Preboot Services Overview; Preboot Services Functionality; Preboot Services Strategies - Novell ZENWORKS LINUX MANAGEMENT 7.3 IR2 - ADMINISTRATION GUIDE 02-12-2010 Administration Manual

Preboot Services Overview

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Novell ZENworks Linux Management Preboot Services contains functionality that allows you to
perform tasks on devices before their operating systems boot. Currently for ZENworks Linux
Management, "devices" are servers and workstations.
The following sections provide an overview of Preboot Services:
Section 27.1, "Preboot Services Functionality," on page 325
Section 27.2, "Preboot Services Strategies," on page 325
Section 27.3, "Preboot Bundles," on page 326
Section 27.4, "Configuring Preboot Services," on page 326
Section 27.5, "Setting Up Devices to Use Preboot Bundles," on page 327

27.1 Preboot Services Functionality

Preboot Services allows you to automatically or manually do any of the following to a Linux device
when it boots:
Run AutoYaST and kickstart installations
Run ZENworks scripts on the device
Make an image of the device's hard drives
Restore an image to the device
Apply an existing image to multiple devices
Configure Dell devices
To accomplish these tasks automatically using the ZENworks Control Center, you simply need to
have PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) enabled on your devices, and have preboot bundles
configured and assigned to the devices. Then, the devices can automatically execute these bundles
when they boot.
You can also execute some Preboot tasks on devices using CDs, DVDs, or a ZENworks partition,
rather than using PXE.

27.2 Preboot Services Strategies

The following are some ways you can use Preboot Services:
Automate Linux installations. You can automate kickstart or AutoYaST installations.
Create and restore base images. You can create base images from existing devices, as well as
restoring images to any manageable device.
Restore devices to a clean state. You can quickly and efficiently reset devices to an initial
state, such as in a lab.
Set up devices for future reimaging. You can set up devices so that the next time they reboot,
they do the imaging work that is contained in their assigned bundle.
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