Intel® Ethernet iSCSI - Microsoft* Windows* Installation and Configuration
iSCSI Initiator Installation
iSCSI/DCB Installation & Configuration
iSCSI Over DCB
Configuration for Intel® Ethernet iSCSI Boot
Installing Windows 2003 with Local Disk
Installing Windows 2003 without Local Disk
RIS Installation of Windows 2003
Installation of Windows Server 2008 (and beyond) from Media
WDS Installation of Windows Server 2008 (and beyond)
Crash Dump Support
Upgrading/Installing in Windows Server 2003
Microsoft* Windows* iSCSI Initiator Installation
For Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, the Microsoft iSCSI
software initiator can be downloaded and installed. For Vista and Server 2008 (and beyond),
it is included inbox. You will need to enable the iSCSI Initiator service,
discover and configure both the initiator and the connection to the target. Please
refer to the Microsoft* iSCSI Initiator User Guide for additional information.
Microsoft* Windows* Intel iSCSI/DCB Installation & Configuration
Adapter Requirements
This feature is only supported on 82599 and X540-based
adapters, such as the Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520.
Installation
At the initial Intel Software installation screen,
select the iSCSI/DCB checkbox. The installation process will
install the relevant DCB service and the iSCSI/DCB application TLV.
Configuration
-
From Windows Device Manager, expand
Networking Adapters and highlight the appropriate adapter (such as
Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520). Right click on the Intel adapter and select Properties.
-
In the Property Page, select the Data
Center Tab.
-
Data Center Bridging features can be set at
either the switch or the adapter. Unless there is a compelling reason not
to, we recommend using the switch settings. By selecting switch
settings, the iSCSI traffic class and the minimum bandwidth guarantees
are defined by the DCB settings in the DCB capable switch. Essentially you
can push the DCB settings for a single switch to a number of hosts rather
than attempting to configure every host. To have the adapter define the
traffic class and bandwidth, uncheck the switch settings and set the
appropriate traffic (0-7) and the percentage of bandwidth that you wish to
allocate for iSCSI traffic. The Data Center Tab provides feedback as
to the DCB state, operational or non- operational, as well as providing
additional details should it be non-operational. It is worth noting that DCB
requires negotiation between the adapter and its link partner, typically a
switch. If the switch is not DCB capable,
the DCB handshake will fail but the iSCSI connection will not be lost.
iSCSI Over DCB (Data Center Bridging)
iSCSI installation will include the installation of the iSCSI DCB Agent (iscsidcb.exe),
which is a user mode service.
Hardware
Support: iSCSI Over DCB is supported by all FCoE-capable adapters.
Software
Support: Windows Server 2008 SP2 and beyond (with or without Hyper-V
Role).
 |
NOTE:
DCB does not install in a VM. iSCSI over DCB is only
supported in the base OS. An iscsi initiator running in a VM will not
benefit from DCB ethernet enhancements. |
iSCSI Over DCB Configuration
-
iSCSI Over DCB is configured from the Data Center
tab of Intel® PROSet for Windows* Device Manager.
-
iSCSI bandwidth (after boot up) is configured
through DCB, if DCB is installed.
-
When in local mode, the raising or lowering of FCoE or iSCSI bandwidth
percentage will lower or raise the LAN bandwidth settings respectively.
- FCoE/iSCSI cannot co-exist on the same user
priority.
- The Bandwidth percentages for LAN, FCOE (if
installed) and iSCSI (if installed) must add up to 100%.
Using iSCSI over DCB with ANS Teaming
The Intel® iSCSI Agent is responsible for maintaining all packet filters for the purpose of priority tagging iSCSI traffic flowing over DCB-enabled adapters. The iSCSI Agent will create and maintain a traffic filter for an ANS Team if at least one member of the
team has an "Operational" DCB status. However, if any adapter on the team does not have an "Operational"
DCB status, the iSCSI Agent will log an error in the Windows Event Log for that adapter. These error messages are to notify the administrator of configuration issues that need to be addressed, but do not affect the tagging or flow of iSCSI traffic for that
team, unless it explicitly states that the TC Filter has been removed.
Go here
for more information about DCB.
Microsoft* Windows* Configuration for Intel® Ethernet iSCSI Boot
Requirements
-
Follow installation steps to install the Intel® Ethernet
iSCSI Boot-capable adapters with Intel iSCSI Boot firmware support.
-
Create a disk target (LUN) on an available iSCSI target system.
Configure this LUN to be accessible to the MAC address of the
adapter of the host being booted.
-
Make sure the iSCSI initiator system starts the
iSCSI Boot firmware. The firmware should be configured properly, be able to connect to iSCSI target, and detect the boot disk.
