> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.glesys.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.glesys.com/products/bare-metal/dedicated-servers/how-tos/install-reinstall-the-servers-operating-system.md). # Install/reinstall the server's operating system *** With the Java-based console, you can mount any ISO file from your local computer. You can then restart the server and, during the boot process, choose to boot from a virtual CD-ROM containing the ISO file. This allows you to reinstall the server’s operating system by yourself. This is also the way to install an operating system if you chose to install the system yourself when you ordered the server. {% hint style="warning" %} Currently, the Java-based console isn't working for X10-based servers. If you wish to reinstall the operating system on an X10-based server, contact Glesys support at . {% endhint %} See the guide [Connect to the server using IPMI](/products/bare-metal/dedicated-servers/how-tos/connect-to-the-server-using-ipmi.md) on how to connect to the server's IPMI interface, and the section about the [Java-based console](/products/bare-metal/dedicated-servers/how-tos/connect-to-the-server-using-ipmi.md#java-based-console) on how to find and launch it. In the console, click on **Virtual Media**, then on **Virtual Storage**.

In the dialog box, select **ISO File** from the dropdown menu **Logical Drive Type**. Then, click the **Open Image** button. Here, choose an ISO file from the local computer.

In the image below, we have selected an ISO file for FreeBSD. Next, click **Plug in**.

Under *Connection Status History*, you can see if the ISO file has been mounted correctly. If it has, click **OK**.

You can now restart the server to boot from the ISO file. It is always best to restart the server from the operating system, for example, using the `reboot` command in Linux. However, if something is wrong with the current operating system and this is not possible, you can instead restart the server by performing a *power reset*. This function can be found under **Power Control → Set Power Reset** in the Java console. It is also available under **Remote Control → Power Control** on the IPMI page. Here, you have several options to shut down, power on, and reset the server. If your server is turned off, select **Power Control → Set Power On** in the Java console to turn it on after having mounted the ISO file. When the server starts, and the screen below appears, press F11 to open the boot menu.

When the boot menu opens, select **UEFI: ATEN Virtual CDROM YS0J** using the arrow keys and then press **Enter** to confirm.

After a short while, the operating system’s installation program starts from the ISO file. ## Installing the OS {% tabs %} {% tab title="Debian 13" %} When the Debian installation program starts, select **Graphical install** and press Enter.

Select your preferred language and click **Continue**.

Next, select your location. In our example, we'll first select **other** and click **Continue**, then **Europe** and click **Continue**, and finally **Sweden**.

In the next step, you'll select your preferred locale. In this case, we'll select **en\_US.UTF-8**. Click **Continue**.

For keyboard layout, select the same as your local keyboard when using the Java console. This choice will only affect the console keyboard. SSH connections won't be affected by this. {% hint style="info" %} Should you encounter a key that doesn't print the desired character later on, you can try selecting the closest keyboard layout in the Java console by navigating to **Options → Preference**, and selecting the **Input** tab. For example, most special characters on a Swedish keyboard work by selecting a German layout in the Java console (except that Z and Y are switched). {% endhint %}

When it's time to configure the network, select the *first* network interface if your server has several. In this case, the first interface is *eno1np0*. Then, click **Continue**.

You'll then see a dialog warning you that the autoconfiguration has failed. This is expected since there's no DHCP in this network. Click **Continue** to move on.

In the next step, select **Configure network manually**, and click **Continue**.

You then need to enter the IP address and netmask of your dedicated server. This information was provided to you when you received all the information about your server as a secret via an email message. You can also find your dedicated server's IP address and netmask in the control panel under **IP address** in the left-hand side menu. Enter the IP address and netmask in the field, in the form `xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/yy` where yy is the netmask in slash notation. If you need help converting the netmask between different formats, see [Convert the netmask between different formats](/products/connectivity/ip-addresses/how-tos/find-gateway-and-netmask/convert-the-netmask-between-different-formats.md).

Next up is the gateway. This information was also provided in the email you received. Enter the gateway address and click **Continue**.

We also need to provide the IP addresses for the nameservers. This was also provided in the email, and most likely called DNS. Separate the nameservers with a space.

You also need to provide a hostname for the server, which can be any word or name. Here, we'll use the name of the dedicated server. The suggested hostname comes from the PTR record for the IP address (which can be changed), and works fine. Click **Continue** when you have chosen a hostname.

