Ghost imaging with a deployment server

**Marshal13** · April 18th, 2012, 05:31 AM

Hi there,

I have a server to tinker with and I figure it can be used as a deployment server; as I have multiple pcs at home which don't have ghost software.

My question is - Does anyone know the best ghost deployment for a server to client? Also this software would have to be free or cheap and Windows based.

Thank you.

**Steve R Jones** · April 18th, 2012, 06:17 AM

Food for thought-> Windows Home Server OS is designed to allow you to send images and updates to it.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · April 18th, 2012, 06:32 AM

Steve,

I think they're looking for a server-side app that will push out the software, rather than the WHS idea of sending backup images to the server...

#JustSaying...

Marshal13,

I've used the ImageX software (from M$ in the WAIK bundle) to create and restore images using a server to store the images. This was done as a "live CD" rather than a distributed EXE type file though...

I've got a [half-written] guide on a page on my site, let me know if you want it, and I'll finish coding it up...

**Marshal13** · April 18th, 2012, 06:55 AM

Steve,

Thanks for your thought. I thought standard Server opperating systems required you to have a domain setup rather than a workgroup? Doesn't really make sense to have a domain running in the home. However I have VMWare so it's worth looking into thank you.

Nude Man,

Yeah it's deffinatly worth looking into this idea. Your guide would be much appreciated. Being a student I have no deadline it's just a project to do in my spare time which can benefit me in the future. (And stop me from cussing at the screen whenever I need to reinstall Windows).

Thanks for both of your ideas.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · April 18th, 2012, 07:00 AM

You can run a server at home, in fact that is one of the things I've got going on at home - but I am a bit of a technophile, and it helped when I was learning and experimenting with things a few years back...

Just because I've got a fully-fledged domain running at home, does not mean that you can't just have a standalone server in a workgroup - in fact, that's one of the things Mrs NLM's work did before they expanded and I advised them to set themselves up in a domain......

I'm a bit busy with work at the moment, but I'll see if I can code up that page later today... I'll set up a DNS entry for you in a few minutes...

**GroundZero3** · April 18th, 2012, 07:13 AM

Marshall here is more information for you on Windows Home server

Windows Home Server 2011 - Microsoft Windows

**Marshal13** · April 18th, 2012, 08:44 AM

NLM,

Thanks for your help. If your too busy by all means don't let me take you away from your job but any help would be useful!

GroundZero3,

Thank you for the information. I might try and get hold of it and set it up on a VM. See how that goes. It looks promising but I recall rumors about it saying that this wasn't great. I will see how it goes. Thanks.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · April 18th, 2012, 08:55 AM

I finish at 15:30 so I'll get a chance to do it then....once the DNS updates too...

It should be:

http://imagex.nude-lewd-man.co.uk/

**MTAtech** · April 18th, 2012, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Marshal13

Steve,

Thanks for your thought. I thought standard Server opperating systems required you to have a domain setup rather than a workgroup? Doesn't really make sense to have a domain running in the home. However I have VMWare so it's worth looking into thank you.

Nude Man,

Yeah it's deffinatly worth looking into this idea. Your guide would be much appreciated. Being a student I have no deadline it's just a project to do in my spare time which can benefit me in the future. (And stop me from cussing at the screen whenever I need to reinstall Windows).

Thanks for both of your ideas.

I have a domain at home.

My question is why do you want a push deployment server instead of a server holding the PC images? What I've been doing, since Win 7 can create images, is assign a folder for each PC on the server, and have Win 7 on each PC push an image to the server on a schedule. If a PC blows up, I can re-install the PC from the image on the server.

**Marshal13** · April 19th, 2012, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by MTAtech

I have a domain at home.

My question is why do you want a push deployment server instead of a server holding the PC images? What I've been doing, since Win 7 can create images, is assign a folder for each PC on the server, and have Win 7 on each PC push an image to the server on a schedule. If a PC blows up, I can re-install the PC from the image on the server.

Have you? What's your setup?

Well I know that Windows Server has image capture and deployment services. However I also recall you have to be on a domain to do this. I didn't know Win7 could do that? If I can do this whilst in a workgroup then well it's what I want. However at the moment my server is running Windows 7 with one virtual machine running on it.

**MTAtech** · April 19th, 2012, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Marshal13

Have you? What's your setup?

Well I know that Windows Server has image capture and deployment services. However I also recall you have to be on a domain to do this. I didn't know Win7 could do that? If I can do this whilst in a workgroup then well it's what I want. However at the moment my server is running Windows 7 with one virtual machine running on it.

The images are created by Windows 7, not Server 2007 R2. The images are just being saved centrally on the server.

Windows 7 will create images as part of the improved backup features -- even if you don't have a domain.

I haven't looked at the Windows Server deployment services but I do store an image of the server on one of the server's disks, as a backup.