From: "DukeN" <
[email protected]>
| Hello
|
| We are in the middle of deploying several HP desktops in our Win2k
| network. Rather than configuring software and settings on each one
| seperately, we're considering configuring one machine, save the image
| and write that image to all machines - would save us a lot of time! We
| figure we might as well image the PCs, and then add them to the domain
| with the appropriate desktop names after.
|
| Are there any issues/concerns we should be aware of (someone said
| something about SysID but I have no idea about such a thing).
|
| Thanks a ton!
Yes that is the way to go. Get and use Symantec Enterprise Ghost. Dedicate a platform and
use it as a Ghost image server. Put a second hard disk in that PC and use it to store Ghost
platform model related images. For example; Dell GX400, Dell GX240, IBM A22, etc.
The objective would be to install all the user software and configure every aspect of the
software down to the size of the IE cache, to default folders used by applications to
retrieve data to LDAP servers a user may use. After installing all the software,
configuring all aspects of all applications and installing all MS Security patches and
updates, copy the profile used to install and configure the platform to the Default
Profile...
C:\Documents and Settings\Default User
Then run the Sysprep utility and shutdown the PC. Boot off a Ghost boot disk and create a
platform related image on the Ghost Server over the network. I suggest having the Ghost
Server in a prep. room with its own 100Mb/s Ethernet switch. It should be a quality one
having a low latency.
Since it is the Enterprise Ghost version you can take full advantage of Multi-Cast IP.
Create copies of the Ghost Boot Disk. each disk with its own IP address. Then you can boot
several of the same platform model, each with its own Ghost Boot Disk with a unique IP
address. As the Ghost disks boot they will be registered on the Ghost Server and when all
destination platforms are ready you can have the Ghost Server send the image to the
platforms at the same time. A Pentium 4 platform on an Ethernet switch using 4GB of space
will take ~15minutes to restore.
Boot each destination PC one at a time and because you used the sysprep utility, the PC will
run the Mini-Setup wizard. Here you can give each PC a unique machine name, IP address and
add it to the Domain.
The above is the *best* way to deploy multiple model platforms in an Enterprise Domain.
Note: You generally can NOT restore an image across different PC models. For example, you
can't backup a Dell GX-240 PC and restore it to a Dell GX-400 PC. However, if the platform
shares the same motherboard chip-set it *may* be possible. For example a IBM ThinkPad A21
image restored to a ThinkPad A22.
