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NetBoot.xyz - Windows Server 2019
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NetBoot.xyz - Windows Server 2019

How can I use NetBoot.xyz template to load and install Windows Server 2019? I want to use the official ISO from Microsoft for this. I extracted and loaded the ISO on a web server, but, it does not seem to follow the same directory/ file format expected by NetBoot.xyz

Any suggestions welcome!

Thank you in advance!

PS: I want to use this on my Virmach vps. Dont wanna bother support to load a custom iso for now (as they are overwhelmed with tickets for ancillary things).

Comments

  • @plumberg said:
    How can I use NetBoot.xyz template to load and install Windows Server 2019? I want to use the official ISO from Microsoft for this. I extracted and loaded the ISO on a web server, but, it does not seem to follow the same directory/ file format expected by NetBoot.xyz

    Any suggestions welcome!

    Thank you in advance!

    PS: I want to use this on my Virmach vps. Dont wanna bother support to load a custom iso for now (as they are overwhelmed with tickets for ancillary things).

    You're going to have license issues, afaik. Better to ticket and have them load licensed 2016.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • angstromangstrom Moderator
    edited December 2019

    @TimboJones said:

    @plumberg said:
    How can I use NetBoot.xyz template to load and install Windows Server 2019? I want to use the official ISO from Microsoft for this. I extracted and loaded the ISO on a web server, but, it does not seem to follow the same directory/ file format expected by NetBoot.xyz

    Any suggestions welcome!

    Thank you in advance!

    PS: I want to use this on my Virmach vps. Dont wanna bother support to load a custom iso for now (as they are overwhelmed with tickets for ancillary things).

    You're going to have license issues, afaik. Better to ticket and have them load licensed 2016.

    Assuming that he has a VPS from VirMach that allows for Windows -- some of the cheaper or promotional ones are "Linux only"

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • You can DD

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

  • @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

  • @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    Do it again, first time I did it I got an error but the second time it worked fine.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • @Jake4 said:

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    Do it again, first time I did it I got an error but the second time it worked fine.

    Interesting. Will try again later today.

  • plumbergplumberg Veteran
    edited December 2019

    @Jake4 said:

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Did you put the folders and files into a folder called x64? It normally tries to find that folder.

    @Jake4 said:
    You need to extract the windows ISO on another server and have it visible to the web (store it in a folder called x64).

    I tried installing windows though netboot.xyz but virmach's windows virtio drivers for storage didn't work for me so you prob can't.

    Yup. Extracted the files needed. Now getting a weird error

    Bad CIPO magic

    Do it again, first time I did it I got an error but the second time it worked fine.

    So, the error went away the next time I tried. However, it hangs at this.

    Get disk type: sectors = 0xff80040, type = 3
    Extensions installation check
    Get Extended parameters: C/H/S = 1024/255/63, sectors = 0xfff80040 (512 bytes)
    Get parameters: C/H/S = 1024/255/63, drives = 2

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    Is this the first time an OS has been installed on the server?

  • @Jord said:
    Is this the first time an OS has been installed on the server?

    Interesting point. Probably. You suggest I should do a standard template install and then try again?

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep
    edited December 2019

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:
    Is this the first time an OS has been installed on the server?

    Interesting point. Probably. You suggest I should do a standard template install and then try again?

    No, I was wondering if it wasn't able to pick up the drives. Even though it shouldn't have any problems. I've never seen that error before.

    Have you got rescue access? To see if the drives are formatted just in case.

  • its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

  • @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    Hmm, Sure, let me try that. Will post update in sometime

  • @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    tried with a fresh install, still no luck!

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    tried with a fresh install, still no luck!

    When I get home I'll do some testing

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    tried with a fresh install, still no luck!

    I haven't been able to get that error, it just seems to work for me. You said you unpackaged the ISO and uploaded it to a public-facing server so it could pick the files it needed?

  • @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    tried with a fresh install, still no luck!

    I haven't been able to get that error, it just seems to work for me. You said you unpackaged the ISO and uploaded it to a public-facing server so it could pick the files it needed?

    Yes, that is correct. downloaded ISO and extracted it and pushed it on a public facing server.

  • JordJord Moderator, Host Rep

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:

    @Jord said:

    @plumberg said:
    its on virmach. so, if you can guide me what to do, Ill check

    Oh, I'm not sure, probably not then. You could try a standard install of any OS and then try it again.

    tried with a fresh install, still no luck!

