Hardware manual

Chapter 2 Inside Mac OS X Server 37
NetBoot
NetBoot lets Macintosh clients, including Mac OS X clients without a local hard drive,
start up from a system disk image located on Mac OS X Server instead of on the client
computer’s disk drive:
 NetBoot simplifies the administration of large-scale deployments of network-based
Macintosh systems or racks of Xserve computers. It’s ideal for an organization with
computers that need to be identically configured; for example, NetBoot can offer a
web service provider a way to configure multiple web servers.
 NetBoot also lets you set up multiple NetBoot disk images, so you can boot clients
into Mac OS X or even customize the Macintosh environment for different groups of
computers.
 NetBoot allows administrators to configure and update client computers instantly by
updating a boot image stored on the server. Any changes made on the server are
automatically reflected on the clients when they reboot. Systems that are
compromised or otherwise altered can be instantly restored by rebooting.
Network Install
Network Install is a centrally managed installation service that lets administrators
selectively install, restore, or upgrade Macintosh computers. You don’t have to insert
multiple discs to set up a system; all the installation data resides on the server.
Here are some of the advantages that Network Install offers:
 Network Install is one solution for operating system migrations and installing
software updates.
 You can install site-licensed or custom applications, restore computer classrooms and
labs, and reimage desktop and portable computers.
 You can define custom installation images for various departments in an
organization, such as marketing, engineering, and sales.
 You can define post-installation scripts that invoke actions after the installation of a
software package or system image.
 You can set up an automated install image. This type of image includes answers to all
of the usual installer questions so that, when the client boots from the image,
installation occurs without user intervention.
Software Update Service
You can distribute Apple software updates to users by setting up a software update
server on Mac OS X Server.
Using a software update server lets you conserve your Internet bandwidth. Instead of
having all your users download new software from Apple, they can download it from a
server on your own network.