Using iLO scripting to PXE boot

[Jon Deeming]

I'm using iLO Lights Out Configuration Utility (CPQLOCFG.EXE) with XML config files, to remotely perform administrative tasks.

I'd like to find a way of performing an initial PXE boot (so that the initial BootWorks client can load), but can't find a way of setting the PXE boot flag; or pressing F12 programatically.

Can anyone help, please?

Thanks,
Jon.

[Ken Henault]

What system are you installing?

[Jon Deeming]

We're building DL380G3s with integrated iLO (but without the Advanced iLO licensed features).

[Ed Cox]

Jon,
I'm going to throw out a stupid question here. Are you just trying to get the new DL380 G3 servers to boot to PXE and automatically choose "Initial Deployment" without any user intervention?
You are probably aware that if a server with PXE support boots up for the first time, it first looks to A:, then CD:, then C: and then PXE kicks in automatically to find a DHCP server and then a does a PXE request.
The only problem I have seen is that once it does connect to the PXE server, it stops at the PXE boot menu waiting for someone to press enter on "Initial Deployment". Is this what you're trying to get around?
Ed

[Jon Deeming]

Ed,
Sort of ;¬)

I do want it to choose Initial Deployment, but we're in a lab environment, so I also want to be able to PXE boot a built server (where is won't fail through to a PXE boot).

I hope that makes sense.

Regards,
Jo

[Ed Cox]

Jon,
If you go to the PXE Config utility under Start>Programs>Altiris>PXE Config (this is from memory so I may be a little off)
You should see the four menu options that are presented to the PXE Boot process:
Initial Deployment
Managed PC
Local Boot
BIS

Highlight the Initial Deployment and you should be able to specify "Execute Immediately". This will alleviate the need to hit enter on the PXE menu for Initial Deployment. So that should take care of "new" servers.
As far as existing servers go...
Since PXE is last in the boot order, the C: drive always intercepts and loads the OS. So I don't know of a way to script an F12 prompt using CPQLOCFG. I guess what you could do is reorder your boot order. Put PXE ahead of the C: drive, but I don't know if that will solve your problem or not. If you do set PXE ahead of the C: drive and there are no pending jobs from the RDP console, then PXE will fall back to "Local Boot" and boot to the OS.

[Jon Deeming]

Ed,
Thanks for the reply.
HAving spent the last week looking for information on this, I'd sort of come around to the conclusion we'd have to reset the boot order.
I guess we'll carry on as we are now. (I'm not keen on setting a network boot first, it's not as secure).

Thanks for all your help.

Regards,
Jon.

[D Challen]

if you ssh to iLO you can run
set /system1/bootconfig1/bootsource5 bootorder=1

unfortunately
ssh serverilo set /system1/bootconfig1/bootsource5 bootorder=1
doesn't seem to work(the SSH implementation in iLO is awful), so you might need to wrap an expect script around SSH in order to do it programatically.

It *might* also be possible to use IPMI, e.g.
ipmitool -I lanplus -H serverilo -U Administrator -P PASSWORD chassis bootdev pxe
however this almost certainly wont work on original iLO and requires a recent firmware on iLO2.

[JithinRaju]

HI ,

I'm also facing some of sort problem like this. I need to automate the server os installation by specifying the menu label in pxe menu. Can any body suggest. I am using BL 460c g7 . I tried using ilo then set /system1/bootconfig1/bootsource5 bootorder=1 , but after reboot once post is done it throws IPL set to default and falls back to previous bootorder. Even if it boots from network I dont know how to select a purticular menu entry from the pxe menu using scripting.

[shocko]

You don't necessarily need iLO for this. There is a bootorder tool in the Smart Start Scripting toolkit to do this.