MBA netboot

[nessts]

After 2 days I am hating MBA more than I ever thought I would and I am sure I am just doing something dumb.
Plan 1 was to turn the thing on, add casper suite of tools and then target disk mode the thing hook it up to the server run system image utility and I would have a good netboot image(NBI), but no Firewire input so that was a bad idea.
Plan 2, use the latest 10.7.2 seed and update my existing NBI it should have all the drivers after all. run the system image utility and the MBPs boot just fine but the MBA just winds up booting off the disk.
Plan 3, use composer to make a os image of the MBA and then use system image utility to make an NBI, fail, composer does not let me make an OS image from a running OS.
Plan 4, use the factory DMG to make a NBI, again the MBA boots off the internal disk instead of the NBI and the MBP boots off it just fine…

I have an USB ethernet adapter for the MBA.

Am I missing something simple?

--
Todd Ness
Technology Consultant/Non-Windows Services
Americas Regional Delivery Engineering
HP Enterprise Services

[stevewood]

Typically whenever I've had to deal with an MBA in the past, the only way
On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 12:15 AM, Ness, Todd <todd.ness at hp.com> wrote:
I've found to consistently make an OS image, whether it be for a new NBI or
for a new install config, I've had to use an external USB drive. I
generally follow these steps:

1. Setup the OS that is pre-installed so that I can boot into it and use it as my working area.
2. Install the same OS onto the external USB drive and then boot into that OS on the external drive.
3. Patch the OS on the external drive until it is current.
4. Boot to the OS on the internal hard drive and install Composer, Casper Admin, and the Resource Kit (or at least the NetInstall Creator tool) on the internal drive.
5. From the internal drive, snapshot the external USB drive with Composer. Load that into Casper for future install configs.
6. Use the NetInstall Creator tool from the Resource Kit to create the new NBI.

I use that procedure anytime I get new hardware in that has hardware
specific boot disks (hardware released after a point release). I believe
that I have been 100% successful when following those steps. The key to
them being the fact that all of that takes place on the hardware, MBA in
your case, that you are building for.

Hope that helps.

Steve Wood
Director of IT
swood at integer.com

The Integer Group | 1999 Bryan St. | Ste. 1700 | Dallas, TX 75201
T 214.758.6813 | F 214.758.6901 | C 940.312.2475

[tlarkin]

Todd,

I just imaged 6000 Macbook Airs....it is well you need a different
approach. You want to grab the DMG file that came with it off the USB
stick, see this:

bash-3.2# cd /Volumes/Mac OS X Install/ bash-3.2# ls .DS_StoreExtensions.mkextPackagescom.apple.Boot.plist .VolumeIcon.icnsInstall iLife.pkgSimpleInstallAssistant.appmach_kernel

.diagnosticsMacOSX.dmgSystem .disk_labelMacOSX_Media_Background.pngboot.efi bash-3.2#

There is is a file called MacOSX.dmg you can copy it to your desktop or
what not, or use the hdutil to mount it. Do note that it has a hidden
flag set to the file. So once you copy it, you will need to use chflags
to modify this, otherwise you will not see it in the GUI. So if you
did copy it to your desktop, do this

sudo chflags nohidden ~/Desktop/MacOSX.dmg and it will appear. I used
that image file for both my nbi and in instaDMG to create my 10.6.8
image. Now, Lion may be a bit different as I haven't had to use it yet.

Thanks, Tom

[nessts]

So my process that finally worked was to CCC to external USB, then connect USB drive to the server and run system image utility. Still unimpressed with 100MB networking and lack of firewire on these, I guess I should be running out to get thunderbolt ready stuff at twice the cost.