Installing a boot partition

This document includes the following topics:

■ Purpose of this document

■ Creating an image of a model computer

■ Setting up workstations as client computers

■ Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

■ Symantec Ghost functionality

2 Installing a boot partition
Purpose of this document

Purpose of this document

This document walks you through the process of installing the boot partition on
client computers.
For the Symantec Ghost Console to execute tasks on client computers, a Ghost
partition must be included on the client. There are two types of partitions that
you can create on client computers. A client computer requires one of the
following:
■ Virtual partition
■ Boot partition
The boot partition is used on client computers that have no operating system
installed.
When you install the Console client remotely or from the CD, Symantec Ghost
creates the virtual partition automatically when a task is executed.
Installing the boot partition is more complicated and time consuming than
creating the virtual partition. It involves creating a boot package image file and
restoring it to the client computer.
The process includes:
■ Creating an image of a model computer
■ Setting up workstations as client computers
■ Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer
For more information, see the Symantec Ghost Implementation Guide and the
Symantec Ghost Reference Guide.
 Installing a boot partition 3
Purpose of this document

Overview of setting up client computers and cloning from the Console

Model computer Server with the Symantec Client computers

Ghost Console software (including the model
installed computer)

Step 1
Step 2
Install the operating
system, applications, and Create a network boot disk
Console client software. set using the Ghost Boot
Wizard.

Step 3
Step 4
Restart the model
computer using the boot Create an image file of the
disk set created in step 2. computer using the
GhostCast Server.

Step 5
Create a boot partition image Step 6
file for the client computers
using the Ghost Boot Wizard. Restart the computers
using the boot disk set
Step 7 created in step 2.
Restore the boot partition
image file created in step 5
onto the computers using the
GhostCast Server.

Step 9
Step 8
Execute a task from the Console
to restore the image file created Restart the computers.
in step 4 onto the computers.
4 Installing a boot partition
Creating an image of a model computer

Creating an image of a model computer

A model computer is created as a template for client computers. This computer
must include all drivers, configuration settings, and required applications,
including the Console client, that you want to distribute to all client computers.
Take an image of this computer using a boot disk and the GhostCast Server
functionality.

Setting up a model computer

Set up a computer with Windows and all drivers installed and configured as you
want all of your client computers configured.
If you are creating a model computer for Windows NT, 2000, or XP computers,
see the Knowledge Base article “Introduction to cloning a Windows NT,
Windows 2000, or Windows XP computer” under the General Information
section.
You may need to create a model computer for each unique hardware setup. For
example, if you have some computers with SCSI disks and some with IDE disks,
you must have separate images for them. However, on Windows 2000 and XP
computers, Microsoft Sysprep can help you create a generic template image for
different hardware setups.

Installing the Console client on your model computer

The Console client is installed on your model computer so that it can be detected
by the Console server.

To install the Symantec Ghost Console client on your model computer

1 Insert the Symantec Ghost CD into the CD-ROM drive of the client
computer.
2 In the Symantec Ghost Corporate Edition 8.0 installation window, click
Install Symantec Ghost Corporate Edition.
3 Click Install Console Client.
4 Click Next.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions.
 Installing a boot partition 5
Creating an image of a model computer

Creating a boot disk set with network support

You create a boot disk set using the Ghost Boot Wizard. It is used by the
GhostCast Server to copy the boot partition image to client computers, and to
take an image of the model computer.

To create a boot disk with network support

1 On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs > Symantec Ghost > Ghost
Boot Wizard.
2 In the Ghost Boot Wizard window, click Network Boot Disk.
3 Click Next.
4 Select the network driver for the make and model of the network card
installed on the client computer.
For more information on selecting network drivers, see the Symantec Ghost
Implementation Guide.
5 Click Next.
6 In the DOS Version dialog box, click Next.
7 In the Client Type dialog box, ensure that Symantec Ghost is selected.
8 Click Next.
9 In the External storage support dialog box, click Next.
10 Do one of the following:
■ Click DHCP will assign the IP settings if your network contains a DHCP
server.
■ Click The IP settings will be statically defined and complete the fields
below this option if your network does not contain a DHCP server.
If you create more than one boot disk, then the static IP address
incrementally increases as each boot disk is created.
6 Installing a boot partition
Creating an image of a model computer

