This section of Getting Started gives an overview of the new features for workstation imaging.
PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is an industry-standard protocol that allows a workstation to boot up and execute a program from the network before the workstation operating system starts. PXE uses DHCP and TFTP protocols. The PXE environment is loaded from either the NIC (Network Interface Card) in flash or ROM, or in the same memory as the system BIOS.
The following table lists the minimum hardware requirements for Preboot Services.
The following table lists the minimum software requirements for the server where you will install Preboot Services.
A standard DHCP server must already be installed---either on the same server where you are installing ZfD Preboot Services or on another server in the network---before you install the ZfD Preboot Services Proxy DHCP server. If the standard DHCP server is on the same server where you are installing the Proxy DHCP server, you must set option tag 60 in DHCP services. For more information, see the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services Administration guide at the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services documentation Web site.
IMPORTANT: Installing and running the Proxy DHCP server on a NetWare 5.x server that is already running a standard DHCP server is not supported.
By using PXE, you can put an image on a workstation even if the workstation's hard disk is blank. You do not need to install a Linux* imaging partition on the workstation. Before you can use PXE, make sure that you have installed the new Imaging and PXE Support components of ZfD 3.2 on your server.
When a PXE-enabled workstation is booted, it looks for the server where PXE is installed. Using a DHCP request, it checks the server to see if there is any imaging work to do. If there is imaging work to do, it downloads the Linux imaging environment from the server so that the workstation can be booted to Linux. Then the image is downloaded to the workstation. If there is no imaging work to do, these three files are not downloaded and the workstation proceeds to boot to its operating system.
To image a workstation using PXE, you need to find out if the workstation is PXE capable, and then make sure that PXE is enabled. (When PXE is enabled, it can lengthen the time of the boot process slightly, so most NICs have PXE turned off by default.) To enable PXE, enter the computer system BIOS and look at the boot up options. These typically include Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, and CD-ROM. If PXE is not listed and the NIC is embedded in the motherboard, refer to the integrated devices section of the BIOS. In the integrated devices section, you may have an option to activate PXE. It may be called by another name, such as MBA (Managed Boot Agent) or Pre-Boot Service. Once you have activated it, it will become available in the Boot section of the BIOS. If the computer system does not have an integrated NIC, you may need to use NIC management software to configure your NIC to support PXE. Refer to your NIC documentation for support of PXE.
If the workstation is not PXE capable, you may be able to make it capable by updating your BIOS version or NIC driver, using a PXE boot disk, or purchasing a PXE capable NIC and installing it in your computer. To create a PXE boot disk, use the PXE-On-Disk utility that is installed as part of PXE Support in ZfD 3.2. You can access the utility with the Create PXE Disk button in Imaging Boot Disk Creator. (To start this utility from ConsoleOne®, click Tools > ZENworks Utilities > Imaging > Create or Modify Boot Diskette.)
If you are using a PXE-enabled workstation but have previously installed a Linux imaging partition on the workstation, you can disable or delete the partition. You can disable (and enable) the imaging partition at any time when you boot to Linux. You can delete the partition only when you are putting an image on the workstation using standard imaging.
IMPORTANT: After you have deleted the partition, you need to make sure that the image you put on the workstation was made on a computer without a Linux imaging partition. Otherwise, the wrong MBR (Master Boot Record) is restored, and the computer will fail to boot. In addition, in you remove the Linux imaging partition from a Windows NT or Windows 2000 machine, Windows will no longer be able to boot. You should only remove the Linux imaging partition if you are going to restore an image to the workstation.
Refer to the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services Installation guide for information about installing and configuring PXE. To access this guide, start the ZfD 3.2 installation > click English > click Preboot Services Installation Guide. You can also find this guide at the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services documentation Web site.
Refer to the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services PXE-On-Disk User Guide for information about creating a PXE boot disk. To access this guide, on a Windows machine that has ZfD 3.2 PXE components installed on it, click the Start button > Programs > PXE > PXE on Disk > PXE on Disk Manual. You can also find this guide at the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services documentation Web site.
Detailed product documentation about configuring PXE is included in the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services Administration Guide, which is available at the ZfD 3.2 Preboot Services documentation Web site.
When you take an image of a workstation, you can choose from three new compression options:
These options are available on the ZENworks Imaging Configuration property page and from the Linux command line. They are also available in Image Explorer. (To start this utility from ConsoleOne, click Tools > ZENworks Utilities > Imaging > Image Explorer.) In Image Explorer, you can compress an open image by clicking File > Compress Image, or you can compress any image without opening it by clicking Tools > QuickCompress.
All image files are in compressed form when they are sent over the network. The image file is compressed on the workstation before it is sent to the server to be stored. When restoring an image, the compressed file is sent to the target workstation where it is decompressed.
If you have used Delete to hide files in the image, they are removed from the image during compression.
In Image Explorer, you can remove excluded or hidden files and folders from the open image by clicking File > Purge Delete Files.
There are now three imaging boot diskettes instead of two. You can create these diskettes with Imaging Boot Disk Creator.
You can perform imaging multicasting from ConsoleOne. Three new property pages on the Server object (Multicast Session Settings, Multicast Session Participation, and ZENworks Imaging Multicast Sessions) let you explicitly define or use rules to define the workstations that will be included in the session, specify the image file or workstation you want to use as the master for the multicast session, and specify the requirements for a session to begin. You can also specify to delete the session information as soon as the session has finished. For more information, see Multicasting Images in the ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Administration Guide guide.
In addition to the standard imaging option, there is now a scripted imaging option on the Workstation Image Files property page in ConsoleOne that allows you to specify advanced commands for imaging a workstation. See the ConsoleOne Help on this property page for examples of commands you can use.
When you boot up a workstation with a Linux imaging partition and enter img at the Linux bash prompt, the img commands are now available from a menu. For more information, see Imaging Engine (img: Command Line and Menu) in Imaging Utilities and Options in the ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Administration Guide guide.