Chapter 1. New and Changed Information for this Release

New and Changed Information

Chapter 2. Overview

Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Minimum System Requirements

Guidelines and Limitations

Network Configuration Options

Provisioning Bare Metal Servers through Bare Metal Agent

Provisioning Bare Metal Servers Through Cisco UCS Director

Upgrade of Bare Metal Agent

Chapter 3. Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on VMware vSphere

Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on Microsoft Hyper-V

Chapter 4. Configuring Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Adding a Bare Metal Agent Account

Configuring the DHCP Server for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Configuring the Interface for the PXE Network

Adding an NFS Mount Point

Chapter 5. Managing Bare Metal Agent

Changing the Default Bare Metal Agent Account

Starting and Stopping Bare Metal Agent Services

Checking the Status of a Bare Metal Agent

Viewing the DHCP Configuration for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Viewing the DHCP Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Viewing the Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Viewing Operating System Images

Viewing PXE Service Requests

Chapter 6. Adding Non-Windows OS Images

Adding a Non-Windows OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Manually Adding a Linux OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Manually Adding a VMware vSphere ESXi OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Chapter 7. Adding Windows OS Images

Windows Operating Systems Images for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Guidelines and Limitations for Windows Operating System Images

Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Creating a Customized WinPE

Creating a Boot Configuration Data File

Verifying the Version of the Windows Installation Files

Customizing and Copying the WinPE.wim and PXE Boot Files

Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder Path

Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012

Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012 R2

Installing and Setting Up the Boot Configuration Data File

Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder

Chapter 8. Provisioning OS Images through Orchestration Workflow Tasks

Orchestration Workflow Tasks for PXE Boot

Prerequisites for Workflows with PXE Boot Tasks

Execution of the Setup PXE Boot Tasks

Determining the Windows OS Edition

Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot Task

Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection Task

Inputs for the Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

Outputs from the Setup PXE Boot Task and Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

Creating a PXE Boot Request in Cisco UCS Director

PXE Boot States

Monitor PXE Boot Setup Task

Inputs for the Monitor PXE Boot Task

Outputs from the Monitor PXE Boot Task

Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

Inputs for the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

Outputs from the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

Injecting Drivers When Installing RHEL 7 or CentOS 7 on UCS Modular Servers

Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

Files and Folders Used In Simultaneous Deployment

Example: Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

Appendix A. Sample Operating System Configuration Template Files

Sample Kickstart Configuration Template File for Linux Operating Systems

Sample PXE Configuration Template File for Linux Operating Systems

Sample Kickstart Configuration Template File for VMware vSphere ESXi Operating Systems

Sample PXE Configuration Template File for VMware vSphere ESXi Operating Systems

Sample Windows Answer File

Appendix B. Ports

Cisco UCS Director TCP and UDP Port Usage

Port List

Preface

Audience

Recommended Knowledge

Conventions

Related Documentation

Documentation Feedback

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

Copyright Page

Chapter 1. New and Changed Information for this Release

This chapter contains the following section:

- New and Changed Information

New and Changed Information

The following table provides an overview of the significant changes to this guide for the current release. The table does not provide an exhaustive list of all changes made to this guide or of all new features in this release.

Feature

Description

Where Documented

Creating a Samba user

You now have the option to create a Samba user when adding Bare Metal Agent account to Cisco UCS Director.

Adding a Bare Metal Agent Account

Bare metal server provisioning policy

You can now provision bare metal servers through Cisco UCS Director by using a pre-defined bare metal server provisioning policy. To create this policy, create a bare metal server catalog, and then create a service request with bare metal catalog type.

Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide

Chapter 2. Overview

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

- Minimum System Requirements

- Guidelines and Limitations

- Network Configuration Options

- Provisioning Bare Metal Servers through Bare Metal Agent

- Provisioning Bare Metal Servers Through Cisco UCS Director

- Upgrade of Bare Metal Agent

Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent (BMA) automates the process of using a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) to install operating systems on bare metal servers or virtual machines. Bare Metal Agent provides the following services that are required for a functional PXE install environment:

- Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP)

- Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

- Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)

When this environment is operational and Bare Metal Agent and Cisco UCS Director are correctly configured, you can build PXE installation tasks into any Cisco UCS Director infrastructure workflow.

You can access Bare Metal Agent through Secure Shell (SSH). You can also perform services on Bare Metal Agent, such as DHCP configuration and starting and stopping services, through Cisco UCS Director. A single Cisco UCS Director node can support multiple Bare Metal Agent applications.

Minimum System Requirements

For proper installation and operation of Bare Metal Agent, your environment must meet the minimum system requirements.

Minimum Requirements for VMware vSphere

Name

Requirements

VMware vCenter Server

4.0 and later

Minimum reservation in VMware vCenter

Minimum number of CPUs—2

Memory—3 GB

Hard disk—40 GB

Minimum Requirements for Microsoft Hyper-V

Name

Requirements

Hyper-V

Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012 with one of the following:

- 2.0

- 3.1

Minimum reservation in Hyper-V

Minimum number of CPUs—2

Memory—3 GB

Hard disk—40 GB

Guidelines and Limitations

Before you install Bare Metal Agent, take note of the following guidelines and limitations.

Bare Metal Agent Connections

Each Bare Metal Agent application can connect to only one Cisco UCS Director node.

Network Availability

After installation and configuration, your environment must have the following network availability:

- Bare Metal Agent must be able to reach Cisco UCS Director over the network.

- Cisco UCS Director must be able to reach Bare Metal Agent over the network.

- The bare metal servers (blade or rack) must be able to reach the DHCP network of the Bare Metal Agent during the initial stage of operating system installation over PXE.

DHCP Configuration

If you use DHCP, locate a DHCP server in the same PXE VLAN as Bare Metal Agent. Then configure that DHCP server with the IP address range required by your DHCP server.

VLAN Configuration

When setting up the network configuration, the most common configuration uses one PXE VLAN and one Management VLAN (separate VLANs). However, Bare Metal Agent supports one VLAN for both, if you prefer.

Configure the VLANs end-to-end between Cisco UCS, Cisco UCS Director, and Bare Metal Agent. However, when you configure Bare Metal Agent, do not assume that routing occurs between the PXE_VLAN Layer 2 network and the Management VLAN network.

If you configure Bare Metal Agent to use DHCP, locate and configure the DHCP server in the PXE VLAN and its subnet. This DHCP server serves the transient IP address required for the PXE process. In an environment with two VLANs, the server is allocated an IP address from the subnet of the Management VLAN. An IP address pool managed by Cisco UCS Director assigns this IP address.

If you configure Bare Metal Agent with two VLANs, set up two IP address attributes:

- An IP address for Bare Metal Agent in the PXE VLAN

- A second IP address for Bare Metal Agent in the Management VLAN

TFTP Server

With Bare Metal Agent, use the Cisco UCS Director TFTP server to ensure that configurations such as dynamic variables function properly.

When you add a Bare Metal Agent account, Bare Metal Agent configures the TFTP server when services are started.

Network Configuration Options

You can choose between the following network configuration options for Bare Metal Agent

- Single network for management and Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)

- Separate networks for management and PXE

Choose the network configuration option that best meets the requirements of your environment.

Single Network for Management and PXE

We recommend that you choose this network configuration option if your environment permits the following to be hosted on the same network interface and Layer 2 network (see the following figure):

- Services provided by Bare Metal Agent, such as DHCP, TFTP, and HTTP

- Management traffic between Bare Metal Agent and Cisco UCS Director or other devices and appliances

Sample Topology for a Single Network

Separate Networks for Management and PXE

We recommend that you choose this network configuration option if your environment does not permit the following to be hosted on the same network interface and Layer 2 network (see the following figure):

- On the PXE network, services provided by Bare Metal Agent, such as DHCP, TFTP, and HTTP

- On the Management network, traffic between Bare Metal Agent and Cisco UCS Director or other devices and appliances

Sample Topology for Separate PXE and Management Networks

Prerequisites and Assumptions for a Network Configuration

Make sure that your environment meets the following prerequisites for Bare Metal Agent network configuration:

- Cisco UCS Director has been installed and the network interface configured, as described in the appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide.

- Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent is reachable through a web browser and you can log in.

- Bare Metal Agent has been installed, and no additional configuration has been performed.

- For a single network configuration, make sure that the required single Management and PXE VLAN is provisioned and available as a virtual port group or port profile that virtual machines (VMs) can be attached to or leveraged.

- For a separate network configuration, make sure that the following networks are provisioned and available as a virtual port group or port profile that VMs can be attached to or leveraged:

- Management (MGMT) network—Used for traffic between Bare Metal Agent and Cisco UCS Director

- PXE network—Used for PXE services traffic, such as DHCP, HTTP, and TFTP

Provisioning Bare Metal Servers through Bare Metal Agent

The process involved in installing operating systems on bare metal servers through Bare Metal Agent is as follows:

- Install Bare Metal Agent. See Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

- Configure Bare Metal Agent. See Configuring Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

- Add OS images in Bare Metal Agent. See Adding Windows OS Images or Adding Non-Windows OS Images.

- Deploy OS images on bare metal servers through workflow tasks. See Provisioning OS Images through Orchestration Workflow Tasks.

For managing Bare Metal Agent operations through Cisco UCS Director, see Managing Bare Metal Agent.

Provisioning Bare Metal Servers Through Cisco UCS Director

You can now provision bare metal servers through Cisco UCS Director by using a pre-defined bare metal server provisioning policy. To create this policy, create a bare metal server catalog, and then create a service request with bare metal catalog type.

For more information, see Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide.

Upgrade of Bare Metal Agent

For detailed information on upgrading Bare Metal Agent, see the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide.

Chapter 3. Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on VMware vSphere

- Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on Microsoft Hyper-V

Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on VMware vSphere

Before You Begin

- You must have system administrator privileges for VMware vSphere or vCenter.

- If you want to use a static IP address rather than DHCP, you must know the following information:

- IP address

- Subnet mask

- Default gateway

Step 1

On the Cisco.com download site for Cisco UCS Director, download Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent and unzip the OVF file.

Step 2

Log in to VMware vSphere Client.

Step 3

In the Navigation pane, click the vSphere host on which you want to deploy Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

Step 4

Choose File > Deploy OVF Template.

Step 5

In the Source screen of the Deploy OVF Template window, do one of the following to choose your OVF source location and then click Next:

- If the OVF file is stored on your local computer, browse to the location, choose the file, and click Open.

- If the OVF file is stored on a server on your local area network, enter the location of the file including the IP address or fully qualified domain name of the server.

Step 6

In the OVF Template Details screen, verify the details and click Next.

Step 7

In the End User License Agreement screen, review the license agreement and click Accept.

Step 8

In the Name and Location screen, do the following:

1. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the VM.

2. In the Inventory Location area, choose the location where you want the VM to reside.

3. Click Next.

Step 9

In the Storage screen, choose the storage location for the VM and click Next.

Step 10

In the Disk Format screen, click Next to accept the default radio button for Thick Provision (Lazy Zeroed) format.

Step 11

In the Network Mapping screen, choose the network for the VM and click Next.

Step 12

In the Properties screen, do the following:

1. In the BMA Root User Password field, enter the password that you want to use as the root password.

2. Configure the IP addresses for both the NICs (eth0 and eth1) that you want to assign, as follows:

- To use DHCP to assign the IP addresses, leave the default of 0.0.0.0 in the IP address fields.

- To use static IP addresses, enter the desired IP addresses in the IP address fields. If you only want to configure one NIC, only complete one set of IP addresses and leave the second set at the default.

3. Click Next.

Step 13

In the Ready to Complete screen, verify the settings and click Finish.
A message appears to indicate that Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent is being deployed.

Step 14

In the Navigation pane, right-click the VM host and choose Edit Settings.

Step 15

Make sure that the VM host has sufficient resources to power on.
For more information about the required resources, see Minimum System Requirements.

Step 16

Power on the VM.

Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on Microsoft Hyper-V

Note

We recommend that you deploy Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent on the Hyper-V Manager host, rather than the Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) console.

Before You Begin

- You must have system administrator privileges for Microsoft Hyper-V.

- If you want to use a static IP address rather than DHCP, you must know the following information:

- IP address

- Subnet mask

- Default gateway

Step 1

On the Cisco.com download site for Cisco UCS Director, download Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent and unzip the *.vhd file into a folder.

Step 2

Log into the Hyper-V host.

Step 3

Choose Start > Administrative Tools to open Hyper-V Manager.

Step 4

In the Hyper-V Manager dialog box, choose Action > New Virtual Machine.

Step 5

In the Before You Begin pane, click Next to accept the custom configuration option.

Step 6

In the Specify Name and Location pane, enter a unique name for the virtual machine (VM) name in the Name field.

Step 7

In the Name and Location pane, do the following:

1. Check the Store the virtual machine in a different location checkbox.

2. Enter the alternate location.

3. Click Next.

Step 8

In the Assign Memory pane, enter the amount of memory to allocate to this VM (3 GB minimum) and click Next.

Step 9

In the Configure Networking pane, in the Connection field, click Next to accept the Not Connected default option.

Step 10

In the Connect Virtual Hard Disk pane, click Next to accept the Attach a virtual disk later default option.

Step 11

In the Completing the New Virtual Machine Wizard pane, verify the settings and click Finish.

Step 12

In the left pane, right-click the VM and choose Edit Settings.

Step 13

Delete the existing network adapter and click Apply.

Step 14

In the Navigation pane, click Processor.

Step 15

In the Number of virtual processors field, enter 2 vCPU.

Step 16

In the Navigation pane, click Add Hardware.

Step 17

In the Add Hardware pane, choose the Legacy Network Adapter and click OK.

Step 18

In the Legacy Network Adapter pane, in the Virtual Switch drop-down list, choose the virtual network device.

Step 19

In the Navigation pane, click IDE Controller.

Step 20

In the IDE Controller pane, choose Hard Drive and click Add.

Step 21

Browse to the .vhd file and choose it.

Step 22

Click Apply, and then click OK.

Step 23

Power on the VM to configure network properties.
Optionally, you can configure network properties from the Shell Admin.

What to Do Next

After Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent has started, configure DHCP or a static IP address.

Chapter 4. Configuring Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Adding a Bare Metal Agent Account

- Configuring the DHCP Server for a Bare Metal Agent Account

- Configuring the Interface for the PXE Network

- Adding an NFS Mount Point

Adding a Bare Metal Agent Account

Before You Begin

Before you add a Bare Metal Agent account, do the following:

- Make sure that the Bare Metal Agent is installed.

- Make sure that the Bare Metal Agent VM is completely booted up, and that the VM Console is closed. You must have the IP address of the Bare Metal Agent VM.

- Set up the environment required to support a single or separate PXE and Management network configuration, with the appropriate VLANs.

- To provide required DHCP services, ensure that at least one DHCP server is located in the same PXE VLAN as Bare Metal Agent and configure that DHCP server with an appropriate IP address range.

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

In the Add Bare Metal Agent Appliance dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name

Description

Account Name field

The name you assign to this Bare Metal Agent account.

Description field

(Optional) A description of this Bare Metal Agent.

Bare Metal Agent uses different interfaces for mgmt and PXE traffic box

Check this box if your configuration uses separate networks for the PXE server and the management network that hosts the traffic manager.

Management/PXE Address field

The IP address assigned to the Management network for Bare Metal Agent. If your configuration uses a single network for the Management and PXE networks, this IP address is automatically assigned as the PXE address.

Note:
This address must be reachable from Cisco UCS Director.

PXE Interface Address field

The IP address for the Bare Metal Agent PXE network, if your configuration uses separate networks.

Note:
This field appears only if the Bare Metal Agent uses Different Interfaces for Management and PXE Traffic box has been checked.

Login ID field

An account with administrative privileges that you can use to log in to Bare Metal Agent.

Password field

The password for the account.

Enable Samba service for Windows PXE box

Samba is used for Bare Metal Agent to install Windows Operating Systems. Check this box if you want to install Windows Operating Systems.

Samba Password field

Enter the password for the Samba service.

Confirm Samba Password field

Confirm the password for the Samba service.

Location field

(Optional) The location of this Bare Metal Agent, such as a physical location.

Database Address drop-down list

Choose the IP address that is associated with the Cisco UCS Director database that this Bare Metal Agent will use.

Note:
If you are configuring Bare Metal Agent for multi-node deployment, choose the IP address of the Inventory Database node.

Step 4

Click Submit.

What to Do Next

Configure the DHCP Server for Bare Metal Agent.

Configuring the DHCP Server for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Note

For a multi-home DHCP configuration, use this procedure to configure the first subnet for the DHCP server. For the remaining subnets, you must manually edit the DHCP configuration file (/etc/dhcpd.conf).

Before You Begin

To provide required DHCP services, ensure that at least one DHCP server is located in the same PXE VLAN as Bare Metal Agent. Configure the DHCP server with an appropriate IP address range. The DHCP server, together with the TFTP server, is used to communicate with a PXE server.

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco UCS Director server with the following credentials:

1. User—admin

2. Password—admin

Step 2

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 3

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 4

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to configure the DHCP server.

Step 5

Click Service Status to verify that services for the Bare Metal Agent account are stopped.

Step 6

Click Configure DHCP.

Step 7

In the Configure DHCP dialog box, complete the following fields and click Submit.

- DHCP Subnet

- DHCP Netmask

- DHCP Start IP

- DHCP End IP

- Router IP Address

The DHCP IP address assignments are updated, and the DHCP service is restarted.

Step 8

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account and click Start Services.

Step 9

After the services have started, do the following:

- Verify that the status of the account in the Status column is Active.

- Verify that the Enabled Services column shows that all services are running. If this status indicates that one or more services are stopped, verify the configuration of your DHCP server and try again.

- Click Service Status to verify that the status of all expected services is up:

- Network Services status in the Bare Metal Agent appliance

- Database connectivity status from the Bare Metal Agent appliance

What to Do Next

Set up PXE boot requests.

Configuring the Interface for the PXE Network

You can use this to change or add an IP address for the PXE network used by Bare Metal Agent.

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to configure the interface for the PXE network.

Step 4

Click Configure Interface.

Step 5

In the Configure PXE Interface dialog box, complete the following fields:

1. From the Interface Name drop-down list, choose the interface that you want to use for the PXE network.

2. Enter the IP address and subnet mask for the PXE network.

3. Click Submit.

Adding an NFS Mount Point

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view PXE service requests.

Step 4

Click View Details.

Step 5

Click the NFS Mount Point tab.

Step 6

Click Add.

Step 7

In the Add NFS Mount Point dialog box, do the following:

1. In the NFS Server IP Address field, enter the IP address of the NFS server where you plan to store the OS images for Bare Metal Agent to use.

2. In the NFS Server Path field, enter the location on the NFS server where the OS images are stored.

3. Click Submit.

After you add the NFS mount point, all content in the imageRepository folder in the NFS server is available under the /mnt/external folder. You include this path in the isoExtractor.sh file when you create a non-Windows image template.

Chapter 5. Managing Bare Metal Agent

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Changing the Default Bare Metal Agent Account

- Starting and Stopping Bare Metal Agent Services

- Checking the Status of a Bare Metal Agent

- Viewing the DHCP Configuration for a Bare Metal Agent Account

- Viewing the DHCP Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

- Viewing the Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

- Viewing Operating System Images

- Viewing PXE Service Requests

Changing the Default Bare Metal Agent Account

The first Bare Metal Agent account that you create is designated as the default account. This account is used by default in legacy workflows. To use a different account in the legacy workflows, you must designate that Bare Metal Agent account as the default.

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account that you want designate as the default.

Step 4

Click Set Default BMA.

Starting and Stopping Bare Metal Agent Services

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account whose services you want to start or stop.

Step 4

Click one of the following:

- Start Services

- Stop Services

Step 5

Click Service Status and check the status displayed in the Enabled Services column to ensure that services have started or stopped as desired.
If services do not start, check the status displayed in the Enabled Services column. If this status indicates that services are not enabled, verify the configuration of your DHCP server and try again.

Checking the Status of a Bare Metal Agent

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account whose status you want to check.

Step 4

To see if services for the Bare Metal Agent account are Active or Inactive, check the Status column.

Step 5

To check the status of the services, click Service Status.

Step 6

To view the SSH-based test connection status, check the Reachable column.

Viewing the DHCP Configuration for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view the DHCP configuration.

Step 4

Click View DHCP Configuration.
You might need to click the Down arrow at the end of the button bar to access the View DHCP Configuration option.

The View DHCP Server Configuration window displays the contents of the DHCP server configuration file for the account.

Viewing the DHCP Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view the DHCP logs.

Step 4

Click the down arrow at the end of the button bar and choose View DHCP Logs.
The View Bare Metal Agent DHCP Log window displays the contents of the DHCP server logs for the account.

Viewing the Logs for a Bare Metal Agent Account

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view the logs.

Step 4

Click the down arrow at the end of the button bar and choose View BMA Logs.
The View Bare Metal Agent Log window displays the logs for the account.

Viewing Operating System Images

You can view a list of the operating system (OS) images that have been created and are available for a Bare Metal Agent account.

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view OS images.

Step 4

Click View Details.

Step 5

Click the BMA OS List tab.

Viewing PXE Service Requests

You can view information about PXE requests made through a workflow that have an associated service request. You cannot view details of PXE requests that are not made through a workflow, as those requests are not associated with a service request.

The information provided about each PXE request includes the following:

- Service request ID

- Request type

- User who initiated the request

- Name of the catalog or workflow that was used to create the request

- Any comments provided by the user who initiated the request

- Time of the request

- Status of the request

- Rollback type, if applicable

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Administration > Physical Accounts.

Step 2

Click the Bare Metal Agents tab.

Step 3

Click the row for the Bare Metal Agent account for which you want to view PXE service requests.

Step 4

Click View Details.

Step 5

Click the PXE Service Requests tab.

Chapter 6. Adding Non-Windows OS Images

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Adding a Non-Windows OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

- Manually Adding a Linux OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

- Manually Adding a VMware vSphere ESXi OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Adding a Non-Windows OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

This procedure creates a Non-Windows OS image template in Bare Metal Agent. You must add the OS image template before you can request a PXE boot for the OS image.

Note

You cannot use this procedure to create supported Windows operating systems images. For more information about how to set up Windows OS images, see Adding Windows OS Images.

Before You Begin

You must have all resources and requirements in place for each operating system image that you want to install through a Bare Metal Agent PXE boot request.

Step 1

Copy the OS image(s) to one of the following locations:

- An appropriate location in the Bare Metal Agent directory structure

- An NFS mount point that you have added to Bare Metal Agent

Step 2

Navigate to /opt/infra and run isoExtractor.sh.

Example:
The following sample isoExtractor.sh file shows a scenario for an OS image in the Bare Metal Agent directory structure. The image path field contains the location of the VMware image in the /opt/image/ folder.

If you have added an NFS mount point, the image path field would contain the location of the image in the /mnt/external folder. For example, if you want to create a CentOS image that is located in a CentOS folder in an NFS mount point, the image path field would contain /mnt/external/CentOS/image.iso.

root@localhost infra]# pwd
/opt/infra
root@localhost infra]# ./isoExtractor.sh
Please select the OS Type

1)  ESXi 4.1
2)  ESXi 5.0
3)  ESXi 5.1
4)  ESXi 5.5
5)  ESXi 6.0
6)  ESXi 5.5 VSAN
7)  ESXi 6.0 VSAN
8)  CentOS or RHEL [Pre 7.0]
9)  CentOS 7.x or RHEL 7.x
10)  SUSE Linux
11)  Other

SELECT> 4
Image path : /opt/image/VMWare-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0-1111111.x86_64.iso

OS catalog name : BMA-184-ESXi5.5
Input file being used: /opt/images/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0-1111111.x86_64.iso
OS catalog name being used: BMA-184-ESXi5.5
Mounting the image....
Preparing the image....
Creating catalog directory /opt/cnsaroot/templates/BMA-184-ESXi5.5
Creating configuration files for ESXi 5.5 ...
Copied the image and created the configuration files...
is /opt/cnsaroot/images/
BMA-184-ESXi5.5 centos60-small
is /opt/cnsaroot/templates/
BMA-184-ESXi5.5 CentOS60 Win2k12R2x64 Win2k12x64 Win2k8R2x64
is /opt/cnsaroot/templates/BMA-184-ESXi5.5
boot.cfg ks.cfg pxe.cfg
[root@localhost infra]#

Step 3

When prompted, choose the image category and provide the image location and catalog name.

Step 4

After the script execution is completed, navigate to /opt/cnsaroot/images/catalogname and confirm that the image is available in that location.

Step 5

Navigate to /opt/cnsaroot/templates/catalogname and confirm that the PXE configuration templates are available in that location.

Step 6

To verify that the OS image is created, do the following:

1. In Cisco UCS Director, choose Physical > Compute.

2. In the left pane, navigate to the pod that contains the Bare Metal Agent.

3. In the right pane, click the PXE Boot Requests tab.

4. Click Add PXE Boot Request and verify that the OS image is included in the OS Type drop-down list.

Manually Adding a Linux OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Step 1

Create a directory for the operating system image in the /opt/cnsaroot/images directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.
mkdir /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name

This directory is used to store the operating system image files required for PXE installation.

Note:
This directory name is included in the OS Type drop-down list in the Setup PXE Boot task. We recommend that you make the directory name descriptive enough that you can identify the operating system of the images within it. For example, we recommend that you name the directory RHEL6.2 or CentOS5.

Step 2

Create a directory for the operating system image with the same name as the one that you created in Step 1 in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.
mkdir /opt/csnaroot/templates/new_image_name

This directory is used to store the Kickstart and PXE configuration template files for the operating system image.

Step 3

Copy the .iso file or files for the required operating system to the /tmp directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Step 4

Mount the .iso file to the iso directory.
mount –o loop /tmp/.iso_file /mnt/iso

Step 5

Copy the entire contents of the .iso file to the /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name directory that you created in Step 1.
cp –R /mnt/iso/* /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name

Note:
Make sure that you use the cp –R command to recursively copy the entire contents of the .iso file. This command copies the underlying directories and their contents also.

Step 6

When the copy operation is complete, unmount the .iso file.
umount /mnt/iso

Step 7

If the operating system image consists of more than one .iso file, repeat Steps 5, 6, and 7 for each .iso file until the contents of all .iso files have been copied to the /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name directory.

Step 8

Create a ks.cfg file and a pxe.cfg file in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name directory that you created in Step 2.

touch /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name/ks.cfg
touch /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name/pxe.cfg

Step 9

Add the required configuration information to the ks.cfg and pxe.cfg files.
For sample ks.cfg and pxe.cfg files and more information about these files, see Sample Operating System Configuration Template Files.

Step 10

Create a soft link in the /var/www/html directory for this operating system image.
ln –s /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name /var/www/html/

Step 11

(Optional)If necessary, update the initrd.img and vmlinuz files for the operating system image as follows:

1. Copy the initrd.img and vmlinuz files from the /opt/cnsaroot/images/image_name directory to the /opt/cnsaroot/ directory.

2. Overwrite the current files in this location.

Step 12

In Cisco UCS Director, verify that the operating system image is available from the OS Type drop-down list in the Setup PXE Boot task.
Wait two minutes, or for whatever duration has been set for the Bare Metal Agent synchronization frequency. By default, Bare Metal Agent is synchronized with Cisco UCS Director every two minutes. You can change this frequency with the bma.sync.frequency property in service.properties.template file under /opt/infra in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Manually Adding a VMware vSphere ESXi OS Image in Bare Metal Agent

Step 1

Create a directory for the operating system image data in the /opt/cnsaroot directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.
mkdir /opt/cnsaroot/images

This directory is used to store the operating system image files required for PXE installation.

Note:
This directory name is included in the OS Type drop-down list in the Setup PXE Boot task. We recommend that you make the directory name descriptive enough that you can identify the operating system of the images within it. For example, we recommend that you name the directory ESXi5.0-update1 or ESXi5.1.

Step 2

Create a directory for the operating system image with the same name as the one that you created in Step 1 in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.
mkdir /opt/csnaroot/templates/new_image_name

This directory is used to store the Kickstart and PXE configuration template files for the operating system image.

Step 3

Copy the .iso file or files for the required operating system to the /tmp directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Step 4

Mount the .iso file to the iso directory.
mount –o loop /tmp/.iso_file /mnt/iso

Step 5

Copy the entire contents of the .iso file to the /opt/cnsaroot/image_name directory that you created in Step 1.
cp –R /mnt/iso/* /opt/cnsaroot/image_name

Note:
Make sure that you use the cp –R command to recursively copy the entire contents of the .iso file. This command copies the underlying directories and their contents also.

Step 6

When the copy operation is complete, unmount the .iso file.
umount /mnt/iso

Step 7

If the operating system image consists of more than one .iso file, repeat Steps 5, 6, and 7 for each .iso file until the contents of all .iso files have been copied to the /opt/cnsaroot/image_name directory.

Step 8

Create a ks.cfg file and a pxe.cfg file in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name directory that you created in Step 2.

touch /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name/ks.cfg
touch /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name/pxe.cfg

Step 9

Add the required configuration information to the ks.cfg and pxe.cfg files.
For sample ks.cfg and pxe.cfg files and more information about these files, see Sample Operating System Configuration Template Files.

Step 10

Copy the boot.cfg file from the /opt/cnsaroot/image_name directory to the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name directory.

cd /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name/
cp /opt/cnsaroot/image_name/boot.cfg ./

Step 11

Edit the boot.cfg file in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/image_name directory as follows:

1. After the title= line, add a prefix=/image_name/ line.

2. Append pxebooting ks=$PXE_KS_URL to the end of the kernelopt=runweasel line.

3. Remove the leading / from all modules listed in the boot.cfg file.

4. Save the edited file.

Step 12

In Cisco UCS Director, verify that the operating system image is available from the OS Type drop-down list in the Setup PXE Boot task.
Wait two minutes, or for whatever duration has been set for the Bare Metal Agent synchronization frequency. By default, Bare Metal Agent is synchronized with Cisco UCS Director every two minutes. You can change this frequency with the bma.sync.frequency property in service.properties.template file under /opt/infra in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Chapter 7. Adding Windows OS Images

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Windows Operating Systems Images for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

- Guidelines and Limitations for Windows Operating System Images

- Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

- Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Windows Operating Systems Images for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent (Bare Metal Agent) supports the following Windows operating system (OS) images and the automated creation of their required answer files:

- Windows Server 2008 R2 x64

- Windows Server 2012 x64

- Windows Server 2012 R2 x64

You can set up all three OS images in Bare Metal Agent. However, a single Bare Metal Agent cannot simultaneously provision more than one version of the Windows OS. For example, you can use a single Bare Metal Agent to simultaneously provision several servers with Windows Server 2012 R2, but you cannot use the same Bare Metal Agent to simultaneously provision both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

You can use the same answer file for local boot and SAN boot.

The steps for setting up a Windows OS image depend upon the operating system. Make sure you use the appropriate procedure for the OS image that you are setting up. See the the "Adding Windows Operating System Images" chapter.

After adding Bare Metal Agent to Cisco UCS Director and running inventory, Cisco UCS Director shows as if Windows images are added by default. But no Windows images are added. Install Windows images manually.

Guidelines and Limitations for Windows Operating System Images

Consider the following guidelines and limitations when you set up Windows Server OS images for provisioning:

Follow a Strict Naming Convention

You must follow a strict naming convention when you configure the files for Windows OS images. The paths and file names are case sensitive.

Note

Mistakes in naming will require you to modify the names throughout the Bare Metal Agent data infrastructure.

Ensure That File Names, Drive Letters, and Other Information Match in All Files

If you use the automatically generated answer file, Bare Metal Agent ensures that the file names, drive letters and other information match.

However, if you manually edit the answer file, you must ensure that the drive letter in the WinPE.wim matches the drive letter provided in the answer file. With this configuration you are defining WinPE.wim such that it installs Windows from a particular location by using an answer file setup option. The static names, paths, IP addresses, drive letters, answer file name, and user name credentials must be correct.

File and folder names are case sensitive: WinPE.wim names must exactly match entries in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.

Use Single Path Workflow for SAN Boot

Warning

Because the Windows installation does not support multi-path SAN boot, you must use the single path workflow to achieve SAN boot.

Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

The Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 OS (Windows 2008 OS) supports PXE boot and installation operations. You can use this OS image in bare metal provisioning workflows.

- Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

- Creating a Customized WinPE

- Creating a Boot Configuration Data File

- Verifying the Version of the Windows Installation Files

- Customizing and Copying the WinPE.wim and PXE Boot Files

- Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder Path

Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images

To install and set up the environment and files that are required for the setup of Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 OS images, you must first download the following:

- Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK, sometimes called WAIK). See Click Here . This website enables you to generate a customized WinPE. It also supplies an answer file template in its most fundamental form.

- Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 ISO version.

Note

You do not need to manually create a Windows answer file when setting up Windows OS images. Bare Metal Agent builds the Windows answer file necessary to support your PXE Boot request, based on the information you provide when you create the PXE boot request.

Before you can install the Windows 2008 operating system image in the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM, you must install and set up the following prerequisites:

- A customized Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)

- Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file

- Windows installation files (the files extracted from the ISO)

Tip

We recommend that you use the ISO download file, which contains all editions, including Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web. You can typically remove all editions except for Standard and Datacenter.

After the system image is in place, you must do the following:

- Set up WinPE and copy the supporting files to the Network Service Agent server for the PXE boot.

- Copy the Windows installation files to the server path.

Creating a Customized WinPE

You need to create and customize the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) for Windows 2008 R2 x64. The initial WinPE includes the minimum boot image necessary to load kernel and default device drivers supported by the Windows OS. Most servers require additional drivers, such as storage controller drivers that enable Windows to detect disks during installation. You must add these drivers into WinPE.wim.

You use Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe), which is installed with WAIK tools, to add the drivers to WinPE. Make sure that you download the required drivers before you execute the associated DISM commands.

Important:
The following procedure includes sample data that is for reference only. The sample data might not work in your applications. For information about adding drivers to WinPE through DISM.exe, see the documentation provided by Microsoft.

Before You Begin

Complete the prerequisites listed in Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Operating System Images.

Download the following:

- Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) specifically for Windows 2008 R2 x64.

- Required drivers, to be added to WinPE.wim.

Step 1

Add the drivers from their folder locations to the WinPE image.
Use the following DISM.exe command when you know the paths to the drivers that you want to add.

DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k8r2x64\WinPE.wim /index:1/mountdir:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount
DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:C:\test\drivers\1.inf
/driver:C:\test\drivers\2.inf /driver:C:\test\drivers\3.inf

Use the following DISM.exe command when you do not know the paths to the drivers that you want to add and need to query all subfolders.

DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:C:\test\drivers
/Recurse

Step 2

Unmount the image and commit the changes.

DISM.exe /unmount-wim /mountdir:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount /commit

When all of the drivers have been added, the image is ready.

What to Do Next

Create a Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store to hold the boot configuration parameters.

Creating a Boot Configuration Data File

The Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file contains the boot configuration parameters. It controls how the operating system is started in Windows and is used to load the base kernel (WinPE.wim) from the PXE server. You do not need to create a BCD file. Bare Metal Agent provides a BCD file with default paths that you can use. The BCD file can be used by any Windows OS version, if you have not changed the basic settings.

By default, the BCD file points to the /Boot/WinPE.wim and boot.sdi files. These filenames are case sensitive.

Note

We recommend that you use a set of standard names for Bare Metal Agent configuration purposes. The folder name should be Boot. The winpe file name should be WinPE.wim. Use corresponding filenames such as boot.sdi. The created BCD file should be in uppercase, and this file will not have any file extension. Bare Metal Agent delivers the BCD file to /opt/cnsaroot/Boot, which contains a default path pointing to /opt/cnsaroot/Boot/WinPE.wim.

Step 1

Navigate to the directory that contains the bcdedit.exe command and run the following sequence of commands to create the BCD file.
The bcdedit.exe command is commonly available in the Windows operating systems root directory: c:\windows\system32.

Step 2

bcdedit.exe /createstore BCD

Step 3

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create {ramdiskoptions} /d "Ramdisk options"

Step 4

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice boot

Step 5

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdipath \Boot\boot.sdi

Step 6

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create /d "My WinPE Boot Image" /application osloader

At this point, the GUID is displayed. Replace {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} in the following steps with the GUID from your system.

Step 7

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} systemroot \Windows

Step 8

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} detecthal Yes

Step 9

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} winpe Yes

Step 10

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\Boot\WinPE.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Step 11

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} device ramdisk=[boot]\Boot\WinPE.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Step 12

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create {bootmgr} /d "Windows 2008r2 BootManager"

Step 13

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {bootmgr} timeout 30

Step 14

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /displayorder {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7}

Step 15

Use the following command to verify that the configuration names are correct: bcdedit.exe /store BCD /enum all

What to Do Next

Verify that you have the correct download version of the Windows installation files extracted from the ISO version.

Verifying the Version of the Windows Installation Files

You use the Windows 2008 ISO version of the Windows installation files to set up the answer file template. This version of the Windows installation files supports all editions of Windows 2008 OS. Otherwise, you have to use the Windows AIK tools to create the entire answer file, which is a more complicated and labor-intensive task.

Before You Begin

Install the ISO version of Windows 2008 R2 OS.

Verify that you have the correct (ISO) version of Windows installation files by making sure the following .CLG files are present in the SOURCE folder after you have extracted the ISO version:

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTER.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTERCORE.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERENTERPRISE.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERENTERPRISECORE.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARD.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATAWEB.clg

- install_Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATAWEBCORE.clg

What to Do Next

If the WinPE.wim file does not point to the Bare Metal Agent IP address in the startnet.cmd file, then you must edit the WinPE.wim file as described in Customizing and Copying the WinPE.wim and PXE Boot Files.

Customizing and Copying the WinPE.wim and PXE Boot Files

Step 1

Mount WinPE.wim to a folder.

Step 2

Edit WinPE.wim so that it includes the correct Bare Metal Agent IP address.
See the following example. Your filenames may differ.

DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k8r2x64\WinPE.wim /index:1
/mountdir:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount

Step 3

In WinPE.wim, add the required PowerShell packages and edit the paths in each command with the correct mount point and ADK installation path for your environment.
Note:
The Powershell package files shown below are provided for your reference only. The PowerShell packages and file names that you need to add to WinPE.wim are dependent upon the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.To determine which PowerShell packages you need to add, see the compliance report on the Microsoft website. For information about the commands to add the necessary packages for PowerShell, see the WinPE: Adding PowerShell support to Windows PE Technet Page.

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-WMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-WMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-NetFX.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-NetFX_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-Scripting.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-Scripting_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-PowerShell.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-PowerShell_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-StorageWMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-StorageWMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-DismCmdlets.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k8r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-DismCmdlets_en-us.cab"

Step 4

Navigate to the mount folder (c:\win2k8r2x64\mount in the code example above) and verify that you can see the data inside the mount folder.

Step 5

Navigate to \windows\system32 in the mount folder and do the following:

1. Edit startnet.cmd.

2. Paste the following entries into the file in the order shown, to update the IP address and other details as required for your environment:

wpeinit
wpeutil.exe InitializeNetwork
wpeutil.exe disablefirewall
ECHO OFF
net use R: \\Baremetal_Agent_PXE_IP_Address\bits /user:user_id password
ECHO ON
R:
Powershell.exe -NonInteractive -NoLogo -ExecutionPolicy bypass -command R:\enroute.ps1

Note:

- Use the drvload command when a driver has failed to be installed. For example, include the following line in the startnet.cmd file to install a fnic driver:

drvload <ipaddress of share>:\\<the_fnic.inf>

Use the drvload command only when you face issues in installing drivers. Otherwise, follow the standard process to inject a driver to WinPE.

- Make sure that you modify the IP address in all the entries so that they point to the Bare Metal Agent IP address.

- All drive letter references (such as the reference to an R: drive) must match in both the startnet.cmd file and the Windows answer file. By default, Bare Metal Agent comes with an R: drive letter assignment.

Step 6

Save the startnet.cmd file.

Step 7

Copy all files that support the PXE boot from the mount folder to the Bare Metal Agent VM, as follows:

1. Copy all files from Windows\Boot\PXE to the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM and rename pxeboot.n12 to startrom.0.

2. Copy the BCD file that you created earlier to the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

3. Copy only the folders from Windows\Boot\EFI to the opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM .

4. Copy wgl4_boot.ttf from Windows\Boot\Fonts to the /Boot/Fonts/ directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

5. Copy boot.sdi to the /Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

6. Copy the renamed startrom.0 and bootmgr.exe to the opt/cnsaroot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Step 8

After you have confirmed that the startnet.cmd is updated correctly, unmount WinPE.wim with the DISM Unmount command and use the /commit option to save the modified startnet.cmd file.

DISM.exe /Unmount-Wim /Mountdir:c:\win2k8r2x64\mount /commit

Caution:
Do not leave any files open that are located in the mounted directory when you unmount WinPE.wim. If you have any files open, the unmount process might fail.

Step 9

Copy WinPE.wim to the opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

What to Do Next

Copy the Windows installation files to the server folder path.

Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder Path

Before You Begin

You must have the following in place:

- Customized WinPE.wim and PXE boot files in the opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

- Configured BCD file in the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

- Windows installation files (ISO version)

- The setup.exe file from the extracted ISO in the /samba/Win2k8R2x64 folder.

- Bare Metal Agent directories, completed .cfg files and a .remap file.

Step 1

Extract the downloaded ISO that you obtained and validated.

Step 2

Copy the folders and files from the downloaded ISO to the /samba/Win2k8R2x64 directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.
Note:
Do not change the folder paths, filenames, or folder names.

Step 3

Open the /samba/notifications/notify.ps1 file and verify that the IP address in that file matches the PXE IP address of Bare Metal Agent.

Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent supports PXE boot and installation operations for Windows 2012 x64 or 2012 R2 x64 OS images and PXE boot tasks used in bare metal provisioning workflows.

Note

If you need to support both Windows 2012 and 2012 R2, you must perform the image setup process twice, once for each OS. Although it is possible to set up a single WinPE file that supports multiple Windows OS versions, we recommend that you set up a separate WinPE file for each OS.

- Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

- Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012

- Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012 R2

- Installing and Setting Up the Boot Configuration Data File

- Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder

Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images

Before you can install a Windows 2012 or 2012 R2 OS image in the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory of the Bare Metal Agent VM, you must install and set up the following prerequisites:

- Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK, version 8.0 or later recommended, depending on the Windows version compatibilities with respect to the WinPE.wim file)

- A customized Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE.wim) and PXE supporting files

- Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file

- Windows installation files (the files extracted from the ISO)

Note

You do not need to manually create a Windows answer file when setting up Windows OS images. Bare Metal Agent builds the Windows answer file necessary to support your PXE Boot request, based on the information you provide when you create the PXE boot request.

To install and set up the images, download the following:

- Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit that supports Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. For more information, see Click Here .

- Windows Server 2012 x64 and/or 2012 R2 x64 (Standard and Datacenter editions are required).

Tip

We recommend that you use the ISO download file, which contains all editions, including Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web. You can typically remove all editions except for Standard and Datacenter.

After the system image is in place, perform the following additional procedures:

- Set up WinPE and copy the supporting files to the Network Service Agent server for the PXE boot.

- Copy the Windows installation files to the server path.

Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012

Note

The /opt/cnsaroot/Boot folder is static, and each Bare Metal Agent can have only one boot folder.

Before You Begin

Complete the prerequisites listed in Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images.

Step 1

Download an ADK version that supports Windows 2012 and install it on a Windows 2012 machine.
Note:
When you specify the features to include in the download, you must include the Windows PE and Deployment Tools.

Step 2

Navigate to the Windows Pre-installation Environment folder in the ADK tools and execute copype.cmd to create the files that WinPE requires.

Copype.cmd amd64 C:\WinPE_amd64

The target directory contains the WinPE.wim file. The latest ADK versions create a boot.vim file, which needs to be renamed to WinPE.wim.

Step 3

In the Windows machine that has the ADK tools installed, create a directory. Copy the WinPE.wim file from /opt/cnsaroot/Boot to the directory you have created.

Step 4

At the command line, navigate to the ADK installed folder.

Step 5

Add the drivers from their folder locations to the WinPE image.
Use the following DISM.exe command when you know the paths to the drivers that you want to add.

// The DISM.exe command mounts the WinPE to a folder.
// In this example, the c:\win2k12x64 directory and the \mount subdirectory have been created before running the command.
DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k12x64\WinPE.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\win2k12x64\mount

// To add individual driver files to WinPE image, use the following format.
DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k12x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:C:\test\drivers\1.inf /driver:C:\test\drivers\2.inf /driver:C:\test\drivers\3.inf

Use the following DISM.exe command when you do not know the paths to the drivers that you want to add and need to query all subfolders.

// The DISM.exe command mounts the WinPE to a folder.
// In this example, the c:\win2k12x64 directory and the \mount subdirectory have been created before running the command.
DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k12x64\WinPE.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\win2k12x64\mount

// To add individual driver files to WinPE image, use the following format.
DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k12x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:c:\test\drivers /Recurse

Step 6

Mount WinPE.wim to a folder.

Step 7

In WinPE.wim, add the required PowerShell packages and edit the paths in each command with the correct mount point and ADK installation path for your environment.
Note:
The PowerShell packages and file names that you need to add to WinPE.wim are dependent upon the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.To determine which PowerShell packages you need to add, see the compliance report on the Microsoft website. For information about the commands to add the necessary packages for PowerShell, see the WinPE: Adding PowerShell support to Windows PE Technet Page. The PowerShell package files shown below are provided for reference and will vary depending on the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.

\\ Sample PowerShell package files.
\\ The PowerShell packages and file names that you need to add to WinPE.wim vary depending on the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-WMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-WMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-NetFX.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-NetFX_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-Scripting.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-Scripting_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-PowerShell.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-PowerShell_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-StorageWMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-StorageWMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-DismCmdlets.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-DismCmdlets_en-us.cab"

Step 8

Navigate to \windows\system32 in the mount folder. In the startnet.cmd, update the IP address for Bare Metal Agent.
Note:

- Do not change any information in the startnet.cmd file, except for the Bare Metal Agent IP address.

- Make sure that you modify the IP addresses in all the entries so that they point to the Bare Metal Agent IP address.

- All drive letter references (such as the reference to an R: drive) must match in both the startnet.cmd file and the Windows answer file. By default, Bare Metal Agent comes with an R: drive letter assignment.

Step 9

Unmount the WinPE, commit the changes, and copy the file to the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

DISM.exe /Unmount-Wim /Mountdir:c:\win2k12x64\mount /commit

What to Do Next

Install and set up (as necessary) the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file.

Creating a Custom WinPE and Copying the PXE Supported Files for Windows 2012 R2

For Windows Server 2012 R2 x64, Bare Metal Agent provides the WinPE and supported PXE files. You need only add any required drivers to the WinPE.wim file, and then edit the WinPE.wim file to change the IP address in the startnet.cmd file to the PXE IP address for your Bare Metal Agent.

Note

The /opt/cnsaroot/Boot folder is static, and each Bare Metal Agent can have only one boot folder.

Before You Begin

Complete the prerequisites listed in Prerequisites for Setting Up Windows Server 2012 x64 and 2012 R2 x64 Operating System Images.

Step 1

Download an ADK version that supports Windows 2012 R2 and install it on a Windows 2012 R2 machine.
Note:
When you specify the features to include in the download, you must include the Windows PE and Deployment Tools.

Step 2

In the Windows machine that has the ADK tools installed, create a directory. Copy the WinPE.wim file from /opt/cnsaroot/Boot to the directory you created.

Step 3

At the command line, navigate to the ADK installed folder.

Step 4

Add the drivers from their folder locations to the WinPE image.
Use the following DISM.exe command when you know the paths to the drivers that you want to add.

// The DISM.exe command mounts the WinPE to a folder.
// In this example, the c:\win2k12r2x64 directory and the \mount subdirectory have been created before running the command.
DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k12r2x64\WinPE.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\win2k12r2x64\mount

// To add individual driver files to WinPE image, use the following format.
DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k12r2x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:C:\test\drivers\1.inf /driver:C:\test\drivers\2.inf /driver:C:\test\drivers\3.inf

Use the following DISM.exe command when you do not know the paths to the drivers that you want to add and need to query all subfolders.

// The DISM.exe command mounts the WinPE to a folder.
// In this example, the c:\win2k12r2x64 directory and the \mount subdirectory have been created before running the command.
DISM.exe /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\win2k12r2x64\WinPE.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\win2k12r2x64\mount

// To add individual driver files to WinPE image, use the following format.
DISM.exe /image:c:\win2k12r2x64\mount /Add-Driver /driver:c:\test\drivers /Recurse

Step 5

Mount winPE.wim to a folder.

