test

Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Operating System Provisioning Guide

Chapter 3 Provisioning Windows Operating Systems

This chapter describes how to use the N1 System Manager to install the Windows OS on managed servers throughout your data center. For information related to the Solaris and Linux operating systems, see Chapter 2, Provisioning UNIX Operating Systems. For information about working with diskless clients, see Chapter 4, Working with Diskless Clients.

Note –

Although N1 System Manager enables you to provision the Windows operating system, the product does not provide OS monitoring or update capabilities for Windows.

The Windows OS provisioning process uses Windows Remote Installation Services (RIS) technology to provision Windows systems. RIS provides an independent setup routine that is executed on the RIS server. RIS provides a centralized location to integrate maintenance and troubleshooting tools that are accessible through a network boot. RIS provides network administrators with the capability to easily install the base operating system or to replace a system that has failed. For more information about RIS, see Microsoft RIS documentation.

This chapter contains the following information:

Windows OS Provisioning Process Overview

The following process describes the high-level process for managing Windows installations across your enterprise.

  1. Set up a Windows RIS server to contain the Windows distributions as explained in Setting Up a Windows Remote Installation Services Server in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Site Preparation Guide.

  2. Copy the appropriate Windows OS files to the RIS server, as explained in To Set Up a Windows Image on the Windows RIS Server.

  3. Link the RIS server distributions to the N1 System Manager, as explained in To Create a Windows OS Distribution.

  4. Modify the OS profile, if needed. For example, you will need to modify the OS profile to add the product key.

  5. Verify that the servers you want to provision are known to N1 System Manager. See Chapter 4, Discovering Manageable Servers, in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide.

  6. Link the GUIDs to the managed server names in N1 System Manager. Use the following command:


    N1-ok> set server server-name guid="guid-value"

    Where the GUID is of the format XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXX, for example 5D607F6A-AF48-4003–AFA8–69E019A4496F.

    Note –

    If you have more than one Sun Fire V20z system, you might need to modify the GUIDs to make them unique. Contact Sun support for additional information.

  7. Install the Windows OS profile onto a managed server, as explained in Installing the Windows OS on Managed Servers.

  8. To verify that the job has completed, view the Jobs table.

Windows Image Server Requirements

The Windows RIS server must be running one of the following operating systems:

Supported Windows Operating Systems

You can provision the following operating systems:

Supported Windows Hardware Platforms

You can provision the Windows operating system onto the following target platforms:

Creating Windows Distributions

Before you can install an OS profile on a managed server, you must copy the files that comprise a Windows OS release to the RIS server and link to it from the management server.

ProcedureTo Set Up a Windows Image on the Windows RIS Server

Steps

  1. Log onto the Windows RIS server using the administrator account or an account with administrator privileges.

  2. Use the risetup.exe utility to copy the Windows distribution from a CD or Network Share to the RIS server.

    On the RIS server, use the RiSetup.exe utility with -add option.

    Note –

    Make sure you select the option “Keep the old existing OSC files” in the risetup wizard while creating RIS images.

    When you copy a Windows distribution to the RIS server, the appropriate Windows drivers are copied automatically. To add other drivers into the distribution, copy the drivers into the scripts directory on the RIS server.

    Do not use MSDN Combo CDs to create a RIS Image. You will get an error message that was described in the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article #300556. To resolve this issue, use a retail version of the OS image being created.

    To create a RIS image of a Windows distribution integrated with service packs, follow the procedures described in the following articles:

  3. (Optional) To provision non-English versions of the Windows OS, you need to do some additional configuration when you set up the image on the RIS server.

    Basically, the RIS server assumes that you have files in an English path. To resolve this issue, copy the other language's files to the English path.

    1. Go to the directory in which the OS Chooser files live.

      For example:


      % cd RemoteInstall\OSChooser

    2. Copy the files from the language directory to an English directory.

      For example:


      % copy -r Japanese English

      This creates a directory RemoteInstall\OSChooser\English that contains the install screens in the native language. When the RIS software looks into the default English path, it will display the non-English OS Chooser screens during install.

ProcedureTo Create a Windows OS Distribution

This procedure describes how to use the command line to link a Windows OS distribution from the management server to the Windows RIS server.

