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Dell OpenManage Connection Deployment Toolkit V2.5 Software User's Guide PDF

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Summary of Content for Dell OpenManage Connection Deployment Toolkit V2.5 Software User's Guide PDF

w w w . d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l . c o m

Dell OpenManage

Deployment Toolkit Version 2.5

Users Guide

Notes and Notices NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of

your computer.

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data

and tells you how to avoid the problem.

Abbreviations and Acronyms For a complete list of abbreviations and acronyms, see "Glossary."

____________________

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. 2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, PowerEdge, PowerVault, and OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Intel386 is a trademark and Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation; Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Active Directory, and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Novell, NetWare, and SUSE are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries; Red Hat and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

The sample scripts provided with the Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit are provided "as is." Dell disclaims any and all warranties, express, implied or statutory, with respect to the sample scripts, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and any warranty of non-infringement. Use the sample scripts at your own risk. Dell shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages incurred in using the sample scripts. In no event shall Dell or its suppliers be responsible for any direct or indirect damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, loss of use, loss of data, business interruption, or other pecuniary loss, nor for punitive, incidental, consequential, or special damages of any kind, under any part of this agreement, even if advised or aware of the possibility of such damage.

January 2008

Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Introduction to the DTK Users Guide . . . . . . . . . . 11

Whats New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Prerequisites and Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Supported Operating Systems to Run

DTK Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Supported Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Supported BIOS Firmware Versions . . . . . . . . 15

Installation Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Deployment Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Deploying Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Deployment Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

DTK Deployment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Preparing for Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Deploying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Other Dell Documents You Might Need . . . . . . . . . 23

Other Supporting Documents You Might Need . . . . . 24

Obtaining Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Contents 3

2 Choosing a Microsoft Windows

PE-Based Deployment Method . . . . . . . . 27

Choosing a Deployment Method for

Microsoft Windows PE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CD-Based Local Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CD-Based Local Deployment With

Networking Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Using a Third-Party Deployment

Solution Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Deployment Matrix (Windows PE) . . . . . . . . . . . 30

3 Preparing the Directory Structure

for Deployment in

Microsoft Windows PE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Upgrading Your DTK Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Obtaining DTK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

DTK Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

System Utilities and Supporting Files . . . . . . . 36

Sample Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Sample Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Other Supporting Tools and System Files . . . . . . . . 42

Setting Up a Directory Structure for Deployment . . . . 43

DTK Utilities and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

System-Specific Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Operating System Installation Files . . . . . . . . 46

4 Contents

Configuring a Source System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

RAC Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

4 Preparing the Script Files

for Deployment Using

Microsoft Windows PE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Using the Sample DTK Scripts to Run a Full

Deployment in Windows PE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

The Master Batch File (DEPLOY.BAT) . . . . . . . 54

Editing the Sample Batch Files to Perform a

Complete System Deployment in Windows PE . . . . . 55

Using the Sample Scripts in a

Scripted Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

TKENVSET.BAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Editing DTK Task Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture

Configuration Information in Windows PE . . . . . . . 68

Capturing the System BIOS and BMC Configuration

With the SYSCAP.BAT Sample Script . . . . . . . 68

Capturing the RAC Configuration With the

RACCAP.BAT Sample Script . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Preparing the Operating System Installation Scripts for

Windows PE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

WININST.BAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

UNATTEND.TXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

UNATTEND.XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Contents 5

5 Running Deployment Scripts Using

DTK and Microsoft Windows PE . . . . . . . 75

For Windows PE 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Obtaining Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK)

or Windows PE CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Copying Tools From OPK or Windows PE CD

on a Development System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Creating a Standard Windows PE . . . . . . . . . 76

Integration of DTK Directory Structure in

Windows PE Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Creating a Bootable Windows PE ISO Image . . . 78

CD-Based Local Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

CD-Based Local Deployment

With Networking Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Using a Third-Party Deployment

Solution Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

For Windows PE 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Integration of DTK Directory Structure in

Windows PE Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Creating a Bootable CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

CD-Based Local Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

CD-Based Local Deployment With

Networking Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Using a Third-Party Deployment

Solution Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

6 Contents

6 Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based

Deployment Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Choosing a Deployment Method for

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Network-Based Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Using a Third-Party Deployment

Solution Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

CD-Based Local Deployment for

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Deployment Matrix (Embedded Linux) . . . . . . . . . 87

7 Preparing the Directory Structure for

Deployment in Embedded Linux . . . . . . . 91

Upgrading Your DTK Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Installation for Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

DTK Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

System Utilities and Supporting Files . . . . . . . 95

Sample Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Sample Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Drivers and Dell Real Mode Kernel (DRMK) . . . . 99

Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Other Supporting Tools and System Files . . . . . . . . 99

Setting Up a Directory Structure for Deployment . . . 100

DTK Utilities and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

System-Specific Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Creating Operating System Installation Directories

for Supported Linux Operating Systems . . . . . . 102

Contents 7

Configuring a Source System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

How to Obtain Dell Utility Partition Files . . . . . . 104

RAC Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

8 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment

Using Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Using the Sample DTK Scripts to Run a Full

Deployment in Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

The Master Deployment File . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Editing the Sample Batch Files to Perform a Complete

System Deployment in Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . 106

Using the Sample Scripts in a

Scripted Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

tkenvset.sh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Editing DTK Task Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture Configuration

Information in Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Capturing the System BIOS and BMC Configuration

With the syscap.sh Sample Script . . . . . . . . . 119

Capturing the RAC Configuration With the

raccap.sh Sample Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Preparing the Operating System

Installation Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server

Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

lininst.sh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

ks.cfg (for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server

Versions 3 and 4) and ks-rhel5.cfg (for Red Hat

Enterprise Linux Server Version 5) . . . . . . . . . 122

8 Contents

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

suseinst.sh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

autoinst.xml (for SUSE Linux

Enterprise Server) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

9 Running Deployment Scripts Using

DTK and Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Deployment Using Dell-Provided

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Deployment Using Customized

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Using a Third-Party Deployment

Solution Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

10 Running Dell Update Packages in

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Running Update Packages in Dell-Provided

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Running Update Packages in Customized

Embedded Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

11 Known Issues and

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . 133

Known Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

General Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

RAIDCFG Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

RACADM Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Windows PE Installation Issues . . . . . . . . . . 134

Contents 9

Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

General Deployment Questions . . . . . . . . . . 134

RAIDCFG Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

SYSCFG Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Embedded Linux Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Windows PE Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

10 Contents

Introduction The Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit (DTK) includes a set of utilities for configuring and deploying Dell systems. The DTK is designed for customers who need to build scripted installations to deploy large numbers of systems in a reliable fashion without having to dramatically change their current deployment processes.

In addition to the command line utilities used to configure various system features, the DTK also provides sample scripts and configuration files to perform common deployment tasks and documentation. These files and scripts describe the use of DTK in Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) and embedded Linux environments.

The benefits of the DTK:

Provides the tools necessary to automate the pre-operating system configuration tasks and the unattended operating system installation tasks when deploying Dell systems.

Scales to support from one to many system deployment efforts.

Facilitates consistent system configurations across multiple systems.

Provides diverse and useful deployment tools that can be utilized in many different ways.

Introduction to the DTK Users Guide While the DTK is designed to be flexible and expandable, this guide is limited to providing general, best practices procedures that focus on the basic tasks for a successful deployment. Users might find many alternative solutions to the best practices guidelines described in this guide and many additional uses for the DTK utilities beyond what is covered in this guide or in the Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit CLI Reference Guide.

Introduction 11

NOTICE: The best practices guidelines described in this document were

developed and tested on specific systems with specific hardware and software

configurations. As a result, the examples and instructions described in this guide

are not applicable to every environment. The open nature of the DTK utilities and

scripting methodology is designed to allow the flexibility to modify the examples,

procedures, and suggestions to best fit your specific environment. Using the DTK

examples without first making modifications based on your specific IT environment

is likely to result in failed deployments.

Information in this guide is distinctly divided for Windows PE and embedded Linux. Even though the nature of topics covered for both environments is similar, the contents are very different, and has been organized into separate sections. This will enable the user to read only those sections that are relevant. Content in this Users Guide is organized as documented in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1. Information Organization in This Guide

Topics Section for

Windows PE

Section for

Embedded Linux

Introduction, that includes information on:

DTK

Whats new for this release

Prerequisites and requirements

DTK deployment overview

Introduction Introduction

Planning, that includes best practices for choosing a deployment method

"Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method"

"Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method"

12 Introduction

NOTE: The best practices examples included in this guide are intended to provide

illustrations for using specific scripts and configurations that have been tested on

specific Dell systems.

Preparing the deployment directory structure, that includes best practices for:

Installing DTK

Gathering and organizing deployment files (DTK, operating system, drivers, systems management software, and so on)

Preparing an optimally configured source system

"Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE"

"Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux"

Preparing the deployment script files, that includes best practices for:

Editing and modifying sample scripts

Capturing basic input/output system (BIOS), baseboard management controller (BMC), and remote access controller (RAC) configuration profiles from an optimally configured source system

"Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE"

"Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux"

Running a scripted deployment that includes best practices for:

Creating deployment media

Running the deployment

"Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE"

"Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux"

Running Dell Update Packages in the embedded Linux environment on supported Dell systems.

Not applicable "Running Dell Update Packages in Embedded Linux"

Table 1-1. Information Organization in This Guide (continued)

Topics Section for

Windows PE

Section for

Embedded Linux

Introduction 13

This guide also includes a "Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions" section.

Whats New The Deployment Toolkit version 1.0 was the first release of a Dell-designed and tested suite of MS-DOSbased utilities, sample script files, and best practices models to use for configuring and deploying Dell systems in a customized, predictable, and unattended manner.

The new features for DTK version 2.5 include:

Support for new Dell systems

NOTE: For the list of Dell systems supported for this version of DTK, see the

readme.txt file in the root folder, or the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix

on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or on the

Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Prerequisites and Requirements The DTK is a collection of Windows PE- and Linux-based utilities and scripts that assist in performing pre-operating system tasks and deploying Dell systems. An advanced knowledge of Windows PE and Linux is required for users who want to use the DTK utilities to perform pre-operating system configuration tasks or to run a scripted deployment in the respective environments.

A pre-operating system environment is defined as the environment used to configure system hardware before a major operating system, such as Windows or Linux, is installed. The DTK utilities and scripts, for example, are executed in a Windows PE or embedded Linux environment for hardware configuration.

Because of the open nature of the utilities and scripts and the environment in which they can be used, it is strongly recommended that DTK users have an advanced understanding of the Windows PE and Linux environment and scripting knowledge for the respective environments. DTK users with an advanced understanding of Windows PE and Linux can take full advantage of the utilities and exploit their capabilities above and beyond what the sample scripts can provide.

14 Introduction

NOTICE: Some of the DTK utilities can destroy data if used incorrectly. To avoid the

potential risk of data loss, take all necessary precautions to protect data so that

mission-critical systems are not disrupted in the unlikely event of a failure. See the

Deployment Toolkit CLI Reference Guide for complete information about the

capabilities of each DTK utility.

Supported Operating Systems to Run DTK Utilities

For Windows PE, the DTK utilities support Windows PE version 2005 (created using 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 family with Service Pack 1 [SP1]).

NOTE: DTK utilities do not support Windows PE created with any 64-bit version of

Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

For embedded Linux, the DTK utilities support Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (version 4, update 4) 32-bit.

Supported Systems

For the list of Dell systems supported for this version of DTK, see the readme.txt in the root folder, or the Dell Systems Software Support Matrix on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD or on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Supported BIOS Firmware Versions

A minimum BIOS version is recommended on some of the platforms for all the DTK options to work correctly. In general, it is good practice to use the latest ("n") version of BIOS firmware or the "n-1" version that is available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Installation Prerequisites

Before installing the DTK components for Windows PE, ensure that you have the following:

The DTK self-extracting zip file (dtk-2.X-winpe-AXX.exe), which contains the utilities, sample scripts, sample configuration files, and documentation you need to deploy your Dell system

A Windows workstation that has at least 500 MB of free hard-drive space

Before installing the DTK components for embedded Linux, ensure that you have the following:

Introduction 15

The DTK ISO image, which contains the utilities, sample scripts, sample configuration files, and documentation you need to deploy your Dell system

A Linux workstation that has at least 200 MB of free hard-drive space

Deployment Prerequisites

Before beginning the deployment process for Windows PE, ensure that you have all of the following tools, software, and information ready to use or consult:

Advanced knowledge of Windows

OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) or Windows PE CD and Windows Server 2003 (with SP1) to build Windows PE 2005

Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) CD to customize Windows PE 2.0

An unzip utility

Working knowledge to build Windows PE 2005 and Windows PE 2.0 (See the Microsoft documentation for customizing Windows PE 2005 and Windows PE 2.0)

Working knowledge of Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS) and Automated Deployment Services (ADS) (including setting up of RIS and ADS environments) or any other third party deployment system or tool for Windows PE 2005

Working knowledge of Windows Deployment Services (WDS) or any other third party deployment system or tool for Windows PE 2.0

A workstation with the following capabilities:

A writable CD drive and CD-writing software (optional)

Network access

A target system with a CD drive, if performing a local deployment

A target system with a CD drive and network access, if performing a network deployment

All DTK utilities, sample scripts, and sample configuration files

All other utilities and files necessary to perform the deployment, including all required Windows PE drivers, operating system drivers, and the Dell utility partition image file

DTK documentation:

16 Introduction

Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit Version 2.5 CLI Reference Guide

Dell OpenManage Deployment Toolkit Version 2.5 Users Guide

The Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

Your operating system software and documentation

An optimally configured source system with network access

For embedded Linux, ensure that you have all of the following tools, software, and information ready to use or consult:

Advanced knowledge of Linux and Linux scripting (Bash), Linux networking, installing and working with RPM Package Managers (RPMs), and creating and modifying loop file systems

Any third party deployment system or tool

A workstation with the following capabilities:

A writable CD drive and CD-writing software (optional)

Network access

A target system with a CD drive, if performing a local deployment

A target system with a CD drive and network access, if performing a network deployment

All DTK utilities, sample scripts, and sample configuration files

All other utilities and files necessary to perform the deployment, including all required Linux drivers, operating system drivers, and the Dell utility partition file

DTK documentation:

Deployment Toolkit Version 2.5 CLI Reference Guide

Deployment Toolkit Version 2.5 Users Guide

The Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

Your operating system software and documentation

An optimally configured source system with network access

Introduction 17

Deploying Operating Systems

After the system hardware is versioned and configured, an operating system can be installed using unattended setup files, samples of which are provided as part of the DTK. While these sample configuration files are operating system specific, they have been enhanced for Dell systems. See your operating system documentation for more information about how to modify these unattended installation files.

For Windows PE, the sample configuration files contain examples to deploy the following operating systems:

Windows Server 2003 with SP1 (32-bit)

Windows Server 2003 with SP2 (32-bit)

Windows 2000 with SP4 (32-bit)

Windows Server 2008 (32-bit)

NOTE: For the latest supported operating systems, see the Windows PE

documentation.

For embedded Linux, the sample configuration files contain examples to deploy the following operating systems:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server version 3 (32- and 64-bit)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server version 4 (32- and 64-bit)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server version 5 (32- and 64-bit)

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server version 10 (64-bit)

Deployment Methods Dell systems can be deployed using several different methods. The most common method is using the Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD that is shipped with your system. Currently, this method is used to deploy a single system at a time with the installation wizard.

18 Introduction

NOTE: The Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD contains

version 5.4 of the Dell OpenManage systems management software kit. The root of

the DVD also contains ISO images of the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility

(version1.0) and the Dell Systems Console and Agent CD (Dell OpenManage

software version 5.3.0.1). You can use these ISO images to create CDs for systems

that do not have DVD drives.

However, if you need version 1.0.3 of the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility (to

support x6xx and x7xx Dell systems and Windows Server 2008 operating systems),

you can download the ISO image from the Dell Support site at support.dell.com. You

can also download Web packages of versions 5.4 of the Dell OpenManage Server

Administrator and Dell OpenManage Management Station software. You can use

these Web packages to create CDs for systems that do not have DVD drives.

The DTK, on the other hand, offers a complete set of utilities and sample scripts that can be used to automate deployment of large numbers of Dell systems. This guide is designed to help guide you through some of the most basic planning considerations, logistical preparations, and deployment procedures to get you started using the DTK to deploy Dell systems.

DTK Deployment Overview

Preparing for Deployment

The deployment process can be separated into two main tasks: preparation and the actual deployment.

To prepare for using the DTK utilities and scripts to deploy to a target system in the Windows PE environment:

1 Copy or extract the DTK utilities, sample scripts, sample configuration files, and drivers provided (in the zip file) into the Windows PE image.

2 Organize the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files, the operating system installation files, and the requisite system files and drivers on a network share or local media.

3 Set up an optimally configured source system by using the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility to install your operating system; and the Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools to load drivers. (This source system will be the master server that will be used to replicate settings onto target servers.)

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

Introduction 19

4 Edit the DTK sample script files that read the system configuration files to set up the system BIOS, BMC, RAID, and RAC and then install an operating system on a target system.

5 Generate a system BIOS, BMC, RAID, and/or RAC configuration profile from the optimally configured source system. (This source system will be the master server that will be used to replicate settings onto target servers.) You can obtain the system BIOS, BMC, RAID, and/or RAC configuration files by booting from the DTK Windows PE ISO image and running the SYSCAP.BAT, RAIDCAP.BAT, and RACCAP.BAT scripts. Then, copy the generated configuration files to a read/write share onto the workstation.

NOTE: In previous releases, you could use a system profile generated on a

specific Dell system to deploy only that same system model. Beginning this

release, you can use a system BIOS configuration profile generated for all

systems belonging to the same generation. For example, syscfg_x8xx.ini for

x8xx systems, syscfg_x9xx.ini for x9xx systems, and so on.

6 Create an operating system answer file that contains unattended operating system software installation information.

To prepare for using the DTK utilities and scripts to deploy to a target system in the embedded Linux environment:

1 Obtain the DTK Linux ISO image, which is a self-contained bootable ISO image.

2 Use and customize the sample scripts per your requirements.

3 Set up an optimally configured source system by using the Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD to install your operating system. Use the Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD to load drivers.

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

4 Install an operating system on a target system.

20 Introduction

5 Generate a system BIOS, BMC, RAID, and/or RAC configuration profile from the optimally configured source system. (This source system will be the master server that will be used to replicate settings onto target servers.) You can obtain the system BIOS, BMC, RAID, and/or RAC configuration files by booting from the DTK Linux ISO image and running the syscap.sh, raidcap.sh, and raccap.sh scripts. Then, copy the generated configuration files to a read/write share onto the workstation.

NOTE: You can use a system profile generated on a specific Dell system to

deploy only that same system model. For example, you can use a system BIOS

configuration profile generated for an optimally configured PowerEdge 1850

system to deploy only other, similarly configured PowerEdge 1850 systems.

6 Create an operating system answer file that contains unattended operating system software installation information.

Deploying

After you have prepared all scripts, files, and utilities, you are ready to proceed with the deployment process. While there are many ways to use the DTK utilities to deploy Dell systems, this guide focuses on the two most common methods for Windows PE and embedded Linux: CD-based deployment (local) and network-based deployment (remote).

Deployment Using Removable Boot Media With a Network Connection (CD-Based)

1 Create a deployment CD containing a bootable image with the appropriate CD and network drivers, along with any utilities needed to connect to a network share. The deployment CD initiates the deployment process by mapping to the network share where the deployment directory structure resides.

2 Insert the bootable CD into the appropriate drive of the system to be deployed.

3 Boot or reboot the system.

The configuration process begins:

Windows PE or embedded Linux, as the case may be, is loaded from the CD.

Network shares are mapped.

Introduction 21

The DTK scripts execute the necessary DTK utilities from the network share or the CD itself.

Configuration information is read from the network share.

The operating system is installed from a network share. (This installation may happen after your system reboots.)

Deployment Using Removable Boot Media Without a Network Connection (CD-Based)

1 Create a deployment CD containing a bootable image with the appropriate drivers. The CD must also include the complete deployment directory structure, which contains all the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files, an operating system installation answer file, and the required operating system installation files and drivers.

2 Insert the bootable CD into the CD drive of the system to be deployed (the target system).

3 Boot or reboot the target system.

The deployment process begins:

Windows PE or embedded Linux, as the case maybe, is loaded from the CD.

The DTK scripts execute the necessary DTK utilities from the CD.

Configuration information is read from the CD.

The operating system is installed from the CD.

Network-Based Deployment (Remote)

For Windows PE environments, deployment using RIS is recommended. (For details, see the Microsoft RIS documentation.) You can also use any other deployment tool such as ADS.

For embedded Linux environments, a PXE set up is recommended. (For details, see documentation available on your Linux operating system.)

22 Introduction

Other Dell Documents You Might Need In addition to this User's Guide and the Deployment Toolkit CLI Reference Guide, both of which are available as part of the DTK download and on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com, you can find the following guides either on the Dell Support website or on the on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD:

The Dell OpenManage Installation and Security User's Guide provides additional information about performing an unattended installation of Server Administrator on systems running supported Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems.

The Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Compatibility Guide provides compatibility information about Server Administrator installation and operation on various hardware platforms (or systems) running supported Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems.

The Dell Systems Software Support Matrix provides information about the various Dell systems, the operating systems supported by these systems, and the Dell OpenManage components that can be installed on these systems.

The Dell Systems Build and Update Utility Quick Reference Guide is an introduction to the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility, and provides tips on how to make the product effective in helping you streamline your deployment and update procedures for Dell systems.

The Dell Remote Access Controller 4 User's Guide provides comprehensive information about using the RACADM command line utility to configure a Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) 4.

The Dell Remote Access Controller 5 User's Guide provides comprehensive information about using the RACADM command line utility to configure a DRAC 5.

The Dell Chassis Management Controller Users Guide provides comprehensive information about using the controller that manages all modules in the chassis containing your Dell system.

The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller Users Guide provides information about installation, configuration, and maintenance of the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) on management and managed systems.

Introduction 23

The Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis User's Guide provides information about installation, configuration, and maintenance of the Dell Remote Access Controller/Modular Chassis (DRAC/MC).

The Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide provides comprehensive information about using the RACADM command line utility.

The Dell Baseboard Management Controller Utilities User's Guide provides information about configuring a managed system to use the BMC Management Utility to manage your system through its BMC.

The Dell Update Packages User's Guide provides information about obtaining and using Dell Update Packages as part of your system update strategy.

Additionally, the Deployment Toolkit readme.txt file, which is available as part of the DTK download and on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com, provides the latest available information for the installation and operation of the DTK components.

