Preparing a machine for WinPE 2.0 and later image  creation

You must prepare the machine you use to create the image files by installing required software and ensuring that files are in the appropriate locations.

To prepare the machine for image creation

1. Download and install the following items from the Microsoft website:
   • .NET Framework Version 2.0
   • Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0 SP2
2. Download the appropriate Microsoft Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) from the Microsoft download website:
   • To create WinPE 3.0 images, download the Windows Automated Installation Kit for Windows 7.
     Note that WinPE 3.0 supports Windows 2008 R2, as well.
   • To create WinPE 2.1 images, download the Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 and Microsoft Windows 2008.

   • To create WinPE 2.0 images, download the Automated Installation Kit (AIK).

     Note

     These files are very large and might take a while to download.

3. Using an image file editor (such as WinImage), open the WAIK image file and extract its contents to a local, temporary directory. Alternatively, mount the WAIK image file to the server.
4. Install the WAIK by running the appropriate msi file found within it, depending on the architecture of the server that you are using to create the WinPE images.
   • If you are using an x86 machine to create images, run the waikx86.msi file.
   • If you are using an x86-x64 or x64 machine to create images, run the waikamd64.msi file.

   • If you are using an Itanium machine to create images, run the waikia64.msi file.

     Note

     For information about the unattended image types (x86, x64) that you can create using the x86 and x64 architectures, see the Microsoft WAIK product documentation.

5. Locate the following BMC Server Automation file: currentRelease-provision-files.zip
    This file is included when you download BMC Server Automation from the BMC Electronic Product Distribution (EPD) website.
    Copy this file to a directory on the machine where you installed WAIK. For example, C:\BMC_BL.

   Note

   The directory name must not contain spaces.

6. Unzip provision-files.zip.
    This file unzips to create the following subdirectory:
   \provisioning\winpe

7. Copy two script files, CreateWinPE2_x.vbs and extractpxeboot.vbs, from the unzipped BMC Server Automation directories to the WAIK installation directories.

   • From: The provisioning\winpe subdirectory where you unzipped provision-files.zip
   • To: WAIK installation subdirectory \Tools\PETools (for example: C:\Program Files\WinAIK\Tools\PETools)
8. If you are using the image creation wizard to create boot image files, you can begin the wizard now. See Creating WinPE 2.0 and later images using the Image Creation wizard.
    If you are using the script to create boot image files, continue with the following steps.

9. (Applies only to using the script to create boot image files.) Set up files for driver injection.

   Note

   Although driver injection is optional for boot image creation, drivers are typically required to create a usable provisioning boot image.

   To inject drivers into the WinPE image, create a text file called Driver.txt and put this file in the provisioning\winpe directory. For example:
   C:\BMC_BL\provisioning\winpe\Driver.txt
    Add the following line to the Driver.txt file:
   Drivers=<fullPathToINFDriver> <fullPathToINFDriver> ...
   For example:

   Drivers= E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmxnet.inf E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmx_svga.inf E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmware-nic.inf

   Note

   Pathnames containing spaces are not supported.

10. (Applies only to using the script to create boot image files.) Run the image creation script. See Creating-WinPE-2-0-and-later-image-files-using-the-BMC-Server-Automation-script.