Ideas for using GSS in this type of scenerio -

[Migration User]

Environment

 

Offsite locatation(s) with 20PCs.

 

Was thinking of using Multicast to reimage all PCs when we go down there. Is this the best option?

 

Also looking for thoughts on the following Example:

PC blue screens or isnt’ functionally correctly -  No IT staff on site. How can we reimage the PC with least amount of end user interaction.

 

Since the PC doesn’t boot up what are some options for:

1. Getting it imaged

2. Naming the PC correctly

3. Getting it on the domain

 

[Migration User]

Ok I found this link - http://www.uwm.edu/People//jsdunlap/ghost8/

My  question is how do you think he created the bootable cd boot partition to work that way.

I would like simple for an offsite user to do so I could get there PC reimaged if it failed.

[Migration User]

Well my setup is this:

We have 8 different sites we (4 of us) manage. Five of the sites we remotely manage. Each site has a Domain controller (also has DHCP) and a server which is our Ghost console (GSS1.1 - will be upgrading to 2.0.1). On the Ghost server we also have PXE server. The PXE serves our floppy images, one of which is a Ghost Console Client floppy image. If a machine has no viable O/S on it it will automatically boot to the PXE server which automatically launches a Ghost Console Client from the PXE server. Once the client is in the ghost console we can do everything else: image, name and join the domain.

 

If it has a partial image where it will boot to an O/S just not completely, we require someone telling the machine to do a network boot (in our case hit F12) before it boots into the bad O/S. After it is connected we can do everything else from the console.

 

BTW we use UltraVNC to remotely access the Domain controller, Ghost console or any of the clients.

 

[Migration User]

Mark,

Thanks for you ideas...any good information on setting up a PXE server? I haven't heard of that before.

We use VNC as well very nice indeed.

My only issue is I need something going as one of my techs is going to an offsite location in 2 weeks.

Message Edited by PacComp on 07-30-200704:39 PM

[Migration User]

Here is the Official URL posted in other Ghost forums on PXE server: http://entkb.symantec.com/security/output/n2000103113200725.html

 

The PXE software is actually included as part of the GSS 2.0.1 software.

 

I have a word document that have just created for my guys on how to setup a PXE and a Ghost Console client.

If you want the word doc you can download it from here: http://members.aol.com/marktb/PXE/Steps%20to%20install%20PXE.doc

 

These are the steps we use at our facilities, your mileage may very.

 

 

---

Install

SolutionSuite2.0.1_Full\Extras\3Com Boot Services\master.exe

1. Install 3Com Boot Services

2. Install where you want, but keep C:\TFTPBOOT directory

3. Select Server setup type


4. Once it is finished installing you need to decide how you want the server(s) to run.

There are two programs a TFTP and the PXE.
They are installed as services but set to manual.
If you want them always to run on bootup then set the services to Automatic.
You can also run them instead from the menus
Start --> All programs --> 3Com Boot Services --> PXE Server and TFTP Server

5. If you decide to run them as services then you can change the options/settings in the Control Panel otherwise when you run them as programs it will bring up GUI with menu’s to change the options.

6. In the Control panel select 3Com PXE it will give you a warning about service is not started and also about setting the DHCP proxy click yes for both

7. Check the Network Adapters and make sure it is the right one (if you have more than one network card).

8. Do the same for the 3Com TFTP.

---

Create Ghost Client Image
We will use the ghost boot wizard to create a floppy image for a client to connect to the console.

1. Start the Ghost Boot Wizard to build a floppy image to load into the PXE server.
Start --> Programs --> Symantec Ghost --> Ghost Boot Wizard

2. Select the TCPI/IP Network Ghost Client Boot Image option (last option).

3. Select the Universal Packet Driver.

4. Click Ok for the warning.

5. Use PC-DOS.

6. Enter the Machine Group you want the new computer to be added to in the Ghost Console. I usually enter Default for the Machine Group. Take the defaults for all the Program Locations.

7. For Network settings I usually change the Router Hops to 1.

8. For the Image File Browse to the C:\TFTPBOOT directory and give it a file name.

9. Take the rest of the defaults until you finish.

 

---

Create PXE Menu

The next step is to create a menu than will be presented to the person booting from the PXE server. This step is optional if you always only want a single floppy image to be loaded to the clients. This might be appropriate for remote facilities. However you can always change the default selection and timeout and will it automatically select a floppy image to load. This allows you to have many different boot floppies to choose from.

1. Start the Boot Image Editor
Start --> Programs --> 3Com Boot Services --> Boot Image Editor

• Create a TCP/IP or PXE image file - allows you to create a new boot image file for booting from TCP/IP and PXE servers. If you are using PXE, you need to create both a TCP/IP image and a PXE menu boot file. We already have one that ghost built for us, but might be useful for building your own floppy images – they can be up to 16MB.
  
