Transcript Presentation - Eastern Kentucky University

PROJECT MULTICASTER
Kenneth Brian Gilliam
Computer Electronic Networking
Dept. of Technology
Eastern Kentucky University
OUTLINE
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This presentation will introduce a
software solution to aid in deployment
of software to network clients.
The software is optimized for Symantