[fog] FOG is AWESOME!

[Batman]

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?

 

I'm pretty sure FOG doesn't support ghost image files but it's fairly simple to transfer them. I had to do it once when the company I worked for switched from powerquest to ghost. You just have to deploy the image to any old machine using ghost and then take the image using FOG. Provided you don't boot the hard drive you will have an identical image in FOG at the end of it. If you've got a lot of images it will take a bit of time, but once you've done it you've done it.

 

You certainly don't need to rebuild anything, you don't even need the right machine for the image, all you're doing is transferring data.

 

Does that make sense?

[browolf]

having a go at it myself. it seems freakin amazing!

[Jiser]

Got it working after a while. Had quite a few problems but hey! Works good now. Just imaging it over to a bigger drive now (if it works) so we have room for all the images.

 

Imaging the imaging server good times!

[techyphil]

Rofl howdy batman!

 

For the inept/lazy there's also a VMWare image @ around 600mb to be download and booted up all ready!

 

However, it is a few versions behind

 

I'll give the VMWare image ago first, but will definitely have ago at setting a box up properly nearer the holidays!

 

ch0w

[rocknrollstar]

I agree with the positive comments about FOG- an awesome piece of software, extemely useful, easy to use and quick. I'm not a unix natural, but was able to set it up pretty quick.

 

However, I stupidly installed the Ubuntu OS and FOG software on an HD with 40GB . You can guess where this is going.... Put 4 or 5 images onto it, and now no HD space left. I purchased a new HD with plenty of space, but wondered what the best way to perform an upgrade is?

 

I.E. How can I get FOG to use a different disk for storing images? Or do I need to take an image of the Ubuntu machine using something like CloneZilla, then put that image onto the new HD? Will this cause issues with Ubuntu? And does CloneZilla cope with imaging onto larger hard disks, not losing valuable space?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Batman]

Rofl howdy batman!

 

For the inept/lazy there's also a VMWare image @ around 600mb to be download and booted up all ready!

 

However, it is a few versions behind

 

I'll give the VMWare image ago first, but will definitely have ago at setting a box up properly nearer the holidays!

 

ch0w

 

Chicken

 

Would you like me to build you an up to date VM?

 

[techyphil]

Har!

 

If you could do that, that would be highly appreciated! We're running VMWare Server and supports version 6+ of their hypervisor thingy.

 

 

How are you all getting on with SIMS now?

[pcstru]

I agree with the positive comments about FOG- an awesome piece of software, extemely useful, easy to use and quick. I'm not a unix natural, but was able to set it up pretty quick.

 

However, I stupidly installed the Ubuntu OS and FOG software on an HD with 40GB . You can guess where this is going.... Put 4 or 5 images onto it, and now no HD space left. I purchased a new HD with plenty of space, but wondered what the best way to perform an upgrade is?

 

I.E. How can I get FOG to use a different disk for storing images? Or do I need to take an image of the Ubuntu machine using something like CloneZilla, then put that image onto the new HD? Will this cause issues with Ubuntu? And does CloneZilla cope with imaging onto larger hard disks, not losing valuable space?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Not that I use FOG but there are instructions here for adding a new drive to an ubuntu system. Follow them up to the point of formatting the drive.

 

Mount the drive somewhere (create a dir first, say /home/tmp, then mount sdb1 /home/tmp)

copy the images/file structure from the existing directory to /home/tmp (cp -R /from/* /home/tmp)

unmount the new drive. Remove the files from the existing location. Mount the sdb1 where ever that was. Make an entry in /etc/fstab so that the drive mounts at boot time.

 

Check the permissions and ownership before you delete all the files and make sure you set them back when finished - see chown and chmod commands).

[browolf]

You can also set up another pc as a storage node.

[sparkeh]

I agree that FOG is awesome.

 

I have both FOG and WDS setup and have to say that I think FOG is superior.

FOG reimaged machines that WDS would not (ie our old machines with less than 512mb), no messing around with NIC drivers as with gettting the deployment image running in WDS and deployment is faster.

