Creating a Server 2008 Image

Question

I have noticed lately that I have been repeating the same steps for setting up new dedicated servers for our clients, which involves probably 2-4 hours of configurations, software installs, etc.

The commonality is that they are all using Server 2008 R2, and all pretty much require the exact same software/configurations.

Is it possible to create some sort of Server 2008 Image I can pack into an .iso and use for new installations rather than doing all of these things over and over again? I have tried Google searching for it in the past, but really never come up with any information on doing what I need to do.

I opted to go with Clonezilla, as it is Free/Open-Source, but thank you all for the great suggestions! — Aidan Knight, Jul 21 '11 at 16:29

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 21 '11 at 15:09

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If it works like any other OS (which it should) I believe doing sysprep in the command line and then using software like:

Acronis

Ghost

You can make an image file of your drive. The reason you do sysprep first is to get rid of any unique items created when Windows is installed on a computer that if you try to image ontop of another computer, will end up causing all kinds of problems. Hope this helps!

answered Jul 21 '11 at 15:09

Tablemaker

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You beat me to suggesting Acronis. +1! – RateControl Jul 21 '11 at 15:12
Been using it religiously since January, love it. In fact, using it right now to recover someone's drive. – Tablemaker Jul 21 '11 at 15:18

Dave M · Answer 2 · 2011-07-21T16:26:54.920

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We use Symantec System Recovery to create images much like Acronis. The image can be converted directly to a VM which is nice and you can restore to different hardware which has saved us a great deal of time if a system fails or we are moving to newer hardware. The application will indicate what drivers are needed for the new hardware.Symantec System Recovery There is a 60 day free trial.

edited Jul 21 '11 at 16:26

answered Jul 21 '11 at 15:59

Dave M

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Creating a Server 2008 Image

2 Answers2