  
• Create a PXE menu boot file - provides a method of remotebooting with PXE. If you are using PXE, you need to create both a TCP/IP boot image file and a PXE menu boot file. Menu boot files are a form of network bootstrap program. This is what we need to use when using PXE.
  

 

2. Select Create a PXE menu boot file

3. Now we need to add the menu selections. We will add just one for now.
Select the Add. Browse and select the ghost_console_client.sys image file we created earlier. Give a name for the menu.

 

4. Select the Options tab. Change the timeout option to be smaller than 30. I use 4 seconds. You may want it to be smaller if you don’t want a person to select anything and just use the default menu option.

5. Select Save and give the menu file a name – like train_pxe.mnu. I usually give the file a mnu extension.

---

Configure PXE
Now that the software is installed, we have a ghost floppy image and a menu the next steps are to configure the PXE server. We can use the BOOTPTAB editor to do most of the work from now on – including editing the menu files and floppy images themselves. It just can not create them first, go figure

 

Note: We will be using PXE protocol not BOOTP, but we use the same editor and files for both protocols.

1. Launch the BOOTPTAB editor.
Start --> Programs --> 3Com Boot Services --> BOOTPTAB Editor

 

2. We are going to create a host entry. It will be a generic host entry for all machines and MAC Addresses.

Select the Add Hosts icon.
Enter something for the Name (really it is for all machines).
Enter ???????????? for the Node, indicating all MAC Addresses.
Browse and select the menu file we created in the previous task.

 

If you select the view icon you can edit the menu file, adding more menu options, changing the default menu or the timeout setting. You can even view (or edit) the individual floppy images and make changes to them. Lastly you can even edit text files or add/replace files in the floppy images. All from the BOOTPTAB editor.

 

Message Edited by Mark Berning on 07-31-200708:51 AM

[Migration User]

Thanks for the above info.

My next question is in the above scenerio how does it name the computer? I am thinking of how the tech will know if he images computerA ...what will it's new name be so he can VNC into it after it gets the image.

In case I cant get the above going and stick to say multicasting......

[Migration User]

If these machines have been connected to the console it should pick up the old information (It uses the MAC Address).

If these machines have never been connected to the console it wont know the name.

When a computer connects to the console for the first time, it will have a weird label like (#[0x00 0x0F 0x1F 0x1D 0xBA 0xD6]). This is the MAC Address of the computer connecting  you can rename the label to what will be the new computer name. This will not  specifically rename the computer at the O/S, it is just for your reference.

 

So when a brand new machine is going to be added what I did was boot each machine one at a time as the technician turned them on.

He then told me what computer name that computer was going to be. In the console then as they appear I would rename the label. This is a lot easier than writing down all of the MAC Addresses finding them in the console and renaming the label.

 

My next question to you is: is this a brand new installation of the ghost console with no existing machines in it?

 

If it is a brand new installation you need to create a configuration template (at least for one computer).

 

If it is not you can copy a configuration from an existing computer then you can edit it.

 

Pick an existing computer.

 

 

Also at this point you can also tell it to join the domain etc.

 

When you go to create the task, select clone and configuration. On the configuration tab tell it to use default configuration.

 

If there are no existing computers in this console let me know and I will tell you how to create a configuration template.

 

ENHANCEMENT REQUEST:

Allow Edit even if it does not have a existing configuration! Why should I need to copy?

 

 

 

[Migration User]

I have a few PCs from doing some testing.

To clear up the scenerio.

PC exists already and is named W123.
PC will be ghosted and needs to be renamed to DOEJON-PC.

My question is if he has to look at 20 PCs at one time how will he know which PC is which to rename them correctly if he is not next to them.

We may actually need all the mac addresses ahead of time then as he will be the only one doing this. I am trying to make it as simple as possible for him.

Message Edited by PacComp on 08-01-200707:48 AM

[Migration User]

Yea, the best solution is to grab the MAC Addresses ahead of time.

 

If they are already up and running, what I would do is ping them from a machine that is in the same subnet and then do an arp -a and this will list out the MAC Addresses and IP Addresses. This saves you from having to go to each machine (or asking each user to do it).

 

 

 

 

 

[Migration User]

Hey,
Look it that I never used that arp command - learn something new everyday.



What is "allow client initiation" ?

[Migration User]

May be you(we) should start a different thread but.

 

I will tell you what I know about it in GSS 1.1 - it may be different in 2.0.x

Allow Client Initiation - allows a client that has been added to the console to start a specific task that actually defined in the Console. It puts an icon in the taskbar on the client and a user can then select it. It will then show selected tasks that are available to run. It has to be turned on as part of the options in the console. Options --> Client tab --> Enable Client User Interface. Then you could kick off a task from the client instead of having to go to the console.

