16.8 Failback to Physical Machines

If the required target infrastructure for a failback operation is a physical machine, you must register it with PlateSpin Protect.

The registration of a physical machine is carried out by booting the target physical machine with the PlateSpin boot OFX ISO image.

16.8.1 Downloading the PlateSpin Boot OFX ISO Image

You can download the PlateSpin boot OFX ISO images (bootofx.x2p.iso for BIOS firmware-based targets and for UEFI firmware-based targets) from the PlateSpin Protect software download page.

  1. Go to Micro Focus Downloads.

  2. Select PlateSpin Protect from the Browse by Product list, or type the product name in the Browse by Product field to find the product and then select it.

  3. On the Download overview page, click proceed to download, then log in with your customer account credentials.

  4. Click accept to acknowledge and agree to the U.S. Export Laws and Regulations.

  5. On the Download page, click download next to the bootofx.x2p.iso file, then save the file.

16.8.2 Injecting Additional Device Drivers into the Boot ISO Image

You can use a custom utility to package and inject additional Linux device drivers into the PlateSpin boot image before burning it on a CD.

To use this utility:

  1. Obtain or compile *.ko driver files appropriate for the target hardware manufacturer.

    IMPORTANT:Ensure that the drivers are valid for the kernel included with the ISO file (for x86 systems: 3.0.93-0.8-pae, for x64 systems: 3.0.93-0.8-default) and are appropriate for the target architecture. See also Knowledgebase Article 7005990.

  2. Mount the image in any Linux machine (root credentials required). Use the following command syntax:

    mount –o loop <path-to-ISO> <mount_point>

  3. Copy the rebuildiso.sh script, located in the /tools subdirectory of the mounted ISO file, into a temporary working directory. When you have finished, unmount the ISO file (execute the command umount <mount_point>).

  4. Create another working directory for the required driver files and save them in that directory.

  5. In the directory where you saved the rebuildiso.sh script, run the rebuildiso.sh script as root, using the following syntax:

    ./rebuildiso.sh <ARGS> [-v] -m32|-m64 -i <ISO_file>

    The following table lists the possible command line options for this command:

    Option

    Description

    -i <ISO_file>

    <ISO_file> is the ISO to modify, list, etc.

    -v

    If used together with the -l argument, the option causes the use of modinfo to obtain verbose driver information.

    -o

    If used together with the -c argument or the -d argument, the old copy of the ISO file is not overwritten.

    -m32

    Specifies 32-bit initrd injection.

    -m64

    Specifies 64-bit initrd injection.

    The next table lists the possible arguments for use with this command. At least one of these arguments must be used in the command:

    Argument

    Description

    -d <path>

    <path> specifies the directory that contains the drivers (that is,. *.ko files) that you want to inject.

    On completion of the command, the ISO file is updated with the added drivers.

    -c <path>

    <path> specifies where a ConfigureTakeControl.xml file resides.

    -l [<type>]

    <type> specifies a subset of drivers you want to list. The default is “all” types.

    Listed driver types beginning with a forward slash ( / ) are assumed to be located in <kernel_module_directory>/kernel/

    Listed driver types without a leading forward slash ( / ) are assumed to be located in <kernel_module_directory/kernel/drivers/

    Driver Subset Examples:

    • -l scsi
    • -l 'net|video'
    • -l '/net|net'

    Special Usage of this Argument:

    If you want to list the available subdirectories of each of the subsets, use the argument like this: -l INDEX

    Syntax Examples

    • To list an index of 32-bit drivers:

      # ./rebuildiso.sh -i bootofx.x2p.iso -m32 -l INDEX
    • To list drivers found in the /misc folder:

      # ./rebuildiso.sh -i bootofx.x2p.iso -m32 -l misc
    • To inject 32-bit drivers from the /oem-drivers folder:

      # ./rebuildiso.sh -i bootofx.x2p.iso -m32 -d oem-drivers
    • To inject 64-bit drivers from an /oem-drivers folder and also inject a customized ConfigureTakeControl.xml file:

      # ./rebuildiso.sh -i bootofx.x2p.iso -m64 -c ConfigureTakeControl.xml -d oem-drivers

16.8.3 Registering Physical Machines as Failback Targets with PlateSpin Protect

  1. Burn the PlateSpin boot ISO image on a CD or save it to media from which your target can boot.

  2. Ensure that the network switch port connected to the target is set to Auto Full Duplex.

  3. Use the boot CD to boot the target physical machine, then wait for the command prompt window to open.

  4. (Linux only) For 64-bit systems, at the initial boot prompt, type the following:

    ps64

  5. Press Enter.

  6. When you are prompted, enter the host name or the IP address of your PlateSpin Server host.

  7. Provide your administrator-level credentials for the PlateSpin Server host, specifying an authority. For the user account, use this format:

    domain\username or hostname\username

    Available network cards are detected and displayed by their MAC addresses.

  8. If DHCP is available on the NIC to be used, press Enter to continue. If DHCP is not available, select the required NIC to configure with a static IP address.

  9. Enter a host name for the physical machine or press the Enter key to accept the default values.

  10. When prompted to indicate whether to use HTTPS, enter Y (yes) if you have enabled SSL, and N (no) if you have not.

After a few minutes, the physical machine should be available in the failback settings of the PlateSpin Protect Web Interface.