Note: If you are new to the K2000 or are new to deploying images to Macs, I strongly suggest you also viewing Corey Serrins article related to imaging for both Windows and Mac systems. There is a 33 minute video session containing both environments. The Mac capture and deploy process described in the below steps are provided on the walk through video, showing you every step of the process which will help set you at ease for the task at hand. Here is the link to Corey's article: http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/kace-native-imaging-toolkit-k2000-v-3-4-only
Prior to starting the process of capturing a Mac image from a system, please make sure you are on the latest version of the Mac OS X for the system and also have the latest Macintosh CD. Only version 3.4 on the KBOX supports Lion (Mac OS X 10.7) so if this is the version you plan on capturing, please make sure the K2000 is on version 3.4.
NetBoot on Mac OS X Leopard Client. Share the NetBoot directories via AFP a. Go to /Applications/ and open System Preferences b. Click the Sharing icon i. If necessary, click the lock icon to authenticate as an admin. Create a NetBoot image a. To perform this step you will need a bootable Leopard installation. Sep 25, 2019 Creating NetBoot image can be devided into three steps: Capture an OS X Boot Image. Add the OS X Boot Image to Configuration Manager. Distribute Content of the OS X Boot Image. Capture an OS X Boot Image: Download PmmOsdImageBuilder.dmg: Go to SCCM Administration Overview Parallels Mac Management Mac Client Enrollment. As discussed in Part 1, System Image Utility is included with Mac OS X Server and offers the option of directly saving images to the configured NetBoot share points. Creating a NetBoot image. Jesus Vigo continues his step-by-step review of DeployStudio by detailing the steps necessary to create a DeployStudio-compatible NetBoot image that's used to boot Mac client computers for deployment.
If you plan on using the captured image on different platforms of Mac, then it is also recommended to run a clean up script on the machine you plan on capturing the image from that will remove the cached KEXT files associated to the Mac OS X and its current system. Click Here to view an example of this type of clean up script. When the image is ready, follow these steps:
Log in to the K2000 appliance.
Click Library>Download Manager.
Click Download for Mac OS X.
Install.
Insert the Mac OS X installation CD, but close out the installation pop up window.
Then next process is to build a Netboot environment. To do this, follow these steps:
Log in as admin to the Mac OS X system you plan on capturing the image from. The Mac OS X system must be on the same subnet as the K2000.
Open the Media Manager you just installed.
Click the Create Netboot Image tab.
In the K2000 Host Name field, enter the host name or IP address of the appliance.
Browse to and select the Mac OS X installation disc.
In the NetBoot Password field, enter the VNC-Remote Control Application password.
Confirm password.
Click Start Build.
When this completes, the NetBoot environment can be found on the Source Media and Boot Environments page. To enable and configure the K2000 appliance NetBoot server, follow these steps:
Log in to the K2000 admin console.
Navigate to Settings & Maintenance>Control Panel>Network Settings.
Click Edit.
Click the Enable NetBoot Server (for Mac OS X client) check box.
After making this selection, two BSDP field boxes will appear. Set the BSDP settings. (The settings used in the above screenshot are examples)
Save.
The next step requires working with both Pre/Post install tasks. By default, there are some canned Pre/Post install tasks provided within the K2000 in relation to Macs. However, custom Pre/Post install tasks can be created if a canned version is not available for the task you need to be performed during the image process. To setup the Pre/Post install tasks, follow these steps:
Log in to the K2000 admin console.
Navigate to Deployments>System Images. Your newly created system image will appear here. Select it. A System Image Detail page will appear.
Drag and drop your Pre and Post installation tasks from the right columns to the left columns in the order of which you want the tasks to take place. If you are only planning on using the default Preinstallation Tasks given, the order must be:
Save.
(optional) If you plan on creating custom Pre/Post installation tasks, follow these steps prior to adding them to the order on the System Image Detail page:
Log in to the K2000 console.
Navigate to Library and select either the Preinstallation Tasks tab or the Post Installation Tasks tab.
Select Choose Action>Add New Shell Script.
Based on the tab chosen either a Preinstallation or Post Installation Task Detail page will appear.
Glance over to the right side of the page (often overlooked). Information in creating a custom pre/post installation task is not found in the manual but is found in this section. The right side discusses where to find documentation related to creating a custom task.
By default, your shell script must begin with #!/bin/bash. Build the rest of your custom script based on the tutorial content found from the link provided for Bash Programming.
Whe finished with the shell script, save it. Then switch back over to your System Image Detail page to find your custom task. Below is an example of a Custom Post Installation task for changing the computer name after they system has been imaged.
Mac Netboot Image
NOTE: Custom Pre/Post installation tasks are normally not a supported feature provided by KACE Support. KACE Support will attempt best effort in trying to resolve an issue with a custom designed Pre/Post installation task, however if you want KACE Support to create one for you then this type of service request would be handled by Dell KACE Pro-Services.
