Fog_0.32 on Ubuntu 12.04
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Globally enable the host name changer module in the Fog web UI. Install the Fog Client on a computer before you upload the image. Make sure when you install the client you leave the host name changer enabled.
I think in 0.32, Fog changes a registry setting as one of the last steps before completing the image deployment if the host name changer option is enabled and you have fast rename enabled (other Settings - fog settings - general settings)
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Thanks Chad that pointed me in the right direction. I will fire up a few computers in the lab and try to see if I have it all figured out tomorrow.
In the past we kept 2 master image machines and simply pushed 2, non-syspreped, images to the different computers. then we had to go in and manually rename the computers and reboot them for the changes to take effect then we could do our deepfreeze setup and be ready for class.
We, to my knowledge, have never used fog prep either. -
I used sysprep on my Windows 7 laptops that will be frozen with DeepFreeze, but only so I could “copyprofile” some settings over from the administrator profile to the default profile. I did the windows setup, hit the hotkeys to reboot into audit mode, and load/setup the computer how I want. Then I sysprep + copyprofile to overwrite the default profile with my custom settings for background and some app options. Reboot after sysprep and finish installing.
Basically, I don’t sysprep right before uploading the image. With Windows 7 and Fog 0.32, it’s not necessary; Fog now takes care of the FogPrep steps to avoid boot up problems. You only have to sysprep to achieve a specific goal only attainable through sysprep. Booting a clean windows 7 image does not require sysprep/fogprep.
For my labs, which are currently running Windows XP, I do not sysprep. I load 1 machine up with all the software I need, join it to the domain and get the policies applied and all the updates ( have to join to domain to get windows update to work ). Once it’s complete, I remove it from the domain and shutdown. I register the device if not already registered and I schedule an upload task. Once it’s complete, I can use the image to push to the rest of the lab and Fog will rename each client based on the name it was registered with. If I have Active Directory integration enabled, it will join them back to the domain for me after they are renamed.
Once they show they are joined to the domain, I freeze them using deep freeze console or manually logging into each one if I don’t have access to the console.
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I am curious to try it and see if it does what you say it will. In the past we had issuses as one machine has an AMD processor and the other has an intel processor, but we were also not using fog_0.32 either. Our lab is not part of a domain so no need to do that as of yet, that is on my list of things I would like to do.
I played around in VMware player today and managed to figure out the fog services. I now have my (virtual) setup here at home renaming hosts.
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[quote=“chad-bisd, post: 4226, member: 18”]I used sysprep on my Windows 7 laptops that will be frozen with DeepFreeze, but only so I could “copyprofile” some settings over from the administrator profile to the default profile. I did the windows setup, hit the hotkeys to reboot into audit mode, and load/setup the computer how I want. Then I sysprep + copyprofile to overwrite the default profile with my custom settings for background and some app options. Reboot after sysprep and finish installing.
Basically, I don’t sysprep right before uploading the image. With Windows 7 and Fog 0.32, it’s not necessary; Fog now takes care of the FogPrep steps to avoid boot up problems. You only have to sysprep to achieve a specific goal only attainable through sysprep. Booting a clean windows 7 image does not require sysprep/fogprep.
For my labs, which are currently running Windows XP, I do not sysprep. I load 1 machine up with all the software I need, join it to the domain and get the policies applied and all the updates ( have to join to domain to get windows update to work ). Once it’s complete, I remove it from the domain and shutdown. I register the device if not already registered and I schedule an upload task. Once it’s complete, I can use the image to push to the rest of the lab and Fog will rename each client based on the name it was registered with. If I have Active Directory integration enabled, it will join them back to the domain for me after they are renamed.
Once they show they are joined to the domain, I freeze them using deep freeze console or manually logging into each one if I don’t have access to the console.[/quote]
I went in and built a Virtual machine today to do some testing, I built a windows 7 VM in VMware player. I installed a AV on it and ran about 100 updates on it.
I thought I would follow the no need to sysprep as fog_0.32 would handle that. I fired up half of the lab as it gave me a variation of 7 Optiplex 740’s, 6 that run a dual monitor setup and one that runs a single monitor setup, and 5 Optiplex 330’s.
The Optiplex 330’s imaged just fine but the 740’s were an epic fail. The 330’s all imaged and renamed just fine though. I will play around with some variations of some images I have from my final image build process and see if I can find a combination that will work for both machines. -
One big different I have is that each model of computer we have has a complete and separate image for it. Like we have a lab of 42 computers, all identical hardware. They have 1 image. We have 120 teacher laptops, all identical hardware, they have 1 image.
I think I have about 11 different images. I have not ventured into the hardware independent image yet because each image usually has it’s own hardware and its own software requirements.
