Advanced Imaging with ZENworks®:
Emerging Technologies

Doc Hodges

Novell, Inc.

Drake Backman

Novell, Inc.

Agenda

ZENworks Imaging Review (Why do I need to know the rest of this stuff?)

PXE & PreBoot Services Review

What are Shade and Birdman?

Understanding the pre-boot Sequence for ZENworks Imaging

New Linux Imaging tools in ZENworks Linux Management with the ZENworks Control Center

ZENworks Imaging Review

ZENworks Imaging is a workstation imaging solution that can use eDirectory™ to control the imaging

ZENworks Imaging provides the ability to:

Unicast an image to or from the workstation to an image proxy server

Multicast an image from a server or master workstation

Perform imaging tasks from CD/DVD or a local partition when disconnected from the network

What is ZENworks 7 Linux Management?

Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management is the upcoming release of ZENworks Linux Management

It has all the package features of ZENworks 6.6 Linux Management PLUS

Linux based imaging

All new PXE, proxy, DHCP etc.

A new web front end called ZENworks Control Center

We'll call it ZENworks 7 Linux Management for the rest of the presentation

What is ZENworks 7 Suite?

ZENworks 7 Suite is the upcoming release of ZENworks with all services running on a Linux only back end

Imaging, middle tier, inventory, application distribution, workstation importing etc.

Full web interface called ZENworks Control Center

Monitoring and Management still on a NetWare server

Much of BrimStone (the next full version of ZENworks Suite after 7) you'll see first in Shade

We'll call it ZENworks 7

What's so different about ZENworks 7 Linux Management and the ZENworks 7?

The first difference you'll notice is the install

No need to pre-install eDirectory and do lot's of “pre-work”

Answer a few questions and you're ready to go

The default is to work first and configure later

The interface is Web based and transaction oriented

No eDirectory knowledge is required

We put devices into groups based on hardware type or OS etc...

We put content (RPMs, policies, instructions) into bundles and send bundles to devices, groups etc...

Data is stored in the Data Model which can be a database or eDirectory. You won't have to manager either.

ZENworks Imaging Review (cont)

If you use automatic mode (eDirectory) imaging and distribute a basic image object or multi-cast an image:

The new machines will have drives that look identical to the existing image

May have unpartitioned disk space

Using eDirectory based imaging, images tasks are controlled through server or workstation policies

ZENworks Imaging Review (cont)

The new ZENworks imaging uses Linux as the host environment for the imaging engine

ZENworks 6.5 Currently uses the 2.4 kernel

The new ZENworks 7 Linux Management and ZENworks 7 imaging uses a 2.6 SUSE kernel

Specific pieces of information about the workstation’s identity are “image safe”

Written by the ZENworks Imaging Agent

Accessible to Windows and Linux

PXE and PreBoot Services

PreBoot eXecution Environment (PXE)

Industry standard for retrieving a bootstrap program over the network

Created and maintained by Intel

Implemented as an extension to DHCP

ZENworks PreBoot Services

A method of checking for work to do during a PXE boot

Can be used to load the ZENworks imaging environment if there is work for the client to do

Imaging Process – PXE BIOS does a modified DHCP at boot

DHCP DISCOVER:

IP Address

Subnet Mask

Gateway

Vendor Class ID

Boot File Server

Server Identifier

Boot Filename

DHCP

PDHCP

DHCP OFFER:

on port 67

10.0.0.15

255.255.255.0

10.0.0.254

DHCP OFFER:

on port 67

10.0.0.2

Boot Server address

Imaging Process – DHCP responds as usual. PDHCP responds to modified DHCP request with the address to continue PDHCP

(it's own in this case)

If DHCP and PDHCP are on the same box it responds on 4011

New ZENworks Imaging Process

PDHCP

Client gets tftp, transaction and image server addresses

DHCP RESPONSE:

10.0.0.2

DHCP REQUEST:

220

*Tags were 180, 181, 182 in version 6.5

New ZENworks Imaging Process

TFTP

nvlbps.sys* (ZLM)

22k

Client requests file name provided in a previous step

File sent and executed

*Was DiNic

New ZENworks Imaging Process

Downloaded program reads image safe data and hardware scan.

