How do you Image Asus EEE machines?

[maniac]

As title suggests, how would I go about imaging 47 Asus EEE machines with the linux build containing all the customisations I've spent the last few days creating?

 

I don't really want to do them all individually if I can help it, and would be handy to have the ability to re-image them quickly as and when the kids break them like we do with all our windows machines. I'm relatively new to linux so I've no idea where to start really, would something like ghost work with a linux machine?

 

Many Thanks,

 

Mike.

[Jona]

Perhaps the best way would be to use a post install script, so just make a .sh script you can run which applies all the changes?

 

Cheers

Jona

[Ric_]

If the changes are text files, it is a simple case of copying the files... as suggested, a script could be used for this.

[CyberNerd]

I have imaged an eeepc SDcard using dd. It would be possible to image the onboard flash as well, but take care because the bios is stored on one of the partitions on the onboard flash.

the way I did it was roughly, boot to a USB distribution (or PXE distribution), do

 dd if=/dev/sda of=/path/to/imagefile.img 

where sda is the original disk and /path/to/filename is the path to the image file that you are about to create. To restore the image do

 dd if=/path/to/imagefile.img of=/dev/sda 

take care that /dev/sda is the disk you want to image

[markcuk]

could you not use ghost.they do pxe

[Geoff]

Ghost supports Linux.

[CyberNerd]

Partimage would also be a good choice:

http://www.partimage.org/Main_Page

[SimpleSi]

I've just reached this stage as well having used the suggested post-install script

 

I copied all changed files from one machine onto a folder on a USB Stick with the same relative tree structure.

 

I then ran this script

#!/bin/bash

#V2 - 31Mar08 - don't use /mnt/sharename

set -x

sudo cp ./etc/network/if-up.d/mynetstart /etc/network/if-up.d/mynetstart

sudo chmod 777 /etc/network/if-up.d/mynetstart

sudo cp ./home/user/.network-autostart /home/user/.network-autostart

sudo chmod 777 /home/user/.network-autostart

sh /home/user/.network-autostart

sudo cp ./etc/cups/printers.conf /etc/cups/printers.conf
sudo cp ./etc/cups/classes.conf /etc/cups/classes.conf
sudo cp ./etc/cups/ppd/OldPrinter.ppd /etc/cups/ppd/OldPrinter.ppd

sudo kwrite /etc/hostname

 

which creates a samba sharemount, sets it up to automount when wireless net comes up, updates my printer configuration (don't know if just copying those files would work if I hadn't already added the printer beforehand) and then finally launches kwrite to edit the hostname.

 

This has worked flawlessly (once I worked out the problem with when using notepad for editing!)

 

However, I've noticed that ASUS has issued updates for a few things now - so I'd like to setup one machine and then clone it like you.

 

I think the cloning "should" be simple" using Linux dd command (with a bit of compression as well) to save to an external USB drive but I need to find a bootable USB OS that works on an eeePC.

 

I tried PenDriveLinux but it just hangs halfway through.

 

So I think we just need to find one that boots and it could be quite simple!

 

Which one did you use Cybernerd?

 

regards

 

Simon

Edited April 3, 2008 by SimpleSi

[maniac]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, lots of things to look at now!

[CyberNerd]

Which one did you use Cybernerd?

 

Ubuntu on a USB, my trusty trinity rescue disk didn't recognise the internal disk for some reason !

[SimpleSi]

Do you have a link to how to set it up please?

 

regards

 

Simon

[CyberNerd]

Do you have a link to how to set it up please?

 

regards

 

Simon

 

I don't recall if this is the guide I used...

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2007/02/12/usb-ubuntu-tutorial-for-linux-users/

but pendrivelinux has plenty of resources

[SimpleSi]

I ended up using the Breezy version of Puppy Linux that has been customised for the eeePC.

 

I used dd through gzip to make a backup onto another pendrive (Was about 1.5GB in size) but I've not had time/nerve to test it restoring it but its so simple it must work (famous last words eh )

 

It took about 45 mins to backup - adjusting compression ratio didn't seem to make much difference.