Other Supporting Documents You Might Need Besides the Dell-provided documentation, there are numerous other resources to aid you in planning and executing a DTK-assisted deployment:

Operating system documentation to prepare for and execute the unattended installation process. In addition, you should consult the available Web-based resources such as:

The Microsoft Tech Net database at www.microsoft.com/technet

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux support pages at www.redhat.com

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server support pages at www.novell.com

Windows PE 2005, OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK), and ADS documentation

Windows PE 2.0, Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK), and Windows Deployment Services (WDS) documentation

Imaging software documentation, if you are creating a bootable CD or are planning to deploy from an image (deploying from an image is not covered in this guide)

24 Introduction

Obtaining Technical Assistance If at any time you do not understand a procedure described in this guide or if your product does not perform as expected, help tools are available to assist you. For more information about these help tools, see "Getting Help" in your system's Hardware Owner's Manual.

Additionally, Dell Enterprise Training and Certification is available; see www.dell.com/training for more information. This service may not be offered in all locations.

Introduction 25

26 Introduction

Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE- Based Deployment Method A well-thought-out deployment plan is critical to the success of your deployment effort and includes the following considerations:

Assessing your existing IT environment

Selecting an operating system

Selecting the optimum Dell OpenManage systems management software configuration for your system

Choosing a deployment method

The Deployment Toolkit (DTK) is designed to be flexible enough to fit into almost any deployment plan. For the purposes of this document, however, the focus is on two specific deployment methods: CD-based deployment (local) and network-based deployment (remote).

Choosing a Deployment Method for Microsoft Windows PE The DTK components can be used in many different ways to assist IT staff in deploying Dell systems in large numbers. Because all the tools and scripts are task oriented, many of them can be used separately to perform a specific task on many systems or collectively to perform many tasks on many systems at once.

The configuration complexity and pros and cons of each deployment method are provided in Table 2-1. After you have decided which deployment method best fits your needs, you are ready to begin preparing for the deployment.

CD-Based Local Deployment

The general CD-based deployment process includes:

Creating a bootable Microsoft Windows PE CD

Integrating latest drivers to recognize Dell-specific components

Integrating DTK and its components (tools and scripts)

Integrating operating system installation files for deployment

Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method 27

This deployment method is easy to assemble, but is the least flexible. Any change to the system configuration, for example, requires the creation of a new bootable CD. This method does not provide a writable media, making it necessary to use predefined and tested configuration files.

Creating a Customized Bootable Windows PE CD

See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE" for details on how to create a customized version of a single Windows PE image that can work across all supported Dell systems. You must include Dell-customized drivers and instrumentation drivers into your Windows PE CD-based operating system.

Complete Deployment Using DTK and Operating System Files From a CD Bootable Media

After the customized version of the bootable Windows PE CD is created, IT administrators can take advantage of the sample task-oriented scripts provided in DTK to automate the whole deployment process. For this purely CD-based deployment, it is necessary to add the operating system installation files on the CD media. After the configuration is completed using DTK tools, the operating system can be installed using its native installer in unattended mode.

CD-Based Local Deployment With Networking Enabled

NOTE: The DTK network-based deployment is not supported from mapped

Novell NetWare systems.

This method provides greater flexibility and is highly recommended in large deployments. The prerequisites are the availability of network bandwidth and that all target systems are connected to the network. A brief description of the tasks for this method is given below.

28 Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method

Bootable Windows PE CD With Networking Enabled

This process includes:

Creating a bootable Windows PE CD with the appropriate network drivers. This step enables networking services to start, get an IP address, and bring the target system into a functioning network.

NOTE: See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows

PE" for details on how to create a customized version of a single Windows PE

bootable CD that works across all Dell supported systems and provides an

underlying networking stack.

Creating scripts to automatically map to a predefined network share.

Accessing scripts, configuration files, and operating system installation files from the network.

Preparing and Populating the Network Share

This process includes:

Creating a network share on a system that is always available over the network for the target systems to be deployed

Ensuring that a large amount of space is available for storing operating system installation files

Ensuring that proper permissions are assigned to this share so that the target systems can read files from and write files to the share

This deployment method is also easy to assemble. In addition, it provides greater flexibility in terms of making changes to the scripts and configuration files. Any change to the system configuration, for example, will not require re- creation of the bootable CD. This method also provides access to the remote share as writable media. Hence, the configuration files captured during the deployment automation process can be saved to this remote share.

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

You can use the DTK with any existing third-party deployment solution framework that provides a Automated Deployment Services (ADS) booting infrastructure for Windows PE 2005 or Windows Deployment Services (WDS) booting infrastructure for Windows PE 2.0 that can be used as the transport mechanism for the DTK utilities. Because each third-party deployment framework is unique, however, these solutions fall outside the scope of this

Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method 29

document. If you plan to utilize a third-party deployment solution framework, keep in mind that the DTK is a Windows PE-based set of tools and scripts, so the deployment solution framework must also support embedded Windows PE as a pre-operating system environment.

Deployment Matrix (Windows PE) Depending on the scope, current business needs, network setup, and process, you might select any of the suggested methods of deployment. Table 2-1 outlines three typical methods of deployment and the environment most suitable for each.

Table 2-1. Deployment Method Matrix

Deployment

Methods

Complexity Advantages Disadvantages

Local deployment (bootable CD)

Relatively simple

Necessary if a network connection is not available or is too slow.

Can install supported Windows operating systems.

Any change requires the creation of a new bootable CD.

Limited space on CD for some operating system installation files.

Deployment tasks must be performed at the individual target system.

For Windows PE 2005, CDs are read-only media and require the creation of a RAMDISK for temporary data storage.

Installation time is high.

30 Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method

After you have determined which deployment method best suits the needs of your organization, you are ready to begin building the DTK deployment directory structure on a network volume. For instructions on installing the DTK components and populating the deployment directory structure, see "Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE."

Remote deployment over a network (bootable Windows PE CD with network stack loaded)

Moderate Everything is in one place in a network share.

Easy to manage changes have to be made in only one place.

Data captured (profiles) can be stored in a network share.

Data can be replicated from a network share.

Can install supported Windows operating systems.

Must have network connection.

Deployment tasks must be performed at the individual target system.

Must locate the appropriate Windows PE network drivers.

Not supported from a mapped NetWare system.

Deployment solution framework from a third-party vendor

Mixed The DTK can be used in the context of third-party deployment solution framework.

Third-party deployment solution framework is used as the deployment transport mechanism.

Tasks and scripts can be pushed to the target systems.

Must either acquire and learn to use or have an existing third-party deployment solution framework.

Table 2-1. Deployment Method Matrix (continued)

Deployment

Methods

Complexity Advantages Disadvantages

Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method 31

32 Choosing a Microsoft Windows PE-Based Deployment Method

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE This section describes some of the procedures necessary to begin the deployment process, including:

Downloading and unzipping the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) components, including a comprehensive matrix of the DTK components

Setting up a directory structure to facilitate a successful deployment, including a list of the supporting components that are not included with the DTK, but are needed to use the DTK

Setting up an optimally configured source system

Upgrading Your DTK Version When upgrading from a previous release (1.x) of the DTK, ensure that you create the new DTK version 2.x environment separately from your previous version of DTK. This step is necessary because the environments and requirements for DTK version 2.x are completely different.

Obtaining DTK The DTK components are provided in a self-extracting zip file on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. The self-extracting file can be opened on any system running a Microsoft Windows operating system. By default, the dtk-2.X-winpe-AXX.exe files are extracted to the root directory of your local hard drive, C:\. This location can be changed by giving a different path when extracting the files, but it is strongly recommended that you keep the DTK default directory structure if you plan to use the sample deployment scripts provided with the DTK.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 33

Perform the following steps to extract the DTK components to a workstation running Windows:

1 Download the DTK file dtk-2.X-winpe-AXX.exe from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com and save it anywhere on your system.

2 After the file downloads, double-click the file.

3 Click OK.

4 Click Unzip.

By default, files are unzipped to C:\. You can unzip the DTK components to your local hard drive and then copy them later to a network volume, or you can change the installation path to an available network share. For example, you can unzip the files directly to the network share (for example, Z:\) that you plan to use in the deployment process.

NOTE: Do not copy the DTK components to a Novell NetWare network

volume. The DTK network-based deployment is not supported from mapped

Novell NetWare systems. The DTK utilities do not run in Windows PE when

Novells Client32 is loaded.

The files are unzipped in the directory structure shown in Figure 3-1.

34 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Figure 3-1. Sample DTK Default File Structure

Workstation is the system on which the DTK components are extracted.

Source system is an optimally configured system from which the system settings are captured.

Target system is the system on which the settings captured from the source system are replicated.

The DTK utilities are in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Tools.

The DTK sample scripts are in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\scripts.

The DTK sample configuration files are in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs.

The DTK Users Guide and CLI Reference Guide are in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Docs.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 35

The directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems is created as a placeholder that can be used for all system information that is captured using sample scripts and tools (for example, the system specific basic input/output system (BIOS) and baseboard management controller (BMC) configuration files used by the DTK utilities for configuring a system).

See "Setting Up a Directory Structure for Deployment" for further discussion of the deployment directory structure.

DTK Contents The DTK contains Windows PE-based utilities, sample scripts, sample configuration files, drivers, and documentation for automating the deployment of Dell systems. The following sections provide a complete list of the DTK contents and a short description of each component. For a more complete explanation of the DTK utilities, see the CLI Reference Guide. For an explanation of the sample configuration files and scripts, see "Editing the Sample Batch Files to Perform a Complete System Deployment in Windows PE."

System Utilities and Supporting Files

Table 3-1 describes the files, located in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Tools. These are the core tools (utilities) that perform pre-operating system configuration and deployment tasks. See the CLI Reference Guide for complete information about the capabilities of each DTK utility.

Table 3-1. System Utilities and Supporting Files

Toolkit Components Purpose

config.ini Configuration file used by RAIDCFG.EXE.

NOTE: Do not edit this file. Incorrect edits might cause

RAIDCFG.EXE to fail.

mr2kserv.exe Service that needs to be running for RAIDCFG.EXE to function.

pci.ids Used with SYSCFG.EXE to report PCI devices.

RAC 4 Configures Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) 4/P and DRAC 4/I.

36 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Sample Configuration Files

Table 3-2 describes examples of configuration files used to perform a scripted deployment. These files are located in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs folder.

NOTE: All configuration files are provided as examples only. These sample

configuration files must be edited before they can be used in any deployment tasks.

RAC 5 Configures DRAC 5.

racadmErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the RACADM.EXE tool.

RAIDCFG.EXE Creates and reports Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) information.

RaidcfgErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the RAIDCFG.EXE tool.

stsvc.ini Configuration file used by RAIDCFG.EXE.

NOTE: Do not edit this file. Incorrect edits might cause

RAIDCFG.EXE to fail.

sys.ini A .ini file used with syscfg.

SYSCFG.EXE Reports and configures:

BIOS settings and options

BMC settings and options

RAC 5 settings and options

Maintains system state between reboots

Reports hardware devices and other system-related information

SyscfgErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the SYSCFG.EXE tool.

sysdrmk.exe Used by UPINIT.BAT to patch the boot sector and Master Boot Record (MBR).

UpinitErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for UPINIT.BAT.

version.txt Contains the DTK version in use.

Table 3-1. System Utilities and Supporting Files (continued)

Toolkit Components Purpose

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 37

Table 3-2. Sample Configuration Files

Toolkit

Components

Purpose Location

RACCFG.INI Sample configuration file for DRAC 4 remote access controllers.

Move to the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ .

RAIDCFG.INI Sample output file to enable RAID replication.

Move to the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ .

SYSCFG.INI Sample configuration file for SYSCFG utility to configure the BIOS and BMC settings.

Move to the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ .

UNATTEND. TXT

Sample file used in Windows PE 2005 environment with unattended installation of Microsoft Windows operating systems. This file is populated with all the necessary information for Dell-supported mass storage devices.

Move to the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ after the UNATTEND.TXT file is edited.

UNATTEND. XML

Sample file used in Windows PE 2.0 environment with unattended installation of Microsoft Windows operating systems. This file is populated with all the necessary information for Dell-supported mass storage devices.

Move to the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ after the UNATTEND.TXT file is edited.

STARTNET. CMD

Sample script called by Windows PE 2.0 when it boots up.

Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs

38 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Sample Scripts

Table 3-3 lists sample scripts of those necessary to perform a scripted deployment. The sample scripts are located in Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\scripts.

NOTE: All DTK scripts are provided as examples only. Many of these sample

scripts must be edited before they can be used in a deployment. Some customers

may need to develop their own scripts entirely from scratch. Customers deploying

multiple systems must provide unique information for each Dell system where

appropriate. For example, system host names, IP addresses, and BIOS asset tags

need to be unique for each system. The batch scripts and configuration files must

be modified to reflect the unique information for each deployed system. Many

options are available to optimize this process. See "Preparing the Script Files for

Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE" for information about using the sample

scripts to perform a full deployment on supported Dell systems.

WINBOM.INI Sample file used to start the racsvc and mr2kserv services.

Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs

WINPEOEM. SIF

Sample file to add support for Dell mass storage drivers.

Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs

Table 3-3. Sample Scripts

Toolkit Components Purpose

createup.cfg This file is used by UPINIT.BAT.

DISKPARTCLR.CFG Used by PARTCFG.BAT to clear the partitions on the selected disks.

DISKPARTOS.CFG Used by PARTCFG.BAT to create deployment partition to install the operating system.

ERRHNDL.BAT Handles errors returned in the DTK scripts.

LISTUP.CFG This file is used by UPINIT.BAT.

MOUNTUP.CFG This file is used by UPINIT.BAT.

Table 3-2. Sample Configuration Files (continued)

Toolkit

Components

Purpose Location

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 39

Documentation

Table 3-4 describes documents containing reference information for each DTK utility and instructions for using the DTK utilities and sample scripts. Documentation can be found at Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Docs.

PARTCFG.BAT Creates and populates the Dell utility partition and creates the operating system partition on a specified hard drive. Before doing so, however, this script cleans out all existing partitions in your system.

RACCAP.BAT Captures remote access controller (RAC) settings to a file for DRAC 4 remote access controllers.

RACREP.BAT Applies (replicates) the RAC settings saved in a file to the target system.

RAIDCFG.BAT Configures the selected RAID controllers on the system.

SYSCAP.BAT Captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a file.

SYSREP.BAT Applies (or replicates) BIOS and BMC configuration settings and configures the target system.

TKENVSET.BAT Sets the path of the DTK installation and variables for the specific system being deployed.

UMOUNTUP.CFG This file is used by UPINIT.BAT.

UPINIT.BAT Creates and populates the Dell utility partition.

WININST.BAT Performs an unattended installation of a supported Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

W2K8INST.BAT Performs an unattended installation of supported Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system.

DTKRUNALL.BAT Applies BIOS, BMC, RAC, and RAID settings saved in the files to the current system.

Table 3-3. Sample Scripts (continued)

Toolkit Components Purpose

40 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Drivers

Table 3-5 describes the essential and optional drivers required for Dell-supported hardware to build your Windows PE environment.

NOTE: The drivers provided have been tested successfully in the Windows PE

environment built during the test.

Table 3-4. Documentation

Toolkit Components Purpose

CLI Reference Guide Describes all DTK utilities, including all command line arguments and values, syntax, help, and examples.

Users Guide Contains best practices guidelines for performing a scripted deployment.

Table 3-5. Drivers

Drivers Purpose

winpe1.x\ DRIVERINST.BAT

Used to install Dell-provided drivers (from Z:\Dell\Drivers) into the customized Windows PE 2005 image.

winpe2.x\ VPE_DRIVERINST.BAT

Used to install Dell-provided drivers (from Z:\Dell\Drivers) into the customized Windows PE 2.0 image.

common\Hardware application programming interface (HAPI)

Essential drivers for the DTK tools to work.

winpe1.x\Mass Storage Essential drivers for mass storage controllers (for example, RAID and SAS [Serial Attached SCSI]) to work.

winpe2.x\Mass Storage Essential drivers for mass storage controllers (for example, RAID and SAS [Serial Attached SCSI]) to work.

winpe1.x\Network interface card (NIC)

Recommended drivers for NICs.

winpe2.x\NIC Recommended drivers for NICs.

common\RAC 4 Essential drivers for RACADM to work.

common\RAIDCFG Essential drivers for RAIDCFG to work.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 41

Miscellaneous

The document readme.txt, located at Z:\Dell\Toolkit, provides the latest product information.

Other Supporting Tools and System Files While the DTK provides all the necessary utilities and scripts for deploying Dell systems, there are additional applications, utilities, and system files needed to create the pre-operating system environment in which this toolkit is used. Table 3-6 is a matrix of system files and other tools for you to be able to use the DTK utilities and its sample scripts.

NOTE: Ensure that the tools are 32-bit compatible.

Table 3-6. Supporting Tools and System Files

Additional Tools Purpose Source Save in DTK

location

OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) or Windows PE CD and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (with SP1) to build Windows PE 2005

Create a bootable CD for Windows PE 2005.

NOTE: Contact

Microsoft to obtain

the latest version

of OPK or Windows

PE CD.

www.microsoft.com Save in the root directory of the bootable CD.

Windows Automated Installation Kit or Windows PE CD and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (with SP1) (Windows AIK) CD to build Windows PE 2.0

Create a bootable CD for Windows PE 2.0.

NOTE: Contact

Microsoft to obtain

the latest version

of AIK or Windows

PE CD.

www.microsoft.com Save in the root directory of the bootable CD.

42 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Setting Up a Directory Structure for Deployment To perform a DTK-enabled deployment, you must create a deployment directory structure on either a network share or your local workstation hard drive. The deployment directory structure is a central repository for all deployment files and can be used successively as a testing space, a repository for a network deployment, and a repository to build a bootable deployment CD. If you plan to perform a network-based deployment, you must set up the

32-bit unzip utility

Unzip utility partition images in Windows PE.

www.info-zip.org

NOTE: This utility is not

provided with the Dell-

supplied DTK zip file.

However, if you choose to

use any other unzip utility

than the one specified

above, ensure that you

rename the utility to

UNZIP.EXE and that it

supports the -d option to

extract the contents to a

specified directory.

Save in one of the path directories of your Windows PE image, preferably \I386\system32.

upimg.bin Contains system- specific Dell utility partition files.

NOTE: In the

previous releases,

each Dell system

required a unique

upimg.bin file.

Beginning this

release, the

upimg.bin file is

common for all Dell

systems.

Z:\Dell\Toolkit\ Systems, the Dell Support website at support.dell.com, or the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD

Save in the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\ Systems.

Table 3-6. Supporting Tools and System Files (continued)

Additional Tools Purpose Source Save in DTK

location

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 43

directory structure on a network volume that is accessible from your workstation, the source system (to generate configuration information), and the target system (to deploy).

If you plan to run a scripted deployment from the DTK sample scripts, ensure that the following files are correctly structured in the deployment directory. The DTK sample scripts use this structure to set the default paths for deployment. If you make changes to the directory structure, you must also make changes to the sample scripts. The deployment directory structure consists of the following files:

DTK utilities and files

System-specific directories

Operating system installation files directories

NOTE: Do not create your DTK directory structure on a NetWare network volume.

The DTK network-based deployment is not supported from mapped NetWare

systems.

DTK Utilities and Files

All necessary DTK files are provided as part of the initial installation. It is strongly suggested that you use the default directory structure created in the initial installation of the DTK components. The sample scripts provided with the DTK are set up to use these default paths. See Figure 3-1.

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the DTK components that is

different from the one provided in the initial installation, carefully review and edit

each sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

A 32-bit unzip utility is needed to create the Dell utility partition. This utility should be copied into one of the path directories of your Windows PE 2005 image, preferably \I386\system32; for Windows PE 2.0, the path directory should preferably be \windows\system32.

System-Specific Files

The directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems acts as a central repository for all the system-specific deployment information. For example, you can store all profile configuration files for an optimally configured PowerEdge 2850 in the directory Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe2850. See Figure 3-2. These files can then be accessed from this directory when deploying multiple PowerEdge 2850 systems.

44 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

This directory can also be subdivided into multiple system-specific directories such as: Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe2850 for PowerEdge 2850 systems and Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe1850 for PowerEdge 1850 systems. See Figure 3-2.

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the system-specific files that

is different from the one suggested in this guide, be sure to carefully review and edit

each sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

Figure 3-2. DTK System-Specific File Structure

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 45

Operating System Installation Files

Creating Operating System Installation Directories for Supported Windows

Operating Systems

NOTE: The following procedures are provided as a best practices guideline for

creating operating system distribution folders compatible with the DTK sample

scripts. For complete instructions on setting up an installation directory structure

for an unattended installation, see your operating system documentation.

For deployment of supported Windows operating systems, perform the following steps:

1 Create an operating system-specific directory in the root directory of the network share. For example, for Windows Server 2003 operating system source files, you can use the following directory name:

Z:\W2Ksrc

2 Create a \I386 directory in the \W2Ksrc directory.

3 Copy the contents of the \I386 directory on the Windows operating system installation media to the Z:\W2Ksrc\I386 directory on your network share.

4 Create a \$OEM$ directory in each system directory ($OEM$.NET for Windows Server 2003 and $OEM$.W2K for Windows 2000). For example, for Windows 2003:

Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe2950\$OEM$.NET

The \$OEM$ directory provides the location of supplemental files such as drivers and configuration files to be copied to the target system during deployment.

46 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

5 Create a \textmode directory in the \$OEM$ directory. For example:

X:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\PE1950\$OEM$.NET\textmode

The \textmode directory is created as a repository for the mass storage device drivers and the Txtsetup.oem mass storage configuration file.

NOTE: All files listed in the [OEMBootFiles] section of the UNATTEND.TXT

answer file must be placed in the \textmode directory.

6 Create a \$1 directory in the \$OEM$ directory. For example:

X:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\PE1950\$OEM$.NET\$1

The \$1 directory is created as a repository for other drivers and configuration files necessary for an operating system deployment.

See Figure 3-3 for a sample directory structure for a deployment of Windows Server 2003.

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the Windows installation

files that is different from the one suggested in this guide, carefully review and edit

each sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 47

Figure 3-3. Sample Operating System-Specific File Structure (Windows Server 2003)

48 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Creating Operating System Installation Directories for Windows Server 2008

Operating Systems

NOTE: The following procedures are provided as a best practices guideline for

creating operating system distribution folders compatible with the DTK sample

scripts. For complete instructions on setting up an installation directory structure

for an unattended installation, see your operating system documentation.

NOTE: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is scheduled to be available in the first half

of 2008. For the latest information, see

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2 008/default.mspx.