Step 6

In WinPE.wim, add the required PowerShell packages and edit the paths in each command with the correct mount point and ADK installation path for your environment.
Note:
The PowerShell packages and file names that you need to add to WinPE.wim are dependent on the version of Windows and WinPE.wim. To determine which PowerShell packages you need to add, see the compliance report on the Microsoft website. For information about the commands to add the necessary packages for PowerShell, see the WinPE: Adding PowerShell support to Windows PE Technet Page. The PowerShell package files shown below are provided for reference and will vary depending on the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.

\\ Sample PowerShell package files.
\\ The PowerShell packages and file names that you need to add to WinPE.wim vary depending on the version of Windows and WinPE.wim.

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-WMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-WMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-NetFX.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-NetFX_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-Scripting.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-Scripting_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-PowerShell.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-PowerShell_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-StorageWMI.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-StorageWMI_en-us.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-DismCmdlets.cab"

Dism /Add-Package /Image:"C:\win2k12r2x64\mount" /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-DismCmdlets_en-us.cab"

Step 7

Navigate to \windows\system32 in the mount folder. In the startnet.cmd, update the IP address for Bare Metal Agent.
Note:

- Do not change any information in the startnet.cmd file, except the IP address for Bare Metal Agent.

- Make sure that you modify the IP address in all the entries so that they point to the Bare Metal Agent IP address.

- All drive letter references (such as the reference to an R: drive) must match in both the startnet.cmd file and the Windows answer file. By default, Bare Metal Agent comes with an R: drive letter assignment.

Step 8

Unmount the WinPE, commit the changes, and copy the file to the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

DISM.exe /Unmount-Wim /Mountdir:c:\win2k12r2x64\mount /commit

What to Do Next

Install and set up (as necessary) the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file.

Installing and Setting Up the Boot Configuration Data File

The Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file contains the boot configuration parameters. It controls how the operating system is started in Windows and is used to load the base kernel (WinPE.wim) from the PXE server. You do not need to create a BCD file. Bare Metal Agent provides a BCD file with default paths that you can use.

By default, the BCD file points to the /Boot/WinPE.wim and boot.sdi files. These filenames are case sensitive.

Note

We recommend that you use a set of standard names for Bare Metal Agent configuration purposes. The folder name should be Boot. The winpe file name should be WinPE.wim. Use corresponding filenames such as boot.sdi. The created BCD file should be in uppercase, and this file will not have any file extension. Bare Metal Agent delivers the BCD file to /opt/cnsaroot/Boot, which contains a default path pointing to /opt/cnsaroot/Boot/WinPE.wim. This file can be used by any Windows OS version, unless you change the path names.

The command bcdedit.exe used to create BCD files is commonly available in the Windows operating systems root directory: c:\windows\system32.

Before You Begin

Create a custom WinPE and copy the PXE supported files

Step 1

Navigate to the directory that contains the bcdedit.exe command and run the following sequence of commands to create the BCD file.
The bcdedit.exe command is commonly available in the Windows operating systems root directory: c:\windows\system32.

Step 2

bcdedit.exe /createstore BCD

Step 3

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create {ramdiskoptions} /d "Ramdisk options"

Step 4

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice boot

Step 5

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdipath \Boot\boot.sdi

Step 6

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create /d "My WinPE Boot Image" /application osloader

At this point, the GUID is displayed. Replace {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} in the following steps with the GUID from your system.

Step 7

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} systemroot \Windows

Step 8

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} detecthal Yes

Step 9

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} winpe Yes

Step 10

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\Boot\WinPE.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Step 11

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7} device ramdisk=[boot]\Boot\WinPE.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Step 12

One of the following:

- bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create {bootmgr} /d "Windows 2012r2 BootManager"

- bcdedit.exe /store BCD /create {bootmgr} /d "Windows 2012 BootManager"

Step 13

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /set {bootmgr} timeout 30

Step 14

bcdedit.exe /store BCD /displayorder {a20f8db8-7459-11e2-8ec3-00155d37efa7}

Step 15

Use the following command to verify that the configuration names are correct: bcdedit.exe /store BCD /enum all

What to Do Next

Copy the Windows installation ISO image to the server folder.

Copying the Windows Installation Files to the Server Folder

Before You Begin

You must have the following in place:

- Customized winPE.wim and PXE boot files in the opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

- Configured BCD file in the /opt/cnsaroot/Boot directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

- Windows installation files (ISO version).

Step 1

Extract the downloaded ISO that you obtained and validated.

Step 2

Copy the folders and files from the downloaded ISO to the appropriate directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

Windows OS Version

Server Path

Windows 2012 R2

/samba/Win2k12R2x64

Windows 2012

/samba/Win2k12x64

Note:
Do not change the folder paths, filenames, or folder names.

The following is a sample of the contents of a Win2k12R2x64 folder after the Window installation files have been copied to it:

boot
efi
sources
support
autorun.inf
bootmgr.efi
setup.exe

Step 3

Open the /samba/notifications/notify.ps1 file and verify that the IP address matches the PXE IP address of Bare Metal Agent.

Chapter 8. Provisioning OS Images through Orchestration Workflow Tasks

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Orchestration Workflow Tasks for PXE Boot

- Prerequisites for Workflows with PXE Boot Tasks

- Execution of the Setup PXE Boot Tasks

- Determining the Windows OS Edition

- Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot Task

- Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection Task

- Inputs for the Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

- Outputs from the Setup PXE Boot Task and Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

- Creating a PXE Boot Request in Cisco UCS Director

- PXE Boot States

- Monitor PXE Boot Setup Task

- Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

- Injecting Drivers When Installing RHEL 7 or CentOS 7 on UCS Modular Servers

- Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

Orchestration Workflow Tasks for PXE Boot

The orchestration workflow tasks for PXE boot enable you to create workflows within Cisco UCS Director that use the functionality of Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

When you include any of the PXE boot tasks in an orchestration workflow, the task prepares the Bare Metal Agent environment to receive a PXE install request for a physical or virtual machine.

The values for each input required within the task can be supplied in one of the following ways:

- As user inputs by the user who executes the workflow

- Through outputs from a previous task in the workflow

- Through admin inputs that are assigned by the Cisco UCS Director user who creates the workflow

The following orchestration workflow tasks are available:

- Setup PXE Boot task

- Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task

- Setup Windows PXE Boot task

- Monitor PXE Boot task

- Remove PXE Boot Setup task

Note

To set up a PXE boot for a Windows Server operating system, you must use the PXE boot setup task that is defined specifically for Windows. To set up a PXE boot for all other supported operating systems, use the Setup PXE Boot task or the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task.

You can access these workflow tasks in the Network Services area of the Cisco UCS Director Workflow Designer Task Library.

Most inputs and outputs are the same for the Setup PXE Boot task, the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task, and the Setup Windows PXE Boot task, with the following notable exceptions:

- The Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task has an input field for selecting the target Bare Metal Agent.

- The Setup PXE Boot task does not have an option to select the target Bare Metal Agent. This legacy workflow task uses the default Bare Metal Agent as the target Bare Metal Agent.

- The Setup Windows PXE boot task has an input field for selecting the target Bare Metal Agent.

Tip

For the legacy Setup PXE Boot task, the default Bare Metal Agent is the first Bare Metal Agent added. However, you can change the default Bare Metal Agent. See Changing the Default Bare Metal Agent Account.

Prerequisites for Workflows with PXE Boot Tasks

If you plan to create orchestration workflows that include one or more of the PXE boot tasks, your Cisco UCS Director and Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent environment must meet the following prerequisites:

- Cisco UCS Director has been installed and the network interface configured as described in the appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide.

- Cisco UCS Director is reachable through a web browser and you can log in.

- Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent has been installed as described in Installing Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

- The required network/VLAN has been configured as the native, or default, VLAN on the server. For example, for a Cisco UCS server, edit the vNIC template associated with the server and choose the PXE network/VLAN as the native VLAN. You can perform this configuration through an orchestration workflow.

- Each Bare Metal Agent account that you want to use in a workflow has been set up, is active, has a tested connection, and has services that have been enabled and started.

Execution of the Setup PXE Boot Tasks

The following Setup PXE Boot tasks are available for use in workflows:

- Setup PXE Boot task

- Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task

- Setup Windows PXE Boot task

Each time that one of these tasks is executed within a workflow, Cisco UCS Director uses the following values for the inputs to complete a set of configuration files for that particular PXE request:

- Dynamic values received from previous tasks in the workflow or from the user at run-time.

- Static values that you enter when you create the workflow.

- Template configuration files—the ks.cfg Kickstart files—that were created when the chosen operating system was added to Bare Metal Agent. For more information about these files, see Sample Operating System Configuration Template Files.

When the workflow is executed, Bare Metal Agent and Cisco UCS Director use the values gathered through the task and perform the following steps to prepare for a PXE installation request on the specified server:

Step

Action

Notes

1

Creates a new directory in the Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent VM that corresponds to the PXE ID request in the /opt/cnsaroot/web/ks-repository/ directory.

You can view these PXE requests and PXE IDs on the PXE Boot Requests tab for a pod in Cisco UCS Director.

2

Adds the required unique configuration files to the /opt/cnsaroot/web/ks-repository/PXE_ID directory for the PXE installation specific to this request, including the ks.cfg, or Kickstart Configuration, file. Depending upon the operating system, other configuration files might be added to this directory, such as the boot.cfg file required for an ESXi installation.

For example, to create the customized ks.cfg file for the PXE installation,Cisco UCS Director takes the template ks.cfg file from the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/Operating_System/ directory and fills in the variables provided in the Setup PXE Boot task. This customized ks.cfg file is saved in a directory that corresponds to the PXE ID, such as /opt/cnsaroot/web/ks-repository/PXE_ID.

3

Creates a file corresponding to the MAC address of the server in the /opt/cnsaroot/pxelinux.cfg/ directory in the Bare Metal Agent VM.

The workflow appends "01-" to the MAC address of the server to create the filename. This file includes information about where the image files are located and is generated through the pxe.cfg file in the /opt/cnsaroot/templates/Operating_System/ directory.

Note

Bare Metal Agent automatically creates Windows answer files for the supported operating systems. The same answer file is used for local boot and SAN boot. The Windows installation does not support multi-path SAN boot, but you can use a single path workflow to achieve SAN boot.

Determining the Windows OS Edition

The exact Windows OS edition is required for successful PXE boot of a Windows Server image. You must enter the exact character string used by Windows PE (WinPE). This string is case sensitive. The Windows OS edition follows a consistent naming convention. Some examples of OS editions are as follows:

Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERENTERPRISE
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERENTERPRISECORE
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTER
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTERCORE
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERWEB
Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERWEBCORE
Windows Server 2012 SERVERSTANDARD
Windows Server 2012 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERDATACENTER
Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERDATACENTERCORE

Step 1

Navigate to the extracted ISO files for the Windows OS image.

Step 2

For a Windows 2012 R2 image, navigate to C:\win2k12r2\sources\install.wim and use a PowerShell cmdlet to find the edition.
An example of the use of this cmdlet is as follows:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath
C:\win2k12r2\sources\install.wim
Index       : 1
Name        : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Description : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Size        : 6,653,342,051 bytes
Index       : 2
Name        : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Description : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Size        : 11,807,528,410 bytes
Index       : 3
Name        : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERDATACENTERCORE
Description : Windows Server 2012 R2 SERVERDATACENTERCORE
Size        : 6,653,031,430 bytes
<etcetera>

Step 3

For a Windows 2008 image, use the DISM.EXE syntax from the computer on which you installed the WAIK tools.
An example of the use of this syntax is as follows:

C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\>dism
/get-wiminfo /wimfile:e:\\Win2k8r2x64\sources\install.wim
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Details for image : e:\Username_Windowsbits\Win2k8r2x64\sources\install.wim
Index : 1
Name : Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Description : Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARD
Size : 10,510,503,883 bytes
Index : 2
Name : Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Description : Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERSTANDARDCORE
Size : 3,563,695,852 bytes
<etcetera>

Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot Task

The following table describes the inputs for the Setup PXE Boot task. Because the information for one or more of these inputs can be obtained from a previous task or from a user at run-time, the values for these inputs can be dynamic and change with each execution of the workflow.

