Radified Community Forums - Creating ghost partition

Radified Community Forums › Rad Community Technical Discussion Boards (Computer Hardware + PC Software) › Norton Ghost 2003, Ghost v8.x + Ghost Solution Suite (GSS) Discussion Board › Creating ghost partition | Deploy 150 new box

(Moderators: Rad, Christer, NightOwl, Pleonasm, MrMagoo, El_Pescador)

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

Pages: 1

Creating ghost partition | Deploy 150 new box (Read 4828 times)

broncobuddha

N00b
Offline

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Posts: 7
Knoxville, TN

Creating ghost partition | Deploy 150 new box
Jun 7^th, 2007 at 3:48pm

Here's the deal: Working in a call center of about 150 agents that currently use Dell Optiplex GX60s. Each of these machines runs Windows XP Pro and also has a ghost partition currently installed. We use this in order to re-image machines as necessary from a ghost server.

Now...we've been given upgraded machines with better processors and memory that we need to deploy to our agents. These are HPDC5000s. They do not have ghost partitions on them and our other call center out in cali used a PXE server to manually ghost machines. We don't have one here. So...I need to figure out the best way to get both the correct image for the machine along with the ghost partition onto these DC5000s. I'm trying to do this without having to physically touch each machine.

The server is floppy only, so, any boot discs i create will be floppies. I also have a 98 ghost boot disk. If there's no ghost partition, I'm assuming the ghost server will not be able to communicate with the machines.

I'm thinking that I somehow need to create a bootable ghost CD (not floppy) so i can install the partitions on the machines. Doing the first one should allow me to pull the image from that machine and push it to the others once the partitions are installed.

Can I put the hard drive from one of the 5000s into one of the optiplexes and clone the optiplex image along with it's ghost partition onto the 5000 drive? Then put that drive back in the 5000 and pull the image?

I'm trying to avoid having to disk to disk 150 machines.

Sorry if this is confusing.

Thanks for any help.

Thanks.

IP Logged

Rad

Radministrator

Offline

Sufferin' succotash

Posts: 4090
Newport Beach, California

Re: Creating ghost partition
Reply #1 - Jun 8^th, 2007 at 8:35am

actually, that's a very clear post. i think it's clear exactly what you want (and don't want) to do.

i have no experience with this.

there's a page in the guide on imaging across a network, but i feel you're beyond that.

http://ghost.radified.com/ghost_network.htm

most contributors here are home users.

it's actually cool stuff you're doing, and good that you have newer faster machines.

did you mention what version of ghost you're working with?

i know some versions of ghost are more designed to work with this type deployment.

you may want to invert in one of symantecs newer enterprise products (just guessing here). others know more about them than me.

i was thinking about something like back-up exec:

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/products/overview.jsp?pcid=1018&pvid=57_1

or ghost solution suite:

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/products/overview.jsp?pcid=1025&pvid=865_1

perhaps a review of their feature set would reveal something you can work with.

i also tweaked your subject.

disk-to-disk on 150 machines .. you could think of it as job security.

i'm curious .. what kind of "agents"?

IP Logged

NightOwl

Radministrator

Offline

"I tought I saw a puddy
tat..."

Posts: 5826
Olympia, WA--Puget Sound--USA

Re: Creating ghost partition
Reply #2 - Jun 8^th, 2007 at 9:24am

broncobuddha

Not my area of expertise--Ghost server, and pushing or pulling images from it over a network--but....

Quote:

I'm trying to do this without having to physically touch each machine.

I can't think of any way to avoid having to at least boot each machine from a floppy or bootable CD that initially loads Ghost locally so the server can talk to the machine and the machine can *listen* and respond! Now, you should be able to GhostCast over the network and transfer an image which installs a similar Ghost partition that allows a server to talk to each machine without booting from a floppy or bootable CD.

These resources should help:

Ghost v8.xx Guides and Manuals

Ghost 8.xx Getting Started Guide

Ghost 8.xx Implementation Guide

Ghost 8.xx Installing a Boot Partition

Quote:

I'm thinking that I somehow need to create a bootable ghost CD (not floppy) so i can install the partitions on the machines.

How to Create a Ghost 8.0 Network Boot CD

Quote:

Can I put the hard drive from one of the 5000s into one of the optiplexes and clone the optiplex image along with it's ghost partition onto the 5000 drive? Then put that drive back in the 5000 and pull the image?

So, you want to transfer a working OS from an existing system to a new hardware setup--this may be an issue: Ghost image and STOLEN computer - please CLARIFY.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

No question is stupid ... but, possibly the answers are Wink

IP Logged

broncobuddha

N00b
Offline

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Posts: 7
Knoxville, TN

Re: Creating ghost partition | Deploy 150 new
Reply #3 - Jun 8^th, 2007 at 9:56am

Sorry about that. We're using version 8.2. I work in a property and casualty insurance call center. They're sales agents.

Well as a test, we freshly ghosted one of the dells and move it's HD over to one of the dc5000 and tried to boot it up. No dice. Got an error: Unable to load operating system.

Ok, so, we took the hd from the 5000 and installed it in the dell as a slave. We were able to successfully do a disk to disk clone of that HD.

It still wouldn't boot up from within the 5000 box. However, we were able to verify that the clone did install the ghost partition.

What I think we're going to try and do now is re-install windows on this machine and that at least gives us a working OS with a ghost partition.

From there, I have to figure out a)how to get the correct image on that machine as it was provided in two files that I copied off a network share(not on the ghost server) and b)how to get that out to all the other machines.

Once I get this one machine exactly how we want it, is it possible to create a series of bootable cds with the partitions and images that would allow us to install them to the other machines? I'm thinking we'll have to physically do this to all of them the first time. From then on, we can ghost a needed from the server. The actual image files are 2.6gb in size.

Clear as mud?

Thanks for the response and the references. Haven't had a chance to check them out yet.

IP Logged

Amish.

Technoluster

Offline

Dude! (Rad in SeaMonkey)

Posts: 104

Re: Creating ghost partition | Deploy 150 new
Reply #4 - Jun 8^th, 2007 at 1:48pm

no, you're clear.

as a side note, what about trying to do a *restore* with your windows cd after cloning?

i have done this after restoring an image and it worked.

tho admittedly, you may have other issues.

but once can get a good boot up, you have come 3/4th the way.

i believe you hit the 'R" key (for Restore) after booting up with the windows o/s cd.

that should set up all the boot files you need and at least get you further than you are now.

worth a try, no?

IP Logged

artesian79

Gnarly

Offline

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Posts: 39

	Re: Creating ghost partition \| Deploy 150 new box Reply #5 - Jun 13^th, 2007 at 8:10pm I don't think you'll be able to get the Dell supplied OS to boot on the HP because each manufacturer's OS is tied to their hardware. I don't know if an OEM version of a non branded/Mom&Pop built system would work or not.
	IP Logged

Pages: 1

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

« Home

‹ Board

Top of this page

	Welcome, Guest. Please Login