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Automated Deployment Services
- Thread starter forbsy
- Start date
The basics are fairly simple.It gets more complicated when you use multiple partitions, I can create multiple partitions but am struggling with making one active for the OS to Boot from if the original server is booting from say partition 2. Also struggled with adding additional Raid controller drivers for an IBM raid card (in an X345) so that the deployment agent could see the RAID. Finally resolved it by using the ADS windows version of nfrd960.sys driver and the OEM inf files provided by IBM ( IBM's supplied nfrs960.sys file wasn't liked by ADS ) There is also a paper on ammending the .inf files on Microsoft website as Standard .inf files produce errors ( its a simple mod ). Read the section on turning on Tracing, just a simple registry change. I used this to help identify deployment agent problems with the IBM RAID card. ADS uses SYSPREP for the configuration so an understanding of that will help tailor the final installs. Hope this helps
- Thread starter
- #3
Hi c0r0. Since I've posted this a month ago I've become a very accomplished with ADS 
I have also been deploying IBM's. X330's and X350's. The X350's come with IBM ServRaid cards (4lx, 4mx). Unlike with Windows 2000, these drivers are native with 2003, so I had no problems with the deployment agent seeing them. What model IBM RAID card comes with the X345?
I don't bother with creating more than the system partition for my images.
I saved a post from a forum that was talking about adding drivers to the ADS repository or the [SysprepMassStorage] section within sysprep.inf:
"Brian Hatch" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:<9CC62C54-267A-4864-BE40-F53DB6C21AED@microsoft.com>...
> Ok....I burned a Premier support call on this so everyone that is having this problem can thank me. Here is the fix that is not contained in Technet as of yet, they are notes from another tech at MS, and yes it does work for my 5i controller.
> While I did not have [IBM_disk...] I did have [BM_disk...] which seems to work just fine.
>
> Brian Hatch
>
> <---Begin Text--->
> For workaround,
> 1. Copy the storport.sys from your windows\system32\drivers to Program
> Files\Microsoft ADS\nbs\repository\Windows (this is the ADS repository) 2. Modify the Program Files\Microsoft ADS\nbs\repository\DeploymentAgent\ntbm.inf. Find the [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles] section, and add the storport.sys to the file list.
> After the change, the [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles] section should be like:
> [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles]
> atapi.sys
> disk.sys
> partmgr.sys
> ftdisk.sys
> scsiport.sys
> classpnp.sys
> fs_rec.sys
> ntfs.sys
> fastfat.sys
> mountmgr.sys
> storport.sys
>
> Best regards,
> John
>
> Enterprise Platforms Support
> <---End Text--->
>
>
> ----- Mark wrote: -----
>
> Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but...
>
> I have found a solution using HP servers that allows me to deploy an image
> to a server with either a Smart Array 532 or 5i Controller.
>
> Here's what I did:
> 1) Created a new folder with my sysprep folder that gets copied to the
> device labeled "drivers\storage"
>
> 2) I downloaded the appropriate support pack from HP
>
> 3) extracted the files from the support pack and copied the following to the
> folder I created in step 1
> *.cat, *.dll, *.sys, *.inf
> NOTE: You'll need to look in device manager to get the appropriate driver
> used for your storage controller. In my case, there were (2) separate
> drivers within the support pack to choose from.
>
> 4) open the drivers .inf file and look for the PNP ID of the driver eg. for
> a 5i its: PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40800E11
> NOTE: make sure to include the SUBSYS part as well.
>
> 5) create a new section in your sysprep.inf file labled
> "[SysprepMassStorage]" and copy the string from step 4 to the first line
> underneath eg. mine looks like:
> PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40800E11="c:\sysprep\drivers\storage\cpqcissm.i
> nf"
> PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40820E11="c:\sysprep\drivers\storage\cpqcissm.i
> nf"
> NOTE: The part after the "=" points to the .inf file for the driver were it
> is located on the device you are capturing the image from. I put mine in
> the sysprep folder so that it would be deleted after I deploy the image.
> Also notice the importance of including the SUBSYS part of the PNP ID. It
> failed for me when I didn't include it. One line is for a Smart Array 5i
> and the other for a 532 Storage Controller.
>
> 6) capture and deploy the image.
>
> Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I was having a terrible
> time deploying an image to multiple devices myself.
>
> Mark
Ian
I have also been deploying IBM's. X330's and X350's. The X350's come with IBM ServRaid cards (4lx, 4mx). Unlike with Windows 2000, these drivers are native with 2003, so I had no problems with the deployment agent seeing them. What model IBM RAID card comes with the X345?
I don't bother with creating more than the system partition for my images.
I saved a post from a forum that was talking about adding drivers to the ADS repository or the [SysprepMassStorage] section within sysprep.inf:
"Brian Hatch" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:<9CC62C54-267A-4864-BE40-F53DB6C21AED@microsoft.com>...
> Ok....I burned a Premier support call on this so everyone that is having this problem can thank me. Here is the fix that is not contained in Technet as of yet, they are notes from another tech at MS, and yes it does work for my 5i controller.
> While I did not have [IBM_disk...] I did have [BM_disk...] which seems to work just fine.
