Contents

Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide PDF

1 of 102
1 of 102

Summary of Content for Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide PDF

Mac OS X Server System Imaging & Software Update Administration Version 10.6 Snow Leopard

Apple Inc. K

2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Mac OS X Server software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid-for support services.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Apple Inc., is not responsible for printing or clerical errors.

Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino CA 95014 www.apple.com

The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the keyboard Apple logo (OptionShiftK) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.

Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, Mac, Macintosh, QuickTime, Xgrid, and Xserve are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Finder is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Adobe and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Intel, Intel Core, Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corp. in the U.S. and other countries.

PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, used under license therefrom.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products.

019-1423/2009-08-01

9 Preface: About This Guide 9 Whats New in System Imaging and Software Update 10 Whats in This Guide 10 Using Onscreen Help 11 Documentation Map 12 Viewing PDF Guides Onscreen 12 Printing PDF Guides 13 Getting Documentation Updates 13 Getting Additional Information

Part I: System Imaging Administration 16 Chapter 1: Understanding System Imaging 17 Inside NetBoot Service 17 Disk Images 19 NetBoot Image Folder 20 Property List File 21 Boot Server Discovery Protocol (BSDP) 22 BootP Server 22 Boot Files 22 Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) 22 Using Images Stored on Other Servers 23 Security 23 NetInstall Images 24 Tools for Managing NetBoot Service 24 Server Admin 24 Workgroup Manager 25 System Image Utility 25 Command-Line Tools

3

Contents

4 Contents

26 Chapter 2: Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 26 Using System Image Utility 26 Creating Images 27 Creating NetBoot Images 28 Creating NetInstall Images 29 Creating NetRestore Images 30 Creating an Image from a Configured Computer 32 Updating an Image 33 Understanding Workflows 33 Workflow Components 33 Configuring the Customize Package Selection Action 34 Configuring the Define Image Source Action 34 Configuring the Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts Action 35 Configuring the Add User Account Action 35 Configuring the Apply System Configuration Settings Action 36 Configuring the Create Image Action 37 Configuring the Enable Automated Installation Action 37 Configuring the Filter Clients by MAC Address Action 38 Configuring the Filter Computer Models Action 38 Configuring the Partition Disk Action 39 Assembling Workflows 39 Adding Existing Workflows 39 Removing Workflows 40 Assembling an Image Workflow 41 Adding Software to NetBoot and NetInstall Images 41 About Packages 42 Creating Packages 42 Viewing the Contents of a Package

43 Chapter 3: Setting Up NetBoot Service 43 Setup Overview 45 Before Setting Up NetBoot Service 45 What You Must Know 45 Client Computer Requirements 46 Network Hardware Requirements 46 Network Service Requirements 46 Capacity Planning 47 Serial Number Considerations 47 Turning NetBoot Service On 48 Setting Up NetBoot Service 48 Configuring NetBoot General Settings 48 Configuring Images Settings 49 Configuring Filters Settings

Contents 5

50 Configuring NetBoot Logging Settings 50 Enabling NetBoot 1.0 for Older NetBoot Clients 51 Starting NetBoot and Related Services 52 Managing Images 52 Enabling Images 52 Choosing Where Images Are Stored 54 Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored 56 Using Images Stored on Remote Servers 56 Specifying the Default Image 57 Setting an Image for Diskless Booting 58 Restricting NetBoot Clients by Filtering Addresses 59 Setting Up NetBoot Service Across Subnets

60 Chapter 4: Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images 60 Setting Up Diskless Clients 60 Selecting a NetBoot Boot Image 61 Imaging Multiple Clients Using the Multicast asr Command 62 Selecting a NetInstall Image 62 Starting Up Using the N Key 63 Changing How NetBoot Clients Allocate Shadow Files

64 Chapter 5: Managing NetBoot Service 64 Controlling and Monitoring NetBoot 64 Turning Off NetBoot Service 65 Disabling a Boot or Installation Image 65 Viewing a List of NetBoot Clients 66 Viewing a List of NetBoot Connections 66 Checking the Status of NetBoot and Related Services 67 Viewing the NetBoot Service Log 67 Performance and Load Balancing 67 Load Balancing NetBoot Images 68 Distributing NetBoot Images Across Servers 68 Distributing NetBoot Images Across Server Disk Drives 69 Balancing NetBoot Image Access 70 Distributing Shadow Files

71 Chapter 6: Solving System Imaging Problems 71 General Tips 71 If NetBoot Client Computers Wont Start 72 If You Want to Change the Image Name 72 Changing the Name of an Uncompressed Image 72 Changing the Name of a Compressed Image

6 Contents

Part II: Software Update Administration 76 Chapter 7: Understanding Software Update Administration 77 Inside the Software Update Process 77 Overview 77 Catalogs 77 Installation Packages 78 Staying Up-To-Date with the Apple Server 78 Limiting User Bandwidth 78 Revoked Files 79 Software Update Package Format 79 Log Files 79 Information That Is Collected 79 Tools for Managing Software Update 80 Server Admin 80 Workgroup Manager 80 Command-Line Tools

81 Chapter 8: Setting Up Software Update 81 Setup Overview 82 Considerations and Requirements 82 What You Must Know 82 Client Computer Requirements 83 Network Hardware Requirements 83 Capacity Planning 84 Before Setting Up Software Update 84 Consider Which Software Update Packages to Offer 84 Software Update Storage 85 Organize Your Enterprise Client Computers 85 Turning Software Update On 85 Setting Up Software Update 86 Configuring Software Update General Settings 87 Configuring Updates Settings 87 Starting Software Update 88 Redirecting Software Update Server and Unmanaged Clients 88 Redirecting your Software Update Server 88 Pointing Unmanaged Clients to a Software Update Server

90 Chapter 9: Managing Software Update 90 Manually Refreshing the Updates Catalog from the Apple Server 91 Checking the Status of Software Update 91 Stopping Software Update 91 Limiting User Bandwidth for Software Update

Contents 7

92 Automatically Copying and Enabling Updates from Apple 92 Copying and Enabling Selected Updates from Apple 93 Removing Obsolete Software Updates 94 Identifying Individual Software Update Files

95 Chapter 10: Solving Software Update Problems 95 General Tips 95 If a Client Computer Cant Access the Software Update Server 95 If the Software Update Server Wont Sync with the Apple Server 95 If Update Packages That the Software Update Server Lists Arent Visible to Client

Computers

96 Appendix: Command-Line Parameters 96 NetBoot Service Settings 97 The Storage Record Array 97 The Filters Record Array 98 The Image Record Array 99 The Port Record Array

100 Index

8

9

This guide describes how to configure and use NetBoot and NetInstall images within Mac OS X Server. It also describes Software Update service, which you can set up using Mac OS X Server.

Mac OS X Server version 10.6 includes NetBoot service supporting NetBoot and NetInstall images and the improved System Image Utilitya stand-alone utility used to create Install and Boot images used with NetBoot service.

Mac OS X Server v10.6 also includes Apples Software Update service. It is designed as a source for Apple Software Updates managed on your network. With Software Update, you can directly manage which Apple software updates users on your network can access and apply to their computers.

Whats New in System Imaging and Software Update NetBoot service, System Image Utility, and Software Update offer major enhancements in several key areas:

NetRestore Image: System Image Utility allows you to create a NetRestore image that you can use to restore a volume over the network.

Software Update storage: The Software Update catalog and downloads can be stored on another volume to free up space on the boot volume.

Pr ef

ac eAbout This Guide

10 Preface About This Guide

Whats in This Guide This guide includes the following sections:

Part I: System Imaging Administration. The chapters in this part of the guide introduce you to system imaging and the applications and tools available for administering System Image Utility.

Part II: Software Update Administration. The chapters in this part of the guide introduce you to Software Update and the applications and tools available for administering it.

Note: Because Apple periodically releases new versions and updates to its software, images shown in this book may be different from what you see on your screen.

Using Onscreen Help You can get task instructions onscreen in Help Viewer while youre managing Mac OS X Server. You can view help on a server or on an administrator computer. (An administrator computer is a Mac OS X computer with Mac OS X Server administrator software installed on it.)

To get the most recent onscreen help for Mac OS X Server: Open Server Admin or Workgroup Manager and then: m

Use the Help menu to search for a task you want to perform.

Choose Help > Server Admin Help or Help > Workgroup Manager Help to browse and search the help topics.

The onscreen help contains instructions taken from Advanced Server Administration and other administration guides.

To see the most recent server help topics: Make sure the server or administrator computer is connected to the Internet while m

youre getting help.

Help Viewer automatically retrieves and caches the most recent server help topics from the Internet. When not connected to the Internet, Help Viewer displays cached help topics.

Preface About This Guide 11

Documentation Map Mac OS X Server has a suite of guides that cover management of individual services. Each service may depend on other services for maximum utility. The documentation map below shows some related guides that you may need in order to fully configure System Imaging and Software Update to your specifications. You can get these guides in PDF format from the Mac OS X Server Resources website at www.apple.com/server/ macosx/resources/.

System Imaging and Software Update Administration

Explains how to use System Image Utility,

and describes advanced options for setting up,

conguring, and managing software update service.

Information Technologies

Dictionary Provides onscreen

denitions of server, System Image Utility, and software update service terminology.

Advanced Server Administration

Describes using Server Admin to install, congure, and

administer server software and services. Includes best

practices and advice for system planning, security, backing up,

and monitoring.

Introduction to Command-Line Administration

Explains how to use UNIX shell commands to congure and manage

servers and services. Server Admin Help

Provides onscreen instructions and answers when youre using Server Admin to set up NetBoot

service and software update service.

System Image Utility Help

Provides onscreen instructions and

answers when youre using System Image

Utility to create computer images.

Network Services Administration

Explains how to set up DHCP, NFS, AFP, HTTP, and TFTP for use with

NetBoot service.

File Server Administration

Explains how to share server volumes or folders

among server clients using the AFP, NFS, FTP,

and SMB protocols.

12 Preface About This Guide

Viewing PDF Guides Onscreen While reading the PDF version of a guide onscreen:

Show bookmarks to see the guides outline, and click a bookmark to jump to the corresponding section.

Search for a word or phrase to see a list of places where it appears in the document. Click a listed place to see the page where it occurs.

Click a cross-reference to jump to the referenced section. Click a web link to visit the website in your browser.

Printing PDF Guides If you want to print a guide, you can take these steps to save paper and ink:

Save ink or toner by not printing the cover page.

Save color ink on a color printer by looking in the panes of the Print dialog for an option to print in grays or black and white.

Reduce the bulk of the printed document and save paper by printing more than one page per sheet of paper. In the Print dialog, change Scale to 115% (155% for Getting Started). Then choose Layout from the untitled pop-up menu. If your printer supports two-sided (duplex) printing, select one of the Two-Sided options. Otherwise, choose 2 from the Pages per Sheet pop-up menu, and optionally choose Single Hairline from the Border menu. (If youre using Mac OS X v10.4 or earlier, the Scale setting is in the Page Setup dialog and the Layout settings are in the Print dialog.)

You may want to enlarge the printed pages even if you dont print double sided, because the PDF page size is smaller than standard printer paper. In the Print dialog or Page Setup dialog, try changing Scale to 115% (155% for Getting Started, which has CD-size pages).

Preface About This Guide 13

Getting Documentation Updates Periodically, Apple posts revised help pages and new editions of guides. Some revised help pages update the latest editions of the guides.

To view new onscreen help topics for a server application, make sure your server or administrator computer is connected to the Internet and click Latest help topics or Staying current in the main help page for the application.

To download the latest guides in PDF format, go to the Mac OS X Server Resources website at www.apple.com/server/resources/.

An RSS feed listing the latest updates to Mac OS X Server documentation and onscreen help is available. To view the feed use an RSS reader application such as Safari or Mail and go to:

feed://helposx.apple.com/rss/snowleopard/serverdocupdates.xml

Getting Additional Information For more information, consult these resources:

Read Me documentsget important updates and special information. Look for them on the server discs.

Mac OS X Server website (www.apple.com/server/macosx/)enter the gateway to extensive product and technology information.

Mac OS X Server Support website (www.apple.com/support/macosxserver/)access hundreds of articles from Apples support organization.

Apple Discussions website (discussions.apple.com/)share questions, knowledge, and advice with other administrators.

Apple Mailing Lists website (www.lists.apple.com/)subscribe to mailing lists so you can communicate with other administrators using email.

Apple Training and Certification website (www.apple.com/training/)hone your server administration skills with instructor-led or self-paced training, and differentiate yourself with certification.

Open Source website (developer.apple.com/darwin/)Access to Darwin open source code, developer information, and FAQs.

14

IPart I: System Imaging Administration

The chapters in this part of the guide introduce you to system imaging and the applications and tools available for administering System Image Utility.

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 4 Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service

Chapter 6 Solving System Imaging Problems

16

Use this chapter to learn the basics of how to start client computers using an operating system stored on a server and how to install software on client computers over the network.

The NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore features of Mac OS X Server offer you alternatives for managing the operating system and application software that your Macintosh clients (or even other servers) require to start and do their work.

Instead of going from computer to computer to install operating system and application software from CDs, you can prepare an installation image that installs on each computer when it starts up.

You can also choose to not install software and have client computers start (or boot) from an image stored on the server. (In some cases, clients dont even need their own hard disk.)

Using NetBoot and NetInstall, your client computers can start from a standardized Mac OS configuration suited to specific tasks. Because the client computers start from the same image, you can quickly update the operating system for users by updating a single boot image.

A boot image is a file that looks and acts like a mountable disk or volume. NetBoot images contain the system software needed to act as a startup disk for client computers over the network.

An installation image is an image that starts up the client computer long enough to install software from the image. The client can then start up from its own hard disk.

Boot images (used with NetBoot) and installation images (used with NetInstall) are different kinds of disk images. The main difference is that a .dmg file is a proper disk image and a .nbi folder is a bootable network volume (which contains a .dmg disk image file). Disk images are files that behave like disk volumes.

1Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging 17

You can set up multiple NetBoot or NetInstall images to suit the needs of different groups of clients or you can provide copies of the same image on multiple NetBoot servers to distribute the client startup load. You can also use a NetRestore image to quickly restore a volume.

NetBoot service can be used with NetBoot and NetInstall images along with Mac OS X client management services to provide a personalized work environment for each user. For information about client management services, see User Management.

You can use the following Mac OS X Server applications to set up and manage NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore:

System Image Utility to create Mac OS X NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore disk images. This utility is installed with Mac OS X Server software in the /Applications/ Server/ folder.

Server Admin to enable and configure NetBoot service and supporting services. This utility is installed with Mac OS X Server software in the /Applications/Server/ folder.

PackageMaker to create package files that you use to add software to disk images. This utility is provided on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD.

