In this course, you will build your knowledge of the Symantec Ghost Solution Suite, enabling you to deploy systems across your network and maintain client computers effectively and efficiently.

What You'll Learn

• Build boot packages that can be used to create and restore images, connect to a multicast server, or boot to DOS
• Manually create and restore images using the DOS-based graphical user interfaces for both Ghost and DeployCenter
• Apply best practices for creating a master image file to deploy systems across a network
• Use the multicasting technologies included in the Ghost Solution Suite to deploy images to systems across a network
• Use Ghost's command line interface and DeployCenter's scripting language to automate image creation and restoration processes
• Use the Ghost Console to organize and manage client computers
• Capture user profile settings from a computer and restore them to the same computer or to another computer
• Use Ghost AutoInstall to capture changes made on a single Windows computer, and then use the Ghost Console to quickly deploy these changes to other machines across a network
• Collect information from machines managed by the Ghost Console and use this information to generate software and hardware inventory reports so you can target specific machine configurations for tasks
• Use the GDisk utility included with Symantec Ghost to assist you in retiring aging systems

Who Needs to Attend

Network and system administrators, IT managers, IT support personnel, and other network operations staff who are responsible for deploying new computers across their organizations, managing ongoing software and hardware configuration tasks for computers, and retiring outdated computers

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of network topology, TCP/IP networking, and basic network administration, and a conceptual understanding of network design and best practices

Follow-On Courses

There are no follow-ons for this course.

Course Outline

1. Computer Lifecycle Management and Symantec Product

• Overview of Computer Lifecycle Management
• Symantec Products for Managing the Computer Lifecycle
• Exercise: Self-assessment

2. Ghost Solution Suite Product Overview

• What is the Ghost Solution Suite?
• Ghost Solution Suite Components
• Ghost Solution Suite Topography
• System Requirements
• Supported File Systems
• Ghost Solution Suite Terminology
• Exercise: Self-assessment

3. Installing the Ghost Solution Suite

• Installing Symantec Ghost
• Installing DeployCenter
• Creating an Image Repository
• Hands-on Labs
  • Installing Symantec Ghost
  • Modifying the Domain Controller to allow Ghost boot environments to access the network
  • Installing Symantec DeployCenter
  • Creating an image repository

4. Creating Boot Packages

• Purpose of Boot Packages
• Overview of Boot Packages
• Requirements for Creating a Ghost Solution Suite Boot Package
• Differences Between the Ghost and DeployCenter Boot Package Builders
• Creating Boot Packages with the Ghost Boot Wizard
• Creating Boot Packages with the DeployCenter Boot Disk Builder
• Hands-on Labs
  • Creating a Ghost WinPE Virtual Partition boot environment
  • Creating a Ghost Linux Virtual Partition boot environment
  • Creating a Ghost DOS Virtual Partition boot environment
  • Creating a DeployCenter DOS Virtual Floppy Disk boot environment

5. Using Boot Packages

• Methods for Using Boot Packages
• Creating QuickBoot Executables
• PXE Components in Ghost Solution Suite
• Configuring the 3Com Boot Services PXE Environment
• Configuring the DeployCenter PXE Environment
• Hands-on Labs
  • Using a Ghost Linux ISO image to boot into a Linux imaging environment
  • Using a WinPE-based Ghost One-click Virtual Partition to boot into a Windows PE imaging environment
  • Using a Ghost DOS One-click Virtual Partition to boot into a DOS imaging environment
  • Using a DeployCenter virtual floppy / QuickBoot executable
  • Using PXE with Ghost
  • Using PXE with DeployCenter

6. Creating and Restoring Images

• Methods of Creating Images
• Determining an Imaging Strategy
• Creating an Image Using the Ghost Pre-OS GUI
• Creating an Image Using the ImageCenter Pre-OS GUI
• Restoring an Image Using the Ghost Pre-OS GUI
• Restoring an Image Using the ImageCenter Pre-OS GUI
• Hands-on Labs
  • Creating an image using the WinPE-based Ghost boot environment
  • Creating an image using the DOS-based DeployCenter QuickBoot executable boot environment
  • Restoring an image using a PXE-based Ghost boot environment
  • Restoring an image using a PXE-based DeployCenter boot environment

