Systems Deployment

Nobody, huh? Well, luckily we got our image to work.

-Mike

Hi Mike, sorry didn't see this right away as I'm currently bogged down in a IU revision cycle. We use it at my workplace...

The company I work for helps other organizations implement IUB so if you have any question we might be able to help

Sweet! Well, I'll definitely be pinging you for help. What do you think of version 3? So far, it looks really good in our tests. It seems to fix our boot disk issues, but when we deploy a ghosted portable sysprep os module, the os module never finished unzipping. Other than that we're thinking it is worth the upgrade cost.

-Mike

Version 3 has many improvements that make it worth the upgrade cost. As you have mentioned the new boot system (WINPE) is a much needed improvement to the old PC DOS boot system and the new GUI menu is nice. I have not run into the image extraction problem so I would need more information on that.

Someone sent me an email asking if if I wouldn't mind answering a few IUB3 questions. Just post them on the board under this thread
and I will do what I can to provide answers for you.

[:D]
I sent you the e-mail and BTW, thanks for being available.

So, I downloaded IUB3 trial and am trying it out. I built an unattended install (i386 xp sp1), and used the default unattend.wxp file, with our cd key. I then made a basemap with just the 4 files required, no additional modules at all. The install works perfectly when I do not choose any drivermaps. However when I deployed to a T42, and picked the drivermap imported from a T42, the setup itself crashed about half way through with a GPF in sysprep.exe. I don't know why sysprep would be invoked, since this is an unattended install.

I can click ok to continue after the crash, and the install completes, but I do not get any of the drivermap modules installed.

Thoughts? I'm thinking the tool uses sysprep to insert the hooks to install the applications and driver modules. Maybe the sysprep used is somehow an old version?

Anyway, so far this looks good, assuming we can resolve the sysprep problem, and get modules to install.

-Mike

When you import modules from a system partition IUB will attempt to build a Base and Driver Map. This is a best shot build and I suggest you delete it and build your own driver map.

As far as sysprep goes, IUB uses sysprep to boot first in an "Audit Boot" - Factory Preinstall. Once everything in the audit boot is complete IUB reruns the sysprep for the "Customer First Boot" phase. In short sysprep is actually used in the way Microsoft intended it to work.

I hope this helps

I've got an IUB problem that hopefully someone can give some direction on: I'm using version 3 and attempting to perform a deployment over the network to a ThinkCentre M52 desktop. Once the target machine connects to the repository and the maps are selected, it will download the maps & modules, then go into a continuous reboot cycle. Using IUB v2.01, I can't even get the machine to connect, even using an updated NIC driver (Intel Pro/1000).

If anyone has else has experienced this, I'm interested in how you got around it. Any advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Hi there.

Running V3.
A lot of things working as planned. Nice tool.
But, have created a Ultra Portable Base map, added application and need to partition disk into a c:\ and a d:\ to divide in program and user data partitions.
Very uninforming documentation on this, and I need a more step by step guide, since I'am obviously not smart enough to get this working..

Thx
John

I think you should be able to do it. Have you checked out the redbook here?
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247106.html?Open

-Mike

Thx for response.
Yes, I've looked through that and the IUB manual.
But all they say is that I have to make a batch script and/or use third party tool.
I do not have any third party tool, and when I use a batch script inside a OS module, together with diskpart and gdisk, the deployment fails, and I cannot find out why.

John

In the user guide there is a section that talks about Partition Modules, more specifically the use of diskpart to make those modules.

Here is one example from the User Guide

ECHO SELECT DISK 0 >%RAMD%\S.SCP
ECHO CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY >>%RAMD%\S.SCP E
CHO EXIT >>%RAMD%\S.SCP
DISKPART /s %RAMD%\S.SCP

The diskpart /s <scp file> is the key in that example. You need to make sure your install sequence is correct when you are creating multiple partitions and since you want to carve up the disk you will want to make a partition module for each of the partitions minus the service partition. Hope this helps.

Thx for help.

I'll try it out, actually - I've tried something similar, but will go over it again.
I'm in a different project for a month but will try to test it and post a reply to U

Hi There,

I have been using IUB for about three months now - took me a month to get it working!

In the course of the testing and learning i have written a number of different base maps and then later deleted them...my problem is that they still appear in the list when booting a new PC from the boot disk. Is there a way to clean up this list?

Thanks,
-marti-

I have never had this problem. If I had to guess, I would think that maybe you've deleted the source of the basemaps, but not the actual basemaps themselves. Are you deleting within the IUB interface?

-Mike

Yeah, i had the same thought...

i definitely deleted the base maps through the IUB Interface, so that should be fine. And i have checked the repository and the files from those base maps no longer appear?!?

i am wondering whether there is some log file or something that remembers the base map names, but if you have not had the same problem then it looks like it is me and not IUB that is the problem.

one thing that could be significant is that i upgraded from version 3.0 to version 3.1...but if my memory is correct old base map names from either side of the upgrade still appear?? This is a real mystery...

appreciate any further help anyone can offer...

-marti-

When you boot you load the contents of the MAPS folder in the root of the repository directory on the harddrive of the system that contains the repo. Do a scan for BMA files, when you find them open them - the are plain text so a text editor will work fine. Take a look in them and see if you are finding the content that should be gone. Hope this helps

That's done it. Thanks heaps Jason.

Sorry to slow the thread down a whole bunch, but we've got the most simple and annoying problem here.

Have any of you had troubles getting the package to communicate with a server when setting up repositories? We can't get it to agree with any server, or even work locally?!

I'm a bit confused as to why it asks for the folder location, then asks for the server?

what kind of setup do you have? Have you got an applications server where you point all packages to?

I have an issue of my own, running version 2 (will upgrade soon!) we have a few IBM Thinkpads (R51 and T42) that after several rebuilds now freeze in the process. We use a portable sysprep image and after the os has been ghosted on, the machine tries to contact DHCP again and I get a "The command completed successfully. Insufficient memory to perform this operation" error

It then has a "mapping drive x: to network drive \\server\repository" and it freezes there.

Now these machines have ahd to problems int he past and I have takent hem back tot heir original factory default image but still they won't get past this. I have also seen this on Desktops but usually a full partition wipe fixes it. No joy here has anyone else seen this at all?

Not sure if this forum is still being used, but I looking for assistance. Is anyone out there that could assist me?

Hello...I am new to the forum and not sure if someone can help, I am using IUB V3.1 and when I go to deploy a basic (i386) image after it runs through the process I get an NTLDR is missing message. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this may be happening.

Thanks
Ed

My company has chosen to go with IBM Image Ultra Builder and has deligated me to learn and use the Software, I need some good tips and help starting a build...any help would be greatfull, I have the server and client both up and running but I have no idea what to do from there.