Note –

You cannot perform this task through the browser interface.

After a distribution is added, an OS profile of the same name is created by default. This profile will appear in the OS Profiles list in the Task Shortcuts pane.

Steps

  1. Install and configure a Windows RIS server.

    See Setting Up a Windows Remote Installation Services Server in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Site Preparation Guide.

  2. Copy the Windows distribution from a CD or network share to the RIS server.

    See To Set Up a Windows Image on the Windows RIS Server.

  3. Link the distribution on the RIS server to the N1 System Manager.

    Type the following command on the N1 System Manager command line:


    N1-ok> create os os-name type windows languageedition language version version arch arch 
rissourcepath path-to-RIS-distribution

    Where:

    • os-name is the name that you defined for the distribution when you added it to the RIS server. The os-name must be unique and may include numbers, letters, and some special symbols. The following special symbols are prohibited: comma, asterisk, single quote, double quote, parenthesis, question mark, equal sign, and newline.

    • type windows identifies the type of OS as Windows.

    • language specifies the language to support viewing web pages and other content encoded in a different language and character set. For a list of valid values, use the tab completion feature in the CLI.

    • version identifies the Windows version. For the most current list of valid values, use the tab completion help feature in the CLI. Valid values are:

      • 2000AS - Windows 2000 Advanced Server

      • 2000SS - Windows 2000 Standard Server

      • 2003EE - Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition

      • 2003SE - Windows 2003 Standard Edition

      • 2003WE - Windows 2003 Web Edition

      • 2003SESP1 – Windows 2003 Standard Edition Service Pack 1

      • 2003EESP1 – Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition Service Pack 1

    • arch is the architecture of the system to be installed. Valid values are amd64 or i386.

    • rissourcepath is optional. If specified, it provides a full path to the distribution on the RIS server.

    An OS profile is created that uses the os-name as the profile name.

Example 3–1 Linking a Windows OS Distribution from the RIS Server to the Management Server


N1-ok> create os win2003EE type windows languageedition English version 2003EE 
arch i386 rissourcepath j:

ProcedureTo Create a Windows OS Profile

Tip –

When you create an OS distribution, a default OS profile is created automatically. Most likely, you will need to use the command line to customize the default profile for your specific hardware and configuration parameters. For information about modifying an existing OS profile, see To Modify an OS Profile.

This procedure describes how to create an OS profile from the command line interface. To create an OS profile from the browser interface, click the New button under the OS Profiles list on the Task Shortcuts pane of the System Dashboard.

Before You Begin

You must make the OS distribution known to the management server before you can create a new OS profile.

Steps

  1. To see a list of the available OS profiles, type the show osprofile all command at the N1–ok prompt.

    Tip –

    To see a list of available profiles in the browser interface, click the Edit button under the OS Profiles list on the Task Shortcuts pane of the System Dashboard.

  2. To create an OS profile, type the following command:


    N1-ok> create osprofile osprofile-name os os-name rootpassword rootpassword 
fullname fullname organizationname organization-name productkey productkey
[Optional-Windows-Attributes]

    Where:

    • fullname is your full name, surrounded by quotation marks.

    • organizationame is the name of your organization, surrounded by quotation marks.

    • os is the name of the OS distribution to install.

    • osprofile is a name for the OS profile. The OS profile name must be unique and may include up to 100 numbers, letters, and some special symbols. The following special symbols are prohibited: comma, asterisk, single quote, double quote, parenthesis, question mark, equal sign, and newline.

    • productkey is the product key for each unique installation of Windows. To find the product key, look at the packaging for the operating system CD-ROM. The product key will look similar to this example: 11111-11111-11111-1111-11111

      You can also set the product key through the load server or load group command when you install the OS onto a managed server.

    • rootpassword specifies the root password for the server to use after installation. If you do not want the password to display in the command line, type a question mark (?). The software prompts you to enter the password after you issue the command.

    • Optional-Windows-Attributes provide several additional features that enable you to specify a variety of Windows-specific details, such as language, time zone, license information, and scripts to run when you first login to the system. For more information about Windows attributes, see the “OPTIONAL WINDOWS ATTRIBUTES” section in create osprofile in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual.