 

The problem with it is, the tasks are usually associated with certain/specific clients, not necessarily the requesting client. So I don't know how useful they are - at least in GSS 1.1 where all the tasks had to have a target assigned (Machine or Group).

 

In GSS 2.0.x however it has the capability to not have the target assign in the task (template), so It could become more useful if the task could "plug-in" the requesting Machine as the target automatically. Sounds like another ENHANCEMENT (if it doen't already work that way).

[Migration User]

I have tried the "how-to" and found several "how-tos" to setup the 3Com Boot Services. My issue is my machines are not booting from PXE. Let me explain.

I am using Dell GX280 and have configured the NIC to boot w/PXE from the BIOS. I hit F12 and select the Network Interface Device to boot from.

The PC shows Broadcom UNDI PXE 2.1 v7.5.15

Copyright (C) 2000 - 2004 Broadcom Corporation

Copyright (C) 1997 - 2000 Intel Corporation

 

CLIENT MAC ADDR: 00 00 00 00 00 00  GUID: 00000000 0000 0000 0000 0000000000

PXE-E53: No boot filename received

 

PXE-M0F: Exiting Broadcom PXE ROM

 

Selected boot device not available -

Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility

 

I have placed zeros in the MAC and GUID area but I have followed these instructions, the best I have found so far, and still nothing. I do have a main DHCP server that hands out IP addresses throughtout our organization so I checked the Proxy DHCP within the 3Com PXE.

 

Any suggestions? It seems like everything I read makes this sound so simple so I don't know what I am doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Migration User]

Are you sure the 3Com PXE service has been started and is running ?

 

By default, it is set to manual start up and thus will require starting everytime the machine hosting it is started.

 

Dave   

 

 

 

 

[Migration User]

Yes, everything is started. Do I need to have anything done on the DHCP server since I am using the proxy DHCP?

The 3Com install appears to be pretty straight forward but I still cannot get this to work.

[Migration User]

According to the manual, you shouldn't need to do anything if you are proxying the DHCP.

 

Have you turned logging on in the PXE service ? Anything being reported there ?

 

What's your network setup - are the client and PXE server on the same network or not ?

 

Is there another PXE / RIS server on the network ?

 

Do you get the same error if the PXE server is disconnected ?

[Migration User]

I enabled logging but the log doesn't tell me anything. This is from the 3ComPXE log.
1/28/2008 9:14 AM - Service started
1/28/2008 9:14 AM - Data file: C:\TFTPBOOT\BOOTPTAB (1/25/2008 1:09 PM)
1/28/2008 9:14 AM - Data read: 7 hosts, 1 templates

Something isn't configured right and I don't know what it is. I followed the directions in this post and also looked at http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology.nsf/docid/2000103113200725 how to use the 3Com Boot Service with Symantec Ghost.

I may be looking at this all wrong. Do I have to have a ghost cast server up and running for this to work. I should be able to use the 3Com boot service to network boot to a network boot disk image correct for testing? We have a network boot disk that allows us to boot up and then call Ghost to image PCs. I am currently trying to take out the floppy disk and just perform a network boot using the network and PXE from 3Com Boot Service.

[Migration User]

Well the log does tell you that the service started up and was able to read the BOOTPTAB file.

The lack of entries after that though, suggests that the PXE client isn't talking to the PXE server at all.

 

The E53 error suggests that the PXE client had an offer of a DHCP lease, but no filename.  This suggests that there is a connectivity problem between the client and the PXE server, which is why I suggested you try it with the  PXE server unplugged to just confirm you get the same error.

 

Once again, where is the client in relation to the PXE server ? Is it on a different subnet ? Have you got a firewall that might be blocking the communications between the two devices ?

 

To answer your other question, the GhostCast server and the PXE server are two seperate applications which will work independently of each other.

 

[Migration User]

Windows Firewall got me. I disabled it and all was well. Although can I use a custom boot disk? I am looking for a way to remove carrying around a boot floppy or USB stick to reimage PCs. Can I plug my current bootdisk in somewhere to make this work with the 3Com Boot Service.

[Migration User]

You can always copy a working boot image to a new file, and edit it it in 3Com Boot Image Editor, which will then allow you to drag files from your boot disk into it as required.

 

You can also use 3Com Boot Image Editor to 'Create a TCP/IP or PXE image file' which will then take the contents of a boot disk inserted into source drive a: or b: and turn it into a boot package.

 

Finally edit your PXE menu boot file to add the new images as options.

 

Dave