1.3. How SystemImager Works

SystemImager allows you to retrieve an entire system image from a golden client, which is a manually installed, customized machine, to an image server, which is the machine that will hold and distribute system images. You can deploy the images to any number of client systems from the image server.

After initial image deployment, you can update the client systems by syncing them to an updated image on the image server. Updates are fast and efficient because only the modified parts of files are pulled to the client.

1.3.1. Supported Distributions

SystemImager uses System Configurator to custom configure autoinstall clients for specific distributions. Through System Configurator, SystemImager supports all major Linux distributions and most others, including custom or in-house distributions. Using "footprints," System Configurator works with distributions based on their system configuration style rather than needing to know the name of the distribution. To determine a system's footprint, System Configurator identifies the configuration files in use and associates that footprint with a configuration style. It then correctly makes settings, such as hostname or IP address, without needing to know the name of the distribution.

Following is an incomplete list of distributions known to work with SystemImager. If you are successfully using SystemImager with a distribution or version not listed here, please submit a bug report , so the distribution can be added to the list. Though not a bug, reporting the success here is the best way to communicate the information.

Distribution Support. This is far from an exhaustive list of distributions supported by SystemImager. SystemImager is distribution agnostic in nearly all areas. With few exceptions, all distribution specific knowledge exists within the SystemConfigurator tool, which supports a very large range of distributions.

Table 1-1. Author Tested and Supported Distributions

DistributionVersions
Debian3.0
RedHat7.2

Linux-2.0.x based distributions are not supported at this time, nor are there plans to add support for Linux 2.0.x based distributions.

1.3.2. System Requirements