NetInstall Image

[garypaterson]

Hi

Can anyone please help?

Have just gotten in several new Macs which means I need to create a new NetInstall set so I can get it to boot and have images deployed to it.

I have read through this site extensively and understand that that NI Creator 3.2 only works up to 10.6.

I need to create one based on 10/7 or 10.8

Everything I have read on here so far, and a lot of great stuff there is, is clearly about creating a NetBoot image.

Can anyone guide me through the best way to create a NetInstall image that works for 10.7 or above.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[richmac]

Hi garypuk

In order to create netinstall images for 10.7 and 10.8 you need to use the "Casper Netboot Automator Action" and read the document with it. This will guide you to creating the image.

Casper Netboot Automator Action can be found in the resource kit.

[garypaterson]

Hi Rich

Thanks for the reply. I did read through all of that but again at every stage is mention netBoot image creation. This is what keeps throwing a spanner in the works. How will it know to create a netinstall image and not a netBoot one ?

Sorry if this seems a silly question

[richmac]

Apologies for misleading, this process is slightly different to the one for the netinstall creator. It is a "netboot" image that you are trying to create. You boot to this image from the client you wish to image and use Casper Imaging to deploy the image to the client.

Follow the steps in the netboot automator action documentation and you will get a working image. Set it as diskless in the Netboot service on your server and it will work.

[garypaterson]

I am wishing to create a netinstall image.

So if I create a netboot image using the workflow laid out in the Automator guide and then set it to diskless on the server it will act like a netInstall image?

[stevewood]

In order for the NetBoot image to *act* like a NetInstall image, there are two steps:

1) Follow the instructions for creating the NetBoot image, like you already have, making sure that you have set Casper Imaging to launch at login on that NetBoot image.

2) Create a PreStage Imaging config for your machines. In the PreStage Imaging config you will identify the machines to get imaged by their serail #, MAC Address, or network scope.

Yes, you are technically creating a NetBoot image, but by launching Casper Imaging at login, Casper Imaging will then find the PreStage for these machines and will image the machines accordingly. Do make sure the NBI is set to Diskless so that if you are erasing the hard drive, it will work.

HTH

Steve