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Multi
Operating system
Administration / Addicts

boot whatever - where ever

 

 

get current version MOA 2.4. 009

Instructions     FAQ    Cheatcodes    Configuration    Kiosk-mode    Help     Screenshots    Videos

 

What is it ?

 

A regular LiveCD boots into a single operating system.
A MOA LiveCD can boot into a complete domain.


Can I use that for desaster recovery ? - sure you can.
Has this been tested ? - oh dear - no !
This is basically a 3 years old one-man project ...

Have a look some short videos that show MOA at work.

Videos - start here if you do not know what this is all about
(tested with Firefox 2)

 

 The-as-if-stunt   How to boot a physical box and start the originally installed system as a virtual machine. This can be used for P2V and for forensic investigations.
 Introduction-tour  Some VMware applications in action: Workstation, Converter, VI-client, VMserver-console.
 Vdiskmanager  How to use MOA and vdiskmanager to do ghost-like disk-imaging.
This can be used to P2V any OS - not just Windows ...
   
 Cheatcode x  How to boot on hosts with very little RAM - like 128 MB
 Cheatcode ramfile  How to use a persistant home in a virtual disk.
 Cheatcode tc  How to use a persistant home in a truecrypt container
 Cheatcode net  How to use a persistant home in network
   
 Kiosk-mode - Knoppix   MOA in kiosk-mode autostarting into a Knoppix-VM
 Kiosk-mode - Vistape   MOA in kiosk-mode autostarting into VistaPE VM
 Kiosk-mode - NT4 Exchange-server  MOA in kiosk-mode autostarting into a NT 4 Exchange-server
 Kiosk-mode - Virtual-Center  MOA in kiosk-mode autostarting into a Vrtual Center VM
 Kiosk-mode - twins  MOA in kiosk-mode autostarting a NT 4 server and a 2k server
   
 Avanced P2V    p2v a 2k3 box - store VM on USB and test function in one boot


zipped VMware-codec
watch bootup with cheatcode cmd (1Mb)
watch startup with cheatcode moa (3Mb)

 

 

 

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Configuration

 

The main configuration file for MOA is the moa.ini.
This file is located in .. i386\system32\shell\moa.ini.



An optional configuration file for hardware detection is the custom-hwpnp.cmd.
This file is located in .. i386\system32\shell\custom-hwpnp.cmd.
To use custom hardware plug'n'play you need to activate the custom batch in moa.ini with
start_hwpnp=batch
otherwise it will not be processed. See cheatcodetable

cheatcodes-table
a listing of the cheatcodes you can use at MOA startup      

 

moa.ini examples

some examples

moa.ini entries
description of the entries in moa.ini (startup-configuration)

 

 

kiosk-mode

how to configure kiosk-mode
(advanced)       

 

How to add drivers ?

The MOA-package doesn't contain any additional drivers.
Best option is to add the driver-collection maintained by the folks from driverpacks.net
Please take the time to visit their site and read about the procedure.
I believe they set the standards pretty high - so if you do not already have a drivercollection yet look here first.

Mike Laverick hosts an older driver-collection I made - before I heard about driverpacks.net


 

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FAQ

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What is it ?

 

It is a set of plugin for Bart Lagerwijs Pebuilder.
It comes with a setup-tool that helps you through the building process.
Screenshot of setup-tool (screenshot)

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VMware apps that can be used

VMware Workstation 6.0.0 or 6.0.1
VMplayer 2.0.1
VMware Converter - Cold Clone
VMserver 1.0.3 remote console
VI-client (tested with ESX 3.0.1 and 3.0.2)

for Version 4.5 or 5.5 contact me.

 

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Windows requirements(sources)

 

Windows 2003 SP1 or R2 sources seem to work good in several languages
Windows 2003 SP2 may work - not tested extensively
Windows XP Pro SP2 does not work
Windows Vista does not work

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Building host requirements

 

You can build on XP or 2003 32bit hosts.
You must use a NTFS formatted uncompressed partition to build.
For the VI-client you need to build on a 2003 SP1 or R2 with .netframework 1.1 installed.
Building on Vista or 64bit hosts is not supported.


