updating flash image in place

  • Thread starter Thread starter Raymond Cruz
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R

Raymond Cruz

I have blade PCs with CF cards and will be using Ram-Reg EWF. I'd like to
be able to install a new image without pulling blades and flash cards. Is
the following scenario feasible?
1. Change BIOS setting from XPe CF image to boot via PXE.
2. Boot a special PXE/RBS image.
3. RBS image reprograms CF, switches BIOS back to CF boot.

If the above is nonsense can someone suggest other feasible ways of
accomplishing this goal?

RC
 
Yes this is a valid way to re-image your devices, basically use RBS to
download an intermediate XPe image that you use for deployment of the final
XPe image.

You could also use Remote Installation Services (RIS), which also uses PXE,
to download a WinPE image onto the XPe devices and then use the WinPE image
to prep and re-image the CFs on the XPe devices.

KS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.
 
Thanks KS,
It seems to me that the critical step in such a scenario is being able to
reconfigure BIOS from disk (CF) boot to PXE boot under the "old" flash
image, then load something intermediate via PXE, and after the "new" flash
image was burned being able to reconfigure BIOS again to boot from
disk/flash. Can I perform these BIOS changes from running XPe and WinPE
images?

RC
 
Let me clarify the questions I have asked in this thread. According to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...-us/dnxpesp1/html/XPESP1_Build_Deploy_Img.asp
titled "Building an Deploying XP Embedded Images ...

WinPE and the RIS server will only be used for initial image deployment.
After an image has been deployed to the target device, the device should be
able to perform self servicing without requiring WinPE or RIS.

I am asking about the "self servicing" phase. How does the device service
itself if the need is to deploy a full new image?

RC
 
There is probably a nontrivial way to write to the BIOS from within the OS,
maybe something like directly calling BIOS routines from within assembly? You
could ask on the XP newsgroups for more info. But I don't think you have to
do it this way. You can just set the boot order in the BIOS to first boot
from the network via PXE (if BIOS does provide this option) and then set the
bootstrap program in the Remote Boot Manager UI to use startrom.com. This way
the user has to explicitly hit F12 to continue with PXE boot (when they need
to re-image) or otherwise the client will resume with booting from the second
option in the boot order list which you can set to the CF. Note that some
BIOSs might ask you to initially press F12 or another key to initially boot
from the network, before the RBS presents the second F12.

I think what's meant by self-servicing is that after deploying the final XPe
image on the target drive through booting off of WinPE (that itself was
deployed through RIS), the XPe image now is on its own and doesn't require
continued connectivity to the RIS server. Self servicing includes QFEs,
security updates, etc. That's my understanding.

You might able to accomplish what you're looking for by ram booting an SDI
image locally stored onto the CF
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...-us/dnxpesp1/html/XPESP1_Build_Deploy_Img.asp)
or using the ramdisk support provided by the WinPE version based on the
Server 2003 SP1 binaries
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/winpreinst/WindowsPE_over.mspx) where
in this case you boot an image that's locally stored on the CF into RAM and
then wipe/re-image the CF that you booted from.

KS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.
 
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