Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 3.3 User Guide

Symantec™ Ghost Solution
Suite 3.3 User Guide

Symantec™ Ghost Solution Suite User Guide
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Contents
Symantec Support .............................................................................................. 4

Chapter 1 Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
.......................................................................................... 10
Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite ................................... 10

Features of Ghost Solution Suite ..................................................... 12
Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite console .......................... 13
Managing computers .................................................................... 13
Building and scheduling deployment jobs .......................................... 15
Imaging ...................................................................................... 17
Migrating computers ..................................................................... 17
Deploying and managing servers ..................................................... 17
Get started .................................................................................. 18
Chapter 2 Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server ............................ 19

Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server ............................................... 19
Silent Install ................................................................................ 20
Platform Support for Ghost Solution Suite 3.x ..................................... 22
Installing the Ghost Standard tools from the installer ............................ 22
Browsing to the Ghost Recovery kit .................................................. 23
Ghost Solution Suite Server components .......................................... 24
Ghost Solution Suite Console ................................................... 25
Ghost Solution Suite Server ..................................................... 25
Deployment Share or eXpress Share ........................................ 27
PXE server ........................................................................... 28
System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite ....................... 30
Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server ..................................... 35
Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server .................................... 37
Thin client install .......................................................................... 40
Component install ......................................................................... 42
Installing Ghost Solution Suite Agents .............................................. 46
Client connectivity and network adapters .................................... 46
Installing the Ghost Solution Suite agent ..................................... 47
Remote agent installer ............................................................ 47
Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent for Windows ......................... 49
Contents 6
Scripted installation of Ghost Solution Suite agent ........................ 50

Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent on Linux .............................. 53
Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent on Mac computers ................ 54
Installing the automation agent ................................................. 56
Installation help ..................................................................... 56
Chapter 3 Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite

Console ............................................................................ 61
Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite Console ................................ 61
Ghost Solution Suite Console basics .......................................... 62
Thin client view of the Ghost Solution Suite Console ..................... 62
Computer filters and job conditions ............................................ 73
General options ..................................................................... 74
Global options ....................................................................... 75
Task password options ............................................................ 76
Domain accounts options ......................................................... 77
Agent settings options ............................................................. 77
Custom data sources options ................................................... 77
Security in Ghost Solution Suite ................................................ 78
Groups ................................................................................ 81
Rights .................................................................................. 82
Restricting the number of computers .......................................... 84
Setting permissions ................................................................ 84
Connecting to another Ghost Solution Suite server ....................... 85
Rejected computers in Ghost Solution Suite ................................ 86
Refresh Ghost Solution Suite .................................................... 86
Chapter 4 Managing Computers ......................................................... 88

Managing computers .................................................................... 88
Viewing computer details ............................................................... 90
Adding new computers .................................................................. 92
Creating a new computer account ............................................. 93
Importing new computers from a text file ..................................... 95
Computer configuration properties ................................................... 96
General configuration settings .................................................. 97
Microsoft networking configuration settings ................................. 98
TCP/IP configuration settings ................................................. 100
NetWare client configuration settings ....................................... 104
Operating system licensing configuration settings ....................... 104
User account configuration settings .......................................... 105
Ghost Solution Suite Agents ......................................................... 106
Ghost Solution Suite Agent settings ......................................... 107
Contents 7
Computer properties ................................................................... 114

General .............................................................................. 115
Hardware ........................................................................... 115
Drives ................................................................................ 115
TCP/IP .............................................................................. 115
Applications ........................................................................ 115
Services ............................................................................ 116
Devices .............................................................................. 116
Location ............................................................................. 116
Bay ................................................................................... 116
Lights-Out .......................................................................... 116
Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite ................................. 116
Restoring a computer from its deployment history ...................... 119
Configuring computers .......................................................... 120
Quick disk image ................................................................. 121
Power control ..................................................................... 121
Execute ............................................................................. 123
Installing and uninstalling Automation Folder .............................. 123
Change agent settings ........................................................... 125
Deploying and managing servers .................................................. 126
Server management features .................................................. 126
Server deployment options .................................................... 127
Finding a computer in the database ......................................... 128
Using lab builder .................................................................. 130
New Dynamic Machine Groups ...................................................... 131
Creating and modifying filters .................................................. 132
Filter Setup ......................................................................... 133
Chapter 5 Building and scheduling jobs .......................................... 135

Building and scheduling jobs ........................................................ 136
System tokens .................................................................... 137
Viewing job details ...................................................................... 140
New Job wizard .......................................................................... 142
Migrating computers ............................................................. 143
Selecting computers in the new job wizard ................................. 144
Applying computers to a job .................................................... 145
Associating destination computers ........................................... 145
Setting up conditions in the new job wizard ............................... 145
Installing software packages .................................................. 145
Option summary .................................................................. 146
Building new jobs ....................................................................... 146
Job scheduling wizard ................................................................ 147
Contents 8
Select a job ......................................................................... 147

Select a computer or computer groups ..................................... 147
Setting conditions for task sets ...................................................... 147
Deployment tasks ....................................................................... 149
Task names in a mixed-language environment ........................... 149
Common Tasks ................................................................... 149
Supported Live Task Types .................................................... 151
Creating a disk image .................................................................. 152
Creating a Ghost image ........................................................ 154
Advanced Sysprep settings for creating a disk image for Windows
Vista and later versions ................................................... 155
Advanced Sysprep settings for creating a disk image .................. 155
Create disk image advanced .................................................. 155
Ghost Solution Suite Hot Imaging ............................................ 156
Distributing a disk image .............................................................. 158
Scripted OS install ...................................................................... 160
Scripted install for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and
later ................................................................................... 161
Select OS version and language ............................................. 162
Installation source files .......................................................... 163
Operating system-source files ................................................. 163
Import an answer file ............................................................. 164
Answer file setup ................................................................. 164
Add a new section ................................................................ 164
Delete a section ................................................................... 165
Add a new variable .............................................................. 165
Command-line switches for scripted install ................................ 165
Ghost Solution Suite agent settings for scripted install ................. 166
Scripted install summary ........................................................ 166
Deleting Scripted OS Install packages from the Deployment
Server .......................................................................... 166
Scripted install for Linux ............................................................... 167
Scripted install summary ........................................................ 168
Distributing software ................................................................... 168
Distribute software advanced ................................................. 170
Capturing personality settings ....................................................... 170
Capture personality advanced options ...................................... 171
Distributing personality settings ..................................................... 172
Distribute personality advanced .............................................. 174
Modifying configuration ................................................................ 174
Getting inventory ....................................................................... 175
Running a script ........................................................................ 176
Script information ................................................................. 177
Contents 9
Using LogEvent and WLogEvent in scripts ................................ 179

Copying a file ............................................................................ 180
Copy file to advanced ........................................................... 182
Power control ............................................................................. 182
Waiting ..................................................................................... 183
Modifying tasks in a deployment job ............................................... 183
Modifying multiple modify configuration tasks ............................. 185
Creating new script files .............................................................. 185
Copy and paste jobs and job folders .............................................. 186
Importing and exporting jobs ........................................................ 186
Setting up return codes ............................................................... 187
Sample jobs .............................................................................. 191
Initial deployment ........................................................................ 191
Configurations ........................................................................... 192
Advanced Configuration ......................................................... 193
Jobs ........................................................................................ 193
Advanced ................................................................................. 194
Chapter 1
Introduction to Symantec
Ghost Solution Suite
This chapter includes the following topics:
■ Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
■ Features of Ghost Solution Suite
■ Managing computers
■ Building and scheduling deployment jobs
■ Imaging
■ Migrating computers
■ Deploying and managing servers
■ Get started
Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite

Ghost Solution Suite lets you remotely manage all types of devices such as desktops, notebooks
and servers through the phases of computer deployment and lifecycle management. Ghost
Solution Suite lets you upgrade computers, distribute patches and drives, re-image computer
hard drives or migrate large group of users to new computers including the custom settings
and the installed programs.
What can I do with Ghost Solution Suite?

Ghost Solution Suite lets you deploy, manage, and migrate regardless of your organization's
size or special IT requirements, Ghost Solution Suite provides a complete system to cut costs
and improve response times for both big and small jobs.
Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 11
Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
Table 1-1 Features of Ghost Solution Suite
Feature Description
Manage from a central console. Deploy, control, and manage all types of computers
across your organization from the Ghost Solution
Suite console. Use the feature-rich Ghost Solution
Suite server Console for real-time management of
computers.
See “Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite

console” on page 13.
Migrate data, applications, and personal settings. Through easy-to-use wizards, migrate data and
settings from a retiring computer to a new computer
by capturing desktop, network, and application
settings. Redeploy these personal settings remotely
from a Ghost Solution Suite console.
See “New Job wizard” on page 142.
Upgrade and install software. Manage system software on a day-to-day basis for
desktops, servers, and notebooks to upgrade
applications, install service packs, set up printer
drivers, and modify systems as needed.
See “Distributing software ” on page 168.
Deploy computers in large groups. Easily deploy and configure large number of
computers across an organization. Install hard disk
images to groups of new or existing computers
using the multicasting feature. Deploy software and
personality settings with common applications, data
and drivers. Run post-configuration jobs or
automated scripts to assign unique security IDs,
configure user names, and set IP addresses using
deployment jobs.
See “Managing computers” on page 13.
Deploy and manage servers. Manage all types of servers. Automatically redeploy
servers based on deployment history and saved
server images, or use automated scripted installs
with easy-to-create answer files. Operating system
can be installed as image files or run as scripted
installs-or as a combination strategy.
Features of Ghost Solution Suite
Table 1-1 Features of Ghost Solution Suite (continued)
Feature Description
Respond to common help desk requests. Browse, diagnose, and repair problems on systems
without leaving the Ghost Solution Suite console.
Detailed hardware and software inventories, along
with remote control feature simplify remote
diagnosis of common problems.
See “Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite

” on page 116.
Recover from disaster. Automatically back-up and restore configurations,

personalities, registries, partitions, and drives from
the Ghost Solution Suite console. Saving the history
of all deployment jobs assigned to a computer
makes it easy to restore a system to a previous
working state.
See “Restoring a computer from its deployment

history ” on page 119.
Features of Ghost Solution Suite

Ghost Solution Suite can be installed and implemented locally as an independent Ghost
Solution Suite server system on a single LAN segment or site.
Each Ghost Solution Suite server system includes services, applications, and utilities for
high-bandwidth, real-time deployment.
Ghost Solution Suite server system

The Ghost Solution Suite console is a Windows user interface that provides full features to
deploy computers, image hard disks, migrate user settings and programs, run scripted installs
and perform other deployment tasks for all your computer resources. Daily IT requests and
jobs formerly completed by visiting each desktop, server or portable computer in the organization
can now be completed from your Ghost Solution Suite server Console.
Components of the Ghost Solution Suite server system can be installed on a single computer
(a Simple install) or distributed across several local computers (a Custom install). A Custom
installation lets you install Microsoft SQL Server and access the Ghost Solution Suite Database
from a separate computer. The eXpress Share, Ghost Solution Suite server, PXE Server, and
Ghost Solution Suite console can also be distributed to separate computers. The Ghost Solution
Suite Console displays data directly from the Ghost Solution Suite Database.
Managing computers
Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite console

The Ghost Solution Suite Console (a Windows console) is included with the Ghost Solution
Suite server system and provides complete deployment and management features. It is divided
into several operational panes:
■ The Computers pane displays all computer resources managed by a Ghost Solution Suite
server system. It includes features to right-click and remotely execute operations on
managed computers. From this pane, you can drag the computer icons to job icons to
schedule deployment and management tasks.
■ The Jobs pane executes and schedules deployment tasks for selected computers. Using
one or more sequenced jobs, you can image, configure computer settings, distribute
packages, and run scripts by dragging Job icons to individual computers or computer
groups. These can be executed immediately or scheduled for a more convenient time. You
can schedule deployment jobs by dragging computer icons to job icons, or vice versa.
■ The Details pane provides information and features to filter computers by type and build
deployment tasks. It extends the user interface features when working in the Computers
and Jobs panes.
■ From the Ghost Solution Suite Console (the Windows console), a Shortcut and Resources
pane organizes and provides easy access to .MSI files, image files (.img), Personality
Packages (.exe), and other file types. It functions as a library for packages used when
building jobs in the console.
In addition, the Ghost Solution Suite server Console provides easy-to-use wizards to simplify
and expedite common deployment tasks.
See “Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite console” on page 13.
Managing computers
From the Ghost Solution Suite console, you can manage all types of computers to perform
immediate deployment and management operations. From the Computers pane of the console,
computer resources can be grouped by location, department, or type (portables, desktops or
servers) and organized to reflect your environment. You can run operations, schedule
deployment jobs, access computers or computer groups to change the network settings, run
disk image, other deployment jobs.
The console identifies computers and computer groups with a unique icon. To access a
computer, click the computer icon to view the configuration settings or run specific deployment
and management operations. Computer icons can be dragged to job icons to schedule and
run preconfigured deployment tasks from the Windows console. In the Ghost Solution Suite
console, you can manage computers using drop-down lists, secondary dialog boxes, and other
familiar web features.
Managing computers
See “Managing computers” on page 88.
Managing with computer icons

Icons displayed in the Computers pane of the console help in identifying the computer types
and deployment status. Group icons can be expanded to view the member computers, and
computer types can be identified by specific icons: desktops and notebooks, servers, computer
groups, and Linux computers. Computer icons can also identify the state of the managed
computer-a logged-on user, a computer waiting for further instructions, a user not logged on
and other states of deployment-when performing operations or executing deployment tasks
on a selected computer.
See “Viewing computer details” on page 90.
This icon identifies a managed desktop or notebook computer that is

active and has a user logged on.
This icon identifies a managed Windows network or Web server that is

active and has a user logged on.
This icon identifies a Linux computer.
This icon identifies a pre-configured computer account with user account

settings that are not associated with a new computer.
Additional icons represent deployment status, inactive computers, computers running a

deployment job, and new computers.
Immediate management access from the console

From a Ghost Solution Suite console, you can select a computer and start various computer
configuration and management operations for that computer. You can create new deployment
tasks, restart, restore the hard drive, view deployment history, and perform other advanced
tasks using the commands on this menu. Some operations-such as changing configuration
settings, copying files, and creating quick disk images-create job files automatically.
See “Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite ” on page 116.
For complete information about Ghost Solution Suite consoles refer to the following:
Building and scheduling deployment jobs
See “Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite console” on page 13.

Jobs are designed as objects with defined deployment tasks. Jobs can be built, organized,
and scheduled to run on selected computers or computer groups from a Ghost Solution Suite
console.
Deployment jobs give you the ability to organize, store, and assign administration tasks for
each computer or computer group. You can create and deploy images, back up registry files,
run scripted installs, or make post-imaging changes such as adding printers and applications.
You can deploy and run Personality Packages, and others-to migrate applications, configure
computer settings, deploy complete hard disk images, and much more. You can also assign
jobs with conditions to run only on defined computer types.
See “Building and scheduling jobs ” on page 136.
Jobs are built in the Ghost Solution Suite server Console by creating a job name (identified
by a job icon in the console) and adding predefined deployment tasks. Tasks such as Distribute
Software, Run Script, or Create Disk Image are added and executed sequentially when
scheduled to run on computers or computer groups. And even within computer groups, different
jobs can be assigned to different computer types based on the operating system, hardware,
or other specified conditions.
See “Deployment tasks” on page 149.
When a job is built, it can be scheduled to run immediately, at desired intervals, or at any other
convenient time when the bandwidth is low. In addition, you can use bandwidth throttling
features to schedule and run deployment tasks to large groups without affecting network traffic.
From the Ghost Solution Suite Console, you have several options to create deployment jobs:
■ Create common deployment tasks quickly and easily using the New Job Wizard.
■ Import jobs from other Ghost Solution Suite systems.
■ Manually create deployment tasks from the console.
■ Copy and paste deployment tasks from within the console.
See “Building new jobs ” on page 146.
In the Jobs pane, you can create and organize deployment jobs. You can then assign jobs by
dragging icons to the desired computer or computer group.
Building jobs
Building jobs includes creating a new job and then adding tasks to the job to run in sequence
when scheduled on selected computers. You can build jobs by adding tasks manually or you
can step through the New Job Wizard to create common jobs and schedule them. Sample
tasks are also included with Ghost Solution Suite to use as installed or to easily customize
and run.
After creating and building a job, you can then assign it to a computer and schedule it to run
at any time-immediately, after a specified time, or on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.
The deployment status of each job is reflected in the console.
Assigning deployment jobs with icons

Computer icons are used to identify the types of computers in a console. Similarly, job icons
identify the status and success of a scheduled deployment job. After scheduling jobs, you can
monitor the progress as the job icons are updated at each step of execution.
This job is assigned to a computer, but is not

scheduled to run. Until scheduled, this job icon
remains unchanged.
This job is assigned to the computer and is

scheduled to run either immediately or in the future.
This job is currently in process.
This job has completed successfully.
See “Viewing job details” on page 140.
Scheduling jobs
From the Schedule Job dialog, you can run jobs immediately or schedule the job to run in
batches at defined intervals. You can also assign the job to repeat every hour, day, or week.
Scheduling jobs can be as simple as clicking OK to run immediately or as sophisticated as
required to meet your deployment needs.
For complete information about building and scheduling deployment jobs, See “Building and
scheduling jobs ” on page 136.
Imaging
Imaging
A primary task of Ghost Solution Suite is to capture an image (a clone of the hard drive) from
a reference computer and distribute the image to set up new computers or reinstall computers
to their basic configuration. You can create a library of image files on the eXpress Share (file
server storage) and schedule image jobs to different computer types as required.
Ghost Solution Suite server lets you push down a boot image remotely and execute the image
using PXE Server, eliminating the need to physically attend and boot each managed computer.
New Job wizard
Imaging from Ghost Solution Suite server

Ghost Solution Suite server includes multiple features to capture an image and lay it down to
a new or existing computer. You can use the Ghost Solution Suite Console to create and
distribute disk images using deployment tasks, such as the Quick Disk Image wizard.
Pre-boot environments let you boot to automation to create and deploy images, back up and
restore a computer's registry file, or run other automation tasks. You can also boot to a network
server and run imaging files and other commands.
See Boot Disk Creator Help and PXE Configuration Utility Help.
Migrating computers
Ghost Solution Suite provides various options to migrate operating systems, computer
personalities, software, or entire hard disk images. You can accomplish migration tasks
individually or as a single job.
The New Job Wizard steps you through each migration option, letting you capture a complete
hard disk image (to upgrade to a new computer), migrate a user to another operating system
with the same personality settings and applications, or to simply move personality settings
from one computer to another.
Deploying and managing servers

Ghost Solution Suite includes features designed specifically for deploying and managing
servers. Server-specific features include scripted installs for initial installation, and support for
remote management cards, multiple network adapters, history transfers to support rip and
replace redeployment, and additional functionality required for automating server management.
Ghost Solution Suite also integrates with other hardware vendors to provide systems and tools
to manage large server installations and support automatic deployment strategies. These
unified systems simplify and automate server configurations and large-scale migrations, and
support emerging hardware for ultra high-density server systems.
Get started
From a Ghost Solution Suite console you can build deployment jobs to run scripted installs for
Windows and Linux servers. You can run these unattended installs directly over the network
for individual servers. You can create answer files for each scripted install from a Ghost Solution
Suite console.
You can also run server-specific scripts and redeployment tasks. Enhanced task logging and
history tracking features let you recall deployment actions to quickly redeploy mission-critical
servers.
Get started
Ghost Solution Suite is a full-featured remote deployment system designed to manage computer
devices across all types and sizes of small to medium organizations and large enterprises. It
includes Windows components to design and scale a system for your specific IT needs and
challenges. Ghost Solution Suite provides a wide array of tools, utilities, and applications to
design a system for your specific needs. Ghost Solution Suite is easy-to-use and adaptable
to your environment.
You can design and install a Ghost Solution Suite server system specific to your hardware,
organizational structure, network architecture, and other environmental variables. The installation
and configuration process lets you install Ghost Solution Suite components (database, services,
network share, user interface console) to a single computer or distribute components to separate
role servers.
Chapter 2
Installing Ghost Solution
Suite Server
■ Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server
■ Silent Install
■ Platform Support for Ghost Solution Suite 3.x
■ Installing the Ghost Standard tools from the installer
■ Browsing to the Ghost Recovery kit
■ Ghost Solution Suite Server components
■ System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite
■ Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
■ Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
■ Thin client install
■ Component install
■ Installing Ghost Solution Suite Agents
Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server

Ghost Solution Suite Server is a flexible, scalable computer deployment and management
system that can be installed and configured on a single computer, or installed across several
computers to distribute processing for large enterprise environments. You can run a Simple
install to position all Ghost Solution Suite Server Components on a single computer (most
Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server 20
Silent Install
frequently used), or plan and perform a Custom install to distribute installation of components
across separate computers in the site.
See “Ghost Solution Suite Server components” on page 24.
After installing Ghost Solution Suite Server components, you can remotely install Ghost Solution
Suite Agents on all types of computer resources across your organization: laptops, servers,
and so on. Windows computers and Linux computers can be managed as a unified environment,
with each client communicating through its own Ghost Solution Suite agent to update inventory
data and react to Ghost Solution Suite Server commands and deployment tasks.
The pre-requisite checks let you view the compliance of the computer for installing Ghost
Solution Suite. Following are the pre-requisites that are checked:
Select one of the following methods for installing a Ghost Solution Suite Server system:
■ Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
Install all components on local computer. See Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
■ Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
Installs components on remote or local computers and lets you customize options. See
Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
■ Thin client install
Installs GSS Thin client view. See Thin client install
■ Component install
Installs additional Ghost Solution components. See Component install
■ Ghost Standard Tools
Launches the Symantec Ghost Standard Tools installer that lets you install the
Symantec Ghost Standard Tools.
See “Installing the Ghost Standard tools from the installer” on page 22.
To install Ghost Solution Suite Agents on the client computer, refer to the following section:
See “Installing Ghost Solution Suite Agents” on page 46.
Silent Install
Ghost Solution Suite lets your run silent install of Ghost Solution Suite Server in case for the
following scenarios:
■ Fresh installation
See “To perform Silent Install for fresh installation” on page 21.
■ Upgrade from Deployment Solution 6.9 SP6
See “To perform Silent Install when you upgrade from Deployment Solution 6.9 SP6”
on page 21.
Silent Install
■ Upgrade from Ghost Solution Suite 3.0

■ See “To perform Silent Install when you upgrade from GSS 3.0 and GSS 3.0 HF (all hot
fixes)” on page 21.
■ Upgrade from Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 HF (all hot fixes)
See “To perform Silent Install when you upgrade from GSS 3.0 and GSS 3.0 HF (all hot
fixes)” on page 21.
To perform Silent Install for fresh installation
1 Run the command axinstall.exe –i in the command window.
This command launches the installer and captures all the values from the different windows
and creates a silent.ini file.
2 Run the axinstall.exe –t silent.ini command in the command window to complete
the silent installation and upgrade.
To perform Silent Install when you upgrade from Deployment Solution 6.9 SP6
1 Stop the following services:
■ Altiris Deployment Server Data Manager
■ Altiris Deployment Server DB Management
■ Altiris eXpress Server
■ Altiris PXE Config Helper
■ Altiris PXE Manager
■ Altiris PXE MTFTP Server
■ Altiris PXE Server

To perform Silent Install when you upgrade from GSS 3.0 and GSS 3.0 HF (all hot fixes)
1 Stop the following services:
■ Altiris Deployment Server DB Management
■ Altiris eXpress Server
■ Altiris PXE Config Helper
■ Altiris PXE Manager
Platform Support for Ghost Solution Suite 3.x
■ Altiris PXE MTFTP Server

■ Altiris PXE Server

Platform Support for Ghost Solution Suite 3.x

To view the list of supported platforms, refer to the following article:
Platform Support Matrix
Installing the Ghost Standard tools from the installer

Ghost Solution Suite lets you install the Ghost Standard tools from the link that is provided in
the installer. The Ghost Standard tools include the following:
■ Boot Disk Creator.exe
Note: If you run BootWiz.exe for first time after fresh installation of Ghost Solution Suite
3.3, then you must right-click and open the application with Run As Administrator option.
■ Ghost Explorer x64.exe

■ Ghost Explorer x86.exe
■ GhostCast Server.exe
■ Ghost32.exe
■ Ghost64.exe
The Ghost Standard tools are installed at the following location and are accessible from the
Start menu:
<Install_dir/>/Program Files(x86)/Symantec/Ghost
Note: Symantec recommends not to install the Ghost Standard Tools 3.0 or later on the default
recommended path of a computer that has Ghost Solution Suite 2.5. Installing on the default
path overwrites the Ghost Solution 2.5 tools and conflicts with the Ghost 2.5 Console.
Browsing to the Ghost Recovery kit
To install Ghost Standard tools

1 Start the computer and log on using the administrator account you created for the Ghost
Solution Suite Server.
2 Launch the appropriate Symantec Ghost Solution Suite installation file and follow the
setup steps.
3 The Symantec Packager Self-Extracting Executable Options dialog appears.
4 Select the Use current temp folder option to use the current temporary folder to download
installation files or the Extract to a specific folder option to set a path to an existing
folder to download the installation files.
5 Click Extract and Execute App to extract and execute the application immediately.
Note: Click Extract Only to only extract the application and execute the application later.
You must run the axInstall.exe file to start the installation.
6 In the Ghost Solution Suite Server Install Configuration dialog, click on Ghost Standard
Tools.
7 In the Symantec Ghost Standard Tools wizard, the default path where the Ghost Standard
Tools executables are installed is displayed as follows:
C:\Program Files(x86)\Symantec\Ghost
To change the path where the Ghost Standard Tools executables are installed, click on
Change....
8 Click Next >.
9 Click Install.
Browsing to the Ghost Recovery kit

The Ghost Solution Suite lets you browse to the Ghost Recovery Tool kit at the following
location:
<Install_Dir>:\DSSetup\Ghost_recovery_Kit.zip
Symantec Ghost Recovery Kit is a suite of tools designed for original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) and value-added resellers (VARs). It adds tools and functionality to the applications
included in Symantec Ghost Solution Suite. Symantec Ghost Recovery Kit includes the following
tools:
■ GhostOEM32
GhostOEM32 is a Win32 version of GhostOEM and is designed to run on Microsoft Windows
Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).
Ghost Solution Suite Server components
■ GhostOEM64
GhostOEM32 is a Win64 version of GhostOEM and is designed to run on Microsoft Windows
Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).
■ PQIDeploy
PQIDeploy is an OEM version of Symantec ImageCenter that provides restore-only
capabilities. It contains the full scripting capabilities that are included in ImageCenter. It
does not include any graphical user interface (GUI). All commands are specified in a script
command file.
■ PQIDplyD
■ SRFixMbr
The System Recovery Fix MBR executable installs the Boot Partition Selector in the Master
Boot Record (MBR).
The Boot Partition Selector requests which partition the end user wants to launch when
the computer is booted from the primary hard drive. If no response is made within the
timeout interval, then the user partition is launched. Alternatively, the end user can launch
the recovery partition. The end user can access the recovery partition only through the
Boot Partition Selector.

The Ghost Solution Suite Server system includes the following components:
■ Ghost Solution Suite Console
See “Ghost Solution Suite Console” on page 25.
■ Ghost Solution Suite Server
See “Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 25.
■ Ghost Solution Suite Database
See “Ghost Solution Suite Database” on page 26.
■ eXpress Share
See “Deployment Share or eXpress Share ” on page 27.
■ PXE server
See “PXE server” on page 28.
■ DHCP Server (not an Symantec product)
■ Installing Ghost Solution Suite agents
■ Sysprep
You can install all these components on the same server or distribute them across multiple
servers, depending on the environment.
Ghost Solution Suite Console

The Ghost Solution Suite Console is the Win32 user interface for Ghost Solution Suite. You
can install this Windows console on servers across the network to view and manage resources
from different locations. In addition, from this console, you can access the Ghost Solution Suite
Database on other Ghost Solution Suite Server systems to manage sites across the enterprise.
See “Connecting to another Ghost Solution Suite server” on page 85.
The Ghost Solution Suite Console communicates with the Ghost Solution Suite Database and
Deployment services. In a Simple Install for Ghost Solution Suite Server, the Ghost Solution
Suite Console is installed on the same computer similar to all other components. In a Custom
Install for Ghost Solution Suite Server, you must ensure that a connection is available to these
computers and security rights are set. You must have administrative rights on any computer
running the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
See “Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 35.
See “Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 37.
Ghost Solution Suite Server

Ghost Solution Suite Server controls the flow of the work and information between the managed
computers and the other Ghost Solution Suite Server components (Ghost Solution Suite
Console, Ghost Solution Suite Database, and the eXpress Share). Managed computers connect
and communicate with the Ghost Solution Suite Server to register inventory and configuration
information and to run deployment and management tasks. The computer and deployment
data for each managed computer is stored in the Ghost Solution Suite Database.
Note: To view, start, or stop Ghost Solution Suite Server, go to the Symantec Server services
in your Windows Manager.
Managed computers require access to the Ghost Solution Suite Server at all times, requiring
that you have administrative rights on the computer running the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Create a user account to run the Ghost Solution

Suite Server. The service runs as a logged-on user,
not as a system account. You must create this
account on all Ghost Solution Suite Server
computers. The account must have full rights to the
eXpress Share. The account must have a
non-expiring password.
See “Deployment Share or eXpress Share ”

on page 27.
Assign a static IP address to the Ghost Solution

Suite Server computer. Other components cannot
connect to the Ghost Solution Suite Server if you
use DHCP and dynamically change the IP address.
To install the Ghost Solution Suite Server on a

remote computer, the default administration shares
must be present. Restore any shares that have been
removed before you install the Ghost Solution Suite
Server.
Note: It is easier to create an administrative account using the same name and password on
all computers than to use the existing name and password of each account.
Most packages (Personality Packages, and .MSI files) pass through the Ghost Solution Suite
Server. Therefore, if you store these files on the Ghost Solution Suite Server, the deployment
of these packages is faster. Image files, however, are sent directly from the eXpress Share to
the client computer when you run an imaging task.
Ghost Solution Suite Database
Note: In Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 and later, if you have already set up multiple instances of
the Microsoft SQL Server, you can identify a specific instance using this format: <database
instance>\express. Example: If you have a clustered Microsoft SQL Server named
SQLClusterSvr to manage multiple Ghost Solution Suite systems on different network
segments, you can enter the name SQLClusterSvr\salesSegment or
SQLClusterSvr\marketingSegment during the Ghost Solution Suite Server setup, depending
on the previously established database instance. This feature is supported in the silent install
.INI file and the GUI install executable.
The database maintains the following information about the managed computers:
■ Hardware. RAM, asset tag, and serial numbers
■ General Information. Computer name and MAC address
■ Configuration. TCP/IP, Microsoft networking, and user information
■ Applications. The installed applications and information about these applications, such as
the name of the application, publisher, and product ID
■ Services. Installed Windows services
■ Devices. Installed Windows devices, such as network adapter, keyboard, and monitors
■ Location information. Contact name, phone, email, department, mail stop, and site
The Ghost Solution Suite Server Database also contains jobs and other data used to manage
your computers.
Note: You can install a single Ghost Solution Suite Database in each Ghost Solution Suite
Server system-you cannot have two databases storing data for a single computer. If the
computer you are installing the database on has an existing Microsoft SQL Server™, the Ghost
Solution Suite Database is added to that instance of the database engine.
Support for multiple database instances

In Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 and later, you can identify a named instance of the Microsoft SQL
Server when installing Ghost Solution Suite. You can now identify other named instances of
Microsoft SQL Servers instead of accessing only the default instance. This feature lets you
identify and run multiple databases from one clustered Microsoft SQL Server to manage
multiple sites or network segments. This feature is supported in the silent install .INI file and
the GUI install executable. Ghost Solution Suite also supports a different name for the Ghost
Solution Suite Database instead of the default name, eXpress.
Deployment Share or eXpress Share

The eXpress Share is a file server or shared directory where Ghost Solution Suite program
files and packages are stored. The eXpress Share can be a shared directory (default Simple
install in Program Files\ Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server) or another file server (in
the Custom install, you can assign a Microsoft Windows or Novell NetWare file server).
eXpress Share is where you store image files, registry files, .MSI packages, Personality
Packages, script files, and more. When you are deploying or managing a computer, the Ghost
Solution Suite Server stores and retrieves these packages from the eXpress Share as needed.
If you want to install Ghost Solution Suite on a

remote file server (not the computer where you are
running the install program), create a share (or give
Read/Write rights for NetWare) on the file server
where you want to install the Ghost Solution Suite
Server. This share must allow access to all other
components, including managed computers and
the user account that runs the Ghost Solution Suite
Server.
You must create this share before you begin

installing. If you are not installing on a remote
computer, you can select the option to create the
share during the installation.
Note: You can install only one eXpress Share for each Ghost Solution Suite Server system.
However, if the eXpress Share 's hard drive gets full, other computers can be used as additional
backup storage points. In some cases, other systems emulating a Microsoft or NetWare
environment can be used as the eXpress Share.
PXE server
The PXE Server provides service to client computers on a subnet. When the Ghost Solution
Suite Server sends a deployment job, the client computer receives a request to boot to
automation and the PXE-enabled computers connect to the first PXE Server that they discover,
which communicates with the Ghost Solution Suite Server and the client computers.
For list of supported operating system on which you can install a PXE Server, refer to the
following article:
https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.HOWTO111528.html
The PXE Server also functions on the same protocols as a standard DHCP Server, so you
can place the PXE Server wherever you would place a DHCP server. You can also install as
many PXE Servers as required in your system, but you must also install a DHCP Server.
The PXE Server sends a boot menu option list to the client when the computer performs a
PXE boot. The deployment job, which contains at least one automation task, uses the default
automation environment or the environment specified by a user who has the permission to
create a deployment job. Use the boot menu option to request the PXE Server for the boot
menu files and download the boot menu files from the PXE Server to the client computer's
RAM storage. The client computer always boots according to the request and reply
communications taking place between the Deployment and PXE Servers.
Ghost Solution Suite supports Linux, and Windows PreInstallation Environment (WinPE) as
pre-boot environments. These options let you create a single job, but may contain multiple
automation tasks. The default automation environment (the first pre-boot operating system
files installed during the Ghost Solution Suite installation) is used for Initial Deployment, unless
you specify otherwise.
Using a PXE Server to boot client computers to automation saves you from having to install
an automation folder on each client computer's hard disk, or from manually starting computers
using Symantec Ghost Solution Suite supported bootable media.
See Boot Disk Creator Help and see PXE Configuration Utility Help.
DHCP Server
The DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server is a server set up to assign TCP/IP
addresses to the client computers. This server is not a Symantec product, but is required if
you want to use the PXE Server.
We recommend that you use DHCP to manage the TCP/IP address in your network, whether
you use PXE or not. This greatly reduces the amount of time required to set up and manage
your computers.
Adding drivers in Driver database

Ghost Solution Suite lets you add many types of drivers to the driver database.
To verify if the driver is added, navigate to Install_Dir:\Program Files
(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\DriversDB.
To add drivers to driver database

1 1. On the Ghost Solution Suite Server, navigate to <Install_Dir>:\Program Files
(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Ghost.
2 Launch DriverManager.exe
3 In the Symantec Driver Library Editor, enter the following details:
Type Select the type of the driver.
OS Select the type of the driver
Tags Select the operating system for the driver
IDs Enter the Driver ID
4 Click Add Driver… .