For deployment of Windows Server 2008 operating systems, perform the following steps:

1 Create an operating system-specific directory in the root directory of the network share. For example: W2K8_deploy

2 Create two directories under the W2K8_deploy directory: sources and , for example, PE2950.

3 Copy the contents of the operating system CD to sources.

4 Under PE2950, create two directories: $OEM$ and Out-of-Box Drivers.

5 Copy all the drivers to W2K8_deploy\PE2950\ Out-of-Box Drivers. You can copy each driver to a different sub-folder.

6 Copy unattend.xml from \Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs to W2K8_deploy\PE2950.

7 If required, modify the unattend.xml for DiskID under the tags DiskConfiguration and ImageInstall. Default value is 0 for DiskID.

8 Make sure that DiskID specified in the unattend.xml is actually available to install the operating system. You can run the DiskPart utility to check disk details.

9 Boot your system with Windows PE 2.0 DTK media.

10 Use the following command syntax to connect your system to the shared folder, W2K8_deploy: Net use Z: \\10.94.140.12\W2K8_deploy

11 From your system, run TKENVSET.BAT under Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\scripts

12 On your system, set DT_DRIVE=Z:

13 Navigate to Z:\Dell\Toolkit\template\scripts and run W2K8INST.BAT.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 49

Figure 3-4. Sample Operating System-Specific File Structure (Windows Server 2008)

Configuring a Source System You need an optimally configured system both for testing purposes and as the source for the SYSCFG and RAC configuration files to be used in the deployment process. See "Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture Configuration Information in Windows PE" for instructions on using the sample DTK scripts, SYSCAP.BAT and RACCAP.BAT, to generate SYSCFG and RAC configuration files that are used to configure the target system.

You can use the Systems Build and Update Utility and Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools available on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD supplied with your system to streamline the operating system installation; to setup and configure your system, including automatic

50 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

discovery and configuration of Dell-provided RAID controllers and network adapters; to access and load the latest utilities, drivers, and diagnostics for your system; and to install Dell OpenManage systems management software.

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

For complete information about using the Systems Build and Update Utility and Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD, see the Dell OpenManage Software Quick Installation Guide, which is available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

After you have loaded the operating system and all applicable device drivers from the Systems Build and Update Utility and Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools, check the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for the latest drivers. Put all necessary drivers to be used in the deployment in the system directory for the target system. For example, if your target system is a PowerEdge 1850, put all necessary files in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe1850 directory; or if your target system is a PowerEdge 850, put all necessary files in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\pe0850 directory.

RAC Configuration

Configure the RAC on your source system using the RACADM.EXE utility, if applicable. See the Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide for comprehensive information about using the RACADM.EXE utility to configure the RAC on your source system.

After you have successfully prepared your directory structure for a deployment and fully configured your source system, you are ready to write, review, or edit the deployment sample scripts. For instructions on editing the sample scripts necessary to run a full deployment, see "Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE."

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE 51

52 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE This section describes the steps required to use the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) sample scripts to perform a full deployment of a target system in the Microsoft Windows PE environment.

There are four main tasks:

Writing the deployment master batch file (as an example, referred to as DEPLOY.BAT in this document) or deployment script, editing the TKENVSET.BAT script, to set the variable values used in the deployment scripts

Editing the supporting task scripts, as necessary

Using the DTK sample scripts to capture basic input/output system (BIOS), baseboard management controller (BMC) (SYSCFG), and remote access controller (RAC) configuration information from an optimally configured source system

Preparing the operating system installation scripts and answer files

NOTICE: Due to limitations of older product generations with the implementation of

the Windows PE environment, you cannot configure Dell Remote Access

Controller (DRAC) III, DRAC III/XT, ERA, ERA/O, and ERA/MC controllers using DTK 2.2

(Windows PE version) and later. To configure any of the DRAC III controllers, do

one of the following:

If your DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, ERA, ERA/O, and ERA/MC controllers have a set valid

IP address already, you can use Dell OpenManage Server Administrator running

on any system on the same network to remotely configure DRAC III controllers. For

details, refer to the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator User's Guide.

Continue with the setup and operating system deployment of your system, and

then use Server Administrator on the same system to configure DRAC III, DRAC

III/XT, ERA, ERA/O, and ERA/MC controllers.

Use the Linux version of DTK 2.5 to set up your DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, ERA,

ERA/O, and ERA/MC controllers.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 53

Using the Sample DTK Scripts to Run a Full Deployment in Windows PE

The Master Batch File (DEPLOY.BAT)

A scripted DTK deployment relies on the master batch file (DEPLOY.BAT) to integrate all the applicable DTK task scripts and utilities and perform pre-operating system configuration tasks before launching the operating system installation files. DEPLOY.BAT, along with the TKENVSET.BAT scripts, make up the master set of instructions that drives the deployment process. This file is not provided with the sample scripts. A sample DEPLOY.BAT is given below:

:: *****************************************************

::Call TKENVSET.BAT to discover platform information ::as well as set paths and environment variables for ::Deployment Toolkit Tools and Scripts.

*****************************************************

*****************************************************

:: call RAIDCFG.BAT to configure RAID.

:: ***************************************************** *****************************************************

:: Replicate the system settings to the current SUT!. CALL SYSREP.BAT or DTKRUNALL.BAT.

:: *****************************************************

*****************************************************

::Partitioning the system hard disk. call PARTCFG.BAT.

*****************************************************

*****************************************************

:: Put hdd as first in boot sequence (1-removable, 2- cdrom, 3-hdd)

54 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

:: If the system configuration has changed (i.e. a ::boot device was added, removed, or enabled in BIOS) ::the following line should be modified to reflect the ::new hdd device number.

:: This is calling Windows installer scripts.

*****************************************************

::%DT_TOOLS%\syscfg --bootseq=hdd.emb.0

::call WININST.BAT NET

Editing the Sample Batch Files to Perform a Complete System Deployment in Windows PE

Using the Sample Scripts in a Scripted Deployment

The sample scripts utilize the DTK utilities, the additional supporting utilities, the source system configuration files, the target system hardware drivers, and the operating system installation files to perform a full deployment of the target system.

The sample scripts provided with the DTK can be edited and customized using any ASCII text editor that conforms to the hardware available on the target systems. While it is recommended that you use the DTK sample scripts to automate your deployment tasks, you can create your own system deployment batch files using any ASCII text editor by incorporating the various DTK utilities and commands in the batch file.

NOTE: For more information about scripting batch files and specific batch file

commands, see your Windows PE documentation.

Each of the utilities, scripts, and system configuration files are described below. Depending on your requirements, you may use all or only some of them in your deployment:

DEPLOY.BAT You can write your master batch file (DEPLOY.BAT) to perform a full deployment of a system with the help of utilities, scripts, and configuration files. This file is not provided with the sample scripts.

Table 4-1 lists the scripts you may need in your deployment.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 55

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

RACCAP.BAT Captures RAC settings to a file for DRAC 4.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by RACCAP.BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

RACADM.EXE Used by RACCAP.BAT to retrieve RAC information and to configure settings.

RACREP.BAT Applies the RAC configuration settings saved in a file to the current system.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by RACREP.BAT

to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

RACADM.EXE Used by RACREP.BAT

to replicate RAC information and to configure settings.

WININST.BAT Performs an unattended installation of supported Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by WININST.BAT

to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

WINNT32.EXE Used by WININST.BAT

to install the operating system in conjunction with the UNATTEND.

TXT answer file.

UNATTEND.

TXT Used by WININST.BAT in conjunction with WINNT32.EXE to install the operating system files.

TKENVSET.BAT Sets the path of the DTK installation and variables for the system to be deployed and configured. The variables and paths specified in this file must be specified before any of the other supporting scripts can be used.

SYSCFG.EXE Used by TKENVSET.BAT

to discover the system type.

56 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

SYSCAP.BAT Captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a file.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by SYSCAP.BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

SYSCFG.EXE Used by SYSCAP.BAT to configure the BIOS and BMC settings.

SYSREP.BAT Applies the BIOS and BMC settings saved in a file to the current system.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by SYSREP.BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

SYSCFG.EXE Used by SYSREP.BAT to configure the BIOS and BMC settings.

W2K8INST.BAT Performs an unattended installation of supported Windows Server 2008.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by W2K8INST. BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

SETUP.EXE Used by W2K8INST. BAT to install the operating system in conjunction with the UNATTEND.

XML answer file.

UNATTEND.

XML Used by W2K8INST. BAT in conjunction with SETUP.EXE to install the operating system files.

RAIDCFG.BAT Configures the selected Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) controller detected in the system.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by RAIDCFG.BAT

to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

RAIDCFG.EXE Used by RAIDCFG.BAT

to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 57

RAIDCAP.BAT Captures the RAID settings and saves them to a file.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by RAIDCAP.BAT

to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

RAIDCFG.EXE Used by RAIDCAP.BAT

to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

RAIDREP.BAT Applies the RAID settings saved in a file to the current system.

RAIDCFG.EXE Used by RAIDREP.BAT

to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

PARTCFG.BAT Creates and populates the Dell utility partition (UP) and the operating system partition on a specified disk.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by PARTCFG.BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

DISKPART.EXE Provided by Windows; this script is used to create partitions on your disk. When creating a Windows PE image, ensure that DISKPART.EXE

tool is present in the Windows PE image you created. This script uses the following files for noninteractive (unattended) operations:

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

58 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

UPINIT.BAT Used by PARTCFG.BAT

to create and populate the Dell utility partition.

FORMAT.EXE Provided by Windows to format the partition.

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 59

UPINIT.BAT Creates and populates the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: Do not make

any modifications to

the UPINIT.BAT

script.

TKENVSET.BAT Used by UPINIT.BAT to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

DISKPART.EXE Provided by Windows, it is used to create partitions on your disk.

UNZIP.EXE Used by UPINIT.BAT to unzip the contents of UPIMG.BIN.

FORMAT.EXE Provided by Windows to format the partition.

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

60 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

DTKRUNALL. BAT Applies BIOS, BMC, RAC, and RAID settings saved in the files to the current system.

TKENVSET.BAT

Used by DTKRUNALL. BAT to find the DTK utilities and scripts.

RACREP.BAT Used by DTKRUNALL. BAT to apply the RAC configuration settings saved in a file to the current system.

SYSREP.BAT Used by DTKRUNALL. BAT to apply the BIOS and BMC settings saved in a file to the current system.

RAIDREP.BAT Used by DTKRUNALL. BAT to apply the RAID settings saved in a file to the current system.

UPIMG.BIN Contains the zipped contents of the Dell utility partition.

SYSDRMK.EXE Used by UPINIT.BAT to patch the boot sector and Master Boot Record (MBR).

Table 4-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 61

The majority of the editing required for the DTK sample scripts involves the following script. As a result, the majority of the scripting discussion focuses on:

TKENVSET.BAT

Other task scripts might require edits in certain situations. These optional edits are discussed in "Editing DTK Task Scripts."

TKENVSET.BAT

The TKENVSET.BAT script sets the path of the DTK installation and variables for the system to be deployed and configured. The variables and paths specified in this file must be specified before any of the other supporting scripts can be used.

Specifying DTK Installation Paths

The TKENVSET.BAT sample script is provided with the following default values. These values must be confirmed, in some cases, and modified, in other cases, before a deployment. Locate the Deployment Toolkit Installation Paths heading to find the following lines:

set DT_DRIVE=X:

set DT_PATH=%DT_DRIVE%\Dell\Toolkit

set DT_TOOLS=%DT_PATH%\Tools

set DT_SYSTEMS=%DT_PATH%\Systems

set DT_SCRIPTS=%DT_PATH%\Template\Scripts

set DT_STOP_ON_ERROR=FALSE

Perform the following steps to confirm and/or edit the installation path variables:

1 Set the variable that represents the drive letter where the DTK deployment files are located (DT_DRIVE). This variable is set to X: by default in the sample script. Edit this drive letter to reflect the actual drive letter for the DTK deployment files, if necessary.

2 Set the variable that defines the path to the full set of DTK deployment files (DT_PATH). This variable is set to %DT_DRIVE%\Dell\Toolkit by default in the sample script. Edit

this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK deployment files, if necessary.

62 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

3 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the DTK utilities (DT_TOOLS). This variable is set to %DT_PATH%\Tools by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK utilities, if necessary.

4 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the configuration files for your Dell systems (DT_SYSTEMS). This variable is set to %DT_PATH%\Systems by default in the sample script.

5 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the DTK deployment scripts (DT_SCRIPTS). This variable is set to %DT_PATH%\Template\Scripts by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK deployment scripts, if necessary.

6 Set the variable that indicates whether you want the deployment process to exit when any error is returned (DT_STOP_ON_ERROR). This variable is set to FALSE by default in the sample script, indicating that errors will be handed by the ERRHNDL.BAT script. Set the value to TRUE only if you want the deployment to exit on any error.

Specifying the SYSCFG Variables

The SYSCFG replication file is set to syscfg.ini by default. If you used the SYSCAP.BAT sample script to generate the syscfg.ini file, there should be no need to edit these default settings. If you have made any modifications to the sample scripts or to the suggested directory structure, you must confirm that syscfg.ini is correctly named and that the path is set correctly for your deployment.

To edit the SYSCFG capture variables, locate the following lines in SYSCAP.BAT:

set DT_SYS_CAPFILE= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\syscfg.ini

To edit the SYSCFG replication variables, locate the following lines in SYSREP.BAT:

set DT_SYS_REPFILE= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\syscfg.ini

NOTE: If the replication requires a change in the memory redundancy mode, the

target server should be rebooted and the script should be executed again to

complete the replication.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 63

Specifying the RAC Configuration Variables

The IP address for your target system RAC is set in the sample script to 10.98.8.121 by default. Edit this value to reflect the actual IP address of your target system RAC, if applicable. Additionally, the RAC configuration file used to configure your RAC is set by default to raccfg.ini. If you use the RACCAP.BAT sample script to generate the raccfg.ini file, there should be no need to edit this default setting. If you have made any modifications to the sample scripts or to the suggested directory structure, you must confirm that raccfg.ini is correctly named and that the path is correctly set for your deployment. To edit the RAC configuration variables, locate the following lines in RACCAP.BAT:

set DT_RAC_CAPFILE= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\raccfg.ini

To edit the RAC configuration variables, locate the following lines in RACREP.BAT:

:: RAC section

set DT_NICCFG=10.98.8.121

set DT_RAC_CAPFILE= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\raccfg.ini

Specifying Variables Used to Create Disk Partitions and Install the

Dell Utility Partition

NOTE: If the primary deployment state (DT_PARTN) is set to OFF in PARTCFG.BAT, the partitioning deployment state subsection is skipped.

The PARTCFG.BAT sample script provides the following disk partitioning default values. These values must be confirmed, in some cases, and modified, in other cases, before performing a deployment. Locate the partn label to find the following lines in PARTCFG.BAT:

set DT_PARTN_UP=ON

set DT_MOUNT=H

:: Default Hard Drive

set DT_HD=0

64 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

:: PARTCFG section

set DT_OS_SIZE=4000

set DT_OS_FSTYPE=FAT32

if not "%DT_PARTN_UP%"=="ON" goto ospart

:: DELLUP section

set DT_UP_SIZE=32

set DT_UP_IMAGE=%DT_SYSTEMS%\UPIMG.BIN

:: RAIDCFG section

set DT_VD_SIZE=10480

:: default size for virtual disk

NOTICE: DT_MOUNT specifies the mount point of the Dell utility partition. If your

RAMDRIVE, hard drive, or other device already owns this designation, mount will

not override the setting and the utility partition will not be created.

Perform the following steps to edit the default partition configuration default values, as necessary.

1 Edit the default utility partitioning variable (DT_PARTN_UP=ON), if necessary. This variable sets whether you want to install the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: Dell recommends that you install the Dell utility partition.

2 Edit the default variable value for the default hard drive (DT_HD=0), if applicable.

NOTE: Ensure that the default variable value for DT_HD is set to a valid non-

removable disk, and not to removable media such as virtual media.

3 Edit the default variable value (in MB) for the primary operating system partition (DT_OS_SIZE=4000), if applicable.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 65

4 Edit the default variable value for file system type (DT_OS_FSTYPE= FAT32), if applicable.

NOTE: The valid values are FAT32 and NTFS.

5 If the DT_PART_UP variable is set to ON, edit the default variable value (in MB) for the utility partition (DT_UP_SIZE=32), if applicable.

6 If the DT_PART_UP variable is set to ON, edit the default variable value for the utility partition installation package location (DT_UP_IMAGE=%DT_SYSTEMS%\UPIMG.BIN), if applicable.

You should have already copied the UPIMG.BIN file to the proper directory, as instructed in "Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Microsoft Windows PE." Edit this variable only if you have changed the name or path of the utility partition installation package.

Editing DTK Task Scripts

The task scripts called by the master batch file do not require any edits (with the following exceptions) if the default variable values are utilized in the TKENVSET.BAT scripts. However, if you make any changes to the default values set by the TKENVSET.BAT, you must make the same edits to the matching default values set in the appropriate task scripts. Locate the "USER MODIFICATION REQUIRED" heading in the task scripts to find the variable values you might need to edit. Each of the following task scripts can be called by the user-written master batch script during a full deployment:

RACREP.BAT

RAIDCFG.BAT

SYSREP.BAT

PARTCFG.BAT

RACREP.BAT

The RACREP.BAT sample script applies RAC configuration options to the target system based on configuration information that has been saved in a configuration file. User input is optional, depending on variables set in the RACREP.BAT sample script. This script uses the RACADM.EXE utility to configure the RAC in the target system using the RAC configuration file, raccfg.ini, passed as the first parameter to this script. If this parameter is not passed, the default variables values used in this script are set in the

66 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

TKENVSET.BAT scripts. An optional second parameter can be passed to this file, which specifies the IP address to be used to configure the RAC. The raccfg.ini file is generated with the RACCAP.BAT sample script. See "RACCAP.BAT" for information about using the RACCAP.BAT sample script to capture RAC configuration information.

RAIDCFG.BAT

The RAIDCFG.BAT sample script configures RAID controllers detected on the system. User input is optional to run this script. The parameter is a name or path to a log file. This parameter is not set to any value by default, and no log file is generated. The default variable values used in this script are set in the TKENVSET.BAT scripts. This script uses the RAIDCFG.EXE utility to automatically configure the detected controllers on your target system. For example, for the first controller discovered, if RAIDCFG.EXE discovers only one attached hard drive, the script tries to create RAID 0; if two hard drives are discovered, a RAID 1 configuration is enabled; if three or more hard drives are discovered, a RAID 5 configuration is enabled.

NOTE: On the detected controller, a RAID virtual disk is created only if the array

disks connected to that particular controller have space available and, where

applicable, are not part of already existing array group.

SYSREP.BAT

The SYSREP.BAT sample script applies SYSCFG options to the target system based on configuration information that has been saved in a configuration file. User input is optional to run this script, depending on the variable settings in the SYSREP.BAT scripts. This script uses the SYSCFG.EXE utility to configure the BIOS and BMC in the target system using the configuration file, syscfg.ini, passed as the first parameter to this script. If this parameter is not passed, the default variables values used in this script are set in the SYSREP.BAT scripts. The syscfg.ini file is generated with the SYSCAP.BAT sample script. See "SYSCAP.BAT" for information about using the SYSCAP.BAT sample script to capture BIOS and BMC settings. The second parameter is a name or path to a log file. This parameter is not set to any value by default, and no log file is generated.

NOTE: If the replication requires a change in the memory redundancy mode, the

target server should be rebooted and the script should be executed again to

complete the replication.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 67

PARTCFG.BAT

The PARTCFG.BAT sample script creates and populates the Dell utility partition using UPINIT.BAT and creates the operating system partition on a specified disk. (See "UPINIT.BAT" for more information about using the UPINIT.BAT tool.) User input is not required to run this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the TKENVSET.BAT scripts.

NOTE: Ensure that DT_HD is set to the required disk to be configured before you

execute the PARTCFG.BAT script.

Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture Configuration Information in Windows PE The SYSCFG.EXE and RACADM.EXE utilities can read the source system configuration and duplicate that configuration on a target system using a sample DTK script file. These configuration files are used during a full deployment to configure the target systems BIOS, BMC, and RAC settings. The following sections provide instructions for using the SYSCAP.BAT and RACCAP.BAT sample scripts to create configuration files.

Capturing the System BIOS and BMC Configuration With the SYSCAP.BAT Sample Script

You can replicate the system BIOS and BMC configurations from a source Dell system to an identical target Dell system (for example, from one PowerEdge 1850 to another PowerEdge 1850).

NOTE: For the script to complete successfully, the source system must have

access to the network share that includes the prebuilt DTK directory structure.

SYSCAP.BAT

The SYSCAP.BAT sample script captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a specified location. An optional user input can be passed as a parameter. You can provide the path or filename as an input to this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the script to the correct default values to perform a scripted deployment. The SYSCAP.BAT script uses the SYSCFG.EXE utility to retrieve BIOS and BMC configuration

68 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

settings from the source system and to save the settings in a file named syscfg.ini in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

Perform the following steps to run the SYSCAP.BAT sample script to capture BIOS and BMC configuration information in the syscfg.ini file:

1 Edit the startnet.cmd file on your Windows PE image to call the SYSCAP.BAT script after the network share with the prebuilt DTK directory structure is mounted. For example, add:

call Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Template\Scripts\SYSCAP.BAT

2 Boot the source system into Windows PE.

The script runs and saves configuration information in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

3 Edit the startnet.cmd file in your Windows PE image to remove the text you added in step 1.

Capturing the RAC Configuration With the RACCAP.BAT Sample Script

If your system has a RAC, you can replicate the RAC configuration from a source Dell systems RAC to an identical target Dell system with an identical RAC (for example, from one PowerEdge 1850 with a DRAC4/I to another PowerEdge 1850 with a DRAC4/I).

NOTE: For the script to complete successfully, the source system must have

access to the network share that includes the prebuilt DTK directory structure.

RACCAP.BAT

The RACCAP.BAT sample script captures RAC configuration settings and saves them to a specified location. An optional user input can be passed as a parameter. You can provide the path or file name as an input to this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the script to the correct default values to perform a scripted deployment. The RACCAP.BAT script uses the RACADM.EXE utility to retrieve RAC configuration settings from the source system and to save the settings in a file named raccfg.ini in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 69

Perform the following steps to run the RACCAP.BAT sample script to capture RAC configuration information in the raccfg.ini file:

1 Edit the startnet.cmd file on your Windows PE image to call the RACCAP.BAT script after the network share with the prebuilt DTK directory structure is mounted. For example, add:

call Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Template\Scripts\RACCAP.BAT \Z:\raccfg.ini

2 Boot the source system into Windows PE.

The script runs and saves configuration information in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

3 Edit the startnet.cmd file in your Windows PE image to remove the text you added in step 1.

NOTE: The RAC configuration file is referred to as the .cfg file in the Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide and the Dell Remote Access Controller 4 Users Guide. See the Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide or the Dell Remote Access Controller 4 Users Guide for additional information about

manually creating a RAC configuration file.

