Basics Of The Boot Process - IBM N Series Hardware Manual

Deploy Microsoft Cluster Services on a Windows Server 2003 platform using STORport
drivers. With this configuration, both the boot disks and shared cluster disks can be accessed
through the same HBA (Figure 18-1). A registry entry is required to enable a single HBA to
connect to both shared and non-shared disks in an MSCS environment. For details, see the
"Server Clusters: Storage Area Networks - For Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003"
topic at:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13153
Figure 18-1 Windows Server 2003 platform using STORport drivers

18.2.3 Basics of the boot process

The boot process of the IA32 architecture has not changed significantly since the early days
of the personal computer. Before the actual loading of the operating system from disk takes
place, a pre-boot process is completed by the host BIOS routines:
1. Power on self test: The BIOS initiates a diagnostic test of all hardware devices for which a
routine exists. Devices for which the system BIOS does not have direct knowledge, such
as installed HBAs, run their own routines after the system tests complete.
2. Initialize: The BIOS routines clear system memory and processor registers, and initialize
all devices.
3. Set the boot device: Although multiple devices can be bootable (the CD, a disk drive,
network adapter, storage HBA), only one can be the actual boot device. The BIOS
determine the correct boot device order based on each device's
stored configuration.
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