Property List Editor to edit property lists such as NBImageInfo.plist. This utility is included on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (either volumes or install DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

Inside NetBoot Service This section describes how NetBoot service is implemented on Mac OS X Server, including information about the protocols, files, folder structures, and configuration details.

Disk Images The disk images contain the system software and applications used over the network by client computers. These tools can be installed on a client computer with the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD. The name of a disk image file typically ends in .img or .dmg. Disk Utilitypart of Mac OS Xcan mount disk image files as volumes on the desktop.

You use System Image Utility to create Mac OS X NetBoot or NetInstall images, using a Mac OS X installation disc or an existing system volume as the source. See Creating Images on page 26.

NetBoot Share Points NetBoot service sets up share points to make images and shadow files available to clients. Shadow files are used for NetBoot clients that dont use their local hard disks to write out data when booted.

NetBoot service creates share points for storing NetBoot and NetInstall images in /Library/NetBoot/ on each volume you enable and names them NetBootSPn, where n is 0 for the first share point and increases by 1 for each extra share point.

For example, if you decide to store images on three server disks, NetBoot service sets up three share points named NetBootSP0, NetBootSP1, and NetBootSP2.

The share points for client shadow files are also created in /Library/NetBoot/ and are named NetBootClientsn, where n is the share point number.

You can create and enable NetBootSPn and NetBootClientsn share points on other server volumes using the NetBoot Service General settings in Server Admin.

WARNING: Dont rename a NetBoot share point or the volume it resides on. Dont stop sharing a NetBoot share point unless you first deselect the share point for images and shadow files in Server Admin.

Using NetBoot and NetInstall Images on Other Servers You can also specify the path of a NetBoot image residing on a different NFS server. When creating image files, you can specify which server the image will reside on. See Using Images Stored on Remote Servers on page 56.

Client Information File NetBoot service gathers information about a client the first time a client selects a NetBoot or NetInstall volume to start from the Startup Disk. NetBoot service stores this information in the /var/db/bsdpd_clients file.

Shadow Files Many clients can read from the same NetBoot image, but when a client must write back to its startup volume (such as print jobs and other temporary files), NetBoot service redirects the written data to the clients shadow files, which are separate from regular system and application software.

Shadow files preserve the unique identity of each client while it is running from a NetBoot image. NetBoot service transparently maintains changed user data in shadow files while reading unchanged data from the shared system image. Shadow files are recreated at startup, so changes made to a users startup volume are lost at restart.

18 Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging 19

For example, if a user saves a document to the startup volume, after a restart that document is gone. This behavior preserves the condition of the environment the administrator set up. Therefore users must have accounts on a file server on the network to save documents.

Balancing the Shadow File Load NetBoot service creates an AFP share point on each server volume you specify (see Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored on page 54) and distributes client shadow files across them as a way of balancing the load for NetBoot clients. There is no performance gain if the volumes are partitions on the same disk. See Distributing Shadow Files on page 70.

Allocation of Shadow Files for Mac OS X NetBoot Clients When a client computer starts from a Mac OS X NetBoot image, it creates shadow files on a server NetBootClientsn share point or, if no share point is available, on a drive local to the client. For information about changing this behavior, see Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored on page 54.

NetBoot Image Folder When you create a Mac OS X NetBoot image with System Image Utility, the utility creates a NetBoot image folder whose name ends with .nbi and stores in it the NetBoot image with other files (see the following table) required to start a client computer over the network.

File Description

booter Startup file that the firmware uses to begin the startup process

mach.macosx UNIX kernel

mach.macosx.mkext Drivers

System.dmg Startup image file (can include application software)

NBImageInfo.plist Property list file

System Image Utility stores the folder whose name ends with .nbi on the NetBoot server in /Library/NetBoot/NetBootSPn/image.nbi (where n is the volume number and image is the name of the image). You can save directly to this folder or you can create the image elsewhere (even on another computer) and copy it to the /Library/NetBoot/ NetBootSPn folder later.

Files for PowerPC-based Macintosh computers are stored in the ppc folder for Mac OS X Server v10.5 images, while previous images might storePowerPC files in the root of the .nbi folder. Files for Intel-based Macintosh computers are stored in the i386 folder. Mac OS X Server v10.6 and later do not support imaging of PowerPC-based computers.

You use System Image Utility to set up NetBoot image folders. The utility lets you:

Name the image

Choose the image type (NetBoot or NetInstall)

Provide an image ID

Choose the default language

Choose the computer models the image supports

Create unique sharing names

Specify a default user name and password

Enable automatic installation for installation images

Add package or preinstalled applications

For more information, see Creating NetBoot Images on page 27.

Property List File The property list file NBImageInfo.plist stores image properties. The following table gives more information about the property list file for Mac OS X image files.

Property Type Description

Architectures Array An array of strings of the architectures the image supports.

BootFile String Name of boot file: booter.

Index Integer 14095 indicates a local image unique to the server.

409665535 is a duplicate, identical image stored on multiple servers for load balancing.

20 Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging 21

Property Type Description

IsDefault Boolean True specifies this image file as the default boot image on the subnet.

IsEnabled Boolean Sets whether the image is available to NetBoot (or Network Image) clients.

IsInstall Boolean True specifies a Network Install image; False specifies a NetBoot image.

Name String Name of the image as it appears in the Mac OS X Preferences pane.

RootPath String Specifies the path to the disk image on the server, or the path to an image on another server. See Using Images Stored on Other Servers on page 22.

Type String NFS or HTTP.

SupportsDiskless Boolean True directs the NetBoot server to allocate space for the shadow files needed by diskless clients.

Description String Text describing the image.

Language String A code specifying the language to be used while starting from the image.

Initial values in NBImageInfo.plist are set by System Image Utility and you usually dont need to change the property list file directly. Some values are set by Server Admin. If you must edit a property list file, you can use TextEdit or Property List Editor, found in the Utilities folder on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD.

Boot Server Discovery Protocol (BSDP) NetBoot service uses an Apple-developed protocol based on DHCP known as Boot Server Discovery Protocol (BSDP). This protocol provides a way of discovering NetBoot servers on a network.

NetBoot clients obtain their IP information from a DHCP server and their NetBoot information from BSDP. BSDP offers built-in support for load balancing. See Performance and Load Balancing on page 67.

BootP Server NetBoot service uses a BootP server (bootpd) to provide necessary information to client computers when they try to start from an image on the server.

If BootP clients on your network request an IP address from the NetBoot BootP server, this request fails because the NetBoot BootP server doesnt have addresses to offer. To prevent the NetBoot BootP server from responding to requests for IP addresses, use the dscl command-line tool to open the local folder on the NetBoot server and add a key named bootp_enabled with no value to the /config/dhcp/ folder.

Boot Files When you create a Mac OS X NetBoot image with System Image Utility, the utility generates the following boot files and stores them on the NetBoot server in /Library/ NetBoot/NetBootSPn/image.nbi (where n is the volume number and image is the name of the image):

booter

mach.macosx

mach.macosx.mkext

Note: If you turn on NetBoot service when installing Mac OS X Server, the installer creates the NetBootSP0 share point on the server boot volume. Otherwise, you can set up NetBootSPn share points by choosing where to store NetBoot images from the list of volumes in the General pane of NetBoot Service settings in Server Admin.

Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) NetBoot service uses Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TPTP) to send boot files from the server to the client. When you start a NetBoot client, the client sends a request for startup software. The NetBoot server then delivers the booter file to the client using TFTP default port 69.

Client computers access the startup software on the NetBoot server from the location where the image was saved.

These files are typically stored in the /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSPn/ folder. This path is a symbolic link to Library/NetBoot/NetBootSPn/image.nbi (where n is the volume number and image is the name of the image).

Using Images Stored on Other Servers You can store Mac OS X NetBoot or NetInstall images on NFS servers other than the NetBoot server. For more information, see Using Images Stored on Remote Servers on page 56.

22 Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging 23

Security You can restrict access to NetBoot service on a case-by-case basis by listing the hardware addresses (also known as the Ethernet or MAC addresses) of computers that you want to permit or deny access to.

The hardware address of a client computer is added to the NetBoot Filtering list when the client starts up using NetBoot and is, by default, enabled to use NetBoot service. You can specify other services. See Restricting NetBoot Clients by Filtering Addresses on page 58.

NetInstall Images A NetInstall image is an image that starts up the client computer long enough to install software from the image. The client can then start up from its own hard disk. In the same way that a NetBoot image replaces the role of a hard disk, a NetInstall image is a replacement for an installation DVD.

Like a bootable CD, NetInstall is a convenient way to reinstall the operating system, applications, or other software onto the local hard disk. For system administrators deploying large numbers of computers with the same version of Mac OS X, NetInstall can be very useful. NetInstall does not require the insertion of a CD into each NetBoot client because startup and installation information is delivered over the network.

When you create a NetInstall image with System Image Utility, you can automate the installation process by limiting interaction at the client computer.

Because an automatic network installation can be configured to erase the contents of the local hard disk before installation, data loss can occur. You must control access to this type of NetInstall image and must communicate the implications of using them to those using these images. Before using automatic network installations, it is always wise to inform users to back up critical data.

You can perform software installations through NetInstall using a collection of packages or an entire disk image (depending on the source used to create the image).

For more information about preparing NetInstall images to install software over the network, see Creating NetInstall Images on page 28.

Tools for Managing NetBoot Service The Server Admin and System Image Utility applications provide a graphical interface for managing NetBoot service in Mac OS X Server. In addition, you can manage NetBoot service from the command line by using Terminal.

These applications are included with Mac OS X Server and can be installed on another computer with Mac OS X v10.6 or later, making that computer an administrator computer. For more information about setting up an administrator computer, see the server administration chapter of Getting Started.

Server Admin Server Admin provides access to tools you use to set up, manage, and monitor NetBoot service and other services. You use Server Admin to:

Set up Mac OS X Server as a DHCP server and configure NetBoot service to use NetBoot and NetInstall images. For instructions, see Chapter 3, Setting Up NetBoot Service.

Manage and monitor NetBoot service. For instructions, see Chapter 5, Managing NetBoot Service.

For more information about using Server Admin, see Advanced Server Administration. This guide includes information about:

Opening and authenticating in Server Admin

Working with specific servers

Administering services

Using SSL for remote server administration

Customizing the Server Admin environment

Server Admin is installed in /Applications/Server/.

Workgroup Manager The Workgroup Manager application provides comprehensive management of clients of Mac OS X Server. For basic information about using Workgroup Manager, see User Management. This includes:

Opening and authenticating in Workgroup Manager

Administering accounts

Customizing the Workgroup Manager environment

Workgroup Manager is installed in /Applications/Server/.

24 Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging

Chapter 1 Understanding System Imaging 25

System Image Utility System Image Utility is a tool you use to create and customize NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore images. With System Image Utility, you can:

Create NetBoot images that can be booted to the Finder.

Create NetInstall images from a DVD or existing Mac OS X partition.

Create NetRestore images form an existing volume.

Assemble a workflow that creates customized NetBoot and NetInstall images.

For instructions on using System Image Utility, see Chapter 2, Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images.

System Image Utility is installed in /Applications/Server/.

Command-Line Tools A full range of command-line tools is available for administrators who prefer to use command-driven server administration. For remote server management, submit commands in a secure shell (SSH) session. You can enter commands on Mac OS X servers and computers using the Terminal application, located in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder.

26

Use this chapter to prepare NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore images used with NetBoot service or Apple Software Restore.

You can set up multiple NetBoot or NetInstall images to suit the needs of different groups of users or to provide copies of the same image on multiple servers to distribute the client startup load. You can also set up NetRestore images to restore Mac OS X volumes. Using NetBoot service, you can provide a personalized work environment for each user.

Using System Image Utility System Image Utility is a tool you use to create and customize NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore images.

With System Image Utility, you can:

Create NetBoot images that can be booted using Finder.

Create NetInstall images from a DVD or existing Mac OS X partition.

Create NetRestore images from an existing Mac OS X volume.

Assemble a workflow that creates customized NetBoot and NetInstall images.

Creating Images To create system and software images to use with NetBoot service or the asr tool, use System Image Utility.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

2Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 27

Creating NetBoot Images You can create NetBoot images of Mac OS X that are then used to start client computers over the network.

You can also assemble a workflow to create a NetBoot image that permits advanced customization of your images. For more information, see Understanding Workflows on page 33.

Note: You must purchase a Mac OS X user license for each client that starts from a NetBoot or NetInstall disk image.

To create a NetBoot image: 1 Log in as an administrator user.

2 Open System Image Utility (in the /Applications/Server/ folder).

3 In the left sidebar, select the image source.

If no image sources are listed, make sure you inserted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later installation DVD or mounted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later boot volume.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

4 Select NetBoot Image and click Continue.

5 In the Network Disk field, enter a name for your image.

This name identifies the image in the Startup Disk preferences pane on client computers.

6 (Optional) In the Description field, enter notes or other information to help you characterize the image.

Clients cant see the description information.

7 If the image will be served from more than one server, select the checkbox below the description field.

This option generates an index ID for NetBoot server load balancing.

8 If your source volume is a Mac OS X Installation DVD, enter a user name, short name, and password (in the Password and Verify fields) for the administrator account in Create Administrator Account.

You can log in to a booted client using this account.

9 Click Create.

10 In the Save As dialog, choose where to save the image.

If you dont want to use the image name you entered earlier, change it by entering a new name in the Save As field.

NetBoot service must be configured on a network port and Server Admin must be set to serve images from a volume for this option to appear in the pop-up menu. For more information, see Setting Up NetBoot Service on page 48.

To save the image somewhere else, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu or click the triangle next to the Save As field and navigate to a folder.

11 Click Save and authenticate if prompted.

Important: Do not attempt to edit content in the image destination folder while the image is being created.

Creating NetInstall Images Use System Image Utility to create a NetInstall image that you can use to install software on client computers over the network. You can find this application in the /Applications/Server/ folder.

To create a NetInstall image: 1 Log in as an administrator user.

2 Open System Image Utility (in the /Applications/Server/ folder).

3 In the left sidebar select the image source.

If no image sources are listed, make sure you inserted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later installation DVD or mounted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later boot volume.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

4 Select NetInstall Image and click Continue.

5 In the Network Disk field, enter a name for your image.

This name identifies the image in the Startup Disk preferences pane on client computers.

6 (Optional) In the Description field, enter notes or other information to help you characterize the image.

Clients cant see the description information.

7 If the image will be served from more than one server, select the checkbox below the description field.

This assigns an index ID to the image for NetBoot service load balancing.

8 Click Create.

9 In the Save As dialog, choose where to save the image.

If you dont want to use the image name you entered earlier, change it by entering a new name in the Save As field.

