password.

• Region and Tenant details as applicable to your environment.

You can find these values in the PCD UI under Infrastructure > Cluster hosts > Add New Hosts.

If you are setting up a traditional software-only self-hosted management plane rather than connecting to an existing one, see Self-Hosted Install for that path.

Post-install Host Boot Console

Once PCD components are installed and the host has registered, the screen presents the Private Cloud Director — Host Boot Console. This console displays the host specifications:

• CPU — processor model and core count (for example, "8 x 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KS").

• Memory — total available memory (for example, "14.99Gi").

• Network — the primary interface name and its assigned IP address (for example, "ens3 — 172.16.122.88/24").

Two footer actions are available: press F2 to open the System Configuration menu, or press F12 to drop to a shell.

System Configuration menu (F2)

Pressing F2 opens the System Configuration menu with two options:

• Configure Management Network — update network settings after the initial installation.

• View System Service Status — open the service status view to inspect and manage PCD daemons.

Viewing and restarting services

The View System Service Status screen lists each PCD-managed daemon with a status indicator. The services shown include Network, Comms, Hostagent, and Sidekick. Each service displays its current status (for example, Active).

If a service is not running, select it and use the Restart action to bring it back up without rebooting the host.