there are OSS utilities that can do ftp and http install of system image for Windows and *nix, but still can't re-partition during restore. So, OSS utilities can do the same except resizing the partition on the fly.
Almost all filesystems commonly used on linux have a tool for resizing, at least growing (to my knowledge only ext2 and ReiserFS can be shrunk). This could be done after an initial image is written.
I guess I'm used to using Ghost to install on systems with completely identical hardware. It's just been my experience that windows doesn't like getting put on a completely different system than it was installed on. I guess maybe MS has addressed this, but I know Windows98 thinks it just had a brain transplant and goes completely nuts, often breaking itself in the frenzy of trying to "reinstall" all it's drivers.
--MonMotha