NOTE: Do not replicate the RAC IP address when creating a .cfg file. Replicating

the RAC IP address can leave the system inaccessible because multiple systems

are configured with the same IP address.

UPINIT.BAT

UPINIT.BAT is a tool used to create and populate the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: You can use this script to create a new Dell utility partition only if there are

no existing partitions on your hard disk.

You can also use this script to upgrade or downgrade an existing Dell utility partition. Upgrades or downgrades can be made only to existing Dell utility partitions using the overwrite option.

NOTICE: The existing Dell utility partition should be the first primary partition on the

hard disk. Also, the Dell utility partition must be greater than or equal to 32 MB and

less than 2 GB.

For details on the command line arguments to be used for UPINIT.BAT, refer to the Deployment Toolkit CLI Reference Guide.

70 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

Preparing the Operating System Installation Scripts for Windows PE The WININST.BAT and W2K8INST.BAT scripts are used to install supported Windows operating systems.

WININST.BAT

The WININST.BAT sample script is used to perform an unattended installation of Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. The variables and paths must be specified before the operating system can be installed.

NOTICE: It is strongly recommended that you consult your Windows operating

system documentation and unattended deployment documentation to develop a

thorough understanding of the Windows unattended installation process before

attempting to perform a full scripted deployment.

The syntax for WININST.BAT is

wininst.bat [W2K|NET]

Choose W2K (default) to install Windows 2000 Server or NET to install Windows Server 2003.

Utilities Used

WINNT32.EXE Used to install the operating system in conjunction with the UNATTEND.TXT answer file.

External Dependencies

The DT_PLATFORM variable is set by TKENVSET.BAT using platform discovery.

The WININST.BAT script uses the UNATTEND.TXT file in conjunction with WINNT32.EXE utility to install the operating system files. See "UNATTEND.TXT" for more information about preparing the UNATTEND.TXT file.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 71

Specifying the Windows Installation Variables and Installation Paths

To edit the Windows operating system installation variables, locate the following lines in WININST.BAT:

:: The location where source files for the OS reside

set DT_OSSRC=%DT_DRIVE%\W2KSRC\I386

:: Location of Unattend.txt file

set DT_UNATTEND= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\unattend.txt

:: Location of platform-specific Dell drivers

set DT_OEM=%DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\configsets

After you have either confirmed or edited the Windows operating system installation variables, you are ready to prepare the UNATTEND.TXT file to be used in the operating system installation.

UNATTEND.TXT

The UNATTEND.TXT file is the default name of the answer file that you use to automate Windows Setup during an unattended installation. A sample copy of the UNATTEND.TXT file is provided as part of the DTK download in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Template\Configs directory. UNATTEND.TXT contains the headings and parameters that instruct Windows Setup to perform various configuration tasks. Before a full deployment can be run, you must edit all appropriate headings and parameters, as necessary.

NOTE: See your operating system documentation for instructions on modifying the

options in the operating system unattended installation file to customize the

scripted installation of your operating system.

When you have completed all necessary modifications of the UNATTEND.TXT file, save the completed file in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

72 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

W2K8INST.BAT

The W2K8INST.BAT sample script is used to perform an unattended installation of Windows Server 2008 operating system. The variables and paths must be specified before the operating system can be installed.

NOTE: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is scheduled to be available in the first half

of 2008. For the latest information, see

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2 008/default.mspx.

NOTICE: It is strongly recommended that you consult your Windows operating

system documentation and unattended deployment documentation to develop a

thorough understanding of the Windows unattended installation process before

attempting to perform a full scripted deployment.

The syntax for W2K8INST.BAT is

w2k8inst.bat

Utilities Used

SETUP.EXE Used to install the operating system in conjunction with the UNATTEND.XML answer file.

External Dependencies

W2K8INST.BAT uses two environment variables: DT_PLATFORM and DT_DRIVE.

The DT_PLATFORM variable is set by TKENVSET.BAT using platform discovery.

The DT_DRIVE denotes the network drive letter to the network shared path containing the Windows Server 2008 operating system source and the UNATTEND.XML file.

The W2K8INST.BAT script uses the UNATTEND.XML file in conjunction with SETUP.EXE utility to install the operating system files. See "UNATTEND.XML" for more information about preparing the UNATTEND.XML file.

Specifying the Windows Installation Variables and Installation Paths

To edit the Windows operating system installation variables, locate the following lines in W2K8INST.BAT:

:: The location where source files for the OS reside

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE 73

set DT_OSSRC=%DT_DRIVE%\sources

:: Location of Unattend.xml file

set DT_UNATTEND= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\unattend.xml

:: Location of platform-specific Dell drivers

set DT_OEM= %DT_SYSTEMS%\%DT_PLATFORM%\$OEM$%DT_WINDOWS%

UNATTEND.XML

The UNATTEND.XML file is the default name of the answer file that you use to automate Windows Setup during an unattended installation. A sample copy of the UNATTEND.XML file is provided as part of the DTK download in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Template\Configs directory.

UNATTEND.XML contains the headings and parameters that instruct Windows Setup to perform various configuration tasks. In UNATTEND.XML, you must specify various setup options, including how to partition disks and the location of the Windows image you want to install. Before a full deployment can be run, you must edit all appropriate headings and parameters, as necessary.

NOTE: See your operating system documentation for instructions on modifying the

options in the operating system unattended installation file to customize the

scripted installation of your operating system.

When you have completed all necessary modifications of the UNATTEND.XML file, save the completed file in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\W2K8_deploy\ directory.

After you have successfully edited your deployment scripts, you are ready to create your deployment media and run your deployment. For instructions on creating deployment media and running a full deployment, see "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE."

74 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Microsoft Windows PE

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE This section provides best practices procedures and scenarios for using the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) to perform pre-operating system configuration tasks and to install supported operating systems on supported Dell systems.

After you have populated the deployment directory structure with all necessary files and carefully edited the deployment scripts and configurations files, you are ready to begin the final stage of the deployment process. Before running the deployment, however, you need to create specific deployment media to facilitate your chosen deployment method. The common deployment scenarios are:

CD-based local deployment

CD-based local deployment with networking enabled

Using a third-party deployment solution framework

For the CD-based deployment methods, you begin by creating and customizing Microsoft Windows PE for Dell systems.

For Windows PE 2005

Obtaining Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) or Windows PE CD

Contact Microsoft to obtain the latest version of OPK or Windows PE CD.

Copying Tools From OPK or Windows PE CD on a Development System

1 Create and name a directory on your development system hard drive, such as \WinPE_OPKTools.

2 Insert the Windows OPK CD or Windows PE CD into your development system CD drive.

3 Copy all of the CD files from the Windows PE directory ( :\winpe\*.*) to the \WinPE_OPKTools directory.

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE 75

4 Copy factory.exe and netcfg.exe from :\tools\x86 directory to the \WinPE_OPKTools directory.

5 Remove the Windows OPK CD or Windows PE CD from the CD drive.

Creating a Standard Windows PE

For building a standard Windows PE with OPK tools, refer to the help files available on the OPK CD. You can get to the help files after you install OPK on your development system. Brief instructions are provided here on how to build a standard Windows PE.

NOTE: You must have read-write permissions on your development system. You

cannot run mkimg.cmd from a read-only device, such as a CD drive.

1 Create and name a directory on your development system hard drive such as \DellWinPEBuild. This directory serves as a used with mkimg.cmd to create Windows PE.

2 Insert the 32-bit Windows Server 2003 (with SP1) product CD into the CD drive.

3 Open a command prompt and navigate to the \WinPE_OPKTools directory you created earlier.

4 Run the command: mkimg.cmd /PNP /WMI.

NOTE: The /PNP option enables support for Plug and Play device drivers;

the /WMI option enables support for Windows Management Instrumentation.

NOTE: Ensure that you include the /WMI option with mkimg.cmd for the DTK

tools to run properly.

The specifies the location of the Windows Server 2003 product CD.

If the is a CD drive, you need to specify only the drive letter.

If the is a network path, the path must be to the parent directory of the \I386 directory.

NOTE: Do not include a trailing slash in the .

NOTE: If you plan to use virtual media within your Windows PE environment,

ensure that your Windows PE image has cdrom.sys and flpydisk.sys drivers.

76 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE

The \DellWinPEBuild specifies the path where the files necessary to create the Windows PE are temporarily stored. If this directory does not already exist, mkimg.cmd creates it.

This process extracts all the necessary files from \I386 on the Windows Server 2003 product CD and puts them in \DellWinPEBuild drive. These files include drivers that are part of the Windows Server 2003 CD. These drivers may be old and may not recognize the new peripherals integrated in your new Dell system. Proceed to add the latest drivers in the standard Windows PE build you just created.

Integration of DTK Directory Structure in Windows PE Build

This task involves a five-step process:

1 Integrating DTK tools and scripts: Copy the folder \dell that you unzipped from the Dell-supplied zip file to , or extract the Dell-supplied file directly into the Windows PE build.

2 Installing necessary drivers into Windows PE: Execute \Dell\Drivers\DRIVERINST.BAT with two required arguments:

Path to

Path where the Dell-provided drivers are located. These drivers can be found in the DTK zip file under the \Dell\drivers folder.

3 Adding support for mass storage drivers into Windows PE:

NOTE: You must implement this step to ensure mass storage drivers are

installed into Windows PE.

In the winpeoem.sif file (available under I386\SYSTEM32 in your Windows PE directory), edit the following text to remove the semicolons from the Oem Driver Params section and append the directory names for the Dell mass storage drivers:

OemDriverRoot="" OemDriverDirs=MRAID, PERC4IM, PERC5, SAS5

NOTE: A sample winpeoem.sif file is available under

\Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs.

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE 77

4 Starting required services: mr2kserv service should be installed and started for RAID to function; racsvc service should be installed and started for RACADM to function. For details on how to start the required services, see the sample winbom.ini file under \Dell\Toolkit\template\Configs.

NOTE: When booting the target system, ensure that the RAC and the

mr2kserv services are running.

5 Extracting the following files from your Windows Server 2003 product CD to \Dell\Toolkit\Tools:

rpcns4.dll

rpcrt4.dll

rpcss.dll

NOTE: The directory name should not have any spaces.

NOTE: You can now proceed to customize Windows PE per your requirements.

Creating a Bootable Windows PE ISO Image

After you have completed the DTK integration and customization, you are now ready to convert all the files in into an ISO image using the OPK tool. Follow the steps below to create a bootable ISO image from .

1 Create and name a directory on your development system hard drive such as FINALBUILD. This is where the ISO file is stored.

2 Open a command prompt and navigate to the \WinPE_OPKTools directory you created earlier.

3 Run the command: OSCDIMG bETFSBOOT.COM -n

Here, ETFSBOOT.COM (boot sector file) is a part of the OPK tools you copied in \WinPE_OPKTools directory. These files make the Windows PE CD bootable. For example, if the final target folder for storing ISO image is C:\FINALBUILD, and your Windows PE file set is in , the following command line creates a bootable ISO image called Dellx86winpe.iso:

C:\WINPE_OPKTOOLS\OSCDIMG -bETFSBOOT.COM -n c:\DELLWINPEBUILD

C:\FINALBUILD\Dellx86winpe.iso

78 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE

After you create an ISO image, you can use any CD burning software to burn the image onto a CD. After burning the ISO image, ensure that it boots from the CD drive for all the supported Dell systems you plan to deploy. After it boots, you are advised to test all the tools and scripts on these systems to ensure that the integration went well and there are no issues with hardware components not being recognized.

CD-Based Local Deployment

You are now ready to use your bootable CD to call the deployment components from the directory structure on the CD:

1 Boot the target system with the bootable deployment CD.

2 Execute the master batch file, which calls individual task scripts and utilities from the CD to complete the deployment process.

CD-Based Local Deployment With Networking Enabled

You can also use your bootable CD to call the deployment components from the directory structure on the CD and the remaining components from the network share:

1 Boot the target system with the bootable deployment CD.

2 Execute the master batch file, which calls individual task scripts and utilities from the network share to complete the deployment process.

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

You can use the DTK with any existing third-party deployment solution framework that provides a Automated Deployment Services (ADS) booting infrastructure that can be used as the transport mechanism for the DTK utilities. Because each third-party deployment framework is unique, however, these solutions fall outside the scope of this document. If you plan to utilize a third-party deployment solution framework, keep in mind that the DTK is a Windows PE-based set of tools and scripts, so the deployment solution framework must also support Windows PE as a pre-operating system environment.

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE 79

For Windows PE 2.0 If you are using Windows PE 2.0, download Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) from the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com. By default, Windows AIK is copied to the C:\Program Files\Windows AIK directory.

Integration of DTK Directory Structure in Windows PE Build

DTK provides a script, VPE_driverinst.bat, to pre-install the Dell drivers into a base Windows PE 2.0 image (winpe.wim) offline. Use the following steps to execute this script:

1 Open a command prompt on your system and change the directory to the location of VPE_driverinst.bat. For example:

cd C:\Dell\Drivers\winpe2.x

2 Execute VPE_driverinst.bat with two required arguments and . For example:

VPE_driverinst.bat

Where is the destination path to create the directory structure for Windows PE 2.0 and is the path to Dell drivers in the extracted DTK toolkit. For example:

VPE_driverinst.bat C:\vistaPE_x86 C:\DELL\DRIVERS

This will pre-install the Dell drivers into winpe.wim.

NOTE: is passed as the destination to the Windows AIK command

copype.cmd. The destination folder C:\vistaPE_x86 is created as part of the

process, and should not already exist.

3 Copy the customized winpe.wim image to the folder VistaPE_x86\ISO\sources. For example: Copy c:\vistaPE_x86\winpe.wim c:\vistaPE_X86\ISO\sources\boot.wim

Creating a Bootable CD

Use the following steps to create bootable media:

1 Click Start, navigate to All Programs Microsoft Windows AIK.

80 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE

2 Click Windows PE Tools Command Prompt to open a command prompt window.

3 Run the following command:

oscdimg -n -bc:\vistaPE_x86\etfsboot.com c:\vistaPE_x86\ISO c:\vistaPE_x86\WinPE2.0.iso

This command creates a CD bootable ISO image called WinPE2.0.iso.

You can use any CD burning software to burn the image onto a CD. After burning the ISO image, ensure that it boots from the CD drive for all the supported Dell systems you plan to deploy. After it boots, you are advised to test all the tools and scripts on these systems to ensure that the integration went well and there are no issues with hardware components not being recognized.

CD-Based Local Deployment

You are now ready to use your bootable CD to call the deployment components from the directory structure on the CD:

1 Boot the target system with the bootable deployment CD.

2 Execute the master batch file, which calls individual task scripts and utilities from the CD to complete the deployment process.

CD-Based Local Deployment With Networking Enabled

You can also use your bootable CD to call the deployment components from the directory structure on the CD and the remaining components from the network share:

1 Boot the target system with the bootable deployment CD.

2 Execute the master batch file, which calls individual task scripts and utilities from the network share to complete the deployment process.

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

You can use the DTK with any existing third-party deployment solution framework that provides a Automated Deployment Services (ADS) booting infrastructure that can be used as the transport mechanism for the DTK utilities. Because each third-party deployment framework is unique, however, these solutions fall outside the scope of this document. If you plan to utilize a third-party deployment solution framework, keep in mind that the DTK is a

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE 81

Windows PE-based set of tools and scripts, so the deployment solution framework must also support Windows PE as a pre-operating system environment.

82 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE

Choosing an Embedded Linux- Based Deployment Method A well-thought-out deployment plan is critical to the success of your deployment effort and includes the following considerations:

Assessing your existing IT environment

Selecting an operating system

Selecting the optimum Dell OpenManage systems management software configuration for your system

Choosing a deployment method

The Deployment Toolkit (DTK) is designed to be flexible enough to fit into almost any deployment plan. For the purposes of this document, however, the focus is on two specific deployment methods: CD-based deployment (local) and network-based deployment (remote).

Choosing a Deployment Method for Embedded Linux The DTK components can be used in many different ways to assist IT staff in deploying Dell systems in large numbers. Because all the tools and scripts are task oriented, many of them can be used separately to perform a specific task on many systems or collectively to perform many tasks on many systems at once.

The configuration complexity and pros and cons of each deployment method are provided in Table 6-1. After you have decided which deployment method best fits your needs, you are ready to begin preparing for the deployment.

Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method 83

Network-Based Deployment

NOTE: The DTK network-based deployment is not supported from mapped

Novell NetWare systems.

The general network-based deployment process includes the following steps:

1 Modify the appropriate section in pxe config file.

2 Boot the target server from PXE.

The DTK start-up phase mounts the network share specified in the pxe config file.

The DTK start-up phase runs the script (name specified in the pxe config file) from the network.

Alternatively, you can integrate the DTK components into an existing third-party deployment solution framework. See "Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework."

CD-Based Deployment With Network Access

The general steps include:

1 Copy the DTK ISO image into a share.

2 Modify the appropriate section in the isolinux/isolinux.cfg file.

3 Reburn the contents into a CD (this will be the master CD).

4 Boot the target server from the master CD.

The DTK start-up phase mounts the network share specified in the isolinux.cfg file.

The DTK start-up phase runs the script (name specified in the isolinux.cfg file) from the network.

Creating a Bootable CD With Network Stack

You will need a bootable CD to use in a remote deployment. This bootable CD must have the embedded Linux network stack with specific network drivers to facilitate networking. After you have a network share created and populated with all the necessary DTK components and supporting files, you can access all required files by mounting a network share from the target system. You can perform all of these tasks automatically. This deployment method is recommended if a network connection is available to the target

84 Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method

systemthe space on a network share can be very large, and a single set of utilities and scripts can be accessed by many systems, making the deployment process easy to manage.

After a network drive is mapped from a target system to a network share, all of the utilities and scripts are available to use. The master deployment script on the network share can be called from the bootable CD to perform a task or multiple tasks on the target server. For example, pre-operating system configuration tasks can be deployed from the network and operating system files can be installed.

Creating a Customized Bootable CD with Network Stack

See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux" for details on how to create a customized version of a single embedded Linux bootable CD that works across all Dell systems and provides an underlying network stack.

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

You can use the DTK with any existing third-party deployment solution framework that provides a PXE booting infrastructure that can be used as the transport mechanism for the DTK utilities. Because each third-party deployment framework is unique, however, these solutions fall outside the scope of this document. If you plan to utilize a third-party deployment solution framework, keep in mind that the DTK is an embedded Linux-based set of tools and scripts, so the deployment solution framework must also support embedded Linux as a pre-operating system environment.

CD-Based Local Deployment for Embedded Linux

The general CD-based deployment process includes the following steps:

1 Copy the DTK ISO image into a share.

2 Modify the appropriate section in the isolinux/isolinux.cfg file.

3 Reburn the contents into a CD (which will be the master CD).

4 Boot the target server from the master CD.

The DTK startup phase mounts the CD.

The DTK startup phase runs the script (name specified in the isolinux.cfg file) from the CD.

Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method 85

This deployment method is the easiest to assemble, but is the least flexible. Any change to the system configuration, for example, requires the creation of a new bootable CD. This method does not provide a writable media making it necessary to use predefined and tested configuration files.

Creating a Bootable CD

Bootable CDs can be created using any commonly available CD burning software in a two-part process that requires a self-bootable ISO image with drivers that load from system files. When you create a bootable CD, this image is supplied to the CD burning software along with the complete deployment directory structure, which includes all necessary supporting files to perform the deployment. The CD burning software creates an image of the self-bootable ISO image and the deployment files on the CD.

NOTE: See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux" for more

information about creating an embedded Linux-bootable CD.

Using DTK Utilities and Scripts From a Bootable CD

The bootable CD can be configured to start and execute the master deployment file during the booting process. The master deployment file performs all necessary pre-operating system configuration tasks and then installs the operating system from the files in the deployment directory structure on the CD.

NOTE: You must write the master deployment file. This file is not provided with the

sample scripts.

NOTE: You must create a RAMDISK for temporary data storage when using a

bootable CD for a local deployment.

Creating a Customized Bootable CD

See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux" for details on how to create a customized version of a single embedded Linux image that can work across all Dell systems.

86 Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method

Using DTK Utilities and Scripts From a Customized Bootable CD

After the customized bootable embedded Linux CD is created, IT administrators can take advantage of the sample scripts to automate the entire deployment process. In this purely CD-based deployment, it is necessary to add the operating system installation files on the CD media.

Deployment Matrix (Embedded Linux) Depending on the scope, current business needs, network setup, and process, you might select any of the suggested methods of deployment. Table 6-1 outlines four typical methods of deployment and the environment most suitable for each.

Table 6-1. Deployment Method Matrix

Deployment

Methods

Complexity Advantages Disadvantages

Local deployment (bootable CD)

Relatively simple

Necessary if a network connection is not available or is too slow.

Can perform a minimal installation of supported Linux operating systems.

Any change requires the creation of a new bootable CD.

Limited space on CD for some operating system installation files.

Deployment tasks must be performed at the individual target system.

CDs are read-only media and require the creation of a RAMDISK for temporary data storage.

Installation time is high.

Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method 87

Remote deployment over a network (bootable embedded Linux CD with network stack loaded)

Moderate Everything is in one place in a network share.

Easy to manage changes have to be made in only one place.

Data captured (profiles) can be stored in a network share.

Data can be replicated from a network share.

Can install supported Linux operating systems.

Must have network connection.

Deployment tasks must be performed at the individual target system.

Must locate the appropriate embedded Linux network drivers.

Not supported from a mapped NetWare system.

Deployment solution framework from a third-party vendor

Mixed The DTK can be used in the context of third- party deployment solution framework.

Third-party deployment solution framework is used as the deployment transport mechanism.

Tasks and scripts can be pushed to the target systems.

Must either acquire and learn to use or have an existing third-party deployment solution framework.

Table 6-1. Deployment Method Matrix (continued)

Deployment

Methods

Complexity Advantages Disadvantages

88 Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method

After you have determined which deployment method best suits the needs of your organization, you are ready to begin building the DTK deployment directory structure on a network volume. For instructions on installing the DTK components and populating the deployment directory structure, see "Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux."

PXE boot High Everything is in one place on a network share.

Easy to manage changes have to be made in only in one place.

High flexibility for remote deployment.

No media required.

Faster deployment.

Must have high-speed connectivity to network (LAN).

Set up time is longer.

