Now that CloneDeploy is installed, it is time to determine how we will boot the computers into the imaging environment. There are two options for this.

  1. PXE Boot
  2. Bootable USB / ISO

PXE Boot

A TFTP server was already installed with CloneDeploy. Now you need to tell your computers to boot from it. This requires a small change to your DHCP Server.

I. Using A Windows DHCP Server

  1. Open your DHCP Configuration
  2. Select your scope
  3. Right click on scope options
  4. Select configure options
  5. Select option 66 and enter your CloneDeploy Server IP
  6. Select option 67 and enter pxeboot.0 (That is a zero)

II. Using The Provided DHCP Server ( Windows Installs Only )

This method is only intended to be used on isolated networks. For example, your CloneDeploy Server, a 24 port switch, and your computers. Not attached to the rest of your network.

    1. Give your CloneDeploy Server a private IP, such as 192.168.1.10
    2. Set your Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0
    3. Gateway and DNS are not needed
    4. Open 32 bit program files\clonedeploy\tftpd32\tftpd32_gui.exe
    5. Select Settings then check DHCP Server under the Global Tab
    6. Select the DHCP tab
    7. Set IP Pool starting Address to 192.168.1.20
    8. Set Size of Pool to 100
    9. Set Mask to 255.255.255.0
    10. Set Boot File to pxeboot.0 (That is a zero)
    11. Click OK and exit the program
    12. Restart the tftpd32 service
net stop tftpd32_svc
net start tftpd32_svc

III. Other DHCP Servers

There are many other DHCP Server options – I won’t try to list them all. If you are using something else you will need to consult it’s documentation

  1. Set the boot server to your CloneDeploy Server IP
  2. Set the boot file to pxeboot.0 ( That is a zero )

IV. CloneDeploy Proxy DHCP

If you will be PXE Booting your machines, I highly recommend you take the time to learn about CloneDeploy Proxy DHCP after you have things up and running.  It provides many benefits, you can read more about it here.

  • Enables PXE booting for clients whose DHCP Server’s do not support setting DHCP options. A prime example of this is a home router.
  • Enables PXE booting for a mix of legacy bios and efi clients
  • Provides load balancing across multiple tftp servers
  • This is the same way that Microsoft does it when using Windows Deployment Services
  • Can be one of the easiest ways to setup PXE booting in a simple network setup, and is also the hardest to setup in a more complicated network.
  • Supports Apple NetBoot
  • Offers much more control over individual computers and how the pxe boot

 

Bootable CD or USB Drive

As of CloneDeploy 1.3.0 this process has changed for the better.

Using the boot CD or USB drive offers a few advantages for you.

  1. It does not require using a TFTP server or changing DHCP options
  2. It can provide enhanced security
  3. It can be used along side PXE booting
  4. It can be helpful when some clients aren’t compatible with PXE booting

The obvious drawback is that it isn’t as convenient.

Bootable CD Creation
  1. Login to your CloneDeploy Server and select Admin -> Boot Menu -> ISO / USB Generator
  2. Set the build type to ISO
  3. Select A kernel and click Generate
  4. After it is finished building you can download and burn.
Bootable USB Creation
  1. Login to your CloneDeploy Server and select Admin -> Boot Menu -> ISO / USB Generator
  2. Set the build type to USB
  3. Select A kernel and click Generate
  4. After it is finished building download the zip file
  5. Extract the contents of the zip you just downloaded to your usb drive
  6. Run utils\win32\makeboot.bat – This must be run from your portable usb drive This must be run as administrator
  7. Some machines aren’t compatible with this method, if the usb drive fails to boot, then follow the instructions for creating Bootable CD above and use Rufus to copy it to a USB drive

Next Step

Create And Deploy Your First Image

in Getting Started