title: Create a Windows Base Image

{excerpt}This page describes how to create a Windows base image.{excerpt}These instructions should work regardless of the provisioning engine being used (xCAT, VMware, etc.).  Ignore the {color:#0000ff}{}VMware Only{}{color} sections if you are attempting to create an image using xCAT or some other bare metal provisioning engine. 

Requirements

You will need the following:

  • Windows installation ISO file
  • Windows product key or KMS server address

 The following must be done before an image can be captured:

  • A computer for the machine being captured has already been added to the VCL database
  • {color:#0000ff}{}VMware Only{}{color}: ** A VM host computer on which the guest is running as been added to the VCL database ** The guest VM has been assigned to the VM host via the Virtual Hosts link on the VCL website

These instructions assume you have root access and are using a bash shell.

{color:#0000ff}VMware Only:{color} Create a Virtual Machine

Create a Virtual Machine

VMware ESXi 4.x

The instructions assume that VMware has been configured with the following bridged networks:

  • Private: bridged to private interface: eth0

  • Public: bridged to public interface: eth1

  • Launch the vSphere Client, connect to the ESXi host and login

  • Click File > New > Virtual Machine

  • Configuration: Custom

  • Name: (doesn't matter)

  • Select a datastore where the VM will reside

  • Virtual Machine Version: 7

  • Select the appropriate guest OS

  • Number of virtual processors: 1

  • Memory: 1GB

  • How many NICs: 2 ** NIC 1: Private, E1000 ** NIC 2: Public, E1000

  • SCSI controller: LSI Logic Parallel

  • Create a new virtual disk ** Disk Size: at least 30 GB ** Allocate and commit space on demand (Thin Provisioning): Yes ** Location: Store with the virtual machine ** Virtual Device Node: SCSI (0:0) ** Mode: Independent, Persistent

  • Edit the virtual machine settings before completion: Yes

  • Select the CD/DVD device ** Device Type: Datastore ISO File ** Click Browse and browse to an ISO file that has previously been copied to the datastore ** Connect at power on: Yes

  • Click Finish

VMware Server 1.x

The instructions assume that VMware has been configured with the following bridged networks:

  • VMnet0: bridged to private interface: eth0

  • VMnet2: bridged to public interface: eth1

  • Launch the VMware Server console and connect to the local VMware host: {tip} vmware & {tip}

  • Virtual Machine Configuration: Typical

  • Guest Operating System: Microsoft Windows

  • Version: Windows XP Professional (select the appropriate version if you are not installing XP)

  • Name: vmwarewinxp-base7-v1

  • Network connection: Custom ** /dev/vmnet0*

  • Disk size: 8.0 GB ** Allocate all disk space now: no ** Split disk into 2GB files: yes

  • Edit virtual machine settings ** Configure the VM CD-ROM drive to use the Windows XP ISO image ** Connection: Use ISO image: browse to path of Windows XP ISO image copied to the VMware host

  • Add: Ethernet Adapter ** Network Connection: Custom ** */dev/vmnet2*

VMware Server 2.x

  • Open the VMware Infrastructure Web Access page: {info:icon=false}https://:8333{info}
  • Click the Virtual Machine menu
  • Select Create Virtual Machine
  • Name and Location ** Name: Windows XP Base ** Datastore: standard (This causes the VM to be created under /var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines)
  • Guest Operating System ** Operating System: Windows operating system ** Version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32-bit) ** Product Compatibility: 4 (Optional - the hardware version can be set to the default value of 7 if you do not have any older VMware Server 1.x hosts in your environment)
  • Memory and Processors ** Memory Size: 1024 MB ** Processor Count: 1
  • Hard Disk ** Click Create a New Virtual *** Capacity: at least 20 GB (This value can be adjusted to suit the size of the VMware host's disk. It is best to create the base image with a large enough hard drive to accomodate your largest image. The hard drive of a VM can be expanded but it is a manual, time-consuming process.) *** File Options **** Allocate all disk space now: no **** Split disk into 2 GB files: yes *** Disk Mode: Independent/Persistent
  • Network Adapter ** Click Add a Network Adapter *** Network Connection: select the name of your private network
  • CD/DVD Drive ** Click Use an ISO *** Select the Windows ISO image you copied to the host. The ISO file must reside in /var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines in order to be able to select it from this interface.
  • Don't Add a Floppy Drive
  • Don't Add a USB
  • Click Finish
  • Select the VM from the Inventory pane
  • Click Add Hardware on the right side of the page
  • Select Network Adapter ** Network Connection: select the name of your public network
  • Click Next > Finish

Install Windows

Install Windows for a Base Image

{color:#0000ff}VMware Only:{color} Install VMware Tools

  1. Power on the VM if it is not already powered on
  2. Install VMWare Tools  (Note: you must have a CD-ROM drive configured for the VM in order to install VMware Tools)

  3. Click on the VM menu and select “Install VMWare Tools”

  4. Select Typical and proceed through the setup pages accepting the

defaults

  1. Reboot the VM when installation is complete

Install Cygwin SSHD

Follow the steps: Install & Configure Cygwin SSHD

{include:Capture A Base Image}