Difference between revisions of "Install Over Net HowTo"
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This solution has the following pros compared to the one above: | This solution has the following pros compared to the one above: | ||
| − | *More efficient due to using "buffer" | + | *More efficient due to using "buffer". (You can experiment using gzip or nc or both). |
| − | + | *Normally "gzip -9 is used due to high compression. | |
| − | + | *With "-w 10" on the server the data is constructed. It is not necessary to use xload: or similar for checking. | |
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| + | *With 3 targetcomputers 192.168.0.18 to 192.168.0.20, I would start by using the same commands on each targetcomputer, then do on the server: | ||
| + | **cd /tmp | ||
| + | **mknod pipe1 p; nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.18 5030 < pipe1 ~& | ||
| + | **mknod pipe2 p; nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.19 5030 < pipe2 ~& | ||
| + | **buffer -m 1m < /dev/hda | gzip -2 | buffer -m 1m ~| | ||
| + | **tee pipe1 | tee pipe2 | nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.20 5030 | ||
| − | + | The trick here is that by the "named pipes" the hard disk on the server is read only once. This procedure also works with more than 3 target computers. | |
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Revision as of 19:48, 28 December 2004
Cloning a Hard disk install (any OS) over a network:
Because of the simplicity of it and the netboot option, we are able to use Knoppix to clone computers without having to purchase a Norton Ghost license for each system. Here is how I use Knoppix on a daily basis.
We have several computers that are configured identically for the product that we sell. So I start one "set" up. One acts as the knoppix boot server and the others net boot off of it. Then I connect a long ethernet cable to a "fresh" set that has not had the OS or our special software loaded yet and net boot them off of the knoppix server.
Then one by one I execute a command like this to clone them.
- On the machine I want to copy from:
- Open 2 root windows
- start xload on one of them
- cat /dev/hda | gzip -9 | nc -l -p 5030
- On the machine I copy to:
- nc 192.168.0.1 5030 | gunzip > /dev/hda (192.168.0.1 is the ip of whatever machine I am cloning)
When the xload drops down to zero, then I know it is done. I can typically start about 2 or 3 clients to copy them.
For Windows 9x systems. I do a format c: /s from dos and then untar a tarred backup that I made using knoppix.
Since Knoppix auto configures the hardware, I don't have to mess with making boot floppies or keeping track of them.
Optimizing:
I often do such things although the above also works. The following is faster though:
- First find out the IP of the targetcomputer:
- ifconfig -a
- Then
- echo Data is being transferred | nc -v -v -l -p 5030 | gunzip ~| buffer -m 1m > /dev/hda
- While it's waiting, on the Server:
- buffer -m 1m < /dev/hda | gzip -2 | nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.17 5030
(Where 192.168.0.17 is the IP of the targetcomputer.)
This solution has the following pros compared to the one above:
- More efficient due to using "buffer". (You can experiment using gzip or nc or both).
- Normally "gzip -9 is used due to high compression.
- With "-w 10" on the server the data is constructed. It is not necessary to use xload: or similar for checking.
- With 3 targetcomputers 192.168.0.18 to 192.168.0.20, I would start by using the same commands on each targetcomputer, then do on the server:
- cd /tmp
- mknod pipe1 p; nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.18 5030 < pipe1 ~&
- mknod pipe2 p; nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.19 5030 < pipe2 ~&
- buffer -m 1m < /dev/hda | gzip -2 | buffer -m 1m ~|
- tee pipe1 | tee pipe2 | nc -v -v -w 10 192.168.0.20 5030
The trick here is that by the "named pipes" the hard disk on the server is read only once. This procedure also works with more than 3 target computers.