Now you are able to NetBoot and image a Mac system. If you would like to view the image process from start to finish, press CMD and V (verbose mode)on the Mac in question. Click Here to view other articles related to the above information and troubleshooting NetBoot/Imaging issues.
To capture the image, NetBoot the Mac unit you plan on taking the image from. It will bring you to what would look like a very basic user interface with a very small number of choices on a Dock.
Click on the K2000 Image Utility App in the Dock to launch the application and the utility will appear.
Select the Capture Image tab in the utility. Select the appropriate volume to capture (most often Macintosh HD) and select Start Capture in the bottom right corner. When complete, the image is now ready to deploy. To deploy the image, NetBoot the Mac unit(s) you would like to deploy to. Access the same utility only select the Deploy Image tab.
NOTE: Not all Mac systems can be upgraded to Lion (10.7.X) if you are in fact trying to image an older Mac computer with Lion. Make sure the Mac system meets the requirements found in this article that Apple has made available on their website. Click Here
This section provides a basic, best practice workflow for imaging computers using NetBoot images. The workflow involves the following steps:
Determine which NetBoot images you need to create.
Create clean base OS images.
Create the NetBoot images.
Upload the NetBoot images.
(Optional) Create configurations.
Boot the target computers to a NetBoot image.
Image a computer.
To image computers by using a NetBoot image, you need:
A NetBoot server. The server can be one of the following:
A server with macOS Server installed and access to macOS Server's NetInstall service As of fall 2018, Apple removed NetInstall from the server app. For more information about changes to the macOS server and alternatives, see the following article from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/HT208312.
A Linux server with the NetBoot/SUS Appliance (Net/SUS) installed
It is recommended but not required that the server be a dedicated NetBoot server.
A tool for creating NetBoot images. The tool can be one of the following:
Casper NetInstall Creator (not supported by macOS 10.12 or later)
The target computers
A network switch A gigabit network switch is recommended but not required.
Network cables (one for the server and one for each computer)
A Thunderbolt to Ethernet or USB to Ethernet adapter for computers that do not have built-in Ethernet ports
The number and type of NetBoot images you create depends on the macOS models in your environment. Typically, a NetBoot image must be created on hardware that matches the target computer. Additionally, each macOS model supports a different range of macOS versions, so you need to make sure that the version in the NetBoot image is supported on the target hardware.
To start, create an advanced search that lets you view the macOS models in your environment. Then, use the information in the 'System Requirements' section to determine which macOS versions are supported on that hardware and then how many NetBoot images you need to create.
Viewing the macOS Models in Your Environment
Log in to Jamf Pro.
Click Computers at the top of the page.
Click Search Inventory.
Click New .
To save the search, select the Save this Search checkbox.
Enter 'Device Models and Years' in the Display Name field.
Click the Display tab.
Click Hardware, and then select Model.
Click Save.
Click View to view the search results.
Sort the results by model by clicking the Model column heading.
System Requirements
For a comprehensive list of which macOS versions are supported on the Mac models in your environment, see the following article from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/HT201686
Now that you know what NetBoot images you need to create, create a clean base OS image for each one. For instructions, see the Creating a Minimal Base OS Image Knowledge Base article.
The procedure for creating a NetBoot image differs depending on the tool. Follow the procedure for the tool you are using.
Using the Casper NetInstall Image Creator
To avoid complications with server-to-client compatibility, create the NetBoot image on the server that will host the image. The NetBoot image must be created with an operating system that is running the same or later version than the operating system used to image client computers.
Download the Casper NetInstall Image Creator from Jamf Nation.
Follow the instructions in the Creating a NetBoot Image and Setting Up a NetBoot Server Knowledge Base article.
Using the AutoCasperNBI
The NetBoot image can be created on any macOS computer, regardless of version.
Download AutoCasperNBI from macmule: https://macmule.com/projects/autocaspernbi/
Open AutoCasperNBI.app. Note: This requires administrator credentials for the computer or server.
Select a .dmg of an operating system image.
Select Jamf Imaging.app.
Enter the Jamf Pro server URL. For example, “https://jss.mycompany.com:8443/” (excluding the quotation marks).
Enter a name for the NetBoot image. It is recommended that you include the version number of the operating system in the name. Important: (NetBoot/SUS only) Do not use spaces in the name as they can break the imaging process in the NetBoot/SUS Appliance.
The procedure for uploading a NetBoot image differs depending on the tool. Follow the procedure for the tool you are using.
For NetInstall
From the NetBoot server, put the NetBoot image in /Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/.
Turn on the NetInstall service in Server.app.
Ensure that a green status icon is displayed next to the NetBoot image in the NetInstall pane, indicating that the image is available for deployment.
For NetBoot/SUS Appliance
Log into the Net/SUS server web application. The default credentials are: Username: webadmin Password: webadmin Note: It is recommended that you change the default credentials for better security.
