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Appendix A. Creating ISO images
XenServer can use ISO images of CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disks as installation media and data sources for
Windows or Linux VMs. This section describes how to make ISO images from CD/DVD media.
Creating an ISO on a Linux computer
1. Put the CD- or DVD-ROM disk into the drive. The disk should not be mounted. To check, run the
command:
mount
If the disk is mounted, unmount the disk. Refer to your operating system documentation for assistance
if required.
2. As root, run the command
dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/path/cdimg_filename.iso
This will take some time. When the operation is completed successfully, you should see something like:
1187972+0 records in
1187972+0 records out
Your ISO file is ready.
On a Windows computer
• Windows computers do not have an equivalent operating system command to create an ISO. Most CD-
burning tools have a means of saving a CD as an ISO file.
One simple and free utility is ISO Recorder. It works on Windows XP SP2/SP3, Windows 2000, and
Windows Server 2003. Once installed, right-click on a CD/DVD drive and select Create image from
CD from the context menu.