Using Ghost Software to clone PXE-based network Hard Disks

At present, a considerable number of Internet cafes and electronic classrooms all use workstations without software drives and optical drives. Can I clone a network hard disk when there is a problem with the software system of the hard disk without a soft drive or optical drive? PXE enables you to understand the network startup function. PXE is the preboot execution environment, which is an extended network protocol based on TCP/IP, DHCP, TFTP, and other Internet protocols.

Next, we will explain how to use Symantec's disk management tool ghost to clone PXE-based network hard disks.

Brief description of network hard disk cloning process:

The Network hard disk cloning process is: On the workstation with a soft drive or optical drive, use a boot disk to start the machine (you can also connect the boot device to boot the machine through the USB port) and connect to the server, use the multicast server of the ghost server software to clone the hard disk or partition image (in the form of a ghost backup file) to the workstation, in this way, you can easily and quickly clone network Hard Disks without disassembling them.

Enable PXE Network

To enable the PXE network Startup Mode for workstations without a soft drive or optical drive, you need to complete three steps:

1. wks PXE startup settings

PXE boot chip (PXE boot ROM) must be installed on the NIC for PXE network startup. For some network adapters, you can also write the PXE Boot Code (Boot Code) to the Flash ROM of the motherboard; most integrated NICs on the Main Board can directly support PXE startup.

For some motherboard, the PXE startup setting method is as follows: Press SHIFT + F10 or F2 according to the screen prompt when the machine starts, select PXE In the Startup type, and enable the network startup option.

2. Create a PXE Startup File

Create a PXE Startup File. We recommend that you use the 3Com dabs (dynamic access boot services ). Dabs provides powerful PXE startup service and management functions. However, a 30-day trial version is available for download online. Therefore, we only use the image file creation function, and the Windows 2000 Server DHCP server provides the PXE startup service.

Dabs can be installed on any machine running Windows. After installation, run 3Com Boot Image editor(file imgedit.exe) to display the main interface. Select create a TCP/IP or PXE image file. The dialog box is displayed. Name the image file to be created, for example, pxeghost. IMG. If other options are used by default, place the network boot disk that has been tested to be normal to the soft drive, select [OK], and create the PXE Boot Image pxeghost. imgfile.

In the main menu of 3Com boot image editor, select "create PXE menu Startup File (creat a PXE menu boot file)", and select [add] In the displayed window. add the new boot image file pxeghost. IMG to the menu list (1), you can set the menu title and wait time in the "options" tab.

Select [Save] and name the pxemenu. PXE Startup File.

3. Server PXE startup service settings
The Dhcp Service of Windows 2000 Server supports DHCP and BOOTP. We can set the following three options: DHCP only, BOOTP only, and both. If Dynamic IP Address allocation is provided by other DHCP servers in our LAN, select "BOOTP only" here. If Dynamic IP Address Allocation is required for this server, select "both ". 2.

Next, set the Startup File Name. In the scope option of the DHCP server, configure the option "067: Startup File Name". The string value is the PXE menu Startup File Name pxemenu. PXE we created. Note: The file name does not contain a path. 3.

The DHCP server only notifies the bootp client of the Startup File name. How does the client download the Startup File? The answer is: the TFTP service is required. 3Com's dabs contains a TFTP service component. Of course, you can also download a free TFTP server software (such as Cisco's tftpserver) for long-term use.

Specify a service directory in the settings of the TFTP server. Put the PXE Startup File pxeghost. IMG and pxemenu. PXE In the TFTP service directory. The TFTP server is set to run automatically.

A tftpd32.exe program can be used to provide TFTP and DHCP services, instead of the DHCP service and Startup File Name settings of Windows Server 2003. This method seems to be popular on the Internet.

Clone a hard disk using ghost Multicast

Run the ghost server(ghostsrv83.exe program) on the multicast server. Set the task name to restore (or another name you like ). After setting, click "accept client.
Start the hard drive clone workstation. If the above steps are correct, you should be able to start PXE, display the configuration menu list in pxemenu. PXE, select and press enter, and then start the workstation using the configuration in the pxeghost. IMG image.
At this time, you need to install the dos nic Driver, drive the NIC of the local machine, and automatically obtain an IP address (it is a key and difficult point for Nic drivers in the DOS environment, I will discuss it in detail in another article ). In pxeghost.img, run the package containing the ghost.exe file to connect to the ghost server, add it to the Multicast clone task, and wait for the ghost server to send the cloned data.
The list of Multicast clone tasks is displayed on the ghost server. After all the target workstations are connected to this task, click send to start cloning the task.

This article from "100,000 why" Computer Learning Network http://www.why100000.com
Author: Zhang Qing (mesh)