- Overview
- Identifying the Master Machine
- Creating and Administering Archives
- Additional Profile Keywords
- Using Flash in an Example
- Summary
Identifying the Master Machine
Before a Flash installation can be performed, a master machine must be identified. The master machine is the system that serves as the template to be copied onto the installation clients. All software and files on the master machine, unless specifically excluded, become a part of the Flash archive and are installed on the client.
Usually, the master machine is not the JumpStart server. However, the JumpStart server is an ideal system to act as a repository for Flash archives. The recommended /jumpstart directory hierarchy used throughout this book should have a /jumpstart/FlashArchives directory added and the Flash archives should be placed in that directory.
Each system type in your datacenter should have a corresponding archive created to install additional systems of that type. For example, identify an archetypal database server, web server, backup server, etc., and then create Flash archives of those systems to use when new systems need to be deployed.
Store Flash archives offsite, on tape, or on CD-ROM, to prepare for business continuity in the event of a disaster. You can then use these Flash archives at a remote site or disaster recovery site to rapidly deploy software-identical, but not necessarily hardware-identical, replacement systems. See Chapter 11, "System Cloning," for details and procedures of the tape deployment of Flash archives and system cloning.