Note

For legacy Setup PXE Boot tasks, the default Bare Metal Agent is the first Bare Metal Agent added. However, you can change the default Bare Metal Agent. See Changing the Default Bare Metal Agent Account.

Setup PXE Boot Task Inputs

Input

Description

OS Type drop-down list

The OS image that you want this PXE boot request to install on the server. The drop-down list includes all OS images that have been created and are available for PXE installation.

Server MAC Address

The MAC address of the server that requires the PXE installation. This input is typically mapped to the MAC address output from the Create UCS Service Profile task.

Server IP Address field

The IP Address that you want to assign to the server. This IP address is given to the server after the PXE installation process is complete, and is the final IP address for the server.

This IP address can be on a different network or subnet than the PXE network or Management network that you configured for Bare Metal Agent.

Server Net Mask field

The subnet mask that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Host Name field

The hostname that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Gateway field

The default gateway IP address that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Name Server field

(Optional) The DNS server that you want the server to use.

If no DNS server is required, leave this input blank.

Management VLAN field

(Optional) The VLAN ID that you want to assign to the management interface on the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

This setting is typically used in ESX/ESXi deployments where VLAN tagging is prevalent on the virtual switch. It sets the VLAN ID for tagging on the management vmkernel port.

Root Password field

The password that you want to assign to the root user on the server.

Timezone field

The time zone in which you want to configure the server.

Additional Parameters interface

Interface to add, edit, or delete single-line parameters that are used additionally for the PXE boot request. You can add multiple parameters using this interface.

To add an additional parameter, click (+). In the Add Additional Parameter box that appears, enter the parameter name and the value for the parameter. Use the Edit button to modify the parameter name or its value. Use the Delete button to delete a parameter.

For example, you can use an additional parameter to customize the ks.cfg file template and provide a value for the parameter here. The parameter is then updated with the appropriate value in the ks.cfg file template.

Suppose the existing firewall configuration in ks.cfg is as follows:

# Firewall configuration
firewall --disabled

You can customize the configuration as following:

# Firewall configuration
firewall —$FIREWALL_CONFIG

In the Additional Parameter interface here, you can include FIREWALL_CONFIG as the parameter name and provide the value as disabled. The value of the parameter can also be mapped to a user input ${variable}. This parameter is updated with the appropriate value in the ks.cfg file template.

The ks.cfg file templates used by Bare Metal Agent are available in /opt/cnsaroot/templates/IMAGE_CATALOG_NAME/ks.cfg. For example, the ks.cfg file for CentOS 6.0 is available in /opt/cnsaroot/templates/CentOS60/ks.cfg

Inputs for the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection Task

The following table describes the inputs for the Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task. Because the information for one or more of these inputs can be obtained from a previous task or from a user at run-time, the values for these inputs can be dynamic and change with each execution of the workflow.

Note

The Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection task does not support the Windows OS and does not accept inputs for that OS.

Setup PXE Boot with BMA Selection Task Inputs

Input

Description

Target BMA field

The Bare Metal Agent accounts that have been added to Cisco UCS Director and are available for use.

OS Type drop-down list

The OS image that you want this PXE boot request to install on the server. The drop-down list includes all OS images that have been created and are available for PXE installation.

Server MAC Address

The MAC address of the server that requires the PXE installation. This input is typically mapped to the MAC address output from the Create UCS Service Profile task.

Server Address field

The IP Address that you want to assign to the server. This IP address is given to the server after the PXE installation process is complete and is the final IP address for the server.

This IP address can be on a different network or subnet than the PXE network or Management network that you configured for Bare Metal Agent.

Server Net Mask field

The subnet mask that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Host Name field

The hostname that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Gateway field

The default gateway IP address that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Name Server field

(Optional) The DNS server that you want the server to use.

If no DNS server is required, leave this input blank.

Management VLAN field

(Optional) The VLAN ID that you want to assign to the management interface on the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

This setting is typically used in ESX/ESXi deployments where VLAN tagging is prevalent on the virtual switch. It sets the VLAN ID for tagging on the management vmkernel port.

Root Password field

The password that you want to assign to the root user on the server.

Timezone field

The time zone in which you want to configure the server.

Additional Parameters interface

Interface to add, edit, or delete single-line parameters that are used additionally for the PXE boot request. You can add multiple parameters using this interface.

To add an additional parameter, click (+). In the Add Additional Parameter box that appears, enter the parameter name and the value for the parameter. Use the Edit button to modify the parameter name or its value. Use the Delete button to delete a parameter.

For example, you can use an additional parameter to customize the ks.cfg file template and provide a value for the parameter here. The parameter is then updated with the appropriate value in the ks.cfg file template.

Suppose the existing firewall configuration in ks.cfg is as follows:

# Firewall configuration
firewall --disabled

You can customize the configuration as following:

# Firewall configuration
firewall —$FIREWALL_CONFIG

In the Additional Parameter interface here, you can include FIREWALL_CONFIG as the parameter name and provide the value as disabled. The value of the parameter can also be mapped to a user input ${variable}. This parameter is updated with the appropriate value in the ks.cfg file template.

The ks.cfg file templates used by Bare Metal Agent are available in /opt/cnsaroot/templates/IMAGE_CATALOG_NAME/ks.cfg. For example, the ks.cfg file for CentOS 6.0 is available in /opt/cnsaroot/templates/CentOS60/ks.cfg

Inputs for the Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

The following table describes the inputs for the Setup Windows PXE Boot task. Because the information for one or more of these inputs can be obtained from a previous task or from a user at run-time, the values for these inputs can be dynamic and change with each execution of the workflow.

Note

Bare Metal Agent automatically creates Windows answer files for supported Windows operating systems. You can use the same answer file for local boot and SAN boot. The Windows installation does not support multi-path SAN boot, but you can use a single path workflow to achieve SAN boot.

Setup Windows PXE Boot Task Inputs

Input

Description

Target BMA field

The Bare Metal Agent accounts that have been added to Cisco UCS Director and are available for use.

OS Type drop-down list

The OS image that you want this PXE boot request to install on the server. The drop-down list includes all OS images that have been created in Bare Metal Agent and are available for PXE installation.

Server MAC Address

The MAC address of the server that requires the PXE installation. This input is typically mapped to the MAC address output from the Create UCS Service Profile task.

OS Flavor Name field

The Windows OS edition name is required for successful PXE boot of a Windows Server image. You must enter the exact character string used by Windows PE (WinPE). This string is case sensitive. For example, enter SERVERSTANDARD or SERVERENTERPRISE. For more information, see Determining the Windows OS Edition.

This value is used in the Windows answer file, which requires the correct name of the edition for the image installation process. The OS edition might be different for each type of Windows OS image.

Organization Name field

The name of the organization that is associated with the OS product key.

This value is used by the Windows answer file. It could be a division within your company or the company name.

Product Key field

The product key (sometimes called the license key or software key) for the OS.

Host Name field

The hostname that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete. Make sure the name complies with NetBIOS name restrictions.

Administrator Password field

The password that you want to assign to the administrative user on the server.

Timezone field

The time zone in which you want to configure the server.

Disk Partition Size (GB) field

The size, in GB, of the partition designated for the OS.

Additional Parameters field

Interface to add, edit, or delete single-line parameters that are used additionally for the PXE boot request. You can add multiple parameters using this interface.

To add a parameter, click (+). In the Add Additional Parameter box that appears, enter the parameter name and the value for the parameter. Use the Edit button to modify the parameter name or its value. Use the Delete button to delete a parameter.

For example, you can use parameters to provide the minimum requirements for the Windows answer file. You can define parameters and their values to enhance the answer file to meet the requirements of your environment. These parameters are updated with the appropriate values in the Answer file template.

The answer file templates used by Bare Metal Agent are available in the following locations:

- Windows 2012 R2 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k12R2x64/autounattend.xml

- Windows 2012 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k12x64/autounattend.xml

- Windows 2008 R2 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k8R2x64/autounattend.xml

Outputs from the Setup PXE Boot Task and Setup Windows PXE Boot Task

The following table describes the outputs from both the Setup PXE Boot task and the Setup Windows PXE Boot task.

Setup PXE Boot and Windows PXE Boot Task Outputs

Input

Description

OUTPUT_PXE_BOOT_ID

The ID of the PXE boot request that was set up through the workflow task.

Creating a PXE Boot Request in Cisco UCS Director

Before You Begin

Create the OS image template that you want to use for the PXE boot in Bare Metal Agent.

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Physical > Compute.

Step 2

In the left pane, navigate to the pod for which you want to set up the PXE boot request.

Step 3

In the right pane, click the PXE Boot Requests tab.

Step 4

Click Add PXE Request.

Step 5

In the Add PXE Boot Request dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name

Description

Server MAC Address field

The MAC address of the server that requires the PXE installation.

Host Name field

The hostname to be assigned to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Root Password field

The password that you want to assign to the root user on the server. You need to re-enter this password in the next field to confirm it.

Note:
Apply your organization's guidelines for maintaining the security of this password.

PXE Request for Windows check box

Check this check box if the PXE boot request is for a Windows OS.

After you check this check box, a set of Windows-specific fields appears in this dialog box.

OS Type drop-down list

Choose the OS image that you want this PXE boot request to install on the server. The drop-down list includes all OS image templates that have been created and are available for PXE installation.

This drop-down list displays in a different location in the dialog box, depending upon whether you check the PXE Request for Windows check box.

Management VLAN field

(Optional) The VLAN ID that you want to assign to the management interface on the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

This setting is used in ESX/ESXi deployments where VLAN tagging is implemented on the virtual switch. It sets the VLAN ID for tagging on the management vmkernel port.

OS Flavor Name field

(Required for a Windows OS only) The Windows OS edition name is required for successful PXE boot of a Windows Server image. You must enter the exact character string used by Windows PE (WinPE). This string is case sensitive. For example, enter SERVERSTANDARD or SERVERENTERPRISE. For more information, see Determining the Windows OS Edition.

This value is used in the Windows answer file, which requires the correct name of the edition for the image installation process. The OS edition name might be different for each type of Windows OS image.

Organization Name field

(Required for a Windows OS only) The name of the organization that is associated with the OS product key.

This value is used by the Windows answer file. It could be a division within your company or the company name.

Product Key field

(Required for a Windows OS only) The product key (sometimes called the license key or software key) for the OS.

Timezone drop-down list

Choose the time zone in which you want to configure the server.

Disk Partition Size (GB) field

(Required for a Windows OS only) The size, in GB, of the partition designated for the OS.

Additional Parameters interface

Interface to add, edit, or delete single-line parameters that are used additionally for the PXE boot request. You can add multiple parameters using this interface.

To add a parameter, click (+). In the Add Additional Parameter box that appears, enter the parameter name and the value for the parameter. Use the Edit button to modify the parameter name or its value. Use the Delete button to delete a parameter.

For example, for a Windows OS, you can use parameters to provide the minimum requirements for the Windows answer file. You can define parameters and their values to enhance the answer file to meet the requirements of your environment. These parameters are updated with the appropriate values in the Answer file template.

The answer file templates used by Bare Metal Agent are available in the following locations:

- Windows 2012 R2 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k12R2x64/autounattend.xml

- Windows 2012 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k12x64/autounattend.xml

- Windows 2008 R2 x64—/opt/cnsaroot/templates/Win2k8R2x64/autounattend.xml

Server IP Address field

The static IP address that you want to assign to the server. This IP address is given to the server after the PXE installation process is complete, and is the final IP address for the server.

This IP address can be on a different network or subnet than the PXE network or Management network that you configured for Bare Metal Agent.

Network Mask field

The subnet mask that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Gateway field

The default gateway IP address that you want to assign to the server after the PXE installation process is complete.

Server Name Server field

The DNS server that you want the server to use.

If no DNS server is required, leave this field blank.

Target BMA drop-down list

Choose the Bare Metal Agent that you want to use for this PXE boot request. The Bare Metal Agent that you choose determines which OS images are available for the PXE boot request.

Step 6

Click Submit.

Information about the new PXE Boot Request will appear as a new row in the PXE Boot Request tab, displaying the ID assigned to this request. The information includes the current Status of this request.

What to Do Next

After the PXE boot request is in the Submitted state, you must set up the PXE environment to create the Cisco UCS Director configuration files. You can activate a PXE boot request that has a status of Submitted by selecting it and clicking Setup PXE Environment.