    I haven't been able to get that error, it just seems to work for me. You said you unpackaged the ISO and uploaded it to a public-facing server so it could pick the files it needed?

    Yes, that is correct. downloaded ISO and extracted it and pushed it on a public facing server.

    Hmm weird then, I've never seen that issue before. I'll try again tomorrow, I'll be in the office and have a test server I can try with.

  • @TimboJones said:

    @plumberg said:
    How can I use NetBoot.xyz template to load and install Windows Server 2019? I want to use the official ISO from Microsoft for this. I extracted and loaded the ISO on a web server, but, it does not seem to follow the same directory/ file format expected by NetBoot.xyz

    Any suggestions welcome!

    Thank you in advance!

    PS: I want to use this on my Virmach vps. Dont wanna bother support to load a custom iso for now (as they are overwhelmed with tickets for ancillary things).

    You're going to have license issues, afaik. Better to ticket and have them load licensed 2016.

    Based on replies about licensing from other providers, you just can't license a cloud server without having a Microsoft Software Assurance agreement or some shit. I might be thinking of Win10, though.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/news/updated-licensing-rights-for-dedicated-cloud looks like recent changes but wasn't what I was thinking of.

    Maybe a provider that does Microsoft stuff can clarify and speak about users bringing their own license, but iirc, it's come up a few times and my general take was you can't legally license just one shared server in the cloud.

    Anyone familiar with Windows licensing on shared hosting providers?

  • randomqrandomq Member
    edited December 2020

    @plumberg did you ever have any luck? I'm stuck at the C/H/S status... This is a "Windows" Virmach KVM, but it came uninstalled and with no Windows ISO's available, so I'm using my own ISO and license. I have virtio drivers bind mounted under the ISO but not even getting that far yet.

    I fear I may have to read a manual or tutorial! gasp

  • @randomq said:
    @plumberg did you ever have any luck? I'm stuck at the C/H/S status... This is a "Windows" Virmach KVM, but it came uninstalled and with no Windows ISO's available, so I'm using my own ISO and license. I have virtio drivers bind mounted under the ISO but not even getting that far yet.

    What does that mean, you haven't tried to start?

  • @randomq said:
    @plumberg did you ever have any luck? I'm stuck at the C/H/S status... This is a "Windows" Virmach KVM, but it came uninstalled and with no Windows ISO's available, so I'm using my own ISO and license. I have virtio drivers bind mounted under the ISO but not even getting that far yet.

    I fear I may have to read a manual or tutorial! gasp

    I actually gave up on this... but a good one to try over the weekend!

  • The install hangs before even getting to the point of loading virtio drivers... And my VPS doesn't have enough RAM to his the whole DVD in memory. I think I'll have to use WinPE to properly boot my modified ISO. Just wondering if plumberg or anyone found a simpler solution.

  • This is how I did it. There are quite a few steps, so please ask questions if I’ve missed something, or it isn’t clear.

    Outside Requirements:
    -Windows machine to slipstream the virtio drivers
    -Web server to which you can upload the WinPE environment
    -Windows or Linux (w/ Samba support) machine to set up a file share. Port 445 in will need to be open to the Internet. Many residential ISPs block this port (like AT&T), so another VPS is recommended.

    Download:
    -Windows iso
    -Server evaluation iso’s are here
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server
    -or Windows 10 by using the Media Creation Tool from
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
    -Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) AND the WinPE add-on from
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install
    -latest stable virtio drivers from
    https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/stable-virtio/virtio-win.iso

    For this example, I’m going to prepare and install Windows Server 2019, so you may need to adjust if you are using another operating system.

    Create Windows PE environment
    -Install the Windows ADK and WinPE add-on
    -At cmd prompt with administrative rights, enter
    cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment"
    notepad copype.cmd

    This will open copype.cmd in Notepad. After the set WINPE_ARCH=%1 line, add
    set WinPERoot=C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment
    set OSCDImgRoot=C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools
    and modify FWFILESROOT line to the following:
    set FWFILESROOT=%OSCDImgRoot%\%WINPE_ARCH%\Oscdimg
    Save the file.
    Back at the command prompt, enter this command
    copype amd64 C:\WinPE_amd64

    Now we can slipstream the virtio drivers in the WinPE environment. Extract the virtio drivers to a folder using a tool like 7-Zip. In my example I’m going to extract them to C:\virtio-win-0.1.185. At a command prompt, enter the following commands:
    mkdir C:\mount
    dism /mount-image /imagefile:C:\WinPE_amd64\media\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:C:\mount
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\amd64\2k19 /recurse
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\NetKVM\2k19\amd64 /recurse
    dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:C:\mount /commit

    The second dism command slipstreams the storage drivers and the third dism command adds the network drivers. If you are installing another edition of Windows, you will need to replace the “2k19” with the appropriate folder for the version you are installing.

