Imaging & Deployment Overview

Imaging & Deployment (KID) is an addon module that clones an image of a computer software environment and deploys it to multiple machines remotely through the network. This capability is particularly useful for school and training organizations that need to reset entire classrooms of computers back to a standard "known state" on a recurring basis. IT administrators can also use the module to install images that are customized to reflect their organization's configuration preferences, simply by plugging the machines into the network.

Images

The images created and deployed by KID are "generalized" by running a utility called sysprep just prior to creating the image. When a target machine boots up using a sysprepped image, an XML file provides the information required to create a unique installation of the image on that machine. A KID created image only contains one disk drive per computer, including all volumes (drive letters) on it. This disk drive is always the disk drive the computer uses to boot up.

PXE

KID uses Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) technology to create and deploy images. PXE is an open industry standard for booting computers using the computer's network interface card to load an image from a network location, instead of booting from a local storage device like a hard disk or CD-ROM.

Enabling NIC Bootup

The system setup, or BIOS, of each KID target computer must be configured to bootup using the network interface card (NIC) option at startup, regardless of whether an agent is installed or not. Most computers built within the last 5 years have the NIC bootup option enabled by default. The NIC bootup option must be sequenced before the hard disk (HDD) option. KID requires this for both image and backup deployment.

Repositories

Creating a repository on a specified agent machine creates a VirtualBox VM on that same machine. The VirtualBox VM contains a PXE server. A PXE server manages the bootups of machines that have the NIC bootup option enabled. No configuration of the VirtualBox or PXE server is required after the repository is created.

A second VSA agent is installed inside the VirtualBox VM to communicate instructions between the VSA and the PXE server. You do not have to monitor or configure this second agent. The naming convention for a KID VirtualBox agent is imgsrv1-xxx, so it's easy to recognize these agents in the VSA.

Creating a repository on an agent machine also creates a storage folder on its hard disk. This folder stores all the images and backups created for deployment from this repository agent machine. Only local paths are supported. UNC paths are not supported.

The Physical Network

The physical network, in the context of KID, refers to any part of the network that can receive a broadcast message. NIC bootup machines use broadcast messages to communicate with the PXE server. Switches and routers may be set to prevent a broadcast message from being passed from one subnet to the next. The repository agent machine, the source machines used for creating images and backups and any target machines should be able to "see" each other using broadcast messages.

Deploying Images to Agent Machines

Images can be deployed to either agent machines or non-agent machines. Image deployment to agent managed machines is highly recommended.

• Machines can be individually selected and scheduled for image deployment.
• The status of machines using Live Connect can be assessed at any time.
• Agent managed machines can be easily rebooted from the VSA console.
• Machine specific pre-deployment and post-deployment agent procedures can be run.
• Agent managed machines can be backed up using Imaging & Deployment.

Deploying Images to Non-Agent Machines (Auto Deploy)

To deploy images to non-agent machines, a repository specifies a range of IP addresses and "Auto Deploy" is enabled for that repository. Auto Deploy deploys the repository's default image to any "unknown" computer that boots up, has the NIC bootup option enabled, and connects to the same physical network as the repository. An "unknown" computer is a computer that does not have an agent on it and has not had an image deployed to it since Auto Deploy was last enabled.

Auto Deploy is primarily designed to facilitate image deployment to new or reformatted machines, booted up in a controlled, isolated range of IP addresses. Typically, the image created for a "first time" deployment should include an installed agent. When the installed agent is detected on the target machine the first time it boots up, the agent is reconfigured as a "new" agent and a new VSA agent account is created for the machine in the VSA. From then on the agent method of deploying images and backups to that machine is used.

When Auto Deploy is used and the target computer boots up for the first time, a Microsoft Windows program known as MiniSetup displays. The administrator manually enters the computer's name, credentials, and other settings.

Note: If Auto Deploy is enabled for a repository, that same repository cannot be used to create images or backups or schedule deployments to agent machines.

Backups

In KID a backup can also be created for any agent machine. Sysprep is not performed on a backup, meaning the unique settings of that machine are included in the restore. A backup is not intended to be cloned to multiple machines. Rather it serves the traditional purpose of disaster recovery for a specific agent machine.

Additional Topics

• KID System Requirements
• Image Deployment to Machines with Agents
• Image Deployment to Machines without Agents
• Creating and Deploying Backups
• Enabling NIC Bootup on a Machine
• Deactivation/Activation
• Uninstalling Imaging & Deployment

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