System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite
5 In the Add new driver window, enter the following:
Location Browse to the location from where driver has to

be added.
Friendly name Enter a friendly name for the driver
Driver type Select the type of the driver
Applicable OS Select the operating system for which the driver

is applicable
6 Click OK.
System requirements for installing Ghost Solution

Suite
The following list includes the minimum system requirements for installing Ghost Solution
Suite:
System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite:
■ Ghost Solution Suite (GSS) Agent
GSS Agents require network connectivity and around 9 MB disk space. Other system
requirements are the same as the host operating system.
■ Ghost Solution Suite Server
Symantec recommends running the GSS Server components on a modern, dedicated
server with Pentium 4 processor and 2GB of RAM.
■ Computers hosting additional PXE servers and file shares should meet the requirements
of the operating system hosting these components.
■ Automation Requirements
Microsoft recommends 512 MB of memory for computers booting WinPE. At a minimum,
you should have 384 MB to avoid boot errors.
■ If the SQL Server 2014 Express database is installed from within the Ghost Solution Suite
installer, then .NET framework 3.5 must be installed.
For more information on system requirements for installing SQL Server 2014 Express, see
the following URL:
microsoft.com
Note: If you face an error while installing SQL Server Express, Symantec recommends
checking if all the Windows updates are installed.
■ For WinPE 5.1, .NET 4.5 Framework should be installed before importing the Windows
ADK 8.1.
For more information, please refer to the following article:
HOWTO124262
■ The Ghost Solution Suite user should be part of the local administrator group on all the
computers on which you want to install Ghost Solution Suite.
■ Firewall must be disabled on all the computers on which you want to install Ghost Solution
Suite.
■ User Account Control (UAC) must be disabled on all the computers on which you want to
install Ghost Solution Suite.
■ Local security policy must be disabled on all the computers on which you want to install
Ghost Solution Suite.
To turn off User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode
policy, follow the following steps:
■ In the command prompt, run secpol.msc
■ Navigate to the Local Policies.
■ Select the Security Options.
■ Open the User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode
policy and select the Disable option.
■ The Remote Registry service should be running on the remote computers where you plan
to install Ghost Solution Suite Component.
Prerequisites for installing the Web Console.

Following are the prerequisites for installing Ghost Solution Suite Web Console:
■ Ghost Solution Suite Server version 3.3 must be installed on the computer on which you
want to install the Web Console.
■ Supported operating systems:
■ Windows Server 2008 R2
■ Windows Server 2012
■ Windows Server 2012 R2
■ Windows Server 2016
■ The install user should be a local administrator on the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
■ IIS Server version 7.5 or higher must be installed with the following components and should
be in the enabled state:
■ ASP.NET Impersonation
■ Windows Authentication
■ SAPI and CGI Restriction installed and enabled for ASP.NET
To install IIS and enable components, refer to the following section:
See the section called “Installing IIS Server and configuring the components” on page 32.
■ .NET framework 4.5.1 must be installed.
■ Currently, it is recommended to use Ghost Solution Suite Web Console with the latest
version of the following browsers:
■ Google Chrome browser
■ Microsoft Internet Explorer
■ Safari
■ Mozilla Firefox
Installing IIS Server and configuring the components

To install the Ghost Solution Suite Web Console, you must install IIS Server 7.5 or above on
the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
To install IIS Server, refer to the following URL:
https://docs.microsoft.com/
Note: Ensure that ASP.NET Impersonation, Windows Authentication, and ISAPI and CGI
Restriction are installed and enabled for ASP.NET while you install the IIS server.
The Ghost Solution Suite Web Console installer enables the IIS components while installing
the Web Console. However you can also manually enable the IIS components. Following
procedure lists the steps that you must follow to enable the listed IIS components manually:
To enable IIS components for Ghost Solution Suite Web Console

1 In the IIS Server, navigate to Default Web Site > Authentication and enable the ASP.Net
Impersonation and Windows Authentication.
2 At the Ghost Solution Suite Server level, navigate and select ISAPI and CGI Restrictions.
3 Ensure that the latest version of ASP.net is set to Allowed.
Ports and Protocols used in Ghost Solution Suite

The following table lists the ports that are used in Ghost Solution Suite:
Table 2-1 Ports used in Ghost Solution Suite
Component Service Port(s) Protocol Where is this Is this port

port connected? configurable?
PXE MTFTP MTFTP 69 UDP PXE Client No
1758 UDP (Multicast) PXE Client Yes [Configure by

editing PXE.ini
1759
file]
File Transfer TFTP 1025 to 5000 UPD/TCP Yes
PXE Server PXE Server 67 UDP PXE Client No
68 UDP PXE Client No
4011 UDP PXE Client No
iPXE PXE Server 4433 TCP PXE Server No
PXE Manager PXE Manager 405 TCP PXEConfig Yes [Configure by

editing RPC.ini
file]
406 TCP PXECfg Service Yes [Configure by

editing RPC.ini
file]
PXECfg Service PXECfg Service 407 TCP PXE Server and Yes [Configure by
PXE MTFTP editing RPC.ini
file]
Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server
Table 2-1 Ports used in Ghost Solution Suite (continued)
Component Service Port(s) Protocol Where is this Is this port

port connected? configurable?
DB Management DB Management 505 TCP Win32 console, Yes

(mm) Service axengine,
pxemanager
Ghost Solution Axengine 402 TCP/UDP Agents, Yes

Suite Server (multicast) pxeserver,
DataManager,
PXEManager
Linux Agent ADLagent 415
AClient AClient 402
PCT Real-time 4949

Destination
Agents 3829
4950
4951
4952
Note: To configure the file transfer port, in the Ghost Solution Suite console to use a specific
port, navigate to Tools > Options > Global tab. Check the Client/Server file transfer port
check-box and set the dedicated port that you want to use.
For more information, refer to the following article:

Ports and Protocols

The Simple Install option places all the Ghost Solution Suite Server Components - Ghost
Solution Suite Server, Ghost Solution Suite Console, eXpress Share, and Ghost Solution Suite
Database - on the same computer.
To run a simple install

1 Start the server and log on using the administrator account you created for the Ghost
2 Launch the appropriate Symantec Ghost Solution Suite Server installation file and follow
the setup steps.
The Symantec Packager Self-Extracting Executable Options dialog appears.
Note: Symantec recommends running the installer with admin rights.
5 Select the Simple Install option from the installation types listed in the Ghost Solution
Suite Server Install Configuration dialog.
6 Click Yes on the Software License Agreement page.
7 Enter the following information on the Ghost Solution Suite Share Information page:
■ In the File Server path field, enter or browse to the path to install the Ghost Solution
Suite Server program files. The default path is C:\Program
Files(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server.
■ Select the Create Ghost Solution Suite Share option to create a eXpress Share on
the computer. The eXpress Share lets you store files on the computer and run Ghost
Solution Suite Server system applications.
■ Browse and select the licence file.
■ You must enter an administrator user name and password for the Ghost Solution Suite
Server. This account must already exist on the eXpress Share and the Ghost Solution
Suite Server. By default, the name you are currently logged on as appears. If you use
a domain account, enter the domain and the user name (Example:
Domain1\administrator).
Note: If a previous installation of the Ghost Solution Suite Database is detected, an

axinstall prompt appears, asking whether you want to preserve or overwrite the
existing database. Click Yes to preserve the data in your Ghost Solution Suite
Database.
8 Click Install to install the listed components, or click Back to modify the settings before
starting the installation. The installation process begins and can take several minutes.
The Installation Information Summary page appears after the installation completes.
Note: If you are upgrading your installation, the message Do you want to replace the
share? appears. Click Yes and continue. If you click No, a message appears, stating that
the share is already in use and you need to manually set the share to point to the correct
directory. Click OK.
9 (Optional) You can select the following option to install agents.

■ Remotely install Ghost Solution Suite agent (Windows Vista, 2008 or later only).
Select this option if you want to push the Ghost Solution Suite agent to computers
running Windows Vista, Windows 2008, or later operating systems.
10 Click Finish.
You have successfully completed a Simple Install for a Ghost Solution Suite Server system.
Click the Ghost Solution Suite Console icon on your desktop to view all the computer
resources running Ghost Solution Suite Agents configured for your Ghost Solution Suite
Server.
Note: Antivirus applications can delete service .EXE files or can disable services.
Example: When you run the Ghost Solution Suite Server Win32 Console, the "Unable to
connect to the Symantec Ghost Solution Suite Server Management Server. Please ensure
this service is started and running currently." error appears. This occurs because the
service files are deleted by the antivirus application during scanning. To resolve this issue,
disable the antivirus software and reinstall the Ghost Solution Suite Server.

The Custom Install option lets you distribute all the Ghost Solution Suite Server Components
- Ghost Solution Suite Server, Ghost Solution Suite Console, eXpress Share, and Ghost
Solution Suite Database - on different computers. You can install Ghost Solution Suite Server
on an existing SQL Server.
To run a custom install
1 Start the server and log on as the administrator account you created for the Ghost Solution
Suite Server.
the setup steps.
3 Click the Use current temp folder option to use the current temporary folder to download
Note: (Optional) Click Extract Only to only extract the application and execute the
application later. You must run the axInstall.exe file to start the installation.
5 Select the Custom Install option from the installation types listed in the Ghost Solution
Suite Server Install Configuration dialog if any of the following conditions exist:
■ You are using the NetWare file server as a eXpress Share.
■ You are managing many computers and require a distributed architecture to meet
bandwidth restrictions and other design requirements.
6 Click Install. Click Yes on the Software License Agreement page.

Solution Suite Server system applications. The eXpress Share can exist on a Microsoft
Windows server or Novell NetWare server.
Note: You can only create the share if it is on a Microsoft Windows Server; the Novell
share should already be set up. See “Deployment Share or eXpress Share ”
on page 27.
■ Browse and select the (.SLF) license file.
8 Enter the following information on the Ghost Solution Suite Server Information page:
■ Select the computer where you want to install the Ghost Solution Suite Server. You
can install the Ghost Solution Suite Server on the local computer or on a remote
computer. The IP address and the port information for the selected computer are
displayed by default.
■ Enter the path where you want to install the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Server. This account must already exist on the eXpress Share and the Ghost Solution
Suite Server. By default, the name you are currently logged on as appears. If you use
a domain account, enter the domain and the user name (Example:
Domain1\administrator).
(See “Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 19.) Click Next.
9 Enter the Ghost Solution Suite Database information and click Next.
■ Specify the Microsoft SQL Server Instance where you want to install the database.
Note: If you have already set up multiple instances of the Microsoft SQL Server, you
can identify a specific database instance in this field using the format: <SQL Server
Name>\<database instance>.
■ Depending upon the selection of the SQL Server instance, the default port at which
the selected instance is listening appears in the SQL Port Number field. You can edit
the port number if you have manually entered the SQL Server name or if the port
number does not appear automatically due to some firewall restriction.
■ You can enter a name other than eXpress in the Database Name field.
10 Select the type of Ghost Solution Suite Database authentication to be used. You must
enter the user name and password if you want to use SQL Server authentication.
Note: You cannot use the remote SQL database with NT authentication on a remote
computer if you do not have administrative rights on the computer.
Click Next.
Note: If a previous installation of the Ghost Solution Suite Database is detected, an

axinstall prompt appears, asking whether you want to preserve or overwrite the existing
database. Click Yes to preserve the data in your Ghost Solution Suite Database.
Thin client install
11 Specify how you want to connect your managed computer to the Ghost Solution Suite
Server by selecting one of the following options.
■ Select the Connect directly to Ghost Solution Suite Server option and enter the
Ghost Solution Suite Server IP address and port.
■ Select the Discover Ghost Solution Suite Server using TCP/IP multicast option
and provide the Server name.
Note: If you leave the Server name field blank, the Ghost Solution Suite agent connects
to the first Ghost Solution Suite Server that responds. Click Next.
12 Click Install to install the listed components or click Back to modify the settings before
share? appears. Click Yes and continue. If you click No, a message appears stating that
the share is already in use and you must manually set the share to point to the correct
13 (Optional) You can select one of the following option to install agents on the managed
computers.
■ Remotely Install Ghost Solution Suite agent (Windows Vista, 2008 or later only).
Select this option if you want to push the Ghost Solution Suite agent to Windows
computers directly after the installation. This can be done any time by selecting Tools
> Remote Agent Installer.
14 Click Finish.
You have successfully completed a Custom Install for a Ghost Solution Suite Server system.
Click the Ghost Solution Suite Console icon on your desktop to view all the computer resources
running Ghost Solution Suite Agents configured for your Ghost Solution Suite Server.
See “Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 35.
Thin client install

The thin client install option lets you install the Thin Client view of the Ghost Solution Suite
Console on your computer. You can install Ghost Solution Suite Server with a Microsoft SQL
2014 Express or install it on an existing SQL Server. You need not provide a license file for
the Thin Client installation.
Thin client install
To run a thin client install

the setup steps.
Symantec recommends running the installer with admin rights.
5 Select the Thin Client Install option from the installation types listed in the Ghost Solution
Suite Server Install Configuration dialog.
6 (Optional) Select the Include PXE Server option to install the PXE Server. (See “PXE
server” on page 28.) Click Install.
Solution Suite Server system applications.
Server system. This account must already exist on the eXpress Share and the Ghost
Solution Suite Server. By default, the name you are currently logged on as appears.
If you use a domain account, enter the domain and the user name (Example:
Domain1\administrator). See “Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 25.
If a previous installation of the Ghost Solution Suite Database is detected, an axinstall
prompt appears, asking whether you want to preserve or overwrite the existing
database. Click Yes to preserve the data in your Ghost Solution Suite Database.
Component install
Click Next.
9 Click Install to install the listed components, or click Back to modify the settings before
share? appears. Click Yes and continue. If you click No, a message appears, stating that
the share is already in use and you must manually set the share to point to the correct
10 (Optional) You can select the following option to install agents.

■ Remotely install Ghost Solution Suite agent (Windows Vista, Windows 2008 or
later only). Select this option if you want to push the Ghost Solution Suite agent to
computers running Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and later operating systems.
11 Click Finish.
You have successfully completed a Thin Client install for a Ghost Solution Suite Server system.
Click the Ghost Solution Suite Console icon on your desktop to view all the computer
resources running Ghost Solution Suite Agents configured for your Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Note: Antivirus applications can delete service .EXE files or can disable services.
Example: When you run the Ghost Solution Suite Server Win32 Console, the "Unable to
connect to the Symantec Ghost Solution Suite Server Management Server. Please ensure
this service is started and running currently." error appears. This occurs because the service
files are deleted by the antivirus application during scanning. To resolve this issue, disable
the antivirus software and reinstall the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Component install
The component install option lets you add selected Ghost Solution Suite Server Components
- Ghost Solution Suite Console, PXE Server, and Ghost Solution Suite Agents to the existing
eXpress Share. You can also add Microsoft Sysprep files.
To run a component install
Component install
the setup steps.
Symantec recommends running the installer with admin rights.
Note: (Optional) Click Extract Only to only extract the application and execute the
application later. You must run the axInstall.exe file to start the installation.
5 Select the Component Install option from the installation types listed in the Ghost
Solution Suite Server Install Configuration dialog and click Install.
7 Enter a path for the eXpress Share and click Next.
8 Select the components you want to install and click Next.
■ Install an additional Ghost Solution Suite Console. Select this option to install
another Ghost Solution Suite Console (a Windows executable) on another computer.
You can add as many Ghost Solution Suite Consoles as required to manage from
multiple consoles across your system, but you can install only one at a time. The Ghost
Solution Suite Console Information dialog appears.
■ Install an additional Symantec PXE Server.
Select this option to add additional PXE Servers across a network segment to handle
boot requests for large environments. The PXE Server Information dialog appears.
Master PXE Server. When you add another PXE Server, the PXE Server that you
initially installed is designated as the Master PXE Server. The Master PXE Server
works concurrently with any additional PXE Server to handle boot requests across the
network segment, but it also allocates additional blocks of IP addresses to other PXE
Servers in the system.
For all the available options for installing PXE Server, refer to the following section:
■ Install additional Ghost Solution Suite Agents. Select this option to install additional
Ghost Solution Suite Agents on client computers, setting up managed computers in
the Ghost Solution Suite Server system. The Remote Agent Install dialog appears.
Enter common administrator credentials for all client computers.
See “Enter administrator account information” on page 48.
Component install
■ Install Ghost Solution Suite Web Console

Select this option if you want to install the Ghost Solution Suite Web Console.
For system requirements and prerequisites, refer to the following:
Ghost Solution Suite Help
9 Configure GSS Server and PXE Server(s) for iPXE

Select this option if you want to use the iPXE feature for Ghost Solution Suite.
This option lets you install the iPXE components on the existing PXE servers.
Configuring iPXE
10 Select if you want to repair the PXE Manager.
Note: Symantec recommends running the repair PXE Manager option only on the
computers on which PXE manager is already installed.
Before you select the option to repair the PXE manager, ensure to comply with the
following:
■ Uninstall all the PXE components (PXE Server and PXE Manager).
■ Restart the computer.
■ Relaunch the installer and select the Repair PXE Manager option.
■ Select the Install an additional Symantec PXE server to install the PXE servers
again.
11 Select the computer where you want to install the selected components and click Next.
The Installation Information page appears.
Note: If you select the On a remote computer option, you must browse and select the
remote computer.
Component install
12 Click Install to install the listed components or click Back to modify settings before starting
the installation. The installation process begins and can take several minutes. The
Installation Information Summary page appears, specifying that the installation was
successful.
13 Select the Install add-ons to provision server hardware option to install the add-ons
for Dell computers. Click Finish.
Note: This option is enabled on Dell computers only when add-ons are present in the
oeminstall-addons section of the oeminstall.ini file, which is located in the eXpress
directory. This is the only option available on the Installation Information Summary
page when you select Component Install.
You have successfully completed a Component Install for a Ghost Solution Suite Server
system. Click the Ghost Solution Suite Console icon on your desktop to view all the computer
resources running Ghost Solution Suite Agents configured for your Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Configuring iPXE
If you plan to use the iPXE feature for Ghost Solution Suite, you must configure the Ghost
Solution Suite Server and the PXE Server.
Enter the following details to configure the Ghost Solution Suite Server and the PXE Server:
Table 2-2
Field Description
GSS Server Details You must set up the access from IIS to the
Database Server.
Username Enter the user name for GSS Server.
Password Enter the password to connect to GSS Server.
Confirm Password Enter the password again.
PXE Server Details You must configure PXE servers to enable the iPXE
feature.
Select a PXE Server Select a PXE Server from the list. You must
configure iPXE for each PXE Server individually.
Username Enter the username for the PXE Server.
Password Enter the password for the PXE Server.
Confirm Password Enter the password again.

Installing Ghost Solution Suite Agents

Each client computer requires the Ghost Solution Suite Agent to run as the Production Agent
on a local hard disk, which communicates with the Ghost Solution Suite Server and registers
in the Ghost Solution Suite Database. For Windows and Linux client computers, Ghost Solution
Suite lets you push agent software to a client computer See “Installing the automation agent”
on page 56. from a Ghost Solution Suite Console, or you can pull the Ghost Solution Suite
Agent to the client computer from the eXpress Share.
■ Ghost Solution Suite agent. Install a Production Agent to a Windows desktop, notebook,
or server computer. You can also install this agent on any supported Linux workstation or
server.
See “Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent for Windows” on page 49.
■ Ghost Solution Suite agent on Linux. Install on any supported Linux workstation or
server.
See “Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent on Linux” on page 53.
■ Automation Agent. Install on any Windows desktop, notebook, or server computer.
■ Ghost Solution Suite agent on Vista (Business) and 2008 Server. Install the Ghost
Solution Suite agent on the selected Windows Vista (Business), and Server 2008 computers.
Client connectivity and network adapters

Symantec supports all standard network adapter cards and includes many drivers with the
installation of Ghost Solution Suite. However, sometimes outdated drivers (including default
drivers that come with the hardware) cause problems when clients are in automation mode.
To avoid these problems, you should check the manufacturer's Web site for your network
adapter to ensure you use their latest driver in your pre-boot operating system configuration
file.
Some common client problems that can be solved by updating drivers are:
■ Locking when loading drivers or failing to connect to the server
■ Locking when imaging (downloading, uploading, or multicasting)
Microsoft client drivers

The Boot Disk Creator is set up to work with drivers that follow a certain standard. Because
not all NIC drivers follow that standard, you may have to move the files to a different location.
Ensure that the following files are in the same directory:
■ The sample protocol.ini that comes with your driver (protocol.ini)
■ The OEM setup file that specifies the DOS driver (oemsetup.inf)
Example: The OEM setup file may contain lines similar to the following:
[netcard]
NGRPCI="NETGEAR FA310TX Fast Ethernet PCI

Adapter",0,ndis,ethernet,real,NGRPCI,NGRPCI_NIF
[NGRPCI] (This header must be the sixth item listed in the line above)
Device=NGRPCI.DOS (If this line is missing, add it. The syntax is

device=drivername.)
If there is no protocol.ini file, create a text file that contains the following command:
DriverName=drivername.
Installing the Ghost Solution Suite agent

For client computers running a Windows operating system, Ghost Solution Suite lets you install
agent software using the Remote Agent Installer to "push" the agent to a client computer from
a Ghost Solution Suite Console. (See “Remote agent installer” on page 47.) You can also pull
the Ghost Solution Suite agent to the client computer by accessing the Windows share. You
must have administrative rights to the client computers and File and Print Sharing must be
enabled to install the agent software.
Click Remote Agent Installer on the Ghost Solution

Suite Console toolbar, or click Tool > Remote
Agent Installer to open the utility program. You can
also download DAgent.exe from the network share
to install a Ghost Solution Suite agent.
Remote agent installer

DAgent replaced AClient as the default agent for the Windows client computers. For the list
of supported operating systems, refer to the following article:
Platform Support Matrix
Windows Vista, 2008 servers, and Windows 7

You must enable file and print sharing in the Windows Firewall.
A domain user from the Domain Admins group can install the agent using the Remote Agent
Installer on the client computers if you add the user to the local administrator group. A client
computer which is a member of the domain, has the local built-in administrator disabled by
default.
Enter administrator account information

Enter common administrator credentials for all client computers, or keep the default credentials
to be prompted for each client computer.
Let me specify a username and password for each machine as it's installed. Prompts for
an administrative user name password for each computer in the remote install list. This is the
default option.
Use this username and password for all clients. Enter credentials for an administrator
account that has rights to all the client computers that you add to the remote install list.
Specify install directory

Enter a location to install the Ghost Solution Suite agent.
Install directory. Enter the path to install the Ghost Solution Suite agent on the client computer.
Enable this agent to use SIDgen and/or Microsoft Sysprep. If you plan to use SIDgen or
Sysprep to configure this computer the required files can be copied when the agent is installed.
Click Change Settings to set the Ghost Solution Suite agent settings.
Automatically add to a group

You can select one of the following options to automatically add new computers to the group
that you specify.
Add client(s) to default group. Adds new computers to the All Computers group.
Add client(s) to a specific group. Adds new computers to another group. Use back slashes
to separate subgroups.
Select computers on the network

Identify client computers on the network and add them to a list of computers to remotely install
the Ghost Solution Suite agent.
Add. Select the computers by the name in the list, or enter a computer name or IP address.
Computer Name. Enter the name of a computer on the network or its IP address.
Properties. Select a computer and view the agent install settings. You can also change Agent
settings from the Agent Properties dialog.
Import. Import new computers from a file. This file has the following parameters: -c:[computer]
-u:[username] -p:[password] -i:[input file]. The parameters must be entered in this
order. The password parameter is not required if the administrator account does not have one
assigned. If you are using the default settings, you do not need to specify an input file name.
Each computer entry must be on a separate line.
Export. You can export the listed computers into an export file to use later. The default
extension is *.RCI. Remote Agent Installer first looks for an RCI file extension.
When the computers appear in the installer list and the properties are set, click Finish. The
status of the agent install appears.
After the Ghost Solution Suite agent is installed, it automatically connects to the Ghost Solution
Suite Server and appears in the Computers pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Change settings
Click Change Settings to modify access, security and other settings on the Ghost Solution
Suite agent to be installed.
Get server security key

This page appears only if you select the Enable key-based authentication to Ghost Solution
Suite Server option in the Default Agent Settings dialog.
Enter the security key file path for the Ghost Solution Suite Server or browse and select a file
containing the security key file path.
Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent for Windows

Run dagent.msi from the eXpress Share (shared folder).
1. On the Symantec Client Service dialog, enter a location to install the Ghost Solution
Suite agent. Select one of these options, if required, and click Next:
■ Secure modification of server properties. Select to prohibit users from changing
any agent settings.
■ Enable changing of Security ID. Select to manage the security IDs to run a SID utility
as part of an imaging job.
■ Advanced. Click to open the Computer Configuration Properties dialog and enter the
settings for the Ghost Solution Suite agent you are installing.
See “Computer configuration properties” on page 96.
2. If you have enabled the security IDs, a page listing the options for managing the SIDs
appears. Select the utilities you want to use and enter the path where the utilities are
stored. Click Next to install the Ghost Solution Suite agent.
3. (Optional) Select a group in the Ghost Solution Suite Console to add the client to. You
can also leave it at the default group.
After the Ghost Solution Suite agent is installed, it connects to the Ghost Solution Suite Server
and appears in the Computers pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Scripted installation of Ghost Solution Suite agent

You can run scripted install of Ghost Solution Agent using default agent settings or you can
run the scripted install with advanced configurations.
■ Scripted install with default agent settings
■ Scripted install with advanced configuration settings
Scripted install with default agent settings

To run the scripted install of dagent, with default settings follow the following process:
■ Copy the dagent.msi from the following location:
<Install_dir>:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment
Server\Agents\AClient
■ Run the appropriate command on the client computer:

■ For x86
Dagent.msi /qn TcpAddr=<server-ip-address> TcpPort=402
■ For x64
Dagent_x64.msi /qn TcpAddr=<server-ip-address> TcpPort=402
Note: For TcpAddr, enter the IP address of the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Scripted install with advanced configuration settings

Ghost Solution Suite lets you install the Ghost Solution Suite agent with advanced
configurations. Use the Aclient.inp file to configure additional settings during dagent install on
the client computer. The Aclient.inp file is present in the C:\Program Files
(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment folder.
■ Create or edit the Aclient.inp file.

■ Copy the dagent.msi on the client computers.
■ Run the dagent.msi from the command prompt
Create or edit the Aclient.inp file.

Edit the Aclient.inp file in notepad and enter the configurations that you want to implement on
the client computer.
Create the following folder structure on the client computer and copy the Aclient.inp file:
C:\Program Files\Altiris\Dagent
Following is an example of Aclient.inp file:

;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; MCastAddr is the multicast group address to be used to find the
; Deployment Server (optional)
; MCastPort is the port number to use while multicasting (optional)
; TTL is the maximum number of hops to multicast through (optional)
; ServerName is the computer name of the server (optional)
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;MCastAddr=225.1.2.3
;MCastPort=402
;TTL=32
;ServerName=GSSSERVER
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; TcpAddr is the IP address of the Deployment Server to connect to (optional)
; TcpPort is the IP port number of the Deployment Server listening for
; requests (optional)
; Note: Specifying these parameters will switch the DAgent to use
; TCP to connect to the server.
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;TcpAddr=SERVER-IP-ADDRESS
;TcpPort=402
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; LogFile field is the full pathname to the log file (optional)
; LogSize is the maximum log file size (optional)
; LogErrors - If this is Yes, then errors will be logged
; LogInformation - If this is Yes, then information items will be
; logged.
; LogDebug - If this is Yes, then detailed debug information will be
; logged.
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;LogFile=c:\Windows\Temp\Dagent.log
;LogSize=4096
;LogErrors=Yes | No
;LogInformation=Yes | No
;LogDebug=Yes | No
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; PromptExecute parameter is used to prompt the user when tasks are
; being executed (optional)
; PromptReboot parameter is used to prompt the user before
; the computer restarts (optional)
; PromptRemoteControl parameter is used to prompt if someone attempts
; to remote control this computer.
; PromptSeconds is the number of seconds that DAgent will
; wait for a response from the user (optional)
; PromptOverride is the default action to take when the user
; has not responded to the prompts (optional)
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
;PromptExecute=Yes | No
;PromptReboot=Yes | No
;PromptRemoteControl=Yes | No
;PromptSeconds=30
;PromptOverride=Abort | Continue
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; EncryptSessions - Specifies whether or not DAgent will attempt to
; make an encrypted session with the server
; RequireEncrypt - Specifies whether or not DAgent will fail to
; connect if an encrypted session cannot be
; established.
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; EncryptSessions=Yes | No
; RequireEncrypt=Yes | No
Copy the dagent.msi on the client computers.

