Creating a back-up disk image for work

[GraniteCity]

I support 15 macs all with identical software, when an employee leaves I wipe the drive and reinstall everything, I know I can use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner but does anyone know if these programs take the serial numbers and preferences with them. I'd like to be able to have all the software installed but when I launch each application register it to the new employee name, some of the software we use; Photoshop, Illustrator; Office.

Can this be done, create a company disk image that I can use over and over until the new software needs to be installed.

Thanks
-R

 

[robbieduncan]

You could do this with SuperDuper by customising the script to exclude certain files or directories. It's looks pretty easy to do this, although I've never wanted/needed to...

 

[jeremy.king]

Since you only support 15 macs - is employee turnover that high such that you need a disk image for the machines to save time?

Perhaps OS X Server Netboot/NetInstall might be a better way?

 

[GraniteCity]

RE: Creating a back-up disk image for work

Not a lot of turnover but enough, it's also a surprise when someone starts to most of the company and I get less than a day's notice sometimes. With the NetBoot / Network Install do you need the individual licenses or server licenses, most of the Apps we run have individual serial numbers ?

I'll look at this some more, it might be a good solution and a reason to buy some more toys for the office.

Thanks
-R

Since you only support 15 macs - is employee turnover that high such that you need a disk image for the machines to save time?

Perhaps OS X Server Netboot/NetInstall might be a better way?

 

[solidbreakz]

I support over 100 Macs @ Nautica...most of them MDD G4s. I made a master image with all needed core software (configs, mail client, volume licensed software,etc.). SuperDuper!'d it onto a FW external 2.5" and then just boot from the external, dump the image down, and restart from the internal.

kingjr3 has a point though. But it depends what OS version the server is running. Imaging tools on 10.4 server are fine, but I've run into problems trying such from Panther server.

Question: being that there is only 15 Macs in your office, does you company buy individual? or bulk software licenses?

 

[solidbreakz]

Since you only support 15 macs - is employee turnover that high such that you need a disk image for the machines to save time?

Installing OS X, then config'ing, and installing and registering software can be a long and laborous P.I.T.A. For example, Lotus Notes requires the end-user as an Admin during the install and config (yes, they use Lotus Notes at my work [shrug]). This means you have to switch from Admin to end-user account (after making them a temp admin), then install and config. THEN log back in as Admin, turn off user's admin rights, then Log BACK IN as user to test.

With an image, all one has to do is log in as an admin, config the client and restart as user. Done! I'm sure similar situations with other software necessitate an image dump. Time is money!

 

[GraniteCity]

What about passwords, do you need to re-enter them when you dump the image, that's ideally what I'd want to be able to do, so I have accurate user name / passwords at all times. I hate looking at a list with crossed out names and Serials.

Thanks
-R

I support over 100 Macs @ Nautica...most of them MDD G4s. I made a master image with all needed core software (configs, mail client, volume licensed software,etc.). SuperDuper!'d it onto a FW external 2.5" and then just boot from the external, dump the image down, and restart from the internal.

kingjr3 has a point though. But it depends what OS version the server is running. Imaging tools on 10.4 server are fine, but I've run into problems trying such from Panther server.

 

[GraniteCity]

Individual licenses, other than FileMaker none of them had a better quote for us.

Question: being that there is only 15 Macs in your office, does you company buy individual? or bulk software licenses?

 

[solidbreakz]

Well with individual licensing you run into a jam. The big three we use here are Adobe CS2, Office 2004, and QuarkXPress. All of which are under volume licensing, so it's easy to image ['One size fits all']. The thorn here is Pointcarré which requires a key, so it too can be dumped into an image while waiting for licensing keys to come via Fedex.

If I were you, I'd make a spreadsheet or db with the machines in particular departments with machine types/SN's and note software, current user, and licensing. I'm assuming with normal logic that licenses for software are for prett much tied to the machine, not user (as when someone get's fired, there is another to take their place in the SAME position, no?). I've done this with some of the Xeon workstations in another office I support (and there are 21 of them), so when I redump WinXP, I cross-reference the spreadshet on the server. It may be a pain, but after you make it and dump it onto the server (with images of the software discs) you can drop, install, and register mad quick! [Whew!]