[fog] FOG is AWESOME!

[Batman]

I'd just like to say... WOW!

 

Got FOG set up this week using Debian on an old low spec server we weren't using. It's absolutely incredible, we've been such suckers for using Ghost all this time.

 

If you haven't tried it, I recommend you do, it's great

 

One thing I didn't quite like was the default setup that requires you to leave your mysql root password blank. I made a user for fog, with a password. Pretty much my only gripe... the speed the thing works at is incredible, it's about twice the speed of Ghost on our network.

 

Does anyone have any particular tips or tricks to do with FOG?

[Guest coquet636]

Gotta agree.....

 

We run it on ubuntu server 8.10 and runs a treat.. getting so much more benefit from it than ghost. Its easier to use, easier to configure and best of all free. . . . .

[maniac]

Aye, it is.

 

I've been using it here for about 6 months now, and it is a genius program. When you get the fog service working on the clients and use the active directory feature it really comes into its own.

 

The speed of it always amazes me, 6GB images pulled down to clients in about 3-4 minutes on this network, now that's fast!

 

This thread reminds me, I need to update my installation as we're a few versions behind at the moment.

 

Mike.

[Netman]

That's good to hear - I have FOG virtual appliance downloaded and ready to install at half term...

[mossj]

How does FOG compare too say WDS? speed? features?

 

Any troubles with compatibility? etc

 

At the moment we use it purely for imaging but Fog looks fantastic compared to WDS....

Edited May 15, 2009 by mossj

[Jiser]

Would be nice to get it working. Ubuntu won't download for me half of the apps from the ubuntu site though for some reason halfway through installation. Even though the site is included in the allowed list. Maybe still something to do with proxy, who knows. Not working for me though.

[Guest monkeyx]

We had some reall issues getting this to work between hardware types in relation to hard drives.

 

We have a sysprep image that support around 20 PCs and Laptops and we distribute via ghost.

 

For some reason we found that unless the image was sent to a machine with the same hardware and drive type then it would just be stuck at blinking cursor after rebooting. The data was on the drive, bt almso like there was no MBR there.

 

So I abandoned looking at it, has anyone else had this issue ?

[maniac]

We had some reall issues getting this to work between hardware types in relation to hard drives.

 

We have a sysprep image that support around 20 PCs and Laptops and we distribute via ghost.

 

For some reason we found that unless the image was sent to a machine with the same hardware and drive type then it would just be stuck at blinking cursor after rebooting. The data was on the drive, bt almso like there was no MBR there.

 

So I abandoned looking at it, has anyone else had this issue ?

 

Not had that particular issue, but 2 things I found vitally important for it to work properly were

1) FOG is told that the Host OS is Windows XP, and 2) The image type was set to "Single partition NTFS only - Resizeable" then it works flawlessly with windows XP. Initially I had the image type set differently and it didn't work properly, as soon as I selected this it worked.

 

The other thing that important to note is you must use the SYSPREP utility on your images prior to taking the snapshot with FOG, or you will run into trouble with SID's and the like, and also using across different hardware types - if you're not using sysprep, this could be your problem.

 

Mike.

[Netman]

then it works flawlessly with windows XP

 

Does it play nice with Vista too? Dare I say it, but I'm thinking of moving that way later this year...

[Guest monkeyx]

Not had that particular issue, but 2 things I found vitally important for it to work properly were

1) FOG is told that the Host OS is Windows XP, and 2) The image type was set to "Single partition NTFS only - Resizeable" then it works flawlessly with windows XP. Initially I had the image type set differently and it didn't work properly, as soon as I selected this it worked.

 

The other thing that important to note is you must use the SYSPREP utility on your images prior to taking the snapshot with FOG, or you will run into trouble with SID's and the like, and also using across different hardware types - if you're not using sysprep, this could be your problem.

 

Mike.

 

I did all the things you suggested. How many PC/Combinations are you supporting with a single sysprep image on fog?

[clarky2k3]

Aye, it is.

 

I've been using it here for about 6 months now, and it is a genius program. When you get the fog service working on the clients and use the active directory feature it really comes into its own.

 

Totally agree, Active Directory integration is brilliant, most of the other client features are great aswell e.g. green fog. The best open source software package around!

[maniac]

I did all the things you suggested. How many PC/Combinations are you supporting with a single sysprep image on fog?

 

I have one image that works on 3 different workstation types, but a majority of my other images were also spawned from 1 origenal image, we just have a few different ones with different software pre-installed etc. Bulk of machines range from Dell D510 laptops up to Core 2 Duo PCs recently purchased from Stone Computers, and it works on all of them without a hitch. Even our age old TC1100 tablet PCs work on it.

 

@Netman - I've never tried it on Vista, but the Fog website says it's fully supported, and it mentions Vista on several menus within the program, so I assume it works as I've not come across anyone saying it doesn't, although it begs the question how many people are actually running vista in a commercial environment and using fog? Not that many would be my guess.

 

Mike.

[mikeglover]

I'd just like to say... WOW!

 

Got FOG set up this week using Debian on an old low spec server we weren't using. It's absolutely incredible, we've been such suckers for using Ghost all this time.