28 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 29

If youre creating the image on the same server that will serve it, choose a volume from the Serve from NetBoot share point on pop-up menu.

NetBoot service must be configured on a network port and Server Admin must be set to serve images from a volume for this option to appear in the pop-up menu. For more information, see Setting Up NetBoot Service on page 48.

To save the image somewhere else, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu or click the triangle next to the Save As field and navigate to a folder.

10 Click Save and authenticate if prompted.

Important: Do not attempt to edit content in the image destination folder while the image is being created.

Creating NetRestore Images If you have a client computer thats already configured, you can use System Image Utility to create a NetRestore image based on that client configuration.You can create a NetRestore image of a Mac OS X volume that is used to restore client computers over the network using NetBoot service or Apple Software Recovery asr. When you create a NetRestore image you are creating a clone of a volume.

You can also use the asr tool to restore a system image onto a volume or to clone volumes.

You must start up from a volume other than the one youre using as the image source. For example, you could start up from an external FireWire hard disk or a second partition on the client computer hard disk. You cant create the image on a volume over the network.

You can also assemble a workflow to create a NetRestore image that permits advanced customization of your images. For more information, see Understanding Workflows on page 33.

To create a NetRestore image: 1 Log in as an administrator user.

2 Open System Image Utility (in the /Applications/Server/ folder).

3 In the left sidebar, select the image source.

If no image sources are listed, make sure you inserted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later installation DVD or mounted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later boot volume.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

4 Select NetRestore Image and click Continue.

5 In the Network Disk field, enter a name for your image.

This name identifies the image in the Startup Disk preferences pane on client computers.

6 (Optional) In the Description field, enter notes or other information to help you characterize the image.

Clients cant see the description information.

7 If the image will be served from more than one server, select the checkbox below the description field.

This assigns an index ID to the image for NetBoot service load balancing.

8 Click Create.

9 In the Save As dialog, choose where to save the image.

If you dont want to use the image name you entered earlier, change it by entering a new name in the Save As field.

If youre creating the image on the same server that will serve it, choose a volume from the Serve from NetBoot share point on pop-up menu.

NetBoot service must be configured on a network port and Server Admin must be set to serve images from a volume for this option to appear in the pop-up menu. For more information, see Setting Up NetBoot Service on page 48.

To save the image somewhere else, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu or click the triangle next to the Save As field and navigate to a folder.

10 Click Save and authenticate if prompted.

Important: Do not attempt to edit content in the image destination folder while the image is being created.

From the Command Line: When you use asr to restore a volume, the target disk is erased.

To clone a volume: m

$ sudo asr -source /Volumes/Classic -target /Volumes/install

To restore a system image onto a volume: m

$ sudo asr -source compressedimage -target -erase

Creating an Image from a Configured Computer If a client computer is already configured, you can use System Image Utility to create a NetBoot or NetInstall image based on that client configuration.

You must start up from a volume other than the one youre using as the image source. For example, you could start up from an external FireWire hard disk or a second partition on the client computer hard disk. You cant create the image on a volume over the network.

30 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 31

To create an image based on an existing system: 1 Start up the computer from a partition other than the one youre imaging.

2 Install System Image Utility on the client computer from the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD.

3 Open System Image Utility on the client computer (in the /Applications/Server/ folder).

4 In the left sidebar, select the image source.

If no image sources are listed, make sure you inserted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later installation DVD or mounted a valid Mac OS X v10.6 or later boot volume.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

5 From the expanded list, select the image source.

6 Select NetBoot Image, NetInstall Image, or NetRestore Image and click Continue.

Select NetBoot if your client computers will start up from this image.

Select NetInstall if your image will be installed on a hard disk.

Select NetRestore if your image is a clone of a volume.

7 In the Image Name field, enter a name for your image.

This name identifies the image in the Startup Disk preferences pane on client computers.

8 (Optional) In the Description field, enter notes or other information to help you characterize the image.

Clients cant see the description information.

9 If the image will be served from more than oner server, select the checkbox below the description field.

This option generates an index ID for NetBoot server load balancing.

10 For NetBoot images, if your source volume is a Mac OS X Installation DVD, enter a user name, short name, and password (in the Password and Verify fields) for the administrator account in Create Administrator Account.

You can log in to a booted client using this account.

11 Click Create.

12 In the Save As dialog, choose where to save the image.

If you dont want to use the image name you entered earlier, change it by entering a new name in the Save As field.

To save the image somewhere else, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu or click the triangle next to the Save As field and navigate to a folder.

13 Click Save and authenticate if prompted.

Important: Do not attempt to edit content in the image destination folder while the image is being created.

14 After the image is created on the client computer, copy it to the /Library/NetBoot/ NetBootSPn share point on the server for use by NetBoot service.

Images should be stored in this folder.

From the command line: You can also create a NetBoot image clone of a system using the hdiutil command in Terminal to manipulate disk images. You can use this tool to perform many functions such as creating, compressing, mounting, unmounting, and resizing images. You can also display image information and burn images onto CDs.

To verify an image by comparing it to its internal checksum: m

$ hdiutil verify myimage.img

To split an image into three segments: m

$ hdiutil segment -segmentSize 10m -o /tmp/aseg 30m.dmg

This creates three files: aseg.dmg, aseg.002.dmgpart, and aseg.003.dmgpart.

To convert an image to a CD, export image with a .toast extension: m

$ hdiutil convert master.dmg -format UDTO -o master

To burn an image onto a CD: m

$ hdiutil burn myImage.dmg

To create an image from a folder: m

$ hdiutil create -srcfolder mydir mydir.dmg

For information about how to manipulate disk images, see the hdiutil man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Updating an Image To update a Mac OS X disk image, you must recreate the image. New images can easily be recreated by running a saved image creation workflow. For more information, see Creating Images on page 26.

From the command line: To update a NetBoot image from the command line, use the installer tool the same way you would to install packages on your default installation volume.

To update an image: m

$ installer -pkg pkg.mpkg -target image_path

For information about installer, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

32 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 33

Understanding Workflows System Image Utility now harnesses the power of Automator to help you create custom images by assembling workflows. The basic building block of a workflow is an automator action. You define the image customization by assembling automator actions into a workflow.

You use workflows to create customized NetInstall or NetBoot images depending on the goals of your task:

Workflows that create custom NetInstall images assemble an image that installs the OS onto the computer, either originating from installation DVDs or from an installed OS volume. This image boots into the installer environment or similar shell environment and performs the workflow steps you define.

Workflows that create custom NetBoot images assemble a bootable image from installation DVDs or from an installed OS volume. This is an image that could be directly installed onto a target volume using the asr command-line tool or you can use NetBoot.

Each action performs a single task, such as customizing a software package or adding a user account.

Instead of being a do-it-all tool, an action is purpose-designed to perform a single task well. By combining several actions into a workflow, you can quickly accomplish a specific task that no one action can accomplish on its own.

Workflow Components System Image Utility comes preloaded with a library of actions. You can use these actions to customize settings when creating an image. You access and organize this Automator Library of actions within the workflow panes of System Image Utility.

The following sections describe the workflow actions available in the Automator Library and provide steps on how to configure their options. By themselves, these actions cannot create an image and must be assembled into a workflow to function. For more information, see Assembling Workflows on page 39.

Configuring the Customize Package Selection Action Use this action to customize the installation of the Mac OS X. You can disable, enable, require, or prevent installation of packages or parts of packages in your image.

This action is only valid when creating NetInstall images.

To configure the Customize Package Selection workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Customize Package Selection

action in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Enable or disable the installation of software packages using the Visible column:

Select the checkbox in the Visible column to enable the software package. If enabled, the user can install the package from your image during installation.

Deselect the checkbox in the Visible column to disable the software package. If disabled, the user cannot choose whether the package gets installed or not.

3 Require or prevent the installation of software packages using the Default and Visible columns:

To require the installation of the software package, select the checkbox in the Default column and deselect the checkbox in the Visible column. The user cannot alter the package installation.

To prevent the installation of the software package, deselect the checkbox in the Default column and deselect the checkbox in the Visible column. The user cannot see the package and the package will not be installed.

Configuring the Define Image Source Action Use this action to select the source volume and the type of image to create from it. This action must be at the beginning of all image creation workflows.

This action is valid when creating NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore images.

To configure the Define Image Source workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Define Image Source action in the

Automator Library and drag it to the beginning of your workflow.

2 From the Source pop-up menu, select the image source.

Note: To create an image, you must have valid Mac OS X v10.6 image sources (volumes or installation DVDs). You cannot create an image of the startup disk you are running on.

Configuring the Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts Action Use this action to add installer packages and post-install scripts to a NetInstall image. Post-install scripts provide the ability to customize each computer you deploy an image on.

This action is only valid when creating a NetInstall image.

To configure the Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Add Packages and Post-Install

Scripts action in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Add or Remove software packages or post-install scripts to your NetInstall image:

To add a package, click the Add (+) button, select the packages or post-install script you want to add to your NetInstall image, then click Open.

34 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 35

To remove a package or post-install script, select the item from the list and click the Delete () button.

You can also drag items into the list from Finder and delete them by pressing the Delete key.

Configuring the Add User Account Action Use this account to add a user account to the Mac OS X installation image. You can set this user to be an administrator.

Generally, a NetBoot computer created from a Mac OS X Installation DVD must have at least one administrator user account. You can log in to a booted client using this account.

This action is only valid when creating a NetBoot image.

To configure the Add User Account workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Add User Account action in the

Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Enter a user name, short name, and password for the user account.

3 Select the Allow user to administer the computer checkbox to give the account administrator priveleges.

Configuring the Apply System Configuration Settings Action Use this action to set custom per-host settings on client computers.

This action is only valid when creating NetInstall images.

To configure the Apply System Configuration Settings workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Apply System Configuration

Settings action in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Select from the following options to apply system configuration settings to your NetInstall image.

If you want to copy the directory services configuration from the computer you are creating the image from, select Apply directory services settings from this machine to all clients.

If you want to bind clients one by one to their respective server or servers, click the triangle next to Map clients to other directory servers and add or remove clients with the Add (+) and Delete () buttons below the list.

The Server column is the Open Directory server, Ethernet Address is the MAC address of the client computer, and User Name and Password are the administrator credentials for the Open Directory server.

If you have a configuration file that contains the Computer Name and Local Hostname settings for your image, select Apply Computer Name and Local Hostname settings from a file and enter the path to the file (or click Select File and browse to the file).

If you are creating an image for multiple computers, select Generate unique Computer Names starting with and enter the name in the field below. This gives each computer with a deployed image a unique name on your network.

If you want the image to transfer the computer preferences of the computer you are creating the image from, select Change By Host preferences to match client after install.

Configuring the Create Image Action Use this action to produce a disk image that can be served from a NetBoot server. You must place this action at the end of all image creation workflows.

This action is valid when creating NetBoot, NetInstall, and NetRestore images.

To configure the Create Image workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Create Image action in the

Automator Library and drag it to the end of your workflow.

2 From the Save To pop-up menu, choose where to save the image.

3 In the Image Named field, enter the name of the image file.

This name identifies the image file stored on the computer.

4 In the Network Disk field, enter a name for your image.

This name identifies the image in the Startup Disk preferences pane on client computers.

5 (Optional) In the Description field, enter notes or other information to help you characterize the image.

Clients cant see the description information.

6 In the Image Index field, enter an Image ID:

To create an image that is unique to this server, choose an ID in the range 14095.

To create one of several identical images to be stored on different servers for load balancing, use an ID in the range 409665535.

Multiple images of the same type with the same ID in this range are listed as a single image in a clients Startup Disk preferences pane.

36 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 37

Configuring the Enable Automated Installation Action Use this action to set the options for automated (unattended) client installations.

This action is only valid when creating NetInstall or NetRestore images.

To configure the Enable Automated Installation workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Enable Automated Installation

action in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Determine how you want the target volume to be selected.

This is the volume that the image will be installed on.

The Selected by user option permits users to select which volume on their client computer to install the image on.

The Named option permits you to set the volume without interaction from the user by entering the name of the target volume.

3 To erase the target volume before the image is installed, select the Erase before installing checkbox.

WARNING: Using the Erase option removes all data from the target volume. Back up all data before using this option.

4 From the Primary Language pop-up menu, choose the image language.

Configuring the Filter Clients by MAC Address Action Use this action to restrict client access to NetBoot or NetInstall images.

This action is valid when creating NetBoot, NetInstall, or NetRestore images.

To configure the Filter Clients by MAC Address workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Filter Clients by MAC Address

action in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Add MAC addresses to the list.

To manually enter MAC addresses, click the Add (+) button or click Import and browse to a .txt or .rtf file that has a tab-delimited list of MAC addresses.

To remove MAC addresses from the list, select the item to remove and click the Delete () button.

3 To restrict image access, choose Allow or Deny for each MAC address.

Configuring the Filter Computer Models Action Use this action to limit the computer models that a Mac OS X image can be installed on. Only selected computer models have access to the image.

This action is only valid when creating NetInstall or NetRestore images.

To configure the Filter Computer Model workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Filter Computer Model action

in the Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 In the list, select the computer models you want to permit the image to install on.

No other computer models will have access to the image.

Use the filter field in the upper right to narrow the list of computer models.

Configuring the Partition Disk Action Use this action to configure the image to partition the destination disk before installing software. Partitioning a disk divides it into sections called volumes.

This action is only valid when creating NetInstall or NetRestore images.

To configure the Partition Disk workflow action: 1 From your System Image Utility workflow, select the Partition Disk action in the

Automator Library and drag it into position in your workflow.

2 Define the number of partitions by choosing from the partition pop-up menu or by using the Split and Delete buttons to add or remove partitions.

3 Set the target disk to partition by selecting Partition disk containing the volume and entering the name of the volume.

This partitions the disk containing the volume you specify.

4 To notify the user before the disk is partitioned, select Display confirmation dialog before erase.

WARNING: Partitioning a disk removes all data. Back up all data before using this action.

5 In the Name field enter a name for the new volume (partition).

6 From the Format pop-up menu, select the volume format.

7 Set the size of the volume by choosing one of the following.

Choose Percentage of available disk from the Size pop-up menu and enter a percentage. Select Minimum and enter the smallest size in GB for the volume (minimum size is only available if using percentage).

Choose Absolute size from the Size pop-up menu and enter the size in GB.

8 To prevent the information from being updated when the disk is partitioned, select Locked for editing.

38 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 39

Assembling Workflows To assemble a workflow from a set of actions, drag and drop the actions from the Automator Library into the sequence where you want them to run. Each action in the workflow corresponds to a step you must perform manually.

Each action has options and settings you can configure. System Image Utility connects these action components with the types of data that are flowing from one action to another.

You can save your assembled workflows to reuse later.

Adding Existing Workflows You can update or modify workflows by adding them to System Image Utility.

