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Deploy On-Premise Scanning on Hardware

Last updated: 2026-10-29



Purpose

This article describes how to deploy On-Premise Scanning (OPS) directly on physical hardware using a bootable installation medium.

Introduction

Hardware installation means installing an operating system directly on physical hardware, without a hypervisor or virtual machine layer. The operating system has direct access to CPU, memory, storage, and peripherals for full performance and hardware control.

This method is standard for production servers, workstations, and machines that require maximum performance or direct hardware access.

The process includes writing the ISO image to a USB drive, booting the target machine from it, and running the installer.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Make sure that the hardware meets the system requirements. For more information, refer to On-Premise Scanning Dimensioning Guide | Baseline.

Downloading the On-Premise Scanning ISO

Refer to Install Online On-Premise Scanning for online version or Install Air-Gapped On-Premise Scanning for Air-Gap version for how to download the On-Premise Scanning ISO image.

Prepare Installation Media

Create bootable media from the ISO image. Use https://rufus.ie/en/ for Windows or dd for Linux.

Boot from Installation Media

Booting from the ISO replaces the existing operating system with the On-Premise Scanning operating system, which is based on Debian 13.

BIOS (Legacy Boot)

  1. Insert the USB drive and restart the machine.

  2. Enter the boot menu. The key is usually F12, F2, Esc, or Del, depending on the manufacturer.

  3. Select the USB drive from the list.

  4. The On-Premise Scanning installer starts.

UEFI Boot

  1. Insert the USB drive and restart the machine.

  2. Enter UEFI firmware settings. The key is usually F2, F12, or Del.

  3. Make sure that USB boot is enabled in boot options.

  4. Select the USB drive from the boot menu. The option can be displayed as UEFI: [USB name].

  5. The On-Premise Scanning installer starts.

To check the current boot mode on a running Linux system:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "BIOS"

Disabling Secure Boot

If Secure Boot works without issues, keep it enabled and skip this section.

Secure Boot usually works without issues. If Secure Boot prevents the installer from starting, disable it in the firmware settings.

  1. Enter UEFI firmware settings.

  2. Go to the Secure Boot option. The option is usually under the Security or Boot tabs.

  3. Set Secure Boot to Disabled.

  4. Save the changes and exit.

  5. Continue the installation.

Troubleshooting

USB not showing in boot menu

  • Try a different USB port. USB 2.0 ports sometimes work better.

  • Recreate the bootable USB.

  • Verify that USB boot is enabled in BIOS or UEFI settings.

Installer starts but stops responding

  • Try adding boot parameters at the GRUB menu: press e to edit, add nomodeset or acpi=off to the linux line, then press F10 to boot

UEFI does not detect the USB

  • Ensure the ISO was built with UEFI support

  • Verify the ISO structure: fdisk -l /path/to/on-premise-scanning.iso — should show an EFI partition