Table 6-1. Deployment Method Matrix (continued)

Deployment

Methods

Complexity Advantages Disadvantages

Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method 89

90 Choosing an Embedded Linux-Based Deployment Method

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux This section describes some of the procedures necessary to begin the deployment process, including:

Downloading and unzipping the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) components, including a comprehensive matrix of the DTK components

Setting up a directory structure to facilitate a successful deployment, including a list of the supporting components that are not included with the DTK, but are needed to use the DTK

Setting up an optimally configured source system

Upgrading Your DTK Version When upgrading from a previous release of the DTK 1.xx version, ensure that you create the new DTK version 2.5 environment separately from your previous version of DTK. This step is necessary because the environments and requirements for DTK version 2.5 are completely different.

Installation for Embedded Linux The DTK components are provided in an ISO image on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. You can use a CD-burning software to burn the ISO image on a bootable CD or loop mount the ISO image to access the image contents.

Perform the following steps to extract the DTK components to a workstation running a Linux operating system:

1 Download the ISO image dtk-2.X-xxxx.iso from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com and save it on your system (where X is the latest version of DTK and xxxx is the latest build for the DTK release).

2 After the image downloads, burn it on a CD.

The directory structure on the CD (after it is mounted) is shown in Figure 7-1.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 91

Figure 7-1. CD Directory Structure

Table 7-1 describes the files, components, and other contents of the mounted CD.

Table 7-1. Mounted CD Contents

Contents Details Location

dchipm32.ini Configuration file for the instrumentation software.

/opt/dell/toolkit/lib/bin

docs Contains:

CLI Reference Guide

Users Guide

/mnt/cdrom/docs

LICENSING Contains all the licenses for the open source components used in this CD.

/mnt/cdrom/ LICENSING

omreg.cfg Configuration file for the instrumentation software.

NOTE: DTK utilities will fail if this

configuration file is not present in

/etc.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

openipmi Contains IPMI drivers and support scripts to install them. These drivers are required for all Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) and Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) related commands.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

92 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

Boot the CD onto a target system. Figure 7-2 shows the directory structure on the target system.

prereqcheck Contains files that are used by srvadmin-openipmi.sh to run preliminary requisite checks.

/mnt/cdrom/tools/ openipmi/ supportscripts

sa.1 Contains the Linux kernel images /mnt/cdrom/isolinux

sa.2 Initial RAM disk containing the embedded Linux component and the DTK tools

/mnt/cdrom/isolinux

Source RPMS (SRPMs)

Contains open source components used in the Dell-provided embedded Linux

/mnt/cdrom/srpms

srvadmin- hapi. .i386.rpm

Contains a set of drivers and libraries used by the DTK tools to interact with the hardware. Used to build your custom ISO.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

srvadmin-omilcore- hapi. .i386.rpm

Contains a set of drivers and libraries used by the DTK tools to interact with the hardware. Used to build your custom ISO.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

srvadmin- openipmi.sh

Checks if the OpenIPMI driver needs to be installed or upgraded, and if required, attempts to do so. Also displays status information and information about any action it attempts.

/mnt/cdrom/tools/ openipmi/supportscripts

start-stage3.sh The startup script used by the toolkit ISO image to boot.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

start-hapi.sh The startup script to load and configure the HAPI drivers.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

start-raid.sh Contains the basic setup for raidcfg to work.

/mnt/cdrom/tools

Table 7-1. Mounted CD Contents (continued)

Contents Details Location

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 93

Figure 7-2. Target System Directory Structure

Table 7-2 describes the contents of the directory structure on the target system.

94 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

DTK Contents The DTK contains embedded Linux-based utilities, sample scripts, sample configuration files, drivers, and documentation for automating the deployment of Dell systems. The following sections provide a complete list of the DTK contents and a short description of each component. For a more complete explanation of the DTK utilities, see the CLI Reference Guide. For an explanation of the sample configuration files and scripts, see "Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux."

System Utilities and Supporting Files

Table 7-3 describes the files, located at /opt/dell/toolkit/bin and the supporting libraries located in /opt/dell/toolkit/lib. See the CLI Reference Guide for complete information about the capabilities of each DTK utility.

Table 7-2. Target System Directory Structure Contents

Contents Details

/lib The libraries and drivers required for embedded Linux to function.

/bin Basic utilities (ls, chmod, and so on)

/sbin Utilities that are required by the system superuser to perform administrative tasks.

/opt The libraries, binaries, and scripts required for the toolkit to function, which are available at: /mnt/cdrom/tools/dell.tar.gz.

NOTE: The /opt/dell/srvadmin directory should be writable.

/var Any run-time variable data that might be required for embedded Linux and tools to function.

/tmp The only safe, writable area. However, you will lose all data in this folder every time you reboot.

/usr Miscellaneous tools and libraries for embedded Linux to function.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 95

Table 7-3. System Utilities and Supporting Files

Toolkit Components Purpose

config.ini Configuration file used by raidcfg.

pci.ids Used with syscfg to report PCI devices.

racadm Wrapper script which invokes racadm3 or racadm4, depending on the remote access controller (RAC) on your system.

racadm3 Configures Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) III, DRAC III/XT, embedded remote access (ERA), ERA/O, and ERA/MC RACs.

racadm4 Configures DRAC 4/P and DRAC 4/I RACs.

rac 5 Configures DRAC 5 RACs.

racadmErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the racadm tool.

racser Chat script to bring up a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection required to transport racadm3.

racsvc3.sh Start-up script for DRAC III, DRAC III/XT, ERA, ERA/O, and ERA/MC RACs.

racsvc4.sh Start-up script for DRAC 4/P and DRAC 4/I RACs.

raidcfg Creates and reports RAID information.

RaidcfgErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the raidcfg tool.

stsvc.ini Configuration file used by raidcfg.

syscfg Reports and configures:

basic input/output system (BIOS) settings and options

baseboard management controller (BMC) settings and options

Maintains system state between reboots

Reports hardware devices and other system-related information

SyscfgErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for the syscfg tool.

sys.ini A .ini file used with syscfg.

UpinitErrorCodes.txt Lists the error codes and messages for upinit.sh.

96 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

Sample Configuration Files

Table 7-4 describes examples of configuration files used to perform a scripted deployment. These files are located at opt/dell/toolkit/template/configs.

NOTE: All configuration files are provided as examples only. These sample

configuration files must be edited before they can be used in any deployment tasks.

Sample Scripts

Table 7-5 lists sample scripts necessary to perform a scripted deployment.

NOTE: All DTK scripts are provided as examples only. Many of these sample

scripts must be edited before they can be used in a deployment. Some customers

may need to develop their own scripts entirely from scratch. Customers deploying

multiple systems must provide unique information for each Dell system where

appropriate. For example, system host names, IP addresses, and BIOS asset tags

need to be unique for each system. The batch scripts and configuration files must

be modified to reflect the unique information for each deployed system. Many

options are available to optimize this process. See "Preparing the Script Files for

Deployment Using Embedded Linux" for information about using the sample scripts

to perform a full deployment on supported Dell systems.

Table 7-4. Sample Configuration Files

Toolkit

Components

Purpose

autoinst.xml Sample file used with unattended installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems.

ks.cfg Sample file used with unattended installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (versions 3 and 4) operating systems.

ks-rhel5.cfg Sample file used with unattended installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (version 5) operating system.

raccfg.ini Sample configuration file for DRAC 4 RACs.

raidcfg.ini Sample output file to enable RAID replication.

syscfg.ini Sample configuration file for SYSCFG utility to configure the BIOS and BMC settings.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 97

Documentation

Table 7-6 describes documents containing reference information for each DTK utility and instructions for using the DTK utilities and sample scripts. Documentation can be found at mnt/cdrom/docs.

Table 7-5. Sample Scripts

Toolkit

Components

Purpose

errhndl.sh Handles errors returned in the DTK scripts.

lininst.sh Performs an unattended installation of a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating system.

partcfg.sh Creates and populates the Dell utility partition and creates the deployment partition on a specified hard drive. Before doing so, however, this script cleans out all existing partitions in your system.

raccap.sh Captures RAC settings to a file.

racrep.sh Applies (replicates) the RAC settings saved in a file to the target system.

raidcfg.sh Configures all RAID controllers detected in a system.

suseinst.sh Performs an unattended installation of a supported SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system.

syscap.sh Captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a file.

sysdrmk Used by upinit.sh to patch the boot sector.

sysrep.sh Applies (or replicates) BIOS and BMC configuration settings and configures the target system.

tkenvset.sh Sets the path of the DTK installation and variables for the specific system being deployed.

upinit.sh Creates and populates the Dell utility partition.

98 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

Drivers and Dell Real Mode Kernel (DRMK)

Hardware application programing interface (HAPI) drivers are essential for DTK tools to work in the embedded Linux environment.

DRMK contains a file necessary to create a bootable Dell utility partition. This file is mbr.

Miscellaneous

The document readme.txt, located at mnt/cdrom/docs, provides the latest product information.

Other Supporting Tools and System Files While the DTK provides all the necessary utilities and scripts for deploying Dell systems, additional applications, utilities, and system files are needed to create the pre-operating system environment in which this toolkit is used. Table 7-7 is a matrix of system files and other tools that you need to use the DTK utilities and its sample scripts.

Table 7-6. Documentation

Toolkit Components Purpose

CLI Reference Guide Describes all DTK utilities, including all command line arguments and values, syntax, help, and examples.

Users Guide Contains best practices guidelines for performing a scripted deployment.

Table 7-7. Supporting Tools and System Files

Additional

Tools

Purpose Source Save in DTK

location

mkfs.* To format hard-drive partitions.

Any system running a Linux operating system.

In the path.

fdisk To partition the hard drive. Any system running a Linux operating system.

In the path.

unzip To unzip files in Linux. Any system running a Linux operating system.

In the path.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 99

1

Setting Up a Directory Structure for Deployment To perform a DTK-enabled deployment, you must create a deployment directory structure on either a network share or your local workstation hard drive. The deployment directory structure is a central repository for all deployment files and can be used successively as a testing space, a repository for a network deployment, and a repository to build a bootable deployment CD. If you plan to perform a network-based deployment, you must set up the directory structure on a network volume that is accessible from your workstation, the source system (to generate configuration information), and the target system (to deploy).

upimg Contains system-specific Dell utility partition files.

NOTE: In the previous

releases, each Dell system

required a unique upimg file.

Beginning this release, the

upimg file is common for all

Dell systems.

/opt/dell/toolkit/ systems, the Dell Support website at support.dell.com, or the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility on the on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD.

/opt/dell /toolkit/ systems

kernel image

Used during a Linux unattended installation.

Available on the first disk of the Linux CD.

/opt/dell /toolkit /systems/linux

initial ramdisk

Used during a Linux unattended installation.

NOTE: For legacy operating

systems, you may need to

load the driver disk. At the

end of the Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Server installation, you

may need to install the

drivers available on the

Systems Build and Update

Utility.

Available on the Linux operating system CD or on the Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD.

/opt/dell /toolkit /systems

Table 7-7. Supporting Tools and System Files (continued)

Additional

Tools

Purpose Source Save in DTK

location

00 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

If you plan to run a scripted deployment from the DTK sample scripts, ensure that the following files are correctly structured in the deployment directory. The DTK sample scripts use this structure to set the default paths for deployment. If you make changes to the directory structure, you must also make changes to the sample scripts. The deployment directory structure consists of the following files:

DTK utilities and files

System-specific directories

Operating system installation files directories

DTK Utilities and Files

All necessary DTK files are provided on the ISO image. The sample scripts provided with the DTK are set up to use the default paths.

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the DTK components that is

different from the one provided in the initial installation, carefully review and edit

each sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

NOTE: The unzip utility is needed to create the Dell utility partition. This utility

should be copied into the /systems folder.

System-Specific Files

The directory /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/system name acts as a central repository for all the system-specific deployment information. The /systems folder acts a repository for the common files required for systems. For example, you can store all profile configuration files for an optimally configured PowerEdge 2850 in the directory /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/pe2850. These files can then be accessed from this directory when deploying multiple PowerEdge 2850 systems. For more information about obtaining Dell utility partition files, see "How to Obtain Dell Utility Partition Files."

This directory can also be subdivided into multiple system-specific directories such as: /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/pe2850 for Dell PowerEdge 2850 systems and /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/pe1850 for Dell PowerEdge 1850 systems. See Figure 7-3.

NOTE: You should mount the network share on to the target system in the master

deployment file you created.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 101

1

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the system-specific files that is

different from the one suggested in this guide, be sure to carefully review and edit each

sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

Figure 7-3. DTK System-Specific File Structure

Creating Operating System Installation Directories for Supported Linux Operating Systems

NOTE: The following procedures are provided as a best practices guideline for

creating operating system distribution folders compatible with the DTK sample

scripts. For complete instructions on setting up an installation directory structure

for an unattended installation, see your operating system documentation.

For deployment of supported Linux operating systems, copy the ISO images for the operating system installation to a folder on your network (for example, /linuxboot). This folder should be accessible after DTK completes its tasks.

Also, copy the following into the /linuxboot folder:

kernel image (from the Linux operating system CD)

initial ramdisk from the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD

02 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

See Figure 7-4 for a sample directory structure for deployment of a supported Linux operating system.

NOTE: If you choose to create a directory structure for the Linux installation files that

is different from the one suggested in this guide, be sure to carefully review and edit

each sample script (where necessary) to reflect the different directory structure.

Figure 7-4. Sample Operating System-Specific File Structure (Linux Operating System)

Configuring a Source System You need an optimally configured system both for testing purposes and as the source for the SYSCFG and RAC configuration files to be used in the deployment process. See "Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture Configuration Information in Embedded Linux" for instructions on using the sample DTK scripts, syscap.sh and raccap.sh, to generate SYSCFG and RAC configuration files that are used to configure the target system.

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 103

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You can use the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility and the Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD supplied with your system to:

Streamline the operating system installation

Setup and configure your system, including automatic discovery and configuration of Dell-provided RAID controllers and network adapters

Access and load the latest utilities, drivers, and diagnostics for your system

Install Dell OpenManage systems management software

NOTE: You can also obtain the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

For complete information about using the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility and the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools, see the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility Quick Reference Guide and the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools Quick Installation Guide respectively, which are available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com and on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD.

After you have loaded the operating system and all applicable device drivers from the Systems Build and Update Utility and Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools, check the Dell Support website at support.dell.com for the latest drivers. Put all necessary drivers to be used in the deployment in the system directory for the target system. For example, if your target system is a PowerEdge 1850, put all necessary files in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/pe1850 directory; or if your target system is a PowerEdge 850, put all necessary files in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/pe0850 directory.

How to Obtain Dell Utility Partition Files

Obtain the Dell utility partition files from /opt/dell/toolkit/systems, the Dell Support website at support.dell.com, or the Systems Build and Update Utility on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD.

RAC Configuration

Configure the RAC on your source system using the racadm utility, if applicable. See the Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide for comprehensive information about using the racadm utility to configure the RAC on your source system.

04 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

After you have successfully prepared your directory structure for a deployment and fully configured your source system, you are ready to write, review, or edit the deployment sample scripts. For instructions on editing the sample scripts necessary to run a full deployment, see "Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux."

Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux 105

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06 Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux This section describes the steps required to use the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) sample scripts to perform a full deployment of a target system in the embedded Linux environment.

There are four main tasks:

Writing the master deployment file and editing the tkenvset.sh script to set the variable values used in the deployment scripts

Editing the supporting task scripts, as necessary

Using the DTK sample scripts to capture basic input/output system (BIOS), baseboard management controller (BMC)(SYSCFG), and remote access controller (RAC) configuration information from an optimally configured source system

Preparing the operating system installation scripts and answer files

Using the Sample DTK Scripts to Run a Full Deployment in Embedded Linux

The Master Deployment File

A scripted DTK deployment relies on the master deployment file to integrate all the applicable DTK task scripts and utilities and perform pre-operating system configuration tasks before launching the operating system installation files. The master deployment file, along with the tkenvset.sh scripts, make up the master set of instructions that drives the deployment process.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux 105

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Editing the Sample Batch Files to Perform a Complete System Deployment in Embedded Linux

Using the Sample Scripts in a Scripted Deployment

The sample scripts utilize the DTK utilities, the additional supporting utilities, the source system configuration files, the target system hardware drivers, and the operating system installation files to perform a full deployment of the target system.

The sample scripts provided with the DTK can be edited and customized using any ASCII text editor that conforms to the hardware available on the target systems. While it is recommended that you use the DTK sample scripts to automate your deployment tasks, you can create your own system deployment batch files using any ASCII text editor by incorporating the various DTK utilities and Linux commands in the batch file.

NOTE: For more information about scripting batch files and specific batch file

commands, see your Linux operating system documentation.

Each of the utilities, scripts, and system configuration files are described below. Depending on your requirements, you may use all or only some of them in your deployment:

The master deployment file You can write your master deployment file to perform a full deployment of a system with the help of utilities, scripts, and configuration files. This file is not provided with the sample scripts.

Table 8-1 lists the scripts you may need in your deployment.

06 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

raccap.sh Captures RAC settings to a file for Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) 4.

tkenvset.sh Used by raccap.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

racadm Used by raccap.sh to retrieve RAC information and to configure settings. The wrapper script, racadm, calls racadm3 or racadm4 depending on the system configuration.

syscfg Used by raccap.sh to configure DRAC 5.

racrep.sh Applies the RAC configuration settings saved in a file to the current system.

tkenvset.sh Used by racrep.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

racadm Used by racrep.sh to replicate RAC information and to configure settings. racadm is the wrapper script which calls racadm3 or racadm4 depending on the system configuration.

syscfg Used by racrep.sh to configure DRAC5.

lininst.sh Performs an unattended installation of a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating system.

tkenvset.sh Used by lininst.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

grub Used to install the operating system in conjunction with the unattended answer file. It also uses the following images in conjunction with the unattended answer file to perform unattended operations:

tkenvset.sh Sets the path of the DTK installation and variables for the system to be deployed and configured. The variables and paths specified in this file must be specified before any of the other supporting scripts can be used.

syscfg Used by tkenvset.sh to discover the system type.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux 107

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syscap.sh Captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a file.

tkenvset.sh Used by syscap.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

syscfg Used by syscap.sh to configure the BIOS and BMC settings.

sysrep.sh Applies the BIOS and BMC settings saved in a file to the current system.

tkenvset.sh Used by sysrep.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

syscfg Used by sysrep.sh to configure the BIOS settings.

initial ramdisk Available on the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility

kernel image Available on the Linux operating

system CD

ks.cfg Used by lininst.sh in conjunction with grub to install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (versions 3 and 4) operating system files.

ks-rhel5.cfg Used by lininst.sh in conjunction with grub to install the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (version 5) operating system files.

raidcfg.sh Configures the selected RAID controller detected in the system.

tkenvset.sh Used by raidcfg.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

raidcfg Used by raidcfg.sh to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

08 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

raidcap.sh Captures the RAID settings and saves them to a file.

tkenvset.sh Used by raidcap.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

raidcfg Used by raidcap.sh to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

raidrep.sh Applies the RAID settings saved in a file to the current system.

raidcfg Used by raidrep.sh to retrieve RAID information and to configure settings.

suseinst.sh Performs an unattended installation of a supported SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system.

tkenvset.sh Used by suseinst.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

grub Used to install the operating system in conjunction with the unattended answer file. It also uses the following images in conjunction with the unattended answer file to perform unattended operations:

partcfg.sh Creates and populates the Dell utility partition and the deployment partition on a specified disk. The partcfg.sh script uses a /tmp folder to store a few temporary files critical to its execution.

tkenvset.sh Used by partcfg.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

fdisk Used to create partitions on your disk. When creating a embedded Linux ISO image, ensure that fdisk is present in the embedded Linux you created.

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux 109

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initial ramdisk Available on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system CD

kernel image Available on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system CD

autoinst.xml Used by suseinst.sh in conjunction with grub to install the operating system files.

This script uses the following file for noninteractive (unattended) operations:

upinit.sh Used by partcfg.sh to create and populate the Dell utility partition.

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

10 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

dtkrunall.sh Applies BIOS, BMC, RAC, and RAID settings saved in the files to the current system.

tkenvset.sh Used by dtkrunall.sh to find the DTK utilities and scripts.

racrep.sh Used by dtkrunall.sh to apply the RAC configuration settings saved in a file to the current system.

sysrep.sh Used by dtkrunall.sh to apply the BIOS and BMC settings saved in a file to the current system.

raidrep.sh Used by dtkrunall.sh to apply the RAID settings saved in a file to the current system.

upinit.sh Creates and populates the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: Do not make

any modifications

to the upinit.sh

script.

tkenvset.sh Used by upinit.sh to inform the task scripts where to find the DTK utilities, scripts, and configuration files.

fdisk Used to create partitions on your disk.

mbr File necessary to create a bootable Dell utility partition.

sysdrmk Used by upinit.sh to patch the boot sector.

unzip Used by upinit.sh to populate the Dell utility partition.

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

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The majority of the editing required for the DTK sample scripts involves the following script. As a result, the majority of the scripting discussion focuses on:

tkenvset.sh

Other task scripts might require edits in certain situations. These optional edits are discussed in "Editing DTK Task Scripts."

tkenvset.sh

The tkenvset.sh script sets the paths for the DTK utilities and scripts and sets the variables for the systems to be deployed and configured. These variables and paths must be specified before any of the scripts can be used.

Specifying DTK Installation Paths

The tkenvset.sh sample script is provided with the following default values. These values must be confirmed, in some cases, and modified, in other cases, before a deployment. Locate the Deployment Toolkit Installation Paths heading to find the following lines:

DT_PATH=$dt_drive/opt/dell/toolkit

DT_TOOLS=$dt_path/bin

DT_SYSTEMS=$dt_path/systems

DT_SCRIPTS=$dt_path/template/scripts

DT_STOP_ON_ERROR=FALSE

DT_DRMK=$dt_path/opt/dell/drmk

mke2fs Used to make a ext2 file system.

upimg.bin Contains the zipped contents of the Dell utility partition.

Table 8-1. Scripts For Deployment (continued)

Capture Scripts Replication Scripts Deployment Scripts Others

12 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

Perform the following steps to confirm and/or edit the installation path variables:

1 Set the variable that defines the path to the full set of DTK deployment files (DT_PATH). This variable is set to $dt_drive/opt/dell/toolkit by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK deployment files, if necessary.

2 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the DTK utilities (DT_TOOLS). This variable is set to $dt_path/bin by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK utilities, if necessary.

3 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the configuration files for your Dell systems (DT_SYSTEMS). This variable is set to $dt_path/systems by default in the sample script. Edit this path to add a subdirectory for the Dell system you plan to deploy. For example, $dt_path/systems/pe1850.