New ZENworks Imaging Process

WS and HW inventory sent

Preboot policy service

Check work to do

New ZENworks Imaging Process

Found work to do

Preboot policy service

pbserv in ZLM 7

imgserv in ZENworks 7

Login and check work

eDirectory or Data Model

Preboot policy service

Found work to do

Told to get boot image and run it

New ZENworks Imaging Process

pbserv in ZLM 7

imgserv in ZENworks 7

TFTP

Get

z_auto.pbi

boot/init.rd

boot/linux

linld.com

*pbi files are small boot images that can be customized to a particular task.

New ZENworks Imaging Process

Read image safe data and hardware scan

New ZENworks Imaging Process

ZENworks 6.5 Imaging Process

Send WS distinguished name and hardware

Check for work to do

eDirectory or Data Model

pbserv in ZLM 7

imgserv in ZENworks 7

Image Proxy

ZENworks 6.5 Imaging Process

Send pointer to image/session

Found work to do

eDirectory or Data Model

Image Proxy

Request image

Read image fro local file system

ZENworks 6.5 Imaging Process

Image Proxy

Image is sent to workstation

Image is read

ZENworks 6.5 Imaging Process

Image engine writes image to hard disk. Then sets “just imaged” flag.

New ZENworks Linux Imaging Features
(ZENworks 7 Linux Management and ZENworks 7)

The preboot services is now a tomcat servlet which reads/writes the Data Model.

It will talk to Kepler in the next generation

PBIs (preboot images) allow various boot environments. Anything you can make into a boot floppy we can consume as a PBI.

**This creates vast possibilities.

New Linux Based Services

novell-pbserv

preboot service communicate between PXE services and the directory (data model)

novell-proxydhcp

The Novell standards compliant pdhcp

novell-tftp

The Novell standards compliant tftp

New Linux Based Services

novell-zislnx

Service to communicate ZENworks Image Safe data to and from the workstation

Ext3 and Reiser File system support

novell-zmgprebootpolicy

listens for and responds to “work to do” requests

New capabilities

Referral service

Allows a single server to answer all PDHCP requests on a segment

A list of available imaging servers keep

(See configuration tab in ZENworks Control Center)

Checks for who is responsible for the broadcasting client and handles it or transfers it to the right server

New Capabilities...

Support for Intel's AMT spec

Allows storage of Image Safe Data in ROM on the client

Even in case of complete hard disk failure, information needed to recover and re-image correctly is preserved

When fully realized the AMT spec will allow

Power on/off

Diagnostics with machine on or off

Communicate with a machine out of band

New Capabilities

Easy to edit Preboot menu

The file pxemenu.txt file is easy to edit

Allows you to present your users with a few useful options

Allows you to custom brand the PXE menus to suit your organization

Web Based ZENworks Control Center

Imaging Specific Control Center Features

Choose server and image file to create

The client is imaged on the next boot

Bundles are new

A bundle is a set of file and instructions

For imaging there are several types

Imaging Specific Control Center Features

Imaging by sending a bundle is new!

Select server, image and add on images

Imaging Specific Control Center Features

Assign the bundle to a object or group

On the next boot an image of the machine will be taken

Imaging Specific Control Center Features

Check the Configuration tab

Imaging Specific Control Center Features

Check the Configuration Tab, Preboot settings, Make a rule

Imaging Specific Control Center Features
Other Preboot configuration settings

Besides rules on what to image you can set

PXE menu options

Show always/never or when Ctrl+Alt are held

To allow overwriting existing image file

Image Safe Data options

Workgroup, DNS, DHCP and machine naming

Referral list

List of other servers to check for WS ownership

Boot Process views

PXE booting is familiar – Press Ctrl+Alt here to get menu

At the # prompt type img for the menu

Select Maintenance to explore a bit

Imaging Menu

After browsing around – press F9 to query for work

Q & A

2003-12-08T12:43:39