Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 imaging questions:
 
Q: Are there any unique advantages to using RDeploy instead of the Ghost imaging client?
A: RDeploy is included in GSS 3.0 for legacy purposes only, it is deprecated and will be removed in the next version.
 
Q: What about rdeploy? Will it still be used or is it gone with GSS 3?
A: RDeploy is included in GSS 3.0 for legacy purposes only. It is deprecated and will be removed in the next version.
 
Q: Will Ghost 3.0 boot allow USB image creation and reading of image files without the need of access to the Ghostcast Server?
A: This can be achieved through customization. 
 
Q: Can I ghost a MAC OS? I assume Ghost Explorer is not compatible with a MAC OS but I would like a simple overview as to what specifically can be done?
A: Native Mac support in GSS 3.0 is management only. But, Mac imaging can be done using guides such as:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO8571&actp=search&viewlocale=enUS&searchid=1290008888117
http://www.symantec.com/connect/downloads/mac-imaging-using-deployment-solution-unicast-multicast
DS 7 includes native Mac imaging. 
 
Q: Will the newest ghost binaries work with ghostcast from version 2.5? 
A: We don’t test this combination but it is highly likely to work.
 
Q: You also mentioned that we can pre-defined the computer list for imaging. Is there a way you can named the workstation as you start the job, creating the workstation name after you start the imaging/deployment job?
A: When you create a computer in the console you can name it whatever the final name should be. Then we have the concept of tokens which can be used in the Sysprep process where the tokens are automatically replaced at run time. This means that you can create a single job and run it on any machine and it will pick up the new name from the machine record. The capabilities in GSS 3.0 to customize the imaging process are far advanced compared to GSS 2.5, I hope much of this new functionality will prove useful.
 
Q: Are there any significant performance enhancements to Ghost32/64.exe Ghostcast.exe? 
A: Not in this release. We do have some updates planned for imaging speed in the coming releases.
 
Q: Will GSS 3.0 Support a stand alone imaging process so a user can create and/or retrieve a image file independent of access to a Ghost Console ?
A: GSS 3.0 includes the Ghost standard tools which is a full suite of tools to create a customized imaging process. This is entirely independent of the Ghost console.
 
Q: Does 3.0 Support a similar image we use in 2.5
A: Yes, the core imaging technology is identical so you will have backwards compatibility.
 
Q: Where is the speed increase with GSS 3? Maximum deployment for me is still ~1800MB/min unicast with great hardware. I can deploy a Mac using DeployStudio ~ 3600MB/min with equitable hardware server and client, same network config    
A: The short answer here is that we haven’t improved speed in this area. We will improve imaging speed but it’s a little further down the line. We have a lot of work to do regarding usability and modernization but will be working on this in parallel.     
 
Q: If I remember right, there used to be a utility to convert a boot disk image into an executable that could be run the desktop on the system being imaged.  Is this still an available function in the new product?    
A: We’re looking at returning this to the product, updates will be available soon.
 
Q: Are we able to push gss 2.5 sysprepd images using GSS 3.0 with the "prepare using sysprep" check to apply updates to this image?    
A: GSS 3.0 is backwards compatible with images GSS 2.5.
 
Q: Was the ghost deployment process utilizing UEFI boot or legacy?
A: We support both.
 
Q: ­So to easily use Multicast, I need to create my boot disk using the GST Boot Disk Creator?­
A: ­ Yes the GST boot disk creator will make a standard boot disk that can be used to join your ghost cast sessions manually by booting from a disk as you may have done so in 2.5 if you were not using the Ghost console/client. 
 
Q: Where would the -ntexact switch be entered?    
A: Into the command line as part of the image deployment job.

Q: Can you map a share for images only?
A: You can map as many drives as you need during the final stage of creating a boot image. Just add them to the final stage where you get to edit the ini file.

Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 Education/Documentation questions:

Q: I know the beta release had the BetaGuide doc released with it, but for those of us that are not familiar with the GUI of DS6.9, what is the timeline on updated docs? Would it be beneficial to follow the DS 6.9 user guides or wait for gss3 updated docs? 
A: GSS 3.0 will have a full user guide included. The DS 6.9 guide will get you most of the way there though so this will be a good starting point. Make sure you check out the how-to videos on ghost.com.
 
Q: Does the GSS 3.0 downloads include the manuals on PDF?
A: Yes, although we update our docs all the time and getting them our KB is the best option: http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8558   
 
Q: when will 3.0 or 3.1 be covered in Symantec eLearning?    
A: That’s currently being worked on. We will update everyone as soon as it is available. As we have incorporated much of the Deployment Solution 6.9 product the e-learning for this will still be 90% valid and will add a lot of value. http://go.symantec.com/educationelibrary

Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 Automation/PXE questions:

Q: Is there any intent to bring over the 'Automation Folder' concept from 7.6 for those that don't want to use PXE?
A: We have automation partition functionllaity already built into the product. It's not identical but we plan to converge these technologies over time.
 