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Whats the problem with namedFiles / pagefile ?
good that you ask.
Running VMware from a LiveCD shows an issue that you will probably not notice on regular installs:
A VM either needs a namedFile or enough available free RAM or a pagefile to back up the virtual RAM.
MOA starts with no pagefile and this entry in config.ini:
mainmem.useNamedFile = "false"
This is good for performance but may prevent a VM to start at all in some constellations.
This is no bug - you just got to be aware of it.
So whenever possibe - set a pagefile.
If you have a large ramdrive you may use a namedFile in the ramdrive - be careful - you easily run out of ramdrive-space when you try to suspend a VM.
If you need to edit config.ini - do it before you start VMware.
File is here when booted:
R:\home\anybody\application data\vmware\vmware workstation\config.ini
and here at built-time:
..\pebuilder3110a\bartpe\moahome\home\anybody\application data\vmware\vmware workstation\config.ini


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Can this LiveCD replace a regular Windows/VMware-installation ?
yes - it can. Obviously this is nothing for gamers ...
We have some problems with USB-devices - but other than that you can replace your replace your regular system.

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Can I run VMs stored on the same CD/DVD ?
yes - you can. Obviously you have to handle some limitations as you can not write to the DVD.
Anyway - it is possible.
Ask in the forum for in depth instructions

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Can I run VMs stored on encrypted disks?
yes - you can. MOA works pretty well with truecrypted disks. A plugin for this is included - though it may be outdated.


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Can I run VMs stored on ext2 / ext3 ?
yes - you can. At the moment we are not sure which plugin is the best - so keep updated in the forum.

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Can I run VMs stored on the network ?
yes - you can. Obviously you have to mount a network-share.

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Can I boot MOA from USB-stick?
yes - you can. USB-booting is a science of its own.
See 911cd-forum for tips and tricks.

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Can I boot MOA from network?
yes - you can.
See 911cd-forum for tips and tricks.

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Can I run a ESX 3 VM ?
yes - you can. You need a box with VT32 support.
On hosts with 3 Gb of RAM you should be able to run a ESX VM from DVD.
You will need advanced configuration - contact me or ask in the forum.
It should be possible to access local VMFS by mounting local SCSI-disks as rawdisks.
You need updated drivers for handling of typical ESX-server machines.

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Can MOA be used as a replacement for the VMware Cold-Clone CD ?
yes - you can. You do NOT need a ESX-enterprise-licence as the Converter Starter Edition is used.

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Can MOA be used to P2V Linux ?

 

Keep in mind that P2V is a two-steps procedure:
1. imaging
2. patching

In step 1 you create a diskimage of the system to P2V - in step 2 you patch the OS on that disk to be bootable inside a VM.
As MOA is Windows-based it is useless for step 2 - but step 1 can be done easily.
See the procedure suggested here:
http://sanbarrow.com/moa-video-vdiskmanager-as-ghost.html

After you have done this - you need to boot the newly created vmdk into a LiveCD of the Linux-distribution you have on that disk.
Hope to add instructions soon ...

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Can MOA be used to P2V OpenBSD ?

 

Yes - in case you use a generic kernel you can use this procedure:
http://sanbarrow.com/moa-video-vdiskmanager-as-ghost.html

After you have done this - you need to boot the newly created vmdk into a LiveCD or an OpenBSD-install iso and edit fstab and network configuration.

I am a OpenBSD newbe - but so far the few migrations I made went flawless.

