Jamf Nation Community

Report Inappropriate Content · ‎08-20-2008

Casper 6.0 is awesome. Our upgrade went almost perfectly. Our only issue came due to FEU boxes were checked, but no user data existed in those packages. Once I cleaned that up, everything has been working great.

We have 3846 computers in our JSS (includes some archived/ retired) at 16 locations.
We are using a single box to netboot, house our JSS and distribute packages, and the performance boost with 6.0 is excellent.
I demo'd new features for our entire District Tech Staff and they can't wait to get there hands on it!
Thanks to Jamf for the great work as always!
Sandy Hinding
Lead Macintosh Technician
Casper Administrator CCA
HelpDesk Manager
Lakeville Area Public Schools

Report Inappropriate Content · ‎08-20-2008

While I'm glad you had a sucessful upgrade, the bugs I had to patch/workaround and specific open bug (not letting us netboot at all) with development doesn't let me share your glowing review.

We are patiently awaiting the point release and hoping the issues are ironed out.

Bob Wessen
System Administrator
IS System Production Services
4 Hayden Hall
Northeastern University

tlarkin · ‎08-20-2008

Bob what are your issues? I just migrated from 5.13 to 6.0 and I am netbooting and imaging still and I even used the same .nbi files.

Are your casper servers part of your directory or are they stand alone?

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

ernstcs · ‎08-20-2008

Are you using the JSS to point to a specific NetBoot server added in the JSS that is NOT broadcast to your clients using BSDP?

I found that it wouldn't set the boot information for a specific NetBoot server at all with Casper Remote, even when I used the Override Defaults option.

Craig

Report Inappropriate Content · ‎08-20-2008

We can't use bootp to discover settings for our NetBoot servers. The parts in Casper that allow you to specify a NetBoot server (essentially setting a few variables in EFI) don't work, they appear to always set to bootp even if that's not what you specified. This all worked flawlessly in 5.11.

We can Netboot with a custom script that sets everything in EFI, so the NetBoot server and image are fine. It's when using Casper 6 to specify explicit NetBoot settings that it doesn't work. This has been verified by support and I am waiting on which release the fix will make it into. Supposedly it may not make the next point release as that release was already in QA when I submitted the bug.

Bob Wessen
System Administrator
IS System Production Services
4 Hayden Hall
Northeastern University

"Thomas Larkin" <tlarki at kckps.org> 08/20/08 06:17 PM

To
<casper at list.jamfsoftware.com>, <r.wessen at neu.edu>
cc

Subject
Re: [Casper] Casper 6.0!

Bob what are your issues? I just migrated from 5.13 to 6.0 and I am netbooting and imaging still and I even used the same .nbi files.

Are your casper servers part of your directory or are they stand alone?

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

Report Inappropriate Content · ‎08-20-2008

yeah, you're not alone.

Bob Wessen
System Administrator
IS System Production Services
4 Hayden Hall
Northeastern University

"Ernst, Craig S." <ERNSTCS at uwec.edu> 08/20/08 06:25 PM

To
Thomas Larkin <tlarki at kckps.org>, Casper List <casper at list.jamfsoftware.com>, "r.wessen at neu.edu" <r.wessen at neu.edu>
cc

Subject
Re: [Casper] Casper 6.0!

Are you using the JSS to point to a specific NetBoot server added in the JSS that is NOT broadcast to your clients using BSDP?

I found that it wouldn?t set the boot information for a specific NetBoot server at all with Casper Remote, even when I used the Override Defaults option.

Craig

tlarkin · ‎08-20-2008

I have 5 netboot servers in my JSS that all point to them and the clients netboot no problem and imaging works, as long as I have gone through and make sure all the right scripts are in place.

The only thing I have noticed so far is that I had pushed out a set of scripts via ARD admin to the servers and just tossed them in the CasperShare Scripts folder and it was working fine, until at 3AM when my Master server synchronizes down to my distribution points, it was copying over the old script again.

So, I went into Casper Admin, deleted all those scripts, uploaded the scripts through Casper Admin and then Synchronized down to the distribution points.

I still wish I could do selective Syncs. I don't need any of the PPC images in the high school servers, only in the middle schools do we have those computers.

It is kind of annoying you have to sync out a 6 or 7 gig image to all file shares and maybe only one or two total need it

I did have some sort of DNS issue, and changed all distribution points to point by IP instead of DNS and that is now fixed.

