[Casper] imaging a large group via NetBoot- Casper
Thomas Larkin
tlarki at kckps.org
Mon May 19 11:47:24 PDT 2008
I have seen this exact thing, if you boot holding down the opt key
instead of N, it will give you the netboot server option to boot from,
but you may need to wait an extra 10 to 15 seconds.
Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351
>>> Steve Wood <swood at integerdallas.com> 05/19/08 1:23 PM >>>
The only problem I've found at times using an un-managed switch is the
amount of time it takes a link to come alive without PortFast. I've
seen NetBoot fail because the switch did not activate the link fast
enough. I've used the HP ProCurve 1400 switch before with great
success.
Steve Wood
Director, Information Technology
swood at integerdallas.com
The Integer Group | 1999 Bryan St. | Ste. 1700 | Dallas, TX 75201
T 214.758.6813 | F 214.758.6907 | C 940.312.2475
On May 19, 2008, at 1:10 PM, NATHANIEL.LINDLEY at spps.org wrote:
>
> We image 8 or so at a time in about 45 minutes for all of them. It
> doesn't
> seem to increase time that much when we add more computers b/c it
> seems
> that the network is the bottle neck as no single client is maxing
> out the
> afp copy pull when it is in file copy mode. We have a JSS on one
> server
> and the main CasperShare on a second server and the CasperShare is
> on a
> RAID. Both servers are on a gigabit switch and the clients are off
> that at
> 100 mb. Block copy can be up to 40 - 50 Mb/s and then file copy drops
> down. We Netboot off a 3rd server that has lots of RAM on the same
> gigabit
> switch.
>
> I'm curious to see if a "dumb" switch would change our time, that is
> curious to me. Maybe I'll try it this summer.
> -Nathaniel
>
>
>
> Nathaniel Lindley
>
> ++++++++++++++++++
> Learning Systems Specialist
> Educational Technology
> Saint Paul Public Schools
> Saint Paul, Minnesota
> nathaniel.lindley at spps.org
> phone: 651-603-4929
>
>
>
> "Thomas Larkin"
> <tlarki at kckps.org
>> To
> Sent by: <casper at list.jamfsoftware.com>
> casper-
> bounces at li cc
> st.jamfsoftware.c Shawn_Surma at liverpool.k12.ny.us
> om
> Subject
> Re: [Casper] imaging a large
> group
> via NetBoot- Casper
> 05/19/08 08:51 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I am getting read to do a mass image of about 6,000 Macs over the
> Summer. At my previous job last year I helped reimage 10,000 machines
> (mostly windows boxes) over our Summer break. I wrote a simple shell
> script with Zen Imaging (Novell) that ran at netboot and automated a
> lot
> of the steps needed to reimage a machine.
>
> I have found it best practice if you are going to do this, just go
> ahead
> and buy a few big "dumb" switches, with no management on them at all.
> Hook your machines up to the "dumb" switch and start to netboot. With
> things like Port Fast and Spanning Tree I think you definitely get
> overhead from your managed switches. We were unicasting everything
> since we could never get multicasting to quite work right (mainly
> due to
> the managed switches making it take longer).
>
> We didn't have time to fuss with it so we just unicasted machines.
> 10,000 over a 2.5 month period isn't too shabby.
>
> This year I plan on doing the same. Getting an area where I can run
> power and a dumb switch and reimage like 50 at a time with very simple
> non managed networking.
>
> Also, if you are using a lower spec machine that is unicasting say,
> 20+
> connections pushing out a 6+ gig image it is going to take a while.
> Since each connection will take up resources from the netboot server.
>
> Thomas Larkin
> TIS Department
> KCKPS USD500
> tlarki at kckps.org
> cell: 913-449-7589
> office: 913-627-0351
>>>> "Shawn Surma" <Shawn_Surma at liverpool.k12.ny.us> 05/19/08 8:34 AM
>>>> >>>
> We are using Casper with a Netboot server and only one Casper server
> for
> the packages. It seems to be taking a very long time to image
> MacBooks
> out of the box. What kind of numbers has anyone else been getting?
> If I do just 1 or 2 it will complete in about 45 minutes, if I step it
> up
> to more than 7 the time goes to over 3 hours. If I add more servers
> for
> the packages will that help?
>
> Any ideas, suggestions or hints would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Shawn
>
>
> Liverpool Central School District
> Computer Services
> Liverpool, NY 13090
> (315) 622-7150
>
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