How to have FOG check that the uploaded image is restorable?
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Hi,
I’m using FOG as a backup system of sorts. I do regular clones, and keep regular backups - thus, I could always do a bare-metal restore should it be required.
However, I need to be sure that the image that was uploaded to the server can be restored. I used to use Clonezilla and can remember that there is a flag that tells Partimage to check the image after it was made.
Can I do the same with FOG?
Thanks.
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FOG is not intended to be a backup solution.
that said, if the image hits any problems, it will should fail to finish the upload. old images are not replaced until the new upload completes. -
Sure - I’m very much aware that it is not a backup solution. Maybe, my original post was a little ambiguous. We have a Windows domain with all the important data redirected back to the server. The server is backed up nightly. So, strictly speaking, that is our backup system - not FOG. However, this does not enable bare-metal restores of individual workstations. To fill that gap I take regular images of each workstation. Maybe once every two months (or when new software were installed). In case of catastrophic failure, one can then pop in a new hard drive. Clone back the image. The rest is handled by the Windows folder redirection. Thus far I’ve had great success with it. However, I was using Clonezilla. I’m experimenting with FOG because the web interface seem so neat and user friendly. Also, it seems to have the capability of initiating a clone remotely which will be awesome.
I noted that FOG is built upon some of the same software than Clonezilla is. Which is why I wondered if there is a way to set the ‘check if image is restorable’ flag - which seems to be a function of partclone. I doesn’t happen often, but I had a few images in the past that cloned without problem, but then failed the restorable test. Which is why I was hoping to be able to check the image afterwards.
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Why not have a base image instead?
That’s what I do, I think that’s what most people do.
You can use SysPrep to generalize a machine before you take an image (I don’t do this though, I keep an image per model), and include whatever drivers you need for all your models.
Custom software installations can be deployed per machine through Active Directory’s GPO software installation, or through a GPO based script for particular machines.
When I image a system, and FOG auto names, and auto joins to the domain, GPO takes care of a GREAT majority of software for me.
This class has this, that class has that… this person has that one weird thing… All done through GPO…
And, with a lot of older educational software, I can just put that software into a read only share folder, and have GPO create desktop shortcuts to it for the entire building to use.
My aim is to make my job as easy as possible, because I don’t have the time to sit at some machine installing a pile of custom software that it needs.
That’s just my two cents… Maybe re-examine how you’re doing things… Especially if you administer that Domain which you speak of.
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Yes - thanks. Your suggestions make sense. And, yes one can build remarkably complex images with all the tools MS provides. And, we do that also. And, yes GPO is great (could have been more user friendly), and we use it extensively. However, it is for a great many reasons not entirely practical with this particular setup we have.
Having Partimage check if the image is restorable would be a nice to have though :). I was assuming one could tweak this through some sort of advanced setting. Even, if you do a SysPrep you would want to be sure it was imaged correctly before you even move on to the testing phase. Maybe I should list this under feature requests? It would also be cool if one could have more than one image associated with a certain PC.
Other than that - all my thumbs are up - FOG seems like a very neat piece of software
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[quote=“MrsPotter, post: 43841, member: 27740”]Yes - thanks. Your suggestions make sense. And, yes one can build remarkably complex images with all the tools MS provides. And, we do that also. And, yes GPO is great (could have been more user friendly), and we use it extensively. However, it is for a great many reasons not entirely practical with this particular setup we have.
Having Partimage check if the image is restorable would be a nice to have though :). I was assuming one could tweak this through some sort of advanced setting. Even, if you do a SysPrep you would want to be sure it was imaged correctly before you even move on to the testing phase. Maybe I should list this under feature requests? It would also be cool if one could have more than one image associated with a certain PC.
Other than that - all my thumbs are up - FOG seems like a very neat piece of software :)[/quote]
I suppose the ultimate test would be to just do a image deployment of said image. That would be better than any software check.