How to provision Microsoft Windows without DHCP

This topic describes how to provision Microsoft Windows without DHCP. It includes the following sections:

• • Prerequisites
  • Installing the PXE Server on the Application Server
  • Stocking the Data Store with OS files for windows
  • Configuring DHCP settings
  • Configuring the console for Windows
  • Creating a Data Store instance
  • Creating the System Package for Windows
  • Installing an OS on a Target Server for Windows
  • Supporting Files
    • network.ini
    • input.ini

Prerequisites

• You must have BMC Server Automation installed and configured.
• You must have IIS6 installed on BMC Server Automation server.
• You must have the appropriate ISO of the OSs.
• You must have the rscd.iss file.
• MSXML 6.0 SP2 must be installed
• Windows AIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit) must be installed.

Installing the PXE Server on the Application Server

You must first install the BMC Server Automation PXE server to configure the provisioning environment.

1. Go to the directory that contains the PXE<version>.exe file and execute it.
   
2. Click Next
   
3. Click Yes.
   
4. Provide the user name and company name and click Next.
   
5. Check the destination directory and click Next.
   
6. Select your DB type and select Next.
   
7. Provide information of the database.
    The DB User ID should be the owner of the BMC Server Automation database.
   
8. Review the network configuration, and click Next.
   
9. Review the information and click Next.
10. Select the type of DHCP server and click Next.
    
11. Provide the location for the Datastore and click Next.
    
12. Provide the directory for the TFTP ROOT directory and click Next.
    
13. Click Next.
    
    
14. Click Finish.
    
15. Go to Start > Run.
16. In the command prompt window, type Services.msc.
17. Start the BladeLogic PXE and BladeLogic TFTP services.
    

Stocking the Data Store with OS files for windows

The next step is to store all OS files into the Data Store so that you can use it during provisioning.

1. Create a directory structure as shown below and Store Windows OS file in the directory:
   

2. To store the agent installer, create the directory structure shown below and add the rscd.exe and rscd.iss files.
   

   Note

   The name of RSCD agent installer should be rscd.exe.

Configuring DHCP settings

Complete the following steps to configure the DHCP settings:

1. Download and install MSXML 6.0 SP2 on the Application Server. MSXML 6.0 SP2 is necessary for the creation of a WinPE 2.0 boot image.
2. Download and install WinAIK.msi (Windows Automated Installation Kit), which is needed for the creation of a WinPE 2.0 boot image. You can find this software in the Microsoft Vista ISO file.
3. Download and extract provision-files.zip and copy the file CreateWinPE2_x.vbs from the winpe folder to the Program Files > Windows AIK > Tools > PETools folder.
   
4. Download and extract provision-files.zip from EPD and copy following files to the <BSA-Version>provision-files > provisioning > winpefolder:
   • BLAssignNetDetails.vbs
   • BLFindLDSPath.vbs
   • BLSetNetworkIni.HTA
   • CreateWinPE2_x.vbs

5. Create an input.inifile, which will carry all the configuration details. The file will have the following entries:

   Arch=x86
   BLDir=C:\prov\760-115-provision-files\provisioning\winpe
   DestDir=C:\prov\760-115-provision-files\provisioning\winpe\xerox1
   BootDir=pp_x86_multi
   Customscript=
   WaikRootDir=C:\Program Files\Windows AIK
   AppServer=10.33.65.210
   AppServerPort=9831
   NetDetailsFile=C:\prov\network.ini
   RSCDDir=
   BMIWinExe=C:\prov\760-115-provision-files\provisioning\pxe\bmiwin.exe
   OSDrvDir=
   OverwriteFlag=Y
   CreatePXEFlag=N
   CreateISOFlag=Y
   CreateUFDFilesFlag=N
   CopyToISO=Y
   Debug=Y

   Where:

   • <BLDir> is the path to folder WinPE in the provisioning-files folder of BSA.
   • <DestDir> is the name of the folder which will have the iso file/WinPE image created for booting up of machine to be provisioned.
   • <BootDir> is the name of the Iso file to be created.
   • <WaikRootDir> is the path where Waik is installed.
   • <NetDetailsFile> is the path to the network.ini file which will carry network configuration.
   • <BMIWinExe> is the path to bmiwin.exe in the provision-files->pxe folder for BSA.

6. Create the required network.ini, to contain the Network configuration for the machine to be provisioned. You can have multiple enteries if you need to provision more than one machine.

