Mass cloning Webconverger, using pxeboot

Objective: Clone a Webconverger installation on a number of hard disks in a controlled LAN environment

Change the boot parameters as desired, following the instructions on http://webconverger.org/develop. Create the isohybrid using the offset option:

isohybrid -offset 1 custom.iso

  1. Dump the ISO on a harddisk using dd, e.g. sudo if=binary-hybrid.iso of=/dev/sda (warning: WIPES HARD DRIVE CONTENTS)

  2. Test your installation: you have now installed the base system to clone from.

  3. Download Trinity Rescue Kit and burn it on a CD or USB-stick, whatever you can boot your base system from.

  4. Boot the base system machine from the Trinity Rescue Kit, start the Netboot server and start the mclone tool in server mode.

  5. Boot all your other machines with pxeboot. This might be a little bit fiddling with the BIOS options. You'll see them registering on your netboot server.

  6. Press enter on any machine and the multicast copy starts.

In about 35 seconds (network speed, not number of clients dependant) all your machines are ready to use with Webconverger.

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