4 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the DTK deployment scripts (DT_SCRIPTS). This variable is set to %DT_PATH%\Template\Scripts by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DTK deployment scripts, if necessary.

5 Set the variable that indicates whether you want the deployment process to exit when any error is returned (DT_STOP_ON_ERROR). This variable is set to FALSE by default in the sample script, indicating that errors will be handed by the errhndl.sh scripts. Set the value to TRUE only if you want the deployment to exit on any error.

6 Set the variable that defines the directory containing the DRMK system files necessary to create a Dell utility partition (DT_DRMK). This variable is set to $dt_path/opt/dell/drmk by default in the sample script. Edit this path to reflect the actual location of the DRMK files, if necessary.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux 113

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Specifying the SYSCFG Variables

The SYSCFG replication file is set to syscfg.ini by default. If you used the syscap.sh sample script to generate the syscfg.ini file, you do not have to edit these default settings. If you have made any modifications to the sample scripts or to the suggested directory structure, you must confirm that the syscfg.ini file is correctly named and that the path is set correctly for your deployment.

To edit the SYSCFG capture variables, locate the following lines in syscap.sh:

set DT_SYS_CAPFILE= $dt_systems/$dt_platform/syscfg.ini

To edit the SYSCFG replication variables, locate the following lines in sysrep.sh:

DT_SYS_REPFILE=$dt_systems/$dt_platform/syscfg.ini

NOTE: If the replication requires a change in the memory redundancy mode, the

target server should be rebooted and the script should be executed again to

complete the replication.

Specifying the RAC Configuration Variables

The IP address for your target system RAC is set in the sample script to 10.98.8.121 by default. Edit this value to reflect the actual IP address of your target system RAC, if applicable. Additionally, the RAC configuration file used to configure your RAC is set by default to raccfg.ini. If you use the raccap.sh sample script to generate the raccfg.ini file, you do not have to edit this default setting. If you have made any modifications to the sample scripts or to the suggested directory structure, you must confirm that raccfg.ini is correctly named and that the path is correctly set for your deployment.

To edit the RAC configuration variables, locate the following lines in raccap.sh:

DT_RAC_CAPFILE=$dt_systems/$dt_platform/raccfg.ini

To edit the RAC configuration variables, locate the following lines in racrep.sh:

# RAC section

DT_NICCFG=10.98.8.121

set DT_RAC_CAPFILE= $dt_systems/$dt_platform/raccfg.ini

14 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

Specifying Variables Used to Create Disk Partitions and Install the Dell Utility

Partition

NOTE: If the primary deployment state (DT_PARTN) is set to off, the

partitioning deployment state subsection is skipped.

The partcfg.sh sample script provides the following disk partitioning default values. These values must be confirmed, in some cases, and modified, in other cases, before performing a deployment. Locate the partn label to find the following lines in partcfg.sh:

DT_PARTN_UP=on

DT_MOUNT=/tmp/up

# Default Hard Drive

DT_HD=/dev/sda

# PARTCFG section

set DT_OS_SIZE=4000

# DELLUP section

set DT_UP_SIZE=32

set DT_UP_IMAGE=$dt_systems/upimg.bin

# RAIDCFG section

DT_VD_SIZE=10480

# default size for virtual disk

NOTICE: DT_MOUNT specifies the mount point of the Dell utility partition. If your

RAMDRIVE, hard drive, or other device already owns this designation, mount will

not override the setting and the utility partition will not be created.

Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux 115

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Perform the following steps to edit the default partition configuration default values, as necessary:

1 Edit the default utility partitioning variable (DT_PARTN_UP=on), if necessary. This variable sets whether you want to install the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: Dell recommends that you install the Dell utility partition.

2 Edit the default variable value for the default hard drive (DT_HD=sda), if applicable.

3 Edit the default variable value (in MB) for the primary operating system partition (DT_OS_SIZE=4000), if applicable.

4 Edit the default variable value for file system type (DT_OS_FSTYPE= FAT32), if applicable.

5 If the DT_PART_UP variable is set to on, edit the default variable value (in MB) for the utility partition (DT_UP_SIZE=32), if applicable.

6 If the DT_PART_UP variable is set to on, edit the default variable value for the utility partition installation package location (DT_UP_IMAGE=$dt_systems/upimg.bin), if applicable.

You should have already copied the upimg.bin file to the proper directory, as instructed in "Preparing the Directory Structure for Deployment in Embedded Linux." Edit this variable only if you have changed the name or path of the utility partition installation package.

Editing DTK Task Scripts

The task scripts called by the master batch file do not require any edits (with the following exceptions) if the default variable values are utilized in the tkenvset.sh scripts. However, if you make any changes to the default values set by the tkenvset.sh, you must make the same edits to the matching default values set in the appropriate task scripts. Locate the "USER MODIFICATION REQUIRED" heading in the task scripts to find the variable values you might need to edit. Each of the following task scripts can be called by the master batch script during a full deployment:

racrep.sh

raidcfg.sh

sysrep.sh

partcfg.sh

16 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

racrep.sh

The racrep.sh sample script applies RAC configuration options to the target system based on configuration information that has been saved in a configuration file. User input is optional, depending on variables set in the racrep.sh sample script. This script uses the racadm wrapper script or the syscfg utility (depending on the version of RAC on your system) to configure the RAC in the target system using the RAC configuration file, raccfg.ini, passed as the first parameter to this script. If this parameter is not passed, the default variables values used in this script are set in the tkenvset.sh scripts. An optional second parameter can be passed to this file, which specifies the IP address to be used to configure the RAC. The raccfg.ini file is generated with the raccap.sh sample script. See "raccap.sh" for information about using the raccap.sh sample script to capture RAC configuration information.

NOTE: For x9xx systems, racrep.sh and sysrep.sh have duplicate functions. If you

run racrep.sh followed by sysrep.sh, the latter overwrites the formers settings.

raidcfg.sh

The raidcfg.sh sample script configures RAID controllers detected on the system. User input is optional to run this script. The parameter is a name or path to a log file. This parameter is not set to any value by default, and no log file is generated. The default variable values used in this script are set in the tkenvset.sh scripts. This script uses the raidcfg.sh utility to automatically configure the detected controllers on your target system. For example, for the first controller discovered, if raidcfg.sh discovers only one attached hard drive, the script tries to create RAID 0; if two hard drives are discovered, a RAID 1 configuration is enabled; if three or more hard drives are discovered, a RAID 5 configuration is enabled.

NOTE: On the detected controller, a RAID virtual disk is created only if the array

disks connected to that particular controller have space available and, where

applicable, are not part of an already existing array group.

sysrep.sh

The sysrep.sh sample script applies SYSCFG options to the target system based on configuration information that has been saved in a configuration file. User input is optional to run this script, depending on the variable settings in the sysrep.sh scripts. This script uses the syscfg utility to configure the BIOS and BMC in the target system using the configuration file,

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syscfg.ini, passed as the first parameter to this script. If this parameter is not passed, the default variables values used in this script are set in the sysrep.sh scripts. The syscfg.ini file is generated with the syscap.sh sample script. See "syscap.sh" for information about using the syscap.sh sample script to capture BIOS and BMC settings. The second parameter is a name or path to a log file. This parameter is not set to any value by default, and no log file is generated.

NOTE: If the replication requires a change in the memory redundancy mode, the

target server should be rebooted and the script should be executed again to

complete the replication.

NOTE: For x9xx systems, racrep.sh and sysrep.sh have duplicate functions. If you

run racrep.sh followed by sysrep.sh, the latter overwrites the formers settings.

partcfg.sh

The partcfg.sh sample script creates and populates the Dell utility partition using upinit.sh and creates the deployment partition on a specified disk. (See "upinit.sh" for more information about using the upinit.sh tool.) User input is not required to run this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the tkenvset.sh scripts.

NOTE: Ensure that DT_HD is set to the required disk to be configured before you

execute the partcfg.sh script.

Using the DTK Sample Scripts to Capture Configuration Information in Embedded Linux The syscfg and racadm utilities can read the source system configuration and duplicate that configuration on a target system using a sample DTK script file. These configuration files are used during a full deployment to configure the target systems BIOS, BMC, and RAC settings. The following sections provide instructions for using the syscap.sh and raccap.sh sample scripts to create configuration files.

18 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

Capturing the System BIOS and BMC Configuration With the syscap.sh Sample Script

You can replicate the system BIOS and BMC configurations from a source Dell system to an identical target Dell system (for example, from one PowerEdge 1850 to another PowerEdge 1850).

NOTE: For the script to complete successfully, the source system must have

access to the network share that includes the prebuilt DTK directory structure.

syscap.sh

The syscap.sh sample script captures BIOS and BMC configuration settings and saves them to a specified location. An optional user input can be passed as a parameter. You can provide the path or file name as an input to this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the script to the correct default values to perform a scripted deployment. The syscap.sh script uses the syscfg utility to retrieve BIOS and BMC configuration settings from the source system and to save the settings in a file named syscfg.ini in the Z:\Dell\Toolkit\Systems\ directory.

Perform the following steps to run the syscap.sh sample script to capture BIOS and BMC configuration information in the syscfg.ini file:

1 Edit the start-up script file on your embedded Linux image to call the syscap.sh script after the network share with the prebuilt DTK directory structure is mounted. For example, add:

source/opt/dell/toolkit/template/scripts /syscap.sh

2 Boot the source system into embedded Linux.

The script runs and saves configuration information in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/ directory.

3 Edit the start-up script file in your embedded Linux image to remove the text you added in step 1.

NOTE: For x9xx systems, raccap.sh and syscap.sh have duplicate functions. If you

run raccap.sh followed by syscap.sh, the latter overwrites the formers settings.

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Capturing the RAC Configuration With the raccap.sh Sample Script

If your system has a RAC, you can replicate the RAC configuration from a source Dell systems RAC to an identical target Dell system with an identical RAC (for example, from one PowerEdge 1850 with a DRAC4/I to another PowerEdge 1850 with a DRAC4/I).

NOTE: For the script to complete successfully, the source system must have

access to the network share that includes the prebuilt DTK directory structure.

raccap.sh

The raccap.sh sample script captures RAC configuration settings and saves them to a specified location. An optional user input can be passed as a parameter. You can provide the path or filename as an input to this script. The default variable values used in this script are set in the script to the correct default values to perform a scripted deployment. The raccap.sh script uses the racadm wrapper script or syscfg utility (depending on the RAC version on your system) to retrieve RAC configuration settings from the source system and to save the settings in a file named raccfg.ini in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/ directory.

Perform the following steps to run the raccap.sh sample script to capture RAC configuration information in the raccfg.ini file:

1 Edit the start-up script file on your embedded Linux image to call the raccap.sh script after the network share with the prebuilt DTK directory structure is mounted. For example, add:

source/dell/toolkit/template/scripts/raccap.sh

2 Boot the source system into embedded Linux.

The script runs and saves configuration information in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/ directory.

3 Edit the start-up script file on your embedded Linux image to remove the text you added in step 1.

NOTE: The RAC configuration file is referred to as the .cfg file in the Dell Remote Access Controller Racadm User's Guide and the Dell Remote Access Controller 4 Users Guide. See these guides for additional information about manually creating a

RAC configuration file.

20 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

NOTE: Do not replicate the RAC IP address when creating a .cfg file. Replicating

the RAC IP address can leave the system inaccessible because multiple systems

are configured with the same IP address.

NOTE: For x9xx systems, raccap.sh and syscap.sh have duplicate functions. If you

run raccap.sh followed by syscap.sh, the latter overwrites the formers settings.

upinit.sh

The upinit.sh tool is used to create and populate the Dell utility partition.

NOTE: You can use this script to create a new Dell utility partition only if there are

no existing partitions on your hard disk.

You can also use this script to upgrade or downgrade an existing Dell utility partition. Upgrades or downgrades can be made only to existing Dell utility partitions to capture BIOS and BMC settings.

NOTICE: The existing Dell utility partition should be the first primary partition on the

hard disk. Also, the Dell utility partition must be greater than or equal to 32 MB and

less than 2 GB.

For details on the command line arguments to be used for upinit.sh, see the Deployment Toolkit CLI Reference Guide.

Preparing the Operating System Installation Scripts

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Operating Systems

The lininst.sh script is used to install supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating systems.

NOTE: While installing Linux, ensure that you install grub in the boot partition.

Otherwise, you will not be able to boot to the utility partition by pressing the F10 key

during reboot.

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lininst.sh

The lininst.sh sample script is used to perform an unattended installation of a supported Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating system. The variables and paths must be specified before the operating system can be installed.

NOTICE: It is strongly recommended that you consult your Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Server operating system documentation and unattended deployment

documentation to develop a thorough understanding of the unattended installation

process before attempting to perform a full scripted deployment.

Utilities Used

grub Used in conjunction with the kernel image and initial ramdisk files, along with the unattended answer file to install the operating system.

Variables Used

DT_OS_DISK Sets the disk on which to deploy the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating system.

DT_OS_SRC Sets the location from where to copy the kernel image and initial ramdisk files.

External Dependencies

The DT_PLATFORM variable is set during deployment by tkenvset.sh using platform discovery.

The lininst.sh script uses the unattended answer file in conjunction with the grub utility and kernel image and initial ramdisk files to install the operating system files. See "ks.cfg (for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Versions 3 and 4) and ks-rhel5.cfg (for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Version 5)" for more information about preparing the unattended answer file.

ks.cfg (for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Versions 3 and 4) and ks-rhel5.cfg (for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Version 5)

Depending on the version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server operating system, the ks.cfg or ks-rhel5.cfg files are the default names of the answer files that you use to automate an unattended Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server installation. A sample copy of the ks.cfg/ ks-rhel5.cfg files are provided as part of the DTK download in the /opt/dell/toolkit/template/configs directory. The ks.cfg/ks- rhel5.cfg files contain the headings and parameters that instruct the installation utility to perform various configuration tasks. Before a full deployment can be run, you must edit all appropriate headings and parameters, as necessary.

22 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

NOTE: The sample file provided to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (version 5) is

named ks-rhel5.cfg. To use the sample ks-rhel5.cfg file to install Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Server (version 5) using lininst.sh, ensure that you rename the file to ks.cfg.

NOTE: See your operating system documentation for instructions on modifying the

options in the ks.cfg/ks-rhel5.cfg file to customize the scripted installation of your

operating system.

When you have completed all necessary modifications of the ks.cfg/ ks- rhel5.cfg file, save the completed file in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/ directory.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Operating Systems

The suseinst.sh script is used to install supported SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems.

NOTE: While installing Linux, ensure that you install grub in the boot partition.

Otherwise, you will not be able to boot to the utility partition by pressing the F10 key

during reboot.

suseinst.sh

The suseinst.sh sample script is used to perform an unattended installation of a supported SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system. The variables and paths must be specified before the operating system can be installed.

NOTICE: It is strongly recommended that you consult your SUSE Linux Enterprise

Server operating system documentation and unattended deployment

documentation to develop a thorough understanding of the unattended installation

process before attempting to perform a full scripted deployment.

Utilities Used

grub Used in conjunction with the kernel image and initial ramdisk files, along with the unattended answer file to install the operating system.

Variables Used

DT_OS_DISK Sets the disk on which to deploy the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system.

DT_OS_SRC Sets the location from where to copy the kernel image and initial ramdisk files.

DT_OS_PART Sets the valid partition to install the grub files.

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DT_OS_IMG_PATH Sets the network share where the operating system files are located.

DT_SUSE_AUTOINST Sets the network share from where the autoinst.xml file can be picked up.

External Dependencies

The DT_PLATFORM variable is set during deployment by tkenvset.sh using platform discovery.

The suseinst.sh script uses the unattended answer file in conjunction with the grub utility and kernel image and initial ramdisk files to install the operating system files. See "autoinst.xml (for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server)" for more information about preparing the unattended answer file.

autoinst.xml (for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server)

The autoinst.xml file is the default name of the answer file that you use to automate an unattended SUSE Linux Enterprise Server installation. A sample copy of the autoinst.xml file is provided as part of the DTK download in the /opt/dell/toolkit/template/configs directory. The autoinst.xml file contains the headings and parameters that instruct the installation utility to perform various configuration tasks. Before a full deployment can be run, you must edit all appropriate headings and parameters, as necessary.

NOTE: See your operating system documentation for instructions on modifying the

options in the autoinst.xml file to customize the scripted installation of your

operating system.

When you have completed all necessary modifications of the autoinst.xml file, save the completed file in the /opt/dell/toolkit/systems/ directory.

After you have successfully edited your deployment scripts, you are ready to create your deployment media and run your deployment. For instructions on creating deployment media and running a full deployment, see "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux."

24 Preparing the Script Files for Deployment Using Embedded Linux

Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux This section provides best practices procedures and scenarios for using the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) to perform pre-operating system configuration tasks and to install supported operating systems on supported Dell systems.

After you have populated the deployment directory structure with all necessary files and carefully edited the deployment scripts and configurations files, you are ready to begin the final stage of the deployment process. Before running the deployment, however, you need to create specific deployment media to facilitate your chosen deployment method. The common deployment scenarios are:

Deployment using Dell-provided embedded Linux

Deployment using customized embedded Linux

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

Deployment Using Dell-Provided Embedded Linux

There are two common scenarios:

Network-based deployment

CD-based deployment

Network-Based Deployment

The procedure below enables you to boot DTK over network and pass parameters (startup script location and name) during boot using the Pre-boot eXecution Environment (PXE) configuration file. This will automatically launch the start-up script off the network share, when DTK is booted.

1 Obtain the ISO image of the embedded Linux available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

2 Burn the ISO image using any commonly available CD burning software.

NOTE: When you create a bootable CD, this image is supplied to the CD

burning software along with the complete deployment directory structure,

which includes all necessary supporting files to perform the deployment.

The CD burning software creates a self-bootable CD when the CD is booted.

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3 Set up the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) services and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) services on your network to boot the target system using Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE).

4 Copy the contents of the embedded Linux DTK ISO image (SA.1, SA.2, and isolinux.cfg) from /mnt/cdrom/isolinux to the tftp folder.

5 The isolinux.cfg file has various boot options. Select the method you want, and edit the isolinux.cfg file for the following:

IP address of the network share

Share path of the network share

Name of your startup script

6 The isolinux.cfg file is ready for PXE-booting. Copy this isolinux.cfg file into the PXE configuration folder.

7 Create your own start-up script and place it in the network share specified in your modified isolinux.cfg file.

8 The modified script is picked up and executed during the boot process.

NOTE: The network share on which you have the scripts and DTK files are mounted

to /opt/dell/toolkit/systems.

NOTE: Ensure that you specify the correct RAMDISK size in the pxe config file

before booting through PXE. (A sample pxe config file is provided in

/mnt/cdrom/isolinux/isolinux.cfg.)

CD-Based Deployment

1 Obtain the ISO image of the embedded Linux available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

2 Burn the ISO image using any commonly available CD burning software.

NOTE: When you create a bootable CD, this image is supplied to the CD

burning software along with the complete deployment directory structure,

which includes all necessary supporting files to perform the deployment.

The CD burning software creates an image of the self-bootable ISO image and the deployment files on the CD.

3 Extract the contents of the ISO image to a folder on your hard drive.

26 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux

4 Copy your custom scripts into the folder you created in step 3. (See "Installation for Embedded Linux" for an example of the folder structure.)

NOTE: Your scripts should also take care of copying miscellaneous items to

unlock the CD, so that the CD can be mounted and ejected as required by the

operating systems installation process.

5 In /mnt/cdrom/isolinux.cfg, edit the cd install section to point to your customized start-up script. In other words, add the share_script option; for example:

label 1

kernel SA.1

append initrd=SA.2 ramdisk_size=55321 Stage3_type=cdrom DEBUG=0 quiet share_type=cdrom share_script=dracupdate.sh

Then, use mkisofs to make your customized CD image; for example:

mkisofs -o usaf.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -iso-level 2 -relaxed-filenames -r -J -pad -boot- info-table /root/usaf/

NOTE: It is important to use mkisofs to make your customized image

because the ISO Linux recognizes only the isolinux.cfg (and all files within

/isolinux). If you do not use mkisofs, DTKs openipmi and HAPI libraries

will not load and most of the Dell Update Packages will not work.

NOTE: The scripts that you copy into the CD will be copied to the RAM disk

and run from the RAM disk. This task is done to ensure the CD is not locked.

Ensure that your sample scripts have valid path names.

6 Copy the directory structure created on your work station into the root folder that you created in step 3. This folder contains the DTK CD, files necessary for operating system installation, and files required for replication.

7 Burn the contents of the folder you created in step 3 to a CD. (Use the isolinux utility to make the CD bootable.)

8 Your ISO image is ready for booting.

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Deployment Using Customized Embedded Linux

Ensure that you have the following basic libraries, Dell toolkit libraries, tools, and utilities required for DTK to work in your customized Linux deployment environment (see Table 7-1 for details on files and RPMs to customize your embedded Linux):

Drivers for all your hardware installed in your embedded Linux (from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com)

Serial port configuration utilities (setserial and stty) for racadm

Installed and working instrumentation drivers (from /mnt/cdrom/tools)

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) tools

Open Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) drivers

Basic libraries and utilities for Linux to execute customized scripts

DTK tools and utilities extracted from the embedded Linux CD ( /mnt/cdrom/tools/dell.tar.gz)

Necessary entries in the ld.so.config file so that the libraries get loaded

Integrate all the above mentioned libraries, Dell toolkit libraries, tools, and utilities into your embedded Linux environment and proceed with deployment.

NOTE: Ensure that the raidcfg executable in the /bin directory is a symbolic link to

the raidcfg in the Dell-provided /lib folder.

NOTE: Refer to start-stage3.sh, start-hapi.sh, or start-raid.sh on /mnt/cdrom/tools

to see how Dell-provided utilities and drivers are loaded.

NOTE: The /opt/dell/srvadmin/shared and /opt/dell/srvadmin/hapi directories

should have Read-Write permissions. Refer to start-stage3.sh and start-hapi.sh for

details.

Using a Third-Party Deployment Solution Framework

You can use the DTK with any existing third-party deployment solution framework that provides a PXE booting infrastructure that can be used as the transport mechanism for the DTK utilities. Because each third-party deployment framework is unique, however, these solutions fall outside the scope of this document. If you plan to utilize a third-party deployment solution framework, keep in mind that the DTK is an embedded Linux-based set of tools and scripts, so the deployment solution framework must also support embedded Linux as a pre-operating system environment.

28 Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Embedded Linux

Running Dell Update Packages in Embedded Linux This section provides best practice procedures and scenarios for running Dell Update Packages in the embedded Linux environment on supported Dell systems.

