OS deployment can be one of the most time consuming aspects of managing a datacenter. What complicates matters more, is the complexity of server hardware. You have more disks, RAID controllers, and remote access hardware (DRAC and BMC devices) not to mention other custom hardware. Luckily, Altiris has come to our rescue with Deployment Solution for Dell Servers 3.0, providing us with all the tools necessary to configure Dell server hardware without writing a line of scripting code.
In this article we will explore the many features one of Deployment Solution for Dell Servers newest and most exciting features, the Job Builder. We will show you how to use to Job Builder to:
- Configure BIOS / DRAC / BMC individually (or all at once)
- Create Custom Bare Metal to OS Jobs using a scripted OS install or imaged based install.
- Create a custom RAID configuration
The Job Builder:
After installing Deployment Solution for Dell Servers and completing the Configuration Wizard, the Job Builder is available to use in the Tools->Dell Tools-> Job Builder Menu. You will see a window appear as follows:
This window represents all the tasks that occur in a Bare Metal to OS job. I will now explain each of these tasks:
Re-deployment Starting Point: Inform DS that in the event that this system needs to be redeployed, start from this point (use with RIP and Replace functionality).
Configure System Firmware: Configure the BIOS using a captured configuration file which may or may not include DRAC settings (depending on the Dell Hardware you are running it on).
Configure DRAC Firmware: Configure the Dell Remote Access Console device using a previously captured configuration file.
Configure RAID: Configure the RAID using a file captured from another system, or in another manner which you define.
Partition Hard Drive: Partition and format a hard drive in preparation for receiving an Operating System. A Dell Utility partition can also be installed at this point.
Scripted OS Install: Deploy and OS using the Deployment Solution for Dell Servers Scripted OS install mechanism (separate from the scripted OS install mechanism provided with DS). Note: The Job builder does not provide a mechanism for image based OS deployment from the job builder, but we will show you how to do this later on.
Each of these items are done in order and cannot be reordered. You can however choose which items are done. For instance, if you want to Deploy an OS, but skip configuring of the BIOS / DRAC and BMC devices, only check Configure Raid, Partition Hard Drive, and Scripted OS Install.
An Example:
Perhaps the best way to learn about how to build a custom job using the Job builder is to work through a real world example:
Let's say that you have just received one hundred 1955 blades servers to be used as part of a Windows Server 2003 SQL cluster. Each of these machines are in different states since some are new, and others came from other departments. Your task is to configure all of these machines (BIOSs, BMC, RAID etc), load Windows Server 2003, and install Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
Step 1) While your interns are installing each of the 1955 blades and ensure that PXE is their first boot option. You turn on the first blade installed and sit down at your DS Console. Since your initial deploy option is set to the linux preboot with a timeout, you soon see your 1955 blade appear in your console.
Step 2) You assign the "Get all Configuration Files" job found in the Capture Configuration Input Files section to that single 1955 blade and wait for it to complete. (Doing this step will ensure that all your machines have identical bios settings after the machine is deployed.)
Step 3) You open the Configuration Utility and click "Edit" on the Server Models tab and review the system and raid configuration files that were just captured editing values as needed. Once you are done, you save these files, and exit the Configuration Utility.
Step 4) Now it's time to build our job. You go to Tools->Dell Tools->Job Builder.
Step 5) Since you will be using Rip and Replace with these servers, you check "Re-deployment Starting Point", and then check "Configure System Firmware". Because all machines will be using the same configuration file (ConfigFiles\System\PE1955.ini), click "Generic model configuration file" and press OK.
Step 6) Check "Configure RAID". Click "From File", and select the recently captured raid configuration file (ConfigFiles\Raid\pe1955.ini) and press Ok.
Step 7) Click "Partition Hard drive Task". The defaults are ok, except you don't want to install a utility partition, so you uncheck this option and press OK.
Now we run into an interesting question. Do we want to deploy these machines using a scripted OS Install task, or do we want to use an image? The advantages of a scripted OS install task is we don't have to go through the trouble of capturing an image, and running it through sysprep. The disadvantage is that we will have to deploy a RIP (Rapid Install Package), and it takes a little longer since the windows installer needs to run on each machine.
In this particular case, we'll use the scripted OS install method, but we could have just as easily used the image based install method.
Step 8) Click "Scripted OS Install Task", Select the OS configuration for your windows 2003 OS. Click OK
Step 9) Click "Build Job", and name your job "Deploy 1955 Blade SQL cluster" and press "Build"
Step 10) Close the Job Builder, and you will see a new job named "Deploy 1955 Blade SQL cluster" in the Job Builder folder. Click on this Job to see the details.
You can now add a "Distribute Software" task, to distribute the SQL Server RIP.
Step 11) Now Deploy this job onto all your servers. You might want to stagger the machines in groups of 5, every 10 minutes.
Custom OS Deployment using an Image:
Jobs produced by the job builder are completely customizable through the DS console once they have been created. We will use the job builder to create a Bare Metal to OS job, but stop right before we perform the scripted install. We will then use the built in Distribute Disk Image functionality of Deployment Solution to actually deploy the OS.
Step 1) Perform steps 1-7 of the previous.
Step 2) Leave "Scripted OS Install Task" empty, and build your job naming it "Deploy 1955 Blade SQL Image."
Step 3) Prepare one 1955 Blade with an OS and install SQL Server in an manner you like. Use a Create Disk Image job to capture the disk image.
Step 4) Use Sysprep to prepare this disk image to be deployed among all the 1955's.
Step 5) Click on your created (Deploy 1955 Blade SQL Image) job, and delete all tasks below "Clear MBR and Partition Table". Your task list will now appear as follows:
Step 6) Now click Add->Distribute Disk Image and point to your image you prepared in steps 3 and 4.
Step 7) Click OK, and your image will now be added to the bottom of the task list.
Step 8) You're done, start assigning your job to your machines.
Creating a Custom RAID Configuration
Let's modify the previous example but let's suppose that some of your 1955 blades have two disks and the others have one. This can present a problem if we are using a configuration file to configure the RAID. Luckily, this presents no problem when we are using the job builder.
Let's follow the original example, except replace step 6, with the following:
Step 6a) Click "Configure Raid", and then click "Rule based Raid", and then click "Add Rule". You will be presented with this screen:
We could use priority mode or physical mode for this example, but since it is such a simple example, physical mode is probably easier and requires less thinking. We will create one rule for our 1955's with one disk, and then another rule for our 1955's with 2 disks.
Step 6b) Click "Add Controller", and increment "Match a controller with this number of physical disks" to 1. Click OK.
Step 6c) Click on the Controller configuration icon, and press "Configure".
Step 6d) Configure this disk group for NO RAID, since 1955's with one disk do not support RAID 0. Click OK, the OK to the Raid Configuration Rule Dialog.
Step 6e) Click "Add Rule", once again to add a rule for those machines that have 2 disks. Follow the same procedure as above, except enter two disks, and configure those 2 disks for RAID 1. When you have completed that rule, your Configure Raid Task dialog should look like this:
This Configure Raid task will configure NO RAID when it encounters a machine with one controller and one disk, and configure RAID 1, when it encounters one controller with two disks. This is what we want for our 1955's.
Step 6f) Press OK, and continue with the rest of the original example.
You're done! When you build your job, you will have the proper RAID configuration done on all of your servers, and have an OS deployed (whether you chose a Scripted OS install, or an image-based install).