Error with Netboot using Casper Imaging

[Hafiz]

I am running a test JSS (version 9.73).

I have a netboot server (CentOS 7) with Casper Imaging (version 9.65) that I set-up. The netboot set (nbi) is based on 10.10.5 OSX.app and was set-up with AutoCasperNBI.

I can netboot fine and it loads up the nbi image set but when I try and install from the JSS/Distripution Point the configuration that I want, it seems to run through all the dmg package installs very quickly and then errors with:

"An exception of class NilObjectException was not handled. The application must shut down."

Any advice on this and getting network booting/imaging working?

Cheers

[bkramps]

@Hafiz I had the same issue/error message, although my Netboot Server is running OSX, not RHEL. The mistake I made was in the storage settings, I only set for Images Only, not Images and Client Data. Hence, I did not have a /Library/Netboot/NetbootClients0 folder. Once I changed the settings to Images and Client Data (that folder created automatically), imaging worked fine with an AutoCasperNBI created NBI.

I am not sure if there is an equivalent configuration for Linux installations, though.

[mpermann]

@Hafiz can you update your NBI set to Casper Imaging 9.73 and try again? We're currently using an NBI set made with AutoCasperNBI that is using an OS (10.10.5) created with AutoDMG served off a Mac OS 10.10.3 Mac Mini Server and we're not having this issue. I'm wondering is there is some incomaptibility between Casper Imaging 9.65 and the 9.73 JSS.

[Hafiz]

@mpermann did that so now both Casper Imaging and JSS are on version 9.73 but still seeing the very rapid install of software but now no error message at least. But it can't take 1 second to install the base OSX image so something is wrong.

@bkramps I just don't know where that would be set on the CentOS 7 system or even if there is such a setting.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions or where I can see some logging for this?
I imagine the logging info is on the JSS and on the Netboot server for this. I have noticed that if just install packages and forget about the "configurations" it will install the packages themselves.

[mpermann]

@Hafiz will the base OS that you are using in your configuration restore to the drive using Disk Utility? Would you mind posting a sanitized screen shot of your Casper Imaging workflow so we can take a look?

[bkramps]

@Hafiz You can put Casper Imaging into Debug mode on the client. On a netbooted client, you can quit Casper Imaging, run sudo touch /Applications/Casper Suite/Casper Imaging.app/Contents/Support/debug (NOTE: your path to Casper Imaging may differ), reopen Imaging, remove the reboot option and try imaging again. This will generate a log file in ~/Logs/. This will be something along the lines of ~/Library/Logs/CasperImagingDebug.log

[RobertHammen]

The NilObjectException is a pretty good idea that you aren't disklessly NetBooting. The NetBoot image is using the client HD for swap space and it pukes when Casper Imaging tries to dismount it. You can try this manually in the Finder as well, if it objects, that's your issue.

You can either make sure your NetBoot server allows for imaging, if your image is configured to boot disklessly, or you can use the "modified rc.boot" option in AutoCasperNBI to use a RAM disk for swap space instead.

[Chris_Hafner]

@RobertHammen Yep. That or corrupted autorun data from MySQL.

[Hafiz]

@RobertHammen Thanks so much, I ticked the "modified rc.boot" option in AutoCasperNBI and it now works. The imaged MacBook doesn't show the "Profiles" icon in System Preferences but hopefully that won't matter. It certainly registers it to the JSS though. Cheers.