-
You will need Microsoft* iSCSI Software Initiator
with integrated software boot support. This boot version of the initiator is
available
here.
-
To setup Windows Server* 2003 boot system when a local disk is available, follow the steps in installing
Windows 2003 with Local Disk
-
To setup Windows Server 2003 boot system when a local disk is not available, follow the steps in installing
Windows 2003 without Local Disk.
-
To perform a diskless install directly to an iSCSI target using RIS,
follow the steps in RIS Installation of Windows 2003.
-
To setup Windows Server 2008 (and beyond) boot system,
following the steps in Installing Windows 2008 (and beyond) from
Microsoft Media.
-
To perform a diskless install directly to an
iSCSI target using WDS, follow the steps in WDS Installation
of Windows Server 2008 (and beyond).
-
To enable crash dump support, follow the steps in
Crash Dump Support.
-
To upgrade or install network drivers, OS service
packs or new hardware in Windows Server 2003, follow the steps in
Upgrading/Installing Network Drivers, OS Service Packs, or New Hardware
in Windows Server 2003.
-
For information on iSCSI Over DCB (Data Center Bridging),
read iSCSI Over DCB.
Installing Windows 2003 with Local Disk
-
If the local disk is not already connected, connect the hard drive temporarily to
the system to be setup for diskless boot.
-
Create a disk target (LUN) on an available
iSCSI target. Configure this LUN to be accessible to the MAC address of the NIC
card of the host being booted.
-
Install Microsoft Windows 2003 SP1, SP1 R2, or SP2
Operating System on a temporarily connected local hard drive of the host system.
-
Install Network drivers for Intel Gigabit Network Adapters that are to be used for
iSCSI Boot.
- If you installed Windows 2003 SP1 or SP1 R2 then install the Microsoft Hotfix
for Windows Server, KB902113 NDIS QFE. Windows 2003 SP2 contains the QFE.

- Reboot the system.
- Install Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator with integrated software boot
support.

-
Select MPIO Multipath
support when more than one network port is available for iSCSI Boot.

-
During installation when prompted select
an Intel Ethernet iSCSI Boot-capable Gigabit Network Adapter as a Boot Device. Check box to configure
iSCSI Boot. The Intel Gigabit Network Adapter is
identified as "e1express"
during the installation.

- Reboot and confirm the remote disk is accessible and configurable in Windows Disk Management.
 |
NOTE: You don't need to configure
Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator for Windows to be able to detect the iSCSI
Disk. Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator automatically retrieves the iSCSI
configurations from the Gigabit Network Adapter iSCSI Boot firmware. |
- Use sysprep to prepare the OS Image for deployment.
 |
NOTE: For more information on
sysprep and image-based installations go here. |
- Create a "sysprep" directory in the root of your system Drive.
- Locate SUPPORT\TOOLS\DEPLOY.CAB archive on your Window 2003 CD,
extract files, and copy all the files
within the archive to the sysprep directory
- Create the Sysprep.inf file using setupmgr.exe
wizard and answer all the questions.
- Edit the resulting sysprep.inf file by adding the LegacyNic=1 option in the
[Unattended] section, like so:
[Unattended]
OemSkipEula=Yes
LegacyNic=1
- Run Sysprep. Select "Reseal" and "shutdown" options for preparing an OS image.
- Shut down the machine and capture OS image to a local disk partition.
- Transfer image from local hard drive to iSCSI target.
- Remove local hard drive or keep local hard drive for pagefile use. Configure the system BIOS to boot from iSCSI disk and boot it.
 |
NOTE:
For more detailed information regarding image-based installations, see
the following white papers on the Microsoft TechNet web site:
|
Sample Sysprep.inf file
;SetupMgrTag
[Unattended]
OemSkipEula=Yes
InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep
LegacyNic=1
TargetPath=\WINDOWS
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword="password"
EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
AutoLogon=Yes
AutoLogonCount=1
OEMSkipRegional=1
OEMDuplicatorstring=2.02Boot
TimeZone=4
OemSkipWelcome=1
[UserData]
ProductKey=[my key here]
FullName="iSCSIBoot"
OrgName="Org"
ComputerName=*
[LicenseFilePrintData]
AutoMode=PerServer
AutoUsers=500
[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=1
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=425
LongDistanceAccess="9"
[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=No
[Branding]
BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes
[Proxy]
Proxy_Enable=0
Use_Same_Proxy=0
Installing Windows 2003 without a Local Disk
 |
NOTE: An F6 installation
requires two or more ports; either a multi-port adapter or two or more
separate single port adapters. |
- Copy iSSetup.sys, iSSetup.inf, iSSetup.cat and
txtsetup.oem files from the Intel® Ethernet iSCSI Boot Media to a Floppy Disk.