 

Also you can put an image from a larger HD onto a smaller one (as long as it fits) which I believe you can't do with WDS (although feel free to correct me )

 

edit: oh and of course it does a lot more than just imaging: memory tests, disk testing and wiping and virus scanning.

Edited June 9, 2009 by sparkeh

[Batman]

Har!

 

If you could do that, that would be highly appreciated! We're running VMWare Server and supports version 6+ of their hypervisor thingy.

 

 

How are you all getting on with SIMS now?

 

Ewww VMware... I much prefer virtualbox...

 

But they're both free so it's ok I'll put something together if I get the time.

 

SIMS is ok. Paul wants us to get it working on Windows 7. Crazy!!

 

Anyhow this is a bit OT, right?

[rocknrollstar]

.E. How can I get FOG to use a different disk for storing images? Or do I need to take an image of the Ubuntu machine using something like CloneZilla, then put that image onto the new HD? Will this cause issues with Ubuntu? And does CloneZilla cope with imaging onto larger hard disks, not losing valuable space?

 

Just to say thanks for the help on resizing my Fog server. An extra Storage node wasn't an option, as it requires another PC. Adding a new hard disk would be tricky, as FOG itself isn't very flexible with where images are stored (it seems you can change the directory, but not the disk).

 

In the end, I used Clonezilla to take an image of the 40gb drive (which has Ubuntu and FOG), installed the new 250gb hd, and then reimaged the larger drive. Had to use gparted to resize the partition on the new drive, to gain all the extra space. Worked a treat. I tried to use some partitioning utilities from UBCD for Windows, but wouldn't allow resizing this disk for some reason. However gparted wasn't fussed and did it very quickly.

[Jiser]

I agree with the positive comments about FOG- an awesome piece of software, extemely useful, easy to use and quick. I'm not a unix natural, but was able to set it up pretty quick.

 

However, I stupidly installed the Ubuntu OS and FOG software on an HD with 40GB . You can guess where this is going.... Put 4 or 5 images onto it, and now no HD space left. I purchased a new HD with plenty of space, but wondered what the best way to perform an upgrade is?

 

I.E. How can I get FOG to use a different disk for storing images? Or do I need to take an image of the Ubuntu machine using something like CloneZilla, then put that image onto the new HD? Will this cause issues with Ubuntu? And does CloneZilla cope with imaging onto larger hard disks, not losing valuable space?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

I actually did this today as I did the same mistake - well FOG kinda turned into a little play to a working imaging solution.

 

You can make a FOG storage node but why do that when you can just use a larger drive?

 

1) Formatted bigger drive for ubuntu

2) Using clonezilla cloned the smaller drive over to the larger drive (didn't create image, it has a clone option from disk to disk)

3) Voila worked perfectly no problems at all

4) Got a spare disk with fog now as a backup : ) - tho maybe I shud put it on CD jst incase

 

Annoying thing will be to go round and set the boot options on all 700 odd devices. MMM I need a squad of I.T. prefects - 50.

 

Ok this was done from a 30 gig to a 250 gig which IMO is ample space for about 20 images probably, I cant remember how small you can make them. You can use sysprep with xp system tools (if adding to domain) which may help.

Edited June 9, 2009 by Jiser

[browolf]

2 things

 

1. it cant seem to add computers if the domain account already exists. in windows, so long as its the same (mac address I think) it just overwrites it

 

2. with ldap, do i have write more than 1 ou part if if the ou in question is inside other ous?

[chrisjako]

can anyone send me a working link for fog? the sourceforge links seem to download a corrupt file

 

thanks

[Geoff]

Use a different mirror?

[Batman]

Found it floating about on my hard drive

 

I uploaded it here if you still can't get it from sourceforge, although if you keep trying you can probably get it. Sourceforge can be pretty slow quite often.

[maniac]

How would fog work on a network with 2 domains?

 

If say there was an admin domain (With DHCP) on a different IP and subnet. And a Curriculum domain, how could it be used on the curriculum with no dhcp?.

 

Help would be good, cus it seams excellent.

