If you run into issues with Ubuntu, I recommend debian like VincentJ, its the base from which Ubuntu is built. The terminal commands are the same as in Ubuntu, it’s just an all around stable build.

FOG does not require a Desktop version of the Linux OS, actually a LTS version is recommended as long as you are comfortable working with a cli and not a GUI.

[quote=“danh30, post: 32450, member: 24977”]Thanks for the reply Tom. I love Fog and will continue to use it.

I’m OK with not having a go button and having the task begin once the 47 hosts have connected.

We’ve imaged 913 computers without using multicast. Basically I have a list of 913 machines I get to scroll through.

Are summer work consists of hooking the computers back up and imaging them. So with this method I would have to call the tech at that building and say can you E-mail me all 60 host names that you want to multicast. I then would have to look through all 913 registered computers and one by one select the 60 I need and move them to my multicast group and then they would multicast.

I just want to make things easier and faster for me to where after they’ve registered the computer on there end then they could have another menu that would say join multicast session and they could type that session name in and it would automatically add them to that multicast group.

They don’t have access to the fog server.[/quote]

I understand where you are coming from. There is something in the works so that we may be able to let those techs access a restricted set of fog menus so they can issues tasks themselves, but it’s still in the works.

However, in revision 1731 Tom implemented the option to have quick registered hosts auto join to a group, this could allow you the opportunity to have the tech register the machines to the server, and you choose the group at the time, then assign an image for the entire group and finally begin a multicast session to that group and let the techs turn the machines on.

I realize this isn’t an ideal solution, but a possible work around.

[quote=“Phil Brackett, post: 32434, member: 24966”]Since the FOG machine is not hooked up to my network anymore (because you had me move it to an isolated switch) I don’t know its IP address so I couldn’t modify to ltsp.conf to be any more specific.[/quote]

You should set a static ip address for the machine. It shouldn’t matter what switch you move it to, you should always have the same ip address.

[quote=“Phil Brackett, post: 32431, member: 24966”]Jaymes, I have installed the FOG machine and a client machine (the HP Elitebook) on a spare Cisco 2960. I have also edited my ltsp.conf to match the one you showed me at [URL=‘http://fogproject.org/wiki/index.php/Using_FOG_with_an_unmodifiable_DHCP_server/_Using_FOG_with_no_DHCP_server#DNSMASQ_settings_for_iPXE’]http://fogproject.org/wiki/index.ph...with_no_DHCP_server#DNSMASQ_settings_for_iPXE[/URL]

I have also restarted the dnsmasq service.

Where is the tftpboot folder, so I can symlink according to your directions?[/quote]

It is on the root of the drive.
[code]
cd /tftpboot [/code]

[quote=“Phil Brackett, post: 32422, member: 24966”]We are a Windows network with a Lightspeed filter, and my FOG machine is already a part of a filter bypass group, so its inability to access the internet is a little dumbfounding. In fact, when I check my web filter logs to see where the FOG machine has tried to go, it shows no attempts to access the internet at all (since yesterday). Weird?!?!

Anyway, thanks for the CNA information, I have it right now discovering my switches on the IP subnet where I have them all assigned!!

When you suggest moving the FOG server and a host machine to an isolated switch, do you mean just connecting the two machines to a single switch that is not connected to anything else?[/quote]

That is very odd, however, I don’t have any experience with lightspeed.

In theory, yes, just connecting the two machines on the same switch without any other network access should work, as long as you can supply some kind of DHCP information.

If you would like we can set up the DNSMASQ service, I use this in my environment and it is actually the only way to resolve to my FOG server. It’s a quick easy set up, and it’s just as easy to remove. The DNSMASQ will act as a proxy dhcp server for machines looking to boot via TFTP, it will also help to point those machines to the correct boot file.

If you are interested the link is here [url]http://fogproject.org/wiki/index.php/Using_FOG_with_an_unmodifiable_DHCP_server/_Using_FOG_with_no_DHCP_server#DNSMASQ_settings_for_iPXE[/url]

It could be possible, I know it is set this way in my environment as I work in education, that every devices is defaulted to a filter that is not allowing it to communicate with the outside world. This shouldn’t cause issues with pxe booting, but it will cause issues when trying to download directly to the server or to perform upgrades.

We are a Novell network with a cymphonix webfilter, I had to add my admin machines and my fog boxes to the filter bypass group, you may need to do something similar.