Copy the dagent.msi on the client computers based on the architecture of the client computers.
The dagaent.msi is present at the following location:
<Install_dir>:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment
Server\Agents\AClient
■ For x86- Dagent.msi /qn

■ For x64- Dagent_x64.msi /qn
Run the dagent.msi from the command prompt

To run the scripted install of dagent, run the appropriate command on the client computer:
■ For x86
Dagent.msi /qn
■ For x64
Dagent_x64.msi /qn
Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent on Linux

You can install the Ghost Solution Suite agent on any supported Linux workstation or server
by downloading and running the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux installation file (a .BIN
file) on the client computer. The Ghost Solution Suite agent is updated automatically on Linux
computers when you upgrade to a new version of Ghost Solution Suite. The creation date of
the Ghost Solution Suite agent is checked and updated when a new agent is available.
Note: Currently, Ghost Solution Suite does not support UEFI-based Linux computers.
Installing the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux

1 After downloading the .BIN file to a local directory, you can install from the command line.
■ Browse to the directory where you saved the .BIN file, switch to the root user (su) and
change the directory to the location of the .BIN file by entering (cd < directory>)
■ After changing the directory, you must have the permission to execute the .BIN file;
to obtain the permission, enter chmod 544 <filename>
■ Enter: ./<file name>
The Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux is installed in the

/opt/altiris/deployment/adlagent directory.
2 To change the adlagent configuration file settings, update the adlagent.conf file. This
file is located in the /opt/altiris/deployment/adlagent/conf directory. You can also
change the adlagent configuration file settings by executing the configure script from the
/opt/altiris/deployment/adlagent/bin directory.
■ To edit the configure file directly, open the adlagent.conf file located in
the/opt/altiris/deployment/adlagent/conf directory and make the required
changes.
You can also edit the configuration file to change the functionality or properties.
Example: You can open the adlagent.conf file in an editor and scroll to the [Transport]
section and the UseMcast line. Change UseMcast=true to UseMcast=false. In the
TCPAddr=<IP address> line, enter the IP address of the specific Ghost Solution Suite
Server you want to manage the client computer. You can also identify and edit additional
configuration settings in the configuration file.
■ To run the script to change the settings for the adlagent configuration file, browse to
the /opt/altiris/deployment/adlagent/bin directory from the shell and enter
./configure
You are prompted to select Multicast options to identify a Ghost Solution Suite Server
to manage the current client computer, or you can select a specific Ghost Solution
Suite Server by setting the Multicast option to false and adding the IP address of the
required Ghost Solution Suite Server.
3 After editing the configuration file, restart the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux.
To start and stop the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux, enter the full path or browse
to the /etc/rc.d/init.d directory (with administrator/root rights). You can use either the
adlagent stop and adlagent start commands, or only the adlagent restart
command. You can also use the Package Manager installed with Linux to restart the
Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux.
By stopping and starting the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Linux, the service updates
the changes made in the adlagent configuration file.
You can now view the Linux managed computer from a Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Installing Ghost Solution Suite agent on Mac computers

You can install the Ghost Solution Suite agent on any supported Mac workstation by
downloading and running the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Mac installation file on the client
computer. The Ghost Solution Suite agent is updated automatically on Mac computers when
you upgrade to a new version of Ghost Solution Suite. The creation date of the Ghost Solution
Suite agent is checked and updated when a new agent is available.
Installing the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Mac using console
1 Copy the following files from <Install_dir>\Program Files
(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Agents\ADLAgent\ from GSS server to
the Mac clients.
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.Darwin.zip
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.i386.bin
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.x86_64.bin
■ altiris-tcsdk-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.i686.bin
2 Unzip the altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.Darwin.zip file.

3 In the extracted folder check if the altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.Darwin.pkg is
extracted and install it.
Note: To start or stop the adlagent on Mac computers, navigate to

/etc/altiris/deployment/adlagent/and run the following commands:
./adlagent stop
./adlagent start
4 Enter the IP address of the Ghost Solution Suite server which you want to register.
5 Enter the IP address of Mac client computer on which you want to install the agent.
After the agent installation is complete the agent automatically gets started. The registered
Mac Agent can be viewed under All Computers section in Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Installing the Ghost Solution Suite agent for Mac using command line
1 Copy the following files from <Install_dir>\Program Files
(x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Agents\ADLAgent\ from GSS server to
the Mac clients.
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.Darwin.zip
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.i386.bin
■ altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.x86_64.bin
■ altiris-tcsdk-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.i686.bin
2 Unzip the altiris-adlagent-2.6-<buildnumber>.Darwin.zip file.

3 In the extracted folder check if the altiris-adlagent-2.6- <buildnumber>.Darwin.pkg is

extracted and run the following command to install it:
sudo installer -pkg altiris-adlagent-2.6-<bildnumber>.Darwin.pkg -target/
4 After successful installation, go to <Install Folder>/conf/ folder and edit adlagent.conf file
and provide IP of the GSS server computer.
5 Then start the adlagent process /etc/altiris/deployment/adlagent/ adlagent start.
You can now view the managed Mac computers from the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Installing the automation agent

Here are some other ways to create and install an Automation Agent, which is saved in an
embedded (recommended) or hidden partition on the client computer's hard disk.
■ For Ghost Solution Suite systems running the PXE Server, create boot menu options from
the PXE Configuration Utility, using one of the following methods: Boot Disk Creator,
Direct from floppy, or User Specified. See PXE Configuration Utility Help.
Installation help
The following are the help file topics for the Ghost Solution Suite Server installation program
that you can access by clicking Help or pressing the F1 key. These topics identify and explain
the elements on the dialogs used in the installation process.
Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server

Specify the eXpress Share (shared directory) where you want to store the image files, and
other package files. Before installing the Ghost Solution Suite Server, ensure that you have a
shared Windows or NetWare directory with free disk space and appropriate security rights.
File server path. Select the drive letter and directory path where you want to install the Ghost
Solution Suite Server. The default path is the Program Files directory on the local computer.
Create Ghost Solution Suite Share . If you are installing the Ghost Solution Suite Server on
a local Windows computer, select this option to create a shared directory as your eXpress
Share. If you are installing on a remote file server or if you select an invalid path, this option
is unavailable.
Note: If you are installing the Ghost Solution Suite Server on a remote file server, create a
share or grant access rights to the Ghost Solution Suite Server directory on the file server
before you start the installation.

Select one of the following options to configure the licensing information:
See “Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 56.
Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server using component install

Specify the eXpress Share (shared directory) where the image files, and other package files
are stored. Ensure that you have a shared Windows or NetWare directory with available disk
space and security rights before installing.
Ghost Solution Suite Server install

Install the Ghost Solution Suite Server on a server. The service is identified in the Services
section of the Windows Computer Management as Altiris eXpress Server.
See “Ghost Solution Suite Server” on page 25.
To install service on a local server
1 Select the On this computer option.
2 Enter the Ghost Solution Suite Server IP address and port information.
3 Enter the path to install the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
4 Enter the user name and password of the Ghost Solution Suite Server. For a domain
account, enter the domain and user name. Create this account before starting the
installation.
To install service on a remote server
1 Select the On a remote computer option.
2 Enter the name of the computer or browse to where you want to install. By default, the
destination path and IP address of the computer appear.
3 Enter the user name and password of an administrator account for the Ghost Solution
Suite Server computer. For domain accounts, include the domain name (Example:
orgDomain\admin). The user account must have rights to the eXpress Share. Create the
administrator domain account before starting the installation.
Ghost Solution Suite Database install

Install the Ghost Solution Suite Database on a local or remote server with or without an existing
Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) or Microsoft SQL Server. To install the database, you must
have administration rights to the selected server.
Note: If you have multiple instances of the Microsoft SQL Server already set up, you can
identify a specific instance using this format: <SQL Server Name>\<database instance>.
The instance of the database can vary. Example: If you have a clustered Microsoft SQL Server
to manage multiple Ghost Solution Suite systems on different network segments, you can
enter the name salesSegment\express or marketingSegment\express depending on the
previously established database instance.
Install the Ghost Solution Suite Database using these options:

■ Select the Microsoft SQL Server instance where you want to install your Ghost Solution
Suite Database.
■ You can also change the default SQL Port number.
■ You can rename the Ghost Solution Suite Database default name, eXpress, by entering a
different name in the Database Name field. However, this does not alter the eXpress Share
name.
PXE server install

Select the options to boot locally using the Symantec Automation Folder. For PXE-compliant
computers, you can boot across the network using the Intel Pre-boot eXecution Environment
option in the PXE Server.
Note: If you have a Novell NetWare file server, you must set up the PXE Server after installing
the Ghost Solution Suite Server. The Universal Network Device Interface (UNDI) default driver
is not supported by Novell NetWare.
■ Select the No I will be using an Symantec automation folder on each client computer
option, if you do not want to use PXE and prefer to use embedded (preferred) or hidden
partitions, or bootable media to run tasks.
Note: This option is unavailable for installing the PXE Servers using the Component Install
option.
■ Select the Yes, I want to install PXE Server on this computer option to install the PXE
Server on the local computer.
Note: This option is selected by default for the Component Install.
■ Select Yes, I want to install PXE Server on a remote computer to install the PXE Server
on a remote computer. Enter the name of the computer and the path.
■ Enter the IP address for the PXE Server and the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
■ Enter the path where you want to install the PXE Server.
■ In case of upgrade, select the pre-boot operating system that can be used as the default
PXE boot menu item.
See “Installing the automation agent” on page 56.
Client connection to server

Select the protocol your managed computers can use to connect to the Ghost Solution Suite
Server.
Connect directly to Ghost Solution Suite Server. Installs the PXE Server using the Intel
Pre-boot eXecution Environment (for PXE-compliant computers only). You can use this without
PXE for faster access, as it goes directly to the IP address without searching.
If managed computers are on a different segment or if you are using the PXE Server with an
UNDI driver, click Connect directly to Ghost Solution Suite Server and enter the IP address
of the Ghost Solution Suite Server that the managed computers can connect to. Do not change
the port number unless the default is already being used.
Note: If you change the port number, you must change the client configurations.
Discover Ghost Solution Suite Server using TCP/IP multicast. Lets the managed computers
connect to any Ghost Solution Suite Server. To use multicasting and connect to a specific
Ghost Solution Suite Server, enter the name of the Ghost Solution Suite Server computer.
Multicasting cannot be used with the UNDI driver. If you want to use different drivers on the
PXE Server, you can create multiple PXE boot files after installing.
See “Ghost Solution Suite Agents ” on page 106.
Installing components
Click Install, or click Back to change the settings.
Ghost Solution Suite Database authentication

Specify the type of authentication the Ghost Solution Suite Database will use. You can select
Windows authentication or SQL Server authentication. If you select SQL authentication, enter
the user credentials with administrative rights for the SQL database.
Use Windows NT authentication. Select this option to use the Windows network or Active
Directory authentication.
Use SQL Server authentication. Enter the user name and password set for the Microsoft
SQL Server. If using MSDE, the default "sa" user name is used and no password is required.
Add components
If you have already installed Ghost Solution Suite Server, you can add components to the
existing system. Select the type of component you want to add.
Console install
You can install the Ghost Solution Suite Console either on the local server or on multiple
remote computers. Installing the Ghost Solution Suite Console on remote servers lets you
manage servers from multiple Ghost Solution Suite Consoles across the Ghost Solution Suite
Server installation.
See “Ghost Solution Suite Console” on page 25.
■ Select the On this computer option to install the Ghost Solution Suite Console on the local
server.
Select the On a remote computer option to install the Ghost Solution Suite Console on a
remote server. Enter the computer name or browse and select a computer.
Chapter 3
Managing from the Ghost
Solution Suite Console
■ Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite Console
Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite Console

Ghost Solution Suite provides a Windows console to deploy and manage computer devices
across local or wide area networks. It also provides a Thin Client view of the Ghost Solution
Suite Console. As an IT administrator, you can manage all computer devices from one of these
Ghost Solution Suite Consoles:
The Ghost Solution Suite Console is a Windows-based console with complete deployment
and management features, security, PXE Server configuration, image editing, and other
deployment utilities and features.
The Thin Client View of the Ghost Solution Suite Console provides a simplified experience
when dealing exclusively with Thin Clients. The functionality of the Thin Client Console is
identical to that of the current Ghost Solution Suite Console. However, you can toggle from
Full View to Thin Client View.
To launch the Ghost Solution Suite Console, click the icon on the desktop, or click Start >
Programs > Altiris > Deployment Solution > Console.
Features of the Ghost Solution Suite Console

The Windows console for Ghost Solution Suite provides standard Computers, Jobs, and
Details panes to drag and drop icons, view properties, and identify the state and status of
Deployment objects. In addition, the Ghost Solution Suite Console also includes a Shortcuts
and Resources view and provides the tools, utilities, and features required for complete
computer resource management.
Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite Console 62
Set program options. From the Tools > Options dialog, you can set preferences for each
Ghost Solution Suite server system.
See “General options” on page 74.
Set security. From the Tools > Security dialog, you can set security rights and permissions
for all Ghost Solution Suite Consoles.
See “Security in Ghost Solution Suite” on page 78.
Connecting to other Ghost Solution Suite server systems. Connect to other Ghost Solution
Suite server connections from your current Ghost Solution Suite Console and manage
computers outside of your current network segment or site.
See “Connecting to another Ghost Solution Suite server” on page 85.
Ghost Solution Suite Console basics

The Ghost Solution Suite Console is your main portal to Ghost Solution Suite. It is a feature-rich
Win 32 program with real-time access to computer resources, deployment jobs, and package
files, each represented by distinct icons to identify the status and settings. From the Ghost
Solution Suite Console, you can build simple or complex deployment jobs, assign them to a
computer group, and verify deployment execution.
Because the Ghost Solution Suite Console can reside on its own server, you can have multiple
consoles running from different locations. The Ghost Solution Suite Console needs to be
running only while creating assignments or viewing information about the managed computers.
You can turn on the console, run management tasks, and turn off the console.
Scheduling information is saved in the Ghost Solution Suite Database and tasks are executed
at their scheduled time. If an assignment to a managed computer is made from two different
consoles at approximately the same time, the computer is assigned those tasks in the order
they are received.
See “Console options” on page 74. to set refresh intervals for the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Thin client view of the Ghost Solution Suite Console

The Thin Client view of the Ghost Solution Suite Console provides a simplified experience
when dealing exclusively with Thin Clients. The functionality of the Thin Client view is identical
to that of the current Ghost Solution Suite Console. However, you can switch from Full view
to Thin Client view.
The Thin Client Console has the following panes:
■ Computers
■ Resources
■ Software Packages
■ Inventory
The Computers, Resources, and Software Packages panes are on the left side of the Thin
Client view, while the Inventory pane is on the right side of the Thin Client view.
Installing the thin client view

During installation, you can install the Ghost Solution Suite Thin Client view. By default, the
traditional Ghost Solution Suite Console is installed.
If you select Thin Client view, a Thin Client Jobs system folder is created. All the jobs created
from the Ghost Solution Suite Thin Client view are stored in this folder. During the installation
process, the following folders are created in this hierarchy for the Thin Client resources:
■ Configuration Packages
■ Images
■ Software Packages
Ghost Solution Suite for Thin Clients uses the same installation program as Ghost Solution
Suite. No licensing is required even if you select Thin Client Install.
To install Thin Client, choose one of the following options:
To install thin client
■ On the Ghost Solution Suite server Install Configuration dialog, select the Thin Client Install
option. The Ghost Solution Suite Console Thin Client View appears.
■ On the Ghost Solution Suite server Installation dialog, select the Simple Install option. The
Ghost Solution Suite Console appears. Click View > Show Thin Client View. The Ghost
Solution Suite Console Thin Client View appears.
Switching between two views

When you switch between the traditional view and the Thin Client view, you can maintain the
last state in which you viewed the console. This ensures that you open the console in the same
view that you last closed it in.
To switch between the traditional and the thin client view
1 Click View.
2 Select Show Thin Client View.
Note: By default, the Thin Client view is visible if you select Thin Client Install.
When you switch to the Thin Client view, all the menus and items that are not necessary for
the Thin Client view are unavailable. These are visible when you switch to the traditional view.
Computers pane
This pane is the same as that in the traditional view. However, only thin clients are displayed.
You can right-click this pane to view a new menu. When you right-click a thin client, you can
view the following options:
■ Capture Configuration
■ Capture Images
■ Deploy Configuration
■ Install Automation Folder
■ Get Inventory
■ Power Control
■ Properties
■ Delete
■ Manage Inventory View
If you select a Capture option, a text field appears, prompting you for the name of the captured
resource. By default, the name is the same as the serial number on the Thin Client, which you
can change.
If you select a deploy option, a list of the available resources appears for the selected type,
such as Configurations, Images, or Software Packages. You can select a resource from this
list.
To create a job
You can create a job in one of the following ways:
■ Select any of the first six options from the Computers pane. All these jobs are scheduled
at the current time.
Note: The Schedule Computers for Job dialog does not have the Job Schedule tab. Also,
all the automation jobs have the default option selected for boot image.
■ Drag resources to the Computers pane or computers to the Resources pane to schedule
jobs at the current time.
Note: Ensure that you have the required permissions to drag and drop resources.
All thin client job details are saved in the Thin Client Jobs system folder. You cannot delete or
rename this new system folder from the console.
All the above options, except Properties, are disabled when the client is not active.
Note: All the jobs on the thin clients are automatically created and scheduled by the console,
and this happens only when the clients are active. When creating the jobs, the console refers
to the operating system type (platform) of the client.
Resources pane
This pane is a tree view listing all the resources that you can drag and drop to the thin clients
and vice versa. The following types of resources appear in this pane:
■ Configuration Packages. Example: Captured Registry Settings.
■ Images
■ Software Packages. Example: HP Tools.
Note: All these resources reside in the eXpress share in the ThinClient directory.
When you click any of the submenus corresponding to the subdirectories within the ThinClient
directory, the tree expands and displays all the resources included in the directory. If the folder
is empty, an appropriate message appears. You can rename or delete the resources.
Software packages
The Software Packages pane displays the software packages that can be created for the
available computers. You can drag and drop this resource to the thin clients and vice versa.
When you right-click the Software Packages pane, you can view the following options:
■ New folder. Select this option to create a new folder.
■ Import. Select this option to import a job.
See “To import a job” on page 66.
■ Rename. Select this option to rename a folder.
Note: You cannot rename the Software Packages pane. You can only rename a folder.
■ Delete. Select this option to delete folders.

■ Find Software Packages. Select this option to find software packages.
To import a job
1 Open the Thin Client view.
2 Right-click the Software Packages pane and select Import.
The Import Job dialog appears.
3 In the Job file to import field, browse and specify the file that you want to import.
Note: By default, the Import to Job Folder, Overwrite existing Jobs and Folders with the
same names, and Delete existing Jobs in folder options are disabled.
To preserve the source operating system file paths of Scripted Install, select the Preserve
Scripted Install OS source paths option.
Click OK.
To delete the Software Packages option from the Ghost Solution Suite Console
1 Open the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
2 In the Jobs pane, select System Jobs > Thin Client Jobs > Software Packages.
3 Right-click Software Packages and select Delete.
A confirmation dialog opens.
4 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
The Software Packages option is deleted from the Ghost Solution Suite Console view.
Note: The Software Packages option is automatically added in the Jobs pane in System
Jobs > Thin Client Jobs when you switch from the Ghost Solution Suite Console view
to the Thin Client view.
Inventory pane
This pane displays a table that lists all the thin clients identified by the console. The following
columns appear in the Inventory pane:
■ Name
■ Computer Status
■ Action Status
■ Product Name
■ Operating System
■ Image Version
■ Flash Size
■ Memory Size
■ BIOS Version
You can select which columns to view. The following columns are available, but do not appear:
■ Automation Partition
■ CPU
■ Domain Name
■ IP address
■ MAC address
To view Inventory columns
1 Right-click the Inventory pane. The Manage Inventory Columns dialog appears.
2 You can add columns to either the Selected columns list or the Available columns list
by clicking the required arrows.
3 Click OK.
Toolbars and utilities

The toolbars and menus on the Ghost Solution Suite Console provide major features and utility
tools to deploy and manage computers from the console. From the Main toolbar, you can
create new jobs and computer accounts and run basic deployment tasks. On the Tools toolbar,
you can launch Ghost Solution Suite administration tools and package editing tools. It also
includes icons to quickly run commonly used remote operations.
Ghost Solution Suite utility tools

The Ghost Solution Suite Console lets you open utility programs from the Tools menu or from
the Tools toolbar. You can launch Ghost Solution Suite administration tools (Boot Disk Creator,
PXE Configuration, and Remote Agent Installer) and package editing tools (Wise MSI Editor,
PC Transplant Editor, and Image Explorer) from the toolbar.
Table 3-1 Ghost Solution Suite utility tools
Tool Description
Boot Disk Creator Use this tool to create boot disk configurations, and
automation and network boot media to image client
computers. The Boot Disk Creator can maintain several
different boot disk configurations for different types of
network adapter cards. See Symantec Boot Disk Creator
help.
PXE Configuration After installing the PXE Server, you can create and modify
configurations, which make up the boot menu options that
appear on client computers. This is another option to boot
computers to automation. See the Symantec PXE
Configuration help.
Remote Agent Installer Remotely install the Deployment Agent on client computers
from the console. This utility lets you push the agent
installation to client computers from the Ghost Solution
Suite Console. DAgent is the default agent for all Windows
platforms.
PC Transplant Editor Use this tool to edit a Personality Package to add or

remove data. See the Symantec PC Transplant Help
located in the eXpress Share.
Ghost Explorer After a disk image is saved to the eXpress Share, this tool
lets you view and manage data in the image file. You can
edit and split an image, create an index, and more. See
the Symantec Image Explorer help file located in the
eXpress Share.
Wise MSI Editor Edit .MSI packages generated from the Wise Setup
Capture tool or other .MSI files used to distribute software
and other files.
Extending the tools menu

You can add commands to the Tools menu on the Ghost Solution Suite Console to quickly
access additional management applications. This lets you easily access applications commonly
used with Ghost Solution Suite.
Commands are added by modifying or adding new .INI files. You can insert commands to the
root ATools.ini file for the main menu or add new .INI files to create submenus. Place both
types of .INI files in the directory where the Ghost Solution Suite Console executable
(eXpress.exe) is located. The default location is Program Files(x86)\\Altiris\
eXpress\Deployment Server.
You can add up to eight menu items to the main menu, and eight menu items for each submenu.
These .INI fields are included for each application added to the "Tools > Symantec Legacy
Tools" menu:
[Application name or submenu declaration]
MenuText=<the application name displayed in the menu>
Description=<the name displayed when you mouse over the menu item>
WorkDir=<directory set as default when executable is run>
Executable=<path to the executable files>
The ATools.ini file extends the main Tools menu on the console. This sample file contains one
submenu, Web Tools, and two additional menu items, Notepad and Netmeeting. The .INI files
are located in the eXpress Share.
[Submenus]
Web Tools=wtools.ini
[Notepad]
MenuText=Notepad Editor
Description=Simple Editor
WorkDir=.
Executable=C:\WINNT\notepad.exe
[NetMeeting]
MenuText=NetMeeting
Description=NetMeeting
WorkDir=.
Executable=C:\Program Files\NetMeeting\conf.exe
Another Tools .INI file is wtools.ini. It is a submenu file referenced by the main ATools.ini file.
On the main menu, this is titled "Web Tools" (see Tools.ini) and contains two applications,
Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat.
[Explorer]
MenuText=Explorer
Description=Windows Explorer
WorkDir=.
Executable=C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\explorer.exe
[Acrobat]
MenuText=Acrobat Reader
Description=Acrobat Reader
WorkDir=.
Executable=C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat\acrobat.exe
GhostCast Server
GhostCasting lets multiple computers running Symantec Ghost Solution Suite receive the
same information over a computer network simultaneously. For example, you can send image
files to multiple computers.
The GhostCast Server works with Ghost Solution Suite or restore an image file onto a number
of client computers.
The GhostCast Server supports the following forms of data transfer for transferring files:
■ Unicasting
One Unicast stream of data is sent for each client computer
■ Direct Broadcast
The data is sent to all computers on a specified subnet. If more than one subnet is targeted,
one stream is sent to each subnet.
■ Multicast
The data is sent to all of the computers on the network that have requested the data. Only
one stream of data is sent.
The following table lists the fields and description of the GhostCast Server dialog.
Table 3-2 GhostCast Server
Field Description
Session Name Enter a name of the session
Image File Browse and select the image file that you want to
send to the client computers
Disk Select the disk of the client computer that you want
to restore.
Partition Select if the partition of the client computer that you

want to restore.
Restore Image Select if you want to restore an image.
Create Image Select if you want to create image of the client

computer.
Table 3-2 GhostCast Server (continued)
Field Description
More Options>> Displays the following options:

Client command line options
■ Disk No.
Select the disk number from the drop-down list
■ Partition No.
Select the partition number from the drop-down
list
■ Command line
Enter the command to be executed
Auto Start
■ Time
Enter the time after which the session should
start automatically
■ Client count
Enter the number of clients on which the task
should start automatically
■ Timeout
Enter the time for which the GhostCast Server
waits after a client computer receives the task.
Accept clients Select this option so that the GhostCast Server

waits till the clients connect.
Send Click to start the session.
Stop Click to stop the session.
To set the range of IP addresses and log settings, navigate to File > Options.
Following are the field and description of the Options dialog:
Table 3-3 Options
Field Description
Force Mode Check the check box to enable Force Mode. You
can select from either of the following:
■ Unicast
■ Multicast
■ Direct Broadcast
Table 3-3 Options (continued)
Field Description
Limit data throughput for You can set the maximum limit of the data
transferred:
■ Restoring
Set the limit for restoring in MB per minute
■ Creating
Set the limit for creating image in MB per minute
Action on completion Select the action to be performed after the

GhostCast Server session is complete:
■ Restart Operation
Relaunches GhostCast Server
■ Close GhostCast Server
Exits the GhostCast Server
Use Specified Multicast Address Range Enter the range of IP addresses on which the task
should be performed.
Multicast scope TTL Set the multicast scope Time-To-Live (TTL) value.
It specifies the number of routers (hops) that

multicast traffic is permitted to pass through before
expiring on the network.
Log Clients Browse to select the client logs.
Troubleshooting You can set the type of logs to be captured and

select the path to store the log file.
■ Log Level
■ None
■ Error
■ Statistical
■ Warning
■ Information
■ All
■ Browse and select the log file in which the logs
are captured.
Computer filters and job conditions

Use this dialog while creating a computer group filter to filter only the specified computers in
a computer group, or while setting conditions for task sets when running a job only on the
specified computers in a group.
See “Creating a computer group filter” on page 73.
See “Setting conditions for task sets” on page 147.
Creating conditions to assign jobs

You can set conditions on a scheduled job to run only on the computer devices that match a
defined criteria. As a result, you can create a single job with tasks defined for computers with
varying properties, including the type of the operating system, network adapters, processors,
free disk space, and other computer properties. For each job, you can now create task sets
that are applicable only to the computers matching those conditions.
Click a job in the Jobs pane. The Condition feature appears in the Details pane. Click Setup
to add new conditions or edit existing conditions. When you are setting conditions to schedule
a job, select from a list of predefined database fields or create custom tokens that key on other
fields in the database.
Creating a computer group filter

The Computer Filters dialog displays a list of all computers in a group according to the
specified criteria. Example: You can create a filter to view all the computers in a particular
group that have Windows 2000, 256 MB of RAM, and 20 GB hard disks only. By applying the
filter, you can view all the computers that meet the specified criteria in the Details pane of the
Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Click a computer group in the Computers pane. The Filter feature appears in the Details pane
for the selected computer group. Click Setup to add new filters, or to modify and delete existing
computer filters.
To create or modify a computer filter
1 Click the All Computers group or any other computer group.
2 On the Filter bar in the Details pane, click Setup > New to create a new filter.
Or
Click Setup > Modify.
3 Type a name for the filter and click Add. The Filter Definition page appears.
4 Define the conditions you want to filter.