PXE Boot States

The following are the PXE boot states for PXE boot requests in Cisco UCS Director:

- Submitted—The PXE boot request has been submitted to Cisco UCS Director.

- Environment Setup—A Submitted PXE boot request has been transferred to Bare Metal Agent and that the environment required to perform a PXE boot is ready in Bare Metal Agent.

- In Progress—The bare metal server has communicated with Bare Metal Agent and the PXE configuration files and image files are being downloaded.

- Ready—The PXE boot process is complete. The server has booted with the newly installed operating system and Bare Metal Agent received a success notification from the server that it is ready.

- Failed—The PXE boot process started, but Bare Metal Agent did not receive a success notification from the server after the defined wait period expired.

- Archived—The PXE Request task included a rollback or delete.

Monitor PXE Boot Setup Task

When included in an orchestration workflow, the Monitor PXE Boot task monitors a particular PXE ID request until

- The PXE boot is ready.

- The maximum number of hours specified is reached before the PXE boot is ready.

- Inputs for the Monitor PXE Boot Task

- Outputs from the Monitor PXE Boot Task

Inputs for the Monitor PXE Boot Task

The following table describes the inputs for the Monitor PXE Boot Task:

Monitor PXE Boot Task Inputs

Input

Description

PXE Boot Id

The ID of the PXE boot request that you want to monitor through the workflow.

Max Wait time (Hours)

The maximum length of time, in hours, that you want the task to wait for the PXE boot request to be ready.

Outputs from the Monitor PXE Boot Task

The Monitor PXE Boot task has no outputs.

Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

When included in an orchestration workflow, the Remove PXE Boot Setup task removes the directory and files that are created by the Setup PXE Boot task for a particular PXE ID request.

- Inputs for the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

- Outputs from the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

Inputs for the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

The following table describes the inputs for the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task.

Remove PXE Boot Setup Task Inputs

Input

Description

PXE Boot Id

The ID of the PXE boot request for which you want to remove the setup directory and files.

Outputs from the Remove PXE Boot Setup Task

The Remove PXE Boot Setup task has no outputs.

Injecting Drivers When Installing RHEL 7 or CentOS 7 on UCS Modular Servers

When you install RHEL 7 or CentOS 7 on the UCS servers, manually inject drivers through the PXE.cfg file. The PXE.cfg file is available in the following location: /opt/cnsaroot/templates/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name).

The default PXE.cfg file contains the following line:

append initrd=images/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name)/isolinux/initrd.img ramdisk_size=9216 noapic acpi=off ip=dhcp ks=$PXE_KS_URL
ksdevice= inst.repo=http://$PXE_NATIVE_WEBSERVER/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name) net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0

Note

Here RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name is the name of the OS image provided in the ISO extractor script while creating the RHEL 7 or CentOS 7 OS image template in Bare Metal Agent.

To inject the drivers, update the location of the drivers in the PXE.cfg file by updating the line as shown below:

append initrd=images/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name)/isolinux/initrd.img ramdisk_size=9216 noapic acpi=off ip=dhcp ks=$PXE_KS_URL
ksdevice= inst.repo=http://$PXE_NATIVE_WEBSERVER/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name) inst.dd=http://$PXE_NATIVE_WEBSERVER/
(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name )/(name of the driver disk) net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0

The driver disk should be in the ISO image format and placed in the following location: /opt/cnsa/images/(RHEL 7/CentOS 7 OS Catalog name)/

Note

- Download the driver ISO image from the UCS Servers download page on the Cisco website.

- The parameter inst.dd helps load the driver images during PXE install.

Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

You can use Bare Metal Agent to run parallel workflows and simultaneously deploy Windows server images on multiple bare metal servers.

Prerequisites for Simultaneous Deployment

To ensure that you can perform simultaneous deployment of Windows Server operating system images, you must perform the appropriate configuration required for the versions of the operating system that are described in the following topics, including:

- Adding the PowerShell packages to the WinPE.wim file

- Updating startnet.cmd with the IP addresses and other information required for your environment

Bare Metal Workflows

You do not need to make any changes to your existing bare metal provisioning workflows to support simultaneous deployment of Windows server operating systems.

A PXE boot task in a workflow can only provision one server with a Windows operating system. You cannot use a single PXE boot task to provision multiple servers, but you can execute PXE boot tasks simultaneously multiple times.

Maximum Number of Simultaneous Deployments

The maximum number of simultaneous deployments is dependent upon the bandwidth of your TFTP and PXE networks.

One Windows Version for Each Bare Metal Agent

Due to a limitation in the process of the Windows unattended installation, you can only deploy one version of Windows with each Bare Metal Agent added to Cisco UCS Director. If you want to deploy a different version of Windows, you must add another Bare Metal Agent to Cisco UCS Director.

Minimum Supported Level of Bare Metal Agent

Simultaneous deployment of Windows server operating systems requires a minium of Bare Metal Agent, Release 5.4. It is not supported in earlier releases of Bare Metal Agent.

- Files and Folders Used In Simultaneous Deployment

- Example: Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

Files and Folders Used In Simultaneous Deployment

The following files and folders are used during simultaneous deployment of Windows operating systems:

PXElinux.cfg File

The PXElinux.cfg file contains the MAC addresses for each of the servers and points to the WinPE.wim file.

Samba Folder

The /samba folder contains a folder for each of the following items. Additional information about the script and folder is provided below.

- Windows images to be deployed on the bare metal servers

- EnRoute.ps1 script

- as-repository folder

AS-Repository Folder

The /samba/as-repository folder contains a folder for each MAC address of the servers for which a Windows operating is to be deployed. The PXE boot task creates and stores a separate Windows answer file for each of these servers in the appropriate MAC address folder. This folder might not be created until after the first PXE boot workflow is run.

EnRoute.ps1 Script

The EnRoute.ps1 script determines which Windows answer file in the as-repository folder belongs to the server that is being provisioned. If desired, you can customize this script. However, when you add the Bare Metal Agent to Cisco UCS Director, the script in the as-repository folder will revert to the default script without the customizations.

Note

By default, the EnRoute.ps1 script is hardcoded with the Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system. To deploy a different supported Windows Server operating system, replace the default value of $OsPath="R:\Win2k12R2x64\" with one of the following values:

- For Windows Server 2012: $OsPath="R:\Win2k12x64\"

- For Windows Server 2008 R2: $OsPath="R:\Win2k8R2x64\"

Windows Answer File

The Windows answer file contains settings and values that are used during the deployment of a Windows operating system. This answer file is typically named unattend.xml. During simultaneous deployment, a separate Windows answer file is created in each MAC address folder and then sent to the server to be used during the Windows operating system setup.

When the installation is successfully completed, the name of the answer file is changed to include "Completed."

For more information, see the Microsoft TechNet article on Understanding Answer Files.

Example: Simultaneous Deployment of Windows Server Operating Systems

This example describes what actions Bare Metal Agent performs when you execute two workflows at the same time, with each workflow designed to provision a bare metal server with a Windows operating system. The illustrations below describe how server 1 and server 2 are provisioned when the PXE tasks in the workflows are executed.

Server 1 Provisioning

When the PXE boot task is executed in the workflow that provisions Server 1, the steps shown in the above illustration occur:

Step

Action

1

Server 1 boots up. The WinPE.wim file, together with its PowerShell packages and Startnet.cmd, is copied to the server.

2

The Startnet.cmd calls the EnRoute.ps1 script from the /samba folder on the Bare Metal Agent VM.

A folder is created under /samba/as-repository/ with MAC address of Server 1 as its name, for example, /samba/as-repository/MAC 1, and a Windows answer file is placed into that folder.

3

The EnRoute.ps1 script compares the MAC address on Server 1 with the MAC address folders available in the /samba/as-repository folder and finds the Windows answer file for Server 1 in the /samba/as-repository/MAC 1 folder.

4

Using the Windows answer file, the appropriate Windows operating system (shown as Windows installation files) is installed on Server 1.

When the installation is successfully completed, the name of the answer file is changed to include "Completed."

Server 2 Provisioning

At the same time as Server 1 is being provisioned, when the PXE boot task is executed in the workflow that provisions Server 2, the steps shown in the above illustration occur:

Step

Action

5

Server 2 boots up. The WinPE.wim file, together with its PowerShell packages and Startnet.cmd, is copied to the server.

The Startnet.cmd calls the EnRoute.ps1 script from the /samba folder on the Bare Metal Agent VM.

A folder is created under /samba/as-repository/ with MAC address of Server 2 as its name, for example, /samba/as-repository/MAC 2, and a Windows answer file is placed into that folder.

6

The EnRoute.ps1 script compares the MAC address on Server 2 with the MAC address folders available in the /samba/as-repository folder and finds the Windows answer file for Server 2 in the /samba/as-repository/MAC 2 folder.

7

Using the Windows answer file, the appropriate Windows operating system (shown as Windows installation files) is installed on Server 2.

When the installation is successfully completed, the name of the answer file is changed to include "Completed."

Appendix A. Sample Operating System Configuration Template Files

This chapter contains the following sections:

- Sample Windows Answer File

Sample Kickstart Configuration Template File for Linux Operating Systems

The following example shows the Kickstart configuration template file (ks.cfg) that is required for Linux operating system images:

#platform=x86, AMD64, or Intel EM64T

# System authorization information
auth  --useshadow  --enablemd5

# System bootloader configuration
bootloader --append="rhgb quiet" --location=mbr --driveorder=sda

# Partition clearing information
clearpart --linux --initlabel

# Use text-based install
text

# Firewall configuration
firewall –-disabled

# Run the Setup Agent on first boot
firstboot -–disable

# System keyboard
keyboard us

# System language
lang en_US

# Installation logging level
logging --level=info

# Provide url/location of image over http.
url --url=http://$PXE_NATIVE_WEBSERVER/image_name

#Reboot after installation
reboot

# Network information
network --bootproto=static --device=eth0 --ip=$PXE_IP
--netmask=$PXE_NETMASK --gateway=$PXE_GATEWAY
--hostname=$PXE_NAME --onboot=on

#Root password
rootpw $PXE_PASSWD

# SELinux configuration
selinux --disabled

# System timezone
timezone --utc America/New_York

# Install OS instead of upgrade
install

# Disk partitioning information
part /  --fstype="ext3" --size=8000

#Install required packages
%packages --nobase
wget

%post
wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER/$PXEID/notify.html

Sample PXE Configuration Template File for Linux Operating Systems

The following example shows the PXE configuration template file (pxe.cfg) that is required for Linux operating system images:

default linux

label linux
kernel vmlinuz

append initrd=initrd.img ramdisk_size=9216 noapic acpi=off ip=dhcp ks=$PXE_KS_URL

prompt 0
timeout 0

Sample Kickstart Configuration Template File for VMware vSphere ESXi Operating Systems

The following example shows the Kickstart configuration template file (ks.cfg) that is required for VMware vSphere ESXi operating system images:

vmaccepteula

#Set passsword for ESXi server, "$PXE_PASSWD" will be filled in by UCSD
rootpw $PXE_PASSWD

#For Local boot, uncomment the following line
#install --firstdisk --overwritevmfs

#For SAN boot, uncomment the following line
install --firstdisk=remote --overwritevmfs

#Configures the mangement vmknic interface for the ESXi host. All items
starting with "$" are variables that will be replaced by UCSD during the
PXE boot process.
network --bootproto=static --ip=$PXE_IP --netmask=$PXE_NETMASK
--gateway=$PXE_GATEWAY --vlanid=$PXE_MGMTVLAN
--nameserver=$PXE_NS --hostname=$PXE_NAME

%pre --interpreter=busybox
hwclock -d %LIVE_VAR_DATE_1% -t %LIVE_VAR_TIME_UTC_1%
date -s %LIVE_VAR_DATE_TIME_UTC_1%
cd /tmp
wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER/$PXEID/web/track/log1

%firstboot --interpreter=busybox
cd /tmp
wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER_MGMT_VLAN_IP/$PXEID/web/track/log3

wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER_MGMT_VLAN_IP/$PXEID/web/track/log4

#Enable & start remote ESXi Shell  (SSH)
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_ssh

#Enable & start ESXi Shell (TSM)
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_esx_shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_esx_shell

wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER_MGMT_VLAN_IP/$PXEID/web/track/log5

%post --interpreter=busybox --ignorefailure=true

cd /tmp
localcli network firewall set --default-action true
localcli network firewall set --enabled false
wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER_MGMT_VLAN_IP/$PXEID/web/track/log2
wget http://$PXE_WEBSERVER_MGMT_VLAN_IP/$PXEID/notify.html -O /tmp/notify.html
localcli network firewall set --default-action false
localcli network firewall set --enabled true

#Power down the ESXi server after installation
poweroff

Sample PXE Configuration Template File for VMware vSphere ESXi Operating Systems

The following example shows the PXE configuration template file (pxe.cfg) that is required for VMware vSphere ESXi operating system images:

default image_name/menu.c32
menu title PXE Boot Home
timeout 70

label image_name
menu label Install VMware image_name
kernel image_name/mboot.c32
append -c /web/ks-repository/$PXE_ID/boot.cfg  +++
IPAPPEND 1

Sample Windows Answer File

The following is an example of a Windows answer file, named AUTOUNATTEND.XML, that can be used to set up a Windows Server 2008 R2 OS image for use with Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent.