You'll also need to enter a domain name. The suggested domain name comes from the PTR record of the IP address (which can be changed). You can set the domain name to, for example, the domain name of your company. You can also make something up here, but remember that the domain name will be used as the default for services such as Postfix. It can, however, be changed later if needed. Click **Continue** when you have chosen a domain name.

Next, choose a password for the root user. Type the password in both fields. Click **Continue** when you have chosen a password. If you are using special characters and are unsure if it's being interpreted correctly, you can tick the box **Show Password in Clear**.

You now need to create a regular user for the system. The first step is to provide the new user's full name. Then, click **Continue**.

Next, choose a username for the new user.

Next, choose a password for the new user.

Now you have to partition the disk. In this example, we'll use the entire disk, so we'll select **Guided - use entire disk** and click **Continue**.

Next, select the disk where you want to install Debian. Most probably, there's only one disk (the RAID array), unless you opted to install several disks when you ordered the dedicated server.

Next, select how you'd like your partition scheme. Here, in this example, we'll select **All files in one partition** and click **Continue**.

Next, review the partitioning. If everything seems fine, select **Finish partition and write changes to disk**, and click **Continue**.

Before actually writing the changes to disk (and hence destroying all data currently on it), you have to select **Yes** and click **Continue**. This is the final warning before writing the changes.

In the next step, select **No** for the question about scanning extra installation media.

Then, you configure the closest package mirror to use. Since this dedicated server is placed in Falkenberg, we select **Sweden**.

Glesys runs a Debian mirror, so we select that one in the next step.

For HTTP proxy, leave the field empty and click **Continue**.

For the popularity contest, select **No** and click **Continue**.

In the next step, you'll select what software you want on your server. Since this is a server, we'll select **SSH server** and **standard system utilities**, and deselect everything else. You'll need the SSH server to log in to the server over the internet. Click **Continue** when you are satisfied with your software choices.

The installation is now complete. In the next step, click **Continue** to reboot the server into the newly installed Debian system.

You can now log in to the server, using either the Java console or SSH. For example, to log in over SSH with the user you created during setup: {% code title="Command" %} ``` ssh glesys@203.0.113.72 ``` {% endcode %} {% endtab %} {% tab title="Ubuntu 26.04" %} When the GRUB menu shows from the Ubuntu ISO, select **Try or Install Ubuntu Server** using the arrow keys. Confirm the choice by pressing Enter.

It will then take a while for the installation program to load. The ISO file is being streamed from your local computer, hence the delay. When the installation program starts, you'll select your preferred language. Here, we'll select **English** and press Enter.

Then, select your local keyboard layout. Remember that the keyboard support in the Java console is somewhat limited. Also, note that this only affects the console, not SSH sessions. {% hint style="info" %} Should you encounter a key that doesn't print the desired character later on, you can try selecting the closest keyboard layout in the Java console by navigating to **Options → Preference**, and selecting the **Input** tab. For example, most special characters on a Swedish keyboard work by selecting a German layout in the Java console (except that Z and Y are switched). {% endhint %} In our example, we have selected a **Swedish** keyboard with the variant **Swedish (no dead keys)**. Once you have selected a keyboard layout, use the arrow keys to move the cursor to **Done** and press Enter.

On the next screen, accept the default by pressing Enter (the default is marked with an **X** for **Ubuntu Server**).

Next up is the *Network Configuration*. Here, use the arrow keys to move the cursor up to the first network interface, for example, *eno1np0*, and press Enter. A new menu opens. Here, select **Edit IPv4** and press Enter.

On the next screen, press Enter on the *IPv4 Method* and select **Manual**. Here, enter the subnet mask and IP address for the server, as well as the default gateway and nameservers. These values were provided in the email you received from Glesys. You can also find them under **Networking → IP addresses** in the control panel. If you need help converting the netmask between different formats, see [Convert the netmask between different formats](/products/connectivity/ip-addresses/how-tos/find-gateway-and-netmask/convert-the-netmask-between-different-formats.md). When all the information is filled in, use the arrow keys to move down to **Save** and press Enter.

Use the arrow keys to move the cursor down to **Done** and press Enter.

We aren't using any proxy, so press Enter on the next screen.

On the next screen, press Enter when the mirror location test is finished.

Next up is the storage configuration. Unless you want to use your own partitioning scheme, use the arrow keys to move down to **Done** and press Enter.

