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 ISO image.
You can download the PlateSpin boot ISO images (bootofx.x2p.iso for BIOS firmware-based targets and bootofx.x2p.uefi.iso for UEFI firmware-based targets) from the PlateSpin Protect area of NetIQ Downloads by doing a search with the following parameters:
Product or Technology: PlateSpin Protect
Select Version: PlateSpin Protect 11.0.1
Date Range: <All Dates>
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:
Obtain or compile *.ko driver files appropriate for the target hardware manufacturer.
IMPORTANT:Make sure 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 KB Article 7005990.
Mount the image in any Linux machine (root credentials required). Use the following command syntax:
mount –o loop <path-to-ISO> <mount_point>
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>).
Create another working directory for the required driver files and save them in that directory.
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:
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 |
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
Burn the PlateSpin boot ISO image on a CD or save it to media from which your target can boot.
Ensure that the network switch port connected to the target is set to Auto Full Duplex.
Use the boot CD to boot the target physical machine, then wait for the command prompt window to open.
(Linux only) For 64-bit systems, at the initial boot prompt, type the following:
ps64 (for systems with up to 512 MB RAM)
ps64_512m (for systems with more than 512 MB RAM)
Press Enter.
When you are prompted, enter the hostname or the IP address of your PlateSpin Server host.
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.
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.
Enter a hostname for the physical machine or press the Enter key to accept the default values.
When prompted to indicate whether to use HTTPS, enter Y if you have enabled SSL, and N if you have not.
After a few minutes, the physical machine should be available in the failback settings of the PlateSpin Protect Web Interface.