- Start the system and boot from the Windows Server 2003 Installation CD.
- When prompted "
Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID Driver..." Press F6.
WARNING: The option to press F6 is available
at the very start of the OS Installation process and is easy to miss.
You are only given three seconds to press F6. If you fail to Press F6 in time, restart the system and
begin the OS installation again.
- When prompted to install third party storage Device
press <s> and select "Intel® iSCSI Setup Driver".
- Press Enter and continue to complete the OS Installation.
- Install Network Driver for Intel Gigabit Network Adapters.
You must install the driver via Device Manager and not via SetupBD or the
"Install Drivers and Software" button in Autorun which will use SetupBD.
 |
NOTE: You will not be able to
install the Network driver for the Network port that is being used by
the iSSetup driver, so install the network Driver for other Network port.
|
- If you installed Windows 2003 SP1 or SP1 R2 then
install the Microsoft Hotfix for Windows Server, KB902113 NDIS QFE. Windows 2003
SP2 contains the QFE.
- Reboot the system.
- Install Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator with integrated software boot
support. Select MPIO Multipath
support when more than one network ports are available for iSCSI Boot. During installation when prompted select Intel®
Ethernet iSCSI Boot-capable Gigabit Network Adapter as a Boot Device. Intel Gigabit Adapter is
identified as
"e1express"
during the installation.
- Reboot the system.
- Confirm the remote disk is accessible and configurable in Windows Disk Management
Computer Management.
Note that you don't need to configure
Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator for Windows to be able to detect the iSCSI
Disk. The Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator automatically retrieves the iSCSI
configurations from the Gigabit Network Adapter iSCSI Boot firmware.
- Open the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator, go to
the Target Tab and make sure it is loaded and connected to iSCSI target.
- Run the iSCSIApp to uninstall the Intel® iSCSI Setup Driver.
 |
NOTE: The Intel® iSCSI Setup
Driver must be uninstalled before other drivers are installed. |
- Reboot the system.
- Install Network driver for the port that was being
used by Intel® iSCSI Setup Driver.
- Run iscsibcg.exe with /verify and /fix command line parameters.
 |
NOTE: In the case of a Windows
2003 F6 installation with two different drivers running on Primary and
Secondary, the user will need to re-install the Microsoft iSCSI Sortware
Initiator rather than use iscsibcg, in order to bind the primary adapter
to the MS Initiator. Otherwise the system will continue to boot via the
Secondary port only. |
- System is now ready for Windows iSCSI Boot.
RIS Installation of Windows 2003
Overview:
In order to do a diskless install directly to an
iSCSI target using RIS, a minimum of three network ports are required: one
port for PXE; and 2 ports for iSCSI. The user will need to modify their RIS
image according to the MS TechNet article
Adding Text Mode Drivers to a RIS Image . From that point the user can follow the instructions for the standard F6 installation.
Setting Up the System:
- Install an adapter flashed with Intel® Boot
Agent, or configure the LOM in your system to enable PXE.
- Install an adapter flashed with the iSCSI Boot option rom.
- Boot the machine.
- Enter the BIOS and set the PXE adapter as the
primary boot device.
- Reboot the machine.
- Enter the iSCSI Setup screen via CTRL-D, and
enable the primary and secondary ports. Enter any static settings if you
are not using DHCP. For more information on options in the iSCSI Setup
screen click .
 |
NOTE: If users want to strictly use DHCP, you will need to enable
Option 60 for PXE, as well as options 12 and option 17 for iSCSI in the DHCP
server. |
- Reboot the machine.
- Ensure that the iSCSI option rom connects to
the target, and the PXE option rom connects to your RIS server.
Setting UP RIS:
- Locate the files required for a standard F6 floppy:
- iSSetup.INF
- iSSetup.sys
- iSSetup.cat
- txtsetup.oem
- Copy and modify these files on your RIS server as directed by the MS TechNet article
Adding Text Mode Drivers to a RIS Image.
Performing an Installation:
- Boot the system via PXE to your RIS server, ensuring that the iSCSI option rom has made a connection to the target.
- Choose the Windows 2003 image you have modified with the F6 driver.
