I would start talking to your hardware vendors. Both your server vendor, and
storage vendor need to support iSCSI booting.
They can give you details on how to set this up

Rgds,
Edwin



"csingh" wrote in message
news:04217147-A642-4BA4-95BB-84CD1643C1BF@microsoft.com...
> Can someone please tell me how can Windows 2003 server R2 be booted using
> iSCSI? How is an image of Windows 2003 server created and what has to be
> done on the computer booting up so that it can go fetch this image.
>
> Thank you.
> --
> csingh

Edwin vMierlo wrote:
> I would start talking to your hardware vendors. Both your server vendor, and
> storage vendor need to support iSCSI booting.
> They can give you details on how to set this up
>
> Rgds,
> Edwin
>
>
>
> "csingh" wrote in message
> news:04217147-A642-4BA4-95BB-84CD1643C1BF@microsoft.com...
>> Can someone please tell me how can Windows 2003 server R2 be booted using
>> iSCSI? How is an image of Windows 2003 server created and what has to be
>> done on the computer booting up so that it can go fetch this image.
>>
>> Thank you.
>> --
>> csingh
>
>

I don't have any direct experience installing this kind of
configuration, but I have worked on one system that did boot from an
iSCSI drive. The key, if I'm not mistaken, is iSCSI NICs that will
"mount" the volume and transfer to the OS - I suppose something like a
network boot...

I have read that Windows server 2003 R2 does not need an HBA and all it needs
it is regular NIC card and it should be able to boot using iSCSI but the
problem is when booting up how do I make a boot strap which will pull in a
Windows server image from an iSCSI target. So essentially when the diskless
blade comes up it should be able to run a iSCSI initiator. How is that done?
Also how do I create an image of Windows 2003 server to be put on the iSCSI
target which will be pulled (fetched) by the iSCSI initiator?

Thank you.
--
csingh


"leew [MVP]" wrote:

> Edwin vMierlo wrote:
> > I would start talking to your hardware vendors. Both your server vendor, and
> > storage vendor need to support iSCSI booting.
> > They can give you details on how to set this up
> >
> > Rgds,
> > Edwin
> >
> >
> >
> > "csingh" wrote in message
> > news:04217147-A642-4BA4-95BB-84CD1643C1BF@microsoft.com...
> >> Can someone please tell me how can Windows 2003 server R2 be booted using
> >> iSCSI? How is an image of Windows 2003 server created and what has to be
> >> done on the computer booting up so that it can go fetch this image.
> >>
> >> Thank you.
> >> --
> >> csingh
> >
> >
>
> I don't have any direct experience installing this kind of
> configuration, but I have worked on one system that did boot from an
> iSCSI drive. The key, if I'm not mistaken, is iSCSI NICs that will
> "mount" the volume and transfer to the OS - I suppose something like a
> network boot...
>

"csingh" wrote in message
news:637C31CC-A9AA-4172-8CF5-F5FC8E93E88B@microsoft.com...
> I have read that Windows server 2003 R2 does not need an HBA and all it
needs
> it is regular NIC card and it should be able to boot using iSCSI but the
> problem is when booting up how do I make a boot strap which will pull in a
> Windows server image from an iSCSI target. So essentially when the
diskless
> blade comes up it should be able to run a iSCSI initiator. How is that
done?
> Also how do I create an image of Windows 2003 server to be put on the
iSCSI
> target which will be pulled (fetched) by the iSCSI initiator?

I am running many / various blade configurations which are iSCSI booting,
blades from various hardware vendors

Each of them are installed vendor specific. Each are installed with a
specific procedure which I got from my hardware vendor.
Really, talk to your blade hardware vendor, and then can give you exact
instructions on how to set this up !
These instructions are different per vendor, they are even different between
different models from the same vendor.

your hardware vendor will have the answers to your questions.

Rgds,
Edwin.

Hello Edwin,
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it. I am using Intel Damascus
boards and I am contacting Intel for the initiator side. I have experience
in similar type of booting in Linux where we create a Linux kernel image
called bzImage which resides on the target side. This image can be created by
a simple command in Linux like "make bzImage". Can you please tell me how
did you do this for Windows 2003 in your setup. This image for me will be
residing on a Linux server with disks running an iSCSI target so I guess
vendor will not have help for me on this end.

