User Guide

Technology Brief

Mac OS X Server: NetBoot

System Image Utility

Creating a startup disk image

With the new System Image Utility, you can create a NetBoot disk image simply by

cloning a local volume—no configuration required. This gives you the opportunity to

build a system, complete with user preferences, and to test and refine it locally before

deploying it across the entire network.

You can also use System Image Utility to build a new NetBoot image from a Mac OS X

Install CD. This creates a disk image with a clean installation of the operating system,

which you can then customize as you would any volume on your hard drive.

Updating existing images

Mac OS X Server makes it easy to update and maintain disk images. For example, if

you want to add a site-licensed application or upgrade the operating system on your

NetBoot volume, you don’t need to reconfigure the whole disk image. Simply mount

the disk image in the Finder and drag new applications, folders, or files into it—or

delete obsolete applications and files.

For an operating system update or application upgrade that comes as a package

installer, you can simply drag the package into the Contents pane of System Image

Utility. The NetBoot volume automatically mounts and performs the installation.

Network-based home directories

In addition to hosting server-based startup

disks, you can host users’ entire home

directories on the server. Network home

directories give users the convenience of

instant access to their personal computing

environment—complete with their own

documents, applications, and system prefer-

ences—from any Mac on the network.