✎ appnotes:srp_install - Etherboot/gPXE Wiki

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====== Installing Windows to an SRP target ======

You can create customised Windows Server 2008 installation media that will allow you to install Windows directly to your SRP SAN target.  (You cannot do this using the standard installation DVD-ROM; you must customise it first.)

===== Install the Windows AIK =====

Download and install the Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 from [[http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=94BB6E34-D890-4932-81A5-5B50C657DE08]].

===== Creating an installation medium =====

==== Making a bootable USB key ====

Insert the Windows Server 2008 DVD-ROM and a blank USB key.  Start up a command prompt and use //diskpart// to list the disks on your system:

    C:\Users\Administrator> diskpart
    
    Microsoft DiskPart version 6.0.6002
    Copyright (C) 1999-2007 Microsoft Corporation.
    On computer: WIN-8AHI8ZB7YBM
    
    DISKPART> list disk
    
      Disk ###  Status      Size     Free     Dyn  Gpt
      --------  ----------  -------  -------  ---  ---
      Disk 0    Online       466 GB      0 B
      Disk 1    Offline       40 GB      0 B
      Disk 2    Online      3817 MB      0 B

Select the USB key:

    DISKPART> select disk N

where //N// is the number of the disk corresponding to your blank USB key ("Disk 2" in the above example).  Create a new bootable partition on the USB key:

    DISKPART> clean
    DISKPART> uniqueid disk id=12345678
    DISKPART> create partition primary
    DISKPART> select partition 1
    DISKPART> active
    DISKPART> format fs=fat32
    DISKPART> assign
    DISKPART> exit

(where //12345678// can be any non-zero 8-digit hexadecimal string that you choose).

Copy the contents of the Windows Server 2008 DVD-ROM to the USB key:

    xcopy /e /f D:\*.* E:\

(where //D:// is the drive letter of your DVD-ROM drive, and //E:// is the drive letter of your newly-formatted USB key).

==== Preparing the unattended installation file ====

Use //Notepad// to create a file containing:

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="generalize">
      <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
                 processorArchitecture="amd64"
                 publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
                 language="neutral"
                 versionScope="nonSxS">
        <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
      </component>
    </settings>
  </unattend>

(modifying "amd64" to "x86" if you are using a non-64-bit version of Windows) and save it as //E:\autounattend.xml// (where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key).

==== Preparing the imagex configuration file ====

Use //Notepad// to create a file containing:

  [ExclusionList]
  ntfs.log
  hiberfil.sys
  pagefile.sys
  "System Volume Information"
  RECYCLER
  Windows\CSC
  
  [CompressionExclusionList]
  *.mp3
  *.zip
  *.cab
  \WINDOWS\inf\*.pnf

and save it as //E:\wimscript.ini// (where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key).

==== Preparing WinOF ====

Download the correct version of Windows OpenFabrics from [[http://www.openfabrics.org/downloads/WinOF/]] and unzip the downloaded file.  Copy the unzipped //.msi// file to //E:\WinOF.msi// (where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key).

Start up a command prompt and extract the driver files from the //.msi// file:

    cd /d E:\
    msiexec -a WinOF.msi -qb TARGETDIR=WinOF
    for /f %i in 

Unpack the driver files to a temporary location:

    msiexec -a WinOF_2-1_wlh_x64.msi -qb TARGETDIR=%TMP%\WinOF

Start up a Windows PE Tools Command Prompt (//Start//->//All Programs//->//Microsoft Windows AIK//->//Windows PE Tools Command Prompt//) and mount the boot image file:

    mkdir %TMP%\Mount
    imagex /mountrw E:\sources\boot.wim 2 %TMP%\Mount

(where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key).  Add the //imagex// command and configuration file to the boot image:

    copy ..\%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%\imagex.exe %TMP%\Mount
    copy E:\wimscript.ini %TMP%\Mount

Add the WinOF drivers to the boot image:

    cd %TMP%\WinOF\PFiles\WinOF\Drivers
    for /f %i in ('dir *.inf /s /b') do peimg /inf=%i %TMP%\Mount

Commit the changes to the boot image:

    imagex /unmount /commit %TMP%\Mount

==== Preparing sanbootconf ====

Download //sanbootconf// from [[http://git.etherboot.org/releases/sanbootconf/sanbootconf-latest.zip]] and save it as //E:\sanbootconf.zip// (where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key).

===== Creating the installation image =====

==== Enabling SRP boot support ====

Boot from your USB key, and install Windows Server 2008 to a blank physical disk on a new machine.  (This step is sadly necessary due to limitations in the Windows Setup infrastructure.)

In the newly-installed Windows Server 2008, install //sanbootconf// from your USB key.

Start up a command prompt and prepare the machine for capturing the installation image:

    cd %WINDIR%\System32\sysprep
    sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown /unattend:E:\autounattend.xml

(where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key, which may have changed from earlier).

==== Capturing the installation image ====

Boot from your USB key.  At the language selection screen, press //Shift-F10// to start up a command prompt window and capture the image:

    cd \
    imagex /append C: E:\sources\install.wim "Windows Server 2008 (SRP boot)" "Windows Server 2008 with SRP boot support" /flags "SERVERENTERPRISE"

(where //SERVERENTERPRISE// may need to be changed to //SERVERSTANDARD// or //SERVERDATACENTER// depending on which version of Windows Server 2008 you are installing).

Quit the Windows installer and shut down the machine.

==== Converting back to a DVD-ROM (optional) ====

You may want to convert your bootable USB key back to a DVD-ROM.  To do this, start up a Windows PE Tools Command Prompt (//Start//->//All Programs//->//Microsoft Windows AIK//->//Windows PE Tools Command Prompt//) and generate an ISO image file:

    oscdimg -m -n -o -bE:\boot\etfsboot.com E:\ C:\win2k8.iso

(where //E:// is the drive letter of your USB key, and //C:\win2k8.iso// is the place that you want to store the ISO image file).

You can burn this ISO image file to a blank DVD-ROM, or continue to use the USB key.  Either will work for installing Windows Server 2008.

===== Installing to the SRP target =====
Trace: • scratch • the_kernel • srp_install
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