Ghost Solution Suite

I work as technical support for an institution. I have different models of computes including HP, Dell, Acer,...

I am using Symantec Ghost solution suite 2.5 only for Ghost imaging but not using Symantec Ghost Console.

I have DHCP Server to distribute IP to the clients while TCP/IP network boot.

I created pxeboot.n12 image using Ghost boot wizard and evrything (Ghost image creation and Restoration also works fine.)

My question is, recently we bought some new computers. we need to boot those new computers in network boot in order to either restore image or creating image.

The new computers are not booting in network boot. This is because the network drivers or Storage drivers are not included in pxeboot.n12.

Now i want to use these new computers to create and restore ghost images like the other existing computers.

Please help me on how to include NIC drivers or storage drivers into the existing tcp/ip network boot image(pxeboot.n12) that i have already, so that both existing computers and newly bought computers also should work.

Thank You,

Mohamed Saleem

I believe your understanding of the boot process may be incomplete. The implementation of PXE boot into network cards is a standard, and it exists only to download a bootable image, whether DOS or WinPE, which then take over the management of the network card using the appropriate drivers. 

You don't mention whether you boot to DOS or WinPE, and both are supported by GSS 2.5 at version 11.5.1.2266. Use the Ghost Boot Wizard to add the necessary drivers. For modern hardware, you should really be using WinPE. The version of WinPE supplied in GSS 2.5 is version 2.0, based on the Vista kernel, so you need to source Vista 32 bit drivers for your NIC and SATA chipsets. There are quite a few articles on various aspects of using Ghost on this Connect environment so use the search engine to learn more.

Also, if you cannot find Vista 32 bit drivers for your latest hardware, there are a pair or articles by Terry Bu which describe the creation of a WinPE 3 environment (based on Windows 7) that mostly integrates with the Ghost environment. Certainly for your usage, this would be a logical upgrade.

Hello EDT,

I use WinPE.

Some new laptops does not have drivers for windows Vista. So can you please link the articles by terry Bu.

Firstly i created WinPE image using Symantec Ghost boot wizard, and i got a boot folder(bcd, boot.sdi, bootmgr, pxeboot.n12 and saleem.wim)

After few months if i get new computers then i want to boot those new computers using winPE, if it doesnot boot, how i can inject the new computer network drivers in to that existing image in that boot folder.

I know i am not having good understanding about it. Please clarify me.

thank you

Mohamed Saleem

As a training exercise in using the search engine, please enter Terry Bu at the top of this page and then click on the "Search" button. Look for comments such as "These two articles by Terry Bu....."

Also, read the documentation about adding drivers to Ghost Boot Wizard.

Some thing to think about.  Are these new systems UEFI system? if so the proccess of the .n12 is then a PXE process for Bios based systems and the new UEFI systems won't be able to boot from that unles in the bios they are set to boot to BIOS or Legacy mode.     

The question would be are these systems unable to boot or are they unable to see the network once booted?  If they can boot but can't see the network then they need new drivers and you can set up a PE4 package by following these steps and continueing to BIOS boot I haven't found a simple PXE set up for BIOS and UEFI for ghost the way the Deployment solution server does.  

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/windows-pe-40-pxe-and-ghost

There is the new boot wizard here that would save a lot of steps building the wim but still would only be good for BIOS PXE http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH223404 

I suppose first things first is it that they don't boot or don't load network drivers.  If they boot and don't load up the NIC support then you will just need to build a new boot package with the latest drivers.   If you can't find vista drivers look at the new boot wizard. 

Hi ICHCB,

Thank you so much for ur reply.

These new systems are UEFI, but Legacy bios is choosen. These new systems boot from LAN and contacted DHCP and get the ghost32.exe screen. Then when i give session name and IP address to contact ghost cast session i get the error "Unable to connect to session <test> error 10030". I think i gave clear details to you.

Now as you gave a link to make PE4 package, i am now doing that. My question is, Do i need to use TFTD32 additionally? or Will it work with Symantec Ghost, 3COM, DHCP as it works presently now?

3COM has TFTP server also so i asked this question.

Please clarify.

Thank You in advance

Mohamed Saleem

I would move to a more robust TFTP solution as the 3com one was desighned to be used with small 2 meg dos boot disks and I have found it to fail often when using 200+ meg PE boot disks. 

@ICHCB

Is there a particular TFTP solution that you would recommend to users today?