Creating the Gradpc Workstation Image

The gradpc image consists of a sysprep'd Windows XP Pro (plus applications) partition (first partition of the hard drive, a middle NTFS partition used for common data space between Win XP and Linux, and the remainder of the hard drive is for Ubuntu Linux.

Before an image can be created or applied to a base, certain BIOS changes might be required.

• M3A78-CM based workstation
• M3A78-EHI HDMI based workstation
• Dell Optiplex 740 based workstation
• P5LD2-VM based workstation
• P4P800-VM based workstation

Getting Started

• Use the most recent version of the standard grad pc base, but use an 80gig hard drive to create image on
• Reset the BIOS to default settings
• Apply BIOS changes as per above links
• Wipe the hard disks

Install Windows XP Pro and applications

• Boot pc base using MS Windows XP Pro SP3 cd
• Create a C: drive partition (30 gigs) at start of hard drive and install WIN XP on that.
• When asked to create users, create cscf-adm & cscf-op accounts.
• On first log in, use cscf-adm and using management console, enter passwords for cscf-adm, cscf-op & administrator (same PW as for cscf-adm)
• From Control Panel, change layout to Classic View, and change the way users log in (deselect FastUser Switching and Welcome Screen)
• Install missing hardware drivers
• Copy the Clayton created lmhost file {into windows\system32\drivers\etc}
• Create a directory called software in the root of the system drive with the following permissions:
  • administrators = full control
  • creator/owner = full control
  • system = full control
• Create subdirectory \i386 in \software and copy files from installation medias \i386 directory
• Edit the registry so OS install files location is redirected to c:\software\i386.
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SourcePath
• Create a directory called temp in the root of the system drive with the following permissions:
  • administrators = full control
  • creator/owner = full control
  • system = full control
• Set the network time server to one of ours. At the command prompt/RUN prompt, type:
  • net time /setsntp:ntp.cs.uwaterloo.ca
  • close the window

• Install the Standard set of apps into that directory, using the following folder naming convention: {app name}-{version number}
• After apps have been installed, start them up once to ensure they work and remove any desktop icons the installers may have created
• Remove all apps from the Start Up folder
• Create a 20gig NTFS partition and name it 'shared' and with a drive letter of D * Copy the latest version of our customized sysprep folder (can be found on asimov's images share) to c: * Make an image of the current working system
• Reboot system and log in as cscf-adm. Open the control panel and then add/remove programs. Remove all apps associated with particular hardware, DO NOT REBOOT SYSTEM WHEN ASKED TO. Now you can sysprep the system, choose run mini setup and reseal, the create an image using ghost. Use this image file to test on other systems
• When testing is complete and fix ups done, time to install Linux

Installing & Configuring Linux

• Reboot system, this time using the latest Live CD install media for the version of Ubuntu that will be used for this image.
• Install onto the largest free space of the first hard drive.
  • / = 50 gigs
  • swap = 2 x max.ram
  • user name = cscf-adm
  • machine name = scspcxxx

• Follow the instructions from this page for Ubuntu installation:

https://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/cscf/software/ubuntu/UW-CS-Ubuntu9.04-Desktop/

• DO NOT DO the Dealing with Legacy UIDs, GIDs for things like Backups (Archived data) and NFS section just yet, it's not working properly.

Creating the IMAGE file

Now that we have a working and sysprep'd WINXP section and a working Ubuntu section, both with generic host name (scspcxxx.cs), we can create an image file using GHOST (version 11.5).

• Reboot the workstation with a GHOST 11.5 CD (or USB stick or bootable HD with GHOST 11.5 on it) and an external HD connected (created image file will save to external HD).
• Change the OPTIONS so COMPATIBLE NAMING and BOOT ALL is selected.
• Create a DISK IMAGE bu selecting LOCAL, Disk, TO DISK from the menu bar on the left of the screen.
  • Select the local hard disk (80 giger) as the source.
  • Select the external HD as the destination.
  • Select YES to compression
• Determine a name for the image following the ImageNamingRules
• When image file has finished being created, run an integrity check on the file by selecting LOCAL, CHECK IMAGE FILE from the menu bar on the left of the screen. If it fails, try creating the image again.
• Transfer a copy of the image file to: \\asimov.cscf.uwaterloo.ca\IMAGES\core

Standard Apps

• Adobe Reader & Flash player & Shockwave
• Oracle Calendar
• Symantec AntiVirus
• dia
• gimp
• Open Office
• Xming
• ssh
• GhostScript & GhostView
• Firefox & Thunderbird
• 7-zip
• Quicktime
• RealPlayer
• vlc

Documenting the image

• Add an image-specific page here: CscfGradImageNotes with details about the image and a post-install page (suggestion: copy the previous version page and make image-specific changes)