Hi all,

My company uses Cobbler to manager the deployment of new systems [CentOS]. I am new to the company and have been given ownership of this aspect of the IT department.

The current system work, but has a few fall backs.

Slow process. An install onto a Desktop from our installer/cobbler server hosted down the road of a 10gig direct link, takes 52mins.
This is a 6.9GB install.

The future of this system is to be used to deploy to bout 40 blades making up a render farm, so speed concerns me.

So I have been looking into SystemImager. I really like it, love how you can fine tune the image with a simple chroot. You can update the images packages every so often the same way.
The other advantage is speed. Installing from the same server to the same desktop, over the same link takes just 9mins [6.9GB in total].

So I am looking for peoples experience in this, which do you use and why? Any input appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi -

Cobbler is a very fine, well respected program.

It sounds like you've tried both, and it sounds like SystemImage - another very fine, equally well respected program - also does everything you need, and might perform considerably faster in your environment.

Just to be thorough, you might also want to look at:

a) Clonezilla:
http://clonezilla.org/

b) Ghost4Linux
http://sourceforge.net/projects/g4l

c) Low level "dd" copy or "PXE" boot

Bottom line: choose whatever works best for you. If you don't need to image a bunch of hosts very often, or if it's more configurable or easier to use, then Cobbler might be the better choice - even if it happens to be much slower in your environment.

'Hope that helps .. PSM

The problem with those three listed is they are "uneditable" on the server [besides maybe c but a very slow option]

Yes, we use PXE booting to fire off Cobbler/Kickstart or SystemImager.
I actually, today, incorporated SystemImager pxe boot options into Cobbler so it adds them in when a "cobbler sync" is called.

I am thinking if we can incorporate both, a CobbImager if you will and use Cobbler for new systems without a pre-captured image and SystemImager for replicating builds out. The issue is we will need to be firing up 40+ blade servers in a render farm, speed becomes important then.

Thanks for the feedback