Click the Field box to see a list of computer values stored in the Ghost Solution Suite
Database. Select a computer value and set the appropriate operation from the Operations
list. In the Value box, enter an appropriate value for the selected database field. Example:
You can choose Computer Name as the Field, Contains as the Operation, and Sales as
the Value.
5 Repeat to include other conditions. Click OK.
General options
Use the Program Options feature to set the general options for Ghost Solution Suite. Click
Tools > Options to view the Program Options dialog.
■ Console options
See “Console options” on page 74.
■ Global options
See “Global options” on page 75.
■ Task password options
See “Task password options” on page 76.
■ Domain accounts options
See “Task password options” on page 76.
■ RapiDeploy options
■ Agent settings options
■ Custom data sources options
Console options
Set basic console features for miscellaneous refresh actions and warning messages.
Scan resource files for changes every ____ seconds. Specify how frequently (in seconds) the
Ghost Solution Suite Console updates its view of package files in the Resources view.
See Shortcuts and resources view.
Warn user when no tasks are assigned to the 'default' condition. When a job is assigned to
computers and the default condition has no tasks assigned, a message appears. The job has
no secondary default tasks assigned if a computer in the group does not meet the primary
conditions.
See Setting conditions for task sets.
Refresh displayed data every ____ seconds. Refresh the display of data accessed from the
Ghost Solution Suite Database. This lets you refresh console data at defined intervals instead
of updating every time the Ghost Solution Suite Console receives a command from the server,
which can be excessive traffic in large enterprises.
Global options
Set global options for the Ghost Solution Suite server system.
Delete history entries older than _____ days. Specify the number of days entries are kept
in the history before they are deleted. Enter any number between 1 and 10,000. If you don't
select this option, log entries remain in the history.
Remove inactive computers after ____ days. Specify the number of days you want to keep
inactive computers in the Ghost Solution Suite Database before they are deleted. The default
value is 30 days, but any number between 1 and 10,000 is valid.
Synchronize display names with computer names. Automatically update the displayed
name of the managed computer names in the console when the client computer name changes.
If this option is not selected, changes to the computer names are not reflected in the console.
Synchronization is off by default. The names do not have to be synchronized for the Ghost
Solution Suite server to manage the computer.
Reschedule failed image deployment jobs to immediately retry. Immediately retry a failed
image deployment job. The program continues to retry until the job succeeds or until the job
is canceled.
Client/server file transfer port: _____. Specifies a static TCP port for file transfers to the
clients. The default value is 0 and causes the server to use a dynamic port. This setting is
useful if you have a firewall and need to use a specific port rather than a dynamically assigned
port.
Automatically replace expired trial licenses with available regular licenses. Lets Ghost
Solution Suite automatically assign a permanent license to the computer after the trial license
expires.
Note: Be careful when using this option. Ensure that you do not give a permanent license to
computers you do not want to manage after their trial license expires.
Display Imaging status on console. Displays the status of the imaging job on the Ghost
Solution Suite Console.
Remote control ports. Specifies ports for using the Remote Control feature. You have the
option to enter a primary port address and a secondary port address (Optional).
Remove task passwords when exporting or copying jobs. Specifies that you must remove
the task password when exporting or copying jobs.
Display only computers and jobs the user has rights to manage. Displays only the
computers and jobs that the user has rights to manage. If this option is not selected, all of the
computers and jobs are displayed. If this option is selected when security is enabled and the
logged-on user has administrator rights, all computers and jobs are displayed. However, if this
option is selected when security is enabled and the logged-on user does not have administrator
rights, that user's view is restricted to see the jobs and computers that the user only has rights
to. A computer is displayed if the logged-on user has any permission on the computer's group
or if the computer's group inherits any permissions from a parent folder.
Do not update configuration data on a failed configuration task. If checked, does not
overwrite the data in the Ghost Solution Suite database if a configuration task fails. The
database is not updated until a successful configuration task finishes running.
Primary lookup key(s). Specifies the lookup key type(s) used to associate a new computer
with a managed computer. The options are Serial Number, Asset Tag, UUID, or MAC Address.
Sysprep Settings. This lets you enter global values for Sysprep.
See “ Sysprep settings” on page 76.
Sysprep settings
View and configure the Sysprep settings for the Ghost Solution Suite server.
OS product key dialog

In the OS Product Key dialog, select the suitable operating system from the Operating System
drop-down list. After you select the operating system, a list of all product keys for the selected
operating system appears. Select an operating system from the Operating System drop-down
list, and click Add to type the Product Key. You can type up to 29 characters for the Product
Key. The new product key is added to the list of available keys of the selected operating system.
To modify a product key, select the product key to be modified, and click Edit. To remove a
product key, select the product key to be deleted, and click Remove.
Note: If the product key is being used by another task, you cannot delete the product key. You
are prompted with a message stating that the product key is being used by another task.
Task password options

According to the network and security properties, the passwords for administrators and users
change after a certain number of days. In such a scenario, the password becomes invalid and
all jobs and tasks using the user name whose password changes must be modified to use the
new password. The Task Password option provides administrators with a simple option to
manage all password changes from a centralized location.
This feature lets you set or change user passwords from a central location, so you can modify
the password for the Copy File to, Distribute Software, Run Script, Distribute Personality, and
Capture Personality tasks when creating or modifying jobs. However, this tab is enabled only
to administrators and select users who have been granted the appropriate privileges.
The Status field displays the results of password updates. Example: User A's user name and
password is used in ten tasks. If you want to update the password for these ten tasks, you can
do so through the Task Password option. After the password is updated, the Status field
displays the message: Password for 10 tasks updated.
Domain accounts options

This sign-on feature retrieves the name of the administrator (or the user with administration
rights) and the password for each domain. This feature lets you avoid needing to log on for
each managed computer when you run imaging and configuration jobs.
You can provide the user credentials for the parent domain or a trusted domain in this window.
Ghost Solution Suite supports the UPN and SAM formats, and it accepts either the parent
domain user's credentials or the domain user's credentials for any configuration jobs.
Click Add to enter the Domain name. The Add Domain Account page appears. Enter the
name of the selected domain and provide the administrator credentials. Click OK. The
administrator name and domain are listed in the Domain Accounts list box.
Agent settings options

These default settings are applied only for new client computers that have never connected
to the Ghost Solution Suite server, and have no information stored in the Ghost Solution Suite
Database. These settings are not for the existing managed computers, nor are these settings
applied when setting properties using the Remote Agent Installer.
When the Deployment Agent connects, the Ghost Solution Suite server verifies if the computer
is a new or an existing computer. If the client computer is new and if the Force new agents to
take these default settings option is selected, the Deployment Agent on the client computer
receives the default settings established in the Options > Agent Settings dialog. If the computer
is recognized as an existing managed computer, it uses the existing agent settings. The same
process occurs for automation agents if the Force new Automation agents to take these default
settings option is selected.
Force new agents to take these default settings. Select this option to force the default settings
when adding a new computer.
Force new Automation agents to take these default settings. Select this option to force the
default settings when adding a new automation agent connects.
Custom data sources options

This option lets you set up credentials to authenticate to external Ghost Solution Suite
Databases and other Microsoft SQL Server databases to extract data using custom tokens.
Click Add to enter an administrator alias and other login information for the Microsoft SQL
Server (or MSDE) hosting the desired Ghost Solution Suite Database.
The information required to create a custom data source entry is listed below:
■ Alias. The alias name you want to use when referencing the external SQL database.
■ Server. The name of the external SQL database server or IP address.
■ Database. The name of the external database from which you want to extract data.
■ Use Integrated Authentication. This option authenticates to the external database using
the domain account you are currently logged on as.
■ User name and Password. When the integrated authentication is not being used, you must
provide a user name and password to authenticate to the external database.
■ Allowed Stored Procedures. Click this tab to modify the existing list.
See “ Allowed stored procedure list” on page 78.
Allowed stored procedure list

Click Allowed Stored Procedures to identify the stored procedures from the selected custom
data source. You can now select from the list of available stored procedures in the data source.
This lets you call stored procedures outside of the Ghost Solution Suite Database (eXpress
database) using custom tokens within scripts or answer files.
Security in Ghost Solution Suite

Ghost Solution Suite provides a security system based on associating job and computer objects
with user and group permissions, letting IT personnel be assigned to different security groups
to manage operations on specific computer groups or job folders. Each security group can
perform only a defined scope of deployment operations on each computer group or job folder.
Additionally, each user can be assigned rights to access general console features. You can
also choose whether to specify that scripts on run only on the Ghost Solution Suite server.
Note: Security rights and permissions set in one console are enforced in all Ghost Solution
Suite Consoles.
To set general security rights, click Tools > Security and add a user name and password. You
can create users and groups and set scope-based rights.
To set feature-based permissions for specific computers or jobs, select the object in the console,
right-click and select Permissions.
See “ Best practices for Ghost Solution Suite security” on page 79.
See “Enabling security” on page 79.
See “Setting permissions” on page 84.,

See “Groups” on page 81.
See “Rights” on page 82.
Best practices for Ghost Solution Suite security

Ghost Solution Suite is based on defining groups of users and groups of computers and jobs,
and associating one with another. We recommend that you first create user groups based on
administration duties or access to levels of deployment operations. For example, you probably
set up a group with full Administrator rights. This group has access to run all operations on all
computers using all types of jobs. No permissions need to be set on each computer group or
job folders for the Administrator group because this has full rights to all features and resources.
However, you can also set up a Technician group that has only basic access and permissions
limiting deployment operations. This prohibits members of the group from re-imaging the Server
computer group or scheduling Distribute Disk Image jobs. You can explicitly Allow or Deny the
group from running these operations for each computer group in the Computers pane or each
job folder in the Jobs pane.
After creating the Technician group, you can limit their rights to set General Options and set
permissions on each computer groups and job folder for the group. You can select the computer
group, right-click it and select Permissions. Select the group name in the left pane, and click
Allow or Deny for a list of deployment operations. Example: You can select the Deny check
boxes for Restore, Schedule Create Disk Image, and Schedule Distribute Disk Image.
Additional groups can be created with different rights and permissions depending on the needs
and responsibilities in the IT team. If users are assigned to multiple groups, the Evaluate
Permissions and Evaluate Rights features are sorted and display effective permissions and
rights.
Enabling security
You can enable security by first creating a group with Administrator rights, adding a user to
the Administrator group, and selecting Enable Security.
Note: When the Administrator Right is selected, you do not need to select any other rights
because the Administrator Right implies that all other rights are selected.
To enable security
1 Click Tools > Security.
The Security dialog appears.
2 Click the Manage User Groups tab and click Add. The Add User Group dialog appears.
3 Select the authentication type. You can add a DS group or a group from the Active
Directory. To add groups from Active Directory, refer to the following section:
See “Adding groups from the Active Directory” on page 82.
4 Click DS Group.
Note: The Browse option is disabled for Local Group.
5 Type a name and description in the Add User Group dialog. Click OK.
The group name appears in the window.
6 Select the new group name and click Rights.
7 Select Administrator in the Rights dialog. This assigns complete rights and permissions
to the group. Click OK, and click Close.
8 On the main Security dialog, click the Manage Users tab, and click Add.
The Add User Account dialog appears.
9 Select the authentication type. You can add a GSS user or a user from the Active Directory.
To add users from the Active Directory, refer to the following sections:
See “Adding groups from the Active Directory” on page 82.
10 Select the GSS User option in the Add User Account dialog.
Note: The Browse option is disabled for GSS User.
11 Type the user name, full name, and password. Retype the password, and enter a
description for the user. Click OK.
12 Select the user name in the main Security dialog. Click Rights.
13 Click the name of the new Administrator group in the Groups window. This assigns the
new user to the new group with Administrator rights. Click OK.
Note: You can assign the user Administrator rights directly, but we recommend you to
assign users to groups.
14 Now that you have a user with administrator rights, select the Enable Security box.
Security is now enabled. You can now create users and groups and assign permissions to
computer groups and job folders.
You can add users from the Active Directory.

Adding users from the Active Directory
1 In the main Security dialog, click the Manage Users tab, and click Add.
2 Select the AD User option in the Add User Account dialog.
3 If you know the user name, type it in the User name field, or click Browse to select the
user from the Active Directory.
The password field is deactivated because the user is being added from the Active
Directory.
Note: You can add only one user at a time. To import users, see Importing users from the
Active Directory.
4 Enter a description for the user in the Description box.

5 Click OK.
Importing users from the Active Directory

You can also import users from the Active Directory. To open a standard Windows Active
Directory dialog, from the main Security dialog, click the Manage Users tab, and click AD
Import. Add users from Active Directory, not groups. The users are added to the Ghost Solution
Suite Database. However, you still need to assign the users to security groups with appropriate
rights and permissions.
Note: When logging on with the imported AD account, Ghost Solution Suite accessed the
Windows Active Directory server to validate the user password.
Groups
Assign the user to previously created groups. If you are enabling security, you can assign the
user to a group with Administration rights.
To add groups, from the Security dialog, click the Manage User Groups tab, and click Add.
Select the authentication type, and type the required details. You can view the members of
any group by clicking the group in the Manage User Groups dialog and clicking View Members.
See “Enabling security” on page 79.
Adding groups from the Active Directory

You can add users from the Active Directory.
To add groups from the Active Directory
1 In the main Security dialog, click Manage User Groups tab, and click Add.
2 Select AD Group in the Add User Group dialog.
3 If you know the group name, enter it in the Name field, or click Browse to select the group
from the Active Directory. A list of groups, along with their descriptions, appears in a new
dialog. Select a group from the list and click OK.
4 The Name, Domain, and Description are displayed. However, you can modify the
description. Click OK.
The newly added group appears in the main Security dialog.
Importing groups from the Active Directory

You can also import users from the Active Directory. In the main Security dialog, click the
Manage User Groups tab, and click AD Import to open a standard Windows Active Directory
dialog. Add groups from Active Directory. You can choose a domain from the Domain List,
and select a group from the displayed list. The group is added to the Ghost Solution Suite
Database. However, you still need to assign the users to security groups with appropriate
rights and permissions.
DS authentication
If the user is already in the Ghost Solution Suite Database and tries to access the Ghost
Solution Suite Console, the Ghost Solution Suite server checks the authentication with the
logged on user, and upon matching does not prompt for user credentials. Similarly, if a group
is already added in the Ghost Solution Suite Database and if a logged-on user, who is a part
of the AD group, tries to access the Ghost Solution Suite Console, the Ghost Solution Suite
server does not prompt for credentials.
Rights
This dialog lets you set general rights for a user or group.
To verify, add, or change the rights assigned to each console user
1 On the Security page, select a user and click Rights.
2 Click the Rights tab.
3 Select the check box for each right you want to grant.
4 After selecting all applicable rights, click OK to save your changes.
A brief explanation of each Ghost Solution Suite server right that can be assigned is given
below:
■ Administrator. Lets the user access all features available on the Ghost Solution Suite
Console. You must have Administrator rights to enable security.
See Enabling security.
■ Options Console. Lets you set the view and the Console options.
See Console options.
■ Options Global. Lets you set the view and the Global options.
See Global options.
■ Options Domain Accounts. Lets you set the view and the Domains Accounts options.
See Domain accounts options.
See “ Domain accounts options” on page 77.
■ Options RapiDeploy. Lets you set the view and the RapiDeploy options.
See RapiDeploy options.
■ Options Agent Settings. Lets you set the view and the Agent Settings options.
See Agent settings options.
■ Options Custom Data Sources. Lets you create Custom Data Sources options. You can
view, create, and set database aliases.
See “ Custom data sources options” on page 77.
■ Manage Rejected Computers. Lets you view rejected computers in Ghost Solution Suite
and change their status.
See Rejected computers in Ghost Solution Suite.
■ Refresh Clients. Lets you refresh Ghost Solution Suite clients. See Refresh Ghost Solution
Suite. You can use the View > Refresh clients <CTRL +F5> feature to disconnect and
reconnect client computers.
■ Allow Scheduling on All Computers Group. Lets you schedule jobs on All Computers.
If you have administrator rights, by default, you have the rights to schedule job on all
computers, irrespective of the check box state. You can grant this right to a specific user
or a group.
■ Import/Export. Lets you import and export jobs and import computers as well.
See Importing and exporting jobs and Importing new computers from a text file.
■ Options Task Password. Lets you centrally update passwords for users and groups so
they can access the Copy File to, Distribute Software, Run Script, Distribute Personality,
and Capture Personality tasks. You must have administrative rights to access this option.
See Task password options.
■ Use PXE Configuration Utility. Lets you use the PXE Configuration Utility.
■ Options Virtual Centers. Lets you view and add options for Virtual Centers.
See Virtual centers options.
■ Run Script on DS. Lets you choose to run scripts either on the server or on the client.
■ Access to Master Return Code. If unchecked, restricts access to the master return code
list. If checked, lets you modify the master return code list.
■ Allow DeployAnywhere. Lets you run DeployAnywhere to create hardware independent
images. This functionality is provided by Symantec Ghost Imaging Foundation (GIF). To
add and manage drivers, on the Tools menu, click the new DeployAnywhere option. To
enable this functionality, select the DeployAnywhere option from the deploy image task.
Restricting the number of computers

This dialog lets you restrict the maximum number of computers that can be selected.
Restricting the number of computers
1 On the Security page, select a user and click Rights.
2 Click the Restrictions tab.
3 Type the maximum number of computers that each job can be scheduled on.
4 Check the box if you want this user to be able to schedule jobs to run immediately.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
Setting permissions
Set permissions for jobs, job folders, computers, and computer groups.
See “ Best practices for Ghost Solution Suite security” on page 79. for additional design tips.
Setting permissions
1 Right-click on a computer group or job folder (or individual computers and jobs) and select
Permissions. The Object Security dialog appears.
2 Click the Groups tab and select a group name. Or click the User tab and select a user
name.
3 From the list in the right pane, select if you want to Accept or Deny permission to run the
operations on the selected computer or job objects. These permissions include access
to remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite and features for scheduling Deployment
tasks.
4 Select the Allow or Deny check box to explicitly set security permissions for these Ghost
Solution Suite features for the selected objects.
Note: Administrators have access to all objects with unrestricted rights and permissions.
You cannot explicitly deny permissions to computer or job objects for users with
administrator rights.
5 To assign permissions to multiple groups, click Set permissions on all child objects to
assign the values without closing the dialog.
Note: You can set permissions for all jobs and computers by clicking in the Jobs pane or
Computers pane without selecting a job or computer object.
Connecting to another Ghost Solution Suite server

From the Ghost Solution Suite Console, you can connect to other Ghost Solution Suite servers
on your LAN and manage computers outside of the network segment you are currently logged
on to. To open a connection, you must connect to the Ghost Solution Suite Database of the
preferred Ghost Solution Suite server connection using the ODBC Data Source Administrator.
Click File > Connect to or press CTRL+O to open the Connect to Ghost Solution Suite
Server dialog. Enter the required information to connect to the external Ghost Solution Suite
server connections using an ODBC driver.
Note: Although you are accessing another connection (another Ghost Solution Suite Database),
Windows remembers the last place you browsed to, which would be the eXpress Share of the
previous Ghost Solution Suite server connection. You need to browse to the new connection's
eXpress Share to access its shared folder that contains its images, executables, and other
resources.
Connecting to a new Ghost Solution Suite Database

1 Click New. The Define Connection Information dialog appears.
2 Enter a name for the connection to be opened.
3 Establish an ODBC data source.
■ Click ODBC Administrator.
■ Click the System DSN tab, and click Add.
■ Select the SQL Server driver source and click Finish.
■ In the Create a New Data Source to SQL Server dialog, enter a name and description
for the data source.
■ If an entry for your server already exists, select it from the menu. Otherwise, enter the
name of the server hosting your remote SQL server in this field. Click Next.
■ Click Next in the Create a New Data Source to SQL Server dialog to accept the
default settings for authentication.
■ Select the Change the default database to option and select eXpress from the
drop-down list. Click Next.
■ Click Finish. The specifications for the new ODBC data source appear.
■ Click Test Data Source to verify that the source is reachable.
■ Click OK. You return to the main ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog with your
new data source listed in the System DSN tab. Click OK.
4 From the ODBC Data source name drop-down list in the Define Connection Information
dialog, select the new Data Source name you just created.
5 In the Installation Directory path field, enter or browse the full UNC path (or path using
any locally mapped drive) to the directory of the required Ghost Solution Suite server,
such as:
\\server\express or H:
6 Click OK.
Rejected computers in Ghost Solution Suite

When an unwanted managed client computer attaches to your Ghost Solution Suite system,
you can right-click the computer in the Computers pane and select Advanced > Reject
Connection. You can view these rejected computers by clicking View > Rejected Computers.
The rejected computers are prohibited from being active in the Ghost Solution Suite Database.
They are identified and rejected by their MAC address.
You can remove computers from the Rejected Computers list by selecting it and clicking
Accept Computer(s). This lets the computer to attach again and be managed by the Ghost
Solution Suite system.
Refresh Ghost Solution Suite

You can refresh the Ghost Solution Suite Console by clicking View > Refresh Console (or
pressing <F5>) to update data from the Ghost Solution Suite Database. You can also click
View > Reset Client Connections (or press Ctrl+<F5>) to disconnect and reconnect all
managed computers in a Ghost Solution Suite server system.
When you refresh the managed client computers, you are asked if you want to disconnect all
computers. Click Yes. This tells the Ghost Solution Suite Agent to shut down and restart. It
also creates additional network traffic when all computers connect and disconnect. By refreshing
the managed client computers, you ensure that you are viewing the current status and state
of all computers resources in your system.
Chapter 4
Managing Computers
■ Managing computers
■ Viewing computer details
■ Adding new computers
■ Computer configuration properties
■ Ghost Solution Suite Agents
■ Computer properties
■ Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite
■ Deploying and managing servers
■ New Dynamic Machine Groups
Managing computers
From the Computers pane of a Ghost Solution Suite console, you can identify, deploy, and
manage all computer resources across your organization, including desktop computers,
notebook computers, servers, and network switches. You can quickly modify any computer's
configuration settings or view its complete management history. Or you can take on big projects,
such as completely re-image the hard drive, restore software, and migrate personality settings
for a whole department. You now have management of all your computer resources available
from a Windows console from any location.
All computer resources can be accessed and managed as single computers or organized into
computer groups with similar hardware configurations or deployment requirements, letting you
run deployment jobs or execute operations on multiple computers simultaneously. You can
Managing Computers 89
Managing computers
use search features to locate a specific computer in the Ghost Solution Suite Database, or set
filters to sort computers by type, configuration, operating system, or other criteria.
Manage with computer icons. Major computer types are identified by a computer icon in the
console, with a list of scheduled jobs and operations associated with each computer. In the
Ghost Solution Suite Console, you can assign and schedule deployment jobs to computers
or groups by dragging the computer icon to a job in the Jobs pane, or vice versa.
Computer icons appear in the Computers pane of the Ghost

Solution Suite Console, where they can be organized into groups.
To assign and schedule a job on a computer in the Ghost
Solution Suite Server Console, drag a computer icon or group
icon to a job icon.
Add new computers. Ghost Solution Suite lets you add new computer accounts and set
configuration properties for new computers before they are recognized by the Ghost Solution
Suite Server system. Preset computer accounts automatically associate with new computers
when they startup, or can be associated with preconfigured computers.
See “Adding new computers” on page 92.
Click New Computer on the console to create a new computer

account. You can also click File > New > Computer or right-click
in the Computers pane and select New Computer.
When the new computer starts up, you can assign it a preset
account.
Click New Group on the console to add a new group in the

Computers pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console. You can
also click File > New > Computer Group or right-click in the
Computers pane and select New Group.
Deploy to groups of computers. Organize computers by department, network container,

hardware configuration, software requirements, or any other structure to meet your needs.
You can deploy and provision computers on a mass scale.
To filter computers in a computer group and to schedule jobs only to the appropriate computer
types.
See “Computer filters and job conditions” on page 73.
Configure Computer Agents
See “Ghost Solution Suite Agents ” on page 106.
Viewing computer details
View and configure computer properties. You can modify computer settings for each
computer from the console. Or you can view the Computer Properties page for detailed access
to a computer's hardware, software, and network property settings.
See “Computer properties ” on page 114.
Run remote operations from the console. Perform operations quickly in real time from a
Ghost Solution Suite Console. Restore a computer to a previous state, configure property
settings, send a file, set security, run deployment jobs, or select from additional management
commands.
Build and schedule jobs. Build deployment jobs with one or more management tasks to run
on selected computers. Create jobs, add tasks, and assign the job to computer groups. Jobs
can be organized and assigned for daily tasks or to handle major IT upgrades.
Manage Servers. Ghost Solution Suite also manages servers to administrate high-density
server farms or server network resources across your organization.

In Ghost Solution Suite, a computer resource is identified in the console with a distinctive icon
to display the computer type - Windows desktop or notebook, server, or Linux operating system
- and its current status. These computer icons change to convey the state of the computer,
such as the log on status, server waiting status, or user with a timed license status. You can
also view the status of the jobs assigned to the selected computer in the Details pane of a
Ghost Solution Suite Console.
The following is a sample list of computer icons displayed in each Ghost Solution Suite Console,
identifying the computer type and state.
A computer connected to the Ghost Solution Suite Server with a user

logged on.
A computer connected to the Ghost Solution Suite Server, but the

user is not logged on.
A computer with a time-limited user license and a user logged on.
A computer not currently connected to the Ghost Solution Suite

Server, but known to the Ghost Solution Suite Database.
A preconfigured computer with values defined in advance using the

New Computer feature. As soon as the computer connects, the Ghost
Solution Suite Server recognizes the new computer and this icon
appears.
A managed computer waiting for user interaction before running

deployment tasks. This icon appears if the Workstations check box
is selected in Initial Deployment.
See “Sample jobs ” on page 191.
A managed server connected to the Ghost Solution Suite Server with

a user logged on. Additional icons identify different states of server
deployment.
A managed Linux computer connected to the Ghost Solution Suite

Server with a user logged on. Additional icons identify different states
of Linux computer deployment.
Physical view of Rack/Enclosure/Bay components for high-density

server systems. These icons appear as physical representations to
allow management of different levels of the server structure. In
addition, server icons identify logical server partitions. See “Bay ”
on page 116. for properties and rules to deploy Rack/Enclosure/Bay
servers.
Select the New Computers or All Computers group to run jobs or

operations for these default groups identified by an icon in the
Computers pane.
Additional computer groups can be added to the Computers pane

to organize similar computer types or to list computers of similar
departments or locations. Click the New Group icon on the toolbar
or select File > New > Computer Group to create a new group.
Adding new computers

Computers can be added to the Ghost Solution Suite Database using the following methods:
■ Install the Ghost Solution Suite Agent. If you install the Ghost Solution Suite Agent to
a computer with the operating system already installed, the computer is added automatically
to the Ghost Solution Suite Database at startup. New computers with the Ghost Solution
Suite Agent installed are added to the All Computers groups (unless otherwise specified
in the Ghost Solution Suite Agent configuration). You can move the computer to another
group if required.
■ Use Initial Deployment to configure and deploy new computers booting to automation.
Starting up a new computer with the Automation Agent lets you image the hard drive, assign
IP and network settings, distribute personal settings and software, and install the Ghost
Solution Suite Agent for new computers. Using Initial Deployment, you can associate new
computers with preconfigured computer accounts. These newly configured computers
appear in the New Computers group.
See “Sample jobs ” on page 191.
■ Create or import computer accounts from the Ghost Solution Suite Console. You
can add new computers using the New Computer feature or import computers using a
delimited text file. You can preconfigure computer accounts by adding names and network
settings from the console.
See “Creating a new computer account” on page 93.
About new computers

When a new computer starts up, if Ghost Solution Suite Server recognizes the MAC address
provided in a New Computer account or import file, it automatically associates the user account
at startup with the New Computer icon. If this value is not provided, the computer appears as
a preconfigured computer account, letting you associate it with a new computer.
The New Computer icon appears for a new computer if the MAC Address
is provided when creating a new computer account using any import or
new computer account feature.
A preconfigured computer account icon appears if specific hardware

data (MAC Address) is not known. As soon as the computer starts up
and is associated with a preconfigured computer account, Ghost Solution
Suite Server recognizes the new computer and this icon appears.
Preconfigured computer account

A preconfigured computer account can be associated with a new computer using the Initial
Deployment feature. You can create multiple preconfigured computer accounts and associate
the account with a new computer when it boots to automation. At startup, the configuration
settings and jobs assigned to the preconfigured computer account can be associated with the
new computer.
Ghost Solution Suite provides features to create a preconfigured computer account to pre-define
a computer's configuration settings and assign customized jobs to that computer even if you
do not know that computer's MAC address. This type of computer is known as a preconfigured
computer account.
Preconfigured computer accounts offer a lot of power and flexibility, especially when you need
to deploy several computers to individual users with specific needs. Preconfiguring a computer
account saves your time because you can configure the computer before it arrives on site.
You can set up as much configuration information (such as computer name, workgroup name,
and IP address) as you have about the computer and apply it to the new computer when it
comes online. You can also prepare jobs prior to the arrival of the new computer to deploy the
computer using customized images, .MSIs based on a user's specific needs.
Example: A user might request Windows 2000 with Office 2000 and virus scanning software
installed on the new computer. The user also might request that the computer personality
(customized user settings, address books, bookmarks, familiar desktop settings) be migrated
from the old system. You can build any job, including any of the available tasks, and assign it
to a preconfigured computer account.
When the new computer finally arrives, you are ready to deploy it because you have done all
the work in advance. Boot the client computer to automation, and the new computer can
connect to the server and become a managed computer. Now you can perform an Initial
Deployment or run a deployment imaging job on the new computer.
Creating a new computer account

You can create computer accounts for individual computers or for computer groups. When
creating new accounts for computer groups, you can automatically assign new names and
associate them with existing computer groups or the New Computer group.
Click the New Computer icon on the console to create a new computer
account. You can also click File > New > Computer or right-click in the
Computers pane and select New Computer.
To create a new computer account

1 In the New Computers dialog, click Add. The New Computer Properties page appears.
2 Enter names and configuration settings for each new computer account using the Computer
Configuration screens.
For a description of the configuration settings, See “Computer configuration properties”
on page 96.
Note: If you do not enter a MAC address, the computer you create or import becomes a
virtual computer.
3 (Optional) Click Import to add new computers from a delimited text file.
See “Importing new computers from a text file” on page 95.
4 Click OK.
A preconfigured computer account icon appears in the Computers pane.
When a new computer starts up, you can assign it to this preset account.
You can create computer accounts and automatically assign predefined names. These computer
accounts can be associated with computers in a selected computer group.
To create and associate multiple computer accounts
1 Select a computer group, including the New Computers group (This feature is not available
if the group is empty). Right-click and select the Configure command. The Computer
Configuration Properties dialog appears.
2 Enter names and configuration settings for each new computer account using the Computer
Configuration screens.
3 (Optional) Click the Microsoft Networking category and click Define Range.
■ In the Fixed text field, enter a base computer name. Example: Sales.
■ In the Range start field, enter a numeral or letter to add to the Fixed Text name. This
creates a unique name for a group of computers starting with the specified character.
The range of numerals and letters is assigned to the computer name. Example: Enter
3.
■ Select Append to add the range of numerals after the computer name. Clear the check
box to add names before the computer name.
In the above example, the Result field displays computer names beginning with Sales3
and ending with Sales12.
4 Click Associate. You can now associate computers in a group (including the New
Computers group) with the multiple computer accounts.
5 Click OK.
Importing new computers from a text file

You can import computer configuration data using delimited text files (.TXT, .CSV, or .IMP
files) to establish multiple computer accounts in the Ghost Solution Suite Server database.
This file contains all configuration data for a new computer, including all settings in the Computer
Properties of a selected computer.
1 Click File > Import/Export > Import Computers.
A dialog appears, letting you select import files. These files can have .XML, .TXT, .CSV,
or .IMP extensions.
2 Select the import file. Click Open. If a correctly formatted computer import file is selected,
a message appears, informing you that the computer import is complete and identifying
the number of computers added. Click OK.
New computers appear as preconfigured computer accounts in the Computers pane of
the console (as single computers or in groups), and any jobs imported from the import file
are listed in the Jobs pane.
Note: Jobs can be added to the import file. They can be created and associated with the
new computers.
If the computer import file is incorrectly formatted, a warning appears, stating that the
computer import file is incorrect.
3 Edit computer settings by selecting a computer from the list and clicking Properties.
4 The Computer Properties page opens. You can edit or add values not set in the import
file, such as computer name, TCP/ IP settings, user name, and other configuration settings.
5 Click OK.
The imported computers appear in the Computers pane of the Ghost Solution Suite
Console.
You can also import a computer to be placed in a sub-folder in the Computers pane and
create a job to be associated with the imported computer. See the sample import file for
additional information.
Computer configuration properties
Referencing the sample import file

When creating an import file, use either the ImportComputers55.txt file or the
ImportComputers55.xls file in the Samples folder of the eXpress Share. The
ImportComputers55.txt file provides a sample import template you can access to test the
Import feature. The ImportComputers55.xls file is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that lets
you add values to each identified column and save the file as a delimited TXT file to import to
the Ghost Solution Suite Database. The sample import file places a computer (DB Computer
1) in a computer group (Test Group) and adds a job (Test Job) associated with the imported
computer.
Deploying new computers on a mass scale

If you need to deploy large numbers of computers (100 to 5,000), consider using a barcode
scanning system to collect user information (names, operating system, and application needs)
and computer information (MAC address, serial numbers, asset tags). You can save this
information to a file, which can be imported into the New Computers List View. Depending
on the number of incoming computers, the amount of information you have about those
computers, and the needs of individual users, you can use either the preconfigured computer
account method (best for smaller numbers of new computers) or the Initial Deployment job
(best when deploying generic setups by departments or groups).
If you are using an import file, ensure you know the primary lookup key. This information is
required by Ghost Solution Suite Server to set up a unique computer. The primary lookup key
can be the Serial Number, Asset Tag, UUID, or MAC address.

These computer property settings can be viewed, set, and modified when performing the
following computer management operations:
■ See “Adding new computers” on page 92.
■ See “Modifying configuration” on page 174.
Create or edit property settings in a deployment job.
■ See “Sample jobs ” on page 191.
Click the configuration group icons to set additional computer property values. After you edit
these computer property settings, the computer restarts so that the changes can take effect.
General configuration settings Set the most important value from this property sheet. It includes the
name of the computer in Ghost Solution Suite, the NetBIOS name of
the computer, the MAC address and other settings.
Microsoft networking configuration Set the Windows name of the computer and the Workgroup or Domain
settings settings.
TCP/IP configuration settings Set the TCP/IP addresses for one or more network adapters.
NetWare client configuration Set Novell Directory Services client logon options.
settings
Operating system licensing Set the registered user name and view the hashed installation license
configuration settings key for the installed operating system.
User account configuration Set the local Windows user account values.
settings
General configuration settings

The General category provides access to important property settings that are also listed in
other configuration categories. Click other category icons to view and set additional configuration
properties.
Table 4-1 General configuration settings
Field Description
Name Provides a name that appears in the Ghost Solution

Suite Console (not the BIOS name of the computer).
Note: The Name field is disabled for multiple
computer configuration.
MAC address Network card’s MAC Address
Serial Number The serial number of the computer's motherboard.
Asset Tag The asset tag of the computer, if available.
UUID The UUID of the computer.
Computer Name The Windows name of the computer.
IP Address Current IP address of the computer. Multiple IP

addresses are listed in this box.
Registered User The name of the user who registered the operating
system software.
License key The hash value rendered from the OEM key or
25-digit license key required when installing the
operating system.
User name The user name for the local Windows user account.
Full name The full name for the local Windows user account.
Table 4-1 General configuration settings (continued)
Field Description
Password The password for the local Windows user account.