 

Do they share the same cabling? If so, FOG will just pickup a number from the admin DHCP server for its purpose. Providing the FOG server is in the same subnet it will just work. It's irrelevant which IP range the machines will eventually end up in, as the imaging process is entirely separate to the OS.

 

If they don't share the same cabling, then FOG has the ability to act as a DHCP server which you could turn on just for the times when you're imaging. It doesn't function without DHCP, as you need DHCP in order to PXE boot the client.

 

Mike.

[whitenight639]

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 ?

 

 

Have you resolved this problem? do all your clients have the same BIOS settings, ive had this problem when ghosting sometimes the odd machine will have AHCI enabled /disabled which can cause this.

 

FOG sounds awesome, wish id found this forum earlier Ive just written a batch file that runs VB scripts to rename machines by mobo serials reboot and join the domain. the network manager has set me up my own ghost server but its jurassic only running 512mb ram, so i might try FOG on it.

[mac_shinobi]

Chicken

 

Would you like me to build you an up to date VM?

 

 

yeah can you do that as I have vmware fusion on my mac and would be handy to have an up to date version

 

cheers

[Guest monkeyx]

I initially found FOG very good. Boot gave up.

 

We currently have 1 sysprep image that can be sent via ghost to over 20 different types of hardware

 

Trying to replicate this on FOG was a non starter. And I do have a fair amount of Unix/Linix experience.

 

I found it very unreliable on working between different hardware types in relation to the MBR as well.

 

Also was fussy over what hardware the server ran from in that it would often lock up when uploading images to the server.

 

Have since abanonded using FOG as well. Curious to see why so many posts on here about it, as I know of other people that had the same issues as me as well!

[mac_shinobi]

I initially found FOG very good. Boot gave up.

 

We currently have 1 sysprep image that can be sent via ghost to over 20 different types of hardware

 

Trying to replicate this on FOG was a non starter. And I do have a fair amount of Unix/Linix experience.

 

I found it very unreliable on working between different hardware types in relation to the MBR as well.

 

Also was fussy over what hardware the server ran from in that it would often lock up when uploading images to the server.

 

Have since abanonded using FOG as well. Curious to see why so many posts on here about it, as I know of other people that had the same issues as me as well!

 

what about clone zilla - how does that compare ?

 

Clonezilla

[diggory]

2 things

 

1. it cant seem to add computers if the domain account already exists. in windows, so long as its the same (mac address I think) it just overwrites it

 

2. with ldap, do i have write more than 1 ou part if if the ou in question is inside other ous?

 

Maybe if you specify an OU for it to place computers, when one already exists you get problems.

I leave the OU box in fog blank and it seems to work fine.

 

I re-imaged the PC next to me several time recently and FOG popped it back onto the domain each time with no complaint

[diggory]

I initially found FOG very good. Boot gave up.

 

We currently have 1 sysprep image that can be sent via ghost to over 20 different types of hardware

 

Trying to replicate this on FOG was a non starter. And I do have a fair amount of Unix/Linix experience.

 

I found it very unreliable on working between different hardware types in relation to the MBR as well.

 

Also was fussy over what hardware the server ran from in that it would often lock up when uploading images to the server.

 

Have since abanonded using FOG as well. Curious to see why so many posts on here about it, as I know of other people that had the same issues as me as well!

 

I haven't had any server lock ups so far. Running FOG on a fairly old server:

Supermicro box with P4 processor and adaptec RAID 10 SATA disks.

 

Have imaged the following with no problems:

an old whitebox P4, HP DC5800, HP DC7900, Toshiba SAT Pro A300

 

Seems to work very well, I'm wondering if they are going to expand the concept of 'snap-ins'?

[sparkeh]

I haven't had any server lock ups so far. Running FOG on a fairly old server:

Supermicro box with P4 processor and adaptec RAID 10 SATA disks.

 

No lock ups for me either. Running it on an ancient Celeron machine with 256MB and it still works fine (was a test box but worked so well it went into service but must move it to new machine)

 

Can't say I have had any issues above working out the correct kernel arguments for each model of machine. Much less hassle then using WDS.