<unattend>
<servicing>
<package action="configure">
<assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package" version="6.1.7600.16385"
processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="xxxf3856ad364xxx" language=""/>
<selection name="IIS-WebServerRole" state="false"/>
<selection name="IIS-WebServer" state="false"/>
<selection name="Microsoft-Hyper-V" state="true"/>
<selection name="Microsoft-Hyper-V-Management-Clients" state="true"/>
<selection name="Microsoft-Hyper-V-Management-Clients" state="true"/>
<selection name="MultipathIo" state="true"/>
<selection name="TelnetClient" state="true"/>
</package>
</servicing>
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="xxxf3856ad364xxx" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<ComplianceCheck>
<DisplayReport>OnError</DisplayReport>
</ComplianceCheck>
<Display>
<VerticalResolution>600</VerticalResolution>
<RefreshRate>60</RefreshRate>
<HorizontalResolution>800</HorizontalResolution>
<ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
</Display>
<EnableFirewall>false</EnableFirewall>
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>
<Key>XXXXX-XXXXX-KQT8W-PMXWJ-XXXXX</Key>
</ProductKey>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
<FullName>Cisco</FullName>
<Organization>CiscoUCSD</Organization>
</UserData>
<DiskConfiguration>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>40000</Size>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Active>true</Active>
<Extend>false</Extend>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>OS</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
</Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
<WillShowUI>Never</WillShowUI>
<InstallFrom>
<MetaData wcm:action="add">
<Key>/IMAGE/NAME</Key>
<Value>Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTER</Value>
</MetaData>
<Path>\\000.00.90.31\bits\sources\install.wim</Path>
</InstallFrom>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager"
processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn"
language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<fDenyTSConnections>false</fDenyTSConnections>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<RunSynchronous>
<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<Description>Disable IPv6</Description>
<Path>reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip6\Parameters /v DisabledComponents /t
REG_DWORD /d 255 /f</Path>
<Order>1</Order>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<Description>Disable Shutdown Tracker</Description>
<Path>reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Reliability" /v ShutdownReasonOn /t
REG_DWORD /d 0 /f</Path>
<Order>2</Order>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
</RunSynchronous>
</component>
<component name="Networking-MPSSVC-Svc" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<DomainProfile_EnableFirewall>false</DomainProfile_EnableFirewall>
<PrivateProfile_EnableFirewall>false</PrivateProfile_EnableFirewall>
<PublicProfile_EnableFirewall>false</PublicProfile_EnableFirewall>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-ServerManager-SvrMgrNc" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<DoNotOpenServerManagerAtLogon>true</DoNotOpenServerManagerAtLogon>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-OutOfBoxExperience" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<DoNotOpenInitialConfigurationTasksAtLogon>true</DoNotOpenInitialConfigurationTasksAtLogon>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-powercpl" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<PreferredPlan>8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c</PreferredPlan>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<ComputerName>*</ComputerName>
<ProductKey>XXXXX-XXXXX-KQT8W-PMXWJ-XXXXX</ProductKey>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<Display>
<ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
<HorizontalResolution>800</HorizontalResolution>
<VerticalResolution>600</VerticalResolution>
<RefreshRate>60</RefreshRate>
</Display>
<OOBE>
<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
<HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
<NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>
</OOBE>
<VisualEffects>
<FontSmoothing>ClearType</FontSmoothing>
</VisualEffects>
<WindowsFeatures>
<ShowInternetExplorer>true</ShowInternetExplorer>
</WindowsFeatures>
<TimeZone>Pacific Standard Time</TimeZone>
<RegisteredOrganization/>
<ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
<UserAccounts>
<AdministratorPassword>
<Value>987654321abc???=</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</AdministratorPassword>
</UserAccounts>
<AutoLogon>
<Password>
<Value>123456abc???</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</Password>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<LogonCount>1</LogonCount>
<Username>Administrator</Username>
</AutoLogon>
<FirstLogonCommands>
<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<CommandLine>cmd /c winrm quickconfig -quiet -transport:HTTP</CommandLine>
<Description>Enable WinRS over HTTP to communicate with CPA</Description>
<Order>1</Order>
<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
</SynchronousCommand>
<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<CommandLine>cmd /c winrm set winrm/config/client @{TrustedHosts="*"}</CommandLine>
<Description>Adding trusted hosts value for winrm client</Description>
<Order>2</Order>
<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
</SynchronousCommand>
<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<CommandLine>cmd /c net use R: \\000.00.90.31\bits /user:smbuser cisco123</CommandLine>
<Description>Mapping the share to save the notification file</Description>
<Order>3</Order>
<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
</SynchronousCommand>
<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<CommandLine>cmd /c ipconfig /all | findstr "Physical" >> R:\notifications\completed.html</CommandLine>
<Description>Writing the completed notification log with MAC address at
Share mapped in previous step</Description>
<Order>4</Order>
<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
</SynchronousCommand>
<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<CommandLine>cmd /c R:\notifications\completed.bat</CommandLine>
<Description>executing powershell batch file like as wget</Description>
<Order>5</Order>
<RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
</SynchronousCommand>
</FirstLogonCommands>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="offlineServicing">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-LUA-Settings" processorArchitecture="amd64"
publicKeyToken="nnnf3856ad364nnn" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<EnableLUA>false</EnableLUA>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:D:/win2k8r2x64sp1/sources/install.wim#Windows
Server 2008 R2 SERVERDATACENTER"/>
</unattend>

Appendix B. Ports

This appendix contains the following sections:

- Cisco UCS Director TCP and UDP Port Usage

- Port List

Cisco UCS Director TCP and UDP Port Usage

This section provides a list of the TCP and UDP ports that Cisco UCS Director uses for connections and communications with external applications or devices.

The following figure shows the network ports used for communication between the Cisco UCS Director appliance and managed devices, ESX servers, Bare Metal Agent, PowerShell Agent, NTP, and Active Directory.

Cisco UCS Director TCP and UDP Port Usage

Port List

Default Port

Protocol

Description

22

TCP

SSH

80

TCP/UDP

HTTP

8888

TCP

HTTP for Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent

443

UDP

HTTPS

27000/7279/8082 (Mgmt)

TCP

Citrix licensing

2598/1494/2112/2513

TCP

Virtual Desktop Agent for Desktops

67/68

UDP

DHCP

389/636

3268/3269

TCP/UDP

TCP

Active Directory

53

TCP/UDP

DNS

123

TCP/UDP

NTP

3306

TCP/UDP

MySQL

8787/5999

TCP

Cisco UCS Director + VNC Connectivity

3389

TCP/UDP

Cisco UCS Director + RDP Connectivity

80/443/8080

TCP/UDP

Cisco UCS Director + NetApp Connectivity

80/443

UDP

Cisco UCS Director + Cisco UCS Manager Connectivity

80/443

UDP

Cisco UCS Director + vCenter Connectivity

3389

TCP/UDP

RDP

135/445

TCP

SMB/RPC

88

TCP/UDP

Kerberos

137

TCP/UDP

NetBIOS Name (nbname)

138

TCP/UDP

NetBIOS datagram (nbdatagram)

139

TCP

NetBIOS session (nbsession)

80/443

UDP

Desktop Delivery Controller <--> vCenter

8080 through ICA

TCP

Desktop Delivery Controller <--> Virtual Desktops

1494/2598/2512/2513

TCP

Users (Citrix Recvr) <--> Virtual Desktops

389/636 (LDAP Ports)

TCP/UDP

Desktop Delivery Controller <--> Active Directory

389/636, 3268/3269, 53

TCP/UDP

Virtual Desktops <--> Active Directory + DNS

5985/5986

TCP

PowerShell Agent <-> Xendesktop through WinRM

43891

TCP/UDP

Cisco UCS Director <--> PowerShell Agent

80/8081

TCP

XenApp

Preface

- Audience

- Conventions

- Related Documentation

- Documentation Feedback

- Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

Audience

This guide is intended primarily for data center administrators who use Cisco UCS Director and who have responsibilities and expertise in one or more of the following:

- Server administration

- Storage administration

- Network administration

- Network security

- Virtualization and virtual machines

- Recommended Knowledge

Recommended Knowledge

To deploy and manage Cisco UCS Director Bare Metal Agent, you should be familiar with the following:

- DHCP configuration

- PXE boot

- TFTP functionality

- HTTP functionality

- Linux

- Virtualization technologies

Conventions

Text Type

Indication

GUI elements

GUI elements such as tab titles, area names, and field labels appear in this font.

Main titles such as window, dialog box, and wizard titles appear in this font.

Document titles

Document titles appear in this font.

TUI elements

In a Text-based User Interface, text the system displays appears in this font.

System output

Terminal sessions and information that the system displays appear in this font.

CLI commands

CLI command keywords appear in this font.

Variables in a CLI command appear in this font.

[ ]

Elements in square brackets are optional.

{x | y | z}

Required alternative keywords are grouped in braces and separated by vertical bars.

[x | y | z]

Optional alternative keywords are grouped in brackets and separated by vertical bars.

string

A nonquoted set of characters. Do not use quotation marks around the string or the string will include the quotation marks.

< >

Nonprinting characters such as passwords are in angle brackets.

[ ]

Default responses to system prompts are in square brackets.

!, #

An exclamation point (!) or a pound sign (#) at the beginning of a line of code indicates a comment line.

Note

Means reader take note. Notes contain helpful suggestions or references to material not covered in the document.

Caution

Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might perform an action that could result in equipment damage or loss of data.

Tip

Means the following information will help you solve a problem. The tips information might not be troubleshooting or even an action, but could be useful information, similar to a Timesaver.

Timesaver

Means the described action saves time. You can save time by performing the action described in the paragraph.

Warning

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

This warning symbol means danger. You are in a situation that could cause bodily injury. Before you work on any equipment, be aware of the hazards involved with electrical circuitry and be familiar with standard practices for preventing accidents. Use the statement number provided at the end of each warning to locate its translation in the translated safety warnings that accompanied this device.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Related Documentation

Cisco UCS Director Documentation Roadmap

For a complete list of Cisco UCS Director documentation, see the Cisco UCS Director Documentation Roadmap available at the following URL: Click Here .

Cisco UCS Documentation Roadmaps

For a complete list of all B-Series documentation, see the Cisco UCS B-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap available at the following URL: Click Here .

For a complete list of all C-Series documentation, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap available at the following URL: Click Here .

Note

The Cisco UCS B-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap includes links to documentation for Cisco UCS Manager and Cisco UCS Central. The Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Documentation Roadmap includes links to documentation for Cisco Integrated Management Controller.

Documentation Feedback

To provide technical feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, please send your comments to ucs-director-docfeedback@cisco.com. We appreciate your feedback.

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, using the Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST), submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see What's New in Cisco Product Documentation.

To receive new and revised Cisco technical content directly to your desktop, you can subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation RSS feed. RSS feeds are a free service.

THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL STATEMENTS, INFORMATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.

THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN THE INFORMATION PACKET THAT SHIPPED WITH THE PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR CISCO REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.

The Cisco implementation of TCP header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) as part of UCB's public domain version of the UNIX operating system. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1981, Regents of the University of California.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER WARRANTY HEREIN, ALL DOCUMENT FILES AND SOFTWARE OF THESE SUPPLIERS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS" WITH ALL FAULTS. CISCO AND THE ABOVE-NAMED SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS MANUAL, EVEN IF CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: Click Here . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)