See “Computer configuration properties”
on page 96.
Microsoft networking configuration settings

Enter the computer name and workgroup or domain property settings for the managed computer.
If you are using Active Directory, you can add computers to a domain and a specified
organizational unit (OU).
Use Sysprep to generate unique SIDs. This can be done by manually running the utility or
selecting this feature while installing the Ghost Solution Suite Agent.
Table 4-2 Microsoft networking configuration settings
Field Description
Computer name This is the NetBIOS name for the computer. The
name must be unique in the network and limited to
15 characters.
Note: This field is disabled for multiple computer
configuration.
Table 4-2 Microsoft networking configuration settings (continued)
Field Description
Define Range Click to create a sequential range of computer

names. The Computer Name Range dialog appears.
For new computers, set a range of names for
multiple new computers.
■ Fixed text
Enter the text portion of the name that you want
to associate with each computer. Example:
MARKETING.
■ Range start
Enter a whole number to add to the fixed text.
Example: 1.
■ Range start
Enter a whole number to add to the fixed text.
Example: 1.
■ Append
Select this check box to add the range after the
fixed text in the computer name. If you clear this
box, the number is added as a prefix to the fixed
text.
■ Result
View an example of the selected names that is
assigned to each computer. Example:
MARKETING1...MARKETING6.
Note: When setting name ranges, do not set names

using multiple Modify Configuration tasks and
assigning the names by setting conditions for task
sets. If you set up two separate name ranges to be
assigned by separate conditions, the computer
names increment irrespective to the base name.
See “Modifying configuration” on page 174.

on page 96.
Workgroup Select this option and enter the name of the

workgroup to place the managed computer.
Note: You can select either the Workgroup or the
Domain option.
Table 4-2 Microsoft networking configuration settings (continued)
Field Description
Domain Enter either the fully qualified domain name, the

DNS domain name, or the WINS domain name.
You can enter the fully qualified domain name
(Example: mjones.yourcompany.com), and specify
the organizational unit (OU) using this format:
OU/newOU/users. The complete entry to place the
computer in the users OU is the following:
mjones.yourcompany.com/OU/newOU/users
internal.myServer.org/New Corporate
Computer OU/Mail Room/Express Mail
Servers
TCP/IP configuration settings

Enter TCP/IP settings for one or more network adapters. Click Advanced to setup IP Interfaces,
Gateways, DNS, WINS, and Static Routes. For computer groups, click Associate to assign
a range of pre-defined IP addresses.
Table 4-3 TCP/IP configuration settings
Field Description
Host name The DNS name of a device on a network. The name

is used to locate a computer on the network.
Table 4-3 TCP/IP configuration settings (continued)
Field Description
Network adapter A list of all network adapters installed in the selected

computer. The network adapter with the lowest bus,
device, and function number is the first listed (NIC0
- zero based). If the bus, device, and function
information cannot be determined for a network
adapter, it is enumerated in the order it is detected.
Add.
Enter new settings for additional network adapters

installed on the client computer.
You can add "virtual" network adapter settings to

send a job to a computer group containing
computers with varying numbers of network
adapters. If a computer in the group has only one
network adapter, it is configured only with the IP
settings listed first. If IP settings are provided for
additional network adapters not present in the
computer, they are disregarded. If you add a new
network adapter, the Remove button appears. You
can remove the new network adapter by clicking
Remove.
Description ■ MAC Address

The MAC address is a unique number assigned
to the network adapter by the manufacturer. You
cannot change this number. The MAC address
appears in this box when you view computer
configuration settings. This box is disabled when
creating a Modify Configuration task.
■ DNS connection suffix.
Enter this to add domain suffixes to the root
address.
■ Obtain an IP Address automatically.
■ Use the following IP address.
■ Obtain DNS server address automatically
■ Obtain the following DNS server addresses.
■ Reboot After Configuration.
Restarts the computer after configuration.
Adapter state The state of the Network Interface Card (NIC).

Users have the option of enabling, disabling, or
keeping the card in its current state.
TCP/IP advanced options - IP interfaces

IP Interfaces (Linux and Windows type only). Click Add to set named interfaces for this network
adapter. You can add TCP/IP addresses to an existing network adapter card on Linux or
Windows operating systems.
Table 4-4 TCP/IP advanced options - IP interfaces
Field Description
IP Address Add or modify an IP address common to all

interfaces.
Subnet mask Enter the appropriate subnet mask.
Interface Name Establish Linux-specific IP interface settings. Ensure

you use the "eth" syntax when naming new
interfaces. Example: eth0:1 or eth0:new interface.
Broadcast Address Enter the Broadcast address for the specified IP

interface.
Interface State The default value of the interface state is Up, which
denotes that the named interface is operating. You
can shut down the named interface by selecting
Down.

on page 96.
TCP/IP advanced options - gateway

View Gateway addresses. Click Modify to edit an existing IP address. Use the up and down
arrows to move an address to the top of the list, which acts as the primary address. Review
all selection by clicking the TCP/IP option on the Configuration page.
Table 4-5 TCP/IP advanced options - gateway
Field Description
Gateway Add additional gateways for this network adapter.
TCP/IP advanced options - DNS

Click Add to set a new DNS address.
DNS server addresses, in order of use: Add additional Domain Naming Servers (DNS) for
this network adapter.
Append these DNS Suffixes (in order): Add the name of the Domain Suffix and use the up
and down arrows to set the DNS suffix search order
TCP/IP advanced options - WINS

Click Add to set a new WINS address.
Add additional WINS settings for this network adapter. Select one of the Enable NetBIOS over
TCP/IP, Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, or Use NetBIOS settings from DHCP server options
for this network adapter.
TCP/IP advanced options - static routes

Table 4-6 TCP/IP advanced options - static routes
Field Description
Destination IP address of the destination Ghost Solution Suite

Server.
Netmask Subnet mask.
Gateway Additional gateways required to reach the

destination server.
Interface IP address for the interface over which the

destination can be reached.
Metric Cost associated with the route
Flags (Linux) Enter the flag associated with a Linux-specific

operating system. Possible flags include:
■ U (route is up)
■ H (target is a host)
■ G (use gateway)
■ R (reinstate route for dynamic routing)
■ D (dynamically installed by daemon or redirect)
■ M (modified from routing daemon or redirect)
■ A (installed by addrconf)
■ C (cache entry)
■ ! (reject route)
NetWare client configuration settings

Set Novell NetWare client values for a new or existing computer. Select whether you want to
log in directly to a NetWare server or to a NetWare tree in the Novell Directory Service (NDS).
You can specify the preferred tree, server name, and NDS context.
Table 4-7 NetWare client configuration settings
Field Description
Ignore NetWare settings Select to disregard all Novell NetWare client settings
for this computer. Clear to specify the required
information.
Preferred server Select this option and enter the name of the
NetWare server. Example: \\OneServer. This is the
primary login server for the NetWare client.
Preferred tree Select this option and enter the name of the NDS
tree.
NDS User name Enter the name of the user object for the NetWare
client.
NDS Context Enter the organizational unit context for the user.
Run login scripts Select this option to run the NetWare client login
scripts.

on page 96.
Operating system licensing configuration settings

Enter or view the license information for your Windows operating system software (Windows
2008, 2012, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8).
Table 4-8 Operating system licensing configuration settings
Field Description
Registered user Enter the name of the registered user.
Organization Enter the name of the organization.

Table 4-8 Operating system licensing configuration settings (continued)
Field Description
License key Enter the alpha-numeric license key. This is the

hash value rendered from the OEM key or 25-digit
license key required when installing the operating
system.

on page 96.
User account configuration settings

Set up local user accounts for the newly imaged computer or when running a configuration
task. Enter a user name, full name, and password; and set standard Windows login options.
Table 4-9 User account configuration settings
Field Description
User name The user name for this local Windows user account.
Full name The full name for this local Windows user account.
Password The password for this local Windows user account.
Confirm password Confirm the password for the local Windows user
account.
Groups Specify the Windows groups that this user belongs

to as a comma-delimited list. Example:
Administrators, Marketing, Management.
User must change password at next logon Select to force the user to change the password
after setting the configuration properties.
User cannot change password Prohibit the user from changing the password at
any time.
Password never expires Select to maintain the user password.

on page 96.
Ghost Solution Suite Agents

To remotely manage computers from a Ghost Solution Suite Console, a Ghost Solution Suite
Agent is installed on each computer in the Ghost Solution Suite Server system. Ghost Solution
Suite Agents are provided for various computer types, including Windows, and Linux computers.
To set or modify Ghost Solution Suite Agent settings from the Ghost Solution Suite Server
Console, right-click a computer or group, select Change Agent Settings > Production Agent..
To set or modify agent settings for new computers, click Tools > Options, click Agent Settings.
The following Ghost Solution Suite Agents reside on the client computer and communicate
with the Ghost Solution Suite Server:
Ghost Solution Suite Agent on Windows The Ghost Solution Suite Agent runs on Windows
computers, including desktops, notebooks, and
servers.
Ghost Solution Suite Agent on Linux This Ghost Solution Suite Agent runs on Linux
workstations and servers.
Automation Agent The Automation Agent is used when you create

configurations to boot client computer to automation.
This is done through Boot Disk Creator.
Ghost Solution Suite Agent on ThinClient CE 6.0 This agent runs on ThinClient Windows CE 6.0
operating systems and lets the Ghost Solution Suite
Console manage WinCE 6.0 based Thin Clients.
Ghost Solution Suite Agent on CE .NET This agent runs on the CE .NET 4.2 operating
system.
Notification Server Client The NS client is an agent that runs on computers

supported by the Notification Server. This agent
runs on the Ghost Solution Suite Server computer
when running Ghost Solution Suite on the
Notification Server.
Ghost Solution Suite Server Agent This agent runs on the Ghost Solution Suite Server
computer when running Ghost Solution Suite on the
Notification Server.
Install Ghost Solution Suite Agent to add a managed computer

When a Ghost Solution Suite Agent is installed on a computer, it searches the network for a
Ghost Solution Suite Server to attach to. When the Ghost Solution Suite Agent locates a Ghost
Solution Suite Server, the client computer is added as a record to the Ghost Solution Suite
Database.
When the Ghost Solution Suite Agent for Windows is running on a computer, the user sees a
small icon in the notification area. When the icon is blue, the client computer running the Ghost
Solution Suite Agent is connected to the Ghost Solution Suite system.
When the Ghost Solution Suite Agent for Windows icon is clear, it shows that the client computer
is not connected to the Ghost Solution Suite system. The agent may be configured incorrectly,
the Ghost Solution Suite Server is down, or other network problems exist.
Automatically update to newer version of Ghost Solution Suite Agent

At times, Symantec may update versions of the Ghost Solution Suite Agent to enhance features.
For best performance, we recommend that all managed computers run the latest version of
the Ghost Solution Suite Agent. When a new version of the Ghost Solution Suite Agent is
saved to the eXpress Share file server, the managed computers automatically update the
Ghost Solution Suite Agent.
■ From the computer where Ghost Solution Suite Server is installed, click Start > All
Programs > Altiris > Deployment Solution > Configuration. The Symantec Ghost
Solution Suite Server Configuration Utility page appears.
■ Click Options.
■ Click Transport.
■ Select the Automatically update clients option and click OK.
Ghost Solution Suite Agent settings

You can set the default agent settings when new client computers are added to the system
that the Ghost Solution Suite Server manages. You can also modify the properties settings
for the Production or Automation Agent through the Automation Agent.
To set or modify agent settings in the Ghost Solution Suite Server Console for Windows or
Linux clients, right-click the computer and select Change Agent Settings > Production Agent
Settings.
■ To set or modify agent settings for the Ghost Solution Suite Agent, click Tools > Options.
■ Click the Agent Settings tab.
■ Select the Force new agents to take these default settings check box to set the Ghost
Solution Suite Agent settings for all new computers.
■ Click the Change Default Settings option. Click each agent setting tab to set the properties.
See “Server connection” on page 109.
See “Access” on page 110.
See “Security ” on page 111.
See “Log file ” on page 113.
See “Startup and shutdown ” on page 114.
■ Click OK.
To view or modify settings from the Windows client, right-click the Ghost Solution Suite Agent
icon in the notification area (or double-click the client icon in the notification area and click
Properties).
When the client agent is first started, the agent establishes a connection to the Ghost Solution
Suite Server using the following general steps:
To connect to the Ghost Solution Suite Server
1 The agent service is started and initialized.
2 A TCP socket is created.
3 A connection is made to the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
4 The agent is updated, if required.
5 A basic inventory of the client is sent to the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
After the initial connection process is complete, no additional data needs to be sent to or from
the Ghost Solution Suite Server for the client agent to remain connected.
Note: If no Ghost Solution Suite traffic is sent to the Ghost Solution Suite System agent, the
TCP/IP protocols send an occasional watchdog packet (approximately every 24 hours) to
ensure that the connection is still valid.
Ghost Solution Suite Agent properties

Right-clicking the Ghost Solution Suite Agent icon gives you access to the following options:
View status. Brings up the Symantec Client Service box to observe the current status of the
Ghost Solution Suite Agent. You can also see the computer name, Ghost Solution Suite Server
connected to, IP address, multicast address, and MAC address. You can also watch Ghost
Solution Suite Agent communicate with the Ghost Solution Suite Server. Clicking Properties
lets you edit the Ghost Solution Suite Agent properties. Passwords protect this option.
About. Displays the version and licensing statement for the Ghost Solution Suite Agent.
Passwords do not affect this option.
Exit. Stops all Ghost Solution Suite Agent services from running but does not uninstall Ghost
Solution Suite Agent. Ghost Solution Suite Agent loads normally the next time you boot the
computer. Passwords protect this option.
Server connection
Table 4-10
Field Description
Connect directly to this Deployment Sever Select this option so that the client receiving the
Ghost Solution Suite Agent connects to the Ghost
Solution Suite Server you selected to configure.
Address/Hostname Enter the IP address or NetBIOS name of the Ghost

Solution Suite Server computer.
Port. Enter the port number communicating with the

Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Enable key-based authentication to Ghost Select this option to specify mandatory

Solution Suite Server. authentication for client computers to connect to the
Ghost Solution Suite Server. This helps keep rogue
computers from connecting to unauthorized Ghost
Solution Suite Servers.
Discover Ghost Solution Suite Server using Managed computers can use the multicast address
TCP/IP multicast if they are on the same segment as the Ghost
Solution Suite Server or if multicast is enabled on
the network routers. Ensure that the multicast
address and port match those set up on the Ghost
Solution Suite Server. Try using defaults on both
the client and Ghost Solution Suite Server if you
have problems while connecting.
Managed computers should use the Ghost Solution

Suite Server IP address if multicasting is disabled
on the network routers or if they are not on the same
network segment as the Ghost Solution Suite
Server. The port number must match the number
set on the Ghost Solution Suite Server. Otherwise,
the client computers cannot connect.
Server Name Enter the NetBIOS name of the computer running

the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Port Enter the port number distributing the multicast

address.
Multicast Address Enter the group multicast address.

Table 4-10 (continued)
Field Description
TTL Specifies the number of routers the multicast

request can pass through. Change this setting if
you want to locate a Ghost Solution Suite Server
that is more than 32 routers away (default setting)
or to restrict the search to a smaller number of
routers, making it easier to find the closest Ghost
Refresh connection after idle This check box and set the refresh time in hours or
days. The Ghost Solution Suite Server closes the
connection after the specified time and immediately
tries to re-open the connection. This sends a
message to client computers that the network is
down.
The default checking is of 28800 seconds or 8

hours. We recommend keeping this setting above
28800. Do not set this option too low-reconnecting
to the Ghost Solution Suite Server increases
bandwidth when connecting. If this option is set too
low, your client computers will take longer to
connect than to refresh their connections.
Abort files transfers if rate is slower than Select this option to preserve bandwidth when
running deployment tasks on slower connections.
Access
Set these commands to control the way the client handles requests from the server.
Table 4-11 Access
Field Description
Prompt the user before performing actions You can select the following options to prompt the
user before the corresponding action is performed:
■ Shut down and Restart.

Prompts the user before shutting down and
restarting the computer. This feature overrides
the Power Control option from the Ghost
Solution Suite Server to force applications to
shut down without a message.
■ Copy file and Run command
Prompts the user before running a program or
executing file copy commands.
Time to wait for user response If one of the Prompt the user before perform
actions is selected and the user is not at the
computer to respond, you need to decide whether
to continue or abort the operation. Specify the time
to wait for the user's response, and select one of
the following:
■ Continue the operation

Select to continue if there is no response from
the user.
■ Abort the operation.
Click to not continue if there is no response from
the user.
Select when the Ghost Solution Suite Server is Select the days and set the start and end times
denied access to the Ghost Solution Suite when access to the Ghost Solution Suite Agent is
Agent. denied.
Security
This page lets you secure data between the Ghost Solution Suite Server and the Ghost Solution
Suite Agent, or to set a password so that the user on the client computer can only view and
modify the User Properties of the Ghost Solution Suite Client Settings on the managed
computer.
Table 4-12 Security
Field Description
Encrypt session communication with Ghost Select to allow encryption from this managed client
Solution Suite Server computer to the Ghost Solution Suite Server. This
lets encrypted data transmissions between the
Ghost Solution Suite Server and the Ghost Solution
Suite Agent on the client computer. If selected, the
client computer can connect (but is not required to
connect) using encryption.
To enable encryption protocols, you must open the

Symantec Ghost Solution Suite Server Configuration
Utility, click Options and select the Transport tab.
Select the Allow encrypted sessions check box
to let Ghost Solution Suite Server transmit using
encryption protocols.
Require encrypted session with any server Select to require encryption between the managed
client computer and the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
If this option is selected and the option to allow
encryption in the Deployment Configuration tool is
not selected, the Ghost Solution Suite Server does
not communicate with the Symantec Client on the
managed client computer.
Note: Selecting encryption options slows down the
communication path between the agent and the
Password protect Admin properties from user Select to let users on the managed computer access
the Admin properties only if they enter the set
password. If the check box is selected and the user
does not know the password, they will have rights
only to view the User Properties, which includes
only the User Prompts and Remote Control tabs
on the Symantec Client Settings dialog.
Enter the password in the Password field and

re-enter the password for confirmation in the
Confirm password field.
Hide client tray icon Select to hide the Symantec Client icon in the
notification area of the managed computer.
Log file
The Log File page controls how data is logged and saved in a Ghost Solution Suite Server
system, letting you save different types and levels of information to the log files. You can save
a text file with logged errors, informational errors, and debug data using this dialog. If the log
exceeds the specified size, the older data is dropped from the files. You can maximize the
size of the log file to save all selected data.
Table 4-13 Log file
Field Description
Save log information to a text file Select this option to save information to a log file.
By default, this option is cleared. Selecting this
option enables the File name and Maximum size
fields.
File name. Enter the name and path of the log file. The default
path is \Program
Files\Altiris\AClient\AClient.log file.
Maximum size Enter the maximum number of bytes for each log
file.
Log errors Select this option to save only the errors returned
when running a job or operation between the Ghost
Solution Suite Server and the Ghost Solution Suite
Agent.
Log informational messages Select this option to save a list of procedural steps
run on the client computer.
Log debugging information Select this option to list comprehensive debugging

information in the text file.
Note: If the log exceeds the specified size, the older data is dropped from the files, so it is
recommended to select an appropriate maximum file size.
Proxy
Typically, remote networks on the other side of a router or switch cannot receive multicast or
Wake-On-LAN packets from the Ghost Solution Suite Server. Setting the managed computer
as a proxy client computer forwards or re-creates the multicast packets. A managed client
computer setup as a multicast proxy simply acts as a Ghost Solution Suite Server and advertises
the server's name and IP address through multicasting. You can also set the managed computer
as a proxy to send Wake-On-LAN packets.
Computer properties
Set these options to control how the managed computer acts as a proxy agent, identifying the
type of traffic this managed computer forwards from the server.
Table 4-14 Proxy
Field Description
Forward Wake-On-LAN packets Select if you want the managed computer to forward
Wake-on-LAN packets.
Forward Ghost Solution Suite Server discovery Select if you want to advertise the Ghost Solution
multicast packets Suite Server to client computers on another LAN
segment or if the client computer is on the other
side of the router.
Send multicast advertisement every Set the time in seconds, minutes, or hours for
managed computers to send a multicast
advertisement.
Startup and shutdown

Following are the field and the description of the Startup and shutdown dialog box:
Table 4-15 Startup and shutdown
Field Description
Delay starting jobs after system startup Set the time in seconds, minutes, or hours for
managed computers to delay jobs until after system
startup.
Force all programs to close when shutting down Select this option to shut down applications when
using Power Control features. The user is still
prompted to Abort or Continue the shutdown.
Synchronize date/time with Ghost Solution Suite Select this option to synchronize the system clock
Server of managed computers with the time of the Ghost
Prompt for a boot disk when performing Select this option to prompt for a boot disk while
automation jobs running any automation jobs.
Advanced Disable direct disk access for GSS agent for DOS
(Boot Works) communication.
Computer properties
View and edit the computer properties for each managed computer.
Computer properties
View and edit computer properties by double-clicking a computer icon in the Computers pane,
or right-clicking and selecting Properties, or clicking the icon in the toolbar.
See “General” on page 115., See “Hardware ” on page 115.
General
View or change the name of the computer as it appears in the console. You can view the
following: logged-on user names, operating system installed, name of the Ghost Solution Suite
Server, whether an automation partition is installed, version of the Symantec Windows Client,
and other client information.
Hardware
View processor make and type, processor count, RAM installed on the computer, display
configuration, manufacturer, model, product name, MAC address of each network adapter
installed, serial number, asset tag, UUID, and whether Wake On LAN and PXE are installed
and configured.
Drives
View information about each drive on the computer. If you have multiple drives, you can select
a drive from the list to view its settings, such as the capacity, serial number, file system, volume
label, and number of drives installed.
TCP/IP
View TCP/IP information, including a list of all installed network adapter cards (up to eight) for
the selected computer. Click Change to open the Configuration page to modify settings
See “Configuring computers ” on page 120.
Applications
View the applications that are installed on the computer, including their description, publisher,
version number, product ID, and system components.
Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite
Services
View the services installed on the computer along with the description, start type, and path for
each service.
Devices
View the devices installed on the computer, including display adapters, disk drives, ports,
storage volumes, keyboards, and other system devices.
Location
View and edit user-specific properties such as contact name, phone number, e-mail address,
department, mail stop, and site name.
Bay
View location information and other properties for Rack / Enclosure / Bay components for
high-density servers.
Lights-Out
View information about the remote management hardware installed on the selected computer
(most often a server) used to power up, power down and restart the computer remotely, or to
check server status. You can also enter the password for the remote management hardware
by clicking Password.
Note: This feature is currently only available for selected HP Integrated Lights Out (ILO) and
Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition (RILOE) features.

The Operations menu in the Ghost Solution Suite Console provides a variety of commands to
remotely manage all computers in your site or network segment. Some operation commands,
such as Restore, automatically create and schedule deployment jobs and place them in the
System Jobs folder in the Jobs pane. Other commands, open utility programs to access and
remotely manage computers.
Open the computer operations menu by right-clicking a computer icon in the Computers pane,
clicking Operations on the menu bar, or clicking the icons in the toolbar.
Table 4-16 Remote operations
Field Description
Restore Reconfigure your computer to a former state. Select

from a list of previous deployment tasks and select
to restore only the ones you want.
See “Restoring a computer from its deployment

history ” on page 119.
History View, print, delete, and save to file a history of

deployment tasks.
Configure Set network and local configuration properties for

each computer, including computer name, IP
address, domains, Active Directory context.
See “Configuring computers ” on page 120.
Quick Disk Image Select a computer and image its hard disk. This
creates and stores the image to distribute now or
later.
See “Quick disk image ” on page 121.
Power Control Wake up, restart, shut down, and log off remotely.
See “Power control” on page 182.
Execute Type and run commands remotely.
See “Execute ” on page 123.
Copy File to Copy selected files, directories, or entire directory

structures and send them to the selected
computer(s).
See “Copying a file ” on page 180.
ADVANCED >
Clear Computer Status Clear computer status as shown in the title bar of
the List View.
Table 4-16 Remote operations (continued)
Field Description
Reset Connection Disconnect and reset the connection between Ghost

Solution Suite Server and the Ghost Solution Suite
Agent on the selected computer.
Install Automation Folder Install the automation folder on selected computers.
See “Installing and uninstalling Automation Folder”

on page 123.
Uninstall Automation Folder Uninstall the automation folder that is installed on

the selected computer.
See “Installing and uninstalling Automation Folder”

on page 123.
Get Inventory Update property settings for a selected computer.

These inventory settings can be viewed in Computer
properties. Select it to ensure that you have the
latest inventory of the computer. Set the timeout
value in the General tab of the Ghost Solution Suite
Server Configuration utility (in the Control Panel).
Reject Connection Refuse communication with the selected computer.
Uninstall agent Uninstall the agent from the selected computer.
Apply Regular License Apply a permanent license if a client computer is

using a time-limited license or requires an updated
license.
New Job Wizard Open this to build, assign, and schedule deployment
jobs for the selected computer.
New Dynamic Machine Group Used to create new Dynamic Machine Groups.
See “New Dynamic Machine Groups” on page 131.
New Group Click to create a new computer group in the

Computers pane.
New Computer Create a new computer account.
Rename Assign the computer or group a new name in the

console. Right-click a computer or group to edit in
the Computer pane.
Table 4-16 Remote operations (continued)
Field Description
Delete Delete a computer, a computer group, or any

combination of computers and groups from the
database.
Change Agent Settings Update property settings for the Ghost Solution
Suite Agent running on selected computer(s).
Permissions View security settings for the selected computer(s).
Job Scheduling Wizard Open this to assign deployment jobs to the selected
computer.
Properties View computer configuration and network

properties.
Restoring a computer from its deployment history

Occasionally, it is necessary to restore a computer to its original settings based on operations
or deployment jobs previously executed on the computer. A computer's past deployment history
appears in the Restore Computer dialog, where you can restore a computer by selecting the
tasks from its history file. You can rerun the deployment tasks to restore the computer.
Restore a computer by right-clicking a computer icon in the Computers pane and selecting
Restore, clicking Operations > Restore Computer on the menu bar, or clicking this icon in
the toolbar. You can restore a computer using Remote Operations Using Ghost Solution Suite
or by creating and scheduling a job using the New Job Wizard.
To restoring a computer from its deployment history
1 Right-click a computer and click Restore.
The Restore Computer dialog appears with a list of previous tasks with check boxes.
2 (Optional) Select the type of tasks to be displayed from the Show only drop-down list.
Select the date from the Since list box to filter tasks.
3 Click Next to view a summary of tasks selected to reschedule.
4 Click Next to schedule the job.

5 Click Finish.
When you finish this computer operation, a new job appears in the Jobs pane of the Ghost
Solution Suite Console under the System Jobs > Restoration Jobs folder. The job name
has a generic format of Restore: <computer name>.
You can view the history of deployment tasks for a specific computer. Users who do not have
administrative privileges or the permissions to delete a computer's history cannot access this
option.
To view a computer's history
1 Right-click a computer and click History.
The History of <Computer Name> dialog appears with a list of previous tasks, including
when the task was scheduled, its deployment status and other deployment information.
2 (Optional) Click Save As to save the file as a .TXT or .LOG file.
3 (Optional) Click Print to print the History file.
4 Click Delete to delete the History file. Click Yes to the confirmation message.
5 Click Close.
Configuring computers
From the Operations menu, you can enter and modify configuration settings for computers.
See “Computer configuration properties” on page 96. for complete information about
configuration settings.
To configure computers
1 Right-click a computer and click Configure.
The Computer Configuration Properties dialog appears.
2 Set basic configuration values in the General configuration group (default view).
3 Click other configuration group icons in the left pane to set additional values.
4 Click OK.
Quick disk image

This computer operation creates a disk image of the selected computer. This option is a quick
and easy way to create a disk image of a selected managed computer from the Ghost Solution
Suite Console.
To run a disk image job you must have an automation folder installed on the client computer,
or it is PXE-enabled and can boot to automation by connecting to a PXE Server.
To create a quick disk image
1 Right-click a computer and click Quick Disk Image.
The Schedule Computers for Job dialog appears.
2 Schedule the job to run immediately or at a later time. You can also click the option to not
schedule the job (this option places the job in the working area and does not run until you
manually drag it to a selected computer and reschedule it).
3 Click OK.
A new job appears in the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console under the System
Jobs > Image Jobs folder. The job name has a generic format of Create Image: <computer
name>.
Power control
This computer operation lets you wake up a computer, restart a computer, shut down, or log
off as the current user for a selected managed computer. You can also power a computer on
if Wake-On-Lan is supported.
Restore a computer by right-clicking a computer icon in the Computers pane and selecting
Power Control, clicking Operations > Power Control on the menu bar, or clicking the icon
on the toolbar.
To control power
1 Right-click a computer and select Power Control.
A secondary menu appears with the following options:
Wake-up The Wake-Up feature is hardware-dependent

and is available only for inactive computers.
Select this command to start a computer that has
been turned off.
Your operating system and network adapter must

be capable of recognizing and processing the
Wake-on-LAN packets. Non-embedded network
adapters must be properly configured. Example:
3Com NICs have an extra header cable that
enables Wake-on-LAN. Check the documentation
that comes with your network adapter for more
information about Wake-on-LAN.
For NICs and operating systems that support

Wake-on-LAN Power Management features, go
to the Properties dialog of the network adapter
driver and select the Power Management tab.
Click the Allow this device to bring the
computer out of standby option for this device
to bring the computer out of standby status.
You must enable this feature for some computers

in their BIOS.
Restart Click to reboot the selected managed computer.

Select Force Applications to close without a
message box to restart immediately without
prompting the user.
Shut down Click to shut down the selected managed

computer. Select Force Applications to close
without a message box to shut down
immediately without prompting the user.
Log off Click to log off the selected managed computer.

