BartPE

Nick · 02-17-2005, 04:11 PM

I have had some experience working with this and it's a great tool to have. If you have any questions fire away and I'll try to answer them.

jpkishere · 02-17-2005, 04:18 PM

I have seen a few people post how quick it is to use this together.. My question is how it actually works?

We basically have about 10-12 different types of machines ranging from P2's - P4's and the NICs vary from 3com, dlink, Intel and Broadcom..

Right now to image, we are using just a DOS network book disk and run rdeploy via the command line after logging in.. The speed we get is around 150-180mb for downloads, a little higher for uploads..

Any suggestions on how BartPE or WinPE (i have access to it) can help me provide quicker uploads/downloads..

I gotta admit, I am a little ignorant as to what it does and how it works..

thanks

Nick · 02-17-2005, 06:38 PM

BartPE works similiarly to a network floppy except it runs from CD. If you want to get tricky it is possible to run from a USB device.

It runs as a stand along Win32 environment and the community support for it has developed a wide array of plugins. You can add pretty much any NIC driver for the Windows OS to it.

There is a gui for building it and pretty much all you need is a Windows XP or better CD. I use Server 2003 SP1 RC1.

The speeds you will see can be pretty impressive. Average speed I've seen lately is 400 - 500 MB/min though I've seen faster and slower.

If you are using a floppy to do your imaging I would recommend switching to this method. Your speed increase will make it worth it. There is a network configuration utility (penetcfg) that you can configure to map network drives and launch files after the connection has been made. You could use this method to automatically map to your storage location then have rdeploy run to capture/deploy an image. If you wanted to get even a bit fancier you could develop a batch file or vbscript to check for the model of computer you are running on and capture/deploy based on that.

JAustgen · 02-17-2005, 06:46 PM

I was thinking about the capture/deploy job this morning. Couldn't you just configure everything with conditionals and tasks within the DS job instead of passing down .vbs scripts?

Nick · 02-17-2005, 07:32 PM

You could if you could get this work work from the DS to the client. Using BartPE works the opposite direction, client to server.

I haven't figured out how to get the Aclient to run in BartPE yet either. It launches but I don't think it runs the services as it never makes a connection to the DS.

JAustgen · 02-17-2005, 09:05 PM

Well, it's like the DOS boot disk via PXE then. It doesn't really ever make a connection via AClient, either.

Lloydy · 02-22-2005, 06:31 AM

I'm starting to see more and more written about BartPE. Think I may have to look at it as Altiris imaging is so much slower than Ghost.

Is it possible to create a BartPE boot image that can be run over Altiris PXE? I hate having to use Boot disks.

JeremyDallas · 02-22-2005, 08:15 AM

These guys seem to have been working with PE and PXE/RIS a lot...you may want to start a thread there or see what you can find.

http://www.911cd.net/forums/index.ph...685&hl=pxe

Nick · 02-22-2005, 08:46 AM

There has been success with sending a BartPE image via PXE and RIS. There is also a discussion about it over at www.msfn.org.

I haven't had the chance/time to follow up on this but it does lend to the possibility.

I have heard that Altiris is planning to go with a linux solution much like the Recovery solution currently has. If I hear more about it I'll let you know.

boomboommusic · 02-23-2005, 05:44 AM

Very interesting thing..i know barte PE but i dont know thatDOS hang me @100-150 MB/min...

if BartePe can give me a better speed it should be good to thinking about integrate itin Altiris

JAustgen · 02-24-2005, 12:30 AM

Altiris is supposedly going to release a better version of the whole PXE boot process with the next major release of DS -- I hear May/June of '05. I understand it will have something to do with either a Linux boot option or WinPE, but don't know if they've got anything set in stone.

boomboommusic · 02-24-2005, 02:02 AM

The best way for me should be he make a version accept to take my dvd multiboot iso as a boot image, but i dont think it will happen one day ...

LordofthePatch · 02-25-2005, 01:45 PM

I am testing BartPE in our environment and have run into one issue. I am able to load everything and map a network drive to the express share on the DS. When I try to run RDeploy to pull down an image, it tells me it is not a "valid Win32 application". Any thoughts?

Andrew

Nick · 02-25-2005, 01:49 PM

You're probably not using the right version of rdeploy Andrew.

Use the rdeploy.exe version from the following location and see if it works.
\\servername\express\rdeploy\windows\redeploy.exe

Might want to copy the firm.exe over as well while your at it .

LordofthePatch · 02-25-2005, 03:52 PM

Thanks Nick, it worked. I averaged about 300 MB/min with spikes as high as 400 (A miracle none the less if you are familiar with our network!). It did a 1.2 gig image in about 4 1/2 minutes. Nice.

Thanks again,

Andrew

JAustgen · 02-25-2005, 05:26 PM

Andrew,

Do you have a step by step document that could help others get this set up? And by others, I mean me.

LordofthePatch · 02-25-2005, 06:02 PM

I will create one this weekend and should be able to post it on Monday.

JAustgen · 02-25-2005, 08:09 PM

Thanks!

Nick · 02-25-2005, 11:08 PM

I've created a rdeploy plugin for BartPE that simplifies the installation.

Another thing you might be interested in Andrew is that you can automate the network configuration tool that comes with BartPE so that it will map network drives, then launch apps, scripts once the network connection is made.

