[fog] DHCP or not

[TechSupp]

Just starting think of revisiting Fog now the dust is starting to settle after the schools have started back. How do most people use FOG? i.e if you use a separate PC for FOG do you let the main network server handle the DHCP or do you have FOG do it? Just thinking about it at the moment as currently I do imaging off the main network with a FOG pc handling the DHCP at the moment as I work in four schools and have just the one FOG PC. Would it be easy to set up the FOG PC for each network IP range or would that upset FOG and the os too much. Hope that makes some sense to someone!

[Michael]

I don't use Fog, but when I deploy images I do use Windows Server DHCP. There's no real reason (or need) to introduce a second DHCP server. If anything this could complicate things enormously!

[sparkeh]

I have a separate FOG pc and continue to use my main (Win) server for DHCP.

 

I think its much better this way as you easily have DHCP updating DNS and such like

[EduTech]

I would not use a 2nd DHCP Server tbh, just use the one you have already thats all i have

 

we don't use FOG we use NetRunna but there is no reason to as why it should not just use the main pool from DHCP.

 

Keep It Simple Stupid - Makes your life so much easier

 

James.

[sparkeh]

I work in four schools and have just the one FOG PC. Would it be easy to set up the FOG PC for each network IP range or would that upset FOG and the os too much.

 

Just been thinking about this.

IPs shouldn't be a problem, you could put a reservation in DHCP at each school and let FOG pick up an address when you boot it.

 

However I'm not sure if FOG is designed to be ported around different networks. For starters you would have to alter the AD auth info each time. Can't actually think of anything else so perhaps it would work

[rocknrollstar]

I gave our FOG server a static IP, with Windows server managing DHCP. Just keeps things easy.

 

Also figure this is the best way, as I install the FOG client on each client, and therefore clients know where the server is (although I'm not sure if FOG clients have a backdoor method of getting to the server, other than direct IP).

[TechSupp]

new to rthis so "fog client"? I just booted of the network and let for do the rest, what the fog client and why? Newbie questions I'm afraid!

[sparkeh]

The client does this:

 

quote from FOG Wiki

The FOG Client Service

Overview

 

The FOG Client Service is a Windows Service that is intended to be installed on the client computers during the image creation process. The FOG service communicates with the FOG server to provide certain service to the client computers including:

 

* Auto Log Off (0.16)

* Hostname Changes

* Active Directory Integration

* Directory Cleaner (0.16)

* Display Manager (0.16)

* Green FOG (0.16)

* Host registration

* Task Restarting

* Snapin Installation

* User Tracker

* Printer Manager

* User Cleanup (0.16)

* Client Updater

* User Tracker

* Module specific configuration settings

[rocknrollstar]

new to rthis so "fog client"? I just booted of the network and let for do the rest, what the fog client and why? Newbie questions I'm afraid!

 

Must admit, I hardly use it, but I can if I need to

[maniac]

I'm guessing from your post that you have one PC setup with FOG that you take to all the different schools you work in, is that right? It really wouldn't be that hard to have a FOG server in each school, the hardware requirements of it are not high, as long as you've got a good network card in it, a normal workstation will run it. You could even set it up as a virtual machine on an existing server and only turn it on when needed, although this would depend on available storage of course. When we were first experimenting with FOG on our network, I loaded it onto an old Dell GX260 workstation, which was just a 2GHz P4 with 512MB ram and a 40GB HDD, and it ran perfectally happily. It could have stayed this way if necessary, but we ended up with a spare server after we replaced our SIMs server with a brand new one, so we put it on that where it resides to this day.

 

I use a lot of the features of FOG, specifically the user tracking is a damn handy feature, as well as the machine renaming ability - dead useful if you move a machine into a different room, or have to re-number a set of machines, the whole lot can be achieved remotely if you use the FOG client. The user cleanup option is also good, it removes all the little bits of profiles which windows leaves behind. We also use the auto logoff feature and the 'Green Fog' feature which turns all our machines off for us at the end of the day.

 

All in all it is a brillant system when setup properly on a network, so much more than just an imaging solution, it does all those little tasks which windows lacks a built in option for by default.

 

Mike.