PXE Boot Server Software
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Good day all.
I need assistants with a PXE boot server software that can include software with the likes of Chrome, FireFox, MS office, Adobe Reader etc, included in the software so that when we boot the client off the network, all the software is installed and all that needs to happen is to put in their own usernames and passwords in.
This is quite urgent and would really appreciate all the help i can receive.
Thanks very much.
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Are you trying to create… a VDI like solution with FOG? If so its the wrong tool to use. FOG is intended for cloning a single mother image to many target computers. It has nothing like a VDI architecture.
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Are you looking for diskless client options? FOG is a server based imaging solution (and client management).
If you are looking for imaging, then you will have to make that image yourself and capture it.
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It has to be a software program that can create the image for the user and when that system needs to be setup for the user, it needs to be PXE booted via the network but with all software programs installed as mentioned in my previous post. It simply takes a lot quicker and saves a lot time.
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It has to be a software program that can create the image for the user and when that system needs to be setup for the user, it needs to be PXE booted via the network but with all software programs installed as mentioned in my previous post. It simply takes a lot quicker and saves a lot time.
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I think we have a translation and a terminology issue here.
Lets start out with what FOG does. At its very basic level FOG captures a source computer and saves the image on the FOG server hard drive. Then you can deploy that image to 1 or 100 or 1000 target computers, making them all the same with the same softwares installed. FOG doesn’t change the image between capture and deploy, it only copies it.
FOG supports pxe booting both the source computer and target computer for imaging.
FOG does not create your source, master, or golden image with all of the softwares installed. That golden image creation is for you to do.
In my office we use Microsoft’s MDT software to create the golden image. Then I capture the golden image with FOG, then deploy to the target computers. I can deploy a 25GB Windows 10 image with office and all other company softwares in about 4 minutes to a target computer. I can go from new computer out of box to sending computer to use in 20 minutes, with all softwares installed.
What you want to do is surely possible but since you start with nothing, the solution will not be quick for you.
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What you have mentioned in this post is exactly what I need to implement.
What all will I need to get started?
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@bradc Where to start? The answer is not with FOG.
Do you have a golden image already created? You can create it in Audit mode, or via MDT.
Without a golden / master / reference image, FOG is no fun.
When you have a golden image or one close then setup a FOG server by installing linux and then install FOG software. After FOG server is setup then you need to make some changes to your dhcp server to enable pxe booting.
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@george1421 Is the MDT the Microsoft Development Toolkit?
So I’ll need to install Linux on a server with the FOG software on the server?
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@bradc Yes and Yes.
FOG only runs under a linux server so far. So you can use Debian, Centos, or Ubuntu as the FOG server host operating system.
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