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fast cheap simple way to deploy systems

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by skerjanc.matej 3 views

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I'm a student on a job experience at this certain company. My current task is to find a reliable and simple way of deploying systems on random computers.
For instance i can get ordered to prep 100 computers per month with xp and 100 with linux (all have same hardware profile and contain nothing but disk,lan, usb. no cdrom whatsoever).
This would mean i do 2 images one for linux one for xp and deploy over network.But how:)
-emBoot/dos/ghost/deploying isnt the fastest way but it works atm anyone got any faster and an option with less manual interfering

7 replies

by churdoo

Virtual desktops with VMWare may be another option for you.

by skerjanc.matej

erm how can i deploy systems with that? please explain the "a bit longer" way and maaaaany thanks

by dan.cox

Windows Deployment Services
We use WDS to deploy our images.
First we do a base install of Windows. And take a Ghost image of that install. We also use scripts to do additional installs based on client requirements.
We then use WDS to place the ghost image onto the client desktop and when it runs, the post imaging script kicks in and completes the additional installs and configurations we require. These are fully customizable. WDS uses PXE so you can do this remotely. Check the Microsoft Site.

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/9e197135-6711-4c20-bfad-fc80fc2151301033.mspx?mfr=true

You can use this to deploy ghost images of either Windows or Linux.

by skerjanc.matej

isnt ris upgrade of wds (since it automatically sends PE over network)?

thanks for the help sir you've pushed me a step further to my presentation (which will be basic to help us decide what we will use)

by tg2

Similar to ghosting, but can be faster as its done on a fast (100Meg/3 gig) controller

also there are stand alone drive clone solutions. It would require removeing/adding a drive to a machine, but depending on how much data is on the master, etc.. we used them when we did system builds for gov't, and just run of the mill stuff, we had two of them, one for IDE one for SCSI, they make them for SATA too, and in our build we were around 1 gig of data done to up to 4 drives (ours were 4 drive units but there are those to 16 drives) in less than 3 minutes, lower amount of data, faster imagetime. Boot the drive, it finishes what it needs to.. etc

by skerjanc.matej

Nice not really fully automatic but really fast:)
anyhow which software and hardware (was server/master a normal desktop) did you use if it isn't a secret

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