Rack-Mounted HP Server Setup

I have a new rack-mounted HP server that needs to be made fully production-ready. The job starts with the physical side—firmware updates, correct cabling, iLO configuration and any RAID or BIOS tuning—then moves straight into the software stack.

The operating system must be Linux. After the base OS is in place, I want three specific services up and running on it:

• SQL Server (Linux edition)
• Active Directory (Samba AD or a comparable solution)
• IIS-equivalent web service that can host sites built for Microsoft’s stack

Feel free to suggest containerisation or lightweight VMs if that’s the most stable path; the end goal is to have each service reachable on its standard ports with basic security hardening done.

Deliverables I expect:
1. Fully installed and updated Linux distro on the HP hardware.
2. The three services above running, tested and enabled on boot.
3. A brief hand-over document showing all commands, configurations, admin passwords (in a secure way) and how to re-start each service.

If you’ve set up HP rack servers before and are comfortable marrying Linux with Microsoft-centric services, I’d like to hear how quickly you can turn this around and any automation tools you plan to use.