How to Deploy and Use IGEL OS Dual Boot (IGEL Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery)

If Windows becomes unavailable, whether due to a security breach, malware infection, or a system failure, you can quickly boot into IGEL OS and maintain business continuity. IGEL OS Dual Boot also enables testing or evaluation of IGEL OS alongside Windows, without replacing the existing environment.

How IGEL Dual Boot Works

IGEL provides a Windows installer that installs IGEL OS in parallel with Microsoft Windows. The installer reduces the size of the Windows system partition and creates a new partition for IGEL OS. Then it retrieves the initial IGEL OS image from the device’s storage, writes it to this partition, and installs an IGEL bootloader. After installation, the user can choose the system to be booted using hotkeys at boot time, or permanently set the default boot entry within Windows through a system tray app.

IGEL OS should be booted, updated, and tested periodically as part of your BC&DR plan. We recommend working with your assigned TRM to coordinate the process.

Requirements

You have local administrator rights on the device.
Windows 11 with EFI Boot is running on the device.
Minimum of 36 GB of free storage space in the Windows system partition (C:) - 20 GB as reserve storage space for Windows + 16 GB for IGEL OS. 128 GB storage space is recommended.
You have acquired the following software:
- IGEL OS Dual Boot 1.0 or higher. Please contact your IGEL Representative to get access and guidance.
- The Dual Boot variant of IGEL OS 12.7.2 or higher from https://igel.com/software-downloads > OS 12 Base System Image for Dual Boot.

Installing IGEL OS Dual Boot

Installation via GUI

Save the installer and the IGEL OS package ZIP file on your Windows device.

Double-click the installer icon, confirm the dialog Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your devices? and accept the license agreement.

Provide the following data: (each button will open a file browser to provide the corresponding file path):
- Base…: The ZIP file that contains the Dual Boot variant of IGEL OS, e.g. IGEL_OS_12.7.2_dualboot.zip
- Certificates…: (Optional) One or more certificate files (multiple files can be selected in the file browser). Possible formats: *.crt, *.cer, *.pem
- Licenses…: (Optional) The license file that contains the license for this device, as a plain file or in an archive. Possible formats: *.lic, *.lic.gz
- Settings…: (Optional) The settings file for your device, as a plain file or in an archive. Possible formats: *.ini, *.ini.gz, *.ini.bz
- Show IGEL Boot menu: If enabled, the IGEL Boot menu is shown at the next system start. (Default: enabled)
- Enable boot-entry check at each startup: If enabled, the correct installation of the IGEL bootloader will be checked on each startup of MS Windows. If necessary, it will be repaired. (Default: enabled)

Click Next.

IGEL OS Dual Boot installer is installed; afterward, the device boots into IGEL OS.

Connect your device to the UMS to integrate it with your environment. For in-depth introductory information, see How to Start with IGEL

Installation via Command-Line Interface (CLI)

You can install IGEL OS Dual Boot via CLI. The exact syntax depends on whether you are using the EXE file or the MSI installer.

The files to be installed are specified with the following parameters:

/base - path to the ZIP file that contains the IGEL OS Base System. Prefills the corresponding field in the installer GUI
/certs - one or more certificate file paths (semicolon-separated). Populates the Certificates list in the GUI
/licenses - one or more license file paths (semicolon-separated). Populates the Licenses list in the GUI
/settings - one or more settings file paths (semicolon-separated). Populates the Settings list in the GUI

To switch off the boot menu, use the following parameter:

/nobootmenu - prevents the boot menu from being shown at system startup.

Example using the EXE file:

setup-igel-dual-boot_1.0.0.exe /base="C:\temp\base.zip" /certs="C:\certs\a.crt;C:\certs\b.crt" /licenses="C:\licenses\l1.lic;C:\licenses\l2.lic.gz" /settings="C:\config\s1.ini;C:\config\s2.ini.gz"

Example using the MSI installer:

setup-igel-dual-boot_1.0.0.msi WRAPPED_ARGUMENTS="/base=""C:\temp\base.zip"" /certs=""C:\certs\a.crt;C:\certs\b.crt"" /licenses=""C:\licenses\l1.lic;C:\licenses\l2.lic.gz"" /settings=""C:\config\s1.ini;C:\config\s2.ini.gz"""

Licensing with the Universal Management Suite (UMS)

If you have not included the license files during installation, the licenses must be deployed via the UMS.

If Your IGEL OS Dual Boot Devices Are Connected to a Separate UMS

In this case, you can deploy the licenses you have received with your Business Continuity purchase to all devices of your UMS.

If Your IGEL OS Dual Boot Devices Are Connected to a Productive UMS

In this case, you must define distribution conditions in your UMS to differentiate between the devices already registered in the UMS and those devices that are to receive the licenses from your Business Continuity purchase.

To define the appropriate distribution conditions:

Create a view that collects devices whose device name starts with “BC”. For details on creating a view, see https://kb.igel.com/en/universal-management-suite/current/how-to-create-a-new-view-in-the-igel-ums.
Define the distribution conditions for your BC&DR licenses based on the view you have created. For details on defining distribution conditions, see Distributing Licenses to Devices in a Specified View.

Switching IGEL OS at Boot Time

Using the IGEL Boot Menu

When IGEL OS Dual Boot is installed, you can start IGEL OS at boot time using the IGEL Boot Menu. It is available for a short time during device startup. This also applies in the case of an emergency, i.e., if the MS Windows installation has been compromised.

→ Choose the desired operating system from the menu:

Windows (default): Please note that the system to be booted next can be defined by the tray app under MS Windows. Also note that the selection made here overrides the setting of the tray app.
OS 12 IGEL OS Dual Boot: The IGEL OS system that has been installed with the Dual Boot facility is started
IGEL OS USB Boot: If an IGEL OS USB Boot stick is inserted into the device, the system located on it is started
Advanced Options:
- IGEL OS Verbose boot: See Boot Menu in IGEL OS 12, section Verbose Boot
- IGEL OS VESA only boot: See Boot Menu in IGEL OS 12, section VESA Only Boot
- IGEL OS Emergency boot (setup only): See Boot Menu in IGEL OS 12, section Emergency Boot (Setup Only)

Using a Hotkey

If the IGEL Boot Menu is disabled, you can choose the system to boot.

→ During bootup, press one of the following hotkeys:

[+] on the keypad
[R]

Changing the Default Operating System via the System Tray App

Open the tray app menu and right-click the IGEL OS icon .

Click Configuration Menu.

Select the desired behaviour on next boot and click Ok.
- Windows: The device will boot into Windows.
- IGEL OS: The device will boot into IGEL OS.
- Show IGEL Boot Menu: The device will show the IGEL Boot Menu.

Uninstalling IGEL OS Dual Boot

→ Uninstall IGEL OS Dual Boot like any other program on your device.

When IGEL OS Dual Boot is uninstalled, the device reverts to booting into Windows only, as before. The IGEL OS partition will be deleted, and the 16 GB storage space will be added to the Windows partition again.