11 If you want to alter the number of router hops, select the correct number in
Router Hops.
This specifies how many routers the client searches across when attempting
to find the Multicast Server. The default value of 16 lets Ghost find the
server as long as it is not more than 16 router hops away. This is sufficient
for most networks.
12 Click Next.
13 In the Floppy Disk Drive field, select the appropriate drive letter.
14 In the Number of disk sets to create field, select the number that you want to
create.
15 Ensure that Format disk(s) First is checked to format the disks before disk
creation.
Ensure that this option is checked unless you are creating a custom boot
disk with custom system files. If this option is unchecked, the boot disk is
not bootable.
16 Ensure that Quick Format is checked to perform a quick format.
17 Click Next.
18 Review the boot disk details, then click Next to start creating the boot disks.
Follow the prompts to format the disks and create a boot disk set.

Creating an image of the model computer using GhostCasting

Once your model computer is created, run a GhostCast session to create an
image file to use to clone the client computers.

To run a GhostCast session on the GhostCast Server

1 Insert the first boot disk that you previously created into the model
computer and restart the computer.
2 On the GhostCast Server computer, on the Windows taskbar, click Start >
Programs > Symantec Ghost > GhostCast Server.
3 In the GhostCast Server window, in the Session Name box, type a session
name.
A GhostCast session name can be any alphanumeric sequence of characters
and must be unique on your network. You can use spaces on the GUI but not
with command-line switches. Session names are not case-sensitive.
4 Click Create Image.
 Installing a boot partition 7
Creating an image of a model computer

5 Do one of the following:

■ In the Image File box, type the name and full path of the image file that
you are creating.
■ Click Browse to find the location.
6 Click Disk to create an image of the disk.
7 Click Accept Clients to accept the client computer into the session.
The Accept Clients button becomes active when all boxes are filled in.
Once you have started the GhostCast session you must start Ghost.exe on the
model computer and begin a GhostCast session on the model computer.

Starting a GhostCast session on the model computer

Once the GhostCast session is started on the server, start the model computer
from the Network boot disk set and connect it to the session.

To start a GhostCast session on the model computer

1 With the Ghost network boot disk inserted in the floppy disk drive, restart
the client computer.
This automatically starts Ghost.exe.
2 On the Ghost.exe menu, click GhostCasting, then select one of the
following:

Multicast Connect to the session using Multicasting

Direct Broadcast Connect to the session using direct broadcasting

Unicasting Connect to the session using Unicasting

3 In the GhostCast Session Name to Join dialog box, type the session name.
4 Click OK.
5 Select the disk from which to take an image.
6 Click OK.
7 Select the level of compression that you require.
8 Click Yes to begin.
8 Installing a boot partition
Setting up workstations as client computers

Setting up workstations as client computers

You must set up your client computers to be controlled by the Console server. A
boot partition image containing the Symantec Ghost executable, the Console
client, and the network driver is restored onto the client using GhostCasting. At
this point your client computer contains only the boot partition image and is
ready to be controlled by the Console.

Creating a boot partition image

Using the Ghost Boot Wizard, create a boot partition image that includes the
Console client, the Symantec Ghost executable, and drivers for your network
card. This image is restored onto the client computers.
The boot partition image must have network drivers that match the network
card.

