[ghost] USB Ghost BOOT with common NIC drivers

[Cowardlyduck]

Hi all,

 

I am in the process of creating a USB that can boot into Ghost, from which I can then select a session to restore an image from.

 

I've been using the very helpful website below to do this so far.

 

Ghost Boot Disk :: Multiple NIC Ghost Boot CD

 

It's working up until the point of selecting the network options. From the research I've done so far I think the problem is to do with the NIC drivers not being present.

 

As our school has many differing types of systems around, and we are only going to get more, I don't like the idea of manually identifying each individual NIC in every computer.

 

So what I'm looking for is a way to integrate most of today's common NIC drivers onto my USB Ghost boot disc. Is this possible?

 

So far I've discovered that the driver pack for NIC's from News | DriverPacks.net does not contain anything useful because these drivers are not for DOS.

 

Does anyone know of any DOS driver packs for NIC's.

 

Also, how do you go about intergrating these onto the USB? Would it require manually editing the niclist.map file for each individual driver, or is there an easier way?

 

Thanks in advance.

[torledo]

have you thought of using the BartPE boot CD.

 

It has various plugins including ones to add support for ghost. you just need to provide the licensed ghost application files. ie ghost32.exe

 

Adding network drivers is easy. Just drag and drop as many diffrerent drivers as you like into the 'Net' folder under drivers. I wouldn't have thought you've got that many different NICs that you need something as comprehensive as a driverpack. But i think you can integrate driverpacks in to BartPE aswell if you need to.

[mattx]

NetBootDisk.com - The Universal TCP/IP Network Bootdisk for M$ Networks

 

Stick ghost on the CD / USB stick.....Problem solved.

[sted]

or http://www.vistape.net allows you to create a wim file you can put on wds that boots into vista pe and contains ghost so you can just network boot most pcs (ive found some i cant get to work but most are fine)

[SpuffMonkey]

NetBootDisk.com - The Universal TCP/IP Network Bootdisk for M$ Networks

 

Stick ghost on the CD / USB stick.....Problem solved.

 

Seconded - great bit of kit - we combine this with a bit of code that inspects the PC bios - so it automatically knows which image to load.

[CHR1S]

If your basing your boot USB on floppy boot code your limited to 2.4Mb max, that includes all files on the "floppy" and whatever drivers you can squeeze in. You can use the space on the rest of the USB stick but it will be accessed as a drive once in ghost or similar.

 

You can do fancy things like mount seperate ram drives for loading drivers and things but this has to be done before the drivers are loaded, obviously.

 

Unless the nics are common Realtek or similar with tried and tested NDIS drivers go down the PE route.

[Ignatius]

Seconded - great bit of kit - we combine this with a bit of code that inspects the PC bios - so it automatically knows which image to load.

I've also used NetBootDisk with Ghost added and it works a treat. Would you mind posting the additional code that you use, along with exactly how you set it up. Is it batch?

[ssx4life]

NetBootDisk.com - The Universal TCP/IP Network Bootdisk for M$ Networks

 

Stick ghost on the CD / USB stick.....Problem solved.

 

I was also going to suggest netbootdisk. Has the most NIC support + you can use it with anything that boots MS DOS (Ghost / Acronis / Altiris / etc.)

[glennda]

we us windows pe, has support for many NIC cards, and as long as you get the correct switches you can set it to auto join the ghost session and then reboot the machine ones it has done, instead of usb sticks tho we use network boot

 

Toby

[Cowardlyduck]

Thanks so much for all the info guy's.

 

I spent most of the day today trying to get the Netbootdisk to work the way I want it to, but wasn't able to fully automate it yet.

 

I also can't seem to find help on the issues I'm having.

 

Sorry to go off topic here. I managed to manually get netbootdisk to log onto the domain, then net use to map to my share where the ghost.exe was located and ran it no probs. My difficulty lies in, if I log onto the domain first thing, it will not load the nic drivers correctly, but if I use default options the first login (i.e. workgroup, administrator), then re-run the script and log onto our domain, it will load nic drivers and I can use the net use command etc to run ghost.

 

Seems strange to me???

