Deploying Windows 2016 with custom features

This scenario installs the Windows 2016 operating system and several additional features. A custom profile is used that includes a custom unattend file. The custom profile can then be selected on the Deploy OS Images page.

Before you begin

This scenario uses the following sample files.

Windows_installFeatures_customUnattend.xml. This custom unattend file installs the WindowsMediaPlayer and BitLocker features, and uses predefined macros for dynamic values.

Procedure

To deploy Windows 2016 with custom features, complete the following steps.

Download the Japanese Windows 2016 operating system to the local system, and import the image to the OS-images repository. For more information, see Importing operating-system images.
1. From the XClarity Administrator menu bar, click Provisioning > Manage OS Images to display the Deploy Operating System: Manage OS Images page.
2. Click the OS Images tab.
3. Click Import icon ().
4. Click Local Import.
5. Click Browse to find and select the OS image that you want to import (for example, ja_windows_server_2016_x64_dvd_9720230.iso).
6. Click Import to upload the image to the OS-images repository.
7. Wait for the import to complete. This might take a while.
Download the bundle file for Windows 2016 to the local system, and import the image to the OS-images repository. For more information, see Importing device drivers.
The bundle file contains the latest device drivers and WinPE boot files that you can add to your custom OS-images profiles. This scenario uses a custom boot file, so the boot file in the bundle will not be used.
1. Click the Driver Files tab.
2. Click Downloads > Windows Bundle Files to go to the Lenovo Support webpage, and download the bundle file for Windows 2016 to the local system.
3. Click Import icon ().
4. Click Local Import.
5. Click Browse to find and select the OS image that you want to import (for example, bundle_win2016_20180126130051.zip).
6. Click Import to upload the file to the OS-images repository.
7. Wait for the import to complete. This might take a while.

Modify the Windows unattend file to install the additional features (such as WindowsMediaPlayer and BitLocker), and import the custom file to the OS-images repository.

In the servicing section of the Windows unattend file, add the Windows features to install, for example

<servicing>
   <package action="configure">
      <assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package" version="10.0.14393.0" 
                        processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" 
                        language=""></assemblyIdentity>
      <selection name="Microsoft-Hyper-V" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="MultipathIo" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="FailoverCluster-PowerShell" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="FailoverCluster-FullServer" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="FailoverCluster-CmdInterface" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="FailoverCluster-AutomationServer" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="FailoverCluster-AdminPak" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="MicrosoftWindowsPowerShellRoot" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="ServerManager-Core-RSAT" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="WindowsMediaPlayer" state="true"></selection>
      <selection name="BitLocker" state="true"></selection>
   </package>
</servicing>

Note

These tags are in the sample unattend file.
When you use a custom unattend file, XClarity Administrator does not provide many of the normal convenience features that you get when you use a predefined unattend file. For example, the targets <DiskConfiguration>, <ImageInstall>, <ProductKey>, and <UserAccounts> for Administrator, <Interfaces> for networking, and <package> list for installation features must be specified in the custom unattend file that is being uploaded.

To import the custom unattend file, complete these steps. For more information, see Importing custom unattend files.

Click the Unattend Files tab.
Click Import icon ().
Click Local Import.
Select Windows for the operating system.
Click Browse to find and select the custom unattend file (for example, Windows_installFeatures_customUnattend.xml).
Click Import to upload the file to the OS-images repository.

XClarity Administrator provides some basic convenience macros, such as OOB driver injection, status reporting, post-install scripts, and custom software. However, to take advantage of these predefine macros, you must specify the following macros in the custom unattend file.

#predefined.unattendSettings.preinstallConfig#
#predefined.unattendSettings.postinstallConfig#

The example file already contains the code for installing the additional features, required macros, and other macros that are needed for dynamic input. For more information about adding macros to unattend files, see Injecting predefined and custom macros to an unattend file.

For more information about available predefined macros, see Predefined macros.

Create a custom OS-image profile that includes the unattend file. For more information, see Creating a custom OS-image profile.
1. Click the OS Images tab.
2. Select the profile to customize (for example, win2016-x86_64-install-Datacenter_Virtualization).
3. Click Create icon () to display the Create Customized Profile dialog.
4. On the General tab:
  1. Enter a name for the profile (for example, Custom Windows with features).
  2. Use the default value for the Custom data and file path field.
  3. Select Only unattend files for the customization type.
  4. Click Next.
5. On the Driver Options tab, click Next. The inbox device drivers are included by default.
6. On the Boot Options tab, and click Next. The predefined WinPE boot file is selected by default.
7. On the Software tab, click Next.
8. On the Unattend Files tab, select custom unattend file (for example, Windows_installFeatures_customUnattend.xml), and click Next.
9. On the Installation Scripts tab, click Next.
10. On the Summary tab, review the settings.
11. Click Customize to create the custom OS-image profile
Deploy the custom OS-image profile to the target servers. For more information, see Deploying an operating-system image.
1. From the XClarity Administrator menu bar, click Provisioning > Deploy OS Images to display the Deploy Operating System: Deploy OS Images page.
2. For each target server:
  1. Select the server.
  2. Click Change Selected > Network Settings, and specify the hostname, IP address, subnet mask, gateway, DNS, MTU and VLAN settings for the server.
    Tip
    VLAN settings are available only when VLAN mode is set in Global Settings > IP Assignment > Use VLANs.
  3. Select the custom OS-image profile (for example, <base_OS>|<timestamp>_Custom Windows with features) from the drop-down list in the Image to Deploy column.
    Note
    Ensure that all target servers use the same custom profile.
  4. (Optional) Click the License Key icon () and specify the license key to use to activate the operating system after it is installed.
  5. Select the preferred storage location where you want to deploy the operating system image from the Storage column.
    Note
    To ensure that operating system deployments are successful, detach all storage from the managed server except the storage that is chosen for the operating-system deployment
  6. Verify that the deployment status for the selected server is Ready.
3. Select all target servers, and click the Deploy image icon () to initiate the operating-system deployment.
4. On the Custom Settings tab, click the Unattend and Configuration Settings subtab, and select the custom unattend file (for example, Windows_installFeatures_customUnattend.xml).
5. (Optional) On the Active Directory Domain tab, specify information to join an Active Directory domain as part of a Windows image deployment (see Integrating with Windows Active Directory).
6. On the Summary tab, review the settings.
7. Click Deploy to deploy the operating system.

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