Using CA AppLogic › Appliance Developer Guide › Appliance OS Installations › Windows Installations › Windows OS › Windows Base Class › Windows Server 2008 Base Server Class

Windows Server 2008 Base Server Class

For Windows appliances and applications, these instructions allow you to create Windows Server 2008 base classes.

This example installation is based on a DVD install of Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition without Hyper-V SP2 32-bit. The instructions have been tested with the following Windows Server versions:

Notes:

• The install size may change as Microsoft releases new updates to the OS.
• The contents of the X:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder can be removed if you need to save disk space.

  For the example, the ISO image used for the installation has been downloaded from Microsoft's MSDN site and copied to the impex volume of the grid as en_windows_server_2008_datacenter_enerprise_standard_without_hyper-v_sp2_x86_dvd_342334.iso. See the iso2class reference for other ways to specify an ISO image for the installation.

• The TurboGate PV drivers version 2.0 can be used with 32-bit versions of Windows Server 2008, but do not support 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008. Version 3.0.1 of these drivers work with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008.
• Do not execute the TurboGate installer until after you have completed installation of the basic OS.
• The host name must be different than any user name.
• In the following text of this topic, the y placeholder in WIN08y corresponds to the Windows edition, such as S for Standard, E for Enterprise, DC for DataCenter and W for Web, that the appliance is based on.

The Server Windows exe contains the APK. The APK performs an automated prep script prior to installing the APK. You can disable the automated prep script, if you have already prepared the machine. During the Install, select Custom and disable the Prep script. You can then manually perform the APK prep script. To review the manual steps, refer to Manually Perform APK Prep Script.

Install and Configure an Appliance

Follow these steps:

1. Open a 3T shell, execute the following command, and select either 32-bit or 64-bit and OS:

   util iso2class app_name=win08_install install_size=12G console_type=graphic iso_volume1=en_windows_server_2008_datacenter_enterprise__standard_without_hyper-v_sp2_x86_dvd_342334.iso  virt_options=acpi=1 cpu=1 mem=1G
   

   This creates and starts the win08_install application, booting the singleton iso2class from the specified ISO image.

   • For SCSI based appliance creation, use the following command:

     util iso2class app_name=win08_install install_size=12G console_type=graphic iso_volume1=en_windows_server_2008_datacenter_enterprise__standard_without_hyper-v_sp2_x86_dvd_342334.iso virt_options=acpi=1 cpu=1 mem=1G scsi=1
     

   • The volume size of 12 GB provides enough space for the OS installation and subsequent Windows updates, resulting in an appliance with approximately 1GB of free space when the process is complete. This size requirement may change as Microsoft introduces more updates to the OS.

   In CA AppLogic, the boot volume of a Windows Server 2008 appliance is formatted as ntfs08. You can only increase the size of an ntfs08 boot volume for a Windows Server 2008 appliance.

2. Access the graphic console of the singleton using one of the following methods:
   • Select the application in the application list in the GUI and click the icon for Login (graphic).
   • Open the application in the Infrastructure Editor and select the singleton iso2class. Then select Login (graphic) in the Appliance menu.
3. After the graphical console displays, the Windows Server 2008 installation interface should be visible. Proceed to install the OS.
   • The singleton will reboot during installation, rendering the graphical console inoperative. When this happens, simply close and re-open the graphical console.
   • On a rare occasion, when using Mozilla Firefox to access the graphical console, it will give a repeatable error of Application is not started or graphical console misconfigured. If this should happen simply close and re-open Firefox.
   • The following instructions assume a full installation of Windows with its more complete graphical interface. If you are installing a Server Core installation, you will need to adjust your keyboard and mouse actions to accomplish these same steps.

   When the installation is complete, the singleton will reboot and Windows will ask you to set a new password.

4. Enter your password and click Enter. Windows will set a new password for the Administrator and display a message indicating that the Administrator password is set successfully. Click OK and Windows will automatically log into the administrator desktop.
5. Change the computer name: Open Server Manager, Change System Properties and set the computer name to WIN08y. Restart when requested and close the graphical console.
6. Configure the external interface of the singleton to provide access to the internet: The singleton has two network interfaces: Local Area Connection and Local Area Connection 2. The first is the external interface while the second is the internal interface.
   • Access Control Panel, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, Local Area Connection, Properties, TCP/IPv4, Properties.

