Restore/Clone

MACHEAD

I know there's already a couple of threads running on the subject of cloning/backing up but I'm not sure they cover what I want to try.

Have any of you tried to clone or 'restore' an OS including all apps, accounts, prefs etc across a network?. I've been searching for a couple of weeks now for for Netrestore 3.3.6 by Mike Bombich, but every search/link just leads back to a page that tells me it's no longer supported/available.

I found a thread on another forum (can't remember where now) that suggested that you can do the same job with CCC. I know that it works great with locally connected drives (usb/firewire), but has anyone tried to use it over ethernet.

Any info much appriciated.

barryj

MACHEAD wrote: »

I found a thread on another forum (can't remember where now) that suggested that you can do the same job with CCC. I know that it works great with locally connected drives (usb/firewire), but has anyone tried to use it over ethernet.

Haven't tried it, but they do have a KB article on the CCC website:

http://help.bombich.com/kb/dmg-and-remote/using-carbon-copy-cloner-to-backup-to-another-macintosh-on-your-network

- barry

iSoap

Wouldn't the simplest way of doing this be to back up your OS with Time Machine, which comes with OS X, and use those one of those backups as the most recent one would be an exact clone of your current OS.

muggyog

...... or if you really like hardship try http://www.deploystudio.com/Home.html (it IS free)

MACHEAD

barryj wrote: »

Haven't tried it, but they do have a KB article on the CCC website:

http://help.bombich.com/kb/dmg-and-remote/using-carbon-copy-cloner-to-backup-to-another-macintosh-on-your-network

- barry

Thanks for that Barry, I've saved that web page for future refrence. Looks quite fiddley though. @ iSoap This network comprises quite old hardware, Graphite & Quicksilver G4's, so Tiger 10.4.11 is as far up the OS grade as they go I'm afraid. My aim isn't to actually 'backup' as such, but to deploy a restore image to a client machine form the server. All the clients files are stored on the server and are backed up to a firewire drive via Super Duper. @muggyog I've already been down the road of Deploy Studio, it's very 'Leopard centric' and the earlier version that's supposdely compatible with Tiger is as buggy as hell. Ended up at one point so frustrated with it and the mess it created, I actually wiped the server clean and reinstalled the server OS and all apps from scratch!

muggyog

What version of Mac OS do you have on your server? I have Netrestore somewhere which I can send to you ( If I can find it !).


Found it! Attachment in two parts to get around 1M limit (combine in one folder).

muggyog

Enjoy.

MACHEAD

Go raibh maith agat! muggyog, have just downloaded those two zips (at home), will take them in to work tomorow. I'm using Tiger Server (10.4.11 upgrade). The server is actually a DP 1.8 Ghz G5 with 4G of RAM inatalled. It's capable of running Leopard server I know, and I know that I could host a Tiger boot image on it, but Tiger is all we could afford at the time. I work in a school and these days budgets are VERY tight! Add to that the fact that schools up here have become very 'windows' orientated (as a direct result of private sector interference), it makes life for Mac users all the more difficult.

MACHEAD

Update on the 'restore' problem. Well promptly left the house this morning without my pen drive! So no Netrestore till tomorrow then, so decided to have a go via the CCC method.

It seems to work the other way round, ie pull the restore image down from the server as opposed to sending it from the server.

Installing the OS, all the updates, patches, security updates, applications, creating the accounts, setting the profiles manually would have taken me all morning at least. Carbon Copy Cloner did it in just over 20 mins.

Next time I need to do a restore I'll try it with Netrestore, just to compare, ease of use, speed etc.

Thanks again guys.

Machead.