The common scenarios for running Update Packages are:

Running Update Packages in Dell-Provided Embedded Linux

1 Obtain the required update packages from the Dell Server Updates DVD or from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

2 Save the update packages on a network share.

3 Mount the network share where you saved the update packages and run the individual packages.

NOTE: See the Dell Update Packages for Linux Operating Systems User's Guide for

help on using Dell Update Packages and information on error codes.

Running Update Packages in Customized Embedded Linux

Before running update packages in your customized embedded Linux environment, ensure that you meet the dependencies listed in Table 10-1.

Table 10-1. Dependencies for Dell Update Packages to Run in

Customized Embedded Linux

Update

Packages

Dependency Dependencies Available On

BIOS Instrumentation drivers

dell_rbu

/mnt/cdrom/tools

Kernel

ESM OpenIPMI

Instrumentation drivers

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

Running Dell Update Packages in Embedded Linux 129

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PERC /etc/dataeng

megaraid driver 2.4.2.0

SCSI drivers

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

Kernel

RAC3 /etc/racser

PPP

racser3.sh

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

RAC4 Open IPMI

Instrumentation drivers

racser4.sh

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

RAC 5 Open IPMI

Instrumentation drivers

/mnt/cdrom/tools

/mnt/cdrom/tools

Dell PowerVault 220S

SCSI drivers Kernel

SAS SAS drivers Kernel

Any Update Package

RPM

sysvinit

grep

sed

awk

less

fmt

tar.gz

Linux CD or any open source website

Table 10-1. Dependencies for Dell Update Packages to Run in

Customized Embedded (continued)Linux

Update

Packages

Dependency Dependencies Available On

30 Running Dell Update Packages in Embedded Linux

After ensuring that you have met all the dependencies, run the update packages in your customized embedded Linux environment as follows:

1 Obtain the required update packages from the Dell Server Updates DVD or from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

2 Store the update packages on a network share.

3 Mount the network share where you stored the update packages and run the individual packages.

NOTE: For help on usage of Dell Update Packages and information on error codes,

see the Dell Update Packages for Linux Operating Systems User's Guide.

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32 Running Dell Update Packages in Embedded Linux

Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions This section describes known issues with the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) utilities and scripts, including answers to some frequently asked questions.

Known Issues The following issues are organized by the DTK utility or other function.

General Issues

Virtual disk creation and/or deletion takes a long time on Microsoft Windows PE.

RAIDCFG Issues

If you have created Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 1 with background initialization operation on CERC SATA 1.5/2S, CERC SATA 1.5/6CH, or PERC 3/Di, you cannot delete the virtual disk using RAIDCFG, until the background initialization operation is completed. You must go to the controller basic input/output system (BIOS) to delete the virtual disk and then create another virtual disk using another option.

If you delete a virtual disk on PowerEdge Expandable RAID controller (PERC) 4/IM on Windows PE, you need to reboot the system.

Due to a rounding limitation, for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 5, RAIDCFG can accept a virtual disk size that is 1 MB greater than the maximum allowable virtual disk size when creating a virtual disk. However, RAIDCFG will create the maximum virtual disk size and not give an error. If you need the maximum allowable virtual disk size, it is recommended that you do not provide the size in the CLI and let RAIDCFG calculate the size for the RAID type.

Before creating a virtual disk using RAIDCFG on Cost-Effective RAID Controller (CERC) Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) 1.5/2S and CERC SATA 1.5/6CH, initialize the array disk(s) through the controller BIOS.

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SYSCFG Issues

Setup passwords and system passwords cannot be cleared using DTK.

RACADM Issues

Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) III, DRAC III/XT, embedded remote access (ERA), ERA/O, and ERA/MC controllers are not supported on Windows PE.

Windows PE Installation Issues

If virtual flash is enabled and does not contain a valid image (for example, if the virtual flash contains a corrupt or random image), you may not be able to install Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 locally or remotely. To fix this issue, install a valid image on virtual flash or disable virtual flash if it will not be used during the installation procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions The following questions are organized by the DTK utility or other function.

General Deployment Questions

Q: While running SYSCFG.EXE on a Windows PE image, the SYSCFG.EXE tool silently fails.

A: Ensure that you have built your Windows PE image with the \WMI option. See "Running Deployment Scripts Using DTK and Microsoft Windows PE."

Q: When I use the sample DTK scripts to deploy multiple systems, do I need to edit the configuration files to reflect unique information (such as unique system names, IP address, and BIOS asset tags) for each system?

A: The sample scripts are provided as examples for users who want to develop their own deployment process. You may find that the scripts work perfectly in your environment, or you may need to develop your own scripts entirely from scratch. If you are deploying multiple systems, for example, you will need to provide unique information for each system when appropriate. To perform this task, you will need to modify each .ini (or other configuration script) file to reflect the unique information for each system you are deploying (such as the remote access controller (RAC) IP addresses and BIOS asset tags). There are many options available to optimize this process and it is suggested that you conduct an Internet search for available tools.

34 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When I change my hard drive controller from SCSI to RAID (or RAID to SCSI), the system prompts me for confirmation during POST. How can I stop this from happening?

A: Use the --noraidprompt option with the --embscsiraid option to prevent the system from prompting during POST. Data loss will result from changing the state of the disk controller, so you should be certain before skipping the prompt. There is no method for using the --noraidprompt in the input file. If you want to change the controller state through an input file, you must configure your script to call the SYSCFG.EXE utility twice, once to specify the input file, and once to change the controller state with the -- noraidprompt option.

Q: What do I do if the PARTCFG script fails?

A: Ensure that DT_HD is set to the required disk to be configured before you execute the PARTCFG script.

RAIDCFG Questions

Q: Why does RAIDCFG not give an error message when I use invalid read, write, and cache policies and/or stripe sizes for a particular controller?

A: All RAID controllers have their own default read, write, and cache policies and stripe sizes. It is possible that if you provide an invalid policy or a stripe size for a particular controller, RAIDCFG may not give an error but will and create the virtual disk with the default policy and/or stripe size.

Q: When I execute RAIDCFG with the RAID level of "01," RAIDCFG creates RAID 1, not RAID 01.

A: This behavior occurs because the RAIDCFG CLI parser ignores zeros preceding any parameter value. For example, -r=01 will be parsed as -r=1.

Q: On PowerEdge 1655MC system running embedded Linux, RAIDCFG displays the error: megadev: Bad file descriptor.

A: Ignore this message. The error message is generated by Megalib because it is trying to open a device driver that is not present on your system.

Q: What is strict creation?

A: Strict creation is an optional flag that has been added to the create virtual disk command. It allows you to create virtual disks only if the array disks (that is, hard drives) are within a specified percentage of disk space of each other.

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Q: Why is the drive location of array disks displayed like 0:0:0?

A: The nexus used to display array disks is "channel:target:lun." The Logical Unit Number (LUN) is always "0." The channel and the target IDs are necessary to identify array disks when dealing with SCSI devices.

When dealing with SAS devices, the array disk location is displayed as "channel:target:enclosure." It is possible to have the enclosure value as non- zero. If the enclosure has a non-zero value, then all three numbers (channel, target, and enclosure) have to be included on the command line.

Q: Do I need to specify RAID type and size when creating virtual disk(s)?

A: No. The default RAID type is RAID 0. If RAID size is not provided, the maximum size allowed for virtual disk is created. The mandatory fields required to create virtual disks are the controller slot ID and the array disks.

Q: What is a hotspare (failover drive)?

A: A hotspare is an extra and unused disk drive that is part of an array disk subsystem. A hotspare is always in standby mode. If a disk failure occurs, the hotspare replaces the failed drive without interrupting the system.

Q: What is mr2kserv.exe?

A: This is a service needed to configure all LSI RAID controllers in Windows PE. It provides Plug and Play support.

Q: What features have changed from the MS-DOS version of RAIDCFG to the Windows PE and embedded Linux versions?

A: New features for the Windows PE embedded Linux RAIDCFG include:

Support for the following controllers:

PERC 3/DC, PERC 3/QC, and PERC 3/SC

PERC 4/SC, PERC 4/DC, PERC 4/Di, and PERC 4/IM

PERC 4e/DC, PERC 4e/Di, and PERC 4e/Si

PERC 5/E Adapter, PERC 5/I Integrated, and PERC 5/i Adapter

CERC SATA 1.5/6-Channel (CH), CERC SATA 1.5/2S, and PERC 3/Di (These controllers are supported in Linux only.)

SAS 5iR Integrated, SAS 5iR Adapter

PERC 6/E Adapter, PERC 6/i Integrated, PERC 6/i Adapter

36 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Features that have been removed from the DOS version include:

The --name and --wait options in the create command

The --runlocation and the --scratchlocation options

The --getpercentcomplete environment variables

Q: What is the minimum virtual disk size that I can create?

A: For CERC-SATA 1.5/6ch controllers:

RAID 0: 10MB

RAID 1: 9MB

RAID 5: 9MB

For PERC 3 controllers:

RAID 0: 10MB

RAID 1: 10MB

RAID 5: 10MB

For PERC 4 (except PERC 4/IM) controllers:

RAID 0: 10MB

RAID 1: 10MB

RAID 5: 10MB

For PERC 5 controllers:

RAID 0: 100MB

RAID 1: 100MB

RAID 5: 100MB

For PERC 6 controllers:

RAID 0: 100MB

RAID 1: 100MB

RAID 5: 100MB

RAID 6: 100MB

RAID 60: 100MB

Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions 137

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Q: Why cant I see any controllers using RAIDCFG?

A: Ensure that the RAID controller(s) can be seen in the BIOS during POST. If the BIOS does not detect the controller, then RAIDCFG will also not detect it. Also ensure that the controller is set to RAID mode and not any other mode in the controller BIOS.

Q: What is span length?

A: Span length is the field needed when you try to create a RAID 50. The number represents the span size of the RAID 5.

Q: What pre-operating system environments are PERC 3/Di, CERC SATA 1.5/6ch, and CERC SATA 1.5/2s controllers supported on?

A: They are supported only on embedded Linux.

Q: PARTCFG cannot enumerate the virtual disk(s) created by RAIDCFG. What should be done?

A: A reboot is required for PARTCFG to enumerate virtual disks after creating a virtual disk using the RAIDCFG command.

SYSCFG Questions

NOTE: In a Linux environment, the DTK utilities do not have a .exe extension.

Q: On x7xx systems, when I set arguments for --sata0 and --sata1 using DTK CLI and reboot the system, the BIOS setup shows the earlier settings for -- sata0 and --sata1.

A: You need to set the --idectrl to auto before you can change the settings for --sata0 and --sata1.

Q: On x7xx systems, the BIOS setup shows --conred arguments of --serial1 and --rac, whereas the DTK CLI shows them of --serial1 and --serial2.

A: The --serial2 argument in the DTK CLI corresponds to the --rac argument in BIOS setup.

Q: Can I use the SYSCFG utility to configure Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over the serial port to my access my RAC?

A: No. The baseboard management controller (BMC) firmware does not support PPP configurations for the serial port.

38 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The SYSCFG utility --lancfgparams option has suboptions that configure the IP address, Gateway, and Subnet Mask for the system BMC. There is also a MAC address. Are these the same as the managed systems operating system network parameters?

A: No. The BMC has its own IP address, Gateway, Subnet Mask, and MAC address values.

Q: What is the minimum configuration needed to support BMC Platform Event Filtering?

A: You must enable LAN-channel access "pefalerting" and ensure that you set the BMC IP address and Gateway values for alerting.

Q: I loaded the factory defaults for my systems BMC. Then, I enabled BMC user ID 3. What is the username for this user ID?

A: The default username for user IDs 3 to 10 is NULL.

Q: Can I use this NULL username to remotely log in to a systems BMC?

A: No. Remote login using a NULL username is not allowed. It is recommended that you always provide a non-null, valid username for the user ID when you enable a BMC user ID.

Q: Are duplicate usernames allowed in the BMC?

A: No. If you enter a username value that already exists, the SYSCFG utility returns an error code of 89, which means This username is already in use. Enter a unique username.

Q: In --solcfgparams, when I set the Serial Over LAN (SOL) character send threshold using solcharsendthreshold to be 225, I get a Hardware subsystem error. Invalid data field in request. What are the valid values?

A: The range of valid values for --solcfgparams, --solcharsendthreshold are from 1 to 220.

Embedded Linux Questions

Q: After installing Linux, I am not able to boot to the utility partition by pressing the F10 key during reboot.

A: Recreate the utility partition using the upinit.sh script and install grub in the boot partition.

Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions 139

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Q: When booting DTK through PXE, my system displays error messages, unknown behavior, and also leads to a kernel panic sometimes. However, booting from the CD causes no problems.

A: Ensure that you specify the correct RAMDISK size in the pxe config file before booting through PXE. (A sample pxe config file is provided in /mnt/cdrom/isolinux/isolinux.cfg.)

Q: What is the version of the Linux kernel used?

A: The Linux kernel is derived from 2.6.9-42. The source RPM (SRPM) for the Linux kernel is available on /mnt/cdrom/srpms.

Q: Can I use a 2.5 Linux kernel?

A: Yes. You could integrate the DTK tools into your own embedded Linux. See "Deployment Using Customized Embedded Linux."

Q: Can we use the same sample scripts that we have from earlier versions of DTK?

A: The scripts written for the previous versions (1.x) of DTK will not work in DTK 2.x versions for embedded Linux. See the directory /opt/dell/toolkit/template/scripts for the sample scripts.

Q: After I install a legacy operating system on a newer Dell system, the Linux kernel does not boot and panics.

A: After installing the initial ramdisk image, you could install the driver or you could update to a newer version of the kernel.

Q: After the DTK deployment is complete, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server installation keeps going into attended mode or halts with the message ks.cfg not found.

A: Always use initrd for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server installation from the Dell Systems Build and Update Utility available on the path server_assistant/drivers on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD .

If the initrd is not available for your operating system, try the latest update of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server. Otherwise, you might need to prepare driver disks for your network or disk controller. Use the drivers from the Systems Build and Update Utility available on the path server_assistant/drivers on the Dell Systems Management Tools and Documentation DVD.

40 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Windows PE Questions

Q: My system gets the error Illegal or Missing File Types Specified in Section Files.SCSI.Name during an unattended installation of a supported Windows operating system on supported Dell systems.

A: This behavior can occur when the line in the Txtsetup.oem file under the [Files.SCSI.name] heading is not a supported file type. To resolve this behavior, you must remove the line in the Txtsetup.oem file. The dynamic- link library (DLL) file can be copied to the correct location of the installation by placing it in the I386\$Oem$\$$\OEMDIR folder. (OEMDIR is the destination folder where the file would normally be located, if installed to a running operating system. For example, INF files are normally found in the %SystemRoot%\INF folder. The correct OEMDIR destination can be found by searching the INF file used to install the device or driver.) For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 275334 on the Microsoft website.

Q: When I try to install network interface controller (NIC) drivers into my Windows PE image using DRVINST.EXE [provided in the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) CD], the DRVINST.EXE fails with an error message that there are some files missing.

A: Dell recommends that you use DRIVERINST.BAT (provided with DTK).

However, if you use DRVINST.EXE from Microsoft to install the NIC drivers into your Windows PE image, you need to download and extract required NIC drivers for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 to a common directory. Then, merge the contents of Base_drivers from both. Use the merged contents with DRVINST.EXE to integrate the NIC drivers into your Windows PE image.

Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions 141

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42 Known Issues and Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary

The following list defines or identifies technical terms, abbreviations, and

acronyms used in your system documents.

adapter card

An expansion card that plugs into an expansion-card connector on the system's system board. An adapter card adds some specialized function to the system by providing an interface between the expansion bus and a peripheral device. Examples of adapter cards include network cards, sound cards, and SCSI adapters.

ADS

Automated Deployment Services (ADS) is a feature pack for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, and Microsoft Windows 2003 Datacenter Edition, that lets you deploy Windows Server operating systems onto "bare-metal" servers over large installations.

ANSI

Abbreviation for American National Standards Institute.

API

Abbreviation for application program interface, which is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications that act as an interface between the operating system and application programs.

Argument

The value supplied with an option, such as in the following command line instance:

utilname --option=argument

ARP

Acronym for Address Resolution Protocol, which is a method for finding a hosts Ethernet address from its Internet address.

ASCII

Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A text file containing only characters from the ASCII character set (usually created with a text editor, such as Notepad in Windows), is called an ASCII file.

Glossary 143

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asset tag code

An individual code assigned to a system, usually by a system administrator, for security or tracking purposes.

autoexec.bat file

The autoexec.bat file is executed when you boot your system (after executing any commands in the config.sys file). This start-up file contains commands that define the characteristics of each device connected to your system, and it finds and executes programs stored in locations other than the Active Directory.

backup

A copy of a program or data file. As a precaution, you should back up your system's hard drive on a regular basis. Before making a change to the configuration of your system, you should back up important start-up files from your operating system.

baud rate

A measurement of data transmission speed. For example, modems are designed to transmit data at one or more specified baud rate(s) through the COM (serial) port of a system.

Bash

Bash is the shell, or command language interpreter, that will appear in the GNU operating system. Bash is an sh-compatible shell that incorporates useful features from the Korn shell (ksh) and C shell (csh).

binary

A base-2 numbering system that uses 0 and 1 to represent information. The system performs operations based on the ordering and calculation of these numbers.

BIOS

Acronym for basic input/output system. Your system's BIOS contains programs stored on a flash memory chip. The BIOS controls the following:

Communications between the microprocessor and peripheral devices, such as the keyboard and the video adapter

Miscellaneous functions, such as system messages

bit

The smallest unit of information interpreted by your system.

44 Glossary

BMC

Abbreviation for baseboard management controller, which is the controller interface between the RAC and the managed systems ESM.

boot routine

When you start your system, it clears all memory, initializes devices, and loads the operating system. Unless the operating system fails to respond, you can reboot (also called warm boot) your system by pressing ; otherwise, you must perform a cold boot by pressing the reset button or by turning the system off and then back on.

bootable diskette

You can start your system from a diskette. To make a bootable diskette on a system running Windows, insert a diskette in the diskette drive, type sys a: at the command line prompt, and press . Use this bootable diskette if your system will not boot from the hard drive.

bus

An information pathway between the components of a system. Your system contains an expansion bus that allows the microprocessor to communicate with controllers for all the various peripheral devices connected to the system. Your system also contains an address bus and a data bus for communications between the microprocessor and RAM.

byte

Eight contiguous bits of information, the basic data unit used by your system.

cache

A fast storage area that keeps a copy of data or instructions for quicker data retrieval. For example, your system's BIOS may cache ROM code in faster RAM. Or, a disk-cache utility may reserve RAM in which to store frequently accessed information from your system's disk drives; when a program makes a request to a disk drive for data that is in the cache, the disk-cache utility can retrieve the data from RAM faster than from the disk drive.

CD-ROM

Abbreviation for compact disc read-only memory. CD drives use optical technology to read data from CDs. CDs are read-only storage devices; you cannot write new data to a CD with standard CD drives.

Glossary 145

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CERC

Cost-Effective RAID Controller (CERC) is a half-sized Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) adapter card that provides a way to improve the performance and availability of your storage subsystems.

CHAP

Acronym for Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol, an authentication scheme used by PPP servers to validate the identity of the originator of the connection upon connection or any time later.

CLI

Abbreviation for command line interface.

Command

The combination of an option and argument or just an option if no argument is required, such as in the following command line instances:

utilname --option

utilname --option=argument

command line instance

A series of valid commands, options, and arguments typed in the command line. For example, the Deployment Toolkit (DTK) utility name and all necessary options and arguments as they are entered through the operating system shell:

A:>utilname --option --option=argument

COMn

The device names for the first through fourth serial ports on your system are COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. The default interrupt for COM1 and COM3 is IRQ4, and the default interrupt for COM2 and COM4 is IRQ3. Therefore, you must be careful when configuring software that runs a serial device so that you don't create an interrupt conflict.

config.sys file

The config.sys file is executed when you boot your system (before running any commands in the autoexec.bat file). This start-up file contains commands that specify which devices to install and which drivers to use. This file also contains commands that determine how the operating system uses memory and controls files.

46 Glossary

console redirection

Console redirection is a function that directs a managed systems display screen, mouse functions, and keyboard functions to the corresponding devices on a management station. You may then use the management stations system console to control the managed system.

controller

A chip that controls the transfer of data between the microprocessor and memory or between the microprocessor and a peripheral device such as a disk drive or the keyboard.

control panel

The part of the system that contains indicators and controls, such as the power switch, hard drive access indicator, and power indicator.

conventional memory

The first 640 KB of RAM. Conventional memory is found in all systems. Unless they are specially designed, MS-DOS programs are limited to running in conventional memory.

CPU

Abbreviation for central processing unit. See also microprocessor.

device driver

A program that allows the operating system or some other program to interface correctly with a peripheral device, such as a printer. Some device driverssuch as network driversmust be loaded from the config.sys file (with a device= statement) or as memory-resident programs (usually, from the autoexec.bat file). Otherssuch as video driversmust load when you start the program for which they were designed.

DHCP

Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a protocol that provides a means to dynamically allocate IP addresses to computers on a LAN.

DIMM

Acronym for dual in-line memory module. A small circuit board containing DRAM chips that connects to the system board.

Glossary 147

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directory

Directories help keep related files organized on a disk in a hierarchical, "inverted tree" structure. Each disk has a "root" directory; for example, a C:\> prompt normally indicates that you are at the root directory of hard drive C. Additional directories that branch off of the root directory are called subdirectories. Subdirectories may contain additional directories branching off of them.

DKS

Abbreviation for dynamic kernel support.

DMA

Abbreviation for direct memory access. A DMA channel allows certain types of data transfer between RAM and a device to bypass the microprocessor.

DRAC 4

Acronym for Dell OpenManage Remote Access Controller, version 4.

DRAM

Acronym for dynamic random-access memory. A system's RAM is usually made up entirely of DRAM chips. Because DRAM chips cannot store an electrical charge indefinitely, your system continually refreshes each DRAM chip in the system.

EEPROM

Acronym for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.

EIDE

Abbreviation for enhanced integrated drive electronics. EIDE devices add one or more of the following enhancements to the traditional IDE standard:

Data transfer rates of up to 16 MB/sec

Support for drives other than just hard drives, such as CD and tape drives

Support for hard drives with capacities greater than 528 MB

Support for up to two controllers, each with up to two devices attached

EMM

Abbreviation for expanded memory manager. A utility that uses extended memory to emulate expanded memory on systems with an Intel386 or higher microprocessor.

EMS

Abbreviation for Expanded Memory Specification.

