Quick and dirty W7 cloning and KMS/MAK question

[LeMarchand]

Hi all - I did go 7 pages deep before posting!

 

Got 16 W7 laptops that the head (understandably) wants out by Xmas. Just got all the software (that will work) loaded and need to tidy up, but have 2 problems.

 

1) The "old" method of doing this: sysprep/Ghost 8 via UBCD/copy image to network/copy out image seems unlikely to work from what I have read. That gives me 7.5 hours left at that school to find and deploy a solution - and I'd really like to "give out" the "master" machine for testing on Thursday.

 

Has anybody used anything like Clonezilla etc to do this? I guess that FOG might work, but don't have time to set it up/learn it; I really need a quick and easy (preferably boot disc) method.

 

2) The school has a KMS key, which is no good as there are only 16 machines. How do I get a MAK instead?

[AIT]

Hi all - I did go 7 pages deep before posting!

 

Got 16 W7 laptops that the head (understandably) wants out by Xmas. Just got all the software (that will work) loaded and need to tidy up, but have 2 problems.

 

1) The "old" method of doing this: sysprep/Ghost 8 via UBCD/copy image to network/copy out image seems unlikely to work from what I have read. That gives me 7.5 hours left at that school to find and deploy a solution - and I'd really like to "give out" the "master" machine for testing on Thursday.

 

Has anybody used anything like Clonezilla etc to do this? I guess that FOG might work, but don't have time to set it up/learn it; I really need a quick and easy (preferably boot disc) method.

 

2) The school has a KMS key, which is no good as there are only 16 machines. How do I get a MAK instead?

 

This could be time consuming but would work. set your activation server up. as you know it will start issuing licenses after 25 requests.

You could image all your machines get them to request activation. sysprep them again and request for activation again. this would exceed the number of unique requests and therefore they would activate.

 

Hope this Helps.

[LeMarchand]

I was wondering about that, though i did forget to mention that the server is 2003. Anyone know if that is a problem?

[AIT]

I was wondering about that, though i did forget to mention that the server is 2003. Anyone know if that is a problem?

 

No not a problem our licensing server is 2003.

[LeMarchand]

Cheers!

 

Though if anyone has any other suggestions, especially about the cloning/imaging, please chime in. I'm taking the master machine home tonight, but won't get a chance to try anything until tomorrow - when Clonezilla is looking like the current choice.

[AIT]

I was wondering about that, though i did forget to mention that the server is 2003. Anyone know if that is a problem?

 

p.s. this batch file might be of use to u.

 

forces the request for a license..

 

"%SystemRoot%\system32\cscript.exe" "%SystemRoot%\system32\slmgr.vbs" -ipk (Licens key)

 

cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms (ip of licensing server):1688

 

cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato

 

 

i would recommend if you are willing to pay for it acronis.

[somabc]

Ghost can multicast your images, as can FOG & Clonezilla.

 

With Ghost you run ghostcast and send the master image to all laptops at once.

[LeMarchand]

Thanks for the script. I can't see new "paid" software being authorised. (Certainly not in the necessary time frame).

[AIT]

Thanks for the script. I can't see new "paid" software being authorised. (Certainly not in the necessary time frame).

 

clonezila it is then.... still a very nice bit of software. but in the future acronis is worth the investment. pxe boot and image.

[LeMarchand]

Ghost can multicast your images, as can FOG & Clonezilla.

 

With Ghost you run ghostcast and send the master image to all laptops at once.

 

That's one of the ways that it used to get done, but of late there have been issues with getting it to work with some of the newer laptops - quite possibly as the school's licence is for Ghost 8! (Which is why I don't think that it will work - unless someone has tried it, as I read that only much later versions work properly with W7).

 

No time to set up a FOG server (which I think I would need to do) or learn FOG (though it is a "back burner" project of mine), though I will look at Clonezilla's multi-casting capability.

[tommej]

You will still need to set up a server to use clonezilla's multicast. To be honest I would just clonezilla the image to a nas drive\usbstick\external hdd, then unicast from there to all the machines you have using the cd. Takes around 2ish hours for 30 pc's at a time using the nas method. If you need any help with clonezilla drop me a pm.

[LeMarchand]

You will still need to set up a server to use clonezilla's multicast. To be honest I would just clonezilla the image to a nas drive\usbstick\external hdd, then unicast from there to all the machines you have using the cd. Takes around 2ish hours for 30 pc's at a time using the nas method. If you need any help with clonezilla drop me a pm.