   [00-03-FF-80-3C-BF]
   STATIC_IP=10.33.65.216
   SUBNET_MASK=255.255.255.0
   DEFAULT_GATEWAY=10.33.65.4
   WINS_PRIMARY_SERVER=
   WINS_SECONDARY_SERVER=
   DNS_SERVER_SEARCH_ORDER=172.28.64.33
   [00-03-FF-87-3C-BF]
   STATIC_IP=10.33.65.217
   SUBNET_MASK=255.255.255.0
   DEFAULT_GATEWAY=10.33.65.4
   WINS_PRIMARY_SERVER=
   WINS_SECONDARY_SERVER=
   DNS_SERVER_SEARCH_ORDER=172.28.64.33

7. Create the Iso-file required for booting up the system to be provisioned. Enter following command on command propmpt.

   Note

   Do not leave "DNS_SERVER_SEARCH_ORDER" field blank. Either provide the default gateway as the DNS server or some other DNS server address.

   cscript //nologo "path-to- CreateWinPE2_x.vbs-file copied in WinAik above " path-to input.ini-file
   For example: cscript //nologo "C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\CreateWinPE2_x.vbs" C:\prov\input.ini
   
   

Configuring the console for Windows

You now must define the installer locations into the console.

1. Open the console with appropriate rights.
2. Select the Tools > Configuration menu.
3. Select the OS type and click the Edit tab.
   
4. Provide the path to the OS installation files and the rscd.exe location.
   This Path must be the relative to the DS path, as shown below:
   
5. Click OK.
   
6. Select the Image Files tab at the top.
7. Select the WinPE 2_0 image file and click the Edit button.
   
8. Select the Set as default image check box, as shown below:
   
9. Click OK in all open dialog boxes.

Creating a Data Store instance

Next, you must create an instance of the data store to use for provisioning.

1. Open the console and select the Tools > Property Dictionary menu.
2. Navigate to the Built-in Property Classes > DataStore > Pxe DataStore property class and select it.
3. Click the Instance tab and then click the Add icon.
   
4. Provide the name of your data store instance in the Name field.
   
5. Enter instance values for the following properties:
   • FULL_PATH: Full path to the data store
   • LOCATION: Location of the data store
   • PASSWORD: Password for connecting to the data store
   • USERNAME: Name of user for connecting to the data store
   • VIRTUAL_DIR: The virtual directory that you can see in the IIS configuration (for example, PXESTORE)
6. Click Finish.
    The new instance appears in the list of instances.
   

Creating the System Package for Windows

Next, you must create a System Package for Windows.

1. Navigate to the System Packages folder, right-click it, and select New > System Package Folder.
2. Provide a name for your system package folder and click Finish.
   
3. Right-click the folder you created in the previous step and select New > System Package.
4. Enter a name for the system package and specify the system package type.
    If you want to specify permissions for the package, click Next and configure permissions on the next panel. Otherwise, click Finish. 
   
5. Navigate to your new system package and open it. Then fine-tune the settings within the package as necessary (for example, you might want to define disk partition settings). The following series of sample figures show examples of package settings. Click each figure to expand it.
   
   
6. Save the System Package.

Installing an OS on a Target Server for Windows

Complete the following steps to install an OS on a target server in a Windows environment.

1. Burn the ISO file prepared for booting above onto a CD.
2. Insert the CD into drive of machine to be provisioned.
3. Start your machine and prepare it to boot from CD. The following dialog box is displayed:
   
4. Enter information in the required fields and select Assign Network Details.
    A summary of network configuration is displayed:
   
5. If the Network Configuration is correct, click the Close Window button to continue.
    The PXE Boot Agent opens. Files are loaded and the application server machine is located.
   
   
6. Add the MAC address of the machine in the console, using Add device.
    The MAC address is listed in the Imported tab of the Device workspace in the console.
7. To provision the machine, perform the following steps:
   1. Right-click the MAC address of the machine and select Provision.
   2. In the Provision Device wizard, browse and select the system package for the machine.
      
   3. Step through the next few wizard panels (using the Next button) and verify that the target machine settings appear correctly.
   4. On the System Package Properties panel, in the value of the DATA_STORE property, specify the data store that you want to use as the target.
      
   5. Step through the remaining wizard panels and click Finish.
       You can now see the machine in the Provisioning Progress bar. 
      
      The PXE Boot Agent is updated and completes working.
      

Supporting Files

The following files support the above procedure.

network.ini

input.ini