Ghost Solution Suite

guys I'm setting up two labs, each of 40 computers, and so far what I've always done go around and use the bootdisk to install the client and establish connection with server......now I know there's another way which I believe involves setting up a TFTP server like 3COM BOOT and having the machines booting up from the nic card and push the client on boot up....of course machine has to be PXE compliant.
could someone who has done it before elaborate to the specific of this method?

thanksMessage was edited by:
Jorge Vazquez

Hi Jorge,

First, you need to have what we call a model computer - a machine with the OS installed, on which you install the client (remotely or locally) - and create an image of this model computer using an image create task in console. Then, using Ghost Boot Wizard, select the last option in the list: "TCP/IP Network Ghost Client Boot Image" and go further with 'Next' button. This will create a sys image (a file with .sys extension) that you have to copy on your PXE server. Create an entry in your PXE menu that points to this image and have all your machines (except the model computer) boot from that entry. For this, you have to add the MAC addresses of all these machines to your PXE server. Once the computers boot from this image you have what is called the DOS clients. They will be identified by the console by their MAC addresses - that is what you will see in the Default folder, in 'Machine Groups'. On the client side you will see the communication between the client and the console (sending and acknowledging status). Once you have all the DOS clients added to the console, create a task to clone all these computers with the image of your model computer. Don't forget to include a configuration step in the task, to change the computer name.
If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Hope this helps,
Adina

thanks adina for your explanation so far the way I've always done it is firing the ghost server and using bootdisk, but I knew of the 3COM boot with TFTP just never had the chance to give a try though, now how would you add all thic MAC address to the server prior to boot time, if thats what I understood, otherwise the server won't recognize the machine, and in your explanation your not talking about TFTP your talking aboutj ghost server full install, I guess by what your saying it has the capability of booting machines with from the nic with no os installed on them?......

Yes, booting the clients from that image will connect them with the console, without having the OS installed. That's why they are called DOS clients, the communication server-client takes place at DOS level.

For information about how to use 3Com PXE and Ghost, please check the link below:

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/2000103113200725?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=2


Hope this helps,
Adina

adina, thanks for the good reading,
I have already installed 3com boot server, and also created the .sys image file with the boot wizard, now I was looking at the Bootptab file that's located on the server and has lots of info, Im sure some of that can be ommited, what's the essential info that the pc needs to boot and pull the image on that file eg /ftpserver and /imagelocation, also the mac address of all computers should be located in this file?, and for every mac entry I have to spcify /ftpserver and /imagelocation
getting the macs is no problem, can get them off the dhcp, but what I'm concern is for the minimal essential info in this file in order for the machine to start pulling the .sys file
thanks for everythin
haven't had the time to go over the extensive .pdf manual that comes with 3com

Hi Jorge,

First, you have to create a PXE menu. For this, on your PXE server, open the "Boot Image Editor" from Start->Programs and select "Create a PXE menu boot file". Press 'Add' button, browse for the image file (that is, the .sys file that you've created using the last option in "Ghost Boot Wizard") and enter the menu description (for example, "DOS client"). This will be one entry in your PXE menu file. To add multiple entries, repeat the step above. To make booting from HD part of the PXE menu, just enter a menu description (i.e. "HD") and check the "Boot from hard drive" check box.

To add the MAC addresses to the PXE server, on your PXE server open the BOOTPTAB Editor from Start->Programs, press the '+' button on the toolbar and enter the required information: a name for the client, its MAC address in the "node" field and the .pxe file in the "image" field. The .pxe file is the menu file that you've created (paragraph above) which contains one or more .sys files.

You don't need to modify the .sys file, it contains all the information the client requires to connect to the console and, as described above, the MAC addresses reside on the PXE server, not in the .sys file.


Hope this helps,

Adina

after doing all that describe above, I started the client and booted up from the NIC card but no luck it didn't get the image file, I made sure that PXEserver and TFTP server were running, ohh when edited the bootptab file I used ???? wildcards for the entry on the MAC address the manual said it was ok, the client should still connect with out problem, but that wasn't the case I can't get the client connected to the server.

any thoughts?

Jorge, can you enable log in on the PXE server, for both PXE and TFTP? For this, go to Control Panel and select 3Com PXE and then 3Com TFTP and enable the log in. For TFTP, the log in is under 'Configure' tab.
Check the log files (name and location specified in Ctrl Panel, where you enabled the log in) and see if there was any attempt to contact the clients.
Please let me know.

Adina

I have enabled login after getting eveything setup I started the client and also fired up the PEXserver to see in real time what was going on, and the client can negotiate an ip because I can see it in the PXE server but it stops and client comptures stays in a loop.

client ip:1346 Sending Status to server ip:1347
client ip:1346 acknowledge by server ip:1347

any ideas is not even launching the MSDOS client not to mention is not talking to the ghost server session.
there was a .cmd file that the manual recomends to launch in advance is called deploy.cmd
which I ran, and then booted up the machine
thanks

ok I booted the client machine again this time looking at the TFTP Server log and it says
Deploy.pxe timeout

here's a copy of the TFTP log

3/15/07 9:55 AM - Program started
3/15/07 9:55 AM - Server stopped
3/15/07 9:56 AM - Program exited
3/15/07 10:39 AM - Program started
3/15/07 10:39 AM - Server started
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\deploy.pxe from 10.201.241.14
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\deploy.pxe from 10.201.241.14
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\deploy.pxe from 10.201.241.14 Done
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\PXEboot.sys from 10.201.241.14
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\PXEboot.sys from 10.201.241.14 Done
3/15/07 10:39 AM - TFTP Read C:\TFTPBOOT\deploy.pxe from 10.201.241.14 TimeOut
3/15/07 10:40 AM - Program exited

Hi Jorge,

It looks like your PXE server is working fine, what you see on the client machine:

client ip:1346 Sending Status to server ip:1347
client ip:1346 acknowledge by server ip:1347

is actually the DOS client communicating with the console. If you will look in Console, under Machine Folders/Default, you will see the client displayed with its MAC address and connected. All you have to do at this stage is to start a task from the console to imagine the client.


Hope this helps,
Adina

Hello everybody.

Hope it is okay that I also ask a few questions in your Thread Sir?

Im following the guide

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/2000103113200725?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=2

Im working on
To prepare Ghost and the 3Com Boot Service
and have reached nr 5.
Use the 3Com Image Editor to add the file PBoot.exe to the boot image file:
C .Edit the file Autoexec.bat:

Type the following lines after the Ghost.exe entry:

Ass you can se bellow I dont have a Ghost.exe Entry :(

@echo off
SET TZ=GHO-01:00
prompt Type ghreboot to attempt to return to Windows $_$P$G
\net\Undipd.com 0x60
if exist MOUSE.COM MOUSE.COM
set path=c:\ghost;\ghost;c:;\
echo Loading...
CD \GHOST
NGCTDOS.EXE

DAMM :(
Why is that and what to do know :(

adina, thanks for all your help so far but I'm still unable to get this going, just a question this scenario we've been talking about does not require RIS server to be installed right?
and also I did try to open the ghost console while booting the client and is not showing there, got the impresion I'm missing something......did you take a look at the TFTP log, that I posted before?

thanks

Jorge could you please have a look at your autoexec.bat ??? :D

Does it look like mine or was yours perfect?

yes it looks exactly like your....I had to add an entry for ghost with corresponding switches after that your good to go
thnaks to adina for all the help....