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Systems→ Deploy→ Predeployment Function

Description

You can deploy an image to the target system(s) using two methods. One method is to install the physical target system and then deploy an image to that target system. The second method is to create a virtual system, which is a system without the physical target system installed; when the physical system is installed, the image deployment occurs automatically. The Systems→ Deploy→ Predeployment function enables you to create the virtual system.

When creating a virtual system, you must select the following items:

• The Service Tag that represents the target system
  
  
• The name of the image to deploy to the system when it is physically installed
  
  
• The name of the configuration to apply to the system when it is physically installed

The image name may be a valid image name that exists in the image storage or an empty name, such as ---NONE---. When the physical system is powered on, Remote Install automatically deploys the preassigned image and applies the preassigned configuration to the target system.

Prerequisites

None. 

Operations and Inputs

NOTE: (*) indicates a required field or task.

1. On the List of virtual systems page, click Add.
   
   
2. On the Create New System page, enter or select the following deployment requirements for the system to be physically installed later:
   
   
• Service Tag (*) — The current Dell Service Tags are either five or seven characters long.
  
  
• Image File (*) — To preserve the operating system currently installed on the target system, select ---NONE---. For example, if you want to use the Dell preinstalled operating system but configure it differently, select ---NONE--- for the image name and then select the configuration file you want to use.
  
  
3. Click Next.
   
   

   NOTE: If you selected ---NONE--- or an image without a configuration type associated with it in step 2, Remote Install takes you to the Select a Configuration Type page; continue to step 4. If you selected an image with a configuration type associated with it, Remote Install takes you the Configuration Files page; skip step 4 and continue to step 5.

4. On the Select a Configuration Type page, select Windows or Red Hat Linux, and then click Next.
   
   These choices refer to operating system families, not the specific operating system version you will be using.
   
   
5. On the Configuration Files page, select a configuration file.
   
   You can also add, edit, remove, or clone configuration files at this time by clicking the corresponding buttons in the upper-right corner of this page. 
   
   
6. Click Next.
   
   
7. On the Confirm page, ensure that the image and configuration for the system are correct, and then click Confirm to add the virtual system. 

Expected Results

A system in the Virtual state is created. When the physical hardware is powered on, the following occurs: If an image file is selected, the image is deployed to the target system whether or not the target system already has a valid operating system. If ---NONE--- is selected, the operating system already installed on the target system is used when booting. If an operating system is not installed, the system changes to the Wait for Deployment state. In all of these scenarios, the selected configuration is applied to the target system.

Possible Errors

Messages similar to the following may appear. The wording may vary.

• ServiceTag exists in the database.
  
  
• Invalid image or configuration for the systems.

Subsequent Operations

After a system is created for predeployment, you must install Remote Install and turn on the system before the deployment can occur.

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