- During textmode setup, Windows should find the target LUN and allow the standard partitioning options.
 |
NOTE: These settings may be automated by your RIS server. |
- Continue the installation from this point as if it was a regular F6 installation.
 |
NOTE: The F6 driver
will skip the PXE enabled port, and bind to the Primary iSCSI
port. This will allow the connection to the target during
Windows Setup. Once setup has completed, the user should follow
the usual process for installing NDIS and the iSCSI initiator,
then uninstall the F6 driver. |
Installing Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond) from Microsoft Media
 |
NOTE: Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond) natively supports OS installation to an iSCSI target
without a local disk and also natively supports OS iSCSI boot.
|
- Start installing Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond).
- Select an iSCSI LUN on the "Where do you want to install Windows?"
screen. Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond) installation media
supports the network controller by default. Continue to
complete the OS Installation.
- If no iSCSI LUN is listed on the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, click
“Load Driver” to install the network drivers for the network
controllers. The network drivers are located on the Intel Network
Driver CD or can be downloaded at
http://www.intel.com/support/network/sb/CS-006120.htm
to USB media. If an iSCSI LUN is listed, continue to complete the OS Installation.
- For 10 gigabit network controllers only: If after performing step 3 above you don’t see the iSCSI LUN, then
proceed with the following from the driver selection window:
- Create the WINPE INF driver directory.
- Create a temporary directory (for example, F:\temp\winpe on the USB media).
- Copy all files from the PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx (or PROXGB\Winx64\NDISxx) directory to the temporary directory.
NDISxx indicates the NDIS version. For example, Windows Server 2008 SP uses NDIS6. Do NOT copy the
INF files from NDISxx directory to the temporary directory.
- Extract the .INF files from PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx\WinPE\*.zip to the temporary directory.
- Press shift+F10 to bring up the Windows PE command line.
- Enter “drvload <path>” where <path> is the path to the WinPE inf.
- Close the driver selection window by clicking x mark on the upper right side of the window.
It automatically restarts from the initial installation screen with the network driver installed.
Continue to complete the OS Installation.
WDS Installation of Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond)
Overview:
Microsoft provides WDS, Windows Deployment Services, for acquiring installation image remotely. One network adapter is assigned for PXE Option ROM
in order to pull the install image, and another adapter to iSCSI Option ROM for Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond) installation destination.
The user may need to prepare a custom boot image based on the MS TechNet article
Windows Deployment Services.
A key difference from Windows Server* 2003 is that Windows PE is used for the Windows Server* 2008 (and beyond) installation process.
Setting up WDS:
- Prepare the WDS environment and the custom boot image based on the MS TechNet article.
- For 1 gigabit network adapters and 10 gigabit retail adapters, inject the network driver and INF from PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx (or
PROXGB\Winx64\NDISxx) directory to the custom boot image.
 |
NOTE: For other 10 gigabit adapters, follow the instruction in the readme.txt file at the
PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx\WinPE (or PROXGB\Winx64\NDISxx\WinPE) directory for injecting the network driver
and INF to the custom boot image. |
 |
NOTE: NDISxx indicates the NDIS version. For example, Windows Server 2008 SP uses NDIS6. |
Setting Up the System:
- Install an adapter flashed with Intel® Boot Agent, or configure the LOM in your system to enable PXE.
- Install an adapter flashed with the iSCSI Option ROM.
- Boot the system.
- Enter the BIOS setup menu and set the PXE adapter as the primary boot device.
- Reboot the system.
- Enter the iSCSI Setup screen via CTRL-D, and enable the primary port.
Enable the Secondary port if required by your configuration.
Enter any static settings if you are not using DHCP.
For more information on options in the iSCSI Setup screen click
here.
 |
NOTE:If the user wants to strictly use DHCP, you will need to enable Option 60 for PXE,
as well as options 12 and option 17 for iSCSI in the DHCP server. |
- Reboot the machine.
- Ensure that the iSCSI Option ROM connects to the iSCSI LUN, and the PXE Option ROM connects to the WDS server.
Performing an Installation:
- Boot the system via PXE to your WDS
Server, ensuring that the iSCSI Option ROM has made a
connection to your target.
-
Choose the Windows 2008 (and beyond) boot image you modified with the network
drivers.
-
Select an iSCSI LUN on the “Where do you want to install
Windows?” screen. Continue to complete the OS Installation.
-
If no iSCSI LUN is listed on the “Where do you want to
install Windows?” screen, follow procedure (A) or (B):
PROCEDURE A:
Inject the other INF discussed in Step 2 of the Setting UP WDS section above
into your custom boot image on your WDS server. Reboot, and attempt the install again.
PROCEDURE B: Manually load the network drivers:
-
Click "Load Driver"
to install the network drivers for the network controllers.
