Not because it’s not a QOL improvement (it is) but because what you see in 1.5.x.x is NOT what is the end goal.

If you want to see what the UX is moving toward install the version of FOG on working-1.6.

You’ll understand (I hope), then, why I’m saying this.

EDIT: Is there a way to force full reg prior to image deployment? Like a prereq for deployment.

I’m using FOG to deploy images to laptops in our environment. Each time we perform an imaging session, these laptops are connected to the network using different USB-C to Ethernet adapters. Because of this, each adapter has a unique MAC address, and FOG identifies hosts only by MAC.
This means every time a different dongle is used, FOG sees the same laptop as a new device. As a result, the host associations, names, and previous settings are lost — which makes deployment and inventory management quite complicated.

What I’d like to achieve
I would like FOG to identify or match laptops based on a stable hardware identifier, such as:
• BIOS/SMBIOS serial number
• System UUID
• Asset tag…or any other unique ID that stays consistent regardless of the Ethernet adapter.
In other words, instead of relying solely on MAC addresses, FOG could optionally use (or at least record) a persistent hardware ID for host matching.

Questions
1 Is there any existing way in FOG to configure host matching by serial number, UUID, or similar hardware info?
2 If not, would the developers consider adding such an option — for example, during host registration or inventory?
3 Could this be achieved with a plugin, hook, or custom script that runs during PXE boot or inventory capture?

Why this would help
• MAC addresses change whenever a new USB-C Ethernet adapter is connected.
• The serial number or UUID is consistent and tied to the physical laptop.
• It would make host management, naming, and image assignment far more reliable in environments that rely on removable network adapters.

Environment details
• Hardware: various laptops (USB-C only, using external Ethernet dongles)
• OS: Windows 10 / 11
• FOG version: 1.5.10 stable
• Deployment: PXE boot via USB-C Ethernet adapters

Ideas / possible approaches
• Extend the host registration process to read dmi information.
• Add a configuration option: “Primary identifier for hosts” → choose between MAC, Serial, or UUID.
• Let admins define custom host fields and select one as the matching key.
• Allow the FOG client or PXE registration script to send serial numbers to the FOG server before imaging starts.

Final thoughts
This would be especially valuable for modern laptops that no longer have onboard Ethernet and depend on dongles or docking stations. Being able to identify a machine by its hardware serial number instead of a changing MAC would make FOG deployments much more robust.
Thanks a lot for any hints, feedback, or ideas on how to achieve this — and if this isn’t currently possible, I’d be happy to test or help develop such a feature.

Regards
TakeIT

Also, I used Debian 13 as the base image for this and it ends up being pretty large (2.5GB). It might be possible to shrink this with alpine-linux but I didn’t want to break a bunch of stuff and then have to spend more time chasing those bugs. Anybody that wants to work that angle, please feel free.

I got your message on the github repo. In regards to the DHCP issue, I’ve updated the code and it should work now. Please test and follow up in the issue thread. Please note that some of the variables in the .env file have changed so you might want to review that before starting it up.

thanks!!

88

Or perhaps some built in logic to test if postfix or other email prereqs that FOG needs to send email post image deployment.

We have started working to remove the features that we cannot manage.

Sorry that it isn’t “pretty” but this is the code moving forward. You can think of anything not on this list, but still accessible in the 1.5.x versions as being deprecated (to non-functionality)

Yes, I even spun up a new FOG VM where the mount points were created before FOG was installed to makesure the FOG installer created all the files and set permissions.

edited - words

Will there be a feature allowing in future versions of FOG that will allow you to create variables?

For global
For node
For site
For group
For host (like tags does)

With the option of using these variables in snapins or APIs…

Possibility of predefining a default value, defined as Read Only (Example: $FOG_Var = 1)

Advanced possibility :
Define this variable in write mode, leaving the value empty (Example: $FOG_Var = ), and send the value to the FOG Client + monitoring script.

Thank you

How many iterations should we allow? (So we have to track by version number/date, and that there are those different versions, and where they’re located, and dynamically update the “location” path to which ever is the most current version.)

Just thoughts out there, but complicated and too simple to screw up. It really needs a schema thought process (maybe a plugin could do this?)

BR
Klaus

That said, I think what you’re asking for is possible but it would require a Snapin to do so, and even that would be ugly. (If it truly must be static, this would be the best route in the end if you’re requiring only using FOG to manage this I think.)

You would create a Powershell scriptp that utilizes the Set-NetIPAddress statement and probably need a lookup to figure out which device needs to be using which IP address and all (that’s really the ugly part.)

The best case, though, I think, is to utilize DHCP reservations, as this would not require any special programming or even a snapin for that matter (another kink that can potentially not work appropriately.)

The DHCP server options of your AD controller, can be used to define specific IP’s in an automated way, rather than rely on a program to set the IP address.

Thanks Tom. Understood.

An Idea I had was programming this into the BIOS or requesting HP to make a BIOS/UFEI which has this feature of “channels”

Or using a boot file, such as with secure boot, but that would require HP or Dell or whichever PC manufacturer to make boot files for secure boot.

but this would be out of the scope of the project.

I do appreciate your input though.

Regards,

Matt

iventoy1.20
fog 1.5.10.1615

You can certainly add the version number to the name.
I actually wanted to avoid this because I can’t guarantee that there might be problems here in Fog if the name of an assigned packet changes all of a sudden.

To the node status
I currently know that you can read this in the logs

One field in the dashboard for each storage node would be enough for me to operate it
what the status is

Example
synchronization
Ready
Error

If there are errors, you can read them in the log.

Thank you for the great work on this project

Unfortunately, due to compliance my business is moving towards password-less environments which is causing issues in using FOG.

Thank you.

So I have to ask the question. Have you tested the fog stock ipxe boot loader? If PCBIOS is redirecting what would go to the screen out the serial port then that is all you should need. Now once you get the fog ipxe menu to display correctly, when you pick a menu item on the ipxe menu and bzImage and init.xz are loaded that is where the kernel parameters console=ttyS0,115200n8 come into play. You don’t need to edit bootmenu.class… just go into FOG Configuration->FOG Settings->Kernel Parameters and add in that line. It will be added to every computer that pxe boots into fog.

There is a different way to usb boot directly into FOS Linux (the engine that moves data on the client). The tutorial is covered here: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/7727/building-usb-booting-fos-image read the entire article top to bottom. Also check the FOG Form chat for a few more hints.