To create a boot partition image

1 In the Ghost Boot Wizard window, click Console Boot Partition.
2 Click Next.
3 Select the network driver for the make and model of the network card
installed on the client computer.
You can add the driver if the correct one is not listed. You can also add more
than one driver to the boot package.
For more information, see “Creating boot images and disks with the Ghost
Boot Wizard” in the Symantec Ghost Implementation Guide.
4 Click Next.
5 Click Next.
6 In the Machine Group, type the computer group folder, if required.
When a Console Client is first discovered on the network, the Console
creates an icon for it in the Machine Group section of the Default folder.
When DOS Console Client computers are discovered, they are identified by
Adapter Address only. Specifying a group folder makes identification of the
computer easier.
7 Click Next.
8 Do one of the following:
■ Click DHCP will assign the IP settings if your network contains a DHCP
server.
■ Click The IP settings will be statically defined and complete the fields
below this option if your network does not contain a DHCP server.
 Installing a boot partition 9
Setting up workstations as client computers

9 If you want to alter the number of router hops then select the correct
number in Router Hops.
This specifies how many routers the client searches across when attempting
to find the Multicast Server. The default value of 16 lets Ghost find the
server as long as it is not more than 16 router hops away. This is sufficient
for most networks.
10 Click Next.
11 In the Image File field, type a name for the image file.
12 In the Description field, type a description for the image file.
13 To execute creation of the boot partition image file, click Next.

Installing the boot partition image onto the client computer

Install the boot partition image file onto the client computer using the
GhostCast Server and the boot disk set. The boot partition image contains only
the Symantec Ghost boot partition, which is only 15 MB.

Warning: Do not install the boot partition image unless you are sure that you
have copied all data off of the computer and that it is safe to proceed. This is a
destructive process and all existing data is overwritten.

To run a GhostCast session on the GhostCast Server

1 On the Console computer, on the Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs
Symantec Ghost GhostCast Server.
2 In the Symantec Ghost GhostCast Server dialog box, in the Session Name
text field, type a session name.
3 Click Restore To Clients to send an image file to all connecting clients.
4 Do one of the following:
■ In the Image File box, type the name and full path of the image file
containing the image.
■ Click Browse to find the location.
5 On the File menu, click Image Description to view or modify a description of
the image file.
The disk or partition settings must be selected. If the file selected is not a
valid image file, an error message appears.
6 Click Disk.
10 Installing a boot partition
Setting up workstations as client computers

7 Click Accept Clients to accept the client computer into the session.
The Accept Clients button becomes active when all required boxes are filled
in.
8 Join the client computers to the GhostCast session.
See “To connect client computers to the GhostCast session” on page 10.
9 Click Send to start the image restore and the GhostCast session when all of
the required clients have joined the session.
10 Remove the boot disk and restart the client computers.
The clients are ready to be managed from the Console server.
Once the GhostCast session is started on the server, you can start the client
computers from a boot disk and connect them to the session.

To connect client computers to the GhostCast session

1 Insert the boot disk into each client computer’s floppy disk drive.
2 Start each client computer.
3 On the Ghost.exe menu, click GhostCasting, then select one of the
following:

Multicast Connect to the session using Multicasting

Direct Broadcast Connect to the session using Direct Broadcasting

Unicasting Connect to the session using Unicasting

4 In the GhostCast Session Name to Join dialog box, type the session name.
5 Click OK.
6 Select the disk to restore.
7 Click OK.
8 Click Yes to indicate that the computer is ready for the image restore to
begin.
The IP and MAC addresses of the client computers that are connected and
waiting for the GhostCast session to start appear in the Connected Clients list
along with their statuses.
 Installing a boot partition 11
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

Restoring client computers with the image file of

the model computer
To restore the client computers with the image file that you have created
1 Create an image definition.
2 Create a template configuration set to apply new configuration settings to
your client computers.
3 Create a task that includes the Clone and Configuration steps.
4 Execute the task.

Creating an image definition

An image definition contains the properties of an image, including the location
and a description.

To create an image definition

1 On the Console server, on the Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs >
Symantec Ghost > Ghost Console.
2 In the Symantec Ghost Console, in the left pane, expand the Configuration
Resources folder.
3 Expand the Images folder, then select the folder in which to store the new
image definition.
4 On the File menu, click New > Image.
5 In the Properties For New Image window, in the Name box, type the name for
the new image definition.
6 In the Location box, type the file name and location of the image file of the
model computer that you created.
7 Click OK.
12 Installing a boot partition
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

Creating a template configuration set

A template configuration set lets you apply configuration settings to all the new
client computers.