 

Does anyone have a precompiled .bat file for the logon script and menu options that I can change the variables on? Just in case I'm making some silly mistake.

 

Basically what I need is a fully automated ghost cast setup on a USB that can get the machines all waiting for the image to be sent.

 

I'm assuming this has been done before. We will be moving to PXE booting eventually, but need to set aside some time to figure this out and set up PC's first.

 

Thanks heaps.

 

[mattx]

if I log onto the domain first thing, it will not load the nic drivers correctly,

 

[ssx4life]

Thanks so much for all the info guy's.

 

I spent most of the day today trying to get the Netbootdisk to work the way I want it to, but wasn't able to fully automate it yet.

 

I also can't seem to find help on the issues I'm having.

 

Sorry to go off topic here. I managed to manually get netbootdisk to log onto the domain, then net use to map to my share where the ghost.exe was located and ran it no probs. My difficulty lies in, if I log onto the domain first thing, it will not load the nic drivers correctly, but if I use default options the first login (i.e. workgroup, administrator), then re-run the script and log onto our domain, it will load nic drivers and I can use the net use command etc to run ghost.

 

Seems strange to me???

 

Does anyone have a precompiled .bat file for the logon script and menu options that I can change the variables on? Just in case I'm making some silly mistake.

 

Basically what I need is a fully automated ghost cast setup on a USB that can get the machines all waiting for the image to be sent.

 

I'm assuming this has been done before. We will be moving to PXE booting eventually, but need to set aside some time to figure this out and set up PC's first.

 

Thanks heaps.

 

 

 

I can make a .bat file for you. Please tell me EXACTLY what you are wanting to do.

 

1. Use the default Login name + Password + Domain

2. Use login.bat to map a drive and auto launch ghost.exe I'm assuming

3. ?????

 

 

p.s. I have a full walkthough on netbootdisk that I have been meaning to upload to youtube for awhile. Here is an example of netbootdisk launching via PXE (take the boot disk floopy and turn it into an .img file, and then put it up on the pxe server ) - [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjDtJtuwIps]YouTube - Fog Project: Modified PXE Boot Menu[/ame]

 

I'll have a full walk though uploaded later today when I get home from work (-6:00 GMT). It's on my laptop which I don't have with me today.

 

**Edit**

Youtube video is now up, check the next post down.

 

 

**edit X2** Have you looked into the menu builder at all? - http://netbootdisk.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=4

Edited October 9, 2009 by ssx4life

[Cowardlyduck]

Hi ssx4life,

 

Thanks so much for the offer.

 

Your pretty spot on with your 1.2 steps as to what I'm trying to do. So a menupref.bat that auto logs onto the domain, (I can edit this myself) and a logon.bat that maps to a share and runs ghost.exe (if it can auto join a ghostcast session and initiate download that would be fab) .

 

I am not quite sure where I went wrong originally though.

 

Below is my original menupref.bat and logon.bat files that did not seem to work?

 

[menupref.bat]

 

@echo off

REM *** The Menu Program reads/writes to this file. Please boot the disk and allow the Menu Software to modify this file. The password field is Encypted! ***

REM *** Do not change the order of the commands in this batch file. (Or the Position of the equal signs!) ***

rem NETCARD=EL3c574

Set WORKGROUP=ACADEMIC

Set USERNAME=*****

::: PASSWORD=********

Set DISABLEDHCP=0

Set IPADDRESS0=192 168 0 123

Set SUBNETMASK0=255 255 255 0

Set DEFAULTGATEWAY0=192 168 0 254

Set LOGONSCRIPT=

rem TIMEOUT=3

Set DNS=192 168 0 253

Set WKSTN=BD1766474

Set PACKET=1

Set DNSENABLE=1

Set MOUSE=1

Set REDIRECTOR=Basic

Set NTFS=0

Set CD=0

Set UDMA=0

Set WINS=192 168 0 252

 

[logon.bat]

 

@echo off

echo SAMPLE LOGON SCRIPT

echo.

echo *** You'll have to modify this script to suit your network. ***

 

if not %NTFS%==1 goto N

SHOWMENU Loading Read-Only NTFS Support...