>
> Brian Hatch
>
> <---Begin Text--->
> For workaround,
> 1. Copy the storport.sys from your windows\system32\drivers to Program
> Files\Microsoft ADS\nbs\repository\Windows (this is the ADS repository) 2. Modify the Program Files\Microsoft ADS\nbs\repository\DeploymentAgent\ntbm.inf. Find the [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles] section, and add the storport.sys to the file list.
> After the change, the [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles] section should be like:
> [IBM_DISK.CopyFiles]
> atapi.sys
> disk.sys
> partmgr.sys
> ftdisk.sys
> scsiport.sys
> classpnp.sys
> fs_rec.sys
> ntfs.sys
> fastfat.sys
> mountmgr.sys
> storport.sys
>
> Best regards,
> John
>
> Enterprise Platforms Support
> <---End Text--->
>
>
> ----- Mark wrote: -----
>
> Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but...
>
> I have found a solution using HP servers that allows me to deploy an image
> to a server with either a Smart Array 532 or 5i Controller.
>
> Here's what I did:
> 1) Created a new folder with my sysprep folder that gets copied to the
> device labeled "drivers\storage"
>
> 2) I downloaded the appropriate support pack from HP
>
> 3) extracted the files from the support pack and copied the following to the
> folder I created in step 1
> *.cat, *.dll, *.sys, *.inf
> NOTE: You'll need to look in device manager to get the appropriate driver
> used for your storage controller. In my case, there were (2) separate
> drivers within the support pack to choose from.
>
> 4) open the drivers .inf file and look for the PNP ID of the driver eg. for
> a 5i its: PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40800E11
> NOTE: make sure to include the SUBSYS part as well.
>
> 5) create a new section in your sysprep.inf file labled
> "[SysprepMassStorage]" and copy the string from step 4 to the first line
> underneath eg. mine looks like:
> PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40800E11="c:\sysprep\drivers\storage\cpqcissm.i
> nf"
> PCI\VEN_0E11&DEV_B178&SUBSYS_40820E11="c:\sysprep\drivers\storage\cpqcissm.i
> nf"
> NOTE: The part after the "=" points to the .inf file for the driver were it
> is located on the device you are capturing the image from. I put mine in
> the sysprep folder so that it would be deleted after I deploy the image.
> Also notice the importance of including the SUBSYS part of the PNP ID. It
> failed for me when I didn't include it. One line is for a Smart Array 5i
> and the other for a 532 Storage Controller.
>
> 6) capture and deploy the image.
>
> Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I was having a terrible
> time deploying an image to multiple devices myself.
>
> Mark
Ian
Thanks Forbsy, I may need your help soon then !
X345 has a 6i controller I believe. On the subject of IBM's, I can configure our 330's to autoboot from the Network, but our 335's and 345's can't be forced to always boot to the PXE. I can enable PXE boot but cant force it to be the first boot option, Any idea if I'm missing something obvious in their BIOS setup. Maybe a silly question if you don't have either models!
X345 has a 6i controller I believe. On the subject of IBM's, I can configure our 330's to autoboot from the Network, but our 335's and 345's can't be forced to always boot to the PXE. I can enable PXE boot but cant force it to be the first boot option, Any idea if I'm missing something obvious in their BIOS setup. Maybe a silly question if you don't have either models!
- Thread starter
- #5
We do have x335's (although, I haven't had the chance to use one yet). Isn't there a PXE interface option within that BIOS? I'd have thought that you could pick which interface you wanted to PXE boot from. Why can't you force Network to be the first option within the BIOS?
If you enable PXE in the BIOS it will boot from the network card but only if you press F12 at the appropriate time or if there are no other bootable devices present i.e HDD or CD. We want to be able to remotely reboot the server into the deployment agent, ( to be ready to recieve a new image build )but always need some one to manually press F12 , which defeats the object a bit !
Not a lot of info about this, and you guy's seem to be well into ADS, so maybe you can help with this one .. I am installing (or at least trying to) ADS (Automated Deployment Services)on an Enterprise Edition Wndows Server 2003, and the install hangs at the point of it trying to "Install Perfom Counters" I have tried this on a couple of different servers, one with a Single NIC and one with Teamed NIC's, one with MSDE and one with Full SQL Server, and the same thing happens.
Any Help?!
Any Help?!
Hello all.
We are having difficulty with booting our machines in DA.
ADS installed fine, adds pxe clients on discovery, launches boot-to-da job, downloads ramdisk, starts to boot it and hangs forever at:
Deployment Agent status.
Documentation does not indicate any modification to ADS is necessary to boot to DA, none was made.
One of the servers reboots immediately after accepting boot-to-da policy.
Tracing is on, logs, or other details, available on request.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
We are having difficulty with booting our machines in DA.
ADS installed fine, adds pxe clients on discovery, launches boot-to-da job, downloads ramdisk, starts to boot it and hangs forever at:
Deployment Agent status.
Documentation does not indicate any modification to ADS is necessary to boot to DA, none was made.
One of the servers reboots immediately after accepting boot-to-da policy.
Tracing is on, logs, or other details, available on request.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
- Status