To add existing workflows to System Image Utility: 1 Open System Image Utility.

2 Click the Add (+) button and select Add Existing Workflow.

3 Select the workflow you want to add to System Image Utility.

Workflows have the workflow file extension.

4 Click Open.

Removing Workflows You can remove workflows from System Image Utility.

To remove a workflow from System Image Utility: 1 Log in as an administrator user and open System Image Utility.

2 In the left sidebar, click the triangle next to Workflows.

The list of workflows appears.

3 Select the workflow you want to remove and click File > Remove Workflow.

4 Click Remove to confirm the action.

The workflow is removed from System Image Utility but is not deleted from your computer.

Assembling an Image Workflow Use image workflows to create Mac OS X NetBoot and NetInstall images. Workflows let you manually define the contents of your image in System Image Utility.

An image workflow must start with the Define Image Source action and end with the Create Image action. Also, all actions in a workflow must be connected. If not, the workflow is invalid and the actions are not processed.

To assemble an image workflow: 1 Log in as an administrator user.

2 Open System Image Utility (in the /Applications/Server/ folder).

3 In the image source list, click the triangle at the left of Sources.

The list of sources appears.

4 From the expanded list, select the image source.

When you select the source, this action chooses a default image type based on the contents of the selected source.

5 Choose which type of image you are creating (NetInstall, NetBoot, or NetRestore image).

6 Click Customize for advanced image creation options.

This opens the workflow pane and Automator Library.

The Define Image Source action is present as the first component in the workflow.

7 Configure the Define Image Source action for your image.

This action is required at the beginning of all image workflows. See Configuring the Define Image Source Action on page 34.

8 From Automator Library, choose additional actions that your customized image requires and drag them into the Workflow pane between the Define Image Source action and the Create Image action.

Assemble the actions in the order you like, configuring each action as you go.

For more information on configuring the actions, see Workflow Components on page 33.

9 Add the Create Image action to the end of your workflow.

This action is required at the end of image workflows. See Configuring the Create Image Action on page 36.

10 Save the workflow by clicking Save.

Enter the name of your workflow in the Save As field and choose where to save the workflow.

To save the workflow somewhere else, choose a location from the Where pop-up menu or click the triangle next to the Save As field and navigate to a folder.

40 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images 41

11 Click Save.

12 To start the workflow, click Run and authenticate if prompted.

Important: Do not attempt to edit content in the image destination folder while the image is being created.

From the command line: To run a workflow with m somevariable set to somevalue in the myworkflow.workflow file:

$ automator -D somevariable=somevalue myworkflow.workflow

To create or edit a workflow, use System Image Utility. For more information, see the automator man pages and the following sections:

Adding Existing Workflows on page 39

Removing Workflows on page 39

Workflow Components on page 33

Adding Software to NetBoot and NetInstall Images There are two basic approaches to including software in an image:

Add applications and files to a system before creating an image using that system as the source. For more information, see Creating an Image from a Configured Computer on page 30.

Add packages containing the applications and files to an image as it is created. This is done using an image workflow in System Image Utility that has the Customize Package Selection action component. For more information, see Configuring the Customize Package Selection Action on page 33.

About Packages To add application software or other files at image creation (instead of installing applications or files on the image source volume before you create the image), you must group the applications or files in a special file known as a package.

A package is a collection of compressed files and related information used to install software onto a computer. The contents of a package are contained in a single file that has the .pkg extension.

Creating Packages To add applications or other files to an image (instead of installing them on the image source volume before creating the image), use PackageMaker to create packages containing the application or files. PackageMaker is in the Utilities folder on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD that comes with Mac OS X Server.

For more information about creating packages, open PackageMaker and choose PackageMaker Help, PackageMaker Release Notes, or Package Format Notes from the Help menu.

After creating packages, add them to your NetBoot or NetInstall image using System Image Utility workflows.

From the command line: You can also run the packagemaker tool from the command line in Terminal on a computer with developer tools installed. You can access it from /Developer/usr/bin/ packagemaker. For more information, open PackageMaker and choose PackageMaker Help, PackageMaker Release Notes, or Package Format Notes from the Help menu.

Viewing the Contents of a Package To view the contents of a package, open a Finder window, hold down the Control key as you click the package, and choose Show Package Contents from the menu that appears.

You use PackageMaker (included on the Mac OS X Server Administration Tools CD) to create application software packages to use with NetInstall images.

From the command line: To list the contents of a package: m

$ ls package

For information about ls, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

42 Chapter 2 Creating NetBoot and NetInstall Images

43

Use this chapter to set up NetBoot service to make boot and installation images available to clients.

Use Server Admin to configure the NetBoot service in conjunction with System Image Utility to create and edit images.

Setup Overview Here is an overview of the basic steps for setting up NetBoot service.

Step 1: Evaluate and update your network, servers, and client computers as necessary. The number of client computers you can support using NetBoot is determined by the number of servers you have, how theyre configured, hard disk storage capacity, and other factors. See Capacity Planning on page 46.

Depending on the results of this evaluation, you might want to add servers or hard disks, add Ethernet ports to your server, or make other changes to your servers. You might also want to set up more subnets for BootP clients, depending on the number of clients you support.

You might also want to implement subnets on this server (or other servers) to take advantage of NetBoot filtering.

To provide authentication and personalized work environments for NetBoot client users by using Workgroup Manager, set up workgroups and import users from the Mac OS X Server Users & Groups database before you create disk images. Make sure you have at least one administrator user assigned to the Workgroup Manager for Mac OS X client.

Step 2: Create disk images for client computers. You can set up Mac OS X disk images for client computers to start from. To create Mac OS X disk images, you use System Image Utility. See Creating Images on page 26.

3Setting Up NetBoot Service

You might also want to restrict access to NetBoot images by using Model Filtering. See Creating NetBoot Images on page 27.

To create application packages that you can add to an image, use PackageMaker. Application software packages can be installed by themselves or with Mac OS X system software. See Creating Packages on page 42.

Step 3: Set up DHCP. NetBoot requires that you have a DHCP server running on the local server or on another server on the network. Make sure you have a range of IP addresses sufficient to accommodate the number of clients that will use NetBoot at the same time. For more information about configuring DHCP, see Network Services Administration.

If your NetBoot server also supplies DHCP service, you might get better performance if you configure your server as a gateway. That is, configure your subnets to use the servers IP address as the router IP address.

Step 4: Configure and turn on NetBoot service. You use the NetBoot settings in Server Admin to configure NetBoot on your server. See Setting Up NetBoot Service on page 48.

You turn on NetBoot service using Server Admin. See Starting NetBoot and Related Services on page 51 and Enabling Images on page 52.

Step 5: (Optional) Set up Ethernet address filtering. NetBoot filtering is performed based on the client computer hardware address. Each clients hardware address is registered when the client selects a NetBoot or NetInstall volume from the startup disk. You can permit or deny specific clients by address. See Restricting NetBoot Clients by Filtering Addresses on page 58.

Step 6: Test your NetBoot setup. Because there is a risk of data loss or bringing down the network (by misconfiguring DHCP), you should test your NetBoot setup before implementing it. Test each Macintosh model you support to verify that there are no problems booting into the image on a specified hardware type.

Step 7: Set up client computers to use NetBoot. When youre satisfied that NetBoot is working on all types of client computers, set up the client computers to start from the NetBoot disk images.

You can use the client computers Startup Disk System Preference pane to select a startup disk image from the server and then restart the computer. See Selecting a NetBoot Boot Image on page 60.

You can also restart the client computer and hold down the N key until the NetBoot icon starts flashing on the screen. The client starts from the default image on the NetBoot server. See Starting Up Using the N Key on page 62.

44 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 45

Before Setting Up NetBoot Service Before you set up NetBoot service, review the following considerations and requirements.

What You Must Know Before you set up NetBoot on your server, make yourself familiar with your network configuration, including the DHCP services it provides. Be sure you meet the following requirements:

Youre the server administrator.

Youre familiar with network setup.

You know the DHCP configuration.

You might need to work with your networking staff to change network topologies, switches, routers, and other network settings.

Client Computer Requirements All systems supported by Mac OS X v10.6 can use NetBoot to start from a Mac OS X disk image on a server. At the time of this publication, this includes any Intel-based Macintosh computer.

You must install the latest firmware updates on all client computers. Firmware updates are available from the Apple support website: www.apple.com/support/.

Client Computer RAM Requirements NetBoot client computers must have at least 512 MB of RAM.

Network Install client computers must also have 512 MB of RAM.

Software Updates for NetBoot System Disk Images You must use the latest system software when creating NetBoot disk images. New Macintosh computers require updates of system software, so if you have new Macintosh clients you must update your NetBoot images.

To update a Mac OS X disk image, you must recreate the image. New images can easily be recreated by running a saved image creation workflow. For more information, see Creating Images on page 26.

Ethernet Support on Client Computers NetBoot is supported only over built-in Ethernet connections. Multiple Ethernet ports are not supported on client computers. Clients must have at least 100-Mbit Ethernet adapters.

Network Hardware Requirements The type of network connections you must use depends on the number of clients you expect to boot over the network:

100-Mbit Ethernet (for booting fewer than 10 clients)

100-Mbit switched Ethernet (for booting 1050 clients)

Gigabit Ethernet (for booting more than 50 clients)

These are estimates for the number of clients supported. For more details of the optimal system and network configurations to support the number of clients you have, see Capacity Planning on page 46.

Network Service Requirements Depending on the types of clients you want to boot or install, your NetBoot server must also provide the following supporting services.

Service provided by NetBoot server

For booting Mac OS X computers with hard disks

For booting Mac OS X computers without hard disks

DHCP Optional Optional

NFS Required if no HTTP Required if no HTTP

AFP Not required Required

HTTP Required if no NFS Required if no NFS

TFTP Required Required

Note: DHCP service is listed as optional because although it is required for NetBoot it can be provided by a server other than the NetBoot server. Services marked required must be running on the NetBoot server.

NetBoot and AirPort The use of AirPort wireless technology to boot clients using NetBoot is not supported by Apple and is discouraged.

Capacity Planning The number of NetBoot client computers your server can support depends on how your server is configured, when your clients routinely start, the servers hard disk space, and a number of other factors. When planning for your server and network needs, consider these factors:

Ethernet speed: 100Base-T or faster connections are required for client computers and the server. As you add clients, you might need to increase the speed of your servers Ethernet connections.

Ideally you want to take advantage of the Gigabit Ethernet capacity built in to your Mac OS X server hardware to connect to a Gigabit switch. From the switch, connect Gigabit Ethernet or 100-Mbit Ethernet to each NetBoot client.

46 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 47

Hard disk capacity and number of images: Boot and installation images occupy hard disk space on server volumes, depending on the size and configuration of the system image and the number of images being stored.

Images can be distributed across multiple volumes or multiple servers. For more information, see Performance and Load Balancing on page 67.

Hard disk capacity and number of users: If you have a large number of diskless clients, consider adding a separate file server to your network to store temporary user documents.

Because the system software for a disk image is written to a shadow image for each client booting from the disk image, you can get a rough estimate for the required hard disk capacity required by multiplying the size of the shadow image by the number of clients.

Number of Ethernet ports on the switch: Distributing NetBoot clients over multiple Ethernet ports on your switch offers a performance advantage. Each port must serve a distinct segment.

Serial Number Considerations Before starting NetBoot service, make sure you obtain a site license for the images you will serve. The license covers all NetBoot images served from a server. For every extra server, you must obtain a site license to provide NetBoot service. Contact Apple to obtain site licenses.

If you plan on serving Network Install images for installing Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server, also make sure that you have a site license.

If you plan on serving Network Install images for installing Mac OS X Server, you can use the Mac OS X Server Assistant to generate a setup file that you can add to the Network Install image so the server knows how to configure itself automatically.

If you use a generic file, youll need to enter the serial number manually using Server Admin.

Turning NetBoot Service On Before you can configure NetBoot settings, you must turn NetBoot service on in Server Admin.

To turn NetBoot service on: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click Settings.

3 Click Services.

4 Click the NetBoot checkbox.

5 Click Save.

Setting Up NetBoot Service You set up NetBoot service by configuring the following groups of settings on the Settings pane for NetBoot service in Server Admin.

General. Enable the NetBoot ports, select where images and client data resides, and set the number of AFP connections.

Images. Enable images and select the default image.

Filters. (Optional) Enable NetBoot and DHCP filtering to determine the hardware addresses of client computers you want to image.

Logging. Choose the level of detail that is recorded in the service log.

The following sections describe the tasks for configuring these settings and how to start NetBoot service after you configure it.

Configuring NetBoot General Settings You use General settings to enable NetBoot service on at least one port and select where image and client data resides.

To configure NetBoot General settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click General.

5 In the Enable column, click the checkbox next to the network ports you want to use for serving images.

6 In the Images column, click the checkbox to choose where to store images.

7 In the Client Data column, click the checkbox for each local disk volume where you want to store shadow files used by Mac OS X diskless clients.

8 Click Save.

Configuring Images Settings You use Images settings to enable images and select the default image.

To configure NetBoot Images settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

48 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 49

4 Click Settings, then click Images.

5 Enable the images you want your clients to use, specify if they are available for diskless clients, and choose the protocol for delivering them.

If youre not sure which protocol to use, choose NFS.

6 In the Default column, click the checkbox to select the default image.

You must select separate default images for Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh clients.

7 Click Save.

Configuring Filters Settings To restrict client computers, you can set up filters that allow or deny access to NetBoot service depending on the computers MAC address.

You can enter a MAC address as canonical or noncanonical in the filter list. The canonical form of a MAC address contains leading zeros and lowercase hex digits separated by a :. For example, 01:a1:0c:32:00:b0 is the canonical form of a MAC address and 1:a1:c:32:0:b0 is the noncanonical form of the same MAC address.

To configure NetBoot Filters settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Filters.

5 Select Enable NetBoot/DHCP filtering.

6 Select Allow only clients listed below (deny others) or Deny only clients listed below (allow others).

7 Use the Add (+) and Delete () buttons to set up the list of client addresses, and click OK.

To look up a MAC address, enter the clients DNS name or IP address in the Host Name field and click Find.

To find the hardware address for a computer using Mac OS X, look on the TCP/IP pane of the computers Network preference or run Apple System Profiler.

8 Click Save.

Note: You can also restrict access to a NetBoot image by selecting the name of the image in the Images pane of NetBoot service settings in Server Admin, clicking the Edit (/) button, and providing the required information.

Configuring NetBoot Logging Settings You use Logging settings to choose the level of detail that is recorded in the service log.

To configure NetBoot Logging settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Logging.