I am curious if you move the FOG server and a machine to a switch by themselves if the pxe menu will display, it should, but I am worried there may be more in your infrastructure that could cause issues with receiving the boot file in a timely manor.

Never fret, I have a solution if we need to use it, for now can you isolate a host and the fog server and verify that the host can load the pxe menu?

You need to edit the settings of your DHCP server for option 067 to point to undionly.kpxe instead of pxelinux.0

Assuming you are running Ubuntu 13 or below the kernel is located in /var/www/fog/service/ipxe folder.

If you run Ubuntu 14 or higher, or a CentOS/RHEL edition, your kernel will be located in /var/www/html/fog/service/ipxe.

To check to see which kernel you are using, please log into the FOG Web GUI and click on the Fog configuration button on the top right, then select Fog Settings from the left, and finally expand the selection TFTP Server in the center. There you can see the folder FOG is using for the kernel as well as the kernel in use, it should resemble bzImage32, if you are using the 64 bit kernel your file will be bzImage.

Did you change the bootfile name from pxelinux.0 to undionly.kpxe as instructed by the installer script?

The latest version, 1.1.2 has a number of marginal improvements I would highly recommend upgrading to 1.1.2

As far as “amending your current set up” we don’t know what your set up is, without more information we can’t offer recommendations. If you need to please use your native language and use google translate.

[quote=“Phil Brackett, post: 32399, member: 24966”]Okay, here’s some more info:

I checked the BIOS settings on the client (an HP Elitebook 8570p), and it is set-up for a legacy boot (I must have done that at some point in the past). However, in the System Configuration menu of the BIOS, there were three PXE boot options: 1) PXE NIC, 2) PXE IPV4, & 3) PXE IPV6. Only the first one was optioned. I optioned the other two, but still no joy.

Something interesting has changed though. Now, during PXE booting, I get the F8 menu and I choose network boot (as before) and the TFTP search seems to take a few seconds now. Previously, the PXE-M0F error appeared so fast that I had to video the process to see the error in slow-mo. Now, the TFTP search takes multiple seconds, and the periods after the TFTP are multiple before timing out. I don’t know if this makes a difference or not.[/quote]

Because the command failed I want you to verify that the tftp service is running, on the FOG server from the linux installation open a terminal and type the following command

[code]
sudo service tftpd-hpa restart[/code]

This should cause the service to restart. After the service is restarted please try the command on the windows box again.

I use the CNA program provided by cisco to edit the settings of my switches after the initial set up. I recommend using this program as it is a GUI and you can back up and restore switch settings within it. I would verify that Port Fast is enabled on all your ports with the CNA program.

[quote=“Phil Brackett, post: 32368, member: 24966”]My DHCP server is a virtualized 2008R2 installation running on a VMWare ESX server in my central rack. That ESX server is connected to the network via a Cisco Catalyst 2960G switch which is connected to a Cisco Catalyst 3750 switch which is connected to my core switches mentioned above.[/quote]

What happens when you run the tftp get commands from a machine within the network?

from a windows machine (preferably on the same switch you are working with), enable the tftp client in the Windows Add/Remove Programs and Features section of Control Panel.

Now open a command prompt and issue the following command where x.x.x.x is your ip address of your FOG server.
[code]
tftp x.x.x.x get undionly.kpxe[/code]

Is Port Fast enabled on your switches? I use the 2960 in my environment as well, I don’t claim to be an expert but with the correct settings and dnsmasq I can pxe boot without issues. This is really the only setting I remember enabling other than IGMP Snooping, which I am told will not have an affect here.

[quote=“Ronny Olsen, post: 32296, member: 18879”]As I said in the first post, it is enabled on the fog client.
I have all services enabled on the client, and on the registered host.
And disable things globally if I don’t need it.
But thanks for the reply

But I have an update. It seems like it is working if I disable/enable the service.
So I added a startup-bat that does this, but it still seems like some kind of a bug.
It has only happened on this Optiplex 7010 with Windows Ent. (Could be a windows update, I will test this on an other model with latest updates).[/quote]

Have you tried adjusting the service to “Automatic (Delayed)”?

[quote=“chclark, post: 32289, member: 6419”]Yes 10.160.112.10 is my DHCP and one of the dns servers there are two here 10.160.112.10 and 10.160.112.13[/quote]

Then your settings, as far as I can tell, are correct.

