Apple Training Series Mac OS X Server Essentials, Second Edition

There are also some third-party tools that perform image-creation and deployment tasks.

These include:

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Carbon Copy Cloner (Mike Bombich Software)

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NetRestore (Mike Bombich Software)

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Radmind (University of Michigan)

With the advantage of these and other deployment software tools, you can build an auto-

mated system that needs very little user interaction to function. This lesson will focus pri-

marily on the NetBoot service provided by Mac OS X Server.

Creating NetBoot images can be a lengthy process, but most of it is just waiting for the

image to be processed. Because this lesson includes creation of two images, you may wish

to split this lesson over a couple days or over a dinner break at either of the two image

creation steps.

Deployment Issues

One significant challenge for Mac OS X administrators today is the deployment of soft-

ware to multiple computers. Whether it is operating system (OS) releases and updates or

commercial applications, installing the software manually is a labor-intensive process. Mac

OS X Server provides services and technologies to aid in this deployment. NetBoot and

Network Install simplify OS rollout and upgrades.

Managing Computers with NetBoot

Think about the ways you boot your computer. Most often, your computer starts up from

system software located on the local hard drive. This local startup provides you with a typical

computer experience of running applications, accessing information, and accomplishing

tasks. Sometimes when you perform OS installations or system upgrades, you need to boot

from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disc.

Managing a single standalone computer isn’t much of an inconvenience. However, imagine

managing a lab of computers. Every time you need to upgrade the operating system or

install a clean version of Mac OS X, you would need to boot each computer in the lab from

the installation CD or DVD disc. Even with a set of installation discs for each computer, it

would still be time-consuming to update or refresh the entire lab.

404 Implementing Deployment Solutions

Mac OS X Server provides a service called NetBoot, which simplifies the management of

operating systems on multiple computers. With NetBoot, client computers start up using

system software that they access from a server instead of from the client’s local hard drive.

With NetBoot, the client obtains information from a remote location. With other startup

methods, the client is booting off a local source, such as the internal hard drive, DVD, or

other device.

NetBoot is most effective in situations where there is a high frequency of user turnover and

where a large number of computers are being deployed with a common configuration. The

ability to deploy standard configurations across multiple computers makes NetBoot ideal

for computing environments such as:

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Classrooms and computer labs: NetBoot makes it easy to configure multiple identical

desktop systems and repurpose them quickly. With NetBoot, you can reconfigure sys-

tems for a different class simply by restarting from a different image.

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Corporate workstations: Using NetBoot to install system software allows you to reim-

age, deploy, and update workstations very quickly by not having to use a DVD to load

each workstation individually. Also, because installation is done over the network, it

Managing Computers with NetBoot 405