48 Glossary

EPROM

Acronym for erasable programmable read-only memory.

ERA

Abbreviation for embedded remote access.

ERA/MC

Abbreviation for embedded remote access modular computer. See modular system.

ERA/O

Abbreviation for embedded remote access option.

ESM

Abbreviation for embedded systems management, which is a set of instruction coding in system software and firmware that notifies a user about potential hardware problems on a system.

expanded memory

A technique for accessing RAM above 1 MB. To enable expanded memory on your system, you must use an EMM. You should configure your system to support expanded memory only if you run application programs that can use (or require) expanded memory.

extended memory

RAM above 1 MB. Most software that can use it, such as the Windows operating system, requires that extended memory be under the control of an XMM.

external cache memory

A RAM cache using SRAM chips. Because SRAM chips operate at several times the speed of DRAM chips, the microprocessor can retrieve data and instructions faster from external cache memory than from RAM.

Glossary 149

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FAT

Acronym for file allocation table. FAT and FAT32 are file systems that are defined as follows:

FAT A file system used by MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows 98. Windows NT and Windows 2000 also can use the FAT file system. The operating system maintains a table to keep track of the status of various segments of disk space used for file storage.

FAT32 A derivative of the FAT file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes than FAT, thus providing more efficient space allocation on FAT32 drives.

FEPROM

Acronym for flash erasable programmable read-only memory. Flash memory is a kind of nonvolatile storage device similar to EEPROM, but the erasing is done only in blocks or the entire chip.

firmware

Software (programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory (ROM). Firmware can boot and operate a device. Each controller contains firmware which helps provide the controller's functionality.

flash bios

A BIOS that is stored in flash memory rather than in ROM. A flash BIOS chip can be updated in place, whereas a ROM BIOS must be replaced with a newer chip.

flash memory

A type of EEPROM chip that can be reprogrammed from a utility on diskette while still installed in a system; most EEPROM chips can only be rewritten with special programming equipment.

format

To prepare a hard drive or diskette for storing files. An unconditional format deletes all data stored on the disk.

function commands

Commands that specify an action to be performed.

GB

Abbreviation for gigabyte(s). A gigabyte equals 1024 megabytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes.

50 Glossary

graphics mode

A video mode that can be defined as x horizontal by y vertical pixels by z colors.

GUI

Acronym for graphical user interface.

GUID

Abbreviation for Globally Unique Identifier, which is a random number used in software applications. Each generated GUID is supposed to be unique.

HAPI

Acronym for Hardware Abstraction Programming Interface, which is the lowest layer that is installed on the operating system by the Instrumentation Service. This layer is re-used by Dell Update Packages and firmware tools, and flash utilities to access the hardware through a reusable pipe.

h

Abbreviation for hexadecimal. A base-16 numbering system, often used in programming to identify addresses in the system's RAM and I/O memory addresses for devices. The sequence of decimal numbers from 0 through 16, for example, is expressed in hexadecimal notation as: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10. In text, hexadecimal numbers are often followed by h.

HBA

Abbreviation for host bus adapter. A PCI adapter card that resides in the system whose only function is to convert data commands from PCI-bus format to storage interconnect format (examples: SCSI, Fibre Channel) and communicate directly with hard drives, tape drives, CD drives, or other storage devices.

HMA

Abbreviation for high memory area. The first 64 KB of extended memory above 1 MB. A memory manager that conforms to the XMS can make the HMA a direct extension of conventional memory. Also see XMM.

host adapter

A host adapter implements communication between the system's bus and the controller for a peripheral device. (hard drive controller subsystems include integrated host adapter circuitry.) To add a SCSI expansion bus to your system, you must install or connect the appropriate host adapter.

Glossary 151

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HPFS

Abbreviation for the High Performance File System option in the Windows NT operating systems.

HTTP

Abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the client-server TCP/IP protocol used on the World Wide Web for the exchange of HTML documents.

HTTPS

Abbreviation for HyperText Transmission Protocol, Secure. HTTPS is a variant of HTTP used by Web browsers for handling secure transactions. HTTPS is a unique protocol that is simply SSL underneath HTTP. You need to use "https://" for HTTP URLs with SSL, whereas you continue to use "http://" for HTTP URLs without SSL.

ID

Abbreviation for identifier, commonly used when referring to a user identifier (user ID), object identifier (object ID), or hardware identifier (controller ID).

IDE

Abbreviation for Integrated Drive Electronics. IDE is a computer system interface, used primarily for hard drives and CDs.

I/O

Abbreviation for input/output. The keyboard is an input device, and a printer is an output device. In general, I/O activity can be differentiated from computational activity. For example, when a program sends a document to the printer, it is engaging in output activity; when the program sorts a list of terms, it is engaging in computational activity.

internal microprocessor cache

An instruction and data cache built in to the microprocessor. The Intel Pentium microprocessor includes a 16-KB internal cache, which is set up as an 8-KB read-only instruction cache and an 8-KB read/write data cache.

IP address

Abbreviation for Internet Protocol address. See TCP/IP.

IPMI

Abbreviation for Intelligent Platform Management Interface, which is a part of systems management technology.

52 Glossary

IRQ

Abbreviation for interrupt request. A signal that data is about to be sent to or received by a peripheral device travels by an IRQ line to the microprocessor. Each peripheral connection must be assigned an IRQ number. For example, the first serial port in your system (COM1) is assigned to IRQ4 by default. Two devices can share the same IRQ assignment, but you cannot operate both devices simultaneously.

KB

Abbreviation for kilobyte(s), 1024 bytes.

key combination

A command requiring you to press multiple keys at the same time. For example, you can reboot your system by pressing the key combination.

LAN

Acronym for local area network. A LAN system is usually confined to the same building or a few nearby buildings, with all equipment linked by wiring dedicated specifically to the LAN.

local bus

On a system with local-bus expansion capability, certain peripheral devices (such as the video adapter circuitry) can be designed to run much faster than they would with a traditional expansion bus. Some local-bus designs allow peripherals to run at the same speed and with the same width data path as the system's microprocessor.

LPTn

The device names for the first through third parallel printer ports on your system are LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3.

LRA

Abbreviation for local response agent.

MB

Abbreviation for megabyte(s). The term megabyte means 1,048,576 bytes; however, when referring to hard drive storage, the term is often rounded to mean 1,000,000 bytes.

Glossary 153

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memory

A system can contain several different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video memory. Frequently, the word memory is used as a synonym for RAM; for example, an unqualified statement such as "a system with 16 MB of memory" refers to a system with 16 MB of RAM.

memory address

A specific location, usually expressed as a hexadecimal number, in the system's RAM.

memory manager

A utility that controls the implementation of memory in addition to conventional memory, such as extended or expanded memory.

memory module

A small circuit board containing DRAM chips that connects to the system board.

MHz

Abbreviation for megahertz.

microprocessor

The primary computational chip inside the system that controls the interpretation and execution of arithmetic and logic functions. Software written for one microprocessor must usually be revised to run on another microprocessor. CPU is a synonym for microprocessor.

modem

A device that allows your system to communicate with other systems over telephone lines.

modular system

A system that can include multiple server modules. Each server module functions as an individual system. To function as a system, a server module is inserted into a chassis which includes power supplies, fans, a system management module, and at least one network switch module. The power supplies, fans, system management module, and network switch module are shared resources of the server modules in the chassis. See server module.

MS-DOS

Acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System.

54 Glossary

NIC

Acronym for network interface controller.

NTFS

Abbreviation for the Windows NT File System option in the Windows NT operating system. NTFS is an advanced file system designed for use specifically within the Windows NT operating system. It supports file system recovery, extremely large storage media, and long file names. It also supports object-oriented applications by treating all files as objects with user-defined and system-defined attributes. See also FAT.

NVRAM

Acronym for nonvolatile random-access memory. Memory that does not lose its contents when you turn off your system. NVRAM is used for maintaining the date, time, and system configuration information.

option

An argument to a command that modifies its function rather than providing data and is usually set off by a delimiter such as - or /. Some options may or must be followed by a value, for example:

utilname -option=argument

parameter

A value or option that you specify to a program. A parameter is sometimes called a switch or an argument.

partition

You can divide a hard drive into multiple physical sections called partitions with the fdisk command. Each partition can contain multiple logical drives. After partitioning the hard drive, you must format each logical drive with the format command.

PCI

Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect. The predominant 32-bit or 64-bit local-bus standard developed by Intel Corporation.

PCMCIA

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. An international trade association that has developed standards for devices, such as modems and external hard drives, that can be plugged into portable computers.

Glossary 155

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PERC

Acronym for PowerEdge Expandable RAID controller.

peripheral device

An internal or external devicesuch as a printer, a disk drive, or a keyboard connected to a system.

Plug and Play

An industry-standard specification that makes it easier to add hardware devices to personal computers. Plug and Play provides automatic installation and configuration, compatibility with existing hardware, and dynamic support of mobile computing environments.

POST

Acronym for power-on self-test. Before the operating system loads when you turn on your system, the POST tests various system components such as RAM, the disk drives, and the keyboard.

PPP

Short for Point-to-Point Protocol, it is a method of connecting a computer to the Internet.

pre-operating system environment

A shell environment, such as DOS, used to configure system hardware before a major operating system, such as Microsoft Windows or Linux, is installed.

program diskette set

The set of diskettes from which you can perform a complete installation of an operating system or application program. When you reconfigure a program, you often need its program diskette set.

PXE

Abbreviation for Pre-boot eXecution Environment.

RAC

Acronym for remote access controller.

RAID

Acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

56 Glossary

RAM

Acronym for random-access memory. A system's primary temporary storage area for program instructions and data. Each location in RAM is identified by a number called a memory address. Any information stored in RAM is lost when you turn off your system.

RAM disk

A memory-resident program that emulates a hard drive.

read-only file

A read-only file is one that does not allow you to edit or delete it. A file can have read-only status if:

Its read-only attribute is enabled.

It resides on a physically write-protected diskette or on a diskette in a write- protected drive.

It is located on a network in a directory to which the system administrator has assigned read-only rights to you.

readme file

A text file included with a software package or hardware product that contains information supplementing or updating the documentation for the software or hardware. Typically, readme files provide installation information, describe new product enhancements or corrections that have not yet been documented, and list known problems or other things you need to be aware of as you use the software or hardware.

RIS

Provided by Microsoft, you can use the Remote Installation Services (RIS) to install Windows operating systems to any number of client computers simultaneously from a central location.

ROM

Acronym for read-only memory. Your system contains some programs essential to its operation in ROM code. Unlike RAM, a ROM chip retains its contents even after you turn off your system. Examples of code in ROM include the program that initiates your system's boot routine and the POST.

RPM

Abbreviation for RPM Package Manager.

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SAS

Short for Serial Attached SCSI, SAS is an evolution of parallel SCSI into a point- to-point serial peripheral interface in which controllers are linked directly to disk drives.

SATA

Abbreviation for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, it refers to a newer interface standard for PC hard-disk drives. Each SATA port communicates through a small cable, to a single hard drive.

schema

A collection of class definitions that describes managed objects in a particular environment. A CIM schema is a collection of class definitions used to represent managed objects that are common to every management environment, which is why CIM is called the Common Information Model.

SCSI

Acronym for small computer system interface. An I/O bus interface with faster data transmission rates than standard ports. You can connect up to seven devices (15 for some newer SCSI types) to one SCSI interface.

server module

A modular system component that functions as an individual system. To function as a system, a server module is inserted into a chassis which includes power supplies, fans, a system management module, and at least one network switch module. The power supplies, fans, system management module, and network switch module are shared resources of the server modules in the chassis. See modular system.

service tag number

A bar code label that identifies each system in the event that you need to call for customer or technical support.

SMART

Acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. A technology that allows hard drives to report errors and failures to the system BIOS, which then displays an error message on the screen. To take advantage of this technology, you must have a SMART-compliant hard drive and the proper support in the system BIOS.

58 Glossary

SMBIOS

Acronym for system management BIOS.

SNMP

Abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP, a popular network control and monitoring protocol, is part of the original TCP/IP protocol suite. SNMP provides the format in which vital information about different network devices, such as network servers or routers, can be sent to a management application.

SNMP trap

A notification (event) generated by the RAC or ESM that contains information about state changes on the managed system or about potential hardware problems.

SOL

Abbreviation for Serial Over LAN. SOL enables suitably designed servers to transparently redirect the serial character stream of a baseboard UART to/from a remote client over a shared LAN. The architecture requires software running on the managed system's BMC and client software running on a management station and/or a central network proxy.

support commands

Commands that specify how an action should be performed.

syntax

The rules that dictate how you must type a command or instruction so that the system understands it. A variable's syntax indicates its data type.

system configuration information

Data stored in memory that tells a system what hardware is installed and how the system should be configured for operation.

system diskette

System diskette is a synonym for bootable diskette.

system memory

System memory is a synonym for RAM.

Glossary 159

1

System Setup program

A BIOS-based program that allows you to configure your system's hardware and customize the system's operation by setting such features as password protection and energy management. Some options in the System Setup program require that you reboot the system (or the system may reboot automatically) in order to make a hardware configuration change. Because the System Setup program is stored in NVRAM, any settings remain in effect until you change them again.

system.ini file

A start-up file for the Windows operating system. When you start Windows, it consults the system.ini file to determine a variety of options for the Windows operating environment. Among other things, the system.ini file records which video, mouse, and keyboard drivers are installed for Windows.

Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program may change options in the system.ini file. On other occasions, you may need to change or add options to the system.ini file manually with a text editor, such as Notepad.

TCP/IP

Abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A system for transferring information over a computer network containing dissimilar systems, such as systems running Windows and UNIX.

text editor

An application program for editing text files consisting exclusively of ASCII characters. Windows Notepad is a text editor, for example. Most word processors use proprietary file formats containing binary characters, although some can read and write text files.

text mode

A video mode that can be defined as x columns by y rows of characters.

TFTP

Abbreviation for Trivial File Transfer Protocol, a simple form of the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). TFTP uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and provides no security features. It is often used by servers to boot diskless workstations, X- terminals, and routers.

UART

Acronym for universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter. The UART is a system component that handles asynchronous serial communication by converting parallel bytes from the processor into serial bits for transmission (and vice versa).

60 Glossary

unicode

A fixed width, 16-bit world wide character encoding, developed and maintained by the Unicode Consortium.

upper memory area

The 384 KB of RAM located between 640 KB and 1 MB. If the system has an Intel386 or higher microprocessor, a utility called a memory manager can create UMBs in the upper memory area, in which you can load device drivers and memory-resident programs.

URL

Abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator (formerly Universal Resource Locator).

USB

Abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. A USB connector provides a single connection point for multiple USB-compliant devices, such as mice, keyboards, printers, and computer speakers. USB devices can also be connected and disconnected while the system is running.

utility

A program used to manage system resourcesmemory, disk drives, or printers, for example.

utility partition

A bootable partition on the hard drive that provides utilities and diagnostics for your hardware and software. When activated, the partition boots and provides an executable environment for the partition's utilities.

UUID

Abbreviation for Universal Unique Identification.

variable

A component of a managed object. A temperature probe, for example, has a variable to describe its capabilities, its health or status, and certain indexes that you can use to help you in locating the right temperature probe.

VESA

Acronym for Video Electronics Standards Association.

Glossary 161

1

virtual memory

A method for increasing addressable RAM by using the hard drive. For example, in a system with 16 MB of RAM and 16 MB of virtual memory set up on the hard drive, the operating system would manage the system as though it had 32 MB of physical RAM.

VT-100

Abbreviation for Video Terminal 100, which is used by the most common terminal emulation programs.

WAN

Abbreviation for wide area network.

Web server

An application that makes Web pages available for viewing by Web browsers using the HTTP protocol.

WH

Abbreviation for watt-hour(s).

win.ini file

A start-up file for the Windows operating system. When you start Windows, it consults the win.ini file to determine a variety of options for the Windows operating environment. Among other things, the win.ini file records what printer(s) and fonts are installed for Windows. The win.ini file also usually includes sections that contain optional settings for Windows application programs that are installed on the hard drive. Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program may change options in the win.ini file. On other occasions, you may need to change or add options to the win.ini file manually with a text editor such as Notepad.

winbom.ini

A .ini file that provides a bill-of-materials to incorporate into the Windows installation. winbom.ini can control different points of the installation and configuration process: for example, it can control Windows preinstallation when starting from the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE), or Windows XP configuration during Windows Welcome.

62 Glossary

Windows 95

An integrated and complete Microsoft Windows operating system that does not require MS-DOS and that provides advanced operating system performance, improved ease of use, enhanced workgroup functionality, and simplified file management and browsing.

Windows NT

High-performance server and workstation operating system software developed by Microsoft that is intended for technical, engineering, and financial applications.

Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)

The Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) is a minimal Win32 subsystem with limited services, based on the Windows kernel running in protected mode. It contains the minimal functionality that you need to run Windows Setup, install an operating system from a network share, automate basic processes, and perform hardware validation.

write-protected

Read-only files are said to be write-protected. You can write-protect a 3.5-inch diskette by sliding its write-protect tab to the open position or by setting the write-protect feature in the System Setup program.

XMM

Abbreviation for extended memory manager, a utility that allows application programs and operating systems to use extended memory in accordance with the XMS.

XMS

Abbreviation for eXtended Memory Specification.

X Windows system

The graphical user interface used in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server environment.

Glossary 163

1

64 Glossary

Index

C

capturing configuration information

embedded Linux, 118

Windows PE, 68

capturing the system BIOS & BMC configuration

embedded Linux, 119

Windows PE, 68

CD-Based local deployment

embedded Linux, 85

Windows PE, 27

CD-Based local deployment, networking enabled

embedded Linux, 84

Windows PE, 28

choosing a deployment method

embedded Linux, 83

Windows PE, 27

configuration files, 11

configuring an optimally configured source system

embedded Linux, 103

contents

DTK embedded Linux, 95

DTK Windows PE, 36

creating a master file

master batch file in Windows PE, 55

creating deployment directory structure

embedded Linux, 100

Windows PE, 43

creating disk partitions

embedded Linux, 115

Windows PE, 64

D

Dell Real Mode Kernel

embedded Linux, 99

Windows PE, 42

deployment directory structure

embedded Linux, 101

overview, 33, 91

Windows PE, 44

deployment matrix

embedded Linux, 87

Windows PE, 30

deployment methods, 18

deployment overview

CD-Based, 22

network-based, 21

deployment prerequisites

embedded Linux, 17

Windows PE, 16

document organization, 11

Index 165

1

drivers

embedded Linux, 99

Windows PE, 41

DTK, 95

embedded Linux contents, 95

installing, 91, 104

DTK deployment overview, 19

DTK prerequisites and requirements, 14

E

editing DTK task scripts

embedded Linux, 116

Windows PE, 66

editing the files

embedded Linux, 106

Windows PE, 55

embedded Linux contents

DTK, 95

I

installation prerequisites

embedded Linux, 15

Windows PE, 15

installing DTK, 91, 104

embedded Linux, 91

M

Master Batch File

sample, 54

what is, 54

O

operating system installation files

embedded Linux, 102

Windows PE, 46

overview

deploying, 21

preparing for deployment, 19

P

performing a scripted deployment

embedded Linux, 106

Windows PE, 55

preparing operating system installation scripts

embedded Linux, 121

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, 121

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, 123

Windows PE, 71

66 Index

prerequisites for deployment

embedded Linux, 17

Windows PE, 16

prerequisites for installation

embedded Linux, 15

Windows PE, 15

R

RAC

configuring, 51

Running, 129

running a scripted deployment

embedded Linux, 129

Windows PE 2.0, 80

Windows PE 2005, 75

running a scripted deployment, embedded Linux

network-based deployment, 129

third-party deployment solution framework, 128

using customized embedded Linux, 128

using Dell-provided embedded Linux, 125

running a scripted deployment, using Dell-provided embedded Linux

CD-based deployment, 126

Network-based deployment, 125

running a scripted deployment, Windows PE

burning ISO image on a CD, 79, 81

CD-Based local deployment, 79, 81

CD-Based local deployment, networking enabled, 79, 81

copying tools from OPK, 75

creating a standard Windows PE, 76

creating bootable Windows PE ISO image, 78

integrating DTK directory structure, 77

third-party deployment solution framework, 79, 81

Running Update Packages

customized embedded linux, 129

Dell-provided embedded linux, 129

S

sample configuration files

embedded Linux, 97

Windows PE, 37

sample script files

master deployment file for embedded Linux, 112

sample scripts

embedded Linux, 97

Windows PE, 39

Index 167

1

scripted deployment in embedded Linux

autoinst.xml, 124

capturing the RAC configuration, 120

ks.cfg, 122

lininst.sh, 107, 122

partcfg.sh, 109, 118

raccap.sh, 120

raccfg.sh, 107

racrep.sh, 117

raidcfg.sh, 108, 117

suseinst.sh, 123

sysrep.sh, 108, 117

tkenvset.sh, 107

upinit.sh, 111, 121

scripted deployment in Windows PE

capturing the RAC configuration, 69

PARTCFG.BAT, 58, 68

RACCAP.BAT, 69

RACCFG.BAT, 56

RACREP.BAT, 66

RAIDCFG.BAT, 57, 67

SYSCAP.BAT, 68

SYSREP.BAT, 57, 61, 67

TKENVSET.BAT, 56, 62

UNATTEND.TXT, 72

UPINIT.BAT, 60, 70

W2K8INST.BAT, 73

WININST.BAT, 56, 71

specifying DTK installation paths

embedded Linux, 112

Windows PE, 62

supported operating systems

deploy embedded Linux, 18

deploy Windows PE, 18

to deploy, 18

to run DTK utilities, embedded Linux, 15

to run DTK utilities, Windows PE, 15

supported operating systems to run DTK

embedded Linux, 15

Windows PE, 15

supported systems, 15

supporting documentation

other dell documents you might need, 23

other documents you might need, 24

supporting tools and system files

embedded Linux, 99

Windows PE, 42

system utilities and supporting files

embedded Linux, 95

Windows PE, 36

system-specific deployment files

embedded Linux, 101

Windows PE, 44

68 Index

U

upgrading

embedded Linux, 91

Windows PE, 33

using the DTK sample scripts

embedded Linux, 105

preparing for a full deployment, 53, 105

Windows PE, 54

utilities and files needed for deployment

embedded Linux, 101

Windows PE, 44

W

whats new for this release, 14

Windows PE contents

DTK, 36

Index 169<

Manualsnet FAQs

If you want to find out how the OpenManage Connection Dell works, you can view and download the Dell OpenManage Connection Deployment Toolkit V2.5 Software User's Guide on the Manualsnet website.

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