geek.edu
October 23rd, 2007, 08:19 PM
I have a couple hundred computers split across 3 campuses that i have to manage. I often get very little notice about updating things like browser plugins and when i do get notice, the rooms are booked during my work hours. this gives me 3 choices:
1. Installing updates to all of them remotely which rarely works because I cant always get a installer file i can write into a script
2. Physically going to every machine and running the update
neither of which is ideal because both of which require me to find a time when the rooms are available (often during my "off" time)
3. remote imaging/running windows inside VMware
My question is can Ubuntu be customized so that i can:
boot the machine from a custom liveCD
Install Ubuntu to a minimal sized partition and create a blank partition with the remaining space for storage
Remove the CD and reboot the system
Ubuntu runs (preferably invisible or with a simple progress bar)
Look at a FTP/Samba share on the network for an image file and download it to the large partition created in step 2
run said image in VMware
steps 4-6 would have to run without any user interaction and i would like to block user interaction with the linux OS as much as possible.
Id like to be able to ssh into the machines with a script and make them download newer virtual machines or have scheduled to do it themselves. (but only during off hours of course)
I have no problem doing most of this myself but i would like to know if A) i am reinventing the wheel and somebody already did this or B)it cant be done for some reason (licensing is not an Issue we have a VLK for XP and both MAKs and a License server for XP Shiny Edition)
The live CD part would be just icing on the cake even if i had to install and configure ubuntu/vmware/ssh myself then image it to the other machines it'd still be better than my current solution
I prefer this solution because no other (free) solution will allow me to download an image in the background while the user is using the machine.
1. Installing updates to all of them remotely which rarely works because I cant always get a installer file i can write into a script
2. Physically going to every machine and running the update
neither of which is ideal because both of which require me to find a time when the rooms are available (often during my "off" time)
3. remote imaging/running windows inside VMware
My question is can Ubuntu be customized so that i can:
boot the machine from a custom liveCD
Install Ubuntu to a minimal sized partition and create a blank partition with the remaining space for storage
Remove the CD and reboot the system
Ubuntu runs (preferably invisible or with a simple progress bar)
Look at a FTP/Samba share on the network for an image file and download it to the large partition created in step 2
run said image in VMware
steps 4-6 would have to run without any user interaction and i would like to block user interaction with the linux OS as much as possible.
Id like to be able to ssh into the machines with a script and make them download newer virtual machines or have scheduled to do it themselves. (but only during off hours of course)
I have no problem doing most of this myself but i would like to know if A) i am reinventing the wheel and somebody already did this or B)it cant be done for some reason (licensing is not an Issue we have a VLK for XP and both MAKs and a License server for XP Shiny Edition)
The live CD part would be just icing on the cake even if i had to install and configure ubuntu/vmware/ssh myself then image it to the other machines it'd still be better than my current solution
I prefer this solution because no other (free) solution will allow me to download an image in the background while the user is using the machine.