Select Force Applications to close without a
message box to log off immediately.
2 Select a Power Control option. A Confirm Operation dialog appears. Select the Force
application to close without a message option to shut down users without a warning.
If you do not select this option, the user is prompted to save work before the power
operation continues.
3 Click Yes.
Execute
Send a command from the Ghost Solution Suite Console as if you were entering a command
from the command-line prompt on the client computer.
Execute a command to a client computer by right-clicking a computer icon in the Computers
pane and selecting Execute, clicking Operations > Execute from the menu, or clicking this
icon in the toolbar.
To execute
1 Type a command you would like executed on the selected remote computer(s), or select
from a list of previously-run commands. Example: Type regedit to open the registry on
the computer.
2 To run the command as another user on the managed computer, click User and enter
the user name and password.
User account
Use this dialog to run a script using another local user account. You can log in with another
user name and password with rights to run an execute command.
Table 4-17
Field Description
Run with default security credentials. This option runs with the current user credentials.
This is the default option.
Run with the following credentials Click this option to log on with another user name
and password.
Installing and uninstalling Automation Folder

An automation folder package contains pre-boot operating system files and drivers. The
automation folder is installed on the client computer and lets you boot the client computer in
the automation environment without using the network boot (PXE). Booting a client computer
using an automation folder is faster compared to the network boot option. However, if there is
any change in the configuration, you must the reinstall the automation folder on all the client
computers.
Note: Currently, Ghost Solution Suite supports installation of automation folder only for Windows
operating system.
The automation folder package name consists of the name of the pre-boot configuration. For
example:
If you create an Automation Folder for WinPE_HP configuration for a 64-bit computer, the
Automation Folder package is stored as AF_WinPE_HP.exe
The path where the folder is saved is as follows:
\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\AutoFolderPkgs\WinPE_HP\X64\AF_WinPE_HP.exe
If you modify the Automation Folder Configuration for any reason such as addition of new
drivers, you must install the latest automation folder on the client computers. The new
configuration uninstalls the earlier configuration and installs the latest package on the client
computers.
To verify if the automation folder is installed successfully, check the status code in autoutil.log
and autoinst.log files which are created on C:\.
To create a configuration for an Automation Folder
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, click the Boot Disk Creator.
2 In the Boot Disk Creator dialog, navigate to File > New configuration….
3 In the Create Configuration wizard, enter the following:
Enter the name for this configuration Enter the name of the configuration.
Enter a detailed description for this configuration Enter a description for the automation folder configuration.
(optional)
Pre-boot Operating System for this Configuration Select the Windows pre-boot operating system from the
list.
4 Click Next.
5 Select the Hardware Device drivers that you want to bundle with the automation folder
package and click Next.
6 Enter the TCP/IP Protocol Settings to govern the communication with the Server and click
Next
7 In the Ghost Solution Suite Server Communication, enter the Server IP address and the
Port number for communication.
8 Select the location of the Automation Agent Location. Specify if the automation agent is
located remotely on the server share or in the local pre-boot environment. Click Next.
9 Enter the Network Connection details for the client computer to connect to the file server.
10 In the Network Drive Mappings, browse to the drive that you want to map. Click Next.
11 In the Optional Component dialog, select if you want to add any additional components.
Click Next.
12 In the Boot Disk Media Type dialog, select the media type for the Boot disk and click
Next.
13 (Optional) When you are prompted to confirm if you want to store the automation boot
package installer with the configuration name that you specified in the first step, click Yes.
To install an Automation Folder
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, select the computer or a group of computers on which
you want to install an automation folder.
2 Right click and select Advanced.
3 From the menu, select Install Automation Folder….
4 Select a configuration for which you want to create and install an automation folder on
the selected computer.
5 Check the status of the task from the console.
To uninstall an Automation Folder
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, select the computer or a group of computers from
which you want to uninstall an automation folder.
2 Right click and select Advanced.
3 From the menu, select Uninstall Automation Folder.
4 Check the status of the task from the console.
Change agent settings

This feature lets you modify most of the agent settings for a selected computer or computer
group. You can set properties for the Production Agent (Ghost Solution Suite Agent), or for
an Automation Agent.
To change agent settings
1 From the Computers pane, right-click a computer and select Change Agent Settings.
2 Select either Production Agent or Automation Agent.
3 Edit the properties settings.
4 Click OK.

Ghost Solution Suite provides additional features to remotely install, deploy and manage
servers. From the Ghost Solution Suite Server Console, you can configure new server hardware,
install operating systems and applications, and manage servers throughout their life cycle.
And because servers are mission-critical, you can set up a system to quickly deploy new
servers or automatically re-deploy servers that have failed. Features like rules-based
deployment, support for remote management cards, and quick server restoration from a
deployment history give you new tools to manage all servers throughout your organization.
Servers are identified in the Computer pane with distinctive server icons. Like all managed
computer icons, the icons change to identify the status and state of the computer, such as
user logged on or Server Waiting.
Note: Servers are recognized by their operating system (such as Windows Server 2008, or
any Linux operating system), multiple processors, and specific vendor server models.
Table 4-18 Deploying and managing servers
Field Description
Manage Servers from the Console. The Ghost Solution Suite Server Console includes
features specifically designed for deploying and
managing servers, such as enhanced task logging
and history tracking features to let you recall
administrative actions and quickly redeploy
mission-critical servers.
Set Server-specific options. Servers are essential to any organization and

require special planning and management
strategies. Ghost Solution Suite Server provides
server-specific features to automatically deploy new
servers and maintain existing servers.
See “Server deployment options ” on page 127.
Server management features

Ghost Solution Suite Server provides various features for deploying and managing servers.
These features are supported for client computers as well, but are essential in deploying
servers.
Server icons. The Ghost Solution Suite Console displays icons that identify servers across the
network. Like other computer icons in the console, server icons can be selected to view server
properties or assign specific jobs and management tasks.
The following states are displayed:

■ The server is active and a user is logged on.
■ The server is disconnected from the console.
■ The server is in a waiting state.
Table 4-19
Field Description
Run Scripted Installs. Execute scripted, unattended installs across the

network for both Microsoft Windows and Linux
servers. Follow steps to create answer files and set
up operating system install files using a wizard.
See “Scripted OS install” on page 160.
Support for multiple network adapter cards. Because servers may require more than one
network interface card, Ghost Solution Suite Server
provides property pages to access and configure
multiple network adapters remotely from the
console.
See “TCP/IP configuration settings ” on page 100.
Synchronized server date and time. Ghost Solution Suite Server automatically sets the
server's date and time after installing or imaging (as
part of the configuration process). Ghost Solution
Suite Agents include an option to disable this feature
(it is off by default).
Enhanced scripting capabilities. Ghost Solution Suite Server also lets you view and
debug each step in the deployment script, and track
each job to provide a history of tasks for redeploying
a server.
Server deployment options

Ghost Solution Suite Server includes features to automatically reconfigure and redeploy new
servers. If you are using Initial Deployment to automatically re-image new servers or run
installation scripts, you can (1) safeguard against mistaken disk overwrites, or (2) run
automatically for every server not identified as a managed computer in the database. These
contrasting settings are based on polices you define for managing servers in your organization.
Example: If you rely on PXE to boot the new server and you want to deploy new servers
automatically without halting the process, you must change the default settings in the PXE
Configuration Utility. In contrast, if you want to ensure that the server waits before being
deployed (or waits a set time before proceeding) to avoid erroneous re-deployment, you must
set the options in the Advanced section of Initial Deployment.
When a server boots from a PXE server or from Automation (if the option is set), Ghost Solution
Suite Server recognizes it as a new computer and attempts to configure the computer with
sample jobs. See Sample jobs. Initial Deployment includes a feature to prohibit servers from
being deployed automatically.
To halt the initial deployment of servers
1 Click Initial Deployment and select Properties.
2 Click the Advanced tab.
3 Select the Servers check box and click OK.
Initial Deployment does not run for any computer identified in the console as a server.
If installing a server using a PXE Server, the server attempts to install, but does not run
automatically using default settings. It waits until a boot option is selected from the client
computer. You can change the default setting in the PXE Configuration Utility to allow Initial
Deployment to run automatically and not wait for user intervention.
To change PXE options for initial deployment
1 Click on Start > All Programs > Altiris > PXE Configuration Utility.
2 Click the GSS tab.
3 Select a pre-boot operating system from the Initial Deploy boot option drop-down list.
4 Click Execute Immediately.
Initial Deployment runs automatically for every identified server.
5 Click Save.
6 Click OK.
When you run a deployment job on a computer where the Ghost Solution Suite Agent is
remotely installed, a message appears stating that PXE stamp is found. The message remains
open until the user clicks OK on the message dialog, which delays executing the scheduled
job as part of an automated redeployment process. To fix this delay:
Following these steps, ensures that the BootWorks message does not appear and a job runs
smoothly when scheduled.
Finding a computer in the database

This search filter lets you type a string and query specified database fields for specific computer
properties. You can search for user or computer names, licensing or location information, or
primary lookup keys: MAC address, serial number, asset number, or UUID. This search filter
queries property values appear in the Computer Properties pages.

Click <CTRL> F or click Find Computer on the console toolbar to search the Ghost Solution
Suite Database for computers by property settings. The search begins at the top of the computer
list and highlights the computer name in the Computers pane when a match is found. Press
F3 to find the next computer that matches the search criteria until there are no more results,
or the end of the computer list is reached.
To find a computer in the database
1 In the Search For field, type all or part of the computer's property values you would like
to search for. This alpha-numeric string is compared with specified database fields.
2 From the In Field drop-down list, select the field you want to search in the Ghost Solution
Suite Database.
Example: To find a computer by searching for its IP address, type the address in the
Search For field and select the IP Address from the In Field drop-down list.
Name BIOS name of the computer.
Computer Name Ghost Solution Suite name of the computer.
MAC Address Example: 0080C6E983E8.
IP Address Example: 192.168.1.1.
ID Example: The computer ID. 5000001.
Serial Number Serial number installed in BIOS. A primary lookup

key.
Asset Tag Asset number in BIOS. A primary lookup key.
UUID A primary lookup key.
Registered User Name entered when the operating system was

installed.
Product Key Product Key for the operating system.
Logged On User Name of the user currently at the computer.
Physical Bay Name The actual bay number. Example: 7x.
The computer you are looking for appears highlighted in the Computers window in the console.
Note: This search is not case-sensitive and allows wildcard searches using *.
See “Computer filters and job conditions” on page 73.

Using lab builder

Use the Lab Builder to set up jobs under the Lab folder in the Jobs pane to set up a classroom
or lab environment.
Click Lab Builder on the console toolbar or click File > New > Lab Builder to set up jobs
specifically created for managing multiple computers in a lab environment.
You can set up jobs to:
■ Create Disk Image
■ Deploy Lab
■ Restore Lab
■ Update Configuration
■ Upload Registries
Each of these jobs contains a default list of tasks. Lab Builder places these five new jobs under
a folder (which you name) located under the Lab folder. All tasks in the jobs have been assigned
default paths and file names that let them use the same images and configuration information,
registry data, and so on. Symantec recommends that you do not change the file names and
paths. If you change the default settings (example: changing the image name), you must
change them in all jobs where the image is used.
To use Lab Builder
1 Click the Lab Builder icon on the toolbar, or choose File > New > Lab Builder.
2 Enter the name of the Lab Setup.
Note: The lab name must be unique as the program creates a default image file name
based on the lab name, and the image file name must be unique. The default image name
is synchronized in all lab jobs, so if you change the name later you must change it in all
the jobs that use the image.
3 (Optional) Enter a lab description to help you differentiate the lab from others and click
OK.
4 Identify an image in the Create Disk Image job.
5 Set computer names and addresses in the Update Configuration job.

The following information describes the default jobs. To run one of these jobs, simply drag
it to the computer or computer group you want it applied to.
New Dynamic Machine Groups
Create Disk Image This job uploads an image of a computer to the

server and an image name is created automatically
based on the lab name. However, there is no actual
image in the job until you drag the image source
computer to this job.
Deploy Lab This job has three default tasks: Distribute Disk
Image, Modify Configuration, and Back up
Registry. The image that is uploaded using the
Create Disk Image job is distributed when you use
this job. The configuration settings you specify in
the Modify Configuration job are applied to the
computers, and the computer registry files are
uploaded to the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
Restore Lab This job restores the image and registry files to a
computer where a lab was previously deployed.
You can quickly get a computer running again by
restoring the lab on that computer.
Update Configuration This job lets you set unique configuration

information (such as computer names and network
addresses) for client computers. When a lab is
deployed, each computer has an identical image,
but not the same configuration settings. This means
you don't have to visit each computer to reset the
IP addresses and other settings when you deploy
an image.
Upload Registries. This job backs up computer registry files to the


The New Dynamic machine group lets you create groups of computers based on a filter.
Following are the fields and the description of the New Dynamic machine group dialog:
Table 4-20 New Dynamic Machine Groups
Field Description
Dynamic Machine Group Name Enter a name for the group
Group Select an existing group or select all computers,

New computers or New Group
Table 4-20 New Dynamic Machine Groups (continued)
Field Description
Filter Select a filter based on which the computer or

groups of computers are filtered.
If you want to edit or modify filters use Setup>>.

See “Filter Setup” on page 133.
Creating and modifying filters

Ghost Solution Suite lets you create filters for computers. A filter lets you specify a set of
conditions based on which the computers that are present on the network are filtered.
For example: If you want to find out all the computers whose RAM is equal to 4MB, then you
can set the filter where Field is RAM(total), operation is set as at most and value as 4.
Note: To delete a condition of a filter, select the filter condition from the Filter Set up dialog
and click Delete.
To create filters
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, navigate to the Computers section and right-click
to view the options.
2 From the options, select New Group.
3 In the Filter Set up dialog, enter the name of the filter that you want to create.
4 Click Add....
5 In the Filter definition dialog, select the field from the drop-down list.
6 Select the operation parameter.
7 Enter the Value of the parameter.
8 Click OK.
9 In the Filter Set up dialog, click OK.
To modify a filter
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, navigate to the Computers section.
2 From the Computers section, select the filter that you want to modify.
3 Click Setup>>.
4 In the Filter Set up dialog, select the condition that you want to modify.
5 Click Modify...
6 In the Filter definition dialog, modify the filter condition.
7 Click OK.
8 In the Filter Set up dialog, click OK.
Filter Setup
The Filter Set up dialog lets you create, modify, and delete the filters that are applied to the
computers in the network. A filter is a set of multiple conditions based on which the computers
that are present on the network are filtered. After you add the conditions to the filter, the table
displays all the conditions that are set for the filter.
Following are the field and description of the Filter Set up dialog:
Table 4-21 Filter Setup
Field Description
Name Add the name for the filter.
Add... Click on this option to add conditions to a filter.
Modify... To enable the Modify option, select the condition

from a filter that you want to modify.
Delete To enable the Delete option, select the condition

from the filter that you want to delete.
Following are the field and description of the Filter Definition dialog:
Table 4-22 Filter Definition
Field Description
Field Select the name of the condition to be added from

the drop-down list
Operation Select from the following operators:
■ contain
■ does not contain
■ ends with
■ is exactly
■ starts with
Value Enter the value for the condition that you want to
use.
See “Creating and modifying filters” on page 132.

Chapter 5
Building and scheduling
jobs
■ Building and scheduling jobs
■ Viewing job details
■ New Job wizard
■ Building new jobs
■ Job scheduling wizard
■ Setting conditions for task sets
■ Deployment tasks
■ Creating a disk image
■ Distributing a disk image
■ Scripted OS install
■ Scripted install for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later
■ Scripted install for Linux
■ Distributing software
■ Capturing personality settings
■ Distributing personality settings
■ Modifying configuration
Building and scheduling jobs 136
Building and scheduling jobs
■ Getting inventory
■ Running a script
■ Copying a file
■ Power control
■ Waiting
■ Modifying tasks in a deployment job
■ Creating new script files
■ Copy and paste jobs and job folders
■ Importing and exporting jobs
■ Setting up return codes
■ Sample jobs
■ Initial deployment
■ Configurations
■ Jobs
■ Advanced

A job represents a collection of predefined or custom deployment tasks that are scheduled
and executed remotely on selected client computers. You can build jobs with tasks to
automatically create and deploy hard disk images, back up and distribute software or personality
settings, add printers, configure computer settings, and perform all aspects of IT administration.
Jobs can be run immediately for a specific computer, or stored and scheduled for daily or
long-term administrative duties on multiple computer groups.
Job icons appear in the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console. To assign and schedule
a job in the Ghost Solution Suite Console, drag the job icon to selected computer icons. Job
status icons also appear in the Details pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console to indicate
various deployment states.
The New Job Wizard guides you through common deployment and management jobs. It is an
easy way to set up new users or migrate users to new computers, create and distribute images
of computers on the network, distribute software packages, restore computers, and more.

Jobs include one or more Deployment tasks. You build jobs by adding tasks to a job and
customizing the task for your specific needs. You can add tasks to capture and distribute
images, software packages, and personality settings. You can also write and run a script task,
or run scripted installs, configure settings, copy files and back up registry settings. You can
also modify existing jobs by adding, modifying, copy and pasting, or deleting tasks to suit your
requirements.
Set conditions on jobs to run only on computers with properties that match the criteria you
specify. You can build one job to run on different computer types for different needs, and avoid
mistakes by ensuring that the correct job runs on the correct managed computer. Add links.
Initial Deployment lets you run predefined jobs and configuration tasks on new computers
when they start up. You can automatically deploy new computers by imaging and configuring
TCP/IP, SIDs, and other network settings and installing basic software packages. Sample jobs
Sample jobs are installed with Ghost Solution Suite and appear in the Samples folder of the
Jobs pane. You can run many sample jobs as they are, or you can set environmental variables.
Sample jobs
System tokens
The following table lists all the predefined system tokens. System tokens are case sensitive.
The percent symbol “%” at the beginning and end of each token is part of the token name and
must be included.
Table 5-1
Token Description
%ASSETTAG% Asset tag from SMBIOS
%AGENTIPADDR% The IP address of the NIC of the client computer

connected to the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
%BWIPADDR% The IP address of the client computer connected to

the Ghost Solution Suite Server. This token only
works with Bootworks. It is deprecated and it is
recommended that you use the token
%AGENTIPADDR% instead.
%CALLINGJOBNAME% The name of the job that called this job (as used
when Setting up return codes) or the name of this
job if not called by another job
Token Description
%COMPNAME% Actual computer name used by the OS
%CONTACT% Contact name defined in the Location properties
%DATE% Date string in the form of mm/dd/yyyy
%DEPT% Department description defined in the Location

properties
%DNSSUFFIXSEARCHORDER% The DNS suffixes under the DNS tab.
%DOMAIN% MS Workgroup or domain name
%DOMAINOU% Domain organization units.
Example: MyCompany.com/MyParentOU/MyOU
%DSSERVER% The NetBios name of the computer where the Ghost

Solution Suite Server is installed.
%EMAIL% Email from the Location properties
%ID% Unique Computer ID Generated by Ghost Solution

Suite Server
%IPNAME% Full DNS name of the computer
%JOBNAME% The name of the current job.
%JOBUSER% The name of the user logged on to the Deployment

console
%LDAPDOMAINOU% The LDAP format for AD domains. Example:

dc=MyCompany, dc=com, OU=MyParentOU,
OU=MyOU
%MAILSTOP% Mail stop from the Location properties
%MANUF% Computer manufacturer from SMBIOS
%NETBIOSDOMAIN% The NetBios name for the Microsoft Domain
%NICyIPADDR% IP Address for NIC y (y = 1-8). Example: the first

NIC would be %NIC1IPADDR%I , second
%NIC2IPADDR% …
%NICyIPDNSx% DNS entry x for NIC y. Example: the second NIC

fourth DNS entry would be %NIC2IPDNS4%
Token Description
%NICyIPDNSALL% All DNS IP addresses for NIC y. Example: All DNS

entries for the second NIC would be
%NIC2IPDNSALL%.
%NICyIPGATEWAY% Default gateway for NIC y (y = 1-8). Example: the

first NIC would be %NIC1IPGATEWAY%, second
%NIC2IPGATEWAY% …
%NICyIPHOST% IP HOst for NIC y (y = 1-8). Example: the first NIC

would be %NIC1IPHOST%; the second would be
%NIC2IPHOST%.
%NICyIPNETMASK% Netmask for NIC y. Example: the first NIC would be

%NIC1IPNETMASK%, second
%NIC2IPNETMASK% …
%NICyIPWINSx% WINS entry x for NIC y. Example: the third NIC first
WINS entry would be %NIC3IPDNS1%
%NICyIPWINSALL% All WINS addresses for NIC y. Example: All WINS

entries for the second NIC would be
%NIC2IPWINSALL%.
%NICyMACADDR% MAC for NIC y (y = 1-8). Example: the first NIC

would be %NIC1MACADDR%,
second%NIC2MACADDR% …
%NICyNETBIOSOPTIONS% NetBios options for NIC y. Example: the NetBios

options for the third NIC would be
%NIC3NETBIOSOPTIONS%.
%NICyPCIBUSNUMBER% PCI Bus number for NIC y. Example: the PCI Bus
number for the second NIC would be
%NIC2PCIBUSNUMBER%.
%NICyPCIDEVICENUMBER% PCI Device number for NIC y. Example: the PCI

Device number for the fourth NIC would be
%NIC4PCIDEVICENUMBER%.
%NICyUSEDHCP% If you use DHCP, the valid values are Yes or No.
%NICyUSEWINS% If you use WINS, the valid values are Yes or No.
%NODEFULL% Complete computer name
%NODENAME% First 8 characters of actual computer name

Viewing job details
Token Description
%NWCONTEXT% NetWare context name
%NWSERVER% NetWare preferred server
%NWTREE% NetWare preferred tree
%OS% Specific operating system
%OSTYPE% Operating system type (WIN9x, WINNT, Linux)
%PHONE% Phone defined in the Location properties
%PROCDESC% Description of the processor
%PROCSPEED% Processor Speed
%PROCCOUNT% The number of processors installed (not the number

of processor slots)
%PROD_LIC% Product License Key
%PROCTYPE% Processor Type
%RAMTOTAL% Total Random Access Memory
%SERIALNUM% Serial number from SMBIOS
%SITE% Site description defined in the Location properties
%TIME% Time string in the form of hour:minutes
%USER_NAME% The Registered To user name that can be viewed

on the System Properties page of Windows.
%UUID% The Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of the

computer, if supported by hardware.
Viewing job details

As jobs are assigned, scheduled and executed, it is helpful to know specific details about their
status and assignments. The Ghost Solution Suite Console provides job icons to show the
state and status of the job in the Details pane:
■ Job status icons that update the state of the job in running deployment tasks. These icons
are graphical symbols in the Ghost Solution Suite Console used to identify the status of
an assigned job.
Viewing job details
A job is scheduled to run on a computer or computer

group.
A job is in progress.
A job has executed successfully.
A job is associated with a computer or group of

computers but is not scheduled.
Indicates error conditions when individual tasks run.
■ A description of the job, if available. You can also use Add or Modify in the main window
to edit the description.
■ If a job defines error conditions when individual tasks run, the Status field displays any
errors incurred and the tasks that completed successfully.
■ Job Schedule details. This is the job's run time, beginning when the job started and ending
when it completed successfully.
■ The currently applied conditions appear in a list box with a Setup option to add conditions
to different task sets for different computer properties within a job. Conditions specify
characteristics that a computer must have before the job runs. See Setting conditions for
task sets.
■ A list of tasks assigned to the job and task descriptions also appears. Change the order of
the task execution with the up and down arrows. Tasks are executed in the order they are
listed. See Deployment tasks.
■ Features to add, modify, and delete tasks for each job.
■ A list of assigned computers and its deployment history.
To sort jobs or computer details, just point and click on the category in the Details pane.
Example: Click the Status column heading to organize and display the progress status of the
job.
New Job wizard
New Job wizard

The New Job Wizard provides integrated features to build, assign, and schedule common
deployment jobs. It helps you build the most common jobs, and guides you through additional
steps to assign and schedule the jobs to selected computers. It lets you quickly build image
files and deploy new computers, distribute software packages, migrate users, and more.
Note: When a software package or deployment job is scheduled to run on client computers,
the Symantec Client Service Message dialog appears, warning them that a job is about to
execute. If a user clicks Abort when the message appears, an event is logged to the client's
history so that Ghost Solution Suite administrators know when users abort a scheduled event.
Create a new job by clicking New Job Wizard on the Ghost Solution Suite Console, clicking
File > New > Job Wizard, or right-clicking in the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console
and selecting New Job Wizard. The New Job Wizard appears to guide you through basic
deployment jobs.
To create a New job
1 Select a job option:
■ Create an image. This wizard guides you through the steps required to create an image
of a computer's hard disk and schedule the job.
■ Deploy and configure computers. This wizard guides you through the steps required
to deploy a previously created new disk image on a selected computer and install
software and personality settings.
■ Deploy software packages. This wizard guides you through steps required to install
software packages. You can set conditions, select packages, assign to computers,
and schedule the job
■ Restore a computer. This wizard guides you through the steps required to restore a
computer to a known working state by re-imaging the hard drive and reinstalling
software packages, personality settings, and defining configuration values. This option
reschedules jobs saved in each managed computer's history record, which contains
all deployment tasks previously processed. Restoring a computer from its deployment
history
Migrate computers. This wizard guides you through the steps required to migrate the
hard disk image, applications, and personality settings from a source computer to a
destination computer. You can perform one or more migration operations using the
provided options.
2 Give the job a unique name. You can type a name up to 64 characters.
New Job wizard
3 Follow the steps in each wizard to create a job (some New Job wizards build multiple
jobs).
4 (Optional) Unselect the Replay during rip and replace option.
This option is selected by default. This option replays the job during any rip and replace actions.
After creating a job, the job appears in the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console
with the deployment tasks listed in the Tasks list.
Note: You cannot define return codes when using the New Job Wizard. See “Building new
jobs ” on page 146.
See “Modifying tasks in a deployment job” on page 183.
Migrating computers
From the New Job Wizard, you can select Migrate computers to quickly distribute hard disk
images, software, and settings from a user's current computer to a new computer. You can
image a new computer's hard disk with a new operating system and install software and
personality settings. Or perform different levels of migration to distribute only software or to
simply capture and distribute personality settings to the new computer.
Migrate one computer to another separate computer

Click this option to migrate a user from a source computer (old computer) to another destination
computer (new computer). Capture personality settings, distribute a new hard disk image,
distribute software and redistribute the saved personality settings from the source computer
to the new destination computer.
Click the option to migrate only personality settings to one or more computers. Also select
Prepare destination computer with a disk image to distribute a disk image to the new
computer and select Install software packages prior to applying the personality on the
destination computer to install software packages on the new computer.
Note: This option creates two jobs that appear in the Jobs pane: Job (Capture) and Job
(Distribute).
Job (Capture) includes a Capture Personality Settings task (See “Capturing personality settings
” on page 170. ) to capture the personality of the source computer and a Modify Configuration
task to rename the source computer to avoid naming conflicts (see Modifying configuration).
The source computer is named computerName (Old).
Job (Distribute) includes a Deploy Image task (see Distributing a disk image) if selected, a
Modify Configuration task to update settings to the destination computer, and one or more
New Job wizard
Install Package tasks to update software (if selected) and migrate personality settings. See
Distributing software.
Migrate the same computer to another operating system

Click this option to upgrade the operating system on a computer and reinstall personality
settings and software packages on the same computer. It creates jobs and tasks to capture
the personality settings, distribute a new disk image, distribute software packages, and migrate
the personality settings.
Click the option to deploy a disk image and migrate the personality settings to the computer.
(Optional) Select Install software packages prior to applying the personality on the destination
computer to install software packages on the computer.
Note: This option creates two jobs that appear in the Jobs pane: Job (Capture) and Job
(Distribute).
Job (Capture) includes a Capture Personality Settings task (See “Capturing personality settings
” on page 170.) to capture the personality of the source computer.
Job (Distribute) includes a Deploy Image task () and one or more Install Package tasks to
update software, if selected.
Simply capture the personality of the computers

Click this option to capture and save, but not distribute, the personality settings of the selected
computer(s). You can select a personality template and save Personality Packages to the
eXpress Share, letting you distribute these personality settings later to new computers.
Note: This option creates a single job with a Capture Personality Settings task.
See “Capturing personality settings ” on page 170.

Selecting computers in the new job wizard

The New Job Wizard provides steps to select and assign computers to the jobs created in
the wizard, rather than requiring you to create a job and assign it to computers when building
new jobs. The jobs created in the New Job Wizard appear in the Jobs pane, and can be
saved and assigned to other computers at a later time. You can also schedule jobs for the
specified computers in the wizard.
New Job wizard
Applying computers to a job

When deploying software in the New Job Wizard, you can select computers to assign the
Distribute Software task created in the wizard. (See Distributing software.) You can also select
an option to simply store the job and use it at another time without scheduling the job.
Regardless of the scheduling option selected, the job appears in the Jobs pane to use at
another time.
New Computers. Open an Adding New Computers dialog to create new user accounts to
assign the job.
Associating destination computers

Use this dialog to associate source computers with destination computers when migrating
personality settings. Depending on the computers selected in the previous Select Computers
dialog, you can migrate personality settings captured from the source computers to new
destination computers.
Right-click a computer in the Source column to replace it with another source computer.
Right-click a computer in the Destination column to replace it with another destination computer
and assign it to a new source computer. To automatically assign multiple computers, click
Automatic to assign source computers with destination computers using an alpha-numeric
order. The associated computers share personality settings after running the jobs.
See “Migrating computers” on page 143.
Setting up conditions in the new job wizard

The New Job Wizard also provides steps to set up conditions, a step usually performed
independently for each job during its build phase. Setting conditions lets you run selected tasks
only on computers matching defined criteria. See Setting conditions for task sets.
Click Setup conditions for this set of tasks to open the Define Conditions dialog from the
New Job Wizard.
Installing software packages

The New Job Wizard provides steps to install software packages to the selected computers.
You can install any type of software to the managed client computer, including .MSIs, and
personality packages. If the selected package is not an personality package, a message
appears asking if you want to continue. See Distributing software for additional information.
Building new jobs
Option summary
After selecting the options in the New Job Wizard, you can view a summary of the job names,
assigned computers, conditions, and other selected choices. To change any options, click
Back to return to the previous dialog. Click Finish to complete the steps in the wizard.
Building new jobs

A job can be a single task to distribute software or change computer property settings, or a
series of tasks sequenced to migrate hard disk images, set post-installation TCP/IP and SID
values, and install software packages and personality settings.
To create a new job, in the Ghost Solution Suite Console, navigate to File > New > Job, or
right-click in the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console and select New Job. You can
modify jobs by double-clicking the job or right-clicking, and selecting Properties. Add tasks
to each job by clicking Add.
To build new jobs
1 Create a new job. Enter a unique name and description for the job. You can type a name
up to 64 characters.
A new job is added to the Jobs pane in the Ghost Solution Suite Console. You can group
and organize jobs, and access and apply them to computers or computer groups from an
index of prebuilt jobs.
2 (Optional) Set conditions to apply the job to specified computers meeting defined criteria.
Order multiple conditions to run jobs on computers that match the first applicable condition.
See Setting conditions for task sets.
3 Click Add to open a list of deployment tasks to add to each job. .
4 Set task options using the provided wizards.
5 (Optional) Unselect the Replay during rip and replace option.
This option is selected by default. This option replays the job during any rip and replace
actions.
After you complete the steps to create a task, it is added to the Task list. Click Add to add
another task. Use the up and down arrows to change the order of execution of the tasks
in the Task list.
Tasks are executed in the order that they appear in the task list. Therefore, ensure you
do not run a task that overrides the previous tasks. Example: List Distribute Disk Image
above Distribute Software or Distribute Personality, letting the hard disk be imaged before
installing applications and settings.
Job scheduling wizard
6 (Optional) Set Return Codes. The last action in each task wizard lets you set return codes
for each deployment task.See “Setting up return codes ” on page 187.
7 After adding tasks, click OK.
8 To schedule the job, drag it to a computer or computer group. The Schedule Jobs dialog
appears.
See “Importing and exporting jobs ” on page 186.
Job scheduling wizard

The Job Scheduling Wizard provides features to assign jobs to selected computers and
computer groups, and to schedule the jobs to run without using a mouse. This new feature
meets Section 508 requirements to improve disability access and enables integration of voice
activation software and other user interface features.
Select a job
Select the jobs or groups of jobs to assign to computers or computer groups. Use the SHIFT
and CTRL keys to select multiple jobs or job folders. Click Next.
Select a computer or computer groups

Select the computers or groups of computers to assign the jobs selected in the previous dialog.
Use the SHIFT and CTRL keys to select multiple computers or groups. Click Next.
New Computers. Click when adding new computers.
Setting conditions for task sets

Setting conditions on a job lets you run selected tasks only on computers that match defined
criteria. As a result, you can create a single job with tasks defined for computers with varying
properties, including operating system types, network adapters, processors, free drive space,
and other computer properties. You can create task sets for each job that apply only to the
computers matching those conditions.
Note: The default condition (named default) has no parameters or values associated with it.
If this is the only condition that a job contains, the tasks associated with the default condition
will always work on all computers to which the job is assigned. A default condition is like having
no conditions.
Setting conditions for task sets
In addition, if a task is associated with the default condition, the task always runs when a
computer does not meet any other conditions associated with this job.
To set conditions for task sets
1 Select a job from the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console. The Job
Properties dialog appears.
2 Click Setup next to the Condition field. A menu appears with options to create a new
condition, or to modify, delete, or reorder a condition.
3 To reorder conditions, click Order and reorder them using up or down.
4 To create a new condition, click New in the menu. The Condition Settings dialog appears.
Enter a name up to 64 characters.
5 Click Add to open the Condition dialog. Specify the following conditions and click OK:
■ From the Field drop-down list, select a data field heading. You can define conditions
based on common client features such as operating system, software and hardware
version, hard drive space, operating system language, RAM, and other characteristics.
To set up custom conditions based on custom tokens, select User Defined Tokens
from the Field drop-down list.
■ From the Operation drop-down list, select a compare statement.
■ In the Value box, type a string to search for in the selected database field. You can
set conditions based on computer properties stored in fields in the Ghost Solution
Suite Database. Example: You can set a condition to match a particular asset tag,
Ghost Solution Suite agent version, or IP address. You can use wildcard characters
and AND/OR operators.
■ To set up custom conditions based on custom tokens, select User Defined Tokens
from the Field list.
The task set you create appears in the Task list for each condition. When you select a new
condition, the tasks for that condition appear.
Note: When using User Defined Tokens to set conditions for some client property values, you
may be required to use the decimal value instead of the hex value. Example: When setting
conditions based on the NICS table on the nic_device_id and nic_vendor_id columns, you
must use decimal values.