REM *** NTFSDOS - EDIT BELOW TO SUIT YOUR LAN, ETC ***

net use m: \\svc\ghost

m:\ghost.exe -rb

REM *** NTFSDOS - EDIT END

:N

 

REM --- EXAMPLE --- Automatically run Ghost from a network share ---

net use m: \\svc\ghost

m:\ghost.exe -rb

REM Note: the -rb = reboot when done

 

 

Any idea's anyone? I've probably made a silly mistake.

 

Cheers

 

P.s. I know it's not good, but the password for loging onto the domain has a '*' character in it. Can this cause problems?

Edited October 8, 2009 by Cowardlyduck
p.s.

[ssx4life]

Hummmm you've got a few good points there when it comes to the domain log in script.

 

Few questions for you

 

#1. Have you been able to successfully map a network drive yet out of the gate? You mentioned you were having problems previously, so I'm just trying to cover all the bases

 

#2. Have you been able to do any ghosting via network yet? Even single restoring?

 

#3. What type of network are we dealing with here? Server 2003 / 2008 RC1 / ? If you still can't connect to any network resources out of the gate look into modifying your LMHOSTS file to auto include the network resource in question. I had to do this for my home network due to lack of AD / WINS support.

 

# LMHOSTS File   -   UNIVERSAL TCP/IP NETWORK BOOTDISK for M$ Networks
#
#
# *** INSTRUCTIONS ***
#
# Add your host information to the end of this text file. This file is saved
# back to the floppy disk under A:\FILECOPY\LMHOSTS, should you wish to modify
# this file externally.
#
# Use the cursor keys to navigate this file. To SAVE CHANGES made press ALT+X, 
# otherwise press ALT+Q to discard changes and return to the menu. For futher
# inforamtion about this editor, press F1.
#
#
# LMHOSTS Example:
#
#      149.124.10.4     server1			# main office server
#      182.102.93.122	joe3			# joe's database server


127.0.0.1	localhost
192.168.XXX.XXX   HTPC   

 

#4. If you can't map a drive try doing just a menupref.bat edit and ignore the logon.bat side of things to start

 

**example**

@echo off
REM The Menu Program reads/writes to this file.  Please boot the disk and allow the Menu Software to modify this file. The password field is Encypted!
REM *** Do not change the order of the commands in this batch file. (Or the Position of the equal signs!) ***
rem NETCARD=EL3c574
Set WORKGROUP=MSHOME
Set USERNAME=Administrator
::: PASSWORD=Egvmszhz‚<;<@ (note that it's encrypted)
Set DISABLEDHCP=0
Set IPADDRESS0=192 168 0 123
Set SUBNETMASK0=255 255 255 0
Set DEFAULTGATEWAY0=192 168 0 254 
Set LOGONSCRIPT=net use g: \\htpc\images
rem TIMEOUT=5
Set DNS=192 168 0 253
Set WKSTN=BD2783014
Set PACKET=1
Set DNSENABLE=1
Set MOUSE=1
Set REDIRECTOR=Basic
Set NTFS=0
Set CD=0
Set UDMA=0
Set WINS=192 168 0 252

 

#5. I have had a full ghost netbootdisk working in the past with Active Directory, let me see if I can find an example for you. Your logon.bat looks ok as mentioned previously, but remove it if you are having problems when you start

 

p.s. you can also authenticate to the LOCAL pc instead of the network side of things (a.k.a. Administrator account), not sure if this makes life easier for you or not but that is also a possibility.

 

#4. I have compiled the netbootdisk walk though I had been meaning to create for awhile, check it out and let me know what you think. Once you have the disk working properly go ahead and image it using winimage and convert the floppy into an .img file . You can then PXE boot it using PXE Linux or my favorite open source app FOG (Free Open Source Ghost) FOG :: A Computer Cloning Solution - Home

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb3YcLDpa8U]YouTube - TCP IP Network Bootdisk[/ame]

 

Best of luck in your endeavors! Keep me posted on your progress.

[Cowardlyduck]

Sorry for the late reply.

 

I haven't had the time to continue working on this so far this week.

 

However, I have been using the USB in a round about way. I've been imaging some of the PC's around the school, using a CD at that was compiled before my time, but some of the PC's are getting so old now that their CD/DVD drives no longer work.