 

If you haven't tried it, I recommend you do, it's great

 

One thing I didn't quite like was the default setup that requires you to leave your mysql root password blank. I made a user for fog, with a password. Pretty much my only gripe... the speed the thing works at is incredible, it's about twice the speed of Ghost on our network.

 

Does anyone have any particular tips or tricks to do with FOG?

 

Just like to say that I think FOG is awesome too!

[Batman]

Would be nice to get it working. Ubuntu won't download for me half of the apps from the ubuntu site though for some reason halfway through installation. Even though the site is included in the allowed list. Maybe still something to do with proxy, who knows. Not working for me though.

 

I'd be tempted to take the server home to try it on my unfiltered broadband connection if it was me... that's a bit ridiculous though!

 

What version of Ubuntu are you using?

[Batman]

Totally agree, Active Directory integration is brilliant, most of the other client features are great aswell e.g. green fog. The best open source software package around!

 

Question - I'm a bit nervous about messing about with the active directory stuff. What exactly do you personally use it for? Does it work in conjunction with sysprep?

 

I could ask a similar question about the printer support.

[clarky2k3]

I'd be tempted to take the server home to try it on my unfiltered broadband connection if it was me... that's a bit ridiculous though!

 

What version of Ubuntu are you using?

 

Ubuntu 8.10 Server here!

[clarky2k3]

Question - I'm a bit nervous about messing about with the active directory stuff. What exactly do you personally use it for? Does it work in conjunction with sysprep?

 

I could ask a similar question about the printer support.

 

It joins a client to the active directory domain using the computer name and credentials on the fog server. It does take a bit of tweaking to get it to work though! It uses netdom on the client so we install Windows XP Support Tools on our images. It also requires an encrypted domain password and a modified dll file. You can find out how to do this on the wiki

Edited May 15, 2009 by clarky2k3

[Soulfish]

I installed it on Ubuntu 8.10 over the Easter holidays and used it to image a delivery of 70 machines. Made it incredibly painless . We've been using it since then to easily push out images to other PCs around the school.

 

Haven't played with the AD integration (haven't had the time ) - does anyone have a guide to getting the AD stuff to work?

[clarky2k3]

I installed it on Ubuntu 8.10 over the Easter holidays and used it to image a delivery of 70 machines. Made it incredibly painless . We've been using it since then to easily push out images to other PCs around the school.

 

Haven't played with the AD integration (haven't had the time ) - does anyone have a guide to getting the AD stuff to work?

 

Look here

[maniac]

Question - I'm a bit nervous about messing about with the active directory stuff. What exactly do you personally use it for? Does it work in conjunction with sysprep?

 

I could ask a similar question about the printer support.

 

Basically it will automatically rename and add the machine to the network for you when you image the machine, therefore the process is entirely automated.

 

The important thing to do (and it's a bit of a gotcha unless you read the instructions carefully) is to make sure you have the Support Tools for XP installed on the workstation you're using the Fog AD integration on, or it won't work. (Specifically it uses the NetDom.exe program)

 

Also do not add it to the domain as part of your sysprep, just let it choose a random machine name and add it to a workgroup, FOG will do the rest.

 

you also have to use the FogCrypt program to encrypt your password that you program into the interface, we use a dedicated add2domain account for this.

 

Printer support I've not tried yet, and probably won't use as we have a nice VB script that does this for us, so I can't comment on how that works.

 

 

Mike.

 

Edit: Was writing this as other replies were made with the same info, sorry for duplicating!

[mossj]

Basically it will automatically rename and add the machine to the network for you when you image the machine, therefore the process is entirely automated.

 

That sounds slick.... *Sticks his previous test server into the back of his fiesta, along with a couple of dvds*

 

How easy is it to install in ubuntu server with minimal experiance?

Edited May 15, 2009 by mossj

[linkazoid]

We have quite a few ghost images here, what could i do with them? Can they be deployed using FOG or would we have to regather them?

[maniac]

That sounds slick.... *Sticks his previous test server into the back of his fiesta, along with a couple of dvds*

 

How easy is it to install in ubuntu server with minimal experiance?

 

It is very slick when a bunch of machines start up after sysprep has run, then re-boot having been renamed by FOG, then reboot again after being added to the domain, then they're ready to be used.

 

I installed it onto ubuntu with very little experience, and got it up and running it less than a day, so I'd say relatively easy. I'm still fairly new when it comes to linux, but what I've used and seen so far constantly impresses me.

 

Mike.

[mcloum]

I've just done a new image on my fog server, had to turn back on the High Contrast settings so visually impaired pupils can switch to it when they use a PC. The new image is 3GB and i deplyed it to 6 test machines in about 3 minutes total, the service renamed the PCs and added them to the domain. only thing we had to do was set a room key and for a gpupdate.

 

I love this software!

[rh91uk]

FOG is awesome for what we need (I work with Soulfish above, btw). It had made our lives tremendously easier - we were using PBA before.

 

I'm going on the WDS Workshop run by our LEA though, in July, so it would be good to compare the two.