Next, you can make some changes to the layout to better utilize the disk (optional). For example, by default, Ubuntu only uses a certain percentage for the root partition. Here, we'll expand the root partition so we can take advantage of the entire disk. Go down to **ubuntu-lv** and press Enter.

Enter the size you want for the root partition. Here, in our case, we'll use the maximum size of 443.57 GB. Move down to **Save** and press Enter once you have entered the desired size.

Move down to **Done** using the arrow keys and press Enter.

On the final confirmation, select **Continue** and press Enter.

You need to create a user and pick a name for the server. Enter the full name of the user, a username, the server's name, and choose a password for the user. Then, select **Done** and press Enter.

Unless you need or want *Ubuntu Pro*, select **Continue** (and make sure **Skip for now** is selected).

Next, mark **Install OpenSSH server** using Space. This will install the SSH server so you can log in to the server over SSH. Then, select **Done** and press Enter.

Select any services you want to have installed on your server as snap packages using Space. Then, use Tab to select **Done** and press Enter.

The installation will start now, which will take a while. Once the installation is complete, select **Reboot now** and press Enter.

When the installer asks you to remove the installation medium, press Enter to continue to reboot.

Once the server is rebooted, you should be able to log in to it over SSH. For example: {% code title="Command" %} ``` ssh example@203.0.113.72 ``` {% endcode %} {% endtab %} {% tab title="Windows Server 2025" %} When you see the text *Press any key to boot from CD or DVD*, press Enter or any other key. Otherwise, the Windows installation process won't start.

First of all, you need to select the language and date/currency format you want to use in Windows Server. In this case, we'll select English for the language and Swedish for the format. Then, click **Next**.

Then, select the local keyboard layout you use, and click **Next**. {% hint style="info" %} Should you encounter a key that doesn't print the desired character later on, you can try selecting the closest keyboard layout in the Java console by navigating to **Options → Preference**, and selecting the **Input** tab. For example, most special characters on a Swedish keyboard work by selecting a German layout in the Java console (except that Z and Y are switched). {% endhint %}

In the next step, select **Install Windows Server**. You also have to tick the box for **I agree everything will be deleted including files, apps, and settings**. Then, click **Next**. Keep in mind that this will delete everything previously installed on the server.

Select which Windows image you want to install. In this example, we choose Windows Server 2025 Standard with a desktop environment. Click **Next** when you've made your choice.

Click **Accept** to accept the license terms.

If there are any pre-existing partitions, delete them by marking them and clicking **Delete Partition** (*unless* they contain data you want to save). After all partitions are removed, create a new partition for Windows Server by clicking **Create Partition**.

A suggestion to use all the unused space for the new partition is now shown. Accept this by clicking **Apply**.

The partition layout is now shown. If it looks alright, click **Next** to continue.

Windows Server is now ready to be installed, and you are presented with an overview of your choices. If everything looks good and you are certain you want to install Windows, click **Install**. This will start the installation procedure, which will take quite a while to finish because the ISO is being streamed from your local computer. Several hours are expected.

When the installation is finished, you need to go through some settings. First, you need to set a password for the Administrator account. Once you have chosen a password, click **Finish**.

Windows Server is now installed on the dedicated server. However, there are some more steps to take. For example, you need to set the IP address of the machine. When you are presented with the login screen, click **Macro → Macro → Send Ctrl+Alt+Del** in the Java console to unlock the screen.

Click **Required only** about the diagnostic data sent to Microsoft. This will minimize the amount of data sent to Microsoft. Click **Accept**.

Once the setup guide is completed, you'll see the Windows desktop and the Server Manager. You can close the Server Manager. First, you need to set up the IP address and netmask for the internet connection to work. Right-click the globe in the taskbar and select **Network and Internet settings**.

Next, click **Ethernet**.

Click **Edit** next to *IP assignment*.

Click the dropdown menu and select **Manual**.

When the *Edit IP settings* dialog box opens, click **IPv4** to activate it. Then, fill in the IP address and netmask for the machine. Also, fill in the IP address of the gateway. This information was provided in the email (in the secret) you received regarding the server. If you need help converting the netmask between different formats, see [Convert the netmask between different formats](/products/connectivity/ip-addresses/how-tos/find-gateway-and-netmask/convert-the-netmask-between-different-formats.md).

