Deploy using linux?

[Guest]

Hey all

I have seen a number of posts on using linux to deploy xpe. I was wondering
if anyone had a documented howto? I'm thinking of putting together a howto
website for xpe since there a quite a few hacks I've had to pull off.

Also if anyone who has done this was able to use RIS (Remote Installation
Services) to do so, I would be very impressed and would extremely appreciate
some help in that regard.

For obvious reasons microsoft is anti-linux but at the same time, their
remote boot service for xp has some real shortcomings.

-Mark

 

[KM]

Mark,

Hey all

I have seen a number of posts on using linux to deploy xpe. I was wondering
if anyone had a documented howto? I'm thinking of putting together a howto
website for xpe since there a quite a few hacks I've had to pull off.

You are probably looking for Linux dd command. There is a bunch of tutors availalbe on Web about the dd command.
E.g.: http://www.mckeay.net/secure/archives/000273.html

Also if anyone who has done this was able to use RIS (Remote Installation
Services) to do so, I would be very impressed and would extremely appreciate
some help in that regard.

I never tried deploying XPe images with linux through RIS but obviously you have other options there:
- WinPE. You can automate the entire deployment scenerio using commands like diskpart/format/etc. from a script running under
WinPE.
It will be pretty easy to establish a network connection to a MS server share from WinPE if required.
- DOS (search Net for 3COM RIS DOS image editor utility). Using tools like fdisk/format, or Ghost for DOS, or etc. you can
automate the deployment.
If needed a network access can be set up from DOS too.
- Your own "small" XPe image that automates all the deployments steps. (a good flexible replacement for the WinPE)

All scenerios were discussed in this NG in some good details.

For obvious reasons microsoft is anti-linux but at the same time, their
remote boot service for xp has some real shortcomings.

I prefer RBS vs RIS just because the RBS is much easy to install, set up and control than RIS.

 

[Richard]

I honestly think that Microsoft should have put together a complete tool kit
on the XPe CD to allow all these things instead of having to purchase 3rd
party tools or having to write your own. Not trying to bash, but the start
up time on XPe is long, because of all the small details that still have to
be taken care of.

A Windows box will do pretty much nothing with a CF that is mounted as
removable, such as in a card reader. It has to be part of a True IDE
Connection, then, the CF has to be marked as non-removable with tools from
the CF vendors. Or you have to do some of the stuff like others mentioned,
or write your own software to allow a forced sector copy of it in windows.
In True IDE mode, that means the machine should be powered off before
inserting or removing the CF. Like I really want to do that....?

Honestly, during development, like I really have the time to create all
these tools. My "Easy Out" was a Linuix box and DD. I created a single
master image on CF, stuck in the box and let DD copy the image. I do not
do Any prep to the CF before hand, just pull it out of it's package, stick
it in and go.

Now, there is a batch file that runs DD, it clears the buffers, makes sure
the cf is not mounted, then copies the entire image to the CF card, beeps,
and tells you to insert a new CF. (It's performing sector copies so it
copies entire partitions or Disk)

It takes less than 8 minutes for it to do this. One of my vendors set up 4
USB Card Writer/Readers and burns 4 at a time the same way I mentioned
above.

Before, I had to boot on the target in Dos, then Fdisk, then Format, then
having to do the bootloader thing, then remove and copy the files over to it
was a pain in the rear and too time consuming.

This "should" be able to be done from an XP machine and a card reader, with
a nice GUI (okay, gui not needed) and not be painful. I think a few in
here wrote their own Windows utilities to do a sector copy of the CF cards.

Sorry, I have not done any RIS.