Setting BartPE up is pretty straight forward Jim.

Go d/l the BartPE builder from here. Install it on your computer, have a copy of your OS install cd for the source files. I use Server 2003 with SP1.

Once the installed is on your workstation copy my Rdeploy plugin to the plugin folder. You will need to add a copy of the rdeploy.exe into this.

Launch the BartPE builder and select the plugin button so that you can enable the ones you want (there are several). You will be stepped through the process that builds from the source files and it will create an iso file. I choose not to have it create the iso so that I can make some modifications. After I make my modifications I then have the pebuilder compile the iso.

It's pretty much that simple.

I've attached the plugin and I have the files for adding the new Broadcom NetXtreme and Intel Pro 1000 drivers if anyone needs.

Nick · 02-25-2005, 11:41 PM

I've added a rough draft copy of the basics to the BartPE Builder and using Rdeploy plugin. Forgive it being as rough as it is but it should give you a basic idea of the process.

JAustgen · 02-26-2005, 09:55 AM

Great! Thanks guys, I'll take a look at this. I would guess my techs will be very happy.

LordofthePatch · 02-26-2005, 11:38 AM

Miphnik wrote:

Quote:

...Another thing you might be interested in Andrew is that you can automate the network configuration tool that comes with BartPE so that it will map network drives, then launch apps, scripts once the network connection is made.

Yes, I would! I just started using it Friday morning to build the new floppyless SX280s, so I have not been able to experiment much. I would like to use this to replace our boot floppy environment which we currently use (stop laughing!). I wanted to make an attempt at keeping this process similar to our current procedure as to not integrate confusion into this transition. Do you have some instructions on the automation described above? If not, I would be more than happy to figure it out and then create my own docs.

Thanks again!

Andrew

Nick · 02-26-2005, 03:44 PM

Andrew,

It's actually extemely easy. I'll post up some guidelines and examples for you.

Are you talking about replacing the floppy disk setup that was being used when I left (DOS based menu)?

If so I would suggest that you create a vbscript that does wmi queries into the registry and then runs a rdeploy command line based on the model. If you wanted to get even fancier you could combine the wmi query script with a script that will determine the IP of the computer, pop up an input box asking for the Boyd Asset Tag # then name the computer with the proper naming convention.

Nick · 02-26-2005, 04:40 PM

I copied the relevant information from the readme.txt for the penetcfg plugin and attached it below.

You will want to create an ini file. In this case Altiris.ini and copy it to the \I386\SYSTEM32 folder of the BartPE image (best done before iso creation).

In the pebuilder if you go to the plugin section you will enable the PENETCFG: Automatically start PE Net Configurator. This will ensure that the AUTORUN0PENETCFG.CMD is created in the \I386\SYSTEM32 folder of the BartPE image files. You will need to modify this file to have it start the Altiris.in (or whatever you name it). I have provided an example below.

*********AUTORUNOPENETCFG.CMD*******************
@echo off
title Starting Network Support
call %SystemRoot%\system32\penetcfg.exe /UseProfile:Altiris.ini
rem call mstcp.cmd
exit
*************************************************

Following is an minimal Altiris.ini I would use for automating the startup etc. MAKE SURE THE ALTIRIS.INI IS LOCATED IN THE \I386\SYSTEM32 FOLDER

;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[General]
AutoStartNet = Yes
PromptForProfile = No
ShowGUI = No
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[NetProfiles]
Altiris Profile = Altiris.ini
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[NetID]
;ComputerName =
;Workgroup = Workgroup
;PrimaryDNSSuffix = microsoft.com
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[FileSharing]
;StartFileSharingService = No
;AdminAccount =
; AdminPassword =
; AdminPassword = * (to be prompted for a password)
;AdminPassword = *
;ShareDriveRoots = Yes
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[NetAdapter1]
; SpeedAndDuplex = {10|100|1000},{Half|Full}
; SpeedAndDuplex = Default (for default settings)
SpeedAndDuplex = 100,Full

EnableDHCP = Yes
UseStaticGateway = No
UseStaticDNS = No
UseStaticWINS = No

;IPAddress =
;SubnetMask =
;DefaultGateway =
;DNSServer =
;WINSServer =

;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
; You can map up to 10 network drives: [NetDrive1] ... [NetDrive10];
[NetDrive1]
; Drive = X:
; Drive = * (to use the first available drive letter)
Drive = D:
NetworkPath = \Imagestore\Images
UserName = Administrator
; Password = (leave it empty to be prompted for a password)
Password = Password

[NetDrive2]
Drive = E:
NetworkPath = \AltirisDS\eXpress
UserName = Administrator
Password = Password
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[PostNetAutoRun]
StarupFlag = CommandLine

; StartupFlag is a bit field that can take the following values:
; 0 = run hidden and wait (00 00 00 00)
; 1 = run normal and wait (00 00 00 01)
; 2 = run hidden and don't wait (00 00 00 10)
; 3 = run normal and don't wait (00 00 00 11)

3 = %SystemDrive%\Programs\RDEPLOY\rdeploy.exe
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick · 02-26-2005, 04:43 PM

Forgot to mention that the above Altiris.ini file takes it for granted that you want to automatically launch rdeploy.exe and that the required files are located on the BartPE cd in the following location.

%SystemDrive%ProgramsRDEPLOYrdeploy.exe