Scroll down a bit in the dialog box and fill in the IP addresses for the DNS servers. Then, click **Save**.

After a couple of seconds, the control panel for *Network & internet* will change to display *Connected*. You are then connected to the internet. ## Enable Remote Desktop (optional) If you would like to connect to your dedicated server over Remote Desktop, instead of using the Java console, click the Start menu and search for **Remote Desktop**. Then, click **Remote desktop settings**.

Click the switch to change from **Off** to **On**. Then, click **Confirm** to enable Remote Desktop access.

You can now access your dedicated server by using a Remote Desktop client to connect to the IP address of the machine and using the Administrator account. {% endtab %} {% tab title="FreeBSD 15 (ZFS on HW RAID)" %} {% hint style="warning" %} This installation will use ZFS on top of the dedicated server's hardware RAID. For ZFS on separate disks, see the **FreeBSD 15 (ZFS on JBOD)** tab. {% endhint %} When the FreeBSD installer boots, press Enter (or wait) to boot the installation program.

In the next dialog box, select **Install** and press Enter.

Select your local keyboard layout. Move up and down with the arrow keys, and select the desired layout using Enter.

In case you chose a local keyboard layout, instead of the default US one, you get to choose to test the layout by selecting **Test se.kbd keymap** (or the keymap you chose) and pressing Enter. (If you chose the default US keyboard, skip ahead to the hostname step.)

While testing the keyboard's special characters, should you encounter a key that doesn't print the desired character, you can try selecting the closest layout in the Java console by navigating to **Options → Preference**, and selecting the **Input** tab. For example, most special characters on a Swedish keyboard work by selecting a German layout in the Java console (except that Z and Y are switched). When you are done testing, press Enter.

You are then back to the keyboard layout. If you are satisfied with the layout, scroll to the top using the arrow keys and select **Continue with se.kbd keymap** (or the keymap you chose). Then, press Enter.

In the next step, you are asked to select a hostname for the machine. You can select any valid hostname you want, but here we'll choose the server's name, *ds11474*. Press Enter when you have chosen your hostname.

Next, you need to decide if you want to use FreeBSD with the traditional distribution sets or the newer packages (where everything is a package, even the kernel and userland tools, just like most Linux distributions). In this example, we choose to go with the packages, since that will become the default in the future. Select **Packages (Tech Preview)** and press Enter.

To speed up the installation process and get newer and more packages, select **Network** in the next step and press Enter.

If your dedicated server has multiple network interfaces, select the first one using the arrow keys (in this case, *ixl0*). Then, press the Tab key to switch from **Auto** to **Manual**. Press Enter to proceed.

Select **Yes** and press Enter on the next question to configure IPv4 for the interface.

When asked if you would like to use DHCP, select **No** and press Enter.

Now you'll need to configure the network for the dedicated server. When you received all the information for the server, you also received the IP address and netmask. You can also find your dedicated server's IP address and netmask in the control panel under **IP address** in the left-hand side menu. Enter the **IP address**, the **netmask**, and the **default router** (gateway or GW). If you need help converting the netmask between different formats, see [Convert the netmask between different formats](/products/connectivity/ip-addresses/how-tos/find-gateway-and-netmask/convert-the-netmask-between-different-formats.md). When all the values are filled in, Tab to **OK** and press Enter.

When asked to configure IPv6, select **No** and press Enter.

Next, you'll need to enter the IP addresses for the DNS resolvers. This information is also included in the email (secret) that was sent to you about the server. Skip the **Search** domain, and use the arrow keys to go down to **IPv4 DNS #1** and **IPv4 DNS #2**.

Next up is the partitioning of the disk. In this example, we'll go with the defaults. Select **Auto (ZFS)** and press Enter.

In the next step, select **Install** and press Enter.

Select the default option, **stripe**, and press Enter.

In the dialog box, press Space to select the LSI MegaRAID controller, and then press Enter to continue.

If you are sure that you want to reinstall/install the server's operating system and wipe everything on the disks, select **YES** and press Enter.

In the next step, you need to select which set of packages you want to install. You use the arrow keys to move up and down, and Space to select and deselect a package. In our example, we have selected **base** and **devel**, and deselected **kernel-dbg** and **lib32**. When you are satisfied, press Enter.

Select a password for root and press Enter.

Select your preferred timezone. Here, we'll select **Europe**, then **Sweden**.

