Techie Stuff: Simultaneous Image Deployment to Multiple PCs

[TK!]

Objective:
To use a single master image of a windows installation and deploy same [simultaneously] to multiple computers without the need for using a boot floppy, CD or USB key.

Tools:
Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 2.5 and 3COM Boot Services (PXE Boot).


How-to:
Follow the steps on Symantec's website: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology.nsf/docid/2000103113200725?Open&seg=ent

Discussion:
There are two reasons for me posting a "guide" which is really a link to a guide.
1. To post tips not included in that article.
2. It's not easy to find.
(eg. spend 2 hrs searching web trying to fix something. found a solution that was HERE. written by me a year ago!)


Ok... so onto the discussion:
Their guide is pretty good but doesnt give u best practices. If u've done this before, feel free to add to this post.

- use multicast. eneable on cisco switches IGMP). jus google it.
- enable NIC on client PC and allow it to use PXE boot
- enable NIC on server and allow PXE boot with image support (if it's a dell)
- proxying of DHCP causes clients to take a lil while longer to get an IP

- decide on your approach early:
--(a) you want to be safe (or you want to leave your PXE server running 24/7):
--setup your pc to boot from HDD. Manually pull up boot menu to select network boot. set pxe file to boot from HDD by default. this way u dont accidentally run ghost on pc!
--(b) you want to be lazy or dont care if an innocent PC gets wiped:
--setup pc to boot from NIC. set pxe file to boot straight to ghost session. dont even include a timeout nor "local" (boot from HDD) option.

-you may as well go tru the hassle of creating the domain admin ghost account and creating a post installation task to automatically name your PCs and join a domain.

-to investigate:
(a) post installation tasks to add antivirus
(b) should i use sysprep
(c) automatic windows activation

benefits:
- time to ghost one PC = 25mins (10GB);
- time to ghost 20 PCs = 25mins (10GB each = 200GB total)
ie - u save real time. take de rest of d day off and go beach.

[TK!]

i would like to try this.. if i had de money...
http://www.binaryresearch.net/products/the-universal-imaging-utility/features

[wagonrunner]

what speed network you're running this on?
and can your sysprep server output that much data concurrently (25 connections)?

[r3iXmann]

no altiris,no care

[jeepers]

there is a software called fog i was working on. It work well but had some issues

[cinco]

i never trust any software solution for this
you always end up spending more time troubleshooting than if you just did it manually

hire tobagonians they work well and quickly

[nareshseep]

i never trust any software solution for this
you always end up spending more time troubleshooting than if you just did it manually

hire tobagonians they work well and quickly

x2

It will work great for computer labs only, with identical hardware.
For staff I prefer to rebuild from scratch, works out better in the long run.

[wagonrunner]

It will work great for computer labs only, with identical hardware.
For staff I prefer to rebuild from scratch, works out better in the long run.

An image can be created with drivers for different platforms.
It must be for a known platform however.

we found USB drives were the fastest method of installing compared to going over gigalan, with redundant RIS, for the reasons i mentioned earlier.

[xauss]

FOG....look it up...eet works!

[TK!]

It will work great for computer labs only, with identical hardware.
For staff I prefer to rebuild from scratch, works out better in the long run.

An image can be created with drivers for different platforms.
It must be for a known platform however.

we found USB drives were the fastest method of installing compared to going over gigalan, with redundant RIS, for the reasons i mentioned earlier.

trues.. performance is degraded if you use unicast. it's all about how the packets are sent over the switch. with multicaast, u dont have that problem. as i said... all PCs took about the same time as just one.

[nareshseep]

It will work great for computer labs only, with identical hardware.
For staff I prefer to rebuild from scratch, works out better in the long run.

An image can be created with drivers for different platforms.
It must be for a known platform however.

we found USB drives were the fastest method of installing compared to going over gigalan, with redundant RIS, for the reasons i mentioned earlier.

interesting would look into it. Currently I use hirens on a 16 gig flash drive and it works great for a base image.

[streetsleeper2]

Is this method compatable with Windows 7 installations?

[wagonrunner]

Is this method compatable with Windows 7 installations?

works with any windows install.

[r3iXmann]

It will work great for computer labs only, with identical hardware.
For staff I prefer to rebuild from scratch, works out better in the long run.

An image can be created with drivers for different platforms.
It must be for a known platform however.

we found USB drives were the fastest method of installing compared to going over gigalan, with redundant RIS, for the reasons i mentioned earlier.

i HATE ris..out of all the deployment solutions i've ever used,i've found altiris to be the fastest/best

i'll name my firstborn after it

[wagonrunner]

i HATE ris..out of all the deployment solutions i've ever used,i've found altiris to be the fastest/best

i'll name my firstborn after it

Alti......RIS............ fix up.
wonder what it developed from, or is considered part of.

[r3iXmann]

i HATE ris..out of all the deployment solutions i've ever used,i've found altiris to be the fastest/best

i'll name my firstborn after it

Alti......RIS............ fix up.
wonder what it developed from, or is considered part of.

i assumed you meant microsoft ris 2eh

[wagonrunner]

^^
fair enough.

i foolishly dub any Remote Installation Service (RIS), not just cogs in M$ own's branding wheel.

[TK!]

FUUUUUUU .... M$

i trying two days now to activate win7 tru d ISA server...
will fix tomorrow. prob need to open a port. the activation uses a port like 14xxx.

[EvoDraZ]

I played with 2 types of deployment systems one is deployment studio on macs and the other is landesk for the pc's. Landesk uses a hardware independent image that locates the drivers based on the model in the bios. Also it works on the wan. Sometimes we put the image on a local site to speed up the process but it generally takes about 30 mins to 2 hrs for about 10 gigs.

[wagonrunner]

during rollouts, it made no sense letting all those machines attempt to pull the 15Gb over an already burdened WAN link.
we always grabbed one to the local site, but in the end, USB won.

[TK!]

Landesk uses a hardware independent image that locates the drivers based on the model in the bios.

sounds promising. i've been looking for the holy grail of imaging for a while. which landesk product?

[pycho]

WDS /w server08 R2works fine