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Home > Archive > 70-210 > July 2001 > Unattended installs
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Unattended installs
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| I haven't done an unattended install yet but want to understand it first.
Let us say you copy the unattend.txt to a floppy then boot to what? A #Win98 start diskette? But if you boot to the floppy as the first boot device do you have to chnge the boot order then so that on subsequent boots ( there are two or three during intallation) it will boot to the win 98 floppy.
Any comments? | |
| Joe Blacke 2001-07-21, 8:01 pm |
| I'm not exactly sure of what your asking, but I'll attempt to answer the questions I think you are inquiring about.
First, if you are saving an unattend.txt file to a floppy, it typically means that you will be doing your unattend install from CD. In this case, your unattend file MUST be named unattend.sif. The best method to use this, would be to change the boot order in CMOS so that you boot to CD first, then floppy. When your PC starts from the cd rom, it will look for an unattend.sif file to perform an unattended install. You do not specify switches or a path for the unattend file.
Now, if you are doing an unattend installation over the network, then the unattend file is usually saved on a network share as well. In this case, you must boot from a network client and establish a connections with the distribution folders. From there, you would run the Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe (this switch is not used when booting from a disk that provides the network client), with the appropriate switches.
In the second scenario, your switches can specify the unattend file, as well as the udf files used. When you use the /u or /unattend switch, you must also specify the path to the file as well as the file name. When you use the /udf switch you must also specify what values within the file are going to be used (host names for example), as the .udf is a generic file that contains a list of names and values. Basically all you are doing is choosing which values to use from within the file. When using a /udf switch, you must specify the path to the file as well as the file name, just like you must do with the /u or /unattend switch.
Now, typically for a network install that uses a unattend file, there will be only one unattend.txt file. A .udf file is created that lists all of the host names and other variables that will be used. That way, when you run winnt.exe or winnt32.exe command fromt he distribution share, you can specify to use the generic unattend.txt file (by using the /u or /unattend switch) as well as the specific values needed for your particular install (these values are among those listed in the .udf file).
For example,if you have a network share on computer ABC that hold the distribution files for the install of a computer to be named XYZ, and you are booting a client from a network disk, you would do the following:
Boot from the network client
Establish a connection to server ABC
Connect to the distribution folder and then type
winnt.exe / u:\\ABC\distributionfolder\una
ttend filename / udf:XYZ,\\ABC\distributionfold
er\udf filename | |
| mrdrewca 2001-07-21, 10:35 pm |
| Your the shit!!! | |
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| That is what I was looking for!
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Blacke
When your PC starts from the cd rom, it will look for an unattend.sif file to perform an unattended install. You do not specify switches or a path for the unattend file.
So I just have to stick the floppy with unattend.sif in, Stick the CD in, boot up and go have a coffee. | |
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| The machine on which I wanted to try the RIS install doesn't boot from CD at all. Is there any way around that other than doing a network install? | |
| Joe Blacke 2001-07-22, 10:20 am |
| To install via RIS, you do not boot from a cd. You create a distribution folder on a RIS server, and boot the client from a PXE network card, or the PC must be part of a NetPC spec, or you have created a floppy that mimicks a PXE boot.
RIS is completely seperate from an unattended install, although there is typically an unattend file associated with the RIS install.
If you are trying to do an unattend install without booting from the cd or connecting to a network share, then there is a couple ways you can do it. One way is a sysprep install, and the other is with a syspart install.
For sysprep you can accomplish it in one of two ways. You can use a completely seperate machine, load Win2k and all applications exactly as you want the machine set up, and then run setup manager to create a sysprep.inf in the sysprep folder, and then you need to run the sysprep utility. Running the sysprep utility will delete all machine specific info and allow you to create a "clone" or mirror image of your ideal machine setup. You then use a third party imagining tool to force the image onto your target pc. When you start the target pc, a mini wizard runs, and all the setup information is taken from the sysprep.inf file that was created when you ran setup manager.
The second method of a syspep install doesn't require a seperate machine. You would first install the os onto a single machine (if you can't boot from the cd rom, or don't have a network share available, then you would have to do this install without using a unattend.txt file). When you have the os and applications set up, you run setup manager to create the syspep.inf file (just like the other method), and then run the sysprep utility. When you reboot your machine, it will do a reinstall for you and use the sysprep.inf file to answer any install questions. This second method is not realistic, but if you only have 1 pc, it makes for a good practice method.
For a syspart install, you need at least two seperate physical disks. You can run winnt.exe or winnt32.exe with a /u or /unattend and a /syspart and /tempdrive switches. This does the following: installes Win2k on the specified drive along with an answer file. You then take this second disk, and install it in another machine. When that machine boots, it will load Win2k using the information in the answer file specified with winnt.exe or winnt32.exe.
HTH | |
| Joe Blacke 2001-07-22, 10:32 am |
| One thing I forgot to mention, is that if your machine cannot boot from a cd rom, and you are installing the OS from a cd, then you cannot use an unattended installation. In this case, you must make setup boot disks, and this prevents you from using a winnt.sif. | |
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| OK. That is everything I wanted to know.
You have been a great resource. | |
| freak 2001-07-22, 12:23 pm |
| actually, if you are going to perform a cd-based, unattended install, the unattend.txt file needs to be renamed winnt.sif... | |
| Joe Blacke 2001-07-22, 12:45 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by freak
actually, if you are going to perform a cd-based, unattended install, the unattend.txt file needs to be renamed winnt.sif...
Holy cow!!!
I can't believe I didn't catch that earlier.
Yes, folks the file name must be winnt.sif
Just gotta slow down sometimes and read what I'm typing. Either that, or have some reference materials nearby and not try to post from memory only.
Thanks freak. |
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