Creating a Windows system package for use with a local data store

To use a local data store for provisioning Windows machines, create a system package that points to the local data store as the location of the operating system installation files.

To create a system package that points to a local data store

1. Edit the system package type to specify the location of the operating system installer as relative to the local data store and the RSCD agent installer as relative to the CONFIG_STORE location.
   1. Select Configuration > Provisioning Configurations.
   2. On the System Package Type tab, under Relative Paths for OS images, select the type of system package and click Edit.
   3. On the System Package Type window, for OS Installer location, type the path to the directory where the operating system installation files reside in the local data store (CD/DVD, USB flash drive). The path must be relative to the root directory of this local data store. If these files are at the root directory of the local data store, type a backslash.
   4. For RSCD Installer location, type the path to the directory where the RSCD agent installer files reside.
      If these files are in an ISO or UFD boot image, specify a path relative to the root of ISO or UFD.
      During image creation, if you selected Copy to root of ISO/UFD or Copy to WinPE image, specify the name of the leaf directory that you provided for RSCD Installer Path. (This directory contains the rscd.msi file.) For example, if the RSCD Installer Path specified during image creation was D:\DataStore\RSCD\rscd_76_x86, you would type:
      rscd_76_x86
2. Create the system package.

3. In the system package, define settings on the Disk Partition, Basic Config, OS Components, Network, and Post-Install Config tabs.

    Click here to view the steps for defining the system package settings.

   1. In the Depot folder, navigate to the system package you want to define. Right-click the system package and select Open.
      A tab for the system package appears in the content editor.
   2. To define standard system package settings, click the tabs at the bottom of the system package tab. Each tab represents a category of settings, as described in the following sections:
      • Pre-install scripts - Windows
      • Disk partition - Windows
      • Post-disk partition - Windows
      • Basic configuration - Windows
      • Computer settings - Windows 2008
      • Computer settings - all Windows operating systems except Windows 2008
      • OS components - Windows 2008
      • OS components - all Windows operating systems except Windows 2008
      • Network - Windows
      • Unattend entries - Windows 2008
      • Unattend entries - all Windows operating systems except Windows 2008
      • Post-install configuration - Windows and Windows R2
      • Local properties - Windows
   3. When you finish defining settings for the system package, click the system package tab and select File > Save.

4. On the Local Properties tab, accept or change the default setting for the CONFIG_STORE property. This property specifies the locations that the provisioning process searches for the configuration components (bmiwin.exe, RSCD agent installers, and operating system drivers) when booting from local media. 

    Click here for more information about the CONFIG_STORE property.

   The CONFIG_STORE property specifies the locations that the provisioning process searches for the configuration components (bmiwin.exe, RSCD agent installers, and operating system drivers) when booting from local media.

   This property is a local property of a system package. Use this property only to provision from a local data store.

   You can set the default value of this property to specify locations to search. The values are:

   • WinPE—The provisioning process searches the LDS directory inside the WinPE image on the local data media.
   • Media—The provisioning process searches all supported removable media connected to the target server. For example:
     • The WinPE ISO image on CD/DVD
     • The media containing the local data store
     • Any other media, such as a USB flash drive (UFD)
   • All—(The default value) The provisioning process searches both locations in this order:
     1. In the LDS directory inside the WinPE image.
     2. On all supported removable media connected to the target server.

   To change the default value of CONFIG_STORE, use the Local properties panel of the Windows system package.

5. On the Computer Settings tab, define settings for User Information, License setup, and Localization as described below: 

   For Windows 2008

   Click here for field definitions for Windows 2008. Name The user name. Organization Name of the user's organization. PnP driver paths Specifies the location of plug-and-play (PnP) drivers and mass storage drivers in your data store. For configuring PnP or OEM drivers, for PnP driver paths, click Browse to select drivers. For information, see For PnP drivers, you can alternatively enter a semicolon-delimited list of paths in the field. Each path should be relative to the root of the data store. This example shows selection of two PnP drivers: drivers\Compaq\Win2008\Display;drivers\HPDLG30g5\Win2008\RAID License key Enter the key to the software license you are using, including all hyphens in the key. Then, under License key, do one of the following: If the license is granted on a per-server basis, select Per server. For Number of concurrent connections, enter the number of users that can use a license simultaneously. This number must be set higher than 5. If the license is granted on a per-seat basis, select Per seat. Note To install an evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 (or one that uses a Multiple Activation Key), leave the License Key field blank. You can activate the license key on the target server later or you can customize the Unattend.xml file by providing the activation key. By default, the system package accepts the KMS license key. Time zone Select a time zone for the server. Locale Select a language option. For example, in the United States, select English United States.