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Can I run a NT4 VM with P2V-assistant 1 ?
Congratulations - you got the idea ;-)
Yes - sure you can do that.
If possible store the VM on USB - otherwise you can run it from network or even from CD - but this requires a large amount of RAM

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Will the VMware-plugins work with other PEs?
no.
Moa.exe - the launcher of MOA is required to start VMware correctly -
if you use a different launcher like XPE or whatever you have to edit your startup sequence.
Contact me if you need help


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Can MOA use multiple CPUs?
yes
Thanks to cdob from the 911cd-forum for his research.
Default configuration uses uniprocessor kernel - enable SMP-plugin at built-time

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How many RAM can be used with MOA ?
depends on the mainboard of the box you boot: on my HP-notebook I can use 3.5 Gb RAM
- on a DELL server with 32 GB RAM I could only use 3 GB.
You must test yourself ...

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What is the minimum RAM required to boot MOA ?
with a CD-based built and cheatcode "shell" you can boot machines with 128 MB RAM

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What is the minimum RAM required to run a VM ?
you will need 512 MB or more to run a VM

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Can MOA run Virtual Box ?
yes - you can run Virtual Box.
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly

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Can MOA run Virtual PC ?
yes - you can run Virtual PC.
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly

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Can MOA run P2V-assistant 2 ?
yes
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly

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Programs that can be installed on the fly - without preparing a plugin

seems to work - no problems so far
Virtual Box
VMware Converter - (needs 120MB free space in X:
VMware P2V assistant 2
VMserver Console
Virtual PC
AutoIt/Scite
UltraVNC and other VNC-flavors
Java Runtime


experimental

Parallels - needs advanced fiddling to start hypervisor
GSX 3 - needs advanced fiddling with accounts
LiveView - you need to install vmount and JAVA first

VMserver
Altiris SVS

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Kiosk-mode in 2.2.005 and higher

 

Warning: this is an advanced feature - make sure you understand the basics and test in VMs first before you waste any CDs !


Here are a couple of video-examples ... Knoppix     Vistape    Virtual-Center     twins 

The idea behind kiosk-mode is automation.
In kiosk-mode MOA does not allow interaction with the host - a user has access to VMs instead.
The most interesting scenario maybe automatic and non interactive start of an emergency environment ...

ANyway - with MOA 2.2.005 and higher you can configure two VMs to startup automatically.
This two VMs can be stored in network, local disk or even on DVD.

Please be aware that with CD booting the environment may change - test your setup if it is portable.
Reliable locations for Kiosk VMs are local disks on one-disk-hosts and network shares.
Other locations need some precautions ...

Note: if you want to start more than two VMs let me know - it is easy to implement.

The example below autostarts two VMs - stored in network.

moa.ini

 

 

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=lean
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
moahome_ramsize=16
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_vgasafe=no
start_hwpnp=yes
start_audiosrv=yes
start_eventlog=yes
start_msi=yes
moa_timeout=1000
start_explorer=no
start_debug=no
start_kiosk=yes
start_KioskVM=yes
start_KioskVMX=Q:\NT4SRV01\Windows-NT.vmx
start_KioskVM2=yes
start_KioskVMX2=Q:\w2ksrven\2kas-en.vmx

 

 

penetcfg.ini

...

....

[NetAdapter3]
EnableDHCP=No
UseStaticGateway=No
UseStaticDNS=No
UseStaticWINS=No
IPAddress=10.0.0.55
SubnetMask=255.255.255.0
DefaultGateway=10.0.0.200
DNSServer=217.237.151.225

...
[NetDrive1]
Drive = Q:
NetworkPath = \\10.0.0.111\vms
UserName = administrator
Password = password

start_kiosk=yes

This disables the cheatcode-prompt so you must make sure that your default cheatcode makes sense for your usage. Start with "lean" or something like that.

Now lets look at the VMs:
you can start up to 2 VMs with kiosk-mode.

Well the problem is the path - on a LiveCD you have to calculate with changing environments ...
Easiest and most reliable way is to run VMs from network I guess.
This way you add a share to penetcfg.ini and you can use a good path for moa.ini

Using kiosk mode on machines with one NTFS-disk is also quite straight forward. Make sure you got drivers for that diskcontroller and then write paths to C:

As soon as multiple disks or USB are used things become tricky ...
In future version I will add a search for local VM-colonies so that we can then remount those disks to get clean paths ...