The network drivers are located on the Intel Network Driver CD or can be downloaded at
http://www.intel.com/support/network/sb/CS-006120.htm
to USB media. If an iSCSI LUN is listed, continue to complete the OS Installation.
- For 10 gigabit network controllers only: If after performing step 1 above you don’t see the iSCSI LUN,
then proceed with the following:
- On another system, create the WINPE INF driver directory on a removable media.
- Create a temporary directory (for example, F:\temp\winpe on the USB media).
- Copy all files from the PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx (or PROXGB\Winx64\NDISxx) directory to
the temporary directory. NDISxx indicates the NDIS version. For example,
Windows Server 2008 SP uses NDIS6. Do NOT copy the INF files from NDISxx directory
to the temporary directory.
- Extract the .INF files from PROXGB\Win32\NDISxx\WinPE\*.zip to the temporary directory.
- Reboot, and follow the above instructions until you get to the "Where do you want
to install Windows?"
- Press Shift+F10 to bring up the Windows PE command line and connect the removal media to the system.
- Enter "drvload <path>" where <path> is the location of the temporary directory you created
in Step A, above.
- Press "Refresh" on the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen.
- The iSCSI LUN will be listed after the refresh completes. Continue to complete the install.
Crash Dump Support
To ensure a full memory dump is created,
- Set the page file size equal to or greather than the amount of RAM installed on your system is necessary for a full memory dump.
- Ensure that the amount of free space on your hard disk is able to handle the amount of RAM installed on your system.
A full memory dump may not be created if these requirements are not met.
Windows Server 2003:
Crash
dump file generation is supported for iSCSI-booted Windows 2003 x86/x64
by the Intel iSCSI Crash Dump Driver. A hotfix is available that adds
support for crash dump file generation on a Windows Server 2003-based
computer using Microsoft iSCSI Boot Initiator 2.05 at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;939875
To setup crash dump
support follow these steps:
- Setup Windows
iSCSI Boot as described in earlier documentation.
- Install the
Microsoft hotfix, KB939875.
- Install Intel PROSet for Windows
Device Manager by Autorun from the Intel Network Driver CD.
- Run iscsibcg.exe with /verify and /fix
command line parameters.
- Open Intel
PROSet for Windows Device Manager
and select the Boot Options Tab.
- From Settings
select iSCSI Boot Crash Dump and the Value Enabled and click OK.
Windows Server 2008 (and beyond):
Crash dump file generation
is supported for iSCSI-booted Windows 2008 (and beyond) x86/x64 by the Intel
iSCSI Crash Dump Driver. A hotfix is available for crash dump file
generation using Intel 10 gigabit Ethernet at:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970312
 |
NOTE:
This hot fix is not necessary for
Intel 1 gigabit Ethernet. |
To setup crash dump
support follow these steps:
- Setup Windows
iSCSI Boot as described in earlier documentation.
- If you have not already done so,
install Intel PROSet for Windows Device Manager by Autorun from
the Intel Network Driver CD.
- Open
Intel PROSet for Windows
Device Manager and select the Boot Options Tab.
- From
Settings select iSCSI Boot Crash Dump and the Value Enabled and
click OK.
Support for Platforms Booted by UEFI iSCSI Native Initiator:
Starting with version 2.2.0.0, the iSCSI crash dump driver gained the ability to support platforms booted using the native UEFI iSCSI initiator over supported Intel Network Adapters. This support is available on Windows 2008 (and beyond) or newer and only on x64 architecture. Any hotfixes listed above must also be applied.
Since network adapters on UEFI platforms may not provide legacy iSCSI option rom, the boot options tab in DMIX may not provide the setting to enable the iSCSI crash dump driver. If this is the case, the following registry entry has to be created:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E97B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\<InstanceID>\Parameters
DumpMiniport REG_SZ iscsdump.sys
Upgrading/Installing Network Drivers, OS Service Packs, or New Hardware in Windows Server 2003
After adding or updating hardware or software that might impact the Networking stack e.g. Network Drivers, OS service packs etc., you
must re-run the iscsibcg.exe with /verify /fix command line options. This utility is installed as part of Microsoft iSCSI Software Installation. It is strongly recommended that this utility is setup
to run at each system shutdown so you will not forget and break the
system. To setup this utility to run at system shutdown follow these steps:
- Run gpedit.msc. This will start the group policy editor; in this utility:
- Expand "Computer Configuration"
- Expand "Windows Settings"
- Expand or select "Scripts(startup/shutdown)"
- Double click "Shutdown"
- This will open a Shutdown Properties dialog; click the Add
button and add this executable or a batch file to run this.
Last modified on 8/16/11 12:57p Revision