Q: Virtual partition is very important to us ....PXE is not setup in our 2500 computer environment
A: We are working on the one click virtual partition functionality and plan to have this available soon.
 
Q: Can GSS 3.0 utilize PXE from Altiris DS 7.5 PXE site servers?
A: No, the PXE services will need to be managed separately. 
 
Q: Self service imaging ....will there be a way to setup specific people with the ability to image specific groups of computer?
A: Security in the console is available to be able to restrict what administrators can do. There is however another step we need to take to make this a self serve model which we’re looking into. The best solution in the short term might be this (http://www.symantec.com/connect/downloads/imageinv...) from one of our trusted partners. It is currently being reviewed to make sure it’s compatible with GSS 3.0 but is a very neat solution.
 
Q: I see incremental imaging as a possible future option. Will we be able to image an online client like in GSS 2.5 or will it require a reboot to a different environment?
A: To support hot imaging we need to expose this in the UI which we’re working as fast as possible to do. The underlying functionality is still there as the Ghost tools are the same, this is simply one option that we didn’t have time to add.
 
Q: Will GSS 3.0 support BootCamp on Mac hardware?
A: Currently we haven't looked at bootcamp, but it's something we can consider for the future.  
 
Q: Will you be improving the TFTP process so it can be tuned for faster transfers?  I use a separate TFTP server and can download a wim file in under 10 seconds.  The MTFTP with GSS3.0 is very slow.
A: We have this in our backlog to be addressed, we know it's slow and are looking to improve things.  
 
Q: There are several instances in our environment where we leverage Automation Partitions within the DS 6.9 product.  If you plan on continuing to offer this feature, are there plans to make it fully compatible with native UEFI ?
A: Yes we still support this functionality and are working on improvements to make sure it's 100% compatible.  
 
Q: Will an individual have the opportunity to use legacy versions of WinPE?  That is, if there is a need for WinPE 3.X instead of WinPE 4.X/5.X will you have the opportunity to use that in place of newer versions of WinPE ?
A: In the next version we plan to support multiple versions of WinPE (most likely from 3.1 to 5.x)  
 
Q: Do I download the Win 8.1 ADK even if I do not have any 8.1 machines?
A: Yes  
 
Q: Does UEFI PXE boot work well? Or is CSM/Legacy BIOS still required?    
A: UEFI PXE boot is supported.
 
Q: Can we add our own Linux PXE images to the PXE boot menu?    
A: Yes, there is a user supplied option.
 
Q: I have started to install the trial - is PXE required?
A: We have a couple of different automation partition options available so PXE is definitely not required.
 
Q: ­We can not use PXE, because it is used by another service in our SUBnets. Can you create one like the Legacy Disk Creator.­
A: ­We already have some local automation boot options out of the box and we're also currently working on restoring the one click virtual partition type functionality that was in GSS 2.5. ­
 
Q: ­Is it possible to convert a boot disk to an executable that can be used to boot into the Ghost environment from a remote system's desktop?  I seem to remember this being an option in the days of PowerQuest.­
A: ­We are working on this as part of our effort to restore the one click virtual partition functionality.
 
Q: ­Can we use any linux kernel we want, or is this restricted?­
A: ­Some customers have created their own boot disk images with a custom kernal but we don't support that by default. We look at the kernal version we use with every release we put out to keep it as up-to-date as possible.­‑

Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 Software/Inventory questions:

Q: Is there any plan for a self service software feature? 
A: This is something we’re thinking about. It is possible to build this via workflow as the API we have available is very straightforward to integrate with.

Q: Is there any plan for a self service software feature? 
A: This is something we’re thinking about. It is possible to build this via workflow as the API we have available is very straightforward to integrate with.

Q: Will it allow the creation for inventory reports ?
A: GSS 3.0 has a high level inventory function but currently does not run any reports.

Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 OS/Platform Support questions:

Q: When is Mac OS going to be supported?
A: We support this today as a management only option. We are currently discussing whether to add native mac imaging to GSS 3.0.
 
Q: Windows 10 support? At release (Summer 2015) or Release plus ~9 months (Spring 2016).
A: We are already working on Windows 10 support. Our plan is to add this as soon as possible after GA. This will be dependent on what changes are required but we already know that Ghost seems to work with Windows 10 which is a good start.
 
Q: Will GSS 3.0 work with SQL 2008\2012
A: Yes.
 