5 From the pop-up menu, choose the log detail level (Low, Medium, or High).

6 Click Save.

From the command line: To configure a NetBoot service setting: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings netboot:logging_level = value

To view NetBoot service configuration settings: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings netboot

Parameter Description

logging_level Default = Medium

Possible values are Low, Medium, or High.

For information about command-line parameters, see NetBoot Service Settings on page 96. For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Enabling NetBoot 1.0 for Older NetBoot Clients If you want older computers, such as tray-loading iMac or Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) computers, to use NetBoot, you must enable NetBoot 1.0. You can do so by using the dscl tool.

Note: NetBoot 1.0 and 2.0 can run on the same network simultaneously.

To enable NetBoot 1.0: $ sudo dscl . create /config/dhcp old_netboot_enabled port_list

$ sudo killall bootpd

Parameter Description

port_list List of ports you want to enable for NetBoot 1.0, formatted like en0 en1 en2.

50 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 51

Starting NetBoot and Related Services NetBoot service uses AFP, NFS, DHCP, Web, and TFTP services, depending on the types of clients youre trying to boot (see Network Service Requirements on page 46). You can use Server Admin to start AFP, DHCP, Web, and NetBoot services. NFS and TFTP services start automatically.

To start NetBoot service: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 If youll be booting diskless Mac OS X clients, start AFP service by selecting AFP in the Servers list and clicking the Start AFP button (below the Servers list).

4 If your server is providing DHCP service, make sure the DHCP service is configured and running; otherwise, DHCP service must be supplied by another server on your network.

If your NetBoot server is also supplying DHCP service, you might get better performance if you configure your server as a gateway. That is, configure your subnets to use the servers IP address as the router IP address.

5 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

6 Click Settings, then click General.

7 Select which network ports to use for providing NetBoot service.

You can select one or more network ports to serve NetBoot images. For example, if you have a server with two network interfaces, each connected to a network, you can choose to serve NetBoot images on both networks.

8 Click Images.

9 Select the images to serve.

10 Click Save.

11 Click the Start NetBoot button (below the Servers list).

From the command line: To start NetBoot and supporting services: m

$ sudo serveradmin start netboot

If you get the following response, you have not yet enabled NetBoot on a network port:

$ netboot:state = "STOPPED"

$ netboot:status = 5000

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Managing Images After you set up NetBoot service, you can use Server Admin and System Image Utility to customize and manage images for your network environment.

Enabling Images You must enable disk images on your server to make the images available to client computers for NetBoot startups.

To enable disk images: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Images.

5 For each image you want your clients to see, click the checkbox in the Enable column.

6 Click Save.

From the command line: To enable disk images: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings netboot:netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index:n:IsEnabled = yes

Parameter Description

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :IsEnabled

Default = no

Sets whether the image is available to NetBoot.

n Specifies the array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about command-line parameters, see NetBoot Service Settings on page 96. For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Choosing Where Images Are Stored You can use Server Admin to choose volumes to use for storing NetBoot and NetInstall images.

WARNING: Dont rename a NetBoot share point or the volume it resides on. Dont use Server Admin to stop sharing for a NetBoot share point unless you first deselect the share point for images and shadow files.

52 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 53

To choose volumes for storing image files: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click General.

5 In the list of volumes (in the lower half of the pane), click the checkbox in the Images column for each volume you want to store image files on.

6 Click Save.

From the command line: To specify a volume to store image files: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:sharepoint = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:clients = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:ignorePrivs = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volType = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:path = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volName = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volIcon = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:okToDeleteClients = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:okToDeleteSharepoint = value

ControlD

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :sharepoint

First parameter in an array describing a volume available to serve images.

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :clients

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :ignorePrivs

Default = "false"

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volType

Default =

Example: "hfs"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :path

Default = "/"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volName

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volIcon

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteClients

Default = "yes"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteSharepoint

Default = "yes"

n The array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored When a diskless client boots, temporary (shadow) files are stored on the server. You can use Server Admin to specify which server volumes are used to store the temporary files.

WARNING: Dont rename a NetBoot share point or the volume it resides on. Dont use Server Admin to stop sharing for a NetBoot share point unless you first deselect the share point for images and shadow files.

To use a volume for storing shadow files: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click General.

5 In the list of volumes (in the lower half of the pane), click the checkbox in the Client Data column for the volumes you want to store shadow files on.

6 Click Save.

54 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 55

From the command line: To specify a volume to store shadow files on: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:sharepoint = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:clients = yes

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:ignorePrivs = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volType = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:path = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volName = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:volIcon = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:okToDeleteClients = value

netboot:netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_index:n:okToDeleteSharepoint = value

ControlD

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :sharepoint

First parameter in an array describing a volume available to serve images.

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :clients

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :ignorePrivs

Default = "false"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volType

Default =

Example: "hfs"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :path

Default = "/"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volName

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volIcon

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteClients

Default = "yes"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteSharepoint

Default = "yes"

n The array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Using Images Stored on Remote Servers You can store NetBoot or NetInstall images on separate remote servers other than the NetBoot server. You must copy the images from the NetBoot server to the remote server and then configure the remote server to use the images.

To store an image on a separate remote server: 1 Copy the image.nbi folder from the NetBoot server to the remote server on a NetBoot

sharepoint (/Library/NetBoot/NetBootSPn).

If the image is on the remote server, you can create the .nbi folder on the NetBoot server by duplicating an existing .nbi folder and adjusting the values in its NBImageInfo.plist file.

2 Open Server Admin and connect to the remote server.

3 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

4 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

5 Click Settings, then click Images.

6 For each image you want your clients to see from the remote server, click the checkbox in the Enable column.

7 Select the protocol you want NetBoot to use when serving your image (NFS or HTTP).

8 Click Save.

Specifying the Default Image The default image is the image used when you start up a client computer while holding down the N key, providing that the client hasnt selected a NetBoot or NetInstall volume via Startup Disk. See Starting Up Using the N Key on page 62.

If youve created more than one startup disk image, you can use NetBoot service settings in Server Admin to select the default startup image.

Important: If you have diskless clients, set their boot image as the default image.

If you have more than one NetBoot server on the network, a client uses the default image from the first server that responds. There is no way to control which default image is used when more than one is available.

To specify the default boot image: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

56 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 57

4 Click Settings, then click Images.

5 In the Default column, click the checkbox next to the image.

You can select separate default images for Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh computers. The architecture column shows the image type. Mac OS X v10.6 images can boot Intel-based Macintosh computers only.

6 Click Save.

From the command line: To specify the default image: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings netboot:netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index:n:IsDefault = yes

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :IsDefault

yes

Specifies this image file as the default boot image on the subnet.

n Specifies the array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Setting an Image for Diskless Booting You can use Server Admin to make an image available for booting client computers that have no local disk drives. Setting an image for diskless booting instructs the NetBoot server to allocate space for the clients shadow files.

To make an image available for diskless booting: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Images.

5 In the Diskless column, click the box next to the image in the list.

6 Click Save.

Important: If you have diskless clients, set their NetBoot image as the default image.

For help specifying where the clients shadow files are stored, see Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored on page 54.

From the command line: To set an image for a diskless boot: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings netboot:netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index:n:SupportsDiskless = yes

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :SupportsDiskless

yes

Directs the NetBoot server to allocate space for shadow files needed by diskless clients.

n Specifies the array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Restricting NetBoot Clients by Filtering Addresses The filtering feature of NetBoot service lets you restrict access to the service based on the clients Ethernet hardware (MAC) address. A clients hardware address is added to the filter list the first time it starts from an image on the server and is permitted access by default, so it is usually not necessary to enter hardware addresses manually.

To restrict client access to NetBoot service: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Filters.

5 Select Enable NetBoot/DHCP filtering.

6 Select Allow only clients listed below (deny others) or Deny only clients listed below (allow others).

7 Use the Add (+) and Delete () buttons to set up the list of client addresses, and click OK.

To look up a MAC address, enter the clients DNS name or IP address in the Host Name field and click Find.

To find the hardware address for a computer using Mac OS X, look on the TCP/IP pane of the computers Network preference or run Apple System Profiler.

8 Click Save.

Note: You can also restrict access to a NetBoot image by selecting the name of the image in the Images pane of NetBoot service settings in Server Admin, clicking the Edit (/) button, and providing the required information.

58 Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service

Chapter 3 Setting Up NetBoot Service 59

From the command line: To enable disk images: m

$ sudo serveradmin settings

netboot:netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_index:n:hostName = value

netboot:netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_index:n:filterType = value

netboot:netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_index:n:hardwareAddress = value

ControlD

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :hostName

The host name of the filtered computer, if available.

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :filterType

Whether the specified computer is allowed or denied access. Options:

"allow"

"deny"

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :hardwareAddress

The Ethernet hardware (MAC) address of the filtered computer.

n The array index number of the volume you want to set as the default image.

For information about command-line parameters, see NetBoot Service Settings on page 96. For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Setting Up NetBoot Service Across Subnets A network boot starts when the client computer broadcasts for computers that will respond to Boot Service Discovery Protocol (BSDP). By default, routers are usually configured to block broadcast traffic to reduce the amount of unnecessary data flowing to other parts of the network.

To provide NetBoot service across subnets, you must configure the router to pass on BSDP traffic to the NetBoot server. To see if your router is capable of passing BSDP traffic, check with your router manufacturer. Sometimes this is also referred to as using a DHCP helper or a DHCP relay agent.

60

Use this chapter to set up client computers to start or install software from images on a server.

After NetBoot service and images are configured on the server, you must set up the client computers to access and use the images.

Setting Up Diskless Clients NetBoot service enables you to configure client computers without locally installed operating systems or even without installed disk drives. Systemless or diskless clients can start from a NetBoot server using the N key method. (See Starting Up Using the N Key on page 62.)

After the client computer starts, you can use Startup Disk preferences to select the NetBoot disk image as the startup disk for the client. That way you no longer need to use the N key method to start the client from the server.

Removing the system software from client computers gives you more control over user environments. By forcing the client to start up from the server and using client management to deny access to the client computer local hard disk, you can prevent users from saving files to the local hard disk.

Selecting a NetBoot Boot Image If your computer is running Mac OS X v10.2 or later, you use Startup Disk preferences to select a NetBoot boot image.

To select a NetBoot startup image from Mac OS X: 1 In System Preferences, select Startup Disk.

2 Select the network volume you want to start the computer with.

3 Click Restart.

The NetBoot icon appears and the computer starts from the selected image.

4Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 4 Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images 61

From the command line: To select a NetBoot startup image: m

> setenv boot-file enet:YourServerIPAddress,NetBoot\NetBootsSP*\ \mach.macosx

> setenv boot-args rp=nfs: YourServerIPAddress:/private/tftpboot/NetBoot/ NetBootSP*: / .dmg

> setenv boot-device enet: YourServerIPAddress,NetBoot\NetBootSP*\ \booter

> mac-boot

To choose a boot device: m

$ sudo systemsetup -setstartupdisk /volume/Disk\ 2/System/Library/ CoreServices

Parameter Description

volume The path to the boot device.

Disk\ 2 The name of the boot device.

For information about systemsetup, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Imaging Multiple Clients Using the Multicast asr Command You can enable a multicast image server using the Mac OS X Server Multicast asr command. Multicast asr can restore multiple clients simultaneously from one looping multicast of an asr disk image.

Each client can receive the restore image at any time during a multicast of the image, and the client continues receiving the first part of the next multicast until the client receives the complete restore image.

The server multicasts only one copy of the restore image at a time, and all clients receive this copy.

If the server finishes multicasting the restore image and a client is still requesting the image, the server multicasts the image again. Thus, using multicast asr to stream images to multiple clients doesnt congest the network nearly as much as Network Install with multiple clients.

To enable the image server, use the asr tool with the -server flag and a correctly built image and plist file.

To start a multicast server for a specified image:

$ asr -source -server

The image does not start multicasting on the network until a client attempts to start a restore. The server continues to multicast the image until the process is terminated.

To configure a client to receive a multicast stream:

$ sudo asr -source asr:// -target -erase

The client receives the multicast stream from and saves it to the client. To overwrite an existing image, add -erase. Using -erase with -target indicates an image should be overwritten when doing a multicast.

Selecting a NetInstall Image If your computer is running Mac OS X v10.2 or later, you use Startup Disk preferences to select a NetInstall image.

To select a NetInstall image from Mac OS X: 1 In System Preferences, select Startup Disk.

2 Select the network volume you want to start the computer with.

3 Click Restart.

The NetBoot icon appears, the computer starts from the selected image, and the installer runs.

Starting Up Using the N Key You can use this method to start up any supported client computer from a NetBoot disk image. When you start up with the N key, the client computer starts up from the default NetBoot disk image. If multiple servers are present, the client starts up from the default image of the first server to respond.

Note: For more information about using the N key when starting the system, see the manual that was provided with the computer. Some computers have extra capabilities.

If an older client computer requires BootP for IP addressing (such as a tray-loading iMac, blue and white PowerMac G3, or older computer), use this method for starting up from a NetBoot disk image. Older computers dont support selecting a NetBoot startup disk image from the Startup Disk control pane or preferences pane.

The N key also provides a way to start up client computers that dont have system software installed. See Setting Up Diskless Clients on page 60.

62 Chapter 4 Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images

Chapter 4 Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images 63

To start from a NetBoot disk image using the N key: 1 Hold the N key down on the keyboard until the NetBoot icon appears in the center of

the screen, then turn on (or restart) the client computer.

2 If a login window appears, enter your name and password.

The network disk image has an icon typical of server volumes.

Changing How NetBoot Clients Allocate Shadow Files By default, a Mac OS X NetBoot client places its shadow files in a NetBootClientsn share point on the server, where n is the share point number. If no such share point is available, the client tries to store its shadow files on a local hard disk.

For Mac OS X v10.3 and later images set for diskless booting, you can change this behavior by using a text editor to specify a value for the NETBOOT_SHADOW variable in the image /etc/hostconfig file.

These values are permitted:

Value of NETBOOT_SHADOW Client shadow file behavior

-NETWORK- (Default) Try to use a server NetBootClientsn share point for storing shadow files. If no server share point is available, use a local drive.

-NETWORK_ONLY- Try to use a server NetBootClientsn share point for storing shadow files. If no server share point is available, dont boot.

-LOCAL- Try to use a local drive for storing shadow files. If no local drive is available, use a server NetBootClientsn share point.

-LOCAL_ONLY- Try to use a local drive for storing shadow files. If no local drive is available, dont boot.

Note: This value is set in the /etc/hostconfig file in the image .dmg file, not in the server hostconfig file.

64

Use this chapter to learn about daily tasks that keep NetBoot service running efficiently, and to learn about load balancing across multiple volumes on a server or across multiple servers.

You can manage NetBoot service using Server Admin. Server Admin enables you to verify the overall status of the connection, to review logs, to control clients, and to manage boot and installation images. You can use System Image Utility to distribute boot images across servers for load balancing.