To create a template configuration set

1 In the Symantec Ghost Console, in the left pane, expand the Configuration
Resources folder.
2 Expand the Configurations folder, then select the folder in which to store
the new template configuration set.
3 On the File menu, click New > Configuration.
4 In the Properties For New Configuration Set window, type a name for your
new template configuration set.
5 In the Target OS field, select the target operating system: Windows 9x/Me,
Windows NT4, Windows 2000/XP.
6 Check Allow template settings to create a template so that the
configuration settings can be applied to a group of computers.
You can set the following details for the template configuration set:
■ User Name
■ Computer Name
■ Workgroup/Domain membership
■ TCP/IP Settings
■ Default Gateway
■ DNS Configuration
■ WINS Configuration
■ Novell NetWare client
 Installing a boot partition 13
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

To specify a user name

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, in the left pane, click
User Name.
2 Check Apply User Name.
3 Type the new user name.
For a template configuration set, the default computer name appears in the
Computer Name page as Computer N*****. When the task runs, the wildcard
stars are replaced with a number unique to each computer. You can increase or
decrease the number of stars, and you can alter the alphabetical part of the
name. For example, if you create computers for the Administration department,
set the computer name to Admin *****.

To specify the computer name

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, in the left pane, click
Computer Name.
2 Check Apply Computer name.
3 In the space provided, type the computer name.
4 If you are setting up a Windows 2000 or XP configuration, and want the
NetBIOS computer name to be applied as part of the configuration, check
Apply NetBIOS Computer name.
You can set validation registry settings for logging on to Windows 9x or Me
computers.

To specify the computer workgroup or domain for Windows 9x or Me

computers
1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, in the left pane, click
Workgroup/Domain Membership.
2 Check Apply Workgroup, then type the workgroup name.
3 If you want the computer logon to be validated by a domain server, check
Apply Logon Validation, then select the domain name from the drop-down
list.
4 If you want the computer to log on to the specified domain, check Log on to
Windows NT/2000/XP Domain.
14 Installing a boot partition
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

To specify the computer workgroup or domain for Windows NT/2000/XP

computers
1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, in the left pane, click
Workgroup/Domain Membership.
2 If you want the computer to be added to a workgroup or domain as part of
the configuration, check Apply Member of.
3 To add the computer to a workgroup, select Workgroup, then type the
workgroup name.
4 To add the computer to a domain, select Domain, then complete the Domain
fields.

To complete the Domain fields

1 Click the drop-down list, then select the appropriate domain.
2 If you want to add the computer to an Active Directory container in the
domain, check Add to Active Directory Container.
3 Specify the Active Directory container, by doing one of the following:
■ Enter the path to the container, relative to the domain.
■ Click Browse, then select the container from the list of those available
on the domain.
You must be logged on to the domain to be able to browse for a
container.
■ If you want to preserve any computers that are already in a container,
uncheck Move computers that are currently in a container.
If you leave this checked, all computers are placed in the specified
container.
You can specify the IP addresses to apply to the target computers. You can
choose between DHCP or a static IP address. This choice must match the image
file when the configuration change is part of a cloning task. However, for a task
that only changes the configuration, this setting must match the setting on the
current computer.
 Installing a boot partition 15
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

To apply IP addresses to the client computers

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, click TCP/IP Settings.
2 Specify whether the target computers use dynamic or static IP addresses:
■ To use dynamic IP addresses, click Target machine uses DHCP server
to obtain the IP Address.
■ To use static IP addresses, click Target machine has static IP address.
If you are using static IP addresses, follow the next three steps to
specify the address information.
3 If you want to assign new IP addresses to the target computers, check Apply
IP Address.
4 If you are setting up a configuration for a single computer, type the IP
address.
If you are setting up a configuration template, in the From and To boxes,
type the IP address range for a computer group.
5 In the Subnet Mask box, type the subnet mask.

