Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
- From: Larry Waibel <lwaibel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:53:16 PDT
I guess I still didn't explain it right :-) I have a development system and a target
system. The target system is headless but I can connect to it from my development system
and map a drive on my development system to one on the target. From the development system
I want to somehow be able to change the computer name of the target system.
In article <uG5OO6oSFHA.1152@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Km wrote:
> From: "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:34:43 -0700
> Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded
>
> Larry,
>
> Did I get it right - you want to run everything from the device? And that is what you
called "remotely", right?
>
> What you described can be easy implemented within a batch file or any other script (WSH).
> You don't need a special tool for that.
> Just have an access to a network server share. You connect to it from the device from the
batch file script and read/write some
> parameters there that will affect the new name you are about to generate with newsid
utility. If you use WSH and FileSystemObject
> you will be able to implement all you want to in just a few lines on code.
>
> --
> Regards,
> KM, BSquare Corp.
>
> > I'm just investigating my possibilities. The best would have been a way for the
cloning
> > tool itself to generate sequential names but that doesn't seem very feasible. I do
have
> > remote connectivity. I could let the tool generate a fixed name, connect it to the
> > network, and connect to it remotely and map a drive. Then I want to be able to do
> > something like 'newsid' and change it's name 'manually'. Then connect the next system
> > and do the same. So I'm looking for a tool like 'newsid' that I can run from a remote
> > computer to change the name on the target computer.
> >
> > In article <eO8XwveSFHA.3144@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Km wrote:
> > > From: "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > Subject: Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
> > > Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:10:38 -0700
> > > Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded
> > >
> > > Larry,
> > >
> > > Sorry, I lost the point.
> > > I had thought you problem was how to have a unique name specified per device and be
> > able to connect to it and change the name as
> > > you'd want it to be.
> > > But seems like I was wrong and you were asking about the remote tool that would allow
> > you to connect to a headless terminal. Is it
> > > right?
> > >
> > > RDP, Telnet, Computer Manager, etc.?
> > > Many remote tools are out there that will be helpful to you as long as you are able
to
> > connect to the computer remotely over NetBT.
> > >
> > > If I am wrong in my assumptions, please describe your problem and system/deployment
> > setup and procedure.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Regards,
> > > KM, BSquare Corp.
> > >
> > > > You said "Then you connect to a machine resolving the name and change the
> > name/reboot."
> > > > That's kind of what I was looking for. How do I do that? I can use 'newsid' if I
> > connect
> > > > a keyboard and monitor but it doesn't look like I can do that remotely.
> > > >
> > > > In article <eZwX27dSFHA.3420@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Km wrote:
> > > > > From: "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > > Subject: Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
> > > > > Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:37:45 -0700
> > > > > Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded
> > > > >
> > > > > Larry,
> > > > >
> > > > > How are you going to identify the client machine on the network remotely?
> > > > >
> > > > > You could connect to the machine by its IP address. But if you use DHCP you will
> > have to
> > > > either guess on the IP or use the server
> > > > > logs if accessible.
> > > > > Or you can have a static IP built-in but then don't turn on all the targets the
> > same
> > > > time on the same network.
> > > > >
> > > > > Alternatively, you can have a common name for all machines (again, don't turn
them
> > all
> > > > on once) or uniquely generated during FBA
> > > > > (you may or may not end up seeing the bug Rob reported). Then you connect to a
> > machine
> > > > resolving the name and change the
> > > > > name/reboot.
> > > > >
> > > > > Another way of changing the network computer name manually would be connecting to
> > the
> > > > target over serial.
> > > > >
> > > > > But again, if you have a programming skills, I'd rather suggest you to write a
> > tool to
> > > > automate the process. This is all pretty
> > > > > straight forward to implement with a script language and a server write access
> > share.
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > > KM, BSquare Corp.