 

The example to the left shows how to set two VMs to run in kiosk-mode.

start_KioskVM=yes
This starts the VM used as shell. If you kill this one your session will end. Make sure this VM is configured well - otherwise you may easily lock yourself out.

start_KioskVM2=yes
The secondary VM is started first. Moa.exe continues with the main VM or continues boot..
This VM can be used when you want to start a VM and still do a full boot into explorer.

So keep in mind:
first VM is started with "run /wait"
sec. VM is started with "run"

Note: haven't tested with names with spaces yet ! )

 

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Moa allows to enter a cheatcode early at boot-time.

Please take the time and try to understand your options.

Early at boot MOA needs to know where the writeable homearea R:\ is.
R:\ can be a ramdisk, a local disk a network share , a virtual disk or a truecrypt-container.
This are a lot of options - you must decide what fits your needs best on that special computer.

The cheatcodes are listed in 3 groups:
First group shows cheatcodes that will cause an action and then return you to the cheatcode prompt when that job is done.
Second group allows several defaults for changing the ramdisk-size before regular boot starts.
The last group lists special options that allow redirection of the R:\ workspace to local disks or network or ...

cheatcode needed
version
size of RAMdrive

action

halt   ---

powerdown

reboot   ---

reboot

help   ---

displays short helptext

       
shell   0

launch a cmd
and return to cheatcode prompt when done

cmd   0

regedit, winfile, diskmanagement + cmd
and return to cheatcode prompt when done

regedit 2.2.003 0

launch a regedit
and return to cheatcode prompt when done

x 2.2.003 0

start explorer without network and any other bells and whistles
pops up a warning about missing R:\home\moon\desktop - ignore it
when you are done either use startmenu to shutdown or reboot or kill explorer with taskmanager to be returned to cheatcode-prompt. Read more ...

e 2.2.005 0

edit moa.ini at boot-time
and return to cheatcode prompt when done (use with ramloading systems)

E 2.2.006 0

edit moa.ini at boot-time - starts fbwf first
and return to cheatcode prompt when done (use with CD based systems)

create ramfile    

creates a ramfile and jumps back to cheatcode prompt

       
minimal   16 Mb

full start - explorer + VMware

ramdisk-size is set as mentioned

mini   32 MB
safe   64 MB
tiny   RAM / 5
lean   RAM / 4
splendid   RAM / 3
big   RAM / 2
       

net

2.2.007 0

moa.exe assumes you have mapped a networkshare in penetcfg.ini
and mounted this as R:\ and so it skips ramdisk creation.
Once network is up moa.exe checks if R:\temp is available - if not it will popup a map-share-window. Map a share as R:\
Warning - has some flaws - use for customisation and experiment
Do not use in production ;-) more info

moahome   16 Mb

use to link working directories to your USB-disk

deprecated in favour of "disk"

moa   16 Mb

allows to relocate the standard working directories to local hard-disks and USB-disk
deprecated in favour of "disk"

ramfile

  0

 

asks you for a ramfile on local disks and then disables the ramdisk and mounts the ramfile instead as R:
full start - explorer + VMware

 

tc   0

 

runs truecrypt.exe - you should mount a truecrypt container as R: and give your password.
As R: is already mounted ramdrive creation will be skipped and normal boot continues
full start - explorer + VMware

 

disk

  0

 

opens diskmanagement and you should select a partition to be mounted as R: -instead of a ramdisk. This can be automated by putting a file named "moa-is-at-home.tag" on a USB-disk.
Smartest option if you want to use a persistant home directory on a portable disk.

 

       

remount

  0

 

don't enter this manually - it will be set as deafault when ever possible automatically
if a tag-file "moa-is-at-home.tag" is found on a local disk this partition will be unmounted and remounted as R: so that you can use it as ramdrive replacement.