Controlling and Monitoring NetBoot The following sections show how to stop NetBoot service, disable images, and monitor or restrict clients.

Turning Off NetBoot Service The best way to prevent clients from using NetBoot on the server is to disable NetBoot service on all Ethernet ports.

To stop NetBoot: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click the Stop NetBoot button (below the Servers list) and perform one of the following tasks:

To stop service on a specific Ethernet port, click Settings, click General, and deselect the Enable checkbox for the port.

To stop serving a specific image, click Settings, click Images, and deselect the Enable checkbox for the image.

To stop service to a client, click Settings, click Filters, select Enable NetBoot Filtering, choose Deny only clients listed below, and add the clients hardware address to the list.

5Managing NetBoot Service

Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service 65

From the command line: To stop NetBoot service or disable images: m

$ sudo serveradmin stop netboot

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Disabling a Boot or Installation Image Disabling an image prevents client computers from starting using the image.

To disable a NetBoot disk image: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click Images.

5 In the Enable column, deselect the checkbox for the image.

6 Click Save.

From the command line: To stop NetBoot service or disable images: m

$ sudo serveradmin stop netboot

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Viewing a List of NetBoot Clients You can use Server Admin to see a list of clients that have booted from the server.

To view the client list: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Clients.

5 To update the list, click the Refresh button (below the Servers list).

Note: This is a cumulative lista list of all clients that have connectednot a list of connected clients. The last boot time is shown for each client.

Viewing a List of NetBoot Connections You can use Server Admin to see a list of clients that are booted from the server. NetInstall clients display install progress information.

To view the NetBoot connections list: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Connections.

5 To update the list, click the Refresh button (below the Servers list).

Checking the Status of NetBoot and Related Services You can use Server Admin to check the status of NetBoot service and the services (such as NFS and HTTP) it uses.

To check NetBoot service status: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Overview to see if the service is running, when the last client update occurred, and which related services are running for an image type.

5 To review the event log, click Log.

6 To see a list of NetBoot clients that have booted from the server, click Clients.

7 To see a list of connected users, click Connections.

The list includes the client computer name, IP address, the percentage complete, and the status.

From the command line: To see if the service is running: m

$ sudo serveradmin status netboot

To see the complete service status: m

$ sudo serveradmin fullstatus netboot

For information about serveradmin, see its man page. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

66 Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service

Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service 67

Viewing the NetBoot Service Log You can use Server Admin to view a log containing diagnostic information.

To view the NetBoot service log: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Log, then use the Filter field to search for specific entries.

From the command line: To view the latest entries in a log: m

$ tail log-file

To see where service logs are located: m

$ sudo serveradmin command netboot:command = getLogPaths

For information about tail and serveradmin, see their man pages. For the basics of command-line tool usage, see Introduction to Command-Line Administration.

Performance and Load Balancing For good startup performance, the NetBoot server must be available to the client computer relying on it. To provide responsive and reliable NetBoot service, set up multiple NetBoot servers in your network.

Many sites using NetBoot service achieve acceptable responsiveness by staggering the boot times of client computers to reduce network load. Generally, it isnt necessary to boot client computers at the same time; rather, client computers are booted early in the morning and remain booted throughout the work day.

You can program staggered startup times using the Energy Saver preferences pane.

Load Balancing NetBoot Images If heavy usage and simultaneous client startups are overloading a NetBoot server and causing delays, consider load balancing by adding extra NetBoot servers to distribute the demands of the client computers across multiple servers.

When incorporating multiple NetBoot servers, use switches in your network infrastructure. The shared nature of hubs creates a single shared network on which extra servers must vie for time.

Distributing NetBoot Images Across Servers If you set up more than one NetBoot server on your network, you can place copies of a specific NetBoot image on multiple servers to distribute the load. By assigning the copies the same image index ID in the range 409665535, you can advertise them to your clients as a single image to avoid confusion.

Note: You must customize the image by creating a workflow with the Create Image action to assign the image an index ID.

To distribute an image across servers: 1 Locate the image file on the server where the original image is stored.

2 If the image index ID is 4095 or lower, recreate the image and modify the index ID using the Create Image action in a workflow, then assign the image an index ID in the range 409665535.

For more information, see Assembling Workflows on page 39.

The image ID can be changed from Server Admin by double-clicking the Image ID field and entering the new ID.

3 Create copies or move image files to other servers.

4 On each server, use Server Admin to enable the image for NetBoot service.

Clients still see the image listed only once in Startup Disk preferences, but the server that delivers its copy of the image is selected based on server activity.

Smaller improvements can be achieved by distributing NetBoot images across multiple disk drives on a single server. For high-performance disk storage, consider using an Xserve RAID or Xsan volume to store the images on.

Distributing NetBoot Images Across Server Disk Drives Even with a single NetBoot server, you might improve performance by distributing copies of an image across multiple disk drives on the server. By assigning the copies the same image index ID in the range 409665535, you can advertise them to your clients as a single image.

Important: Dont distribute images across different partitions of the same physical disk drive. Doing so does not improve, and can even reduce, performance.

To distribute an image across disk drives: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select NetBoot.

4 Click Settings, then click General.

68 Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service

Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service 69

5 In the Images column, select the checkbox for each volume you want to store images on.

Choose volumes on different physical disk drives.

6 Click Save, then click Images.

7 If the images index is 4095 or lower, double-click the ID, enter an index in the range 409665535, and save the change.

8 Open Terminal and use the scp secure copy tool to copy the image to the NetBootSPn share points on the other volumes.

For example:

$ scp /Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/image.nbi [admin_name]@[ip_address]:/

Volumes/Drive2/Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP1

where [admin_name] is an admin login and [ip_address] is the correct IP address for that server.

You are prompted for the password of the admin login you supply.

Balancing NetBoot Image Access If you add a second NetBoot server to a network, have your users reselect their NetBoot image in the Startup Disk control pane or preferences pane. This causes the NetBoot server load to be redistributed among the servers.

You can also force redistribution of the load by deleting the /var/db/bsdpd_clients file from the existing NetBoot server.

Note: After deleting the bsdpd_clients file, the server does not remember which clients selected which NetBoot or NetInstall volumes via Startup Disk. Unless the clients reselect their intended NetBoot or NetInstall volumes, the clients will boot into the default image on the server.

Similarly, if youre recovering from a server or infrastructure failure and your clients have been starting up from a reduced number of NetBoot servers, delete the bsdpd_clients file from the running servers so clients can again start from among the entire set of servers.

The bsdpd_clients file holds the Ethernet MAC addresses of the computers that have selected the server as their NetBoot server.

As long as a client has an entry in an available servers bsdpd_clients file, it always starts from that server. If that server becomes unavailable, the clients locate and associate themselves with an available server until you remove their entries (or the files) from their servers.

Note: If a client is registered on more than one server because an unavailable server comes back on line, the client starts up from the server with the fewest number of clients that started from it.

Distributing Shadow Files Clients starting up from Mac OS X diskless images store temporary (shadow) files on the server.

By default, NetBoot for Mac OS X clients creates a share point for client shadow files on the server boot volume. (You can change this behavior. See Choosing Where Shadow Files Are Stored on page 54.)

You can use Server Admin to see this share point and to add others. The share points are named NetBootClientsn where n is the share point number.

Share points are numbered starting with zero. For example, if your server has two disk volumes, the default shadow-file folder is NetBootClients0 on the boot volume. If you use Server Admin to specify that client data will also be stored on the second volume, the folder is named NetBootClients1. NetBoot stores the first clients shadow files on NetBootClients0, the second clients shadow files on NetBootClients1, the third clients shadow files on NetBootSP0, and so on.

Likewise, with three volumes and eight clients, the first, fourth, and seventh clients use the first volume; the second, fifth, and eighth clients use the second volume; and the third and sixth clients use the third volume. This load balancing is automatic and usually provides optimal performance.

To prevent shadow files from being placed on a specific volume, use the NetBoot Service General settings in Server Admin. Deselect the client data checkbox for any volume you dont want shadow files placed in.

You can also prevent shadow files from being placed on a specific volume or partition by deleting the hidden file /Library/NetBoot/.clients, which is a symbolic link, and then stopping and restarting NetBoot service.

70 Chapter 5 Managing NetBoot Service

71

Use this chapter to find solutions for common problems you might encounter while working with NetBoot and NetInstall.

This chapter contains solutions to common system imaging problems.

General Tips Make sure a DHCP service is available on your network. It can be provided by the Mac OS X Server DHCP service or another server.

Make sure required services are started on the server. See Network Service Requirements on page 46. Open Server Admin and verify the following:

If youre booting Mac OS X diskless clients, AFP is started

If youre using HTTP instead of NFS to deliver images, Web service is started

If NetBoot Client Computers Wont Start If your NetBoot client computers will not start:

Sometimes a computer might not start immediately because other computers are putting a heavy demand on the network. Wait a few minutes and try starting again.

Make sure cables are properly connected and that the computer and server are getting power.

If you installed memory or an expansion card in the client computer, make sure it is installed properly.

If the computer has a local hard disk with a System Folder on it, disconnect the Ethernet cable and try to start the computer from the local hard disk, then reconnect the Ethernet cable and try to start the computer from the network.

Boot the client computer from a local disk and verify that it is getting an IP address from DHCP.

On a diskless or systemless client, start from a system CD and use Startup Disk preferences to select a boot image.

6Solving System Imaging Problems

If You Want to Change the Image Name You cant edit the name of an image with System Image Utility after you create it. However, there are other ways to change the name, as shown in the following sections.

Changing the Name of an Uncompressed Image This section describes how to change the name of an uncompressed image that you created using System Image Utility.

To change the name of an uncompressed image: 1 Mount the image in Finder by opening the .nbi folder containing the image and

double-clicking it.

2 Open Terminal and enter the following command to rename the image:

$ sudo diskutil rename /Volumes/image new_name

Replace image with the name of the image you want to rename and new_name with the new name of the image.

3 When prompted, enter your administrator password.

The name of the image changes.

4 Unmount the image.

5 Remount the image to verify that it has been renamed.

Changing the Name of a Compressed Image This section describes how to change the name of a compressed image that you created using System Image Utility.

To change the name of a compressed image: 1 Mount the image in Finder by opening the .nbi folder containing the image and

double-clicking it.

2 Open Disk Utility.

3 Select the image and click Convert.

4 In the Save As field, enter a name.

5 Select a different location to save the image to.

For example, save the image on the Desktop folder.

6 From the Image Format menu, choose read/write.

7 Click Save.

8 Unmount the image.

9 Mount the new image in the Finder.

72 Chapter 6 Solving System Imaging Problems

Chapter 6 Solving System Imaging Problems 73

10 Open a Terminal window and enter the following to rename the image:

$ sudo diskutil rename /Volumes/image new_name

Replace image with the name of the image you want to rename and new_name with the new name of the image.

11 When prompted, enter your administrator password.

The name of the image changes.

12 Unmount the image.

13 Remount the image to verify that the image has been renamed.

14 Unmount the image.

15 Remove the original image from the .nbi folder and store it somewhere else.

16 In Disk Utility, select the new image and click Convert.

17 Give the image the same name as the one it had inside the .nbi folder.

18 In the Where field, select the .nbi folder.

19 From the Format menu, choose Compressed.

20 Click Save.

21 Test the new image to make sure it mounts properly.

22 Discard the old image.

IIPart II: Software Update Administration

The chapters in this part of the guide introduce you to Software Update and the applications and tools available for administering Software Update.

Chapter 7 Understanding Software Update Administration

Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update

Chapter 9 Managing Software Update

Chapter 10 Solving Software Update Problems

76

Use this chapter to learn how to use Software Update to update Apple software on your network.

Software Update offers you ways to manage Macintosh software updates from Apple on your network. In an uncontrolled environment, users might connect to Apple Software Update servers at any time and update their computers with software that is not approved by your IT group.

Using local Software Update servers, your client computers access only the software updates you permit from software lists that you control, improving your ability to manage computer software updates. For example you can:

Download software updates from the Apple Software Update servers to a local server for sharing with local network clients and reduce the amount of bandwidth used outside your enterprise network.

Direct users, groups, and computers to specific local Software Update servers using managed preferences.

Manage the software update packages users can access by enabling and disabling packages at the local server.

Mirror updates between Apple Software Update servers and your server to make sure you have the most current updates.

Note: Software Update does not update software on the server. For information about keeping your server software current, see Advanced Server Administration.

Note: You cant use Software Update to provide third-party software updates.

7Understanding Software Update Administration

Chapter 7 Understanding Software Update Administration 77

Inside the Software Update Process This section describes how Software Update servers are implemented on Mac OS X, including information about the protocols, files, folder structures, and configuration details.

Overview The process that starts Software Update is swupd_syncd. When you start Software Update, it contacts Apples Software Update server and requests a list of available software to download locally.

You can copy (store packages locally) and enable (make the packages available to users) any files in the list. You can also limit user bandwidth for updates and choose to automatically copy and enable newer updates from the Apple server.

Note: Software Update stores its configuration information in the file /etc/swupd/ swupd.conf.

Catalogs When Software Update starts, your Software Update server receives a list of available software updates from the Apple Software Update service. Your server synchronizes the contents of the software catalog with Apples Software Update server when you restart your server or when you enter the following command:

$ sudo /usr/sbin/swupd_syncd -sync

To manually update the catalog, select the Refresh button in the Updates pane of Software Update settings.

Changes in the Apple published catalog are immediately reflected on your local server. Deprecated software packages are automatically disabled when a replacement package for that update is enabled. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

Installation Packages Software Update supports pkm.en and .tar file types, recognized only by Mac OS X v10.4 and later. As you copy updates on your server, your server downloads and stores update packages in the /var/db/swupd/html/ folder.

This path can be modified to store the packages in an alternate location.

Note: This version of Mac OS X Server supports only Apple-specific software packages for use with your update server. Modified Apple and third-party update software packages cannot be shared.

After packages are copied locally, you can enable them for users to update their software. Mac clients running Software Update see only enabled packages in the list of available software for their computer.

Deprecated software packages are automatically disabled when a replacement package for that update is enabled. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

Staying Up-To-Date with the Apple Server To keep your service synchronized with the most current information, your Software Update server must always remain in contact with the Apple server. Software Update service regularly checks with an Apple Software Update to update usage information and send lists of newly available software to the updates catalog on your server as they become available.

The Apple Software Update server executes the swupd_syncd synchronization daemon to make sure the latest update packages are available. The scheduled execution of swupd_syncd is controlled by launchd by means of the StartCalendarInterval setting at /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.swupdate.sync.plist.

Limiting User Bandwidth Software Update lets you limit the bandwidth that client computers can use when downloading software updates from your Software Update server.