7. Creating a Master Image File

• Issues Involved in Deploying Images on a Network
• How Microsoft Sysprep Resolves Image Deployment Issues
• Using Sysprep for Windows 2000/XP
• Using Sysprep for Windows Vista
• Creating a Master Image of the Reference Computer
• Hands-on Labs
  • Preparing to run Sysprep
  • Optimizing the reference system
  • Creating a WinPE-based Ghost ISO boot environment with the Deploy Anywhere driver database
  • Using Ghost to create a master image file
  • Using DeployCenter to create a master image file

8. Deploying Images

• Benefits and Challenges of Deploying an Image to Multiple Computers
• Overview of Multicasting
• Differences Between Ghost and DeployCenter Multicasting
• Using GhostCasting to Deploy Images
• Using PowerCasting to Deploy Images
• Hands-on Labs
  • Using GhostCasting to deploy a master image to a client system
  • Using PowerCasting to deploy a master image to a client system

9. Automating the Creation and Restoration of Images

• Automating Symantec Ghost
• Automating ImageCenter
• Additional Automation Tools
• Hands-on Labs
  • Automating the creation of images using Ghost
  • Automating the restoration of images using Ghost; a
  • Automating the creation of images using DeployCenter
  • Automating the restoration of images using DeployCenter
  • Automating the configuration of a new system
  • Automating the creation of local backup partitions

10. Creating AutoInstall Packages to Automate Post-Deployment Customizations

• How AutoInstall Works
• Setting Up the AutoInstall Model Computer
• Generating an AutoInstall Installation Script
• Customizing AutoInstall Packages
• Validating AutoInstall Packages
• Hands-on Lab
  • Creating a PE Builder AutoInstall package

11. Integrating and Configuring Windows Desktop Computers in the Ghost Console

• Purpose of the Ghost Console
• Preparing for Client Integration
• Installing the Console Client
• Setting Global Properties for Managed Clients
• Grouping Clients in the Ghost Console
• Creating Tasks in the Ghost Console
• Populating the Ghost Console with Client Information
• Hands-on Labs
  • Preparing systems for integration with the Ghost Console
  • Remotely integrating systems into the Ghost Console
  • Grouping managed systems
  • Populating the Ghost Console database with client information
  • Changing client configurations

12. Using the Ghost Console to Create and Restore Images

• Overview of Imaging Tasks
• Configuring the Ghost Console to Use the Image Repository
• Building and Running an Image Create Task
• Building and Running a Clone Task
• Building and Running a DeployAnywhere Task
• Hands-on Labs
  • Configuring the Ghost Console to use the image repository
  • Creating and executing an image creation task
  • Creating and executing an image restoration task

13. Using the Ghost Console to Migrate OS-Based User Profiles

• Overview of User Migrations
• Building User Migration Templates
• Capturing User Data
• Restoring User Data
• Hands-on Labs
  • Creating a migration template
  • Creating and executing a User Migration Capture task
  • Ccreating and executing a User Migration Restore task

14. Using the Ghost Console to Perform Post-Deployment Customizations

• Benefits of Deploying AutoInstall Packages and Other Customizations to Remote Computers
• Creating an AI Package Definition
• Building and Running a Software and File Actions Task
• Hands-on Labs
  • Adding an AutoInstall package to the Ghost Console
  • Deploying an AutoInstall package using the Ghost Console

15. Using Client Inventory Reports in the Ghost Console

• Overview of Client Inventory
• Managing Collected Data Sets
• Viewing Inventory Information
• Using Filters
• Using Reports
• Using Dynamic Machine Groups
• Hands-on Labs
  • Running reports in the Ghost Console
  • Creating dynamic groups within the Ghost Console

16. Preparing to Remove a Computer from Production

• Importance of Preparing Computers for Retirement
• Using GDisk to Securely Wipe a Computer
• Hands-on Labs
  • Performing a standard disk wipe with GDisk
  • Performing a secure disk wipe with GDisk