 

Yeah - just had a look. Far too much too take in within the time frame!

 

Thanks for the offer - you may regret it later, though!

[cookie_monster]

You will still need to set up a server to use clonezilla's multicast. To be honest I would just clonezilla the image to a nas drive\usbstick\external hdd, then unicast from there to all the machines you have using the cd. Takes around 2ish hours for 30 pc's at a time using the nas method. If you need any help with clonezilla drop me a pm.

 

 

Can you briefly bullet point that process please?

 

I recently used Clonezilla to image some laptops using an external drive, how could I of hosted the Clonezilla image and multicasted it to these laptops? They will all PXE boot.

 

Sorry to jump in but it seems a relevent question to the thread.

 

Thanks.

[srochford]

If your problem with Ghost is that the DOS boot disc doesn't work then you could make a BartPE boot disc and put the ghost32.exe file on that - you can then multicast to it (I've done this with Ghost 8 quite happily)

 

Also, to get your count up to 25, you could use some VMs.

 

Finally, don't panic about getting them licensed by Thursday; you've got time after deployment before they'll finally give up on getting a license key!

[LeMarchand]

If your problem with Ghost is that the DOS boot disc doesn't work then you could make a BartPE boot disc and put the ghost32.exe file on that - you can then multicast to it (I've done this with Ghost 8 quite happily)

 

Also, to get your count up to 25, you could use some VMs.

 

Finally, don't panic about getting them licensed by Thursday; you've got time after deployment before they'll finally give up on getting a license key!

 

I do normally use UBCD4WIN+Ghost8 with XP, but I didn't think it would work with W7. Problem solved if it does!

 

VMs aren't something I know how to do .

 

As for the license, it's taken a while to get the build machine done and I'm pretty sure that it needs licensing ASAP!

[tommej]

Can you briefly bullet point that process please?

 

I recently used Clonezilla to image some laptops using an external drive, how could I of hosted the Clonezilla image and multicasted it to these laptops? They will all PXE boot.

 

Sorry to jump in but it seems a relevent question to the thread.

 

Thanks.

 

When it asks you which method you wish to image with select samba.

 

Then select dhcp or static ip. Whichever you prefer. (sometimes if laptops have wireless it will try and find drivers for the wireless controller then show both and ask you to select which one you want to use.)

 

It'll ask you for the IP of the image server/nas drive/whatever.

 

Then it'll ask which folder do you wish to save images into. (default is /images/)

 

Now it'll ask for an admin account and password.

 

Now it'll continue the process as normal as if you were saving to an external hard drive.

 

 

 

To image a machine using this method is exactly the same, but instead of selecting save to an image select restore from an image.

 

Sorry if this isn't very clear i'm in a bit of a rush at the minute!!

 

PS. This isn't multicasting, it's just unicasting from a single image numberous times! It'll be alot slower than using clonezilla server but also easier than carting around an external hard drive.

[cookie_monster]

When it asks you which method you wish to image with select samba.

 

Then select dhcp or static ip. Whichever you prefer. (sometimes if laptops have wireless it will try and find drivers for the wireless controller then show both and ask you to select which one you want to use.)

 

It'll ask you for the IP of the image server/nas drive/whatever.

 

Then it'll ask which folder do you wish to save images into. (default is /images/)

 

Now it'll ask for an admin account and password.

 

Now it'll continue the process as normal as if you were saving to an external hard drive.

 

 

 

To image a machine using this method is exactly the same, but instead of selecting save to an image select restore from an image.

 

Sorry if this isn't very clear i'm in a bit of a rush at the minute!!

 

PS. This isn't multicasting, it's just unicasting from a single image numberous times! It'll be alot slower than using clonezilla server but also easier than carting around an external hard drive.

 

 

 

Ah ha I had seen those options I assumed it required a samba server and didn't investigate further. So I can unicast from that but will need a Clonezilla server for multicast?

[tommej]

Ah ha I had seen those options I assumed it required a samba server and didn't investigate further. So I can unicast from that but will need a Clonezilla server for multicast?

 

Yeah you'll need a clonezilla server, you can probably set this up on an old laptop with ubuntu. I've hardly used clonezilla server though, so I can't really help you with that yet!

 

Also if you're playing around with multicast make sure your switches are set up correctly, as we found out in the middle of the day, the hard way! Bye bye wireless access points!