==Overview== Current code in xCAT only supports to create one partition (UEFI mode will create 3 partitions) on first disk for Windows deployment. This design is used to describe how to support multiple disks and partitions configuration during Windows deployment.
==Interface== Two attributes are added in osimage object to specify the partition configuration and the target disk/partition for deployment.
osimage.installto - The disk and partition that the Windows will be deployed to. The valid format is :. If not set, default value is 0:1 for bios boot mode(legacy) and 0:3 for uefi boot mode; If setting to 1, it means 1:1 for bios boot and 1:3 for uefi boot;
osimage.partitionfile - The path of partition configuration file. Since the partition configuration for bios boot mode and uefi boot mode are different, this configuration file should include two parts if customer wants to support both bios and uefi mode. If customer just wants to support one of the modes, specify one of them anyway.
To simplify the setting, the [INSTALLTO] section also can be added in the partitionfile as an alternative setting of osimage.installto. The installto setting in partitionfile has high priority.
===The format of osimage.partitionfile===
[INSTALLTO]0:1 (OPTIONAL of osimage.installto)
[BIOS] 1Primary300002Primary2003Extended3004Logical405Logical50
[EFI] xxxx
===Change the setting=== chdef -t osimage win2k8r2-x86_64-install-enterprise installto='1:1' chdef -t osimage win2k8r2-x86_64-install-enterprise paritionfile=
Run nodeset command will make the setting take effect. nodeset osimage=win2k8r2-x86_64-install-enterprise
Note: Refer to the design of 'Multiple WinPEs support' to get information of how to install in UEFI mode.
==Implementation== When running nodeset, the variables of installto and partition configuration file will be added in /install/autoinst/.cmd. Them will be exported out in WinPE running environment so that fixupunattend.vbs (It's a tool of xCAT that is used to update unattend.xml) could use the variables to update unattend.xml.
In current code logic, we have following section in windows template file. fixupunattend.vbs will replace keyword ==BOOTPARTITIONS== base on the boot mode (bios mode or uefi mode) during deployment.
<Disk>
<DiskID>==INSTALLTODISK==</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
==BOOTPARTITIONS==
</Disk>
In this feature, the above part will be changed to a new keyword '==DISKCONFIG==' in template files.
The fixupunattend.vbs tool will be changed that can run to replace the keyword '==DISKCONFIG==' to the disk/partition configuration which is set in winimage.parititionfile.
It's same for handling the 'installto' variable that update the deployment target ' and ' in unattend.xml by fixupunattend.vbs.
==Example == Following is an example of content in partitionfile which can be used to create 2 primary partitions, 1 extended partition and 1 logic partition on disk 0, and create 2 primary partitions on disk 1.
Note: It only includes the configuration for BIOS mode.
Refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff715671.aspx for the format of unattend.xml.
Partitionfile: [INSTALLTO]1:2
[BIOS] 0true 1 Primary 200000 2 Primary 2000 3 Extended true 4 Logical 2000
1true 1 Primary 200000 2 Primary true== Other Design Considerations ==
- '''Required reviewers''':
- '''Required approvers''': Bruce Potter, William, Jarrod
- '''Database schema changes''': N/A
- '''Affect on other components''': N/A
- '''External interface changes, documentation, and usability issues''': N/A
- '''Packaging, installation, dependencies''': N/A
- '''Portability and platforms (HW/SW) supported''': N/A
- '''Performance and scaling considerations''': N/A
- '''Migration and coexistence''': N/A
- '''Serviceability''': N/A
- '''Security''': N/A
- '''NLS and accessibility''': N/A
- '''Invention protection''': N/A
News
- Apr 22, 2016: xCAT 2.11.1 released.
- Mar 11, 2016: xCAT 2.9.3 (AIX only) released.
- Dec 11, 2015: xCAT 2.11 released.
- Nov 11, 2015: xCAT 2.9.2 (AIX only) released.
- Jul 30, 2015: xCAT 2.10 released.
- Jul 30, 2015: xCAT migrates from sourceforge to github
- Jun 26, 2015: xCAT 2.7.9 released.
- Mar 20, 2015: xCAT 2.9.1 released.
- Dec 12, 2014: xCAT 2.9 released.
- Sep 5, 2014: xCAT 2.8.5 released.
- May 23, 2014: xCAT 2.8.4 released.
- Jan 24, 2014: xCAT 2.7.8 released.
- Nov 15, 2013: xCAT 2.8.3 released.
- Jun 26, 2013: xCAT 2.8.2 released.
- May 17, 2013: xCAT 2.7.7 released.
- May 10, 2013: xCAT 2.8.1 released.
- Feb 28, 2013: xCAT 2.8 released.
- Nov 30, 2012: xCAT 2.7.6 released.
- Oct 29, 2012: xCAT 2.7.5 released.
- Aug 27, 2012: xCAT 2.7.4 released.
- Jun 22, 2012: xCAT 2.7.3 released.
- May 25, 2012: xCAT 2.7.2 released.
- Apr 20, 2012: xCAT 2.7.1 released.
- Mar 19, 2012: xCAT 2.7 released.
- Mar 15, 2012: xCAT 2.6.11 released.
- Jan 23, 2012: xCAT 2.6.10 released.
- Nov 15, 2011: xCAT 2.6.9 released.
- Sep 30, 2011: xCAT 2.6.8 released.
- Aug 26, 2011: xCAT 2.6.6 released.
- May 20, 2011: xCAT 2.6 released.
- Feb 14, 2011: Watson plays on Jeopardy and is managed by xCAT!
- xCAT Release Notes Summary
- xCAT OS And Hw Support Matrix
- xCAT Test Environment Summary
History
- Oct 22, 2010: xCAT 2.5 released.
- Apr 30, 2010: xCAT 2.4 is released.
- Oct 31, 2009: xCAT 2.3 released.
xCAT's 10 year anniversary! - Apr 16, 2009: xCAT 2.2 released.
- Oct 31, 2008: xCAT 2.1 released.
- Sep 12, 2008: Support for xCAT 2
can now be purchased! - June 9, 2008: xCAT breaths life into
(at the time) the fastest
supercomputer on the planet - May 30, 2008: xCAT 2.0 for Linux
officially released! - Oct 31, 2007: IBM open sources
xCAT 2.0 to allow collaboration
among all of the xCAT users. - Oct 31, 1999: xCAT 1.0 is born!
xCAT started out as a project in
IBM developed by Egan Ford. It
was quickly adopted by customers
and IBM manufacturing sites to
rapidly deploy clusters.