Enabling Diskless

Windows Boot With iSCSI

Suzanne Morgan Steve Marfisi

Program Manager Manager
WDEG Storage Development
Microsoft Corporation emBoot Inc.
iSCSI Momentum And Market
iSCSI Initiator Ports
1,400,000
1,200,000
1-Gbps NIC, Driver Ports
1,000,000
1-Gbps Accelerated NIC Ports
800,000
1-Gbps HBA Ports
600,000
10-Gbps NIC, Driver Ports
400,000 10-Gbps Accelerated NIC Ports
200,000 10-Gbps HBA Ports
0
04 05 06 07 08 09
20 2 0 2 0 2 0 20 20

40% of large U.S. enterprise respondents have already

deployed or intend on to deploy iSCSI SANs by the end of
2006 – Lehman Brothers Sept. CIO Survey
Vast Majority of iSCSI Initiator hosts run Windows
Blade Server is the fastest growing server segment
Migration from DAS to SAN benefits apply
to boot volumes as well as Data volumes
iSCSI Software Enabled
SAN Boot Goals
High Availability
Multipath support for load balancing and failover
Support for Microsoft Cluster Server

Lower Deployment Cost

Reduce costs of Deploying sets of identical Windows Systems
Use standard imaging tools available today
Reduce SAN boot cost to entry and connectivity cost

Disaster and Recovery

Boot LUN can be replicated to remote sites
Server can boot standby boot LUN in case of failure
Deployed Servers can be re-purposed

Blade Server Cost Optimization

Removing hard drive reduces cooling, power consumption
Lower cost for blade vendors to manufacturer blades
Architecture And Solution
PreBoot Windows
iSCSI Software
Int13 Initiator
iBF Boot
UNDI Table Parameter TCPIP
Driver
NIC NDIS

NDIS Miniport
Solution
Enables boot from LUN NIC
located on iSCSI SAN
Microsoft iSCSI
Can be implemented in
either NIC Option ROM, Microsoft Windows
Server ROM or PXE Vendor

No changes needed to
NIC driver in Windows
Deployment Notes
iSCSI Software Enabled SAN boot is
designed to be deployed via existing
image cloning tools on the market
today
Support for iSCSI boot RFC 4173
Including DHCP Option 17 and Option 12
Microsoft is investigating the support of
single image boot functionality (multiple
servers booting from a single image
with individual identities) in a future
Windows release
iSCSI Target
Support For Boot
Nothing unique needed
on the iSCSI target side
Supported with iSCSI targets Logo’d
under the Designed for Windows Logo
Program for hardware
Solution Framework
Solution is enabled by Microsoft
Participating NIC, server vendor or IHV
implements required changes in their
firmware/BIOS (Tested via WHQL)
Solution/configuration prescribed/
delivered by OEM or solution provider
Boot version Betas/RC can be
downloaded from
http://connect.microsoft.com/ Invitation
Code: ms-8RR8-6K43
iSCSI Boot Solutions can be submitted to
www.microsoftstoragepartners.com
iSCSI Boot Component Logo
Requirement Highlights
Compliance with iSCSI RFC
Including support for login redirection
Compliance with existing DHCP/TCP
industry specifications
Implement iBFT (iSCSI Boot
Firmware Table) per specification
Compliance with existing
industry BIOS specifications
Longhorn Server iSCSI
Boot Futures
Support of Windows/setup
installation of Windows Server
directly to iSCSI target LUN
From Windows Installation CD
or network share
Supported with new imaging mechanisms
included with Windows Longhorn Server
Steve Marfisi
Manager
Development
emBoot Inc.
 emBoot Architecture – iSCSI OptionROM
PreBoot Windows
iSCSI Software
Int13 Initiator

iBF
Boot TCPIP
iSCSI Software Initiator Table Parameter
Driver
NDIS
TCP/IP
noi t ar get nI S OI Br o CI N

NDIS Miniport
UNDI

NIC
NIC

iSCSI OptionROM can obtain iSCSI parameters via:

DHCP root path options Microsoft iSCSI
winBoot/i server Microsoft Windows
Hot-key menu for R/W local parameters Vendor
Vendor or emBoot supplied UNDI
 emBoot Architecture –
PXE OptionROM
PreBoot Downloaded iSCSI Windows
Bootstrap

iSCSI Software
Initiator
iSCSI
Int13 winBoot/i
Preboot Initiator
Server
PXE / TFTP TCPIP
Server iBF
TCP/IP Boot
Table
Parameter
Driver NDIS
noi t ar get nI EXP

UNDI
NDIS Miniport

NIC Microsoft iSCSI

Microsoft Windows NIC
Vendor

PXE OptionROM obtains iSCSI parameters via

winBoot/i server
Vendor or emBoot supplied UNDI
winBoot/i Implementation
Lessons Learned
Disk Imaging – need to consider
Availability of existing imaging tools
Ability to handle open files or local disk offline
Key things to consider as implementing
Platform's PXE firmware and Windows NIC
driver should be revved to latest versions
winBoot/i Implementation
OEM integration for NIC or BIOS/System vendors
available
optionROM payload requirements
(uncompressed) in BIOS are approx. 82-88 KB
depending on the UNDI layer
optionROM re-uses UNDI layer, no need
to develop new transport
Some OEM customization may be needed
to get/set/configure boot parameters
End user software product
Shipping in Q2, 2006
 winBoot/i server
Blades’ network software
adapters are assigned
CD

Boot volume = iSCSI disk installed.

to iSCSI boot volumes.
CD

Boot volume = iSCSI disk iSCSI storage

installed on
network.
Boot volume = iSCSI disk

winBoot/i clients are now ready for iSCSI

boot, using one of:
• emBoot PXE bootstrap
• emBoot OptionROM on NIC
• emBoot OptionROM embedded in BIOS
Blade chassis with 3
blades, each with power-
chewing, potential-for-
failure hard disks.
winBoot /i client (s) - blades
BladeCenter
Blades are started, and receive winBoot /i
Management
boot instructions from
winBoot/i management.
Microsoft iSCSI-boot- iSCSI Storage
capable initiator +
winBoot/i client tools
installed on blades. iSCSI storage delivers
OS+applications+data to
winBoot/i clients (blades)
Hard disks’ boot volumes
copied to iSCSI storage.

IP Network
CD CD CD

Boot volumes carved out of

iSCSI storage and assigned
client (initiator) names,
Local disksmatching
can now corresponding
be
removed,blades’ iSCSI
or kept for initiator name.
paging or other swapping
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
tasks.

Boot volumes
iSCSI Boot Demo
Call To Action
Implement Windows supported architecture for
iSCSI boot
Review iSCSI Boot Component Logo
requirements prior to implementation
Included in latest Logo doc version
Test
iSCSI boot pre-boot init & target interoperability
iSCSI boot pre-boot init & UNDI interoperability
NDIS miniport in iSCSI boot configurations
E-mail: Boot @ for microsoft.com
access
to spec for early implementation
iSCSI Boot Implementers
iSCSI Boot
Solution Providers
Additional Supporting
iSCSI Vendors

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/storage/technologies/iscsi/default.mspx
Related WinHEC Sessions
STO116: Windows SAN: Resolving Technical
Barriers to Adoption and Deployment
STO123: Windows Storage Directions:
Windows Vista and Beyond
STO133: Windows Vista Storage Support
and Logo Requirements
SER112: Windows Enterprise
Storage Directions
SER119: Windows Server High Availability with
Windows Server Longhorn Failover Clustering
iSCSI Resources
Microsoft iSCSI website
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/storage/iscsi.mspx
Download Latest Microsoft iSCSI Initiator
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=12cb3c1a-15d6-458
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=12cb3c1a-15d6-45
Microsoft support for iSCSI Clusters FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/storage/technologies/
iscsi/iscsicluster.mspx
iSCSI deployment guide white paper
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/storage/technologies/
iscsi/deployiscsi.mspx
For information about iSCSI support
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx
To get a list of vendors with iSCSI Software
enabled SAN boot solutions
Bootinformation
More @ microsoft.com
on XIMAGE and Vista/Longhorn Server Deployment
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/expert/ximage.mspx
 © 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions,
it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.