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Update: AutoCaspeNBI has been released, for more information see: https://macmule.com/autocaspernbi/


Hi All,



Over the past couple of months I've been working on an app that with streamline NetBoot creation for use with Casper Imaging (as well as creation of Read-Only DMGs to restore to USB sticks.. if that's your thing).



The basic idea is that you start with an clean never booted OS.dmg either from AutoDMG https://github.com/MagerValp/AutoDMG, Casper Admin http://macmule.com/2014/03/06/how-to-create-an-never-booted-os-dmg-using-casper-admin/ or a Composer captured OS.dmg from a never booted Mac (as in with forked builds).



Then add a copy of Casper Imaging, from there you can click build or amend the options on the first window or click the options button for more.



All the options should have popovers that explain their functions in a bit more detail. Most of the options set will be written to a plist (~/Library/Preferences/com.macmule.AutoCasperNBI.plist) will allows for AutoCasperNBI to be re-run when needed with the settings you haves used before.



external image link



You should see some blanks in the GUI & parts i've not added yet (due to the fact that I'm not sure how yet). These should be added at some point.



Then there will be a full 1.0 release & include:




  • Calculate space needed & alert if we do not have enough

  • Enable the "Additionals" tab. This will allow you to install pkgs to customise the .nbi further as well as additional JSS certs

  • Add some sort of sparkle updater

  • Add .jamfTarget creation

And, in the name of thoroughness, I'll mention that I am creating these images on a current model Mac Pro also running 10.10.2 and the current version of AutoCasperNBI. I am also using the current version of AutoDMG to create my base OS images (with not additional packages, updates, etc. added to them.)

@bmarks What netboot server are you using?

I am seeing this too.



10.10.2 AutoCasperNBI + Casper Imaging 9.63 + AutoDMG 10.10.2 image = No Block Copy
10.10.1 AutoCasperNBI + Casper Imaging 9.61 + AutoDMG 10.10.2 image (same as above) = Works fine.

New image: 10.10.2 (from AutoDMG) + Casper Imaging 9.63 made with AutoCasper NBI. My old netboots got destroyed by a drive failure a few weeks ago. We have been putting the pieces back in. We haven't had any new machines come in lately to image so I am just running into this. Today I imaged two Mid 2009 MBP laptops and two 27" Retina iMacs and NO block copy. That is what prompted me to rebuild netboots as we were getting kernel panics when booting to 10.10.1 netboot. Our server is a Mac Mini running 10.9.5 Server. JSS version is 9.63. All machines I imaged today were Yosemite. I have not tried to image from a netboot created with Casper Netinstall Image Creator.

For me, everything is current:



Mac mini Server running 10.10.2 and Server.app 4.03 (for the NetInstall service.)



I hadn't tried any previous Yosemite builds. I was waiting for 10.10.2 before updating our imaging setup which is currently based on a hand built 10.9.2 NetBoot image + Casper 9.32. That NetBoot image (and block copy) works on 10.8.5, 10.9.5 and 10.10.2 imaging servers (we have 34 globally.)

I have no issues with a 10.10.2 NBI created with AutoDMG and AutoCasperNBI
I am however not using casper imaging, i'm using deploystudio.



I'm also not using NetSUS or OS X server as a netboot server - I'm using BSDPy which if you are not using it, you should be.



I would suggest attempting to use diskutility from your netbooted client and try to format the internal hard disk. If you can do that then it is likely not a netboot image issue but rather a 10.10.2 + Casper Imaging 9.63 issue.
You could also try to boot a client from a 10.10.2 bootable OS on an external hard disk and use casper imaging 9.63 to rule out AutoCasperNBI as the problem.



Also try using the 9.61 version of casper imaging. sometimes (often) i've found that updated versions of casper imaging screw things up. Hence my love of deploystudio for imaging rather than CI

Apparently, there's another thread too:



https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=13184



Apparently, it might be specific to the combo of 10.10.2-based NetBoot image + Casper Imaging 9.63?



Of course, this happens when I try to update my NetBoot image for the first time in over a year ;)

@bmarks, cheers for linking to the other discussion.



Bad timing as I'm out of the office for a few weeks with a broken ankle.. So testing will be hard.



I'll keep an eye on things though.

I'm re-creating one based on 10.10.1 + Casper Imaging 9.63 and since 10.10.1 is a universal build, this should work for me for the time being. There was nothing I needed from a 10.10.2 NetBoot image, it just felt like the time was right to upgrade. But, assuming this 10.10.1 image works, that's enough for me for now. Thanks for the assistance.

@bmarks, sounds like a plan.



Can you report your findings to this thread & the one you linked?

I just tested this with an external boot disk, and sure enough 10.10.1 block copies fine with v9.6.3 of Casper Imaging, 10.10.2 will try and install the disk image. Time to raise a ticket.



Regards,

Does Casper Imaging still use /usr/sbin/asr to copy the OS image? It does look like Apple updated this app in 10.10.2.

asr works fine in 10.10.2.



deploystudio restores images just fine using block copy from a 10.10.2 netboot image created via autodmg and autocaspernbi



also repeatable using CLI:



/usr/sbin/asr -source /path/to/my/autodmg.hfs.dmg -target /Volumes/Macintosh HD -erase -noverify

Just tried netboot created with Casper Netinstall Image Creator and Casper Imaging 9.63 and no block copy.

hi i was wondering if my problem was related to this post...



just tried to create my new Nbi netbook 10.10 with autocaspernbi...



took the procedure of using casper admin and import the installesd 10.10...



so i have : DMG 10.10, autocaspernbi and casper imaging 9.63 AND tried 9.61



when i netbook i stay stuck at the apple logo with the progress bar forever... and once a while i get a kernel message

@jmercier Sounds exactly like what I was seeing with 27" iMac Retina machines. Was only happening to those. Older machines we had in house seemed to work fine. 10.10.2 fixed the kernel panic but introduce nothing doing a block copy.

so you mean that if i update my base dmg to 10.10.2 before capturing it in casper admin and after in autocaspernbi should be working ?

Tried 10.10.2 from autoDMG... then build with autocaspernbi with imaging 9.61



still stuck at apple logo while netting with progress bar half way through

WOW got it working... but the netbook takes forever to boot !!!!



is there a reason why the same netbook yosemite goes real fast on older imac and MacBooks... and its really slow to boot on brand new imac 2015...

@jmercier did you just 9.61 on the netboot image or on both image and server?

i dit the 9.61 version in autocaspernbi...
my casper server is at 9.63



i can netboot all my old computers (old 2014 and older) but i have 3 brand new imac 2015 and either they take forever to boot... or either i get a kernel error to reboot

@bentoms



So, I used AutoCasperNBI to create a new NetBoot image based on 10.10.1 and Casper Imaging 9.63 and with this combination I AM able to initiate a block copy of a 10.10.2 base image. Thus, it would seem to be the case (considering the other thread too,) that there seems to be some kind of conflict with block copying 10.10.2 if your NetBoot image is ALSO 10.10.2. That what seems to be repeatable at this point.

And, just to be clear, this seems to have nothing to do with the AutoCasperNBI app itself.

@bmarks I'm having the problem when I NetBoot with 10.10.2 and try to block copy a 10.10.1 dmg.

I just tried a new AutoCaperNBI with 10.10.2 os and Imaging 9.61. Same behavior no block copy. I'm going to put a pin in this one until Monday.

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