Sysprep has not been needed for me to image because I am not trying to clear out all the hardware info from windows before I make the image.
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I am searching for a way to do unattended OS installs on a variety of hardware. Two of my labs have all identical equipment, but the one that has the biggest image has 2 differnt hardware platforms. Windows 7 is very good at having the proper drivers for most computers on the initial install. My problem is, my FOG servers are all hand me downs from the IT department with limited hard drive space. I have a 1TB external drive and will have to check and see if my old poweredge 1550 will even support this big of a drive, and possibly use it for image storage. I don’t think I can even fit 2 images on my server as the full image ends up at around 50GB. I guess I better start looking into ways to add storage to my old beater server.
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Don’t know if this will help you I use one image at my college for all the different computers we have(running Windoiws 7). Before I sysprep the machine I run a utility call PnPUtil.exe this lets me add all the drivers for the different computers in the OS so USB3, NIC, Video, Accelometer, etc are loaded so when the computer restarts it has all the drivers it needs for that particular computer. My unattend file is basically to register windows and MS Office programs. FOG does the rest.
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[quote=“Darrell Lanson, post: 4315, member: 1392”]Don’t know if this will help you I use one image at my college for all the different computers we have(running Windoiws 7). Before I sysprep the machine I run a utility call PnPUtil.exe this lets me add all the drivers for the different computers in the OS so USB3, NIC, Video, Accelometer, etc are loaded so when the computer restarts it has all the drivers it needs for that particular computer. My unattend file is basically to register windows and MS Office programs. FOG does the rest.[/quote]
I will look into this, thank you for giving me the info. I was wondering if I loaded windows onto one platform then use sysprep and pushed that image to the other platform if it would still retain the drivers from the first install. I was planning on testing my theory on Tuesday and will look into the PnPUtility.exe, as long as its free the college will pay for it.
The other thing I am running into is, if I use an individual image for my computers, they do not shut down after they have been imaged or when I upload an image. I think I may have to test out a few more kernels. -
When using the PnpUtil I found that if you use just -a switch it wouldnt work I had to use -a and -i Add and Install you just point it to the inf driver file and it will add it to C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore that way one image should work on any computer We have laptops and desktops and there all working off of one image about 6 different models and haven’t had a problem yet.
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[quote=“Darrell Lanson, post: 4319, member: 1392”]When using the PnpUtil I found that if you use just -a switch it wouldnt work I had to use -a and -i Add and Install you just point it to the inf driver file and it will add it to C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore that way one image should work on any computer We have laptops and desktops and there all working off of one image about 6 different models and haven’t had a problem yet.[/quote]
Sounds great, I was just reading up on the PnPUtility on the Vista support page at Microsoft. My computers all have the same NIC and video card so the main issue seems to be CPU. One has a dual core Intel Processor and the other has a triple core AMD. I am trying to keep all my images that I use for my 3 labs live and updating over the course of the semester in a virtual environment, that way I don’t have to fire up 4 different image machines and run updates on them. I’m learning as I go, with this whole process. I am patiently waiting for them to tell me we just got 12 new computers in and that I need to make the image work for that machine as well. -
I know that because of FOG I am able to finally take a summer vacation for the first time in 8 years I can image all our computers in about a 2 week period or less if I want compared to taking almost the whole 2 months before.
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[quote=“Darrell Lanson, post: 4322, member: 1392”]I know that because of FOG I am able to finally take a summer vacation for the first time in 8 years I can image all our computers in about a 2 week period or less if I want compared to taking almost the whole 2 months before.[/quote]
It is a great tool, we have been using fog_0.29 during the past 2 semesters that I have been a student worker. I am just now making the upgrade to fog_0.32 and learning all the new features that I can use to save even more time. The Student that just graduated had it setup pretty well, I am just trying to make some improvements over the summer. I have also been asked to give the IT department a little presentation on FOG as my 3 small labs in one building are a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the labs on campus. -
[quote=“Darrell Lanson, post: 4322, member: 1392”]I know that because of FOG I am able to finally take a summer vacation for the first time in 8 years I can image all our computers in about a 2 week period or less if I want compared to taking almost the whole 2 months before.[/quote]
Darrel.
About how many computers are you imaging?
This would be great information to add to my presentation I will be giving, as long as you don’t mind me quoting this statement. -
FOG may try to rename the computer at the end of imaging if quick rename is enabled. It does this by editing the registry from Linux. Otherwise the FOG service checks the current name of the machine against the registered name in FOG and changes it in windows shortly after boot up. FOG 0.32 will also auto join to the domain if configured properly. It’s all built into the hostnamechanger module of the FOG client.