Prepare the Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 OS Media

As delivered by Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 OS media (ISO files or DVDs) cannot be used for remote, unattended installations. The ISOs must first be made provisionable or "LinMin-ready". This process takes under 5 minutes of system time, as LinMin does all the work.

Copy your Microsoft-Supplied ISO Files to the LinMin Server

Place the ISOs in

/home/tftpboot/ISOs/windows/win7_2008/

Your ISOs can actually be anywhere on the LinMin server, but ISOs placed in this directory will be presented to you automatically without having to enter path and file names.

Launch the ISO Preparation (and Install Instance Creation) Script

cd /home/tftpboot/bin
sh windows-create-install-instance.sh

Once you have launched the script, you will be prompted to select a LinMin-ready ISO (that you have already converted) so you can create a Windows Install Instance, or to create a new LinMin-ready ISO. In the example below, a Windows 7 ISO is already LinMin-ready, but we will instead prepare a Windows Server 2008 R2 ISO. Simply answer the questions, and you will be done in about 5 minutes:

Select LinMin-ready ISO from /home/tftpboot/pub/winISOs :
1) en_windows_7_all_x86.iso [User prepared this Windows 7 ISO earlier]
2) Create new LinMin-ready ISO from a Microsoft-supplied ISO
----> type response and press enter, "q" will quit the process
Enter number of ISO or Option to select: 2

Creating a new LinMin-ready ISO from a Microsoft-supplied ISO

Select a Microsoft-supplied ISO from /home/tftpboot/ISOs/windows/win7_2008:
1) en_windows_7_ultimate_x86_dvd_x15-65921.iso
2) en_windows_server_2008_datacenter_enterprise_standard_sp2_x86_dvd_342333.iso
3) en_windows_server_2008_r2_standard_enterprise_datacenter_web_x64_dvd_50365.iso
4) Type in an ISO path and file name as /path/file.iso
5) Find all .iso files on this server excluding LinMin-ready ISOs
6) Return to LinMin-ready ISO selection
----> type response and press enter, "q" will quit the process
Enter number of the ISO or option: 3

... processing Microsoft-supplied ISO: /home/tftpboot/ISOs/windows/win7_2008/ en_windows_server_2008_r2_standard_enterprise_datacenter_web_x64_dvd_50365.iso

A new name for the LinMin-ready ISO file is required
----> type response and press enter, "q" will quit the process
Enter new name or type "s" to select another ISO: en_windows_server_2008_r2_std_ent_dc_web_x64.iso

.............................................................................
... Converted Microsoft-supplied ISO: /home/tftpboot/ISOs/windows/win7_2008/ en_windows_server_2008_r2_standard_enterprise_datacenter_web_x64_dvd_50365.iso

...... to LinMin-ready ISO: /home/tftpboot/pub/winISOs/en_windows_server_2008_r2_std_ent_dc_web_x64.iso

Your Microsoft-supplied ISO is now LinMin-ready and provisionable. You may create Install Instances now by continuing the script or quit the script and create Install Instances later.

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