gibbo_ap Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 instead of manually configuring (installing office, av etc) 25 machines running win7 hp for staff. is there are better way?? FOG, WDS??? what is quick and easy and we could have it going within an hour
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 I set FOG up yesterday and within an hour I had Ubuntu installed, FOG installed and configured, and a 10gig image uploaded to the server and ready to start deploying. http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/63984-holy-wow.html
gibbo_ap Posted October 13, 2010 Author Posted October 13, 2010 I set FOG up yesterday and within an hour I had Ubuntu installed, FOG installed and configured, and a 10gig image uploaded to the server and ready to start deploying. http://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/63984-holy-wow.html can you include office and av in the fog image?
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 can you include office and av in the fog image? Include anything you want I believe. I think it takes/transfers the images at 1's and 0's level so you could fill the machine full of 'XXX' and it wouldn't care. The image I took included Microsoft Security Essentials and a few bits of other 3rd party software (like Flash, Shockwave etc)
irsprint84 Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 WDS is good, I push anti virus (sophos) through GPO with a script. Also you need to configure some setting on your switches but I cant remember what it is
bladedanny Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 +1 for fog. I have windows, office, SIMS, and a few other essential bits eg Adobe reader flash etc. Also after deployment it renames itself and joins active directory. I dont even have to get up to image a machine now. I probably wouldn't need to get out of bed (unless there was a network fault).
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 WDS works a treat - easy to setup and configure, just sysprep your PC boot into WDS capture and then deploy out. There will be tones of guides out there as to how to setup/use and best of all its built into Windows Server (no Linux servers to worry about).
sly888 Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 WDS is good, I push anti virus (sophos) through GPO with a script. Also you need to configure some setting on your switches but I cant remember what it is Would that be spanning tree?
jsnetman Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 If you have not done WDS before there is no way you will get it up and running in an hour, more like a week.
powdarrmonkey Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 If you have not done WDS before there is no way you will get it up and running in an hour, more like a week. Lies. .
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 If you have not done WDS before there is no way you will get it up and running in an hour, more like a week. That dosn't sound right to me I'd have a look at the Microsoft article first before dismissing it- Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003 One thing that I would watch out for - don't have WSUS and WDS on the same server - it can mess some things up every now and again
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 (no Linux servers to worry about). Ah hah, but some people don't 'worry' about having linux servers I understand that WDS does a good job, but I've never used it. Whether I choose WDS though, or FOG, or something else althogether, the hardware still needs to be in place for it to run. Is it receommendable having WDS on a DC, or is it better to have a seperate server to handle imaging? I don't have a lot I can throw at imaging at the minute, just a little space on our ESXi server - at least with linux I feel like I would be getting more pull for my potatoes, instead of installing a full Windows OS for one feature.
adamchapman Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Would that be spanning tree? If you're using 2008 server, WDS supports multicast. That might be what needs to be enabled on switches...? I've not had to enable anything here, but I'm using 2003 R2 WDS with HP Procurve switches. Just need to specify PXE boot server in DHCP
bladedanny Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 As Stated It's not ideal to have WDS and WSUS on one server, as we're a one server school, Linux and FOG was really our only option. As Hightower says it's easier to install Ubuntu desktop and get FOG installed than it is to install Windows Server (IMO anyways).
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Ah hah, but some people don't 'worry' about having linux servers I understand that WDS does a good job, but I've never used it. Whether I choose WDS though, or FOG, or something else althogether, the hardware still needs to be in place for it to run. Is it receommendable having WDS on a DC, or is it better to have a seperate server to handle imaging? I don't have a lot I can throw at imaging at the minute, just a little space on our ESXi server - at least with linux I feel like I would be getting more pull for my potatoes, instead of installing a full Windows OS for one feature. Oh I worry every time I have another system that dosn't intergrate perfectly with Windows If you have an existing Windows Server (2003/2008) with enough space to store your images (most of our Windows 7 ones are 10Gb max) and a high enough speed network connection (100mb/s is enough for ~10 concurrent connections) then you are cooking on gas. It dosn't matter if its on a DC or not and I've never seen a reason to have it on a dedicated server.
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 It dosn't matter if its on a DC or not and I've never seen a reason to have it on a dedicated server. Really? I would have thought a DC has enough important stuff to worry about without having to fight to get NIC time. Also, surely the HDD's get hammered with imaging? Having HDD's locked up as well as your NIC can't be good on a DC?
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Really? I would have thought a DC has enough important stuff to worry about without having to fight to get NIC time. Also, surely the HDD's get hammered with imaging? Having HDD's locked up as well as your NIC can't be good on a DC? Depends how your servers are setup - we have 3 DCs and a file server, the WDS server is on one of the DCs but they all share the same virtual host (4 10k HDDs in 0+1) and I can't say as we've ever had any issues with slower logins while imaging.
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Depends how your servers are setup - we have 3 DCs and a file server, the WDS server is on one of the DCs but they all share the same virtual host (4 10k HDDs in 0+1) and I can't say as we've ever had any issues with slower logins while imaging. Yes, but you must admit that your setup sounds quite a bit different to someone working in a single server environment, and that those environments will obviously not run as easy as yours in such a scenario?
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Yes, but you must admit that your setup sounds quite a bit different to someone working in a single server environment, and that those environments will obviously not run as easy as yours in such a scenario? Either way if he runs a Fog server on the same Virtual Host the hard drives are going to be hammered just the same reguardless of the OS.
bladedanny Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Either way if he runs a Fog server on the same Virtual Host the hard drives are going to be hammered just the same reguardless of the OS. This is true, but I'd always install Ubuntu and FOG on an old dekstop machine that's lying around somewhere.
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Either way if he runs a Fog server on the same Virtual Host the hard drives are going to be hammered just the same reguardless of the OS. But nobody (except you) has mentioned virtual hosts. I highly doubt that single server organisations will be running a virtual host. See, with FOG you can pull a dusty old workstation out of the closet and stick it on there, and it should do the trick. With WDS you need something capable of running a Microsoft Server OS before you can image machines.
jamesfed Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 But nobody (except you) has mentioned virtual hosts. I highly doubt that single server organisations will be running a virtual host. See, with FOG you can pull a dusty old workstation out of the closet and stick it on there, and it should do the trick. With WDS you need something capable of running a Microsoft Server OS before you can image machines. We (or at least not from this thread) don't even that this is a single server site - looking at their website I'd be surprised if it were (even if it is a RM place).
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 We (or at least not from this thread) don't even that this is a single server site - looking at their website I'd be surprised if it were (even if it is a RM place). That's fair enough, but the OP asked for a solution that was quick and easy - unless WDS can be configured in an hour (including an image uploaded) then surely we have to admit that FOG is suitable. what is quick and easy and we could have it going within an hour
SHimmer45 Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 Interesting thread FOG does look a good tool, after this summer of imaging alot of machines it would be nice to setup something that is more flexible than norton ghost suite which is often a pita, and as people have said WDS can be "clunky". Though for 25 laptops (if they are identical) i would setup the one and then use a ghost cast session to roll it out to the other 24.
Hightower Posted October 13, 2010 Posted October 13, 2010 then use a ghost cast session to roll it out to the other 24. Isn't GhostCast an application of Norton Ghost Suite? How much does that cost per licence?
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