I'm curious about how admins today deploy multiple identical machines efficiently, especially remotely and without manual intervention. Back in the late '90s, I remember using tools like Ghost to restore machines to a fresh state. Is this still common practice, or has it changed? What tools do people use now, especially in the Linux world? I've heard of Clonezilla; is that a good replacement for Ghost? Any insights on modern methods for quickly deploying new installations onto identical hardware would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Terraform with Ansible is popular, but depending on your needs, you could also look at deploying Docker containers with Kubernetes. There’s also the FOG project for PXE boot image redeployment.
If it’s just for home use, consider FAI (Fully Automated Installation). It can handle the whole setup from scratch and could be helpful for managing multiple devices.
Thanks! I should've mentioned that I'm mostly doing this for fun at home with about 15 devices.
A lot of folks are using a combination of Terraform and Ansible. Terraform helps set up the infrastructure while Ansible takes care of the configuration on those machines. If you want your machines ready on boot, consider using cloud-init alongside Terraform for a seamless setup!
That's true! Using Terraform with cloud-init can definitely streamline the process beyond the old PXE boot method.
Good tip! I'll definitely check out Terraform for my setup.
I still use Clonezilla and it's solid for mass deployments. Also, Acronis True Image is newer if you want something different. Ansible is really great for automating app installs afterwards too!
Good to know Clonezilla is still relevant! I might be overcomplicating things with Ansible, though, as I'm just setting up at home.
I appreciate the heads up about Clonezilla, I'll keep that handy for my deployments.
For a mixed environment, Kickstart works great since it allows you to create a single ISO for different setups. You could pair that with Ansible for post-installs.
Interesting! I'll look into those options, thanks for sharing!