[OPLINTECH] imaging software recommendations?

[Mann, James H.]

Well, here's a couple of ideas:

1. Build your public computer up to what you will allow patrons to use and lock it down with Steady State or Deep Freeze.
The computer goes back to the way you want it on restart. Deep Freeze isn't free but as I recall it's pretty reasonable. Steady State still works on XP and it's free if you know where to find the download.
2. Build an image (technician computer) and clone it to Clonezilla. From what you are describing you would want to Clonezilla server on your network that you could connect to via PXe boot in the morning. And if you add or remove software you can just update the image and let Clonezilla blow it out to all the computers at one time.
Building a Clonezilla server takes several hours, but it's free and runs pretty well on a P4 3.x with 2gigs RAM and a 160 hard drive. Besides being free, we can image 11 computers in about 18 minutes which isn't too shabby.

Here's a couple of links that may be useful:

http://www.computersforclassrooms.org/pdf/Clonezilla_Guide.pdf

http://download.cnet.com/Windows-SteadyState/3000-18512_4-11127965.html

I have pretty strong feelings about how much change I'll let my patrons make to the public computers, but I'm old-fashioned in thinking that the computer has to be useable all day not just for one patron.

HTH

Jim Mann
Technology Coordinator
Greene County Public Library
76 E. Market St.
Xenia Ohio 45385
(937)352-4000 x1210
mailto: jmann at gcpl.lib.oh.us
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti.

-----Original Message-----
From: oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org [mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org] On Behalf Of Lynne Welch
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 2:29 PM
To: oplintech at oplin.org
Subject: [OPLINTECH] imaging software recommendations?

Hello colleagues,

We're looking into the possibility of using imaging
software to construct a template (I may not have
the correct terminology there) for our public computers.

We want to create something that will function like 
our Windows profiles do now. We run a script every
morning to delete the profile (with any changes which
have occurred the previous day), but currently patrons
can't install any software and that's becoming more
and more problematic.

It needs to work with our CASSIE system of pc and printer 
management. We're still running XP on these machines
but optimally it would allow for upgrades in the future,
to Win7 or whatever comes next.

Any pro's/con's or alternate suggestions would be
welcome. Whatever is recommended also needs to be fairly 
uncomplicated as we don't have trained IT staff onsite
(we have a consultant who can set it up, but after that
it should be self-maintaining as much as possible),
and ideally would be relatively inexpensive as well.

I realize I'm asking a lot, but if anyone knows where to
find it, I'm sure it's you guys. Thanks in advance ~

Lynne

Lynne Welch 
Herrick Memorial Library 
Wellington Ohio USA  
tel. 440-647-2120

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