If you have difficulties when resolving your tftp server or bootfile name please look into the DNSMASQ solution I have provided.

When you installed the FOG Client did you enable the check box for the service?

It is recommended to leave all of the boxes checked when installing the service and disable them globally at the server if at all possible.

[quote=“chclark, post: 32212, member: 6419”]
Would you like to setup a router address for the DHCP server? [Y/n]
What is the IP address to be used for the router on the DHCP server? [10.160.112.1]10.160.112.10

Would you like to setup a DNS address for the DHCP server and client boot image? [Y/n]
What is the IP address to be used for DNS on the DHCP server and client boot image? [127.0.0.1] 10.160.112.10[/quote]

is 10.160.112.1 your DHCP server in your current network? or is 10.160.112.10 your dhcp server?

My recommendation is to use DNSMASQ to help to alleviate the issues of working with a DHCP server. It is a proxy boot service that helps to issue ip addresses to machines during the pxe boot process, this also helps to find the boot file.

Your log file looks okay, I would start by verifying that the DNS server and the DHCP server are in fact one in the same and that the address you are using is correct. IF that is the case, try using DNSMASQ to help to resolve to your FOG server.

[url]http://fogproject.org/wiki/index.php/Using_FOG_with_an_unmodifiable_DHCP_server/_Using_FOG_with_no_DHCP_server#DNSMASQ_settings_for_iPXE[/url]

If you enter Audit mode and intend to sysprep, you can make all the changes you need. Then before running the sysprep command, you can upload the image to the Fog server and keep it safe and use it as a “back up” in case you need to revert to a point before you ran the generalize command.

A better solution is to build the image virtually and use snapshots and revert that way.

Either way, you will be able to make a back up before using the generalize command.

I only recommend using the skip re-arm when you are learning to set up your unattend.xml file. But then again using a snapshot, or keeping a back up on the fog server would also negate the need to skip re-arm.

Hope this helps!

Just make sure you don’t upload over top of the “Before” image O.O

[quote=“chclark, post: 32046, member: 6419”]oh yea when I say decommission it will still be there incase the new one goes belly up.

I had planed to use virtualbox for that very reason. I know theres a thread here about golden image but am abit confussed byt the sad2 tool.[url]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/windows-7-deployment-fog-sad2-driver-tool.380/[/url]
another guide I found says to just install all the drivers on the virtual machine for every machine type we have and when it comes to been deployed windows would then just use the ones it need but am unsure on this.[/quote]

What I do, I do not know that this is correct but I do know it works in my environment. I use a tool to grab the drivers, such as DriverGrabber or DoubleDriver, and I will pull the drivers from an OEM install before I image.

Now when I begin audit mode in my Virtualbox Machine, I make a folder in the C drive called Drivers. I add this path to the variables section of the My Computer Properties, Advanced, and Finally under Environment Variables.

If I can not use my driver grabber, I just pull the installers off the driver disk and include them here. Most of the drivers will install when Windows is looking for INF files because they are included as a path variable. If the drivers aren’t installed after imaging, then I just manually run the installer from the Drivers folder. I touch each machine to make sure activation went through okay and that my scripts completed as expected.

I haven’t worked with that SAD2 tool, but I know there are some that do. Either way the direction is up to you. IMHO the Drivers is probably the one of the hardest parts about a golden image. After you decide how to handle them, then the other hard part is the unattend.xml file.

[quote=“Bill G., post: 32041, member: 24757”]Will do… thanks![/quote]

and of course whatever you learn come back and share with the class!

[quote=“chclark, post: 32043, member: 6419”]well once the new server is up and running the old one will be powered down.

all I need it to do is image machines and auto rename and join domain, and move to correct location in ad, I think the difficult part for me is making a golden image as seams to be so many different ways mentioned on here none the same lol.[/quote]

My recommendation is Virtualbox. Build your image Virtually and include all drivers and driver installation packs. If you set up a variable path that houses these installer files, then most of the drivers will be automatically assigned.

There are a number of golden image set ups, you are correct, but all of them should use a Virtual image as a base. I recommend Virtual box because it allows for easy snapshots and quick converting back to those snapshots. I don’t want to delve too deep, good luck.

I personally, wouldn’t decommission a working server, but I wouldn’t use it as the main environment either. I disconnected the network cable to my 0.32 server, but she’s still running today. I still use it from time to time as well.