[OPLINTECH] Cloning Computers?

[Chad Neeper]

Another vote for Clonezilla. Used to use Ghost before it was absorbed by
Norton and then Symantec. It worked very well, but once I discovered the
open source clonezilla, I didn't look back.

Since I typically deal with smaller numbers...less than 15 or so identical
computers and don't usually clone more than a small handful simultaneously,
I don't bother with the DRBL server for Clonezilla Server Edition. I do,
however, usually make use of whatever file server is available. I typically
store the source/master image on the server and then clone the destination
computers from the networked copy. That way you can simultaneously clone a
few computers at a time if need be, you have an image for later use, and
you don't need to mess with external storage devices or temporarily
removing the internal one from the source computer.

Good luck with your project!


______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full LAN/WAN consulting services -- Specialized in libraries and schools*


On Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 10:19 AM, Mann, James H. <JMann at gcpl.lib.oh.us>wrote:

> Michael
> I've been using Clonezilla live CD and/or server for about 5 years with
> really good success. The advantages are that it's free, well documented,
> and easy to use (basically you have to hit the enter key 12 times).
> The disadvantage, and this is with most clone programs, is that the
> computers you're cloning have to be pretty identical, and the "tech"
> computer should be built with a hard drive smaller than the target
> computers (unless like in your case all the computers are identical).
> What you will need:
> -- A blank CD and some image burning software
> -- The Clonezilla live CD
>         http://sourceforge.net/projects/clonezilla/
> -- An external hard drive to store your image. I use a 500 gig Passport,
> but you can build one with a case and an old 80 gig if you're not planning
> on saving a lot of images.
> -- The ability to change the bios or to boot from a CD
> Getting started (Four to five hours)
> -- Build the "tech" computer with all the users, all the apps, all the
> updates.
> -- Don't license the tech computer or run any security software
> -- You can take some shortcuts like with the computer name i.e. circ_01
> and using a static IP. This makes renaming the client computers easier.
> Cloning
> -- Attach the external hard drive to the tech computer
> -- Boot the tech computer from the Clonezilla CD
> -- Follow the prompts to create an image
> -- Give your image a really good name like d600-staff-win7-250g.img You do
> this by just backspacing over the default image name.
> -- This process should take between 15 minutes and half an hour
> Restoring
> -- Attach the external hard drive to the client computer
> -- Boot from the Clonezilla live CD
> -- Choose "restore an image"
> --Choose your image name
> -- Follow the prompts and affirm that you're replacing the software on the
> disk with the image
> -- Again this process should take between 15 minutes and half an hour
>
> So if you give yourself a day and a half you should now have 12 identical
> computers. Next you'll want to rename them, change the static IP, and
> license your software. Budget 5 or 6 hours to build the tech computer, and
> 30 minutes each for the clients. Total investment, if you had to buy an
> external hard drive and a pack of CDs around $50.
>
> In our environment we use the Clonezilla live CD to do one-up restores
> i.e. copy public-01 and replace hard drive in public-02. For larger
> projects we use Clonezilla Server Edition running on a Suse workstation and
> clone a dozen clients at once. Here the math gets really good because the
> tech computer is 5 or 6 hours but you're doing a dozen clients in 30
> minutes.
>
> Please feel free to contact me or come on down to Xenia if you need any
> help with this project
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Mann
> Technology Coordinator
> Greene County Public Library
> 76 E. Market St
> Xenia OH 45385
> 937 352 4000 x1210
> Discover. Learn. Grow.
> jmann at gcpl.lib.oh.us
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org [mailto:
> oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org] On Behalf Of Michael Vollmar-Grone
> Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:20 AM
> To: oplintech at lists.oplin.org
> Subject: [OPLINTECH] Cloning Computers?
>
> I have a dozen new Win7 Pro computers used primarily for circulation to
> load and configure.
> Have read about ghosting/cloning but no hands-on experience.
> Any advice how to proceed (or not), recommended software, etc appreciated.
> Mike
>
> --
>
> Michael Vollmar-Grone
> Director of Technical Services
> Shelby County Libraries
> 230 East North Street
> Sidney, OH 45365
> (937) 492-6851 x.119
> http://shelbyco.lib.oh.us/
> http://www.facebook.com/ShelbyCountyLibraries
> vollmami at oplin.org
>
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