Click NetBoot Server. On a smartphone or iPod touch, this option is in the pop-up menu.
Click Upload Net Boot Image. This connects you to the SMB share where NetBoot images are stored.
Enter credentials to the share and click Connect. The default credentials are: Username: smbuser Password: smbuser Note: It is recommended that you change the default credentials for better security.
Copy the NetBoot image to the SMB share. Important: The name of the folder cannot contain any spaces.
Return to the NetBoot/SUS server web application and refresh the page.
Choose the NetBoot image from the pop-up menu.
Choose subnets for the NetBoot image by entering a subnet and a netmask. Then click Add Subnet.
Click Enable NetBoot. A green status icon is displayed next to the NetBoot image in the NetInstall pane. If a red status icon is displayed, do one of the following:
Ensure you are using the subnet that includes the NetBoot server. (For more information, see http://www.subnet-calculator.com.)
Ensure there are no spaces in the NetBoot image filename.
Configurations give you a quick way to specify what should be installed and configured on computers during imaging. Using configurations can speed up the imaging process. For more information, see Configurations in the Jamf Pro Administrator's Guide.
The NetBoot server must be on the same subnet as the target computers. For information about booting computers across subnets, see the following article from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/HT202059
How To Share Netboot Image For Mac Windows 10
This section explains two ways to boot to a NetBoot image: manually and using a policy. The manual method is useful for testing purposes, and testing is recommended before deploying a policy that boots all computers to the NetBoot image.
Note: If you are booting a macOS 10.11 or later computer to a NetBoot image, the computer must first trust the NetBoot server. For more information, see the Booting a macOS 10.11 or Later Computer to a NetBoot Image Using a Policy or Jamf RemoteKnowledge Base article.
Manually Booting a Computer to a NetBoot Image
From the target computer, navigate to Apple menu > System Preferences.
Click Startup Disk.
Select the NetBoot image. Note: Hover over the NetBoot image to view its IP address.
Click Restart.
Using a Policy to Boot Computers to a NetBoot Image
Log in to Jamf Pro.
Add the NetBoot server to Jamf Pro by doing the following:
In the top-right corner of the page, click Settings .
Click Server Infrastructure.
Click Netboot Servers.
Click New .
Configure the settings on the pane, making sure to choose 'Use default image' from the NetBoot Image pop-up menu.
Click Save.
Click Computers at the top of the page.
Click Policies.
Click New .
Use the General payload to configure basic settings for the policy, including the trigger and execution frequency.
Select the Restart Options payload , and choose 'Restart immediately' from the No Users Logged In Action or User Logged In Action pop-up menu.
Choose the server that is hosting the NetBoot image from the Boot Computers To pop-up menu.
Click the Scope tab and specify the computers you want to boot to the NetBoot image.
Click Save.
From the target computer, open Jamf Imaging.
Modify the basic imaging settings as needed.
Click Image.
Target computers not booting to the NetBoot image
If target computers are not booting to the NetBoot image:
Identify where the failure occurred.
Boot the target computer in verbose mode.
Hold down Command-V.
Additional messaging will display on the computer screen at startup and help to identify the failure.
Ensure the server and client(s) are on the same subnet range.
Isolate your server and client(s) to a private network on a dumb switch.
Recreate the NetBoot image.
Computers failing to block copy
If block copying of the base OS fails, is skipped, or Jamf Imaging begins “Installing Base OS”:
Create a base operating system using a different method. For more information, see the following article from Apple's support website : https://support.apple.com/HT203638
Jamf Imaging Debug Mode
See Full List On Lowendmac.com
If a computer does not finish imaging, put Jamf Imaging into full debug mode and contact your Jamf account representative. Putting Jamf Imaging into debug mode will help your Jamf account representative identify the issue. To put Jamf Imaging into full debug mode, execute the following command when creating the NetBoot image:
When full debug is enabled in this way, a log is created on the target computer. This log can be found in the following location:
/Library/Logs/JAMF/ImagingScripts.log
A debug log is also created on the host computer running Jamf Imaging. This log can be found in the following location:
~/Library/Logs/JAMF/CasperImagingDebug.log
Logs and any screenshots of the issue are also helpful. From the target computer, the logs to provide are:
/var/log/system.log
/var/log/jamf.log
/var/log/install.log
Make Your Regular Mac A NetBoot Server! : 15 Steps (with ...
From the Jamf Pro server, the log to provide is:
Netboot Mac Os X Server
/path/to/jss/logs/JAMFSoftwareServer.log
See the following documentation for more information about NetBoot-related concepts and procedures:
Automating the Imaging Process Knowledge Base article
Booting a macOS 10.11 or Later Computer to a NetBoot Image Using a Policy or Jamf RemoteKnowledge Base article
The 'How Many NetBoot Clients Can Connect to a Server' article from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/kb/TA21329
The 'If your NetBoot clients cannot start up from the server' article from Apple's support website: https://support.apple.com/HT203437