Example 3–2 Creating a Windows OS Profile

The following command creates an OS profile for a Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition distribution and prompts the user to enter the password.


N1-ok> create osprofile win2003EE os win2003EE rootpassword ? 
fullname "IamMe" organizationname "MyOrgPlace" productkey productkey
description "win2003EE" licensingmode "perseat" licenseperserver 1 repartition true
wtsallowconnection false wtsenable true wtslicensingmode perseat wtspermissionssetting all
rootpassword:

Once the create osprofile command completes, the following command shows details about the OS profile:


N1-ok> show osprofile win2003EE
ID:                3
Name:              win2003EE
Distribution:      win2003EE
Description:       win2003EE
In Use:            false
User's Full Name:  
Organization Name: 
Language:          
Timezone:          
Language Group:    
Firstloginscript:  
repartition:       true
targetpath:        Windows
oem driver path:   
Windows Licensing Mode: PerSeat
Licenses Per Server: 1
Terminal Server Enable: true
Terminal Server Allow connections: false
Terminal Server Licensing mode: PerSeat
Terminal Server Permissions Setting: All
N1-ok>

ProcedureTo Modify a Windows OS Profile

The following task describes some of the specific modifications that you are likely to make to a Windows OS profile. You can also modify some Windows information when you load the OS profile onto the managed server.

Steps

  1. To change information in an existing Windows OS profile, type the following command:


    N1-ok> set osprofile osprofile-name [Optional-Windows-Attributes]

    Optional-Windows-Attributes are the same for modifying an OS profile as for creating an OS profile. See set osprofile in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

  2. Remove existing OS profile attributes.


    N1-ok> remove osprofile osprofile-name [Optional-Windows-Attributes]

    Optional-Windows-Attributes are the same for removing attributes from an OS profile as for creating an OS profile. See remove osprofile in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

Example 3–3 Adding a Product Key to an OS Profile

The following example adds a product key to an existing OS profile. To find the product key, look at the packaging for the operating system CD-ROM. Adding a product key is a fairly common change that you need to make for installing the Windows OS.


N1-ok> set osprofile win2003EE productkey BVVVV-99PMV-HH9Z9-BDY9Z-896Z9

For security reasons, the actual product key value will not display in the command-line interface.

Installing the Windows OS on Managed Servers

To install an OS onto a managed server, you load the OS profile onto the selected server.

ProcedureTo Load a Windows OS Profile

The following procedure describes how to load an OS profile from the command line interface. To load an OS profile from the System Dashboard in the browser interface, drag an OS profile name from the Task Shortcuts pane onto a server name in the All Servers table, or select a server and choose the Load OS Profile action.

Caution – Caution –

You cannot uninstall an OS profile. However, you may reprovision a server by loading an OS profile on a server that has already been provisioned. Installation options that are set in the wizard are not maintained by the N1 System Manager.

Before You Begin
Steps

  1. To load a Windows OS profile onto a managed server, use the load server command.


    load server server[,server...] osprofile osprofile networktype networktype [ip ip] 
[windows-installation-attributes]

    Use the following attributes for a Windows installation:

    • gateway gateway – A gateway assigned to the installed server.

    • manualnetboot manualnetboot – Specify whether to enable manual netboot. Enabling manual netboot allows you to control the netboot process, which is required as part of the bootstrapping process to provision an OS on a server. A manual netboot is required for OS-based or manually discovered servers, because the N1 System Manager is not able to automatically netboot these systems. Valid values are true and false (default).

    • netmask netmask – A netmask assigned to the installed server.

    • productkey productkey – Use this product key value instead of the value specified in the OS profile.

    Tip –

    To load the OS profile onto a group of managed servers, use the load group command.

  2. (Optional) If you enabled manual netboot when you loaded the OS profile, boot the managed server manually.

    After the Load OS job completes, the server is available for login.

Example 3–4 Loading a Windows OS Profile on a Server Using DHCP

The following example loads an OS profile that contains a Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition distribution onto a managed server. 


N1-ok> load server 10.5.130.32 osprofile win2003EE bootip=192.168.0.20 \
networktype=dhcp productkey=?

