Trying to image Ubuntu desktops

[A Former User]

Hi, can someone give me the commands (or point me to them) on how I can image and then deploy a Ubuntu desktop? Not sure where to start.

Thanks!
Marisa

[george1421]

Have you built your ubuntu master or golden image yet? That is usually where you start the process. Create your master image, install the FOG client, then capture it with FOG and deploy.

Are you running into a specific road block?

[A Former User]

I have the desktop I want to image configured how I want it, but I don’t know what the process is. Once I install the FOG client what do I do? Do I need the vl-sysprep step?

[george1421]

@marisag said in Trying to image Ubuntu desktops:

vl-sysprep

At this time we don’t have a wiki page for imaging ubuntu desktop. I understand the process but have not done this so take what I say as a good “guess” at the process.

IF you want some of the automated functions of FOG you will need to install the FOG client in linux. Here are the features available in the fog client for each OS. (scroll down a bit to see the Cross Platform Compatibility table) https://github.com/FOGProject/fog-client

Once the FOG client is installed and you are ready to capture your image, there is a MS Windows like sysprep step you must run to sanitize (clean up) the master image in preparation for cloning. That command is called virt-sysprep. This is a shell script that is used to remove the machine/hardware specific information in preparation for imaging. ref: http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/precise/man1/virt-sysprep.1.html

After the virt-sysprep step is done then shutdown the machine and schedule a capture in FOG. This next part I’m not clear on but at one time FOG was not able to resize LVM disks so you had to create your linux desktop image on the smallest disk on your campus and capture the image using single disk non-resizable. That way the image would deploy correctly on any computer with the same size disk or larger. If you created your linux image using standard partitions then fog can resize the file system no problem, then you can capture and deploy with single disk resizable. At this time I don’t know if FOG 1.4.4 can support single disk resizable for LVM created disks. You need to know how your disk structure was created to make sure you capture the image in the right mode or your deployments won’t work correctly.

Once you have your image captured then setup your deployments as you would normally for a windows environment. Register your target computers and schedule your deployment.

[justeverything]

I’m using mostly ubuntu and all my images are set to “single disk, resizable” .

the order you should go in short:

on the desktop pc:
setup the desktop you want to clone
enable pxe boot in the bios of your desktop pc

on the fog server (gui):
create new image (single disk, resizable) (image management)
register host pc with the server(there are multiple ways to to that, check the wiki )
assign your created image with the entry of the desktop pc (select host image in host management)
click on capture image at the entry of your desktop pc
if you don’t run the fog client on the desktop pc, you should reboot your pc so it does the magic

deploy a image:
is mostly the same as above: create new host, assign image, click on deploy.

you should also look for the “fog client” - running it on the desktop pc is very usefull!

I hope I did not forget anything.