RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance

[Craig Cerino]

Title: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance

I concur (from experience) – use the UNICAST option (From the GHOST CAST SERVER  - FILE./OTPTIONS) you should be ok.   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert N. Leali Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 9:37 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance   I think you can use Unicast instead of Multicast in the newer versions of Norton ghost.  It goes slower but it won’t bog down the network.  Also, make sure your hop count is set correctly.   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Steve Rochford Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 12:13 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance   We tend to do them in blocks of max 30 because it's more manageable (and most rooms don't have more than that many computers!)   I've done it enough times now to know that although we shouldn't have to get involved with boot floppies sometimes things just don't go the way you plan :-)   Not sure why Ghost does cause the network problems you describe but I know it does and we just plan round it - making sure no-one's trying to do anything important at the same time etc.   Steve   From: Brian Desmond [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 16 July 2004 21:31 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance Things really slow down when multicasting to a load of computers where I am (all Cisco 2900XL series switches with fiber links to a 4005 series backbone switch). The multicast slows to a crawl, as does other network traffic.   --Brian Desmond [EMAIL PROTECTED] Payton on the Web! Http://www.wpcp.org   v: 773.534.0034 x135 f: 773.534.0035     From: Doug M. Long [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Doug M. Long Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 1:07 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance   If your multicasting, network congestion shouldnt be an issue (assuming that you are putting the same image on all machines), right? Or am I missing something here?   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Brian Desmond Sent: Fri 7/16/2004 11:13 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance You got it Steve. I don't know if you've ever done this before, but be prepared to have a handful of them screw up and need reimaging with a floppy disk. Also, don't think of doing em all at once. 100 - 150 is enough to saturate your network.   --Brian -----Original Message----- From: Steve Rochford [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Fri 7/16/2004 8:08 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance I love comments like  "The result is that as the imaged computers are powered up, the admin will type in each unique computer name and walk away." We're re-imaging about 1000 student computers this summer and I'm not intending to go anywhere near most of them so typing in anything is a no-no! As others have said, Ghost will happily rename and join to the domain and it will also work with sysprep so you can have the best of both worlds :-) Steve -----Original Message----- From: Brad Corob [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 15 July 2004 05:00 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Summer Maintenance 2) Regardless of how you image the computers, using sysprep is the *only* supported way of using imaged workstations on a network.  Look into it if you haven't used it.  I find it quite simple to use and extrememly effective.   The sysprep process can be automated.  I typically find it most useful to automate all of the mini-setup answers except for computer name. The result is that as the imaged computers are powered up, the admin will type in each unique computer name and walk away. You can also join a domain during the sysprep process (automated or not). One caveat here is the default 10-computer limit each user account can create in AD ("but it worked fine when we tested it!").  The suggested method is to create a designated account for Sysprep imaging and delegate the appropriate rights to your Computer OU's. If joining the computer to the domain during sysprep doesn't work for you, you can also script the process.  Technet gives an example script here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/scriptcenter/compmgmt/scrcm31 .msp x but MSDN actually documents the WMI method here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/joindomainorworkgroup _met hod_in_class_win32_computersystem.asp Particularly helpful is the AccountOU parameter, as it will allow you to specify the OU in which to place the computer object to further ease your post-deployment admin tasks. [The script method works wonders in large deployments when you can't join a domain during the Sysprep process, for example, if this particularly vexing, poorly documented, almost-12-month-old and as-yet-unfixed "issue" plagues your environment like the spawn of Satan: http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10086130.htm No, I'm not bitter.  Not one bit.] -Brad List info   : http://www.activedir.org/mail_list.htm List FAQ    : http://www.activedir.org/list_faq.htm List archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/activedir%40mail.activedir.org/