Creating WinPE 2.0 and later image files using the BMC Server Automation script

You can run the CreateWinPE2_x.vbs script to create a WinPE 2.0 and later x86 or x64 image file.

Before you begin

• Prepare the machine on which boot images are created.
• If you plan to create image files for booting from media local to the target server, create a network.ini file.

To create the image file with the script:

1. Create the input file containing image creation parameters.
   
   

   Click here for more information on creating the input_parameters.ini file

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2. Run the CreateWinPE_2_0.vbs script to create the image files.
   
   

   Click here for more information on running the CreateWinPE2_x.vbs script

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3. Copy the image files to the TFTP server for booting from the PXE server (PXE image type) or to the media you want to use for booting the target server locally (ISO or UFD image types).
   
   

   Click here for more information on copying image files to a location for provisioning.

   You copy the WinPE 2.0 and later image files to a location so the provisioning process can use them. The location to which you copy files depends on the image type of the WinPE image you created (PXE, ISO, or UFD).

   To copy image files of the PXE image type

   1. Copy the image file to the TFTP server. Perform this step only if you created the image with the CreateWinPE2_x.vbs script. (If you created the image with the image creation wizard, the image creation process copies the image to the TFTP server.)

      Click here for more information on copying image files to the TFTP server.

      You copy the WinPE 2.0 and later boot image to the TFTP server so that the provisioning process can use it with the PXE provisioning technology.

      The "image file" is actually a directory containing several separate files. When you run CreateWinPE2_x.vbs, it creates this directory in the path specified by DestDir. This new directory has the name specified by BootDir and contains the image files.

      For example if you specified a BootDir name of_ boot_2_0 (the recommended name for the directory), the script creates the boot_2_0 image in DestDir:

      C:\BMC_BL\tmp\boot_2_0
      BCD
      boot.sdi
      WinPE.wim
      

      To copy boot image files to the TFTP server

      To place the image files on the TFTP server, copy BootDir and its contents to the tftproot directory on the TFTP server. For example:

      C:\tftproot\boot_2_0
      BCD
      boot.sdi
      WinPE.wim
      

      Note

      The BLAdmin role must be granted Read and Write access to the TFTP root directory and its contents, including boot image folders and all image files in the folders.

   2. Extract the boot files and copy them to the TFTP server.

      Click here for more information on extracting boot files for WinPE 2.0 and later images.

      After creating the images with CreateWinPE2_x.vbs, you extract the pxeboot.0 and bootmgr.exe files and copy them to the TFTP server.

      To extract boot files

      1. Create a temporary local directory to store the files you are about to extract.
          For example: C:\BMC_BL\tmpboot
      2. Open a command window and change directories to the \Tools\PETools subdirectory of the Microsoft Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) installation directory.
          For example: C:\Program Files\WinAIK\Tools\PETools
      3. Navigate to the provisioning files that you extracted from provision-files.zip into a temporary directory. In the \provisioning\winpe\ directory, locate the extractpxeboot.vbs script, and copy this file into the \Tools\PETools subdirectory.
      4. Start the WinPE command prompt by typing:
         pesetenv.cmd

      5. Run the extractpxeboot.vbs script to extract pxeboot.0 and bootmgr.exe. Use the following syntax:
         extractpxeboot <DestDir> <WAIK_dir>
          where <DestDir> is the temporary local storage directory that you created at the beginning of this procedure and <WAIK_dir> is the WAIK installation directory.

         extractpxeboot C:\BMC_BL\tmpboot C:\Program Files\WinAIK
         

      6. Look at the contents of C:\BMC_BL\tmpboot. You should see pxeboot.0 and bootmgr.exe.
         Copy these files to the following locations on the TFTP server:
         • Copy pxeboot.0 into <tftproot>\x86pc\pxelinux.
            For example: C:\tftproot\x86\pxelinux\pxeboot.0
         • Copy bootmgr.exe into <tftproot>.
            For example: C:\tftproot\bootmgr.exe

   3. If the server that contains your data store does not support the NTLMv2 Level 3 setting for Microsoft NT Lan Manager, change the NTLM settings for the WinPE image on the TFTP server.

      Click here for more information on configuring WinPE security settings.

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   To copy image files of the ISO image type

   Click here to view the steps to copy image files of the ISO image type.

   Copy the bootImageName.iso file to the CD or DVD. You can also copy the image to a location for use directly through iLO, virtual CD-ROM, or network mapped driver.

   To copy image files of the UFD image type

   Click here to view the steps to copy image files of the UFD image type.

   1. Format a USB drive for the FAT32 file system.
   2. Copy the all of the files and folders in the bootImageName_UFD directory to the root of the USB drive.