To specify default gateway information

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, click Default Gateway.
2 Check Apply Default Gateway.
3 If you need to add a new address, click Add.
4 In the Default Gateway IP Address dialog box, type the address.
5 Click OK.

To specify DNS configuration information

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, click DNS
Configuration.
2 If the configuration is for Windows 9x, Me, or NT4 computers, check Apply
DNS Host Name.
3 In the adjacent box, type the host name. If you are setting up a configuration
template, you must include at least one asterisk (*) wildcard character.
4 Check Apply DNS Domain, then type the domain name.
5 Check Apply DNS Server Addresses.
6 If you need to add a new address, click Add.
7 In the DNS Server IP Address dialog box, type the address.
8 Click OK.
16 Installing a boot partition
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

To specify WINS server information

1 In the Properties for New Configuration Set window, in the left pane, click
WINS Configuration.
2 Check Apply WINS Server.
3 If you need to add a new address, click Add.
4 In the WINS Server IP Address dialog box, type the address.
5 Click OK.

Creating a task
To use the Console to restore a client computer, you must create a task. The task
contains the details that the Console requires to restore a client computer.

To create a task
1 In the Symantec Ghost Console, in the left pane, expand the Tasks folder.
2 Expand the folder in which to store the new task.
3 On the File menu, click New > Task.
4 Set the task properties.
On the General tab, specify the target computers and select the task steps that
you want to include.

To set General task properties

1 In the Properties For New Task window, on the General tab, in the Name box,
type the name for the new task.
2 Under Task Steps, check the task steps that you want to include in this task.
For example:
■ Click Clone to create a task that restores a client computer.
■ Click Configuration to create a task that configures a client computer.
■ Click Configuration Refresh to update the default client computer
configuration on the Symantec Ghost Console to the current setting.
3 In the Target Machine Group/Machine box, click Browse.
 Installing a boot partition 17
Restoring client computers with the image file of the model computer

4 In the Select Target window, select the computer, machine group, or

dynamic machine group to which you want to apply the task.
5 Click OK.
You can choose to use the Wake on Lan (WOL) functionality on the Wake on Lan
tab.
You can set the details of the image file to use for cloning on the Clone tab.

To set Clone properties

1 On the Clone tab, in the Destination drive box, type a drive number, if
required.
2 Under Image, click Browse.
3 Select the image that was created of the model computer, then click OK.
4 If you are cloning a Windows NT/2000/XP operating system, you can change
the SID on each of your target computers using Symantec Ghost Walker. To
do this, check Use Ghost Walker to perform a SID change on the target
machine.
For more information on Symantec Ghost Walker, see the Symantec Ghost
Reference Guide.
You can select how the client computers are to be configured after cloning.

Table 1-1 Client computer settings

Option Description

Default Restores the original settings when this computer was first connected to
the Symantec Ghost Console.

Template Applies a set of configuration settings from the template that you
previously created to each computer in the group.

To apply default settings to the client computers

◆ On the Configuration tab, click Default.

To apply a template configuration set to the client computers

1 On the Configuration tab, click Template.
2 Click Browse, then, in the Select Configuration window, select the template
that you want.
3 Click OK.
18 Installing a boot partition
Symantec Ghost functionality

Viewing and executing a task

You can view details of the task before executing it, to ensure that you have set
up the task correctly. You can execute the task at any time.

To view task details before execution

1 In the Symantec Ghost Console, in the left pane, expand the Tasks folder.
2 In the Tasks pane, select the task that you want to view.
3 On the View menu, click Task Scenario.

To execute a task
1 In the Symantec Ghost Console, in the left pane, expand the Tasks folder.
2 In the Tasks pane, select the task that you want to execute.
3 On the File menu, click Execute Task.

Symantec Ghost functionality

Once you have completed a restore task on the Console, you can start using the
other functionality within Symantec Ghost.
For more information, see the Symantec Ghost Implementation Guide.

Copyright (c) 2003 Symantec Corporation.

All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec
logo, and Ghost are U.S. registered
trademarks of Symantec Corporation.