HP 370971-004 User Manual
HP SmartStart Scripting Toolkit Win32 Edition Best Practices
October 2005 (Fourth Edition)
Part Number 370971-004
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October 2005 (Fourth Edition)
Part Number 370971-004
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 4
Win32 Toolkit overview............................................................................................................................. 4
Toolkit changes......................................................................................................................................... 4
Minimum requirements............................................................................................................................... 4
Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment................................................................................ 5
Overview of the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment ..................................................................... 5
Windows PE build process ......................................................................................................................... 5
Building a Windows PE base image ..................................................................................................5
Customizing the Windows PE image using the Toolkit driver component................................................. 6
Booting Windows PE from a USB drive key ..................................................................................................7
Configuring HP ProLiant systems with Windows PE ........................................................................... 8
Overview of configuring HP ProLiant systems with Windows PE....................................................................... 8
Unattended configuration using startnet.cmd................................................................................................. 8
Creating required data files with Windows PE .............................................................................................. 9
Capturing and storing data files using physical media........................................................................ 10
Capturing data files over a network .................................................................................................10
Creating script files.................................................................................................................................. 10
CD-based Windows PE deployment........................................................................................................... 16
PXE-based Windows PE deployment .......................................................................................................... 17
Network-based Windows PE deployment ...................................................................................................17
Technical support........................................................................................................................ 19
Reference documentation ......................................................................................................................... 19
Toolkit support ........................................................................................................................................ 19
HP contact information............................................................................................................................. 19
Acronyms and abbreviations........................................................................................................ 20
Index......................................................................................................................................... 22
Contents 3
Introduction
In this section
Win32 Toolkit overview............................................................................................................................ 4
Toolkit changes........................................................................................................................................ 4
Minimum requirements.............................................................................................................................. 4
Win32 Toolkit overview
This document describes how to best utilize the Win32 edition of the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit to
configure HP ProLiant servers. It also contains information about using the Toolkit utilities in an unattended
environment. This document does not include information about installing the operating system.
The best practices also include suggestions about how to organize utilities and data files by following a
set of operational procedures that standardize configuration procedures and help reduce errors.
CAUTION: Because of the potential risk of data loss, be sure that all necessary precautions are taken so
that mission-critical systems are not disrupted if a failure occurs.
Toolkit changes
Previous versions of the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit utilities were designed for the MS-DOS environment.
However, limitations in MS-DOS have become a significant problem as hardware and software have
evolved. In response to this issue, HP has migrated the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit to a Win32
environment to provide better scripting and better hardware support using Win32 drivers and to take
advantage of built-in Win32 features, such as integrated network support.
The Win32 edition of the Toolkit provides the same functionality as the earlier MS-DOS version. However,
tools, arguments, and data files are different in the Win32 edition of the Toolkit, so you must update your
customized scripts to work in a Win32 environment. Data files have been migrated to industry-standard
XML format to provide improved extensibility. For more information about the Toolkit utilities, refer to the
HP SmartStart Scripting Toolkit Linux and Win32 Editions User Guide on the Toolkit website
(http://www.hp.com/servers/sstoolkit
).
Minimum requirements
Before beginning the deployment process, be sure to have the following items available:
• HP SmartStart Scripting Toolkit Linux and Win32 Editions User Guide
• SmartStart Scripting Toolkit Win32 Edition
• Microsoft® Windows® PE Build Tools 2005
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003, Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Introduction 4
Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment
In this section
Overview of the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment.................................................................... 5
Windows PE build process ........................................................................................................................ 5
Booting Windows PE from a USB drive key................................................................................................. 7
Overview of the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment
Microsoft® Windows® Preinstallation Environment 2005 is a small footprint of the Microsoft®
Windows® Server 2003 environment that replaces MS-DOS and enables you to run tools in a 32-bit
Windows® environment. However, Windows® PE 2005 is based on the Windows® Server 2003 SP1
kernel running in protected mode. Therefore, only a subset of features and APIs are available in this
environment. This document is applicable to Windows® PE 2005 only. It is not backward compatible
with previous versions of Windows® PE.
Windows® PE enables you to install the Windows® operating system, establish a connection with
network servers, and perform hardware configuration using the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit. You can use
Windows® PE to customize and configure your servers before the operating system is installed.
A bootable image of Windows® PE is available from Microsoft® through the Open Value program. You
can also obtain tools, scripts, and documentation that enable you to create and customize your own
Windows® PE image. However, customers are required to have the Microsoft EA or SAM to gain access
to Windows® PE. For more information, refer to the Microsoft® Windows® PE website
(http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/support/winpe.mspx
Windows PE build process
Microsoft® provides a collection of scripts and tools to help you build your own Windows® PE image.
You must customize your Windows® PE image to include the latest HP drivers and the SmartStart
Scripting Toolkit utilities, data files, and customized scripts. The latest ProLiant drivers are available on the
HP support website (http://www.hp.com/support/files
The following sections, "Building a Windows PE base image (on page 5)" and "Customizing the
Windows PE image using the Toolkit driver component (on page 6)," give an overview of the Windows®
PE build process with HP drivers and tools and should be executed in the Windows® command prompt
Building a Windows PE base image
(CMD.EXE) environment.
).
).
This section describes how to build a Windows® PE base image. The base image can then be
customized as described in "Customizing the Windows PE image using the Toolkit driver component (on
page 6)." For detailed information about customizing a Windows® PE base image, refer to the
Windows® PE documentation.
Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment 5
The following table describes the directories and paths that you must define for the Windows® PE base
image build procedure.
Directory or path Description
WinPEBuildTools Build location for the Windows® PE tools
PathToWinPEFiles Path to the original Windows® PE files
PathToOSFiles Path to the operating system CD or directory
WinPE_Directory
OptionalComponentsDirectory
Target directory where the flat Windows® PE image will be
created
Target directory where the Windows optional components will
be stored
To build a Windows® PE base image:
1. Set an environment variable for the platform (x86 or i386):
set platform = x86
2. Copy the Windows® PE Build Tools and files for the appropriate target server platform to a
temporary directory:
a. Create the temporary build directory:
mkdir WinPEBuildTools
b. Copy the files to the temporary build directory:
xcopy /s /e PathToWinPEFiles\WinPE\*.* WinPEBuildTools
xcopy /s /e PathToWinPEFiles\Tools\%Platform%\*.* WinPEBuildTools
3. Run the mkimg batch file to build the folder structure of Windows® PE image with PnP and WMI
support enabled:
cd WinPEBuildTools
mkimg.cmd PathToOSFiles WinPE_Directory /PnP /WMI
4. If needed, build Windows® PE optional components. Optional components include support for
ADO, HTA, and WSH:
a. Build the optional components:
Buildoptionalcomponents.vbs /s:PathToOSFiles
/d:OptionalComponentDirectory /ADO /HTA /WSH /X
b. Copy the optional component files to the Windows® PE flat image folder:
xcopy /e OptionalComponentDirectory WinPE_Directory
c. Edit startnet.cmd to include the string oc.bat:
echo oc.bat >> WinPE_Directory\%Platform%\system32\startnet.cmd
Customizing the Windows PE image using the Toolkit driver component
Windows® PE contains a set of drivers and other files imported from Windows® XP that are critical
during the boot process of Windows® PE. In addition to the drivers imported from Windows® XP,
additional WDM compliance drivers can be added to the Windows® PE image during customization.
Use the Windows® PE tools available from Microsoft® to help you update drivers to the Windows® PE
image. For more information, refer to the Microsoft® Windows® PE website
(http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/support/winpe.mspx
IMPORTANT: HP ProLiant drivers must be added during Windows® PE customization to ensure the
Toolkit utilities function properly.
NOTE: Tools and data files are not required during the boot process, so they do not need to be stored on
the Windows® PE CD. These files can reside on a diskette, a USB drive key, or a network share.
Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment 6
).
To simplify the process of customizing the Windows® PE image with the latest ProLiant drivers, the Win32
edition of the Toolkit provides a driver component that automatically registers and copies the drivers to the
appropriate folders. User interaction is still required to set up the Windows® command prompt
(CMD.EXE) environment.
To extract the component:
• Locate the compressed file, which is a self-extracting executable.
• Double-click the self-extracting executable, and select Extract to extract all of the files and drivers to
a temporary directory.
The component uses drivers shipped with the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit to customize the Windows® PE
image. The component must be run after the Windows® PE base image is built but before other
modifications are made to the Windows® PE image.
Booting Windows PE from a USB drive key
Some applications, such as the firmware update components, require the use of a writable medium. A
writable file system allows for the expansion of the contents of the components and provides a scratch
area for the backup firmware image copied from the device under flash. While using Windows® PE on
CD is not suitable for this purpose, a USB drive key provides the ideal medium for this type of activity.
NOTE: Booting from a USB drive key is supported only on the HP ProLiant BL20p G3 Server and ProLiant
G4 and later servers.
To boot Windows® PE from a USB drive key, refer to the Microsoft Windows® PE documentation
(http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/support/winpe.mspx
). This information is also
available with the Windows® PE build tools documentation.
Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment 7
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