Regards,
--
csingh


"Edwin vMierlo [MVP]" wrote:

>
> "csingh" wrote in message
> news:637C31CC-A9AA-4172-8CF5-F5FC8E93E88B@microsoft.com...
> > I have read that Windows server 2003 R2 does not need an HBA and all it
> needs
> > it is regular NIC card and it should be able to boot using iSCSI but the
> > problem is when booting up how do I make a boot strap which will pull in a
> > Windows server image from an iSCSI target. So essentially when the
> diskless
> > blade comes up it should be able to run a iSCSI initiator. How is that
> done?
> > Also how do I create an image of Windows 2003 server to be put on the
> iSCSI
> > target which will be pulled (fetched) by the iSCSI initiator?
>
> I am running many / various blade configurations which are iSCSI booting,
> blades from various hardware vendors
>
> Each of them are installed vendor specific. Each are installed with a
> specific procedure which I got from my hardware vendor.
> Really, talk to your blade hardware vendor, and then can give you exact
> instructions on how to set this up !
> These instructions are different per vendor, they are even different between
> different models from the same vendor.
>
> your hardware vendor will have the answers to your questions.
>
> Rgds,
> Edwin.
>
>
>

You'll need an iSCSI HBA to boot from iSCSI.


"csingh" wrote in message
news:637C31CC-A9AA-4172-8CF5-F5FC8E93E88B@microsoft.com...
>I have read that Windows server 2003 R2 does not need an HBA and all it
>needs
> it is regular NIC card and it should be able to boot using iSCSI but the
> problem is when booting up how do I make a boot strap which will pull in a
> Windows server image from an iSCSI target. So essentially when the
> diskless
> blade comes up it should be able to run a iSCSI initiator. How is that
> done?
> Also how do I create an image of Windows 2003 server to be put on the
> iSCSI
> target which will be pulled (fetched) by the iSCSI initiator?
>
> Thank you.
> --
> csingh
>
>
> "leew [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Edwin vMierlo wrote:
>> > I would start talking to your hardware vendors. Both your server
>> > vendor, and
>> > storage vendor need to support iSCSI booting.
>> > They can give you details on how to set this up
>> >
>> > Rgds,
>> > Edwin
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > "csingh" wrote in message
>> > news:04217147-A642-4BA4-95BB-84CD1643C1BF@microsoft.com...
>> >> Can someone please tell me how can Windows 2003 server R2 be booted
>> >> using
>> >> iSCSI? How is an image of Windows 2003 server created and what has to
>> >> be
>> >> done on the computer booting up so that it can go fetch this image.
>> >>
>> >> Thank you.
>> >> --
>> >> csingh
>> >
>> >
>>
>> I don't have any direct experience installing this kind of
>> configuration, but I have worked on one system that did boot from an
>> iSCSI drive. The key, if I'm not mistaken, is iSCSI NICs that will
>> "mount" the volume and transfer to the OS - I suppose something like a
>> network boot...
>>

John Fullbright wrote:
> You'll need an iSCSI HBA to boot from iSCSI.
>

From my understanding it can be done on a normal NIC, you just need
some software like http://www.emboot.com/iscsiboot.htm

Regards,

Kaj

Products like this do a PXE boot. You'd need to ask MS about
supportability.




"Kaj S. Laursen" wrote in message
news:u%23gpY8AeHHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> John Fullbright wrote:
>> You'll need an iSCSI HBA to boot from iSCSI.
>>
>
> From my understanding it can be done on a normal NIC, you just need some
> software like http://www.emboot.com/iscsiboot.htm
>
> Regards,
>
> Kaj

Microsoft PSS fully supports the emBoot winBoot/i product. It uses PXE
boot to load a OS-absent iSCSI stack and continue Windows boot from
iSCSI SAN

Regards,
Steve Marfisi

On Apr 6, 2:30 pm, "John Fullbright"
wrote:
> Products like this do aPXEboot. You'd need to ask MS about
> supportability.
>
> "Kaj S. Laursen" wrote in messagenews:u%23gpY8AeHHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gb l...
>
> > John Fullbright wrote:
> >> You'll need aniSCSIHBA to boot fromiSCSI.
>
> > From my understanding it can be done on a normal NIC, you just need some
> > software likehttp://www.emboot.com/iscsiboot.htm
>
> > Regards,
>
> > Kaj