Clonezilla imaging using Raspberry Pi as a network server

[edmun]

Hi Guys

I am sorry for such a trivial question, but anyone knows if by any chance Raspberry Pi can be used as a network server to which other PCs in the network can boot from network source to be imaged automatically by for example clonezilla imaging solution?

I don't know if I should start this project and currently I am in a situation where almost every single day, I need to image around 5-10 PCs from the same clonezilla image and using external DVD readers and USB drives is becoming a big pain (PCs don't have a dvd drive). Because I have some spare Raspberry Pi's laying around - I was hoping that I could create from one of them a server, to which a USB drive would be connected, and PCs would just use network booting and image themselves.

Anyone could be helpful enough to provide some links or keywords under which I should be looking answers ?

[fruitoftheloom]

Hi Guys

I am sorry for such a trivial question, but anyone knows if by any chance Raspberry Pi can be used as a network server to which other PCs in the network can boot from network source to be imaged automatically by for example clonezilla imaging solution?

I don't know if I should start this project and currently I am in a situation where almost every single day, I need to image around 5-10 PCs from the same clonezilla image and using external DVD readers and USB drives is becoming a big pain (PCs don't have a dvd drive). Because I have some spare Raspberry Pi's laying around - I was hoping that I could create from one of them a server, to which a USB drive would be connected, and PCs would just use network booting and image themselves.

Anyone could be helpful enough to provide some links or keywords under which I should be looking answers ?

This tutorial is based off Raspbian Wheezy OS but should give a starting point:

http://it-joe.com/howtos/pxe.php

Most modern PC's have PXE boot option in BIOS

[Lavabo]

This is interesting

For now im testing CrucibleWDS with built in dhcp. Next step im willing to test is a Rpi as a PXE boot server and a laptop with crucibleWDS on a standalone switch for multicast

[edmun]

Hmm temporary I have managed to boot a PC in the network to Raspberry's PI PXE, however once I was trying to add Clonezilla to it, it failed completely. Currently imaging the MicroSD card/Raspbian again and will start again.
Found, that using one Raspberry Pi with only one NIC (network interface card) migght not be a perfect idea and I have to use dnsmasq.
Will let everyone know if I will manage to accomplish this task.

[edmun]

Update: I have made it.
After 3 days of fight, I have learned one big lesson:

Don't follow any manuals/tutorials from the web, because those were designed for raspbian-wheezy.
I was lucky enough to prepare raspbian jessy on which syslinux is missing and many files were not present at all.

[Pcservices]

Update: I have made it.
After 3 days of fight, I have learned one big lesson:

Don't follow any manuals/tutorials from the web, because those were designed for raspbian-wheezy.
I was lucky enough to prepare raspbian jessy on which syslinux is missing and many files were not present at all.

Any instructions how you did that ?