Select **Yes** if the timezone abbreviation looks okay.

If the date is okay, select **Skip** and press Enter.

And the same for the time.

Select the services you want started at boot. Use the arrow keys to move up and down, and Space to select and deselect. Here, we have selected **sshd**, **ntpd**, **ntpd\_sync\_on\_start**, and deselected **dumpdev**.

Next, select **OK** and press Enter, unless you want to tweak the hardening options.

Next, add a regular user to the system. Select **Yes** and press Enter.

Fill out the information for your user, step by step. If this user should be able to `su` to root, invite the user to the *wheel* group. Most questions can be accepted with the default value by pressing Enter. Give the user a password so he/she can log in over SSH.

At the final step, select **Finish** and press Enter.

When asked if you would like to open a shell to make manual modifications, select **No** and press Enter.

Next, select **Reboot** to reboot the server into the newly installed FreeBSD system.

FreeBSD is now installed, and the server will boot into it. Once the server is booted, you can log in as the user you created during setup. You can log in using SSH and the IP address for the machine, for example: {% code title="Command" %} ``` ssh glesys@203.0.113.76 ``` {% endcode %} You can also log in via the Java console, using either the user you created or root. {% endtab %} {% tab title="FreeBSD 15 (ZFS on JBOD)" %} {% hint style="warning" %} This will install FreeBSD with ZFS on two separate drives in mirror mode. If you prefer to use the dedicated server's hardware RAID, see the **FreeBSD 15 (ZFS on HW RAID)** tab instead. This guide will delete the RAID array in the dedicated server and instead set up the disks as JBOD, so each disk is accessible to ZFS. This operation will destroy all data on the RAID array. The two disks will then be configured as a ZFS mirror. {% endhint %} When the FreeBSD installer starts, press s on your keyboard to start the FreeBSD DVD in single-user mode.

When FreeBSD is loaded and asks for the path to a shell, press Enter to accept the default.

When you see a command prompt, you can type `clear` and press Enter to clear the screen. It's easier to follow the steps with an empty screen. Before deleting the current RAID volume, list the current configuration, volumes, and drives. The commands are: {% code title="Multiple commands" %} ``` mfiutil show adapter mfiutil show volumes mfiutil show drives ``` {% endcode %} Note the volume ID and the numbers in front of the drives. In the example below, the volume ID is *mfid0*, and the drive numbers are *3* and *6*.

Now that you know the volume ID of the RAID-1 array, delete it using `mfiutil delete `, for example: {% code title="Command" %} ``` mfiutil delete mfid0 ``` {% endcode %} If you can't see a command prompt after the kernel messages that appear, press Enter.

Next, configure the two drives as JBOD using the drive numbers from earlier. {% code title="Command" %} ``` mfiutil create jbod 3 6 ``` {% endcode %} This will typically look like the screenshot below.

You should now have two volumes, one for each drive. Confirm this using the following command: {% code title="Command" %} ``` mfiutil show volumes ``` {% endcode %} This will show you two volumes, *mfid0* and *mfid1*.

You can now start the actual installation. Reboot the server using the `reboot` command, and press F11 when the server starts.

Select to boot from the virtual CDROM/DVD again.

When the FreeBSD installer starts, this time, press Enter to start the actual installer.

In the next dialog box, select **Install** and press Enter.

Select your local keyboard layout. Move up and down with the arrow keys, and select the desired layout using Enter.

To speed up the installation process and get newer and more packages, select **Network** in the next step and press Enter.

Select **Yes** and press Enter on the next question to configure IPv4 for the interface.

When asked if you would like to use DHCP, select **No** and press Enter.

When asked to configure IPv6, select **No** and press Enter.

Next, you'll need to enter the IP addresses for the DNS resolvers. This information is also included in the information that was sent about the server. Skip the **Search** domain, and use the arrow keys to go down to **IPv4 DNS #1** and **IPv4 DNS #2**.

Next up is the partitioning of the disk. Select **Auto (ZFS)** and press Enter.

Select **Pool Type/Disks** and press Enter.

Then, select **mirror** and press Enter.

Select both disks using Space. Then, press Enter.

Make sure it says *"mirror: 2 disks"* next to *"Pool Type/Disks"*. Then, select **Install** and press Enter.

On the warning screen, select **YES** and press Enter if you are sure you want to wipe the disks and install FreeBSD.