Q: Is Windows 2003 Server still supported?
A: We did not test Windows Server 2003 as it's about to go out of support.
 
Q: In the Boot Disk Creator and the PXE config there were greyed-out checkboxes for DOS.  Are you still going to support DOS boot disks for faster PXE transfer vs. WinPE?
A: Unfortunately we no longer support DOS and this will be removed at GA.
 
Q: ­Can this product be installed on Windows 7 64 bit? Or does it need to be on Server 2012 r2?
 
A: ­Right now we have only certified on server operating systems but we're looking to spend the cycles to certify on desktop operating systems. We know from a resource perspective there wont be any problems but we anticipate there will be some technical issues. The Ghost Standard Tools can be installed on a desktop.
 
Q: ­We currently use GSS 2.5 installed on laptops to image on local Lans without the need to have traffic across WAN on different subnets and enables onsite management.  We use windows 7.  So this new solution only runs on server operating system?
A: ­Right now we have only certified it on server OSs but we do have customers using our technology on desktops. We're working on it.
 
Q: Does GSS 3.0 support GPT partitions for EFI images?    
A: We still have a couple of gaps we’re working on as quickly as we can.

Please find below the most frequently asked GSS 3.0 Console questions:

Q: Can multiple consoles be accessed from different computers simultaneously?...unlike GSS 2.5
A: Yes, you can install remote consoles.
 
Q: Will the console incorporate an Active Directory import for Computer records?
A: Currently this is not an option but with the added dynamic machine group functionality we can take another look at it.
 
Q: Is there an option in the console to Secure wipe a lab of computers? or 1? a DOD erase?    
A: We don’t have this built-in, but you can certainly create and execute a job with an external tool.    
 
Q: Will there be an option to have the Label Match the PC name that was pushed out? Like a check box or something to have the label automatically change to the PC name?    
A: If you mean within the console, this can be done as follows:
Tools ---> Options
Global Tab
Check "Synchronize display names with computer names"
 
Q: ­Will the Web Console be available as well as the 32-bit console?
A: ­We have this as one of our next items to look at. We have a couple of options on the table, either restoring the web console we have in DS 6.9 or hosting something in our new unified cloud platform. We'll announce updates as we have them.
 
Q: ­What are the recommended max concurrent GSS Consoles that are open connecting to one GSS server?
A: This is dependent on several factors including network speed and hardware specification. We do not set a logical limit and have customers using many consoles. We are working on some scalable web console options to help with deployments.
 

Hi,

we want to deploy a bunch of software via a Managed Software Delivery Policy. Therefore it would be nice to present a status/progress bar to the user. We do not need the build in progress bar of the softwares installer. We just want to give the user a short overview whats going on on his client -> a bit like a summary what is already done and what will be done next.

Something like this:

So far, this is feature is not available in Altiris. How do you handle this ?

Thanks in Advance,

Thomas

Hello All,

As the "conditions" and the way we could define those is DS 6.9, could we plan to implement the same within DS 7.6 or its future version ?

Within DS 6.9 we used to create Condition > Setup

Name the Condition and define the "Field", "Operation" and "Value" with just few values we could be able to create the Conditions, however with DS 7.6 we have to either specifiy a kind of script where in we have to configure exit codes and depending on that we have build a logic, which would need to be revisited and edited (Time consuming) at the time of difference.

Below is the screenshot for DS 6.9 the way it was simpler , with the GUI mode too.

Find recently updated articles, videos and downloads that help solve the most common problems related to Symantec Deployment Solution on this Enterprise Support Page:

Deployment Solution

Hello I’m in the process of evaluating if Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 is the right product for my department to purchase.  I have downloaded the 15 day trial and have reached a point where I became stuck.  I keep receiving “Error -99 during imaging process” When I’m trying to deploy a image onto a computer.  Can you please assist me with error before my trial expires.

After recently installing the latest hotfixes, the both of my NBS servers are failing. 

Machines boot and spin and timeout with error : Operating System Not Found. 

For some reason when I first went into the settings to check what happened, the NBS Global settings were turned off. Not the first time that I've had settings changed or set back to default after a service pack install or hotfix update. I attempted to recreate the preboot environment, and am still unsuccesfull in booting new or known machines with pxe. 