 

regards

 

Simon

 

PS Now trying to get latest Ubuntu on a pendrive but its hard without an external DVD/CD Drive - I think I'll just have to get one in the holidays and have a play

[maniac]

I settled for using this linux distro in the end http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/ which includes the Partimage utility that let me image the partitions nice and quickly. Got it running from a USB hard drive (eventually) - USB memory stick was just too slow to boot, and I'm in the process of writing a simple script to automate the process, should be really slick when it's done. (anticipating lots of these being broken by kids, so we want a really simple way of restoring them back to normal)

 

Also discovered it's only the second partition I need to image to transfer across all my changes (but I expect any linux user could have told me that, but I'm very new to linux!) which is only about 75mb in size, so imaging them takes only minutes each.

 

Mike.

 

P.S on a side note, anyone know how to disable the console window shortcut in easy mode, as it's only a matter of time until one of the bright ones figures out how to get this up and starts fiddling.

Edited April 3, 2008 by maniac

[SimpleSi]

Also discovered it's only the second partition I need to image to transfer across all my changes (but I expect any linux user could have told me that, but I'm very new to linux!) which is only about 75mb in size, so imaging them takes only minutes each.

 

I imagine that might be due to the UnionFS system employed on the eeePC. (Which is not a standard Linux feature)

 

Its eomthing along the lines of most of the OS is on a read-only basis with the differences between what is being used and the original setup being held on a R/W partition (or something like that anyway - its a bit of black magic afaic

 

Now your changes at the moment are only 75 MB but if you install stuff like OpenOffice 2.3.1 or greater then all of that gets added to the R/W part of the eeePC - so expect your image sizes to start growing - and I'd still have a full backup in case of total emergency

 

regards

 

Simon

[maniac]

Its eomthing along the lines of most of the OS is on a read-only basis with the differences between what is being used and the original setup being held on a R/W partition (or something like that anyway - its a bit of black magic afaic

 

 

Ahhh, I didn't realise it worked like that, makes sense now. I have imaged the main partition as well, just incase, but I can always restore this from the CD that comes with them if necessary, just as quick to do it that way with a USB CD-ROM drive connected.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike.

[Theblacksheep]

Clonezilla works about 90% of the time (need to fsck alot).

 

With the standard OS and the shadow removed theres 1.7GB free.

Edited April 4, 2008 by Theblacksheep

[SimpleSi]

Clonezilla works about 90% of the time (need to fsck alot).

mm- a backup/restore system thats works 90% of the time

 

And is fsck a spelling mistook or a @nix cmd ?

 

regards

Simon

[CyberNerd]

And is fsck a spelling mistook or a @nix cmd

 

fsck = filesystem check , used when your filesystem is fscked

[SimpleSi]

used when your filesystem is fscked

 

:rotflol:

 

regards

 

Simon

PS Thanks for the eeePC support BTW

[kmount]

That would be where the term fsck came from no doubt.

[Theblacksheep]

mm- a backup/restore system thats works 90% of the time

 

Not much you can do. When it doesnt work, you fsck it and it works. So its 100% reliable with a little tweak.

 

As far as I can remember, only the source machine has needed fsck'in...

[RonCam]

Thread seems 'cold' but people may still be searching for the topic to get advice.

 

Use Hiren's Boot CD in an external optical drive. The Acronis utility works fine, #3 on the menu. Identifies Linux partition correctly, and makes the original partition-type the default option, during restore.

 

Total time for user-modifiable partition imaging, about 6 minutes (but I haven't yet added much, waiting to get rid of unionfs, first).

 

I backed up to an external USB2 drive. For some reason, the Eee wouldn't boot Hiren's when the optical drive was plugged into left-hand port. Moved both connectors (optical, hard drive) to the right side of the Eee, then everything worked, just the same as on the Windows desktop PC.

 

I have only done this once, but the restored image both verified and functioned correctly: the Eee booted normally to prior state, after the process.