Cloning Disk Images with Clonezilla

up-smash · 08-25-2009, 04:29 PM

I'm working a job where I have to put the same exact programs on around 60 laptops. Is cloning the whole Disk the best way? Before I had been doing every single laptop by hand... which wasn't very fast even though I was being pretty efficient with the mouse clicks and finding shortcuts to installing and uninstalling the programs that my boss wants.

Suggestions?

Hefemeister · 08-25-2009, 04:33 PM

If all of the laptops are the exact same configuration then yes.

With vista you could also set one up. Use sysprep to remove all drivers then put the clones in just needing to install drivers.

up-smash · 08-25-2009, 04:47 PM

could you explain why I would need to remove with sysprep and then installing the drivers again (with sysprep?)

I'm trying to cut down on time spent.

Hefemeister · 08-25-2009, 04:49 PM

If you were dealing with different chipsets, lan cards and graphics cards.

If they were the exact same system then you would not need to.

Keyboard Cowboy · 08-25-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hefemeister

If they were the exact same system then you would not need to.

The only thing that I might get upset with is software activation. Windows will detect that the CPU ID is different. So you will be making a few phone calls to Microsoft to activate Windows

up-smash · 08-25-2009, 05:12 PM

The systems are exactly the same...

Saxon · 08-25-2009, 07:22 PM

Then a clone will be the best option.

Jayce · 08-26-2009, 09:50 AM

Can you tell me a little bit more about your cloning setup and situation at work?

Things like -

What operating system do these computers have?
Are you personally familiar with Linux, even if you are using Windows on the lab you're cloning?
What kind of time frame do you have to get this job done?
Do you have a work computer, such as a laptop?

up-smash · 08-26-2009, 02:25 PM

The computers have windows xp on them...

I used linux for a while, trying to game on it... but the compatibility isn't there yet so I went back to windows.

The time frame... within the next week or two and the people know that I'm having problems getting all the programs on them.

I have several work computers that I can use.

I've already figured out how to upload the image to the server...but I'm having a difficult time trying to exit the process... I get errors where

" error: 'single' exited outside the expected code flow "

the error doesn't make sense to my no-linux-familiarity brain

Jayce · 08-26-2009, 11:02 PM

Changing your course of action may not be an option, but I was in your boat a few months ago. I fought with Clonezilla tooth and nail only to have it ultimately fail on me. Clonezilla Live was great, but that's a 1 computer cloning solution. Clonezilla Server took a heeping **** on me. When I FINALLY got it working, it failed to restore the master boot record properly - leaving me with multiple computers unable to boot due to the missing boot record. Awesome.

I heard about FOG, a Linux-based Windows cloning solution. I have a work appointed laptop that I use on dual boot (Windows XP Pro + Ubuntu Jaunty 9.04), utilizing the Ubuntu partition as my FOG setup. I also have one big massive ball of ethernet wires and a 24 port gigabit Dell ethernet switch. So when I need to clone, I just hook up their ethernet cables to my switch, register them to FOG, and blast the images out.

It's great. Easy to use. Fast.

So far I've done about 1,100 computers in the last 5-6 weeks. Those computers had a January 1st 2010 deadline to be done... and I'm pleased to say that thanks to FOG, they're running and ready for the first day of school this coming Monday.

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