> > > > >
> > > > > > I was hoping for just a command line program that would change the computer
name
> > on a
> > > > > > remote computer?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > In article <OmJqiS2RFHA.3336@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Km wrote:
> > > > > > > From: "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > > > > Subject: Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
> > > > > > > Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 10:56:55 -0700
> > > > > > > Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > And just to add to that.. If you happened to get an IP for a device and NetBT
> > works,
> > > > > > then you can try to resolve the "<fixed prefix>
> > > > > > > NN" netbios names on the network and the first unresolved one would show you
> > the
> > > > current
> > > > > > number top. This will give a simple
> > > > > > > incrementing procedure.
> > > > > > > Adding proper error handling considering possible network problem would also
> > help.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > KM, BSquare Corp.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Could you write a run once app, something that could contact a network
> > > > > > > > service which arbitrate's network names, something in a vain of a DHCP
> > > > > > > > server, or you could do it on the basis of IP address? So you plug the
> > > > > > > > terminal into a network, get its IP address and set the name of the machine
> > > > > > > > on the basis of its IP, that way you could rely on the DHCP server
> > > > > > > > infrastructure to keep names unique. I don't think that there's an off the
> > > > > > > > shelf way that you could do it, but writing your own shouldn't prove to be
> > > > > > > > that difficult.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > HTH,
> > > > > > > > Rob
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > "Larry Waibel" wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I'd like for my cloned systems to take on names that begin with some
fixed
> > > > prefix
> > > > > > and then
> > > > > > > > > have an incrementing number on the end. I don't see how I could
automated
> > that.
> > > > My
> > > > > > > > > systems are headless and keyboard-less. How can I change the computer
> > name from
> > > > a
> > > > > > remote
> > > > > > > > > network connected location?
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > In article <eNPZebrRFHA.3072@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Km wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > From: "KM" <konstmor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > > > > > > > Subject: Re: Problem with the System Cloning Tool
> > > > > > > > > > Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 14:13:05 -0700
> > > > > > > > > > Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.embedded
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Rob,
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I am taking back some of my previous statements about how FBA generates
> > > > computer
> > > > > > names.
> > > > > > > > > > A quick journey in to FBA just showed me that the algorithm is
extremely
> > > > simple.
> > > > > > No use
> > > > > > > > > of MAC, and the seed is the same but just
> > > > > > > > > > updated with the local time current to the call.
> > > > > > > > > > It they happened to use CRT's srand/rand then the generated
> > pseudo-random
> > > > names
> > > > > > are not
> > > > > > > > > random at all.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Since all your target are the same it might have happened that you
> > turned them
> > > > on
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > > same time and get the same seed for some (15)
> > > > > > > > > > of them.
> > > > > > > > > > This is all just a guess of mine, of course.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > But I'd recommend you to come up with your own good algorithm for
> > generating
> > > > > > computer
> > > > > > > > > names and use APIs like SetComputerNameEx.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > > > > Regards,
> > > > > > > > > > KM, BSquare Corp.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > PS. There are even some obvious bugs in the FBA gen name algorithm
> > > > implementation
> > > > > > but
> > > > > > > > > this is irrelevant to your problem.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > I'm using the System Cloning Tool to name my machines, now I seal the
> > image,
> > > > > > > > > > > clone the drives and put the drives in our terminals. However, on a
> > sample
> > > > of
> > > > > > > > > > > only 80 images we've had about 15 network name clashes. Is there a
> > setting
> > > > > > > > > > > that I have to have change, or is there a top limit that the machines
> > will
> > > > > > > > > > > safely clone to?
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > My concern is that we are toying with the idea of using remote boot
> > systems
> > > > > > > > > > > that will have in the order of a 1000 units. Will we end up in the
> > situation
> > > > > > > > > > > where large numbers of our terminals will have name clashes?
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for any information you might have.
> > > > > > > > > > > Rob
> > > > > > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > > > > > .Net Development Engineer
> > > > > > > > > > > ECM Systems Ltd
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
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> > >
> >
> >
>
.
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