Scripting WSMAN to Deploy OS using
remote ISO image to stage and boot
This Dell Technical White Paper provides information about scripting
WSMAN Operating System Deployment for attaching remote ISO’s on
Dell PowerEdge servers with iDR AC.
1 Scripting WSMAN Operating System Deployment – Boot Network ISO
This document is for informational purposes only and may contain typographical errors and
technical inaccuracies. The content is provided as is, without express or implied warranties of
any kind.
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omissions in typography or photography. Dell, the Dell logo, and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell
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February 2012| Rev 1.0
2 Scripting WSMAN Operating System Deployment – Boot Network ISO
Contents
Executive summary .............................................................................. 4
Introduction ....................................................................................... 4
Environmental Check Point ..................................................................... 4
Script Usage ...................................................................................... 6
Attach Network ISO image for immediate one-time boot .................................. 7
Detach Network ISO image from one-time boot ............................................. 8
Retrieve the Job Status ......................................................................... 9
Attach Network ISO image for persistent boot .............................................. 9
Detach Network ISO image from persistent boot .......................................... 10
Retrieve the status of the attachment of Network ISO image for persistent boot ... 11
Skip booting to the persistent Network ISO Image on next boot ........................ 11
Changing iDRAC Target ........................................................................ 12
Where to Find More Information ............................................................. 13
Summary ........................................................................................ 13
Figures
Figure 1. Environment Diagram ........................................................................ 5
3 Scripting WSMAN Operating System Deployment – Boot Network ISO
Executive summary
This paper provides information for administrators looking to script operating system deployment to
attach remote ISO images to available Dell PowerEdge servers with an iDRAC, through a secure and
standards-based WSMAN service.
Introduction
Dell PowerEdge servers equipped with Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) provides
secure, simple, scriptable and standards-based remote management capability through Web Services
for Management (WSMAN). WSMAN is a network-based management protocol that enables a user to
access systems management data objects and methods supported by the target platform. You can
utilize he WSMAN API by scripting. WSMAN can be scripted using command line tools, such as winrm
on Windows and wsmancli on Linux. The scripting language used in this document is Python, which
can run on both Windows and Linux. You may need to read specification documents to understand
the terminology and concepts in this document. The audience for this document is systems
administrators who typically work with command line tools and scripts.
In this document, you will learn how to:
(A) Attach Network ISO image to host OS as Emulated USB Device for immediate one-time boot.
(B) Detach Emulated USB Device from (A).
(C) Retrieve the Job Status of the attached image.
(D) Attach Network ISO image to host OS as Emulated USB Device for persistent boot.
(E) Detach Emulated USB Device from (D).
(F) Retrieve the status of (D).
(G) Skip booting to the persistent Emulated USB Device with the Network ISO Image, one-time on
next boot.
Environmental Check Point
Before you begin, complete the following tasks:
1. Prepare a target system, Dell PowerEdge server with iDRAC enabled, configured and network
reachable to talk to WSMAN.
2. Verify Python version 2.7 is installed on your system. If you need assistance, refer to the
python release site.
3. Download the python scripts package from
document include the following:
4 Scripting WSMAN Operating System Deployment – Boot Network ISO
Dell Tech Center. The scripts relevant to this
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