Prestage Install Failing

[franton]

JSS v8.62 on Linux

We've been using prestage imaging quite successfully for the last six months, until today. Now for some reason I have not been able to find, the autorun part of the imaging process is not working.

The process goes like this:
Fresh macs out of the box.
MAC addresses and host names placed into the pre-stage group.
Mac is then netbooted.
Image loads, casper imaging loads ... and then presents a login prompt.

That's the point of failure. It's not auto running and imaging as per our prestage imaging groups.

So, does anyone have any ideas why this has previously worked and just suddenly stopped? This is a fairly serious issue for us as it stops our equipment refresh project dead in it's tracks. It should be pointed out that any mac that already exists in the inventory works as it's supposed to.

[mm2270]

That prompt usually means the setting in PreStage under Install labeled "Local Authentication to allow Casper Imaging to run Automatically" is not set correctly. That needs to be an account on whatever you've booted the Mac from that Casper Imaging can use to pre-authenticate and run with admin privileges. If its wrong or the account doesn't exist, you'll be prompted to authenticate like that.

It could be other things as well, but I would check that first and foremost.

[franton]

Checked and double checked that one. It's all correct and is set exactly as you suggest.

(I created both the Netboot image as well as recreated the prestage groups)

[JKling]

I need to get in on the discussion too.

I am reimaging and getting the same issue. As a precaution I have deleted the exitsing inventory records and released the name. I also deleted and recreated the PreStage just to see if something jogged my memory.

It is prompting me for the JSS login, not the local admin password. I know I saw this setting somewhere, but I cannot remember where. franton, I think you were getting the same prompt. For JSS not OSX right?

[franton]

Wow, this is a blast from my past.

We eventually ended up ditching prestage imaging entirely. I concocted a massive firstrun script that using the jamf binary, sets what we were setting in prestage and then installs software.

This script of ours is sadly not for publication at present as there's no easy way of sanitising it.

[stevewood]

If you are re-imaging, you want Auto Run data enabled for that machine in the JSS. To use Pre-Stage, the machine has to not be in the JSS inventory. I know you said you deleted it from the JSS, but I just wanted to make sure that was clear.

In the case of a Pre-Stage, you have to identify the machine, or limit scope as it is stated on the page, by either Network Segments, MAC Address, or Serial Number. You also need to make sure the check box on the first page, right below the scope question, is checked. This is the "Run Automatically During Initial Imaging". I'm assuming you already checked to make sure this is set.

The other catch, and you should have "caught" this if you deleted and re-created the pre-stage, is on the Computer Names tab. You can limit the pre-stage to a set number of machines. Make sure this is set high enough.

As for Auto Run data, you have to make sure the "Automatically Image this Computer the next time Casper Imaging is launched" check box is checked in order for it to work.

Hope this helps jog your memory.

[franton]

Yep we did all that. Prestage for us worked for the first few computer batches then stopped completely. We no longer use prestage imaging.