Cloning NT Using DriveImage Chris Brew Particle Physics Department Rutherford Appleton Laboratory rl.ac.uk

Outline Deployment aims Deployment methods NT in PPD Cloning NT: Our experiences Other issues Conclusions

Support Aims Easy initial set up of new workstations Quick recovery from user problems Propagation of new or updated software As the number of PCs increases this becomes harder and harder to manage

Set-up Methods Set-up each PC individually: –By hand –By some other method Good for small numbers of PCs Have the PC set-up from a central server: –Microsoft SMS, NetInstall, CERN NICENT Best for large numbers of PCs

Set-up of the PPD NT Domain PPD does not buy into central RAL desktop scheme (except mail) 3 production servers: –PDC: web serving, print serving, WINS, DHCP –BDC: file & FTP serving –Ntrigue server 1 test server workstations

NT on AlphaServers BDC is DEC AlphaServer 1000a Main file server: –56 GB of StorageWorks disks –10 Mbs network connection (  100mbs soon) No hard performance figures: adequate No real problems, but: –Some software not available –Fewer support resources

Growth of NT in PPD

In PPD To many PCs to set each one up by hand To few PCs to be worth investing the effort needed for SMS or NICE Solution: Set each PC up by cloning 2 methods: –NT backup –Disk imaging

Cloning With Different Hardware 80 computers bought over a few years: –3 different network cards –3 different video cards –3+ different audio cards How can cloning handle this? –Before cloning - NT backup –After cloning - disk imaging

DriveImage Functionally very similar to ghost Commercial software Includes Partition Magic Runs in DOS –No problem with locked NT system files –Need to boot DOS with network and/or CD Comes with utility to change the computer name and SID

Cloning NT (Stage 1) Prepare the ‘master clone:’ –Install a reference system First a base NT inc. Network, video & audio drivers Then the additional software –Take time to make sure the installations are the way you want them

Cloning With NT Backup (Stage 2) Use NT backup to copy the master clone to tape On the ‘target’ machines: –Install the ‘standard’ basic NT installation –Use NT backup to copy the files, but not the registry, from the backup tape –Use various registry utilities to import the registry keys needed by the software Total time for a target machine ~150mins

Cloning With DriveImage (Stg. 2) Use DriveImage to make an image of the master clone hard disk Apply that image to another machine: –Change the SID, name and IP address –Correct for different hardware Total time for a target machine ~30mins

Incremental Updates (Planned) Small changes to software do not warrant full recloning Sysdiff –Snapshots a machine and applies differences to another –Can it be automated Still in the experimental phase

Other Issues Linux? –DriveImage can read and copy linux partitions –Not personally tested –Hardware differences?

Conclusions For a small to medium sized domain, cloning with DriveImage is an efficient way of deploying and managing an NT domain. For the future, we need to look at methods of automatically applying incremental updates.