    Ok, the WinPE environment is ready to go. On your web server, create an “x64” folder and upload all the folders and files in C:\WinPE_amd64\media to it.

    Next, let’s slipstream the virtio drivers into our Windows iso. Extract the contents of the iso. In my example, I’m going to extract the contents to C:\WinServer2019. At the cmd prompt, enter the following commands:
    dism /mount-image /imagefile:C:\WinServer2019\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:C:\mount
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\amd64\2k19 /recurse
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\NetKVM\2k19\amd64 /recurse
    dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:C:\mount /commit

    dism /mount-image /imagefile:C:\WinServer2019\sources\install.wim /index:4 /mountdir:C:\mount
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\amd64\2k19 /recurse
    dism /image:C:\mount /add-driver /driver:C:\virtio-win-0.1.185\NetKVM\2k19\amd64 /recurse
    dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:C:\mount /commit

    These last 4 commands only adds the virtio drivers to the Datacenter w/ Desktop edition which is index #4. You can see all the indexes in the install.wim by using this command:
    dism /Get-ImageInfo /imagefile:C:\WinServer2019\install.wim
    and change the index above to apply it to that edition.

    As a side note, if you have a volume license key, you can use this command to convert Windows Server Datacenter to volume licensing BEFORE unmounting the wim:
    dism /image:C:\mount /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter

    Windows is now properly prepared to install on your VPS.

    The final step is sharing the C:\WinServer2019 folder over the Internet. On Windows, you just right-click on the folder, click Share…, and follow the directions. You will need to go into the Windows Advanced Firewall config and make sure the inbound firewall rule for “File and Printer Sharing (SMB-In)” is enabled, and, on the Advanced tab, Public is checked. If you are behind a router, port 445 will need to be forwarded. Many ISPs block this port, so this is best done on another VPS.

    Mount netboot.xyz on your VPS and boot to it. You’ll need to use the VNC console in the SolusVM Control Panel to see what your VPS is doing. Use the down arrow key to highlight Windows under Distributions and press enter. Arrow down to Base URL and press enter. Enter your web server address (https://www.example.com/) with WinPE files. Netboot.xyz will automatically add x64 to the url (https://www.example.com/x64) and look for the files it needs to boot there. Press enter on Load Microsoft Windows Installer… When it is done booting WinPE, you’ll see a cmd prompt.

    Now enter:
    net use Z: \\example.com\WinServer2019\
    where example.com is your machine with the shared drive, and WinServer2019 is name of the share. You’ll be prompted to enter your username and password for that machine to access the share.
    Now enter:
    Z:\setup.exe
    After a few moments, the Windows setup process should begin. Since we slipstreamed the drivers, Windows will see your drive(s) and network during the install. Obviously the install will be slower than using local media.

    When the installation is complete, I strongly recommend disabling port 445 over the Internet since older versions of the SMB/samba protocol have been compromised.

    Hope that helps.

    1. Just use NTLite and skip much of that driver hassle.

    2. I'd suggest tracking down the Redhat built virtio drivers that pass Secure Boot. A googled link got me to a RH public ftp that had the rpm and then I just extracted from that.

    3. Use an autounattended file to skip all the stupid questions.

    4. If you know your public IP ahead of time and your provider doesn't do DHCP, set the IP in autounattended file or a PowerShell script that runs on first boot.

    5. Have autounattended call chocolatey and install your apps automatically.

    6. If you actually do this net share thing, the firewall instructions really should mention to specify ONLY the VM's IP as allowed to prevent others from accessing it.

    I've been reinstalling Windows locally this weekend on a bunch of sweet Lenovo M75n and M90n's and after selecting USB drive from boot menu, I don't press another key and come back an hour later completely installed and updated.

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