Last Revision: 6/1/2010

Last Revised By: Francis Basilio

Ghost Imaging for Adelaide Training Room

Audience: IT Supporting Adelaide or Local Adelaide Staff

Product: Symantec Ghost – Ghost Cast and Ghost Walker

Image Deployment Cycle

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Work Instruction: Step by step instructions on how to remotely deploy Ghost image in
the Training Room machine

Step 1 – Preparing the Unit

Before creating the Ghost Image check the following;

 Computer name is set to the following convention defined

Product / Computer
Application Name
Cobra Basic adecobbas00
Cobra Advanced adecobadv00
Open Plan adeopabas00
Basic, Open
Plan Advanced,
Open Plan DMO

( not complying with this convention might result error in changing the
computer name after the deployment of image )

 Windows patch are updated

 Anti-virus definition is updated
 VNC Server is installed and allowed in Windows XP firewall
 Remote Desktop is active and allowed in Windows XP Firewall
 Perform Defrag

Step 2 – Creating the Image

1. In Ghost Server ( 10.84.29.30 ), Open Ghost Cast Server. The First step is to Put
a Session Name and Select Create Image

Session name is very important as the client will refer to this name when
connecting to the Ghost Cast Server. I already set 3 session names.

Product / Session Names

Application
Cobra Basic cobbas
Cobra Advanced cobadv
Open Plan opabas
Basic, Open
Plan Advanced,
Open Plan DMO

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 2. Second step is to select the location where the Ghost Image will be save. You
should have a bigger Hard Disk space for the image. Type the Ghost Image File
Name. If the Hard Disk space is limited, just overwrite the existing image
(though this is not the best practice, there is a risk that the updated image will be
corrupted which may lead to a longer time of creating of image and deployment.

Created Images Location

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Line in red are important items to be checked before pressing Accept client button

Note: Failure to input the right answer may result in error on the client computer and
failure of deployment.

A similar screen will show up, after selecting “ACCEPT CLIENTS” to start in listening
mode.

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 3. Open TFPT and PXE Server Software. Please note that we are leasing IP on
Deltek DHCP Server. Client computer must be in DHCP mode.

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You now have 3 applications in Listening mode. Ghost Cast Server, TFTP, and PXE
Server.

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 4. Determine the Training Machine that you will create image of. Below is Training Machine Layout to easily identify the Training
Machine.

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 5. Open BOOTAB Editor. Notice that all Training PCs is already registered via
MAC Address, you just need to specify the PXE image, which I also prepared

Created Images in PXE

Product / Image Name in

Application PXE
Cobra Basic cobbas
Cobra Advanced cobadv
Open Plan opabas
Basic, Open
Plan Advanced,
Open Plan DMO

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For this example I used Cobra Basic and select cobbas.pxe. Select the PC number then
double click.

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This will be your final settings, don’t forget to save it as this will not take in effect. Close
The BOOTPTAB Editor.

6. All is set now, start PC 1 and have it boot on PXE. The image creation will start
automatically . On PC1 it will display this screen with cobbas as session name

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On Ghost Server you will see this screen.

7. Remove the image on the BOOTPTAB Editor. After this, PC 1 will

automatically restart. Failure to remove the image will cycle the operation again
or make pc1 hang on Ghost session.

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Follow this procedure in creating/updating other Application images.

************************************************************************
End of Image Creation

Step 3 – Deploying the Image

1. Using Ghost Cast Server, set the following;

 Session Name
 Image file location.
 Disk No.

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Press ACCEPT CLIENTS to put in listening mode

2. Open BOOTAB Editor. Notice that all Training PCs is already registered via
MAC Address, you just need to specify the image, restore1 or restore2

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In this example we will restore cobbas image on PC2. I will specify the restore1.pxe on
PC2. This will be your final settings, don’t forget to save it as this will not take in effect.
Close the BOOTPTAB Editor.

3. All is set now, start PC 2 and have it boot on PXE. During the process on the
Ghost Server PC2 details will show up, select it and click SEND

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 restore1

On PC2 it will display this screen with restore1 as session name

During this process, go to BOOTAB Editor and edit the image on PC2, specify the right
PXE image to rename the computer name.

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Change Computer Name

Product / Image Name in

Application PXE
Cobra Basic chgnamecobba
s
Cobra Advanced chgnamecobad
v
Open Plan chgnameopaba
Basic, Open s
Plan Advanced,
Open Plan DMO

Close and save the configuration.

The idea here is to run this configuration after the deployment of “cobbas” image to
change the computer name, a new computer name will be assigned . Not doing this will
have a computer name conflict.

After this, remove the image on PC2 to stop the cycle and boot on Harddisk. If you don’t
remove this image it will continue to cycle and change the computer name.

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Note:

Maximum restore of image is up to 2. Technically Ghost can restore as many clients in

any given time but because of the hardware limitation where the server is, maximum is 2.
I tried to monitor it and here are the result.

Simultaneous deployment
Pushed 1st image = approximately 20 minutes = 640 MB/min*** change to 237
MB/min when 2nd image deployment started**** Completed in 1 hour

Pushed 2nd image = approximatelt 40 minutes = 320 MB/min**** Change to 157

MB / min – Completed in 1 hour and 15 minutes

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