Newbie macbook cloning question (30 macbooks)

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Level 1

1 points

Newbie macbook cloning question (30 macbooks)

I am a PC network admin for over 10 years and the school i work for made the decision to go all Mac... so.... Hi.

We are starting out with about 30 macbooks in a lab environment. Active Directory. All will be using the same network AD name and password.

I can get them set up fine on my network (glad I crossed that hurddle) but now my question is what the latest, easiest cloning/imaging solution is?

I don't necessarily HAVE to have a solution that can do more than one at a time, but in a year we will roll out a 1 to 1 so having the ability to clone several at once is a plus.

I have read about Bombich's NetRestore and CopyCatX but am not really sure how good or current they are.

My other question is are there any "hardware" solutions? May sound like a dumb question, but like a cart device you can plug all the macbooks in and it clones them? I had heard of something similar for ipad carts but it was just syncing all the apps.

Thanks in advance and I apologize in advance for my newness 🙂

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Jul 11, 2011 12:52 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jul 11, 2011 12:58 PM in response to JamesSTJ

If you install OS X Server on the server computer then you can use it to do network installations. They would be slower than using a hard drive directly connected to the computer, but would not require the need to move the drive from computer to computer.

The process would not be much unlike using Bombich's NetRestore which is very similar.

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Answer 2

JamesSTJ Author

Level 1

1 points

Jul 11, 2011 1:01 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks for the fast reply.

We are not yet a shop that has an actual Mac Server and we spent most of my budget this year buying the stuff donors can SEE not necessarily all the things we need first :-/... so for now I am working without a Mac Server.

Any chance there is a Norton Ghost for Mac or an equivalent or would one need a Mac server?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jul 11, 2011 1:16 PM in response to JamesSTJ

There are numerous options for creating bootable clones if you prefer not to use Bombich's NetRestore.

Carbon Copy Cloner

SuperDuper!

The Restore option of Disk Utility

CCC is free to schools and teachers. SuperDuper! is free to use only for full clones. If you want to use other features then you must purchase a license for $25 (I think.)

It is easy enough to set up the base system you want on one computer then create a disc image of that base system and burn it to a dual-layer DVD that can be used to boot and install on all the other computers.

You don't actually need a hardware server as you can run OS X Server on any Mac. Once Lion is released the Server software will become available for $30.00 in addition to the $30.00 for Lion. In your case if the computers were purchased on or after June 6th, then you will have 30 days after the release of Lion to get a redemption coupon for a free copy of Lion. The details will be made available on Apple's website once Lion is released.

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