Network-Install Windows 7 to iSCSI target

[Bernhard Steiner]

Hi gPXE fellas;
I hope its okay writing to you gPXE guys, knowing that I use gPXE out of the SYSLINUX package.

I'm successfully using the SYSLINUX version of gPXE, called 'gpxelinux.0', to boot Windows from iSCSI. Right now, I install Windows to a hard drive first, and then I use 'dd' to move the image of the HD to my iSCSI target. But I like to go a step further…

I'd like to boot from network, connect to a iSCSI target, and then start the installation of the OS from network, too.

What I'm doing at the moment…

1) Boot server hands 'gpxelinux.0' (chain-loading pxelinux after gpxe) to my PXE clients
2) In my PXELINUX (using sanboot.c32 module of SYSLINUX) menu I select an empty iSCSI target
3) I get a "SAN boot failed" message, because the iSCSI target I'm trying to boot is empty.
4) Then I fall back to my PXELINUX menu, and now I select the entry to start WDS (Windows Deployment Services)
5) But when Windows 7 Setup asks for an installation destination, there are no hard drives…

I already tried to set the "KEEP-SAN" option (175 gPXE_options: 08 01 01 FF) in my MS-DHCP server, but without any positive change.

My question to you guys is:
Is it possible to use gPXE to mount an empty iSCSI disk and then proceed with installing an OS (e.g. Linux, Windows, …) from network?

Thanks,
Bernhard

[Andrew Bobulsky]

Forgot to CC the mailing list :)

Also, the Etherboot-discuss list has been deprecated (?), you'll want to continue this on ***@etherboot.org

-Andrew Bobulsky

Date: May 19, 2010 10:25:34 AM EDT
Subject: Re: [Etherboot-discuss] Network-Install Windows 7 to iSCSI target
Bernhard,
I've actually done this before, but the process was more than cumbersome... it was a bit of a nightmare.
Basically, you want gPXE to pull its DHCP request, attempt to boot from SAN, and then of course fall back to gPXE. After that, you'll want to do something like "chain boot\pxeboot.n12" from the gPXE CLI or a gPXE script.
Even then, though, I had problems with Windows Setup that required me to bust open the wim file and edit a few things, then start setup.exe by hand from the PE's command prompt.
It's a bit of a pain, and I honestly can't remember specifically what I did to make it work right, but I'll try to give you some help along the way if you're willing to stumble along ;-)
Also, I was chainloading undionly.pxe from the built in pxe. I think the key here for you is likely loading WinPE from the gPXE CLI, rather than jumping back out to SYSLINUX.
Best of luck to you.
-Andrew Bobulsky

Post by Bernhard Steiner
Hi gPXE fellas;
I hope its okay writing to you gPXE guys, knowing that I use gPXE out of the SYSLINUX package.
I'm successfully using the SYSLINUX version of gPXE, called 'gpxelinux.0', to boot Windows from iSCSI. Right now, I install Windows to a hard drive first, and then I use 'dd' to move the image of the HD to my iSCSI target. But I like to go a step further…
I'd like to boot from network, connect to a iSCSI target, and then start the installation of the OS from network, too.
What I'm doing at the moment…
1) Boot server hands 'gpxelinux.0' (chain-loading pxelinux after gpxe) to my PXE clients
2) In my PXELINUX (using sanboot.c32 module of SYSLINUX) menu I select an empty iSCSI target
3) I get a "SAN boot failed" message, because the iSCSI target I'm trying to boot is empty.
4) Then I fall back to my PXELINUX menu, and now I select the entry to start WDS (Windows Deployment Services)
5) But when Windows 7 Setup asks for an installation destination, there are no hard drives…
I already tried to set the "KEEP-SAN" option (175 gPXE_options: 08 01 01 FF) in my MS-DHCP server, but without any positive change.
Is it possible to use gPXE to mount an empty iSCSI disk and then proceed with installing an OS (e.g. Linux, Windows, …) from network?
Thanks,
Bernhard
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https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-discuss

[Marty Connor]

Hi Bernhard,

Thanks for your question. I suggest you join the ***@etherboot.org
list and ask there. There are quite a few people on that list who can help.

Here is the mailing list subscription link:

http://etherboot.org/mailman/listinfo/gpxe

Regards,

/ Marty /

Post by Bernhard Steiner
Hi gPXE fellas;
I hope its okay writing to you gPXE guys, knowing that I use gPXE out of the SYSLINUX package.
I'm successfully using the SYSLINUX version of gPXE, called 'gpxelinux.0', to boot Windows from iSCSI. Right now, I install Windows to a hard drive first, and then I use 'dd' to move the image of the HD to my iSCSI target. But I like to go a step further…
I'd like to boot from network, connect to a iSCSI target, and then start the installation of the OS from network, too.
What I'm doing at the moment…
1) Boot server hands 'gpxelinux.0' (chain-loading pxelinux after gpxe) to my PXE clients
2) In my PXELINUX (using sanboot.c32 module of SYSLINUX) menu I select an empty iSCSI target
3) I get a "SAN boot failed" message, because the iSCSI target I'm trying to boot is empty.
4) Then I fall back to my PXELINUX menu, and now I select the entry to start WDS (Windows Deployment Services)
5) But when Windows 7 Setup asks for an installation destination, there are no hard drives…
I already tried to set the "KEEP-SAN" option (175 gPXE_options: 08 01 01 FF) in my MS-DHCP server, but without any positive change.
Is it possible to use gPXE to mount an empty iSCSI disk and then proceed with installing an OS (e.g. Linux, Windows, …) from network?
Thanks,
Bernhard

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