Setting a limit on the bandwidth enables you to control traffic on your network and prevents Software Update clients from slowing the network. For example, if you limit the bandwidth to 56 Kbps, each software update client can download updates at 56 Kbps. If five clients connect simultaneously to the server, the total bandwidth used by the clients will be 280 Kbps (56 Kbps x 5).

Revoked Files On a rare occasion Apple might provide a software update and want to revoke or deprecate a package from circulation.

If Apple revokes the update package, the package is removed from your catalog and stored packages, making it unavailable to clients

If Apple deprecates a software package and provides a replacement package, the older software package is disabled, making it unavailable to clients. The package remains in your catalog and stored packages until you remove it.

An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

78 Chapter 7 Understanding Software Update Administration

Chapter 7 Understanding Software Update Administration 79

Software Update Package Format You cant make your own Software Update packages. For security considerations and to protect from attackers faking packages, the Software Update package installer wont install a package unless it is signed by Apple.

In addition, Software Update works only with the new package format supported in Mac OS X Server v10.4 or later.

Log Files The log files for Software Update are located in the /var/log/swupd/ folder. The log files record Software Update events as they occur.

The log files for Software Update include the following:

swupd_syncd_log: logs the swupd_syncd daemon

swupd_error_log: reports messages from the httpd daemon controlled by Software Update

swupd_access_log: reports messages from the httpd daemon controlled by Software Update

The logs can be viewed in Server Admin in the Software Update Logs panel or using the Console application located in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder.

Information That Is Collected The Apple Software Update server collects the following information from client Software Update servers:

Language

Type

Browser

Tools for Managing Software Update The Workgroup Manager and Server Admin applications provide a graphical interface for managing Software Update in Mac OS X Server. In addition, you can manage Software Update from the command line by using Terminal.

These applications are included with Mac OS X Server and can be installed on another computer with Mac OS X v10.6 or later, making that computer an administrator computer. For more information on setting up an administrator computer, see the server administration chapter of Getting Started.

Server Admin Server Admin provides access to tools you use to set up, manage, and monitor Windows services and other services. You use Server Admin to:

Set up Mac OS X Server as a Software Update server. For instructions, see Chapter 8, Setting Up Software Update.

Manage and monitor Software Update service. For instructions, see Chapter 4, Setting Up Clients to Use NetBoot and NetInstall Images.

For more information about using Server Admin, see Advanced Server Administration. This includes information about:

Opening and authenticating in Server Admin

Working with specific servers

Administering services

Using SSL for remote server administration

Customizing the Server Admin environment

Server Admin is installed in /Applications/Server/.

Workgroup Manager Workgroup Manager provides comprehensive management of clients of Mac OS X Server. You use Workgroup Manager to set preferences by user, group, or computer to access your Software Update server. For more information about how to configure managed preferences for the Software Update server, see User Management.

For basic information about using Workgroup Manager, see User Management. This includes:

Opening and authenticating in Workgroup Manager

Administering accounts

Customizing the Workgroup Manager environment

Workgroup Manager is installed in /Applications/Server/.

Command-Line Tools A full range of command-line tools is available for administrators who prefer to use command-driven server administration. For remote server management, submit commands in a secure shell (SSH) session. You can enter commands on Mac OS X servers and computers using the Terminal application, located in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder.

80 Chapter 7 Understanding Software Update Administration

81

Use this chapter to set up Software Update on your network for Mac OS X v10.6 clients.

You use Software Update in Server Admin to provide local software updates to client computers.

Setup Overview Here is an overview of the basic steps for configuring your Software Update server. This includes setting up Software Update service, configuring client computer access to the server, and testing.

Step 1: Evaluate and update your network, servers, and client computers as necessary. The number of client computers you can support using Software Update is determined by the number of servers you have, how theyre configured, hard disk storage capacity, and other factors. See Capacity Planning on page 83.

Depending on the results of this evaluation, you might want to add servers or hard disks, add Ethernet ports, or make other changes to your servers.

For your client computers to use the local Software Update service, you must update them to Mac OS X v10.4 or later.

Step 2: Create your Software Update service plan. Decide which users will access Software Update.

You might have groups who need unlimited access while others might need a more limited choice of software updates. Such a plan requires more than one Software Update server with client computers bound using directory services to manage user preferences.

8Setting Up Software Update

Step 3: Configure the Software Update server. Decide how you want to copy and enable software updates from Apple: automatically or manually. Set the maximum bandwidth you want a single computer to use when downloading update packages from your server. See Setting Up Software Update on page 85.

Step 4: Start Software Update. Your server synchronizes with the Apple Software Update server by requesting a catalog of available updates. If you chose to automatically copy updates, your server will begin to download all available software update packages. See Starting Software Update on page 87.

Step 5: (Optional) Manually copy and enable selected packages. If you do not choose to automatically copy and enable all Apple software updates, you must manually select software update packages to copy and enable. See Copying and Enabling Selected Updates from Apple on page 92.

Step 6: Set up client computers to use the correct Software Update server. Set preferences in Workgroup Manager by user, group, or computer to access your Software Update server. For more information about how to configure managed preferences for the Software Update server, see User Management.

Step 7: Test your Software Update server setup. Test Software Update by requesting software updates from the server using a client bound to preferences you set in Workgroup Manager. Make sure the packages are accessible to your users.

Considerations and Requirements Before you set up a Software Update server, review the following hardware and network considerations and requirements.

What You Must Know Before you set up Software Update on your server, you must be familiar with your network configuration and you must meet the following requirements:

Youre the server administrator.

Youre familiar with network setup.

You might also need to work with your networking staff to change network topologies, switches, routers, and other network settings.

Client Computer Requirements Macintosh computers running Mac OS X v10.4 or later that are networked to a server running Mac OS X Server v10.4 or later can use Software Update to update Apple software.

82 Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update

Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update 83

Network Hardware Requirements The type of network connections to use depends on the number of clients you expect to serve software updates to:

To provide regular updates to fewer than 10 clients, use 100-Mbit Ethernet.

To provide regular updates to 1050 clients, use 100-Mbit switched Ethernet.

To provide regular updates to more than 50 clients, use Gigabit Ethernet.

These are estimates for the number of clients supported. For more details about the optimal system and network configurations to support the number of clients you have, see Capacity Planning on page 83.

Note: In Mac OS X Server, Software Update operates across all network interfaces that TCP/IP is configured for.

Capacity Planning The number of client computers your server can support when accessing Software Update depends on how your server is configured, when and how often your clients check for updates, the size of the updates, and a number of other factors.

When planning for your server and network needs, consider these main factors:

Ethernet speed: 100Base-T or faster connections are required for client computers and the server. As you add clients, you might need to increase the speed of the Ethernet connections of your server.

Ideally you want to take advantage of the Gigabit Ethernet capacity built in to your Mac OS X server hardware to connect to a Gigabit switch. From the switch, connect Gigabit Ethernet or 100-Mbit Ethernet to each Macintosh client.

Hard disk capacity and number of packages: Software Update packages can occupy considerable hard disk space on server volumes, depending on the size and configuration of the package and the number of packages being stored.

Number of Ethernet ports on the switch: Distributing Macintosh clients over multiple Ethernet ports on your switch offers a performance advantage. Each port must serve a distinct segment.

Number of Software Update servers on the network: You might want to provide different software updates to various groups of users. By configuring directory services you can offer different update services by network or hardware type, each targeting a different Software Update server on the network.

Note: You cant configure Software Update servers to talk to one another.

Before Setting Up Software Update Before you set up Software Update, consider the following topics.

Consider Which Software Update Packages to Offer Before you set up Software Update, consider whether to provide all or only part of Apples software updates. Your client computers might run application software that requires a specific version of Apple software for the application to operate correctly.

You can configure your Software Update server to serve only Software Update packages you approve. Restricting access to update packages might help prevent maintenance and compatibility problems with your computers.

You can restrict client access in a Software Update server by disabling automatic mirror-and-enable functions in the General Settings pane. You manage specific updates in the Updates pane of the Software Update server.

Software Update Storage Software updates can easily take a large amount of disk space over time and cause problems with system resources. In a production environment, it is important to prevent the system disk from becoming full and causing instability.

To eliminate the possibility of software updates filling a volume, system administrators normally limit the type of data being stored on the root partition and place data that could grow substantially in size on other partitions. For example, you could use an Xserve RAID to store software updates.

By default, software updates are stored in the /var/db/swupd/ folder. To store software updates in another location, choose a different partition or volume in the Software Update General settings pane.

To modify existing Software Update storage: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 If Software Update is started, click the Stop Software Update button.

5 Click General.

6 Click Choose and select the location to store downloaded software updates.

7 Click Save.

8 (Optionally) If software updates were previously downloaded, use Terminal to copy the default software update folder to the new location:

84 Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update

Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update 85

$ sudo cp -p /private/var/db/swupd/html /Volumes/My_Volume/My_Software_ Updates_Folder/

9 Click the Start Software Update button to confirm the operation.

10 (Optionally) Use Terminal to delete the previous storage location to reclaim startup volume space:

$ sudo rm -rf /private/var/db/swupd/html

Organize Your Enterprise Client Computers You might have individuals, groups, or groups of computers with common needs for only a few software update packages, while others might need unrestricted access to all software updates.

To provide varied access to software update packages, you must set up multiple Software Update servers. Use managed preferences to configure these computers to access a specific Software Update server.

For more information about how to configure managed preferences for the Software Update server, see User Management.

Turning Software Update On Before you can configure Software Update settings, you must turn on Software Update in Server Admin.

To turn Software Update on: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click Settings.

3 Click Services.

4 Click the Software Update checkbox.

5 Click Save.

Setting Up Software Update You set up Software Update by configuring the following groups of settings on the Settings pane for Software Update in Server Admin.

General. This sets information about automatically copying and enabling updates, purging obsolete updates, and limiting user bandwidth.

Updates. This lists available updates and provides date, name, version, and size information for each.

The following sections describe the tasks for configuring these settings and how to start Software Update after you configure it.

Configuring Software Update General Settings You can use the General settings to set system update copy and enable settings, to remove obsolete updates, and to limit user bandwidth.

To configure Software Update General settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click Settings.

5 To limit client user bandwidth, select Limit user bandwidth for updates to and enter the maximum rate of update bandwidth per user.

6 From the pop-up menu, choose KB/second or MB/second.

7 Click Choose and select where the Software Update catalog and downloads will be stored.

The default location is /var/db/swupd/html.

8 To specify a port that software updates are provided through, enter a port number in the Provide updates using port field.

9 To keep a copy of the software updates on your server, select Copy __ updates from Apple and choose from the following options.

If you want all updates copied from the Apple update server, choose all in the pop-up menu.

If you want only new updates copied from the Apple update server, choose all new in the pop-up menu.

10 To immediately enable all software updates for client users, select Automatically enable copied updates.

Enabling this feature retrieves all Apple published catalog updates and automatically disables deprecated software packages that have a replacement package available. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

If this feature is not selected and an administrator manually enables updates, disabling of deprecated software packages is performed as individual replacement packages are enabled.

11 To remove obsolete software updates from the Software Update storage location, select the Delete outdated software update packages checkbox.

Enabling this feature does not remove obsolete or deprecated software updates from the local Software Update catalog.

12 Click Save.

86 Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update

Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update 87

Configuring Updates Settings You can use Updates settings to refresh the software update catalog, to copy and enable individual updates, and to view specific update information.

Downloading Apple updates automatically disables deprecated software packages that have a replacement package available. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

To configure Updates settings: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click Updates.

5 Click the Refresh button to synchronize with the Apple server.

An unscheduled synchronization does not change or delay the next scheduled synchronization operation, which occurs every 24 hours at 03:00 (local time) by default.

An administrator can change the scheduled synchronization time by modifying the StartCalendarInterval > Hour value at /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com. apple.swupdate.sync.plist. To restore the default launchd settings, remove the com.apple.swupdate.sync.plist file and restart Software Update.

6 Click Copy Now to copy software updates to your server.

7 Select the checkbox in the Enable column for each update you want to make available to client computers.

The Enable column is disabled if the Automatically enable copied updates checkbox is selected. To manually enable or disable updates, deselect this checkbox in the Settings pane.

8 Click Save.

Starting Software Update Use Server Admin to start Software Update.

To start Software Update: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click the Start Software Update button (below the Servers list).

Redirecting Software Update Server and Unmanaged Clients You can use Terminal to redirect Software Update to obtain updates from a different location and point unmanaged client to a specified Software Update server.

Redirecting your Software Update Server To load balance the distribution of Software Update across multiple Software Update servers or conserve bandwidth to the Internet, you can change the /etc/swupd/swupd. plist file to redirect where your Software Update server obtains the software updates.

By redirecting your Software Update server, you can have multiple Software Update servers on your private network. However, only one Software Update server needs access outside your private Intranet to obtain software updates from the Apple Software Update server. Then each additional server can access the internal server to obtain the software updates.

To redirect your Software Update server: 1 On the internal Software Update server, open Terminal.

2 Enter the following command:

$ vi /etc/swupd/swupd.plist

3 Locate the following metaIndexURL key:

...

metaIndexURL

http://swscan.apple.com/content/meta/mirror-config-1.plist

4 Change the URL within the tags to the location of your selected Software Update server. For example:

metaIndexURL

http:// myserver.example.com:8088/catalogs.sucatalog

5 Save the changes and exit Terminal.

Pointing Unmanaged Clients to a Software Update Server Mac OS X Server v10.6 and later provide the ability to publish separate catalogs for specific versions of Mac OS X. This allows each client to view only the updates that relate to the operating system installed on that system.

If you are not using Client Management, use the defaults command in Terminal to point unmanaged client computers to a Software Update server. You must be an administrator to use the defaults command.

88 Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update

Chapter 8 Setting Up Software Update 89

To point unmanaged clients to a software update server: 1 On the unmanaged client, open Terminal.

2 Enter the following command:

$ defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL URL

Replace URL with the URL of the Software Update server, including the port number and the name of the catalog file for the specific version of Mac OS X. For example:

For Mac OS Xv10.4:

http://su.domain_name.com:8088/index.sucatalog

For Mac OS X v10.5:

http://su.domain_name.com:8088/index-leopard.merged-1.sucatalog

For Mac OS X v10.6:

http://su.domain_name.com:8088/index-leopard-snowleopard.merged-1. sucatalog

You can verify your change using the following command:

$ defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL

To point the unmanaged client computer back to the Apple Software Update server, use the following command:

$ defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL

90

Use this chapter to perform day-to-day management tasks for a Software Update server after the server is configured and running.

The following sections show how to manually refresh the updates catalog from the Apple server, check the status of Software Update, stop the service, and control the software updates cataloged and distributed by the service.