The following example shows the status of the job:


N1-ok> show job 11
Job ID:   11
Date:     2006-03-16T13:29:30-0800
Type:     Load OS
Status:   Completed (2006-03-16T14:07:27-0800)
Command:  load server 10.5.130.32 osprofile win2003EE bootip=192.168.0.20 networktype=dhcp productkey=?
Owner:    root
Errors:   0
Warnings: 0

Steps
ID     Type             Start                      Completion                 Result         
1      Acquire Host     2006-03-16T13:29:31-0800   2006-03-16T13:29:31-0800   Completed      
2      Execute Java     2006-03-16T13:29:31-0800   2006-03-16T13:29:31-0800   Completed      
3      Acquire Host     2006-03-16T13:29:33-0800   2006-03-16T13:29:33-0800   Completed      
4      Execute Java     2006-03-16T13:29:33-0800   2006-03-16T14:07:26-0800   Completed      

Results
Result 1: 
Server:   10.5.130.32
Status:   0
Message:  OS deployment using OS Profile win2003EE was successful.
Example 3–5 Loading a Windows OS Profile on a Server Using a Static IP Address

The following example shows a command to load the Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition onto a single server with a static IP address.


N1-ok> load server 10.5.130.32 osprofile win2003EE bootip=192.168.0.70 networktype=static ip=192.168.0.70
Job "27" started.

The following example shows the output of the job started above. The message at the end of the job indicates that the job was successful and that a static IP address was assigned as requested.


N1-ok> show job 27
Job ID:   27
Date:     2006-03-21T13:50:20-0800
Type:     Load OS
Status:   Completed (2006-03-21T14:28:20-0800)
Command:  load server 10.5.130.32 osprofile win2003EE bootip=192.168.0.70 networktype=static ip=192.168.0.70
Owner:    root
Errors:   0
Warnings: 0

Steps
ID     Type             Start                      Completion                 Result         
1      Acquire Host     2006-03-21T13:50:22-0800   2006-03-21T13:50:22-0800   Completed      
2      Execute Java     2006-03-21T13:50:22-0800   2006-03-21T13:50:22-0800   Completed      
3      Acquire Host     2006-03-21T13:50:24-0800   2006-03-21T13:50:24-0800   Completed      
4      Execute Java     2006-03-21T13:50:24-0800   2006-03-21T14:28:19-0800   Completed      

Results
Result 1: 
Server:   10.5.130.32
Status:   0
Message:  OS deployment using OS Profile win2003EE was successful.  IP address 192.168.0.70 was assigned.
N1-ok>

Potential Issues Related to Provisioning Windows OS

There are several issues that you might encounter when provisioning Windows OS.

Problem:

Installing the base management feature support might fail due to stale SSH entries on the management server.

Solution:

If the add server feature command fails and no true security breach has occurred, remove one of the following:

When you have removed the file or file entry, retry the add server feature command.

See OS Distributions and Deployment in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Troubleshooting Guide for detailed troubleshooting information and best practices.

Problem:

The product key is not defined or is not correct in the Windows OS profile.

Solution:

The product key is unique to each release of the Windows OS. To ensure that the correct product key applies, either modify the OS profile to include the correct product key or use the productkey attribute on the load server command.

Problem:

You encounter a TFTP error when loading the OS profile.

Solution:

The GUID is likely incorrect. To find the GUID of a system, use the Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) to boot the system.

Problem:

Windows asks about partitions when you try to install.

Solution:

If Linux or Solaris was installed previously on the managed server, Windows will ask about partitions the first time that you try to install Windows on the system. To resolve this issue, delete the partitions on the console, or wipe out the first part of the disk before you install Windows.

Problem:

Windows OS provisioning fails with an error message similar to the following:


PXE-E55: ProxyDHCP service did not reply to request on port 4011
Solution:

If the RIS server has multiple IP addresses, make sure that the first IP address is the provisioning interface.

To reset the order of the interfaces, follow these steps on the RIS server.

  1. Right click on Control Panel->Network Connections and open the Network Connections screen.

  2. On the Network Connection screen, click on Advanced -> Advanced Settings.

  3. On the Advanced Settings screen, use the up and down arrows to make sure that the provisioning interface is listed first.