   For all other Windows operating systems

   Click here for field definitions for all Windows operating systems except Windows 2008. Name The user name. Organization Name of the user's organization. Specify path to $OEM$ directory Specifies whether the $OEM$ drivers are directly beneath the i386 or amd64 directory or in a different location in the data store. If you leave Specify path to $OEM$ directory unchecked, you are telling the provisioning process that either your $OEM$ directory and its drivers are already directly beneath the i386 or amd64 directory, or that you plan to use the GUI to copy your drivers to this location. If you check Specify path to $OEM$ directory, you are telling the provisioning process that your $OEM$ directory is in a different location. Enter this location in the Path to $OEM$ directory field. For more information, see When to use Specify path to $OEM$ directory. PnP driver paths Specifies the location of plug-and-play (PnP) drivers in your data store. To enter paths, do one of the following: Click Browse  and use the driver selection GUI to automatically fill in the PnP driver paths. For information, see Using the driver selection GUI - PnP driver paths. Note Browsing the data store for the PnP and mass storage drivers has the following requirements: The drivers must be located in the same data store as the rest of the installation files for this system package. There must already exist in the BMC Server Automation environment a server object whose name matches the LOCATION property of the data store instance you selected. Type a semicolon-delimited list of the paths to the directories holding plug-and-play drivers. If you specified a path in the Path to $OEM$ directory field, the paths you enter here must be relative to the $OEM$\$1 directory. If you did not specify a path in the Path to $OEM$ directory field, the paths you enter must be relative to the root of the data store. Mass storage drivers Specifies the location of mass storage drivers in the data store. Click Browse and use the driver selection GUI to automatically fill in the mass storage drivers. For information about how to use this GUI, see Using the driver selection GUI - mass storage drivers. License key Enter the key to the software license you are using, including all hyphens in the key. Then do one of the following: If the license is granted on a per-server basis, select Per server. For Number of concurrent connections, enter the number of users that can use a license simultaneously. This number must be set higher than 5. If the license is granted on a per-seat basis, select Per seat. Time zone Select a time zone for the server. Locale Select a language option. For example, in the United States, select English United States.

6. For Driver Setup, type the paths to the drivers as relative to the CONFIG_STORE location, according to the OS Drivers Pathyou specified on the Configuration Details panel during image creation. (You cannot browse to select drivers if the LocalDataStore is associated with the system package.)
   • During image creation, if you selected Copy to root of ISO/UFD or Copy to WinPE image, specify the name of the leaf directory that you provided for OS Drivers Path. For example, if the OS Drivers Path specified during image creation was D:\DataStore\Drivers, then for PnP driver paths:
     • Windows 2008 and 2003 system packages: If D:\DataStore\Drivers contains PnP drivers WinPE image at:
       D:\DataStore\Drivers\Dell
       D:\DataStore\Drivers\VmDrivers
       Then for PnP driver paths, type: Drivers\Dell;Drivers\VmDrivers
     • Windows 2003 system packages: If D:\DataStore\Drivers contains PnP drivers at:
       D:\DataStore\Drivers\$OEM$\$1\Dell
       D:\DataStore\Drivers\Drivers\$OEM$\$1\VmDrivers
       Then you would select Specify path to $OEM$ directory and for the Path to $OEM$ directory, you would type: Drivers. For *PnP driver paths,*you would type: Dell;VmDrivers
     • Mass Storage Drivers:
       • Windows 2008 system packages: If D:\DataStore\Drivers contains mass storage drivers at:
         D:\DataStore\Drivers\MassStorage\SCSI
         Then for Mass storage drivers, you would type: MassStorage\SCSI
       • Windows 2003 system packages: If D:\DataStore\Drivers contains mass storage drivers at:
         D:\DataStore\Drivers\$OEM$\$1\MassStorage\SCSI
         Then you would select Specify path to $OEM$ directory and for the Path to $OEM$ directory, you would type: Drivers. For Mass Storage Drivers, you would type: MassStorage\SCSI.
7. To create a system package for Windows 2003 that includes mass storage drivers, add entries for the drivers in the unattend.txt file, as follows:
   • Click the Unattend Entries tab.
   • Clear the Customize the Unattend Entries file check box and add the entries to the Additional entries for the unattend.txt file.
     For example:
     [MassStorageDrivers]
"VMware SCSI Controller" = "OEM"
[OEMBootFiles]
vmscsi.sys
vmscsi.inf
vmscsi.cat
txtsetup.oem
8. When you finish defining system package settings, select File > Save.