Manually Refreshing the Updates Catalog from the Apple Server Use Server Admin to manually update the updates catalog.

Note: Downloading Apple updates automatically disables deprecated software packages that have a replacement package available. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

To manually refresh the updates catalog from the Apple server: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click Updates.

5 Click the Refresh button.

9Managing Software Update

Chapter 9 Managing Software Update 91

Checking the Status of Software Update Use Server Admin to check the status of Software Update.

To check Software Update status: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 To see whether the service is running, when it started, when it last checked for updates, the number of updates that are copied or enabled, and whether auto-copy and auto-enable are turned on, click Overview.

5 To review the Software Update service log, click Log.

Stopping Software Update Use Server Admin to stop Software Update.

To stop Software Update: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click the Stop Software Update button (below the Servers list).

Limiting User Bandwidth for Software Update Use Server Admin to limit user bandwidth.

To limit user bandwidth for Software Update: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click General.

5 Select Limit user bandwidth for updates to.

6 Enter the maximum rate of update bandwidth per user.

7 From the pop-up menu, choose KB/second or MB/second.

8 Click Save.

Automatically Copying and Enabling Updates from Apple Use Server Admin to copy and enable software updates automatically from Apple.

Enabling this feature retrieves all Apple published catalog updates and automatically disables deprecated software packages that have a replacement package available. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

If this feature is not selected and an administrator manually enables updates, disabling of deprecated software packages is performed as individual replacement packages are enabled.

To automatically copy software updates and enable them for download: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click General.

5 Select Copy __ updates from Apple and choose one of the following options from the pop-up menu:

If you want all updates copied from the Apple update server, choose all.

If you want only new updates copied from the Apple update server, choose all new.

6 Select Automatically enable copied updates.

7 Click Save.

Copying and Enabling Selected Updates from Apple Use Server Admin to copy selected software updates automatically from Apple.

Downloading Apple updates automatically disables deprecated software packages that have a replacement package available. An administrator can disable the new software package and continue offering the deprecated package.

To copy selected software updates and enable them for download: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

92 Chapter 9 Managing Software Update

Chapter 9 Managing Software Update 93

4 Click General.

5 Make sure Copy __ updates from Apple is deselected.

6 Make sure Automatically enable copied updates is deselected.

7 Click Save.

8 Click Updates.

9 Click Copy Now to copy software updates to your server.

This copies software updates to your server.

10 To enable individual software updates, select the checkbox in the Enable column of the update.

11 Click Save.

Removing Obsolete Software Updates Use Server Admin to remove obsolete software updates from packages stored on the server. You can configure Software Update to automatically purge obsolete updates.

Enabling this feature does not remove obsolete or deprecated software updates from the local Software Update catalog.

To purge obsolete software updates: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click General.

5 Select the Delete outdated software update packages checkbox.

6 Click Save.

Identifying Individual Software Update Files Software updates are stored in the /var/db/swupd/html folder by default. Sometimes you might want to locate a specific software update file. Each software update that is copied to the server is stored with product ID numbers for a file name.

To make sure that you are selecting the correct software update file, correlate the file name (product ID) with the software update product ID in Server Admin. Each software update lists their product ID below the description field in the Updates Settings pane of Server Admin.

To view the product ID number of a software update: 1 Open Server Admin and connect to the server.

2 Click the triangle at the left of the server.

The list of services appears.

3 From the expanded Servers list, select Software Update.

4 Click Updates.

5 Select the software update from the list.

The software update product ID is displayed below the description field.

94 Chapter 9 Managing Software Update

95

Use this chapter to find solutions for common problems you might encounter while working with Software Update.

This section contains solutions to common Software Update problems.

General Tips Make sure required services are installed.

Make sure the Software Update packages you enable are meant for the client accessing them.

If you detect poor response from the Software Update server, check the network load. For more information, see Capacity Planning on page 83.

Delete old updates to make space for new ones.

If a Client Computer Cant Access the Software Update Server Make sure the client can access the network.

Make sure the clients Software Update managed preference points to the Software Update server.

Make sure the Software Update server is running.

If the Software Update Server Wont Sync with the Apple Server Make sure the Apple server is accessible.

If Update Packages That the Software Update Server Lists Arent Visible to Client Computers Make sure the packages are enabled in Server Admin.

10Solving Software Update Problems

96

NetBoot Service Settings To configure general NetBoot service setting from Terminal, use the following parameters with the serveradmin tool.

Parameter (netboot:) Description

filterEnabled A parameter that specifies whether client filtering is enabled.

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray... An array of values for each server volume used to store boot or installation images. For a description, see The Storage Record Array on page 97.

netBootFiltersRecordsArray... An array of values for each computer explicitly allowed or disallowed access to images. For a description, see The Filters Record Array on page 97.

netBootImagesRecordsArray... An array of values for each boot or installation image stored on the server. For a description, see The Image Record Array on page 98.

netBootPortsRecordsArray... An array of values for each server network port used to deliver boot or installation images. For a description, see The Port Record Array on page 99.

A pp

en di

x

Command-Line Parameters

Appendix Command-Line Parameters 97

The Storage Record Array An array of the following values appears in NetBoot service settings for each volume on the server used to store boot or installation images.

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :sharepoint

The first parameter in an array describing a volume available to serve images.

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :clients

Default = "no"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :ignorePrivs

Default = "false"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volType

Default =

Example: "hfs"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :path

Default = "/"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volName

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :volIcon

Default =

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteClients

Default = "yes"

netBootStorageRecordsArray:_array_ index: :okToDeleteSharepoint

Default = "yes"

The Filters Record Array An array of the following values appears in NetBoot service settings for each computer explicitly allowed or denied access to images stored on the server.

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :hostName

The host name of the filtered computer, if available.

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :filterType

Whether the specified computer is allowed or denied access. Options:

"allow"

"deny"

netBootFiltersRecordsArray:_array_ index: :hardwareAddress

The Ethernet hardware (MAC) address of the filtered computer.

98 Appendix Command-Line Parameters

The Image Record Array An array of the following values appears in NetBoot service settings for each image stored on the server.

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :Name

The name of the image as it appears in the Startup Disk control panel (Mac OS 9) or Preferences pane (Mac OS X).

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :IsDefault

yes

Specifies this image file as the default boot image on the subnet.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :RootPath

The path to the .dmg file.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :isEdited

Whether the image is edited.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :BootFile

Name of the boot ROM file: booter.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :Description

Arbitrary text describing the image.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :SupportsDiskless

yes

Directs the NetBoot server to allocate space for shadow files needed by diskless clients.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :Type

NFS or HTTP.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :pathToImage

The path to the parameter list file in the .nbi folder on the server describing the image.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :Index

14095

Indicates a local image unique to the server.

409665535 is a duplicate, identical image stored on multiple servers for load balancing.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :IsEnabled

Sets whether the image is available to NetBoot (or Network Image) clients.

netBootImagesRecordsArray:_array_ index: :IsInstall

yes

Specifies a network installation image.

no

Specifies a NetBoot image.

Appendix Command-Line Parameters 99

The Port Record Array An array of the following items is included in the NetBoot service settings for each network port on the server set to deliver images.

Parameter (netboot:) Description

netBootPortsRecordsArray:_array_ index: :isEnabledAtIndex

The first parameter in an array describing a network interface available for responding to netboot requests.

Default = "no"

netBootPortsRecordsArray:_array_ index: :nameAtIndex

Default = " "

Example: "Built-in Ethernet"

netBootPortsRecordsArray:_array_ index: :deviceAtIndex

Default = " "

Example: "en0"

A access

client management 60, 81, 83 load balancing 69 path for client 22 restricting NetBoot 37, 38, 49, 58 restricting Software Update 76, 84, 85

Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts action 34 Add User Account action 35 AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) service 46 AirPort wireless network 46 Apple Filing Protocol service. See AFP Apply System Configuration Settings action 35 Architectures property 20 ASR (Apple Software Restore) 29 asr tool 29, 30, 61 Automator actions

Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts 34 Add User Account 35 Apply System Configuration Settings 35 Create Image 36 Customize Package Selection 33 Define Image Source 34 Enable Automated Installation 37 Filter Clients by MAC Address 37 Filter Computer Model 38 overview 33 Partition Disk 38

B bandwidth limitations for Software Update 78, 91 boot image, definition 16

See also NetBoot service Boot Server Discovery Protocol. See BSDP BootFile property 20 BootP (Bootstrap Protocol) 22, 62 Bootstrap Protocol. See BootP BSDP (Boot Server Discovery Protocol) 21, 59

C client computers

diskless startup 54, 56, 57, 60 hardware requirements 45

NetBoot 30 network requirements 46 setup 60, 62 shadow files 54, 63, 70 troubleshooting NetBoot startup 71 See also Automator actions, Software Update

service clients

capacity planning 46 diskless startup 71 groups 17, 81, 83, 85 imaging multiple 61 NetBoot 18, 19, 22 viewing lists of 65, 66

command-line tools assmbling workflows 41 creating images 32 disabling images 65 enabling images 52, 59 logs 67 NetBoot settings 25, 96, 97, 98, 99 package-making 42 restoring images 30 service settings 50 Software Update service 80 starting NetBoot 51 startup image selection 61 status checking 66 stopping service 65 storing image files 53, 55

computer name 36 configuration, client settings 35 Create Image action 36 Customize Package Selection action 33

D Define Image Source action 34 Description property 21 DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

service 21, 44, 46, 51, 71 disk images. See NetBoot service, NetInstall diskless startup 54, 56, 57, 60, 71 disks

Index

100

In de

x

Index 101

capacity planning 38, 47, 83 distribution of images across 68 partitions 38

documentation 11, 12, 13 drives. See disks Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. See DHCP

E Enable Automated Installation Action 37 Ethernet 45, 46, 83

F file services 46

See also share points files

boot 22 Software Update storage 84

Filter Clients by MAC Address action 37 Filter Computer Model action 38 filters record array, NetBoot 97 filters, NetBoot 49, 58 folders, NetBoot image 19

G groups, setup 17, 81, 83, 85

H hardware requirements 45, 46, 82, 83 hdiutil tool 32 help, using 10 host name, local 36 HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) 46

I image record array, NetBoot 98 images. See NetBoot service, NetInstall Index property, NetBoot image 20 installation image, definition 16

See also NetInstall IsDefault property 21 IsEnabled property 21 IsInstall property 21

L Language property 21 load balancing 19, 67, 68, 69, 70 logs 50, 67, 79

M MAC address 37, 49, 58 memory, requirements for 45 multicast 61

N N key startup procedure 62

Name property 21 naming conventions 52, 72 NetBoot service

adding packages to images 41, 42 boot file management 22 capacity planning 46 client setup 45, 46, 60 creating images 26, 27, 29, 30 default settings 56 disabling images 65 enabling images 52 filters 49, 58 image folder 19 management tools 24, 25, 52 monitoring of 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 NetBoot 1.0 support 50 network service requirements 46 overview 9, 16, 17, 18, 19 prerequisites 45 property list file 20 security 23 selecting boot image 60 server discovery 21, 59 settings 48, 96, 97, 98, 99 setup 35, 43, 48 starting 47, 51 status checking 66 stopping 64 storage for images 22, 52, 54, 56 testing 44 troubleshooting 71, 72 updating images 32 viewing client lists 65, 66 workflows 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 See also Automator actions

NetBootClientsn share points 19, 63, 70 NetBootSPn 18, 22 NetInstall

adding software to images 41, 42 creating images 26, 28, 30 overview 9, 16, 18, 23 selecting install image 62 using stored images 22 workflows 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 See also Automator actions

NetRestore 29 Network File System. See NFS network requirements 46, 83 network services 21, 44, 46, 51, 71 NFS (Network File System) 46

P package install images 33, 34, 41, 42 PackageMaker 17, 42 packages, Software Update 77, 78, 79, 83, 84, 94 Partition Disk action 38

102 Index

port record array, NetBoot 99 post-install scripts 34 problems. See troubleshooting Property List Editor 17 property list files 20 protocols

AFP 46 BootP 22, 62 BSDP 21, 59 DHCP 21, 44, 46, 71 HTTP 46 TFTP 22, 46

R RAM (random-access memory) 45 remote servers, images stored on 56 RootPath property 21

S security 23

See also access serial number, server 47 Server Admin 17, 24, 80 servers

discovery of 21, 59 images on remote 56 load balancing 67, 68, 69 NetBoot 18 Software Update 83, 89, 95

setup procedures. See configuration, installation shadow files 18, 19, 54, 63, 70 share points

NetBootClientsn 19, 63, 70 NetBootSPn 18, 22 shadow files 18, 19, 70

software requirements 45, 81 Software Update service

automatic settings 92 capacity planning 83 catalog management 77, 90, 93 clients 76, 78, 82, 85, 89 file packages 77, 78, 79, 83, 84, 94 file storage 84 identifying files 94 limitations on bandwidth 78, 91 management tools 79, 80, 90 monitoring of 78, 79 overview 9, 76, 77 prerequisites 82, 83 settings 84, 85, 86, 87 setup overview 81 starting 85, 87 status checking 91 stopping 91 troubleshooting 95

startup. See NetBoot service

storage record array, NetBoot 97 streaming media, multicast 61 subnets 59 SupportsDiskless property 21 System Image Utility

creating images 26 overview 9, 17, 20, 25

system imaging. See NetBoot service, NetInstall systemsetup tool 61

T TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) 22, 46 troubleshooting

NetBoot service 71, 72 Software Update service 95

Type property 21

U updating disk images 45

See also Software Update service user accounts, adding 35

See also client computers users. See clients

V volumes, cloning 29

W workflows 33

adding 39 assembling 39, 40 Automator actions 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 removin

Manualsnet FAQs

If you want to find out how the Mac OS X Server Apple works, you can view and download the Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide on the Manualsnet website.

Yes, we have the User's Guide for Apple Mac OS X Server as well as other Apple manuals. All you need to do is to use our search bar and find the user manual that you are looking for.

The User's Guide should include all the details that are needed to use a Apple Mac OS X Server. Full manuals and user guide PDFs can be downloaded from Manualsnet.com.

The best way to navigate the Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide is by checking the Table of Contents at the top of the page where available. This allows you to navigate a manual by jumping to the section you are looking for.

This Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide consists of sections like Table of Contents, to name a few. For easier navigation, use the Table of Contents in the upper left corner.

You can download Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide free of charge simply by clicking the “download” button in the upper right corner of any manuals page. This feature allows you to download any manual in a couple of seconds and is generally in PDF format. You can also save a manual for later by adding it to your saved documents in the user profile.

To be able to print Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide, simply download the document to your computer. Once downloaded, open the PDF file and print the Apple Mac OS X Server v13 User's Guide as you would any other document. This can usually be achieved by clicking on “File” and then “Print” from the menu bar.