Imaging Best Practices

These guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive, step-by-step instructions, but provide some helpful hints that may prevent some common issues that occur during imaging. Your situation may vary, you must research these questions carefully in order to evaluate your environment and your needs to determine if any modifications should be made to these steps.

For use with Ghost Solution Suite 3.1.

Terminology:

A “backup” image is an image captured on a PC without running Sysprep on Windows before the image is captured. This kind of image is only suitable to deploy back to the computer it was taken from – meaning very specifically that PC, not a PC of the same model, that exact PC.

A “sysprep” image, or “golden” image is an image captured after running sysprep. A golden image is suitable for deployment to multiple other PC’s.You must run sysprep before you capture an image or you will experience problems when you deploy the image to a different PC.

On the GSS console

1. Add domain credentials into GSS console
   Tools – Options – Domain Accounts
2. Add product keys into GSS console
   Tools – Options – Global – Sysprep Settings
3. Disable encryption unless you specifically require it.
   Tools- Options – Agent Settings. Check “Force new agents to take these default settings, then click Change Default settings. Click the Security tab, uncheck Encrypt session communication with Ghost Solution Suite Server. If you already have some agents installed they should each have their settings changed to disable encryption.
4. Configure an automation environment:

Install the ADK. Unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, we suggest installing the ADK for Windows 10. Version 1511 is the most recent version that has been certified by Symantec for use with Ghost. Use the ADK for Windows 10 no matter what OS you are installing Ghost on, or what OS you intend to deploy.

Create a boot Configuration:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH223595

PXE:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO124443
 

Automation Folders:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/INFO3058

               If you are using Automation Folders we suggest that you use “Method 2” to install them using a Distribute Software job.

    5.  Run Ghost using Command line switches, edit the command line in your imaging jobs or on the boot disk:

Imaging jobs should be run with a number of command line switches.

-ib -ntexact -notrim -ntil -ntic -ntc-

In the Ghost console these switches are added in the additional parameters field at the end, after "-sure".

In Standard Tools you should modify the boot disk to always run Ghost with these switches. In Boot Disk creator click on your configuration, then click startup.bat. On the right side – at the bottom of the startup batch file there will be either one or two places where Ghost would be launched. Look for “Start ghost32.exe” and/or “start ghost64.exe”. Change them to read as follows:

ghost32.exe -ib -ntexact -notrim -ntil -ntic -ntc-

ghost64.exe -ib -ntexact -notrim -ntil -ntic -ntc-

If you do not see the line to start either ghost32 or ghost64 that means either you are using the boot disk creator from Ghost Solution Suite, rather than Standard Tools, OR you did not select the OEM extension when you created the boot disk.

On a target computer:

1. (Optional) Make a backup image of the disk before you start doing anything.
   Console:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq4eVU57pnc&feature=youtu.be
   Standard Tools
2. Review the requirements for SYSPREP and ensure that the image that you are capturing is supported.
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/828287
   Highlights:

• Do not use an existing OEM installation of Windows that came with the computer
• Do not use the Windows disk that came with the PC to reinstall
• Do not use a PC that has been used by an end user for any period of time
  (There are a good deal more conditions, those are the main issues.)

    3.  Make a backup image of the disk. (again NO sysprep)

    4.  Boot the computer to Windows audit mode (Optional)
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722413(v=ws.10).aspx

    5.  Install the dAgent

          In the Ghost console: Tools – Remote Agent installer (preferred)

          OR

          Run dagent.msi or dagent_x64.msi on the target PC. (These can be found on the GSS server:
          C:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Agents\AClient

          OR
          http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO30343

    6.  Install Automation Folders (if you are using automation folders)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/INFO3058
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3zfwmOOhM&feature=youtu.be

    7.  Install any additional software or customizations that should be present in the target image

    8.  Double check that the software and customizations are correct prior to proceeding.

    9.  Prepare the Symantec Management Agent for capture (if present)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO2169

    10. Add a second administrator to the target pc (the default administrator will be disabled by sysprep)

    11. Follow the steps for Prepare for system capture
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH236818
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH223595

    12. Make another backup image of the disk. (NO sysprep)

    13. Capture the image using sysprep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7kI7A_aOjg&feature=youtu.be

** You now have an image that is suitable for deployment to multiple PC’s.

    14. (Optional) Restore the backup you captured in step 11, so if you should need to sysprep and capture again you are ready to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6y3aZbJE_s&feature=youtu.be