 

So what I've been managing to do is;

 

Boot from the USB

I set the menu time out to 1 sec so it quickly goes through local login to workgroup etc...

It loads the NIC drivers successfully

It then brings me to the N:\ prompt

At this point I can successfully type in 'net use...'

Press y to start the service...

Enter user name and then password twice for domain

Start ghost from mapped drive.

 

And it works. My question now is; Is there a way to automate this process above?

Where would this information be entered?

 

I can't seem to find the .bat file where I should enter this. Sorry I'm not to good with scripts (yet)

 

Cheers

[ssx4life]

If your school happens to be using Server 2003 / 2008 may I suggest that you go with a TFTP server as a more automated solution? It's more automated that USB based booting and imaging and require no physical media at all.

 

http://www.fogproject.org (my favorite open source project)

TFTPD32 : a opensource TFTP server/service for windows : TFTP server

 

Even if you don't use FOG for full time deployment and management you can at least use the PXE server for launching netbootdisk to ghost systems, and remove the need for USB.

 

I have run into problems using USB netbootdisk versions in the past FYI, but the issue you are having is with not having an automated logon and execution script setup and working correctly.

 

Take a look at your logon.bat file that is located on your usb flash key.

 

Here is my logon.bat file that I use. Your results may vary from network to network, bu the idea is still the same.

 

net use g: \\htpc\images
g:
dir
ghost.exe -rb

 

Let me give you a visual example (did I mention I love camdista studio 6? ) (see attached .zip file)

 

I think the main issue we keep coming back to here is that you are using usb flash media for this that is not fully setup and configured.... or not saving your preferences when it launches.

 

When the app first runs point the login script to logon.bat instead. Don't type net use g: \\server\share in line 4 of the menu. It really is that easy =)

 

I prefer to use the floppy version and get it working exactly the way I want. Then I can use winimage to take an .img of the floppy disk and stick it on my TFTP server and PXE boot it (as shown in that video I just attached)

TCP IP 2nd help walkthough.zip

Edited October 14, 2009 by ssx4life

[Cowardlyduck]

If your school happens to be using Server 2003 / 2008 may I suggest that you go with a TFTP server as a more automated solution? It's more automated that USB based booting and imaging and require no physical media at all.

 

FOG :: A Computer Cloning Solution - Home (my favorite open source project)

TFTPD32 : a opensource TFTP server/service for windows : TFTP server

 

Even if you don't use FOG for full time deployment and management you can at least use the PXE server for launching netbootdisk to ghost systems, and remove the need for USB.

 

I have run into problems using USB netbootdisk versions in the past FYI, but the issue you are having is with not having an automated logon and execution script setup and working correctly.

 

Take a look at your logon.bat file that is located on your usb flash key.

 

Here is my logon.bat file that I use. Your results may vary from network to network, bu the idea is still the same.

 

net use g: \\htpc\images
g:
dir
ghost.exe -rb

 

Let me give you a visual example (did I mention I love camdista studio 6? ) (see attached .zip file)

 

I think the main issue we keep coming back to here is that you are using usb flash media for this that is not fully setup and configured.... or not saving your preferences when it launches.

 

When the app first runs point the login script to logon.bat instead. Don't type net use g: \\server\share in line 4 of the menu. It really is that easy =)

 

I prefer to use the floppy version and get it working exactly the way I want. Then I can use winimage to take an .img of the floppy disk and stick it on my TFTP server and PXE boot it (as shown in that video I just attached)

 

Thank you very much ssx.

 

I was able to figure this out based your last post.

 

Turns out I was making a silly mistake. I hadn't pointed the menu.bat to run the logon.bat so it wasn't performing any of these instructions.

 

Now it just prompts for the domain user name and password which is ok.

 

As for using PXE booting and no media. I do agree with you, this is much easier and simpler, once you get it up and running. Problem is I have no idea what kind of difficulties I might run into in setting this up, so I'm just sticking with what I know works for now, and when I find the time I'll delve into getting the PXE booting up and running.

No doubt I'll be back with more problems/questions when I try to get that up and running.

 

Thanks again for all your help.

 

Cheers