SUMMARY
How to add unifiedBare Metal Recovery (formerly integrated Bare metal Recovery) ISO images to a PXE server
ISSUE
This article describes how to set up the unified Bare Metal Restore (uBMR, formerly iBMR) ISO images on a Windows PXE server. The same concepts also apply to non-Windows PXE servers.
The uBMR solution includes a set of WinPE ISO images that are booted to initiate the recovery operation. The solution includes both 32 bit and 64 bit ISO images that are installed and available on the appliance.
RESOLUTION
To locate the images to use for this process, see this KB: Where is the ISO image for a unified Bare Metal Recovery ?
Copy these images to the PXE server.
These ISO files are compressed archives that contain all of the files required to boot a WinPE image and start the IBMR interface. The first thing you must do in order for Windows Deployment Services (WDS) on the PXE server to recognize each of these as a bootable image is to either decompress and extract all of the files from the image using an application such as WinRAR, or mount the ISO file to a drive letter using an application such as Virtual Clone Drive.
Once the files in the ISO images are viewable, you must add each image as a Boot Image using the WDS MMC snapin on the PXE server. To do this (in Windows 2008 R2), from the WDS snapin console, expand the PXE server, right click on Boot Images, and select Add Boot Image. This will start the Add Boot Image Wizard, which allows you to select a *.wim file for the image. Browse to the sources\boot.wim file under the location where you mounted or extracted the ISO image. Give the image whatever name and description you choose. When finished, the image will be available on the PXE server.
Note that any time you upgrade the software on your appliance, you will need to repeat this procedure to make sure you always have the most up to date images on the PXE server.
NOTES
Note of support restriction: Unitrends Support Staff will be unable to assist in specific processes related to converting the ISO format to a usable format for your PXE system. If you have issues converting the media, or the media does not present properly with your PXE system, please contact the vendor of that system. If you contact Unitrends for assistance and have a production restore issue, we will ask that a USB or DVD be provided if your PXE system is not working as intended as we cannot troubleshoot such 3rd party systems.