Deployment tasks
Deployment tasks
A task is an action of a job. Jobs are built with tasks. Each task runs according to its order in
the task list contained in a job. You can resize the task pane by dragging the bottom pane
(horizontal bar) that separates the task list and the scheduled computer list of the Ghost Solution
Suite Console. This lets you view a greater number of tasks in a deployment job without using
the scroll bar to navigate up and down.
Task names in a mixed-language environment

Ghost Solution Suite Server does not handle the code pages in a mixed-language environment
well. If a Windows 32-bit Ghost Solution Suite Server Console is installed on a native single-byte
OS (for example, English, Italian, and French) and viewed on a double-byte language, the
task names show as a series of question marks.
When you view the task names on a native double-byte OS, they display correctly.
Common Tasks
The Add menu of the Ghost Solution Suite Console includes the following tasks:
Table 5-2 Common tasks
Field Description
Create Disk Image Create a disk image from a reference computer and
save the image file (GHO files) for later distribution.
See “Creating a disk image” on page 152.
Distribute Disk Image Distribute previously created disk images or create

a disk image from a reference computer on the
network and simultaneously distribute it (.IMG or
.GHO) to other managed computers on the network.
See “Distributing a disk image” on page 158.
Scripted OS Install Run scripted (unattended) installs using answer

files to install computers remotely over the network.
See “Scripted OS install” on page 160.
Distribute Software Distribute .MSI files, scripts, personality settings,

and other package files to computers or groups.

Deployment tasks
Table 5-2 Common tasks (continued)
Field Description
Capture Personality Capture the personality settings of a selected

computer on the network using the PC Transplant
software. PC Transplant ships as a part of Ghost
See “Capturing personality settings ” on page 170.
Distribute Personality Send a Personality Package to computer or groups.

This task identifies valid Ghost Solution Suite
packages and assign passwords and command-line
options to Personality Packages.
See “Distributing personality settings ” on page 172.
Modify Configuration Modify the IP address, computer and user name,

domains and Active Directory organizational units,
and other network information and computer
properties.
See “Modifying configuration” on page 174.
Back up Registry Copy the registry files of selected computers and

save the registry file settings to a selected directory.
Restore Registry Copy the registry file settings to a managed

computer.
Get Inventory This lets you gather inventory information from client
computers to ensure that the Ghost Solution Suite
Database is updated with the latest computer
properties.
Run Script Create custom commands using scripts to perform

jobs outside the bounds of the preconfigured tasks.
Use the Run Script dialog to select or define a script
file to run on specified computers or groups.
Copy File to Copy a file from the eXpress Share or another

source computer to a destination computer.
Power Control Perform power control options to restart, shutdown,

power off, and log off.
Wait Use the Wait dialog to retain a computer in

automation mode after a task is performed.
Deployment tasks
Supported Live Task Types

The following is the list of the live tasks supported for the x64, IA64, and SPARC platforms.
Task x64 IA64 SPARC
Restore Computer Yes Yes Yes
History Yes Yes Yes
Configure Yes Yes Yes
Quick Disk Image Yes Yes Yes
Power Control: Yes Yes Yes

Wake Up

Restart

Shutdown
Power Control: Log Yes Yes No

off
Remote Yes No No
Control(Only 3rd
Party)
Execute Yes Yes Yes
Copy File Yes Yes Yes
Advanced: Clear Yes Yes Yes

Computer Status
Advanced: Reset Yes Yes Yes

Connection
Advanced: Get Yes Yes Yes

Inventory
Advanced: Reject Yes Yes Yes

Connection
Advanced: Uninstall Yes Yes No

Windows Agent
Advanced: Install No No Yes

BIS Certificate
Creating a disk image
Advanced: Remove No No Yes

BIS Certificate
Advanced: Apply Yes Yes Yes

Regular License
New Job Wizard Yes Yes Yes
New Group Yes Yes Yes
New Computer Yes Yes Yes
Rename Yes Yes Yes
Delete Yes Yes Yes
Change Agent Yes Yes Yes

Setting
Permissions Yes Yes Yes
Job Scheduling Yes Yes Yes

Wizard

This task creates an image of a computer's hard disk and partition. You can save the disk
image as a .GHO file.
Create an image file by using the New Job Wizard or adding the task when building new jobs.
You can distribute the disk image file using the Distribute a Disk Image task.
To create an image of a computer, you must boot to Linux, or WinPE. This requires that you
set up a PXE Server or install an automation folder.
To create a disk image
1 In the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console, select a job.
2 In the Details pane, click Add and select Create Disk Image.
3 In the Create Disk Image dialog, select an imaging tool from the drop-down list. You can
select from the following tools:|
■ Symantec Ghost
The Symantec Ghost is the default imaging tool and creates a .GHO file. For information
on creating a Ghost Image, See “Creating a Ghost image ” on page 154.
4 (optional) Additional Parameters are displayed when you select the Ghost tool for
imaging. You can modify the Additional Parameters if required.
Note: Ensure to enter the additional parameters correctly, else the imaging task fails.
5 If you select the RapiDeploy tool for imaging, the Advanced option is displayed.
See “Create disk image advanced ” on page 155.
6 In the Source Computer options (Ghost Only), select the Drive number and the
Partition number of the source computer.
To create a disk image, select only the drive number.
To create an image of a partition of a drive, select the drive number and the partition
number.
Note: To know the correct partition number, use the Gdisk tool in the automation
environment.
7 In the Location to store image (path and filename), click Select options and enter the
following:
Use Ghost Solution Suite Server share If you select this option, the image is stored at
the Ghost Solution Suite Server share.
Use any Drive letter accessible in Automation Specify the drive letter where you want to store
pre-boot the image.
Note: Ensure that the drive is accessible in
automation pre-boot environment from the client
computer.
Use Drive and Partition Number in Automation Specify the drive Number and the Partition
pre-boot (Ghost Only) number. You can use this option only when Ghost
imaging tool is used.
Specify the Image path Enter or browse the path where you want to store
the image.
8 Check Prepare using Sysprep –Configure.

To configure the Sysprep settings, See “Advanced Sysprep settings for creating a disk
image ” on page 155.
Note: Windows 10 onwards, you must run the Sysprep with Administrator credentials. For
more information refer to the Microsoft article.
9 Select the Automation pre-boot environment (Windows PE/Linux).

10 Set the Return codes and RIP and replace options. See Setting up return codes.
Creating a Ghost image

Symantec Ghost Solution Suite provides operating system migration, software distribution,
computer personality migration, hardware and software inventory, and secure system retirement.
You can create a Ghost Image using the Create Disk Image task.
To create a Ghost image
1 In the Create Disk Image dialog, select Ghost Image (.gho) from the Imaging Tool
drop-down list.
2 Add additional parameters in the Additional Parameters field.
3 Enter the path and file name to store the disk image.
4 (Optional) To disable the validation of the image path, select the Disable image path
validation check box. This is useful if the image is stored locally, or if you are retrieving
the image from a remote server.
5 To use Microsoft Sysprep, select the Prepare using Sysprep check box and specify the
operating system and product key.
6 From the Automation pre-boot environment (WinPE/Linux) drop-down list, select the
required pre-boot environment to create the disk in the selected pre-boot environment.
By default, the Default Automation (Auto-select) type is selected.
7 Click Next.
The Return Codes dialog appears.
8 (Optional) Set Return Codes. See Setting up return codes .
9 Click Finish.
The task appears in the Task list for the job. The Ghost image is created when you run
this task.
Advanced Sysprep settings for creating a disk image for Windows

Vista and later versions
You can use the Sysprep advanced settings dialog to specify the settings for any Windows
Vista or later Windows operating system version.
If you select the Operating System as Windows Vista or later, in the Sysprep settings on
the Create Disk Image dialog. The Advanced Settings... option is enabled.
Click the Advanced Settings... option. The Sysprep advanced settings dialog appears. This
dialog lets you select Plug-n-Play (PnP) drivers options, as well as Sysprep options, such as
command-line options.
Advanced Sysprep settings for creating a disk image

You can use the Sysprep Advanced Settings dialog to specify Sysprep mass storage device
support.
Disable mass storage device support.When this option is selected, the Sysprep.inf file
contains the section [Sysprep] with the key value pair as BuildMassStorageSection = No
Enable mass storage device support using built-in drivers.When this option is selected,
the Sysprep.inf file contains the section [Sysprep] with the key value pair as
BuildMassStorageSection = Yes
Enable mass storage device support using following: When this option is selected, the
Sysprep.inf file contains the section [SysprepMassStorage] and is appended by contents of
the file mentioned in the Mass storage section file field. You can also copy the drivers directory
mentioned in the Mass storage drivers field.
Command-line switches.You can add command-line options.
Create disk image advanced

Media Spanning
The Maximum file size is set to 2GB.
Additional Options
Table 5-3 Additional Options
Field Description
Compression Compressing an image is a trade-off between size

and speed. Uncompressed images are faster to
create, but use more disk space.
Following options are available:
■ Optimize for Speed

Select this option to create a larger compressed
image file with a faster imaging time. This is the
default option.
■ Optimize for Size
Select this option to compress the image to the
smallest file size.
■ Balanced for Size and Speed
■ None
Note: Configuration restoration after imaging a compressed drive is not supported for this
release.
(Optional) Enter an image description to help identify the image and click OK.
TECH106775.html
Ghost Solution Suite Hot Imaging

The Ghost Solution Suite Hot Imaging lets you automatically refresh images from a live
reference computer before deploying the image. This feature ensures that the deployed image
is latest and reduces the risk of stale, out-of-date images.
Hot imaging does not require to boot a computer into the preboot environment before creating
an image. Hot imaging uses the Snapshot technology for Windows desktop operating systems
and is used to capture an image while Windows is running.
Note: Hot imaging does not support Windows Server class operating systems.
Tips for Hot imaging:

■ The Volume Shadow Copy service should not be in "disabled"state. If you are using any
database software on the computer you want to take a hot image of, that database software
must be stopped to prevent damage to the database file. If the database application is VSS
Aware, the Volume Shadow Copy service shuts down the database for you. If the database
application is not VSS aware, you must stop the database service before capturing an
image.
■ Firewalls can block necessary communications.
See “System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite” on page 30.
To use Hot imaging
1 In the Ghost Solution Suite console, navigate to Jobs > Hot Imaging.
2 Use the appropriate sample jobs for creating an image:
■ Create X64 Image
■ Create X86 Image
Troubleshooting error 1959

While using Hot imaging, you may receive an error as follows:
■ Volume could not be locked
■ Cloning via Volume Snapshot has failed
Following is the workaround for the same:
If you are using ghost32.exe on the client computer:
1 Go to Start > Run.
2 Type cmdand click OK.
3 Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server.
4 Type ghost32.exe -forcevolumesnapshot and click Enter.
5 Configure Ghost Solution Suite to meet your needs.
If you are executing a Create Image task:
1 Find the failed task in your task list.
2 Right-click on the task and go to Properties.
3 Click Advanced.
4 Type -forcevolumesnapshot in the Additional option for the Ghost command line and
click OK.
5 Click Save > Execute.
Distributing a disk image

Distribute a Ghost, RDeploy, ImageX image file to managed computers to deploy a previously
created disk image. Ghost Solution Suite supports hardware independent imaging through
DeployAnywhere.
DeployAnywhere creates a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and updates network drivers
and storage drivers. It performs post-imaging functionality while you are still in automation
mode.
You can use the following switches with DeployAnywhere:
■ /logPath that specifies the fully qualified path where the DA log files are written.
■ /logID that specifies the ID to prepend to the log file name.
Distribute a hard disk image using the New Job Wizard or adding the Distribute Disk Image
task when building new jobs. You can create the disk image file using the Create a Disk Image
task.
Note: If you deploy a Windows image over a Linux computer or a Linux image over a Windows
computer, you must change the path of the Ghost Solution Suite Agent for the Windows log
file.
To distribute a disk image

1 In the Jobs pane in the Ghost Solution Suite Console, select a job.
2 In the Details pane, click Add and select Distribute Disk Image....
3 In the task window, select the location of the image to be deployed. Click on the Select
options.
4 (optional) Additional Parameters are displayed when you select the Ghost tool for
imaging. You can modify the Additional Parameters if required.
Note: Ensure to enter the additional parameters correctly, else the imaging task fails.
5 If you select an image that is captured with RapiDeploy tool, the Advanced option is
displayed. You can set Resizing and other settings such as the Automation Folder and
OEM Partition.
6 If you select a Ghost image, the Enable Partition Imaging (Ghost Only) option is enabled.
You can specify the partition number of the source image that you want to deploy on the
target computer. Select the Drive number and the Partition number of the target
computer.
7 Select Prepared using Sysprep if the image was captured using Sysprep.
Click Sysprep Settings to open the Sysprep Advanced Settings dialog.
8 In the Data transfer mode, select if the image should be distributed using either of the
following:
■ GhostCast Server
Enter the Session Name that should be used.
■ Multicast using Ghost
9 Select Automatically perform configuration task after completing this imaging task
to restart the computer and push the configuration settings to the imaged computer.
Note: If you clear this option, a warning appears, confirming that you want to remove the
configuration step after the image is deployed. As a result, the imaged computer may not
reconnect to the network.
10 (Optional) Select the DeployAnywhere option if you want to do hardware independent

imaging.
(Optional) Click Advanced and browse to the Windows Directory and set additional
parameters.
11 (Optional) Select the Boot to production to complete configuration task.

12 From the Automation pre-boot environment (WinPE/ Linux) drop-down list, select the
required pre-boot environment to perform the Distribute Disk Image task. By default, the
Default Automation (Auto-select) type is selected.
13 Click Next.
14 (Optional) Set Return Codes. See “Setting up return codes ” on page 187.
15 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The disk image is distributed
when you run this task.
Scripted OS install
Scripted OS install
The Scripted OS Install task performs remote, automated, and unattended operating system
installations over the network using answer files to input configuration and installation-specific
values. Scripted installs let you deploy server and client computers across the network from
installation files and perform post-installation configuration tasks. You can run scripted installs
for Windows or Linux computers.
Note: Scripted Install requires either an automation boot disk or a PXE Server. Using embedded
automation causes the selected image (Linux, WinPE) to load and halt. It does not let the
scripted install run.
When running a Scripted OS Install task, you can identify the type of operating system to
install for supported languages, run the scripted install, and update with service pack
installations. This task provides easy-to-use features to create an answer file for each scripted
installation.
Scripted installs are flexible in performing post-configuring tasks, but much slower and
bandwidth-intensive. Complete server installation and configuration tasks benefit most from
scripted installs.
Windows Use complete unattended install features to copy

Windows operating system source files quickly to
the eXpress Share and easily create an answer file.
Configured operating system install sets can be
reused to build and run scripted install jobs as
needed.
See “Scripted install for Windows Vista, Windows

Server 2008, and later” on page 161.
Linux Run scripted install jobs to remotely install different

versions of Linux. You can customize sample
scripted install jobs installed with the Ghost Solution
Suite Server system and create a kickstart answer
file to remotely run a scripted install.
See “Scripted install for Linux” on page 167.
See “Deleting Scripted OS Install packages from the Deployment Server” on page 166.
Scripted install for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later
Scripted install for Windows Vista, Windows Server

2008, and later
The Scripted OS install for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 Server or later provides a
wizard to help set up Vista, Windows Server 2008 and later installation files and run sample
jobs. Follow the steps in the wizard to identify the type of scripted install as Vista, Windows
2008 Server or later. You can gather all the files for Vista or Windows 2008 Server for the job,
but the server does not build any answer file. Instead, you are asked for the location of the
answer file. Also, a sample answer file is provided.
To perform a scripted install for Windows Vista and 2008 server
1 On the Scripted Operating System Installation page of the Scripted OS Install dialog,
select the following options:
■ The operating system
■ Operating system language
■ Automation pre-boot environment
Note: Ghost Solution Suite supports only WinPE environments.
2 Click Next.
3 From the Select or add new OS source files drop-down list on the Installation Source
Files page of the Scripted OS Install dialog, select the operating system.
Browse to the root directory of the ISO files of the OS that you are installing.
4 (Optional) You can select the required option from the Select or add new service pack
source files drop-down list. Click Next.
5 Select the Select a Diskpart tool option on the Partition and Format Disk page of the
Scripted OS Install dialog to partition and format the disk. Click Next.
Note: You can select the Continue without selecting Diskpart Tool option to partition
and format the hard disk using your own scripts and setup utilities.
6 On the Scripted Operating System Installation page of the Scripted OS Install dialog,
browse to select the path of the unattended .XML file.
7 On the Scripted OS Install Commands page of the Scripted OS Install dialog, set the
command-line options for the cmdlines.txt files and enter the Additional commands in the
cmdlines.txt file. (See Command-line switches for scripted install.) Click Finish.
Note: If you want to use the sample answer files (Vista_unattend.xml and
Longhorn_unattend.xml) provided by default in the Deploy folder of the eXpress Share,
you must enter the product key (for the version you want to install) before you schedule
the job. If you do not select the product key, the job fails.
See “OS product key dialog” on page 76.
Select OS version and language

Identify the operating system version to run in a scripted install. The selected version and
language must correspond to your Windows installation files.
We support multiple languages for the following Ghost Solution Suite utilities:
■ Boot Disk Creator
■ Image Explorer
■ PXE Configuration Utility
■ Remote Client Installer
■ Control Panel Applet
■ DS Info
■ PW Util (Password utility)
■ Switch Management
Select the operating system version Select the Windows operating system you want to
install from the list. Click Template if you want to
install another version or language of a Windows
operating system not provided in the list.
Select the operating system language Select the language version of the operating system
to install. The language must correspond to the
operating system source files. If you selected the
Template option, only the Multilingual language
option can be selected (this is a generic language
option).
Automation (Pre-boot Environment) Select the required pre-boot environment from the
Automation (Pre-boot Environment) drop-down list.
The option reported by the PXE Manager is the
default pre-boot environment option.
Installation source files

If you copied installation files to the eXpress Share for previous scripted installs, the name of
this install source configuration appears in the list box for each operating system type and
language. To create new source configuration sets for additional operating system installs,
select Add new from the drop-down list.
Select or add new operating system source files Select the assigned name for each operating system
source configuration in the list, or select Add new
from the list to create a new install task. Previous
scripted install jobs will create a WinOS00x.img file
in the Deploy directory of the eXpress Share .
Operating System-Source Files The Operating System-Source Files dialog lets

you identify the version of Windows install files and
enter the path to the files (on the CD or other
medium).
Select or add new service pack source files Run service pack updates immediately after
installing the operating system during the scripted
install process. Previous scripted install jobs will
create a WinSP00x.img file.
Operating system-source files

Name the operating system source configuration, specify the path, and automatically copy
Windows installation files to the eXpress Share .
Enter a unique name for the operating system Enter a name for the operating system source
source files configuration files to assign an alias to associate
with the install files for a specific operating system
version and language.
The Windows operating system identified previously in the Installation Source Files dialog
must match the source files selected here. If the name and language of the operating system
does not match the installation files, you receive an error.
Click OK and the files will copy from the source CD (or other volume) to the Ghost Solution
Suite Server\Deploy directory in the eXpress Share . This process will take a few minutes.
Import an answer file

Reference a previously created answer file for a Windows scripted install. You can also view
a summary of the operating system source configuration.
Import existing unattend.txt Select to import a previously created answer file to

the Ghost Solution Suite Database. The values for
the answer file are imported from the delimited text
file and appear in the Answer File Setup dialog.
Path of the unattend.txt Enter a path and select an answer file with any
name. The answer file is imported to the database,
edited in the console (if required), and distributed
as an unattend.txt file to the client computer.
See [Unresolved xref]
Answer file setup

Use the tabs in this dialog to enter values to create an answer file for a scripted install. These
values are stored in the Ghost Solution Suite Database. An answer file is generated from the
database (unattend.txt) and distributed to each managed computer when the job runs.
In the Answer File Setup dialog, select a value (a row) in the table. A list appears in the
Values column to change values for each entry. You can add new variables to each section
by selecting the bottom row named Add new Variable. To add a new section to the answer
file, click the right arrow until the Add new Section tab appears (the last tab on the right).
The required answer file values are selected automatically in the dialog with a gray check mark
(you cannot clear these variables). Optional but selected values have a green check mark.
Other optional values are cleared. Select these optional values if you want to add them to the
answer file when it is generated.
The various tabs in the Answer File Setup dialog correspond to the general answer file
sections. See the Microsoft Windows Unattended Setup Guide for specific values for an
unattended setup file.
Add a new section

Use this dialog to add new variable sections to the answer file.
Use this dialog to add new variable sections to If you add a section, this name appears in the new
the answer file tab in the Answer File setup dialog. Enter a
description. Enter comments to describe the new
section.
Enter a description Enter comments to describe the new section.
See the Microsoft Windows Unattended Setup Guide for your specific operating system values
for an unattended setup file.
Delete a section
To delete a new section that you added, right-click the section and select Delete selected
Section.
Add a new variable

Use the New Variable for Section "Unattended" dialog to add new variables to the answer
file. This variable appears as a row in the Answer File Setup dialog.
Table 5-4 Add a new variable
Field Description
Name of the variable Select a variable name
Type of the new variable Select a variable data type. The Default value of
the variable and Displayed value of the variable
fields are enabled depending on the variable type
selected.
Default value of the variable Enter values for a list, text, password, IP address,
or variable only types.
Displayed value of the variable Enter an alias for list item types to appear instead
of the real variable value.
Description Enter comments to describe the new variable. It

appears in the Description column of the Answer
File Setup dialog.
Command-line switches for scripted install

Use the Scripted OS install commands dialog to enter Windows commands that are executed
from the cmdlines.txt file. You can also add scripted install command-line options.
Table 5-5 Command-line switches for scripted install
Field Description
Switches Add or edit switch commands to this line for the

install program for the scripted install.
Additional commands in the cmdlines.txt file Enter additional Windows scripted install commands
in this dialog. The commands execute in the order
they are listed. The provided command installs the
Ghost Solution Suite for Windows during the Install
Component phase of the installation. You can view
and edit Ghost Solution Suite settings in the next
dialog. Enter additional Windows scripted install
commands in this dialog. The commands execute
in the order they are listed. The provided command
installs the Ghost Solution Suite for Windows during
the Install Component phase of the installation. You
can view and edit Ghost Solution Suite settings in
the next dialog.
Ghost Solution Suite agent settings for scripted install

View or edit Ghost Solution Suite for Windows settings in this dialog. You can change agent
settings using this text-edit dialog.
For a list of the Ghost Solution Suite agent properties, See “Ghost Solution Suite Agent settings
” on page 107.
Scripted install summary

View a summary of the selected options for the scripted install. Click Back to change any of
these settings or click Finish to complete the Scripted Install task. Click Next to set up return
codes.
See “Setting up return codes ” on page 187.
Deleting Scripted OS Install packages from the Deployment Server

The following procedure lists the steps that you must follow to delete the scripted OS install
packages from the Deployment Server share:
Scripted install for Linux
Deleting Scripted OS Install packages from the Deployment Server

1 Launch the Ghost Solution Suite Console and select the Scripted OS Install task for
which you want to delete the SOI package.
2 In the Scripted OS Install task, navigate to the Installation Source Files page and select
the package that you want to delete.
3 Navigate to the Location and delete the folder WinOSxxx. For more information, refer to
the following image:
For more information, refer to the following URL:

TECH250074
Scripted install for Linux

The Scripted OS install for Linux provides a wizard to help set up Linux installation files and
run Sample jobs. Follow steps in the wizard to identify the type of scripted install and locate
the answer files. You can also modify and run Sample deployment jobs to remotely run a
scripted install on Linux servers and workstations.
Distributing software
Table 5-6
Field Description
Directory Browse to or enter the path and name of the Linux

answer file (Kickstart file).
Command-line Enter the command-line options.
Automation pre-boot environment (WinPE/Linux) Select the required pre-boot environment from the
drop-down list to perform the Backup and Restore
task in the selected pre-boot environment. By
default, the Default Automation (Auto-select) type
is selected.
Scripted install summary

View a summary of the selected options for the scripted install. Click Back to change any of
these settings or click Finish to complete the Scripted Install task.
Send .MSI Packages, .CAB, .EXE, and other package files to selected computers or computer
groups, including EBS, and .RPM files for Linux computers. This task identifies valid Ghost
Solution Suite packages and assigns passwords and command-line options.
Distribute software packages to managed computers using the New Job Wizard or adding the
Distribute Software task when building new jobs.
To distribute software
1 Enter the name and location of the package to distribute in the Name field.
Note: Information about the package appears in the Description field for valid packages.
If no description appears, the file is not a Personality Package.
2 Select Run in quiet mode to install the package without requiring user interaction.
3 If distributing an install package or other types of packages with associated support files,
you can select Copy all directory files to install all peer files in the directory. Select Copy
subdirectories to distribute peer files in the directory and all files in associated
subdirectories.
Note: Some clients may have software installed on the client computer that, for protection
against harmful software, only lets software programs on a list of "well-known" executables
to run. Therefore, whenever the system administrator wanted to install a patch on client
computers, he or she would have to update the well-known-executables list on all the
client computers, which could be a lot of work.
To save the work of updating that list, or of manually renaming distribution packages, the
RenameDistPkg feature was added. Now, the system administrator may update the
well-known-executable list once with a filename of their choice. The well-known filename
may be entered into the Windows registry of the Ghost Solution Suite Server computer
(the computer running axengine.exe) as the Value data of a string value named
RenameDistPkg under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris
eXpress\Options key. If the RenameDistPkg registry entry is set, Ghost Solution Suite
Server renames the installation files that are copied to the client computers.
This feature only affects files that are temporarily copied to the client computer as part of
a Distribute Software task. The file that is to be executed only during the installation,
sometimes referred to as the package, is the file that is renamed, not the files that are
actually installed to various locations on the target computer.
If the Copy all directory files option is enabled, only the main (installable) file is renamed.
4 Click Advanced to specify how files are distributed to the managed computer. You can
copy through the Ghost Solution Suite Server, or copy directly from the file source and
then run, or run directly from the file source. See Distribute software advanced. Click Next.
5 Provide additional command-line options for distributing software.
6 (Optional) Set Return Codes.
7 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The software is distributed when
you run this task.
If the Personality Package is configured to run only if a particular user is logged in and only if
the user has an account on the managed computer, the package runs the next time that user
logs in. If the user does not have an account, the package aborts and sends an error back to
the console through the Ghost Solution Suite. If the package is not run through the Ghost
Solution Suite Server, a message appears on the managed computer and the user is prompted
to abort or continue.
Capturing personality settings
Distribute software advanced

Following are the fields and the description of the Distribute software > Advanced:
Table 5-7 Distribute software advanced
Field Description
Copy files using Ghost Solution Suite Server Select this option to distribute packages through
then execute the Ghost Solution Suite Server to the managed
computer, requiring two file copy transactions if the
eXpress Share is on another file server. This option
is run for Simple installs and is the default option.
Copy directly from file source then execute. Select this option to copy packages directly from
the eXpress Share if this data store is located on
another server (a Custom install). It copies the file
and runs it, avoiding running through the Ghost
Solution Suite Server and reducing processor
output.
Run directly from file source Select this option to run files remotely from the
eXpress Share or another selected file server.
Specify user Enter the user name and password for the client
computer and the eXpress Share . Both must have
the same user name and password (this is not an
issue if both are on the same domain).
Run script in console user session For Windows 2008, Vista, and Windows 7, you can
see the output of jobs on a local desktop and use
that output for debugging purposes. The script runs
in a logged-in user's UI session. If no users are
logged in, the job fails. DAgent can also run scripts
in a console user session.

The Capture Personality task lets you save personal display and user interface settings defined
in the operating system for each user. You can create a Personality Package that you can
save and distribute when migrating users. This task runs Symantec PC Transplant from the
console to capture and distribute settings.
Capture personality settings using the New Job Wizard or adding the Capturing Personality
task when building new jobs.

To capture a personality
1 After creating a job, click Add > Capture Personality.
2 Enter the name of a personality template file, or browse and select a template. A default
personality template is included in the PCT folder of the eXpress Share (DEFAULT.PBT).
Enter the name of the folder where you want to store the package.
The personality template lets you define the settings, files, and options to be captured
during run time. Click Template Builder to open a wizard to build a custom template.
3 In User account and folder login, enter the login credentials for the managed computer
from which the personality settings are captured, and the file server where the Personality
Package is stored.
4 In Package login, enter a password for the Personality Package. This is a run-time
password that is required when the Personality Package runs on the destination computer.
5 Click Advanced to specify additional features.
6 Set the Advanced options and click OK. Click Next. See “Capture personality advanced
options” on page 171.
8 Click Finish. You have now created a Capture Personality task, which appears in the Task
list. You must schedule this task to capture a personality setting and save it as a PCT file
in the selected location (most often in the PCT folder on the Ghost Solution Suite Server
shared directory on the eXpress Share ).
See “Distributing personality settings ” on page 172.
Note: Set the conditions on the job for either Windows 2008 and Vista computers to ensure
that the appropriate Capture Personality task runs on the appropriate computers.
Capture personality advanced options

Table 5-8 Capture personality advanced options
Field Description
Domain users Select this option to capture personality settings for

all domain users on the computer.
Distributing personality settings
Table 5-8 Capture personality advanced options (continued)
Field Description
Local Users Select this option to capture personality settings for

all local users on the computer.
Custom Specify users or groups to capture personality

settings. Select the Custom check box and enter
the Users or Groups you want to capture personality
settings. Also, instead of specifying names, you can
also select users who have been either created or
accessed in the specified number of days.
Additional command-line switches You can add command-line options specifically for
the PC Transplant program that migrates personality
settings. See the Symantec PC Transplant
Reference Guide in the docs folder of the eXpress
Share .