 

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entry in moa.ini   options

description

defaultCheatCode    

see cheatcode-table - select a safe option !

       
defaultRAMdriveSize   8

sets the ramdrivesize to be used for shell and cmd-mode
do not use values smaller than 8 - deprecated - do not touch

       
start_sshd   yes

autostarts ssh server at boot-time

  no

skips starting of sshd

start_msi   yes

msiexec will be started late at boot-time

  no

msiexec willnot be started late at boot-time

start_vmdks   yes

moa.exe tries to mount optional vmdks and will execute load.cmd if it exists

  no

moa.exe links to _sfx_ directory but does not try to mount anything

start_fbwf   early

fbwf will be started at time of ramdrive-resizing
do not use with ramloading versions

late

fbwf will be started after bootup is complete
do not use with ramloading versions

manual

start of fbwf is skipped - to manually start it later run : net start fbwf

start_hwpnp 2.2.003 no

skips hwpnp. Use this if you want to experiment with different settings
- called from a batch after startup.

yes

runs
"HWPnP.exe /log +all -IDE -PCIIDE -@NET -storage\volume -USB\ROOT_HUB +USB /p"

all

runs

"HWPnP.exe +all -storage\volume -USB\ROOT_HUB /p /u /a /d"

batch

runs "custom-hwpnp.cmd" if it exists in shell-directory
use this to run your custom cmds

start_audiosrv   yes

starts audioserver

no

skips audioserver start

start_eventlog   yes

starts eventlog

no

skips eventlog start

       
start_explorer 2.2.003 yes

autostarts explorer after bootup is finished

no

skips autostart of explorer

start_vgasafe 2.2.003 yes

starts with 800 x 600 x16 (default)

no

starts with 1024 x 768 x 32

       
start_kiosk 2.2.005 yes

disables all user-interactivity - cheatcode prompt is locked to defaultCheatCode

no

default - cheatcode prompt is unlocked

       
start_kioskVM 2.2.003 yes

after full bootup with network a configured VM will be autostarted in VMplayer (fullscreenmode)
once the VM is exited MOA shutsdown

no

default - first VM will not be autostarted

start_kioskVMX 2.2.003 path

path to vmx-file to be autostarted
warning: predicting paths is not trivial - if you need help ask in the forum
example : start_kioskVMX=R:\machines\pbox\pbox.vmx

       
start_kioskVM2 2.2.005 yes

optional second VM - read kiosk-mode explanations

no

default - VM2 will not be autostarted

start_kioskVMX 2.2.005 path

path to vmx-file to be autostarted
warning: predicting paths is not trivial - if you need help ask in the forum

       
start_help 2.2.003 no (default) - does not pop up help.html after boot
yes

pops up help.html after boot is complete

       
moa_timeout   5000

timeout for open cheatcode prompt - use milliseconds
additional last 5 seconds use countdown

       
       
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moa.ini    

usage

       

 

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_msi=yes
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000

   

good allround use from a CD-loaded MOA

 

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=no
start_msi=no
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=no
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000

   

 

lean variant for a RAM-loaded MOA that just runs VMs

 

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_msi=yes
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000

   

 

good allround use for a RAM-loaded MOA

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=lean
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
moahome_ramsize=16
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=no
start_vmtoolbox=no
start_hwpnp=yes
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=yes
start_msi=yes
moa_timeout=10
start_vgasafe=yes
start_kiosk=yes
start_kioskVM=yes

start_explorer=no

 

   

 

needs 2.2.003

start_kiosk=yes - disables cheatcode prompt and all buttons
start_kioskVM=yes - autostarts r:\machines\pbox\pbox.vmx

 

 

 

Autostarts into a VM

 

[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=no
start_vmdks=no
start_msi=no
start_hwpnp=no
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=no
moa_timeout=5000

   

fastest bootup

   

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