VNC/ARD access while Netbooted to Casper Imaging?

[stevehahn]

I have a Casper Netinstall nbi that I use for booting machines into Casper Imaging so they can be reimaged. I've been asked to stop using "Automatically Image this Computer the next time Casper Imaging is launched" after a user accidentally reimaged his Mac, apparently by accidentally mashing the N key while he was rebooting.

This means that from now on I have to be physically in front of any Mac I am reimaging, unless I can get VNC or ARD access to it while it is booted into the Casper Imaging Netinstall image (so that if I'm remote from the Mac, I can screen share to it and set its boot disk to the Netinstall, reboot it, and then screen share back into it so I can manually initiate the imaging). Is there any way to get this to work?

[jhbush]

I just have the local tech boot to our netboot disk(Remote Management enabled) then launch an app that gives the IP and hostname. Plug that into ARD and you should be good to go.

[Kprice]

You can just create a Prestage image for the computer needed at the time. Just set the active time frame for the date and times you need to under Execution Options so there will be no user accidents.

[Bukira]

i could build you a "pre-stage" app that runs on the netboot as following

1, mac boots from network
2, pre image app runs and gives the users an X amount if time to abort the process via a window to click
3, if the user does not click the abort button the app Launches Casper Image and then Quits

This can be added to my NetBoot modifier App allowing to amend existing nebtoot images without having to rebuild or build new ones

let me know if ud like this

What we do is enable ARD in the netboot image for an admin account and we can remote to any netbooted mac, i would advise this anyway so u can remote monitor macs that are reimaging for error etc, useful if someone renames the local HD so it cant find it to reimage it.

[chris_kemp]

Why not just enable the Firmware password so they can't boot into anything but the startup drive?

[franton]

How are you building your netboot image? We're able to ARD into ours with little issue.

[stevehahn]

I built that Netboot image so long ago that I don't remember. I'm thinking I just need to build a new one and be sure to enable ARD.