Other than that I haven't had any major issues, and my deployment is:

25 to 30 Xserves

6,200 Mac clients

5 of those servers are netboot servers and distribution points and that is it.

I would be curious to hear all of your exact issues as I, myself, may run into them at any point in time. We are still deploying our Macbooks out so a lot of them are in storage at the moment. However in two weeks we will be back to a full blown 6,000+ Macs on our network.

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

ernstcs · ‎08-20-2008

So the key was are these servers not configured to show up with BSDP, bootp, though? Do they show up in the startup disk options on those network segments? If so, of course they'll boot to them. =)

Currently exploring an issue with Adobe updates not going out at FirstRun after Adobe CS3 software installs.

The FUT FEU issue.

More of my issues are related to how Leopard changed some things, particularly how if you have a script with a shutdown command (our nightly maintenance script) in it while a user is logged in and that user logs off before the shutdown time is met (5 minutes), at the point of log off that shutdown command is lost. I'm sure there are ways around this for me, but I just haven't had time to work it out...

I'd like to be able to enable FileVault for all AD accounts that logon onto a box, without depending on OD and MCX for the setting, should just be a setting in the OS somewhere.

You name it...overall Casper Suite 6.0 issues sit far below the additional capabilities it has given. Naturally, we'll never be fully satisfied, and will feature request JAMF to death. =)

Craig

On 8/20/08 5:31 PM, "Thomas Larkin" <tlarki at kckps.org> wrote:

I have 5 netboot servers in my JSS that all point to them and the clients netboot no problem and imaging works, as long as I have gone through and make sure all the right scripts are in place.

The only thing I have noticed so far is that I had pushed out a set of scripts via ARD admin to the servers and just tossed them in the CasperShare Scripts folder and it was working fine, until at 3AM when my Master server synchronizes down to my distribution points, it was copying over the old script again.

So, I went into Casper Admin, deleted all those scripts, uploaded the scripts through Casper Admin and then Synchronized down to the distribution points.

I still wish I could do selective Syncs. I don't need any of the PPC images in the high school servers, only in the middle schools do we have those computers.

It is kind of annoying you have to sync out a 6 or 7 gig image to all file shares and maybe only one or two total need it

I did have some sort of DNS issue, and changed all distribution points to point by IP instead of DNS and that is now fixed.

Other than that I haven't had any major issues, and my deployment is:

25 to 30 Xserves

6,200 Mac clients

5 of those servers are netboot servers and distribution points and that is it.

I would be curious to hear all of your exact issues as I, myself, may run into them at any point in time. We are still deploying our Macbooks out so a lot of them are in storage at the moment. However in two weeks we will be back to a full blown 6,000+ Macs on our network.

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

Report Inappropriate Content · ‎08-20-2008

can't edit existing pre-stages without SQL errors......

not trying to be negative, i like the tool, it saves us tons of time, but this upgrade has been a pain. I was hoping to roll self-service and a new image for Sep 1...not looking so good right now.

Bob Wessen
System Administrator
IS System Production Services
4 Hayden Hall
Northeastern University

"Ernst, Craig S." <ERNSTCS at uwec.edu> 08/20/08 07:05 PM

To
Thomas Larkin <tlarki at kckps.org>, Casper List <casper at list.jamfsoftware.com>, "r.wessen at neu.edu" <r.wessen at neu.edu>
cc

Subject
Re: [Casper] Casper 6.0!

So the key was are these servers not configured to show up with BSDP, bootp, though? Do they show up in the startup disk options on those network segments? If so, of course they?ll boot to them. =)

Currently exploring an issue with Adobe updates not going out at FirstRun after Adobe CS3 software installs.

The FUT FEU issue.

More of my issues are related to how Leopard changed some things, particularly how if you have a script with a shutdown command (our nightly maintenance script) in it while a user is logged in and that user logs off before the shutdown time is met (5 minutes), at the point of log off that shutdown command is lost. I?m sure there are ways around this for me, but I just haven?t had time to work it out...

I?d like to be able to enable FileVault for all AD accounts that logon onto a box, without depending on OD and MCX for the setting, should just be a setting in the OS somewhere.

You name it...overall Casper Suite 6.0 issues sit far below the additional capabilities it has given. Naturally, we?ll never be fully satisfied, and will feature request JAMF to death. =)