Found the following in the log for the secondary NBS:

<event date='08/03/2015 14:46:19.1530000 -04:00' severity='1' hostName='DragonberryQA' source='DSTasks' module='DeploymentSolutionAgent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='5332' thread='5624' tickCount='880883719'>
  <![CDATA[ClientConfigPXEServer_Task.cpp@131: Pxe Server install path empty]]>
</event>
<event date='08/03/2015 14:46:19.1610000 -04:00' severity='1' hostName='DragonberryQA' source='DSTasks' module='DeploymentSolutionAgent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='5332' thread='5624' tickCount='880883735'>
  <![CDATA[ClientConfigPXEServer_Task P]]>



<event date='08/03/2015 14:46:18.9950000 -04:00' severity='1' hostName='DragonberryQA' source='DSTasks' module='ClientPXEImage.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='5332' thread='5624' tickCount='880883563'>
  <![CDATA[File:ExecuteCommand.cpp,Line:4373 ERROR: The Exception have occured in ClientPXEImage task. 
Exception has occured in function tcube_clientpxeimage.cpp() at Line No 672. Type of exception is ClientPXEException. Error Description is  "PXE service is not installed. Could don't find out path of CurrentControlSetServicesSymantecNetworkBootServicePxe in registry. ". Value of Windows error code = 0 and message is " The operation completed successfully.
"
]]>

Any thoughts? Am I missing a setting somewhere? Running ITMS 7.6 HF2 on Server 2012 R2. 

NBS General settings set to on : 

• Apply NBS Settings immediately
• Enable the NBS service 
• Respond to unknown computers
• Respond to managed computers

Thanks in advance! 

Hi

We have to change logonbackground using Client managament solution 7.6. We want to paste our logonbackground into specific path and after that we need one registry value to be change.

OR

we want to copy registry into C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds path and want to execute

How i can achieve this??

Hello

We want to change wallpaper on all Client desktop or Laptop. Below task we want to perform

WallpaperSelector.Exe

I am able to copy wallpaperselector.exe into user driver after that i want to copy Shortcut in the "Startup" Folder (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup)

anyone having idea using Copy to option of Client Management Suite 7.6

Hi

We using ITMS 7.6

For when l login NS Server with my credentials and open NS Console, while going to upload any software facing java error. 

We have already installed Java 8 update 40 and Java 8 update 5

1

Hello

We have copied particular .scr file into C:\Windows\System32 and we want to enable this as a default screensaver.

any command script to enable screensaver.

Hello,

We have deployed an English Win7 Professional X64 image using GSS 3.0.  We now need to install the French language pack into the image.  Is anyone able to advise the best way to do this.  In MDT we use to use DISM to install and then bdcedit to enable but this doesnt seem to be working.

Any guidance on this would be appreciated.

Many Thanks.

Hello 

We using DS 7.6.

While doing scripted OS installation on virtual machine. We facing error Windows active drive can not be found using Ghconfig.

We found document (TECH202810) on the same issue which says to replace Ghconfig32.exe but it is already present on NS and Site server as well with latest version.

Hi,

we want to deploy a bunch of software via a Managed Software Delivery Policy. Therefore it would be nice to present a status/progress bar to the user. We do not need the build in progress bar of the softwares installer. We just want to give the user a short overview whats going on on his client -> a bit like a summary what is already done and what will be done next.

Something like this:

So far, this is feature is not available in Altiris. How do you handle this ?

Thanks in Advance,

Thomas

Hello DS & GSS community!

Here at Symantec we are looking to create a collection of the best, most comprehensive OS deployment jobs available in the market and we need your help. I want to collect as many of your create/deploy OS jobs including all of the associated tasks (anonymized if necessary) with special emphasis on the latest releases of all the major OSs. Myself and the engineering team will then review them, combine as required and publish a collection of the very best build jobs possible. I'd also like some description/explanation of the job you've created so we can pick out all of the best elements.

As always with connect there will be the usual reward points on offer with those submitting more detailed and comprehensive jobs getting larger rewards (at the discretion of the connect administrator). The only condition is that you must be happy for us to take elements of any job you submit to use in our set of sample jobs. Those that participate in this effort will get special mention from me when the sample jobs are released and will of course have the admiration of the wider community!

If you have any other types of jobs you'd like to share that are not OS deployment related we'd be very happy to receive those too! 

Just submit an article with your job attached including a full description and post a link to the bottom of this thread and we'll get to work quickly. We are all stronger together and this is another step in reinvigorating our Symantec Deployment community.

Thanks you for your help!

David Evans
Product Manager - DS and GSS

Please join us for the fifth in our series of Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 “How-to” Webcasts on Wednesday, September 30.

The topics planned for this webcast are:

• GSS standard tools install
• When should I use the GSS standard tools vs. GSS console 
• Locating and adding drivers

Don't miss this great opportunity to get the latest information on Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 and Deployment Solution 6.9! 

Important Notes:

• WebEx details will be sent after registering for the Webcast
• The recording of previous GSS 3.0 webcasts can be found here
• Download trialware for GSS 3.0 here