Symantec Ghost 7.5 - Different Chipsets and how to build an image.

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ASKER

Can the automated install, also install and configure third party software? Where do I learn more about automated XP installs?

The network layout is about 20 groups of about 5 PC's.

IceRaven.

Andrewhsia

Do not install the extra drivers. Put them in a folder on the image. Uninstall the hardware that is different, and then make the ghost. When the machine boots up the first time, it will ask for the drivers, and you can point it in the right direction. This way you can use the same image for both machines.

ASKER

What folder does windows automagically used to store all it's drivers? So I won't have to point to them every time?

IceRaven.

>>Can the automated install, also install and configure third party software? Where do I learn more about automated XP installs?

Yes, as long as the third party software supports a "slient install." I have install packages to put Adobe, Microsoft, WinZip, Exceed and other software on the hosts, and it does this all from a post-install script.

>>The network layout is about 20 groups of about 5 PC's.

Do you mean 100 PC's in all? If so, I would definitely recommend automated installs over Ghost. It's just that the changing hardware and drivers can be a pain to keep up with. If you are talking about 5 to 20 PC's, then you could just use Ghost, as it is definitely easier to work with in the beginning.

check out this area of Microsoft's Tech Net for more information on automated deployment:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/prbc_cai_nmip.asp

It will cover using enterprise tools too, but you would want to concentrate on the cheaper methods. You can also burn your images to bootable CD or to a network drive and just do an install that is initiated over the network.

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Andrewhsia

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ASKER

durindil - Yes I mean 100pc's total.

A deciding factor between ghost and automated installs.

I need to be able to plug my laptop into the switch and have all (or maybe some)of the PC's on that switch image themselves from the image on my laptop. Can this be achieved using ghost/automated install?

IceRaven.

ASKER

I should also say that I don't want to have to touch the desktops drives... eg boot from a floppy, as I currently do with Ghost.

IceRaven.

ASKER

Some thoughts on unatended installations as I was browsing through

----Snip---

Disadvantages of Unattended Installation
You cannot use the unattended installation tools (Winnt32.exe and Winnt.exe) to create reference configurations that include applications and that replicate the configurations across your client computers.

Unattended installation must be initiated by someone who has direct access to each client computer.

--Snip----

So this means that I cannot use thirdpart software as I understand it and also leaves me with the same problem that I currently have with ghost... that I need to touch each computer to re-install it.

I like the idea behind an unattended installation, use an answers file to install your operating system on any hardware at all, however I am worried it isn't flexible enough to install and configure third party software. Is there some more information that you can give me on this?

As I said before, ** as long as the third party software supports a slient install or answer file, ** you can install it with an automated install. I have worked on three large Windows 2000/XP desktop deployments, and have used automated tools to perform installs on over 40,000 desktops (total for all installs.) This was done using SMS or Veritas NetInstall, where we did not have to go to each desktop. These are expensive tools, however, so without them, you will have to visit each desktop. The good thing, is that you can make one CD or CD set, or one image on a network drive, and go to each desktop and just kick off the install. You would then have to re-visit the desktop only to get the CD or to make any user-specific changes (if you had a security office that had a special tool, for example.)

Andrewhsia

I know that both PQDI and Ghost have a broadcast install type feature, but I have not used it, so I cannot help you on how to use it, but to my understanding it is for what you want, to sit at one main computer and force the others to install the image.

ASKER

The desktops are locked away in metal boxes that need to be unscrewed, so I really need a solution that does not require the computers touched. Ghost appears to do this once the client is installed on the machines they use a virtual boot partition which means I do not need to touch the drive. I am presumeing that SMS and Veritas NetInstall use similar technology. Do you know of any software that would do this for around the price of Ghost?

IceRaven.

If cost is your main factor, then Veritas Netinstall is the only solution near it. Actually, Microsoft licenses Veritas Netinstall to use in their remote desktop installation. With any of them, you will have to install a client portion to communicate with the remote server, unless your network adapters support PXE boot, and you have a boot server installed on the subnet (this is for machines that have no OS on them.) At my current client, I did not do the desktop configuration, but they have all of the desktops (about 6,000) boot from the network and run an in-house script from a boot server to perform a desktop OS install. Obviously, not all of them install, just the ones without an OS. A hardware tech installs the machine, puts a password on the BIOS, and sets the boot to network boot. If there is no OS, it will begin a network install.

Do you have ghost console available to you?

ASKER

Yes, that is what I am currently using.

IceRaven.

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Howie_Ly

I thought on windows 2000/XP systems you're required to run SYSPREP before imaging your hard drive otherwise you cannot log on?

* You can get Sysprep for XP in the XPSP1DeployTools_en.cab file microsoft site (not sure if it's still there though may have to google it).

No, the main thing that you want done when imaging is for the sid and the name to be changed. When setting up an imaging task through console there is a check box you can check for the sid to be changed for you. As far as the name goes, you can set the name several different ways.

You can also run the sid changer tool (included with ghost console) manually if you want to from a boot disk. The executable is ghstwalk.exe.

Howie_Ly

Mrfuji..

> No, the main thing that you want done when imaging is for the sid
> and the name to be changed

Isn't GhostWalk symantec's version of sysprep for changing sid's??

ASKER

So what does Sysprep do and do I need to run it?

IceRaven.

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Howie_Ly

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Whoa, Howie_Ly is not completely correct. Sysprep does have to be run before you image but ghstwalk is only used immediatly after a computer has been imaged.