The Distribute Personality task lets you save personal display and user interface settings
defined in the operating system for each user. You can distribute Personality Packages to
migrate personality settings. This task runs Symantec PC Transplant from the console to
capture and distribute settings.
Distribute personality settings using the New Job Wizard or adding the Distribute Personality
task when building new jobs. For more information about capturing personality settings to
create a Personality Package, refer to the following section:
See “Capturing personality settings ” on page ?.
To distribute personality settings

1 In the Name field, enter the file name and location of the PCT file.
Note: The information about the Personality Package appears in the Description field for
valid Personality Packages (PCT files). If no description appears, the file is not a valid
package.
Symantec recommends you enter a valid Personality Package name and use the
Additional command-line switches fields for token values. See the Symantec PC
Transplant Reference Guide for a complete list of valid command-line options.
2 In the Password field, type the password set for the PCT file when created.
3 Select Run in quiet mode to install the package without displaying the PC Transplant
screens.
4 Specify the users to associate with the Personality Package.
■ Select Apply to all users to run the package for all users with accounts on the specified
computer.
■ If you want to send the package to a managed computer with multiple users and to
install it for certain users with a unique password, clear the Apply to all users box.
Example: To install a Personality Package for specific user accounts on a computer,
add values to the Additional command-line switches field. Example:
-user: JDoe; TMaya; BLee
Note: The command-line options are specifically for Personality Packages. For a complete
list of command-line options, see the Symantec PC Transplant Reference Guide.
5 (Optional) Click Advanced to specify how to copy Personality Packages to the managed
computer. You can copy through Ghost Solution Suite Server and then run, or copy directly
from the file source and then run, or run directly from the file source. See Distribute
personality advanced. Click OK.
6 Click Next.
8 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The personality is distributed
For more information about capturing a computer's personality settings, see the Symantec PC
Transplant Help.
Modifying configuration
Distribute personality advanced

Table 5-9 Distribute personality advanced
Field Description
Copy files using Ghost Solution Suite Server Select this option to distribute software packages
then execute through the Ghost Solution Suite Server to the
managed computer, requiring two file copy
transactions if the eXpress Share is on another file
server. Use this option for Simple Installs to take
advantage of security rights defined by Ghost
Solution Suite Server. This is the default option.
Copy directly from file source then execute Select this option to copy packages directly from
the eXpress Share, sending only one copy across
the network. It copies the file and runs it and avoids
running through the Ghost Solution Suite Server
and diminishing processor output. Because the
Ghost Solution Suite doesn't recognize shared rights
and is not guaranteed to have a mapped drive to
the data source, you must identify a user name and
password for the data share computer from the
target computer. This option also requires a full UNC
path name in the Source Path field in the Copy
File dialog.
Execute directly from file source Select this option to run files remotely from the
eXpress Share or another selected file server.
File source access and credentials Enter the user name and password for the client
issue if both exist in the same domain).
Modifying configuration
You can add a task to configure or modify the configuration of computer property settings using
the Modify Configuration dialog. The Ghost Solution Suite updates the property settings and
restarts the computer for changes to take effect.
Getting inventory
To modify configuration
1 After creating a job, double-click the job, and click Add > Modify Configuration.
2 Select the Reboot after Configuration check box to restart client computer after the
configuration changes are complete. By default, the check box for Reboot after
Configuration is selected.
3 Enter or edit the property settings in the Configuration dialog. Click the category icons
in the left pane to set additional values for each property setting group.
4 Click Next.
6 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The configuration is modified
Getting inventory
Use this task to gather inventory from an individual computer or a group of client computers.
This ensures that the Ghost Solution Suite Database is updated with the latest computer
properties information, which includes the following information:
■ Applications
■ Devices
■ Drivers
■ Hardware
■ Location
■ Network
■ Services
■ TCP-IP
■ General
Location is the only area that administrators can manually enter if they want to. The Ghost
Solution Suite software gathers the other information from each computer.
You can view the history of the Get Inventory task in the Computers History pane.
Running a script
■ Click Add and select Get Inventory from the list. The Get Inventory task appears in the
list.
Running a script
Select an existing script or write a new script file to run on selected managed client computers.
Run script files on client computers by adding the New Script task when building new jobs.
See Script information to identify how the script appears, script security, and an option for
server-side execution of the script.
See “Script information” on page 177.
To run a script
1 If you have a script file defined, select Run Script and browse to select the file. To read
or edit the script file, click Modify.
Note: To run scripts that call an executable, use the start command.
Example: Enter start C:\windows\notepad.exe to open the Notepad application on the

client computer.
2 To create a new script, click Run Script. Enter the script in the provided field, or click
Import and select a script file to import. After you import the script, you can modify it in
the provided field.
3 Specify the operating system to run the script. You can choose Windows, Linux, or Mac
OS X. Click Next.
4 Set Script Information. See Script information. Click Next.
See “Script information” on page 177.
6 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The script runs when you run
this task.
Note: The Ghost Solution Suite Server assumes a return code of zero (0) as a successful
script execution. Some programs return a code of one (1) to denote a successful script
execution. If a program returns a one (1), you see an error message at the Ghost Solution
Suite Console even though the script ran correctly. To modify the return codes, you can edit
the script file to return a code that the console interprets correctly.
Running a script
Script information
Script Run Location
Table 5-10 Script informatio
Field Description
On the client computer This option runs the script on the managed
computer to which you assign the job
Locally on the Ghost Solution Suite Server This option runs a server-side script on the Ghost
Solution Suite Server of the managed computer. In
most cases you can create a server-side script task
that runs in context with other tasks. Example: You
can add a task to image a computer and add a task
to execute a server-side script to post the imaging
return codes to a log file stored on the Ghost
Solution Suite Server computer.
Use the -id option for running scripts on Ghost

Solution Suite Server when using the WLogEvent
and LogEvent utilities.
See “Using LogEvent and WLogEvent in scripts ”

on page 179.
Note: You cannot use this feature to run scripts
that require user intervention. The script runs on
the Ghost Solution Suite Server of the managed
computer, but is not visible.
When running the script on the Ghost Solution Suite

Server, it runs specifically for the assigned managed
computer. Example: If you create a job with a script
to run locally on the Ghost Solution Suite Server
and assign the job to 500 computers, the script runs
on the Ghost Solution Suite Server 500 times.
Client run environment

Select the environment for your client computer. You can run the script either in production
mode or in automation mode.
Running a script
Table 5-11 Client run environment
Field Description
Production - Client-installed OS (Windows/Linux/Mac OS X)

Security Context
■ Default
(local system account). Use the network security
account established to administrate all managed
computers.
■ Specific user.
If you have selected to run the task on the local
Ghost Solution Suite Server, enter an
administrator user name and password for that
Ghost Solution Suite Server account. In most
cases Ghost Solution Suite Server does not
have the Ghost Solution Suite installed, which
prohibits it from using a network security
account.
■ Run script in console user session
For Windows 2008 and Vista, you can see the
output of jobs on a local desktop and use that
output for debugging purposes. The script runs
in a logged-in user's UI session. If no users are
logged in, the job fails.
■ Scripts run in an elevated mode, which skips the
usual consent step through a user access control
(UAC). Otherwise, someone must physically go
to the remote computer and approve the action
to allow the script to run.
Script Window
From the drop-down list, select how you want the

script window to appear: minimized, normal,
maximized, or hidden.
Note: This option is available only for Windows
environment.
Script Options - (Windows/Linux/Mac OS X)

Running a script
Table 5-12 Script Options
Field Description
Additional command-line switches Additional command-line switches. Enter commands

to execute when the script runs in Windows, Linux,
or Mac OS X.
Automation pre-boot environment Select this option to run the script in an automation
(WinPE/Linux/Mac OS X). environment. Select a pre-boot automation
environment from the drop-down list.
If you select Linux as the operating system type, the Locally on the Ghost Solution Suite
Server option is disabled and only the Additional command-line switches under the
Production Client installed OS (Windows/Linux/Mac OS X) is enabled.
Example script
The process to convert NT4 from FAT16 to NTFS normally returns a 1 after a successful
completion. The following is an example of the file that is modified to return a code of 0 (which
is the success code recognized by the Symantec Management Console and utilities). You can
make similar changes to your script files as needed.
CONVERT /FS:NTFS
if ERRORLEVEL 1 goto success
goto failure
:success set ERRORLEVEL = 0
goto end
:failure
echo Failed
set ERRORLEVEL = 1
goto end
:end
Using LogEvent and WLogEvent in scripts

The logging features, LogEvent and WLogEvent, accommodate detailed logging to help debug
complex scripts. These utilities include the following features:
■ Logging is stored in the database instead of a log file.
■ The console displays and works with the new status messages.
Copying a file
LogEvent posts status sends messages to the Ghost Solution Suite Console, letting you view
the status of the script. It is a light-weight reporting tool that can log both status strings and
status codes to the history file and the console.
LogEvent - Use the LogEvent utility for Linux scripts.
WLogEvent -Use the WLogEvent utility for Windows scripts.
The LogEvent and WLogEvent utilities are command-line driven only - there is no user interface.
Use both utilities with the following switches.
LOGEVENT -c:code -id:%ID% -l:level -ss:"message"
code is any number for a return code level.
id is used for server-side scripting only. For server-side scripts you must add the -id:%ID%
switch.
See the Locally on the Ghost Solution Suite Server option in Script Information to select a
server-side script.See “Script information” on page 177. level is the severity level. The following
levels are used:
■ 1 = Information message
■ 2 =Warning message
■ 3 = Critical failure message. Only this level can be used to set up a return code. See “Setting
up return codes ” on page 187. The response does not execute for a return code unless a
level 3 is specified when using the LogEvent and WLogEvent command in a script.
message is the status string. If spaces exist in the message, the string must be contained in
quotes. Specifying a severity level of 3 causes the script job to fail.
Copying a file
Copy all types of files to managed computers. You can send selected files or directories to a
computer or computer group.
Send files to client computers by adding the Copy File to task when building new jobs. Use
the Copy File to operation (see Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite ) to copy files
quickly from Computers pane in the console.
Copying a file
To copy a file
1 Select either the Copy File or Copy Directory option. When you select the Copy Directory
option, select Copy Subdirectories to copy all subdirectories.
2 Enter the directory path and name of the file or directory. The Source path defaults to the
eXpress Share, but you can enter or browse to a file or directory.
To copy files or directories through the Ghost Solution Suite Server from the eXpress
Share, you can enter a relative path in this field. To copy files or directories directly from
the eXpress Share to the managed computer, you must enter the full UNC path name.
See “Copy file to advanced ” on page 182.
Note: When entering the source path for copying files through the Ghost Solution Suite
Server, you can only access the shared directories through an established user account.
Specifically, you can only use UNC paths when you have sufficient authentication rights
established.
3 Select the Allow to run in automation check box to run this task in automation mode.
Note: This option is only applicable for Linux and WinPE automation.
4 Type the destination path. The Destination path field automatically enters a sample path,
but you can enter the directory path you require. If the destination path does not exist on
the destination computer, it is created.
5 Click Advanced to specify additional features to copy files through the Ghost Solution
Suite Server or directly from a file server. Click Next.
7 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job. The file is sent to the specified
location when you run this task.
Using location variables

Location variables are being added to the Ghost Solution Suite Server for the Copy Files
feature, letting you enter a token variable instead of requiring a complete location path when
copying files to a managed computer (a client computer running the Ghost Solution Suite).
Ghost Solution Suite supports long names in the REM replacetoken command. If your file
name includes spaces, enclose the file name in quotes so that it handles correctly.
Power control
The current variables include:

Temp. Enter Temp in the Destination path to set the Temp directory (identified in the system
path) for the managed computer. Example: Instead of entering C:\windows\temp\setup.exe in
the Destination path, enter temp:setup.exe.
Copy file to advanced

Table 5-13 Copy file to advanced
Field Description
Copy files using Ghost Solution Suite Server This option distributes software packages through
the Ghost Solution Suite Server to the managed
computer, requiring two file copy transactions if the
eXpress Share is on another file server. Use this
option for Simple installs to take advantage of
security rights defined by the Ghost Solution Suite
Server. You can use a relative path name entered
in the Source Path field in the Copy Files dialog.
This is the default option.
Copy directly from file source Click this option to copy packages directly from the
eXpress Share, sending only one copy across the
network. It copies the file directly to avoid running
through the Ghost Solution Suite Server and
diminishes processor output. Because the Ghost
Solution Suite Agent doesn't recognize shared rights
and is not guaranteed to have a mapped drive to
the data source, you need to identify a user name
and password for the data share computer from the
target computer. This option also requires a full UNC
path name in the Source Path field in the Copy
File dialog.
File Source logon Enter the user name and password for the client
issue if both exist in the same domain).
Power control
Start the computer using Wake on LAN or run standard power control options to restart the
computer, shut down, or log off the current user.
Waiting
Wake up, shut down, or log off client computers by adding the Power Control task when
building new jobs. See “Building new jobs ” on page 146.
To manage power control
1 Create a job.
2 Click Add > Power Control.
3 Select an option: Restart, Shut down (if available), Log off, or Wake up (send
Wake-On-LAN).
4 Select Force application to close without a message, if required. Click Next.
6 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job.
Waiting
Use the Wait task to boot a computer in the automation mode and wait for user interaction.
To use the Wait task
1 Create a job.
2 Click Add > Wait.
The Wait dialog appears.
3 Select the appropriate pre-boot environment from the drop-down list. Click Next.
5 Click Finish. The task appears in the Task list for the job.
Modifying tasks in a deployment job

You can build jobs by adding or modifying deployment tasks. You can modify the tasks in a
job that is already scheduled on any computer. The job will run the modified tasks according
to the previously set schedule.
If the task (image, batch file, executable, and so on) is saved in the product directory, it appears
on your Resources list in the Shortcuts pane. Simply drag it to an existing job to add it.
To add a task to a job immediately
1 In the Jobs pane, double-click the job you want to modify.
2 Click Add and select another task from the menu.
Modifying tasks in a deployment job
3 Follow the basic instructions on each dialog provided for each task. Select the type of
task you want to add and follow the directions.
4 After finishing task configuration, a new task appears in the Jobs list.
5 Change the order of the tasks using the up and down arrows. The tasks run in the order
listed.
Use the steps below to copy and paste tasks within the same job, or from one job to another.
To copy and paste a task
1 In the Jobs pane, click the job that contains the task you want to copy.
2 In the Details pane, right-click the task, and select Copy. (To copy multiple tasks, press
the CTRL key and select the desired tasks. The tasks that are highlighted are copied
when you select Copy.)
3 In the Jobs pane, click the destination Job where you want to paste the task.
4 Right-click in the Details pane and select Paste. The tasks appear at the bottom of the
task list, and use the condition settings of the current job.
5 Change the order of the task using the up and down arrows. The tasks run in the order
listed.
To modify a task in a job
2 Select the desired task from the list.
3 Click Modify and follow the directions to make the required changes. Click OK.
To remove a task from a job
2 Select the task you want to remove from the task list. Click Delete.
3 Click OK.
Use the steps below to copy and paste tasks within the same job or from one job to another.
You can also use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste tasks.
To copy and paste tasks
1 In the Jobs pane, click the job that contains the task you want to copy.
2 In the Details pane, right-click the task and select Copy. (To copy multiple tasks, press
the CTRL key and select the desired tasks. The tasks that are highlighted are copied
when you select Copy.)
3 In the Jobs pane, click the destination Job where you want to paste the task.
Creating new script files
4 Right-click in the Details pane and select Paste. The tasks appear at the bottom of the
task list and use the current condition settings of the destination job.
5 Change the order of the tasks using the up and down arrows. The tasks execute in the
order listed.
To add a new task to an existing task list
1 Select a job from the Jobs pane.
2 Click on one of the tasks within the job and add a new task. The new task is inserted
above the task you highlighted, and all other jobs shift down by one position.
3 Use the up and down arrows to change the order of the tasks within the job.
Modifying multiple modify configuration tasks

If you have scheduled multiple Modifying Configuration tasks to a computer group, you can
double-click Modify Configuration in the task list of the Details pane to modify each computer's
configuration settings independently.
In the Jobs pane, click the job with a Modify Configuration task. Double-click the Modify
Configuration task.
A message appears. Click YES to modify configuration settings individually for each scheduled
computer. Click NO to modify the Modify Configuration task when the job is scheduled again
(the current job sends modified configuration files already created).
If you click YES, a Modify Job Wizard appears with a list of each managed computer scheduled
to change configuration settings. Select one or more computers and click Next.
To modify multiple modify configuration task
1 In the Computer Configuration Properties property page, modify the settings. Click
Next.
2 Set Return Codes.
3 Click Finish.
Creating new script files

You can create script files and directly schedule the script file to run scripts on any computer
or computer groups.
Copy and paste jobs and job folders
To create new script files

1 Go to View > Shortcuts View.
2 Click Resources in the Shortcuts view to move the focus to the Resources view.
3 Go to File > New > Script File.
Note: The Script File option is activated only if the focus is on the Resources view.
A script file is created by default at the root of the resources. The default file name is
Batch.bat.
4 Right-click the Batch.bat file, and select Modify.
Note: You can rename the batch file by right-clicking the file and selecting Rename.
5 Type the script in the open file, and save it.

6 Drag the Batch.bat file to a computer or computer group where you want to schedule the
job.
7 Specify the scheduling options, and click OK.
Copy and paste jobs and job folders

Jobs or job folders (including their subfolders) can be copied to any other job folder in the left
pane of the Jobs pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console. A Job folder can only be copied
to a root level folder, which has a limit of 30 subfolders, and cannot be copied to a child level
folder.
If you copy a job or folder with the same name as the destination job or folder, the copied job
or folder is automatically named Copy of <job or folder name>. This feature can only be
performed by administrators or users who have permissions to create jobs or job folders.
To copy jobs and job folders
1 In the Jobs pane, right-click a job or job folder you want to copy, and click Copy.
2 In the Jobs pane, right-click the destination job folder and click Paste.
Importing and exporting jobs

Jobs can be exported to back up the Ghost Solution Suite Server data or to share jobs between
Ghost Solution Suite Server installations.
Setting up return codes
To import jobs
1 Right-click in the Job pane, and select Import
or
Click File > Import/Export > Import Jobs.
2 Browse to or enter the path and name of an existing import file (a .BIN file).
3 Select Import to Job Folder to import the jobs to an existing folder in the Jobs pane. If
you have a folder already selected, it appears in the edit field.
4 Select Overwrite existing Jobs and Folders with the same name to replace identical
jobs and folders.
5 Select Delete existing Jobs in folder to overwrite and replace all jobs in the selected
Jobs folder. Click OK to import the job(s).
To export jobs
1 Right-click the job or Jobs folder you want to export and select Export.
or
Click File > Import/Export > Export Jobs.
2 Select the destination folder and enter a file name.
3 Click Export subfolders to export all folders subordinate to the selected job folder.
4 Click OK.

When you create a task in a job, you can define a response to specific return codes generated
from that task after it runs. You can determine the response if the task runs successfully or if
the task fails. You can also set up custom return codes generated from scripts or batch files
that are unique to your environment or deployment system.
Note: Return code handling cannot be set up for jobs created in the New Job Wizard.
When creating a task, the Return Codes page appears so you can set a response if the task
was successful or to determine a default response if the task failed. Because Ghost Solution
Suite Server returns a 0 (zero) if the task runs successfully, any other return code value denotes
some type of failure in running the task. As a result, in the Success field you can select an
action if the return code is 0 (zero), or select an action in the Default field if the return code is
not a 0 (zero).
Return codes are first evaluated to be successful (zero) or failed (non-zero). If the task returns
as successful, it runs the action specified in the Success field. If it is not successful, it
determines if the return code has been assigned a custom code value. If the return code is
defined as a custom code, the selected action for that custom code runs. If no custom code
is assigned to the return code, the action set in the default runs.
Note: If you are using LogEvent and WlogEvent in Scripts, you can generate return codes only
when the level 3 message is specified. Specifying a severity level 3 causes the script job to
fail and lets you respond using this return code feature.
Return code actions

For both successful tasks (in the Success field) and failed tasks (in the Default field), you can
specify the following actions:
Stop This action stops the job after the task runs.
Subsequent tasks do not run.
Continue This action lets the subsequent tasks in the job

continue after the task runs.
Select a job. This action lets you select existing jobs to run after
the task completes.
These actions also apply to custom return codes designed specifically for your system.
Custom return codes

In the Other return codes field, you can view custom return codes set specifically for your
system. You can add return codes by clicking Add below the Other return codes field, or
by clicking Master Return Code.
Type a custom code in the Code field, select a response action from the Response list, select
the result from the Result list to specify the interpretation of this return code as Success or
Failure, and provide a message in the Status field.
These custom codes can respond to any return codes set up in scripts or batch files in the
Run Scripts task, or these custom codes can respond to system return codes thrown from
the Ghost Solution Suite Server or external codes generated when distributing applications,
personality settings, or disk images. Any task can have custom codes that respond to different
return code values.
Master Return Code List. This is a list of all the return codes existing in the
Ghost Solution Suite Database. You can add,
modify, and delete the codes and their values so
that setting codes for other tasks is easier.
Add This lets you add a new custom return code for the
task. You can also add the return code to the Master
Return Codes list.
Modify This lets you modify the return codes listed in the
Other return codes field. The changes you make
do not update the Master Return Codes list.
Delete This lets you delete return codes listed in the Other
return codes field, but not from the Master Return
Codes list.
To set up master return codes

The Master Return Code List dialog lets you:
■ Add, modify, and remove return codes in the master list.
■ Select return codes for the current job from the drop-down list.
To add master return codes
1 Select a job from the Jobs pane.
2 Click Add in the right pane to add a task. Select the task. The Task dialog appears.
Note: You can add Master Return Codes for all tasks except Get Inventory.
3 Click Next until the Return Codes page appears.

4 Click Master Return Codes. The Master Return Code List dialog appears.
5 Click Add. The Add Return Code dialog appears.
6 Enter the return code in the Code field and click OK. The code is added to the master
list.
To modify Master Return Codes
1 Click Modify. The Modify Return Code dialog appears.
2 Enter data in the Response, Result, and Status fields and click OK. The code is modified.
To delete master return codes

1 Select the code you want to delete and click Delete. A warning message appears to
confirm the deletion.
2 Click Yes. The selected return code is deleted from the Master list.
Note: The OK and Cancel options in the Master Return Code List dialog apply to the return
codes selected. If no return codes are selected, or none exist in the list, OK is disabled.
Click OK on the Master Return Code List dialog to add the selected return codes to the
current job.
To set up return codes, you need to determine how to respond to the Ghost Solution Suite
Server success return code (zero) in the Success field, how to respond to a failure return code
(a non-zero) in the Default field, and how to respond to a custom or externally generated return
code defined in the Other return codes field.
The following example describes how to set up a simple process to deal with custom and
system return codes, and how to interpret the status of user-defined return codes:
To set up return codes
1 In the Success drop-down list on the Return Codes page, keep the default value Continue.
This lets the job continue running additional tasks in the job after successfully completing
this task.
2 Click Add to add custom return codes. The Add Return Code dialog appears.
3 In the Code field, enter a value of 10 (ten).
4 Click the Response drop-down arrow and select Continue from the list.
5 Click the Result drop-down arrow and select Success from the list. Even if the return
code was not zero, which is success by default, the task is considered a success as per
the user's choice.
6 Enter a description for the return code in the Status field. This is the message that appears
when the task within a selected job runs.
7 Select the Add to Master return code list check box to add the custom code to the
master return code list. The code is listed in both the Other return codes and Master
Return Codes lists. This is useful if you want to use the return code again. Click OK.
Sample jobs
8 If the code you added already exists, a message dialog displays the return code and asks
if you want to replace it. Click Yes to replace the return code, and click No to return to the
Add Return Code dialog.
9 Select the Select a job option from the Default drop-down list to select a job to run when
a default condition is reached. The Select a Job dialog appears, letting you select an
existing job that runs if the task returns a failed system return code (non-zero) or a return
code not defined as a custom return code
Note: The status of the tasks executed in a job also appears in the history of a computer.
Sample jobs
Sample jobs are installed with each Ghost Solution Suite Server system, letting you quickly
modify or add parameters, or to run the sample jobs as they are. During installation, jobs are
automatically imported from the samples.bin file to the Ghost Solution Suite Server system
where they can be viewed in the Samples folder in the Jobs area of the Ghost Solution Suite
Console. Click each job and identify its features in the Description field of the Details pane.
Jobs in each folder marked with an asterisk (*) require input parameters or other minor
modifications added before running on your system. These modifications let you add parameters
to the job, such as user name and password or other required data for the job to be functional.
Jobs requiring input parameters or customizing do not function properly if you do not edit the
job with the information specific to your environment.
All files without an asterisk (*) can be used to perform the identified functions without
modification. However, if the job conditions are not met or are not consistent with the computer
type, you may get an error.
Note: When upgrading versions of Ghost Solution Suite, we recommend that you copy and
rename modified sample jobs to avoid overwriting by new sample jobs.
Initial deployment
Initial Deployment is a default job designed to help in the process of setting up computers that
do not exist in the Ghost Solution Suite Database. Initial Deployment lets you define how
computers are initially set up after being identified by the Ghost Solution Suite Server.
You can define various computer configuration sets and deployment jobs for the user during
startup, letting the user select the computer settings and hard disk images, software, and
personality settings for their specific needs and environment. New computers appear in the
New Computers group in the Computers pane of the Ghost Solution Suite Console.
Configurations
To access Initial Deployment, double-click Initial Deployment from the Jobs pane or right-click
Initial Deployment and click Properties. The Properties of Initial Deployment dialog appears.
Initial Deployment is ideal for small-scale deployments, from 1 to 10 computers. We do not
recommend this feature for large deployments -- from 10 to 100 computers -- or mass
deployments -- from 100 to 5000 computers. We also do not recommend this feature where
you use virtual computers, customized jobs, and the computer import feature.
Although Initial Deployment is commonly used on computers that support PXE, you can also
configure a boot disk to run Initial Deployment. In this case, the image you deploy must include
automation pre-boot environment so that post imaging tasks can run successfully.
Note: To completely deploy and configure a computer using Initial Deployment, you must
define at least one Configuration and one Job.
Initial Deployment consists of a dialog with the following tabs with separate features to deploy
new computers:
■ Configurations
■ Jobs
■ Advanced
Configurations
Click the Configurations tab on the Initial Deployment dialog to configure different sets of
computer properties. Each configuration set is presented to the user as a menu. The user can
select the configuration set designed for their environment. Compare the Configurations tab
with the Jobs tab. See Jobs.
Note: If you do not create any configuration sets, the deployment process automatically sets
TCP/IP information to use DHCP and names the computer to match the computer's asset tag,
serial number or MAC address -- in that order, depending on what is available.
To create configurations
1 Double-click Initial Deployment in the Jobs pane drop-down list. The Properties of
Initial Deployment dialog appears.
2 Click the Configurations tab.
3 Click Add. A configuration set appears in the Configurations menu field. The
Configuration page of the New Job Wizard appears.
Jobs
4 Enter values to set computer and network properties for new computers. See Modifying
configuration for a list of property categories.
5 Click Add again to configure another set of property settings. You can add multiple
configuration sets for the user to select from a menu after connecting to Ghost Solution
Suite Server. You can modify, rename, or delete a selected configuration set.
6 After setting the properties, click Apply.
7 From the Default Menu choice drop-down list, select a configuration set as the default.
8 Click the Timeout after ___ seconds and proceed check box and specify the time after
which you want to run the default job.
9 Click OK, or click the Jobs tab to define a task.
Advanced Configuration
Click Advanced on the Configurations tab to open the Advanced Configuration dialog. This
dialog lets you set advanced configuration settings for client computers and provides different
options for processing jobs for client computers.
■ Select Process this job as each client becomes active. This job is processed only when
clients become active.
■ Select Process this job in batch mode. This job is processed for a batch of clients for
the Minimum clients specified and after the specified Timeout in minutes.
■ Select Hold all clients until this time. You can specify the Start time for this job, which
runs for all clients at the specified time.
■ Click OK.
Jobs
Click the Jobs tab on the Initial Deployment dialog to add existing jobs or create new jobs to
run on the new computer. The jobs you add or build using this dialog are listed in a menu and
presented to the user during startup. The user can select the deployment jobs to image the
computer and install applications and personality settings. Compare the Jobs tab with the
Configurations tab. See “Configurations” on page 192.
To create Initial deployment job
1 Click Initial Deployment in the Jobs pane drop-down list. The Properties of Initial
Deployment dialog appears.
2 Click the Jobs tab.
Advanced
3 Click New to build a new job. The Select a job dialog appears. See “Building new jobs ”
on page 146.Select a folder in which you want to create the job. Click OK. The Job
Properties dialog appears.
4 Click Add Existing to add an existing job.
5 From the Default menu choice drop-down list, select a job as the default.
6 Click the Timeout after ___ seconds and proceed check box and specify the time after
which you want to run the default job. The default setting is 60 seconds.
Note: Currently, even if you do not select this option, the initial deployment job times out
after 255 seconds.
7 Click OK, or click the Advanced tab to stop servers or workstations from running
configuration task sets and jobs automatically. See also Sample jobs.
HOWTO127729
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO127729
Advanced
Click the Advanced tab to set options to stop Initial Deployment from automatically running
the default configuration task sets and jobs. This avoids accidental re-imaging or overwriting
of data and applications for either workstations, such as desktop and laptop computers, or
servers, such as servers identified by Ghost Solution Suite Server.
When a computer not yet identified by the Ghost Solution Suite Database is first detected, it
is placed in the New Computers group and an Initial Deployment configuration set and job is
run. However, in many cases you do not want servers to be automatically re-imaged without
confirmation from IT personnel.
■ Select Servers to stop servers from automatically running Initial Deployment configuration
jobs. Servers are identified as the managed computers running multiple processors or
identified as a specific server model from specific manufacturers. Example: Both an HP
Proliant computer and a Dell computer with multiple processors are identified as servers.
Identifying a computer as a server by the operating system cannot be accomplished for
new computers until the server operating system has been installed.
■ Select Workstations/Clients to force desktop and laptop computers to stop before
automatically running Initial Deployment.

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Symantec™ Ghost Solution

Suite 3.3 User Guide

Knowledge Base Articles and Symantec Connect

Technical Support and Enterprise Customer Support

Symantec Support .............................................................................................. 4

Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite ................................... 10

Chapter 2 Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server ............................ 19

Scripted installation of Ghost Solution Suite agent ........................ 50

Chapter 3 Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite

Chapter 4 Managing Computers ......................................................... 88

Computer properties ................................................................... 114

Chapter 5 Building and scheduling jobs .......................................... 135

Select a job ......................................................................... 147

Using LogEvent and WLogEvent in scripts ................................ 179

■ Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite

■ Features of Ghost Solution Suite

■ Building and scheduling deployment jobs

■ Deploying and managing servers

Introduction to Symantec Ghost Solution Suite

What can I do with Ghost Solution Suite?

Table 1-1 Features of Ghost Solution Suite

See “Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite

See “New Job wizard” on page 142.

See “Distributing software ” on page 168.

See “Managing computers” on page 13.

Table 1-1 Features of Ghost Solution Suite (continued)

See “Remote operations using Ghost Solution Suite

Recover from disaster. Automatically back-up and restore configurations,

See “Restoring a computer from its deployment

Features of Ghost Solution Suite

Ghost Solution Suite server system

Managing from the Ghost Solution Suite console

See “Managing computers” on page 88.

Managing with computer icons

This icon identifies a managed desktop or notebook computer that is

This icon identifies a managed Windows network or Web server that is

This icon identifies a Linux computer.

This icon identifies a pre-configured computer account with user account

Additional icons represent deployment status, inactive computers, computers running a

Immediate management access from the console

Building and scheduling deployment jobs

Assigning deployment jobs with icons

This job is assigned to a computer, but is not

This job is assigned to the computer and is

This job is currently in process.

This job has completed successfully.

See “Viewing job details” on page 140.

Imaging from Ghost Solution Suite server

Deploying and managing servers

■ Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server

■ Platform Support for Ghost Solution Suite 3.x

■ Installing the Ghost Standard tools from the installer

■ Browsing to the Ghost Recovery kit

■ Ghost Solution Suite Server components

■ System requirements for installing Ghost Solution Suite

■ Simple install for Ghost Solution Suite Server

■ Custom install for Ghost Solution Suite Server

■ Thin client install

■ Installing Ghost Solution Suite Agents

Installing Ghost Solution Suite Server