Linux server for disk cloning?
 

I want to create a basic Linux server that holds several disk images on it to distribute to fresh machines over the network. I'd like to simply plug computers into the network, boot to a CD like Ghost 4 Linux, and pull the disk image from the IP of my server. I work for a library and would probably have images for general-use public access computers (Windows+Office+security+etc, another with SUSE+OpenOffice+security+etc), and catalog access (Linux+Firefox+security). Then, whenever I need to re-image corrupted computers, I could just plug them into the network, boot to CD, and let the server do the work for me.

I tried searching for this. I'd heard somebody call it an "integration server", but Google came up with many things very different than what I was looking for. What's the proper terminology for this, and where's some good documentation on designing one with Linux and getting it to work with client machines?

Thanks!

Its called a jumpstart server or pxe boot in linux.

there are a couple of approaches

1: pxe install the os then have a script that copies the files you need over

2: have a flash image containing everything you want and pxe install this(pretty sure pxe supports flashing or ghosting as you called it)


http://www.softorchestra.com/pxe/

that should get you started.

This way you have no need for a cd, just go into the bios and kick off a network boot. :)

Great, I'll look into that. Thanks!