-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On Behalf Of m.roth@5-cent.us Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 3:21 PM To: CentOS mailing list Subject: Re: [CentOS] [OT] PXE Boot / image server for non-profit's computers
Jason Pyeron wrote:
This is the best collection of minds I can think of on this topic, that's why it is on this list. I think it is too subjective for stackoverflow.
So here is the problem:
The community center has multiple computers for the children (and adult students) to use. These computer are always donated and the hardware is all different. Currently the systems are running Windows (but this may change). Most days the systems are "hacked" by the kids and all is well,
but sometimes
the changes to the systems requires a reinstall. The staff are not
presently
qualified to diagnose any problems.
Here is the draft idea:
- Have a CentOS image / PXE server.
This works *really* well - it's how I build/rebuild new servers and workstations. We've got a cgi script that creates a ks file, and we get it started, choose what we're building, and walk away. In somewhere between a dozen and 30 min, it's up, knowing its name, etc.
- Make a (bootable) utility CD that:
- has a program to "save" the state of the computer to the image
server
You *really* might want to do that before pxeboot rebuilding it... for legal reasons.
He could also always just chain pxeboot the imager to create the backup and then the installer to install the new OS.
-Drew