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      How do I use the Platform Recovery USB drive?

      Each Platform server is equipped with a USB stick that allows recovery back to the factory default state.

      Overview

      This document describes the procedure to be used when recovering a Platform Online server to its original base OS Image. This should only be done if the OS is not accessible or under direct request from ProMAX Support Engineers. All data on the OS drive of the system, including any 3rd party software or will require reinstallation and reconfiguration. This action should be used only if absolutely necessary.

      Obtain the USB Recovery drive

      1. Unrack the Platform server.
      2. Unscrew the all screws from the front edge of the top cover and any screws from the sides
      3. If present, loosen the thumbscrew at the rear top edge of the system, remove the top (or side) cover.
      4. The USB Recovery drive is attached inside the system near the front panel. It is a silver USB thumb drive with a printed ProMAX logo.
      5. Remove the USB Recovery drive and replace the top cover of the system.

      Server Preparations

      1. Power down the server.
      2. Remove any other external devices connected to the system, including any expansion chassis, network cables, and any USB attached devices.
      3. Ensure that a monitor, keyboard, and mouse are the only devices directly connected to the system.
      4. IMPORTANT: Unseat the RAID drives mounted in the front of the system. Press the green pad to the right and release the drive tray handle (you may need to slide the small lock switch to “unlock” before you can remove them), then shift each drive approximately 1” forward and let it rest there. This ensures the RAID and its data are offline during the recovery effort.
      5. Plug the Recovery USB drive into the front panel USB port on the Platform server. Be aware it is possible to insert the stick incorrectly where it will not show up to the system. To avoid this, ensure that the gold contacts inside the USB port line up with the gold contacts on the stick itself.

      Booting into the Image OS

      1. Power the system on.
      2. After several seconds the system will display a screen with a “Checking Firmware” count. Wait until this screen AND the screen immediately following it have passed.
      3. Immediately begin pressing the “DELETE" key repeatedly, several times a second.
      4. You will be brought to a BIOS Screen that will differ depending on your Platform Model.

      Platform 1000/Studio systems/Pro-Cache

      1. Press F8 to be taken to the boot menu for the BIOS
      2. Choose the option that references “USB Drive” (The wording may not be exact due to different BIOS versions).
      3. The unit will begin to boot into a Windows Private Environment, with a solid bluish/green background and a black and white command line screen.

      Platform 2000/Nearline Systems

      1. Press the arrow key to the right until you reach the "Boot" tab
      2. Under boot device, choose the option that references “USB Drive” (The wording may not be exact due to different BIOS versions).
      3. The unit will begin to boot into a Windows Private Environment, with a solid bluish/green background and a black and white command line screen.

      Begin the Deployment

      1.  After approximately 30 seconds in the Windows PE environment, a command line prompt will be available that will look like the following:

      X:>

       

      2.  Type the following and press return after each line

      d:  

      deploy

       

      3.  A deployment process should begin.

      If it does not, you may need to select a different drive and try step 2 again. Due to various configurations, not all systems will respond to this command run from the “d:” drive. If your system returns a “Bad Command or File Name” message, step 2 again, however replace “d:” with “e:”, and so forth down the list of letters until the “deploy” command begins to run and starts its auto-configuration of the system. Some systems may go as far as the “k:” drive before running the deploy command.

       

      4.  The system deployer will run for approximately 10-15 minutes. You will see drives being partitioned and a progress indicator will appear after approximately 30 seconds that indicates the status of the deployment transfer. When this is complete the unit will restart.

      5.  Once the unit restarts remove the Recovery USB from the front panel.

      Windows Setup

      1. Once the deployment is complete and the unit reboots it will enter a windows setup mode.
      2. Plug in an active network connection to NIC 2 on the motherboard (second port from the left).
      3. The unit may reboot multiple times over the course of 3-10 minutes.
      4. After several reboots the system will present a EULA screen for windows that requires user interaction to proceed.
      5. Once the EULA has been accepted, the unit will continue configuring windows for another 20-40 minutes and may be left unattended during this time. Be aware the unit will likely reboot several more times before it is complete.
      6. Once the windows setup is complete, contact ProMAX Support at (949) 861-2700 or Support@promax.com to begin the Platform software installation.