Injecting predefined and custom macros to an unattend file

You can add predefined and custom macros to an unattend file.

About this task

Macros give you the ability to add dynamic data (configuration settings) to an unattend file. You provide the data values when the OS-image profile is deployed.

Lenovo XClarity Administrator provides a set of predefine macros that you can add to an unattend file without associating a custom configuration-settings file. For a list of predefined macros, see Predefined macros.

It is strongly recommended that you include the following predefined macros in the custom unattend files.

#predefined.unattendSettings.preinstallConfig# and #predefined.unattendSettings postinstallConfig#. Used to communicate status from the OS installer, as well as several other critical installation steps.
See the following example OS-deployment scenarios for more information about how to include the installation-configuration macros.
#predefined.unattendSettings.networkConfig#. (For ESXi and RHEL only) Enables XClarity Administrator to configure the network. This macro uses the network settings that are specified on the Deploy OS Images page. If you do not include this macro in the unattend file or if the network settings are not defined in XClarity Administrator, you must configure the IP interface as part of the unattend file so that the host has a network route back to XClarity Administrator.
See the following example OS-deployment scenarios for more information about how to include the network-configuration macro.
- Deploying RHEL and a Hello World PHP application using a custom unattend file
- Deploying VMware ESXi v6.7 with Lenovo Customization to a local disk using a static IP address
#predefined.unattendSettings.storageConfig#. (For ESXi and RHEL only) Enables XClarity Administrator to configure storage on the host. This macro uses the storage settings that are specified on the Deploy OS Images page. If you do not include this macro in the unattend file or if the storage settings are not defined in XClarity Administrator, you must specify the storage configuration in unattend file.
See the following example OS-deployment scenarios for more information about how to include the storage-configuration macro.
- Deploying RHEL and a Hello World PHP application using a custom unattend file
- Deploying VMware ESXi v6.7 with Lenovo Customization to a local disk using a static IP address

You can create custom macros by creating a configuration-settings file and then associating the unattend file with a custom configuration-settings file. When you import the custom configuration-settings file, XClarity Administrator creates a macro for each configuration setting in the file.

Procedure

Complete the following steps to add macros to an unattend file.

From the XClarity Administrator menu bar, click Provisioning > Manage OS Images to display the Deploy Operating System: Manage OS Images page.
Click the Unattend Files tab.
Select the unattend file that you want to edit.
Click the Edit icon () display the Edit Unattend File dialog.
Add the recommended predefined macros, for example:
1. Place the cursor in the unattend file anywhere after line 1 (after the <xml> tag).
2. Expand the predefine > unattendSettings list in the list of available macros.
3. Click the preinstallConfig and postinstallConfig to add the required predefined macros to the unattend file.
  The following code is added to the file:
```
#predefined.unattendSettings.preinstallConfig#
#predefined.unattendSettings.postinstallConfig#
```
Add additional predefined or custom macros by placing the cursor in the correct location in unattend file and then clicking the macro from the list.
Click Save.

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