create/capture new image over the fog boot menu

[EnricoK.]

Hi Community,

is it possible to create new image and capture a image over the fog boot menu on a registered client?
Like the way with the fog web server.

Thanks in advance

best regards
Enrico

by the way: Fog Project is great

[Sebastian Roth]

@EnricoK No, there is currently no way to create an image definition through the FOG iPXE boot menu. What does your work flow with FOG look like that makes you need to create new image definitions and capture an image through the iPXE menu? Web UI not accessible?

[EnricoK.]

@Sebastian-Roth

Web UI works fine.
I have a lot of machine (all machine in VLAN without access to the WEB UI) in a big area in our plant without access to pc nearby.
my fog server is configured with two network adapter.
one in the machine vlan and one in the normal lan.

It would be a nice feature for me.
I think it´s a idea for update? or possible a update feature for the Fog Client Software.

[Sebastian Roth]

@EnricoK This sounds to me as if you would use FOG as a tool for backup. Don’t get me wrong, you can use FOG for backup up machines but it’s not the focus of the FOG project to do that. That’s probably the main reason why we don’t have it in the iPXE menu so far.

FOG is an open source project and you can engage or even develop your own “features”. If you need help with this let us know and we will see what we can help with. I have not looked at changes needed for this to work but just from the top of my head I would imagine it takes a a fair bit of work.

[EnricoK.]

@Sebastian-Roth

sound good for me.
Yes we are use the fog server for backup.

Oh yes i need help to develop this feature.
My problem is i´ve never programming before.

a little bit VB-Script, SQL, Linux knowledge is okay

Do you have tutorial´s for me?

Thank you Sebastian

[Sebastian Roth]

@EnricoK Most of what you need is Linux shell scripting and PHP programming.

Now that I think of it again I am wondering if it’d be easier to find a workaround that suites your needs and is way easier than adding that feature. Why is the Web UI not accessible from the other VLAN? It kind of has to because the PXE booting process itself needs to load information via HTTP or it would fail.

[EnricoK.]

@Sebastian-Roth

now the WEB GUI is reachable from the machine in the VLAN.
i think again, the full registration and inventory over the fog boot menu, load also information via HTTP, or?

in the other plant, i need this way for my colleagues.
That´s service engineer and the computer know how is on a base level.

I think it is a easy way to create and capture image over the IPXE menu like the full registration.

i will also help the community, if i can help, for example translate documentation in german, let me know.

best regards

Enrico

[Sebastian Roth]

@enricok said in create/capture new image over the fog boot menu:

the full registration and inventory over the fog boot menu, load also information via HTTP, or?

Yes and many other things do as well like simply booting to the FOG iPXE menu.

I think it is a easy way to create and capture image over the IPXE menu like the full registration.

You might start reading through the code to get an idea. This part of the code is called when you do a full registration with line 264 scheduling a deployment task.

The other route you might take is using the FOG API so create new images and schedule a capture task. You might be able to use VB script to send a query to the FOG API. Possibly just create a simple script for your service engineers that will ask for an image name to create. Though there is one issue you might have with this: The service engineer has to enter the hostname manually to find the correct object in the database.

[EnricoK.]

@sebastian-roth

I wish you and your familie a happy and healthy new year.

I wanted to say thank you for your time.

best regards

Enrico