hi onno i'd try something like...
- use a bootable cdrom ( rescue disk )... - boot linux with network capability ( use linuxcare' bootable cdrom - business card size - if not use (slackware) root/boot floppy image - or use flash IDE disk to boot each w/s - than you don't need network either... just copy stuff over - use your copy command from the distribution server to the local server - i prefer not to use dd cause...it copies "zeros" too... tar will only copy data in each partition... - linux needs about 1.5gb of disk space... - on a 13Gb disk....dd took about 2 hrs... - installing from scratch takes 15 minutes... - time vs doing it on 14 systems....was easier to run dd and go away...very painful waiting for it to copy 10Gb of empty disk - now...its toss up.. dd vs (complete install+patch_up_script.pl) - change the ip# for each script custom_mirror.pl 198.162.xx.yy ( should be all that is needed to mirror the distribution ( server to each local w/s - is there a debian or perl script(preferred) for doing this type of installs ?? have fun alvin # # dumb brute force way to mirror distribution server to n-workstations # # # fdisk the target disk than mount it # local_ws# mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/slave/ local_ws# mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/slave/var local_ws# mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/slave/usr .... # # mount the distribution server # local_ws# mount distribution#/ /mnt # # copy the linux setup from dist to each workstation # local_ws# cd /mnt local_ws# tar zcf - boot bin sbin usr home dev proc lib | ( cd /mnt/slave ; tar zxvfp - ) local_ws# umount /mnt local_ws# umount /mnt/slave/usr local_ws# umount /mnt/slave/var ... local_ws# umount /mnt/slave ... ... might need to use temprary lilo.conf to install new bootable image ... before running the w/s in stanalone/normal mode... # ... change the ip# of the local w/s ... increment ip# for next w/s on the dist server... ... # # done mirroring On Tue, 18 Jan 2000, Onno Ebbinge wrote: > I'm a sysadmin and have two Debian GNU/Linux potato servers and 50 > windows 95 workstations under my care. > > My problem is with the 50 workstations: > > (the 50 workstations have the same hardware) > > I want to install ONE workstation and then mirror the hard disk to > all other workstations. > > The first time I did it was with ghost and I hooked up the installed > hard disk to every client and mirrored it... Not a nice job to do > and there must be a better way do do it! I know that ghost CAN use > NETBIOS connections and such but I don't know how to boot it from a > 1.44" flop and then use ghost. > > My question: > > I want to boot the workstation to be installed from a floppy with > Linux or DOS. Then I want to make a connection to my server (or the > installed workstation) and mirror the hard disk from a file (or > hard disk). > > Frankly I don't care what is used or how it's being done (Linux/DOS > with dd/ghost or something else!) but I don't want to hook-up all 50 > workstations again... > > Thanks for any ideas, > > Onno > > > > -- > Unsubscribe? mail -s unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] < /dev/null >