     Click Use the following IP address and enter an available IP address from the grid's assigned external network and the corresponding netmask and gateway for that network. To locate the IP address and other values, access the Network Resources section of the dashboard.

   • Or, execute the following commands in the command shell:

     netsh interface ip set address name="Local Area Connection" static [ip-address] [netmask] [gateway] 1 
     netsh interface ip set dns name="Local Area Connection" static [dns-ip] 
     

7. Install high priority and optional Windows updates:
   1. Open IE and select Tools, Windows Update, Turn on Now and install updates. On 64-bit versions of Windows, Windows Update may be access with Start, Control Panel, System and Security, Windows Update, Change settings, Download updates but let me choose to install them then OK and Check for updates.
   2. Reboot when prompted. Close the graphical console, and, after a minute, re-open the graphical console.
   3. Repeat the above procedure until there are no more updates to install. The option in IE to select Windows Update may become available under Security, Windows Update.
8. Activate Windows by entering a valid product key.
   1. On 32-bit versions: access Control Panel, System, and Change Product Key

      On 64-bit versions: Access Control Panel, System and Security, System, Change Product Key.

   2. Enter your valid product key.
9. Shut down the OS and continue the iso2class installation using the following steps:
   1. In the command shell, type the following command and press Enter:

      shutdown -s -t 0
      

   2. Wait approximately five seconds.
   3. Within the 3tshell running the iso2class utility, press Enter, Y, Enter.

      The second volume becomes available to the singleton.

10. Wait approximately one minute, then reopen the graphical console and log in to the Windows desktop.

    If the graphical console starts up in the System Recovery Options dialog, perform the following steps:

    1. Select Next and log in as Administrator.
    2. Restart and wait approximately one minute.
    3. Reopen the graphical console and log in to the Windows desktop.
11. To transform this singleton into a fully managed appliance, execute the Windows Server exe installer. You can locate this self-executing installer on the drive of the singleton. The drive is typically drive D or E.
    1. Double-click the Server Windows exe file to perform the base class appliance installation.

       The Windows APK is installed as a pre-requisite.

12. If there are junction points on the volume, delete junction points to prevent Windows volume resize failures.

    Search for junction points using the command prompt.

    dir/S /A:L
    

    The output reports the path for any junction points.

    The following are examples of junction points on a Windows boot volume. The names on your volumes can differ.

    • WINDOWS\assembly\GAC_32\System.EnterpriseServices\2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a\
    • WINDOWS\assembly\GAC_MSIL\IEExecRemote\2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a\
13. If you intend to install the TurboGate PV drivers, execute the following command. The drive is typically drive D or E.

    copy E:\TurboGate-Tools-Setup-V3.0.1.exe C:\
    

14. Shutdown the OS to ensure required system configuration takes affect. Perform the following steps:
    1. In the command shell, type the following command and press Enter:

       shutdown -s -t 0
       

    2. Wait approximately five seconds.
    3. Within the 3tshell running the iso2class utility, press Enter, Y, Enter.
    4. When prompted in the 3t shell, select The appliance is fully managed.

       The iso2class stops the application, changes the singleton boundary to that of a generic server appliance, and re-starts the application.

Create Catalog Appliance Class

Change the resulting singleton into a catalog appliance class.

Follow these steps:

1. Stop the application.
2. Open the application in the Infrastructure Editor.
3. Right-click the singleton and select Attributes. Change the instance name to WIN08y.
4. Right-click the singleton and select Modify Boundary.

   The Modify Boundary window displays.

5. Enter the following:
   1. Change the class name to WIN08y.
   2. Enter the following description:

      Windows Server Appliance – based on Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition without Hyper-V SP2 32-bit

      Note: Use the correct edition name.

   3. Use the information in the following resource table to change the resource settings based on the Windows edition.

1. Select the OS icon as Windows.
2. Set the documentation URL to the appliance datasheet using the following URL:

   http://doc.3tera.com/AppLogicxx/index.htm?toc.htm?CatGenericWindows.html
   

   where xx indicates the current version of AppLogic
   

3. Save the application when prompted.

Complete the Installation and Setup

Completing the appliance includes making changes if you configure TurboGate PV drivers.

Note: Perform the steps in this procedure if you are installing the TurboGate PV drivers. If not, see the note at the end of this procedure.

Follow these steps:

1. In the modify boundary dialog for the singleton:
   1. Add terminals to the appliance until there is a total of 7 listed interfaces. With the default interface, you will have the maximum 8 interfaces. This step is required to avoid manual user intervention when adding terminals to future Windows appliances that are based off this Windows server appliance.

      With the default interface, you will have the maximum 10 interfaces.

   2. Add three placeholder volumes to the appliance. Do not assign mount points for these volumes. This step, and the following related steps, are required to ensure that new volumes added to an appliance are properly recognized and brought online.
2. Create three raw 50 MB volumes and configure the singleton instance to use these volumes for the placeholder volumes.
3. Save and start the application. SSH into the appliance and set the Administrator password (net user administrator new password).

   Note: Change the administrator password because the Server Windows EXE sets a new random password on initial boot and you must know the Administrator password before installing the TurboGate PV drivers.

4. Log in through the graphical console.
5. Execute diskpart in a cmd.exe shell in the graphical console to format and mount the three raw volumes. Within the diskpart command line interface, execute the command list disk.
   1. Execute the following commands for each disk, except the boot disk:

      select disk # [specify the number]
      online disk # [skip this step if the disk is online]
      clean
      create partition primary 
      assign letter=[specify a different letter for each disk, such as D, E, F]
      

   2. Exit from the diskpart interface.
   3. Format each volume in the cmd.exe shell. For example: format /fs:ntfs d:, and so on.
6. Execute the PV driver installer. For example: C:\TurboGate-Tools-Setup-V3.0.1exe.

   Select Install Anyway as required. Do not reboot after the install.

7. Open a 3T shell and execute the following command:

   app restart win08_install -debug
   

8. Wait approximately one minute after the application begins to start, then log in using the graphical console and wait approximately one minute until the driver installation completes and the pop-up window requests a restart.

   To restart the appliance, click the Restart icon.

   Note: Perform one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether the app start has timed out:

   • If the application start has not timed out, it may complete normally.
   • If the application start has timed out, execute the following command in the 3T shell, followed by shutdown within the graphical console:

     app stop win08_install 
     

9. Within the 3T shell, execute app start win08_install and verify the appliance starts without error.
10. Log in through the graphical console:
    1. Verify all the disks are online using diskpart in a cmd.exe shell:

       diskpart
       list disk
       exit
       

    2. If you have installed version 3.0.1 of the TurboGate PV drivers, click Start > Run > services.msc to disable the service gkservice.

       This service is installed with the PV drivers and, if there is more than one virtual network interface associated to the appliance, fails to start. Disabling this service does not affect the performance of the PV drivers.

11. In a bash shell on the appliance perform the following steps:
    1. Set a new complex password, such as net user administrator pq398hpaowht0293j^LWOIFH9htfw9jfe.
    2. Exit the SSH session.
    3. SSH into the appliance and execute the following command:

       rm -f ~/.bash_history /cygdrive/c/TurboGate* /appliance/passwd.stamp
       

12. Stop the application, modify the boundary of the appliance, and remove the extra terminals and 3 placeholder volumes added in the previous steps.

    The WIN08y appliance is now ready for use.

Not Installing TurboGate PV

If you are not installing the TurboGate PV drivers, perform the following steps to complete the appliance:

1. Start the application and securely log in to the appliance using SSH.
2. Execute the following command:

   rm -rf /appliance/passwd.stamp ~/.bash_history
   

Enable the Appliance to be Compliant using Sysprep

The Windows APK includes a script to prepare catalog appliance instances to be specialized during the initial start. This process uses the Microsoft sysprep utility. Sysprep checks for the license key and returns the appliance to the factory default.

If you used a Microsoft site license key in the preceding steps, you do not need to sysprep. The site license key allows the key to be used each time you branch your singleton.

If you do not have a site license key and need to license multiple appliances individually, you must sysprep each appliance.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in through the graphical console.
2. From the cmd.exe shell, execute

   mountvol /e 
   

3. Restart the OS using the command:

   shutdown -r -t 0
   

4. After a few minutes, reopen the graphical console and, from the cmd.exe shell, cd to the C:\applogic directory.
5. Execute the run_sysprep_generalize.bat script
6. This runs the Sysprep /generalize phase and takes less than 3 minutes to complete
7. When complete, stop the application

   The singleton is ready to be moved to the /system_ms catalog with Sysprep enabled to run upon instantiation.

Move Appliance to the Catalog

Follow these steps:

1. Verify that you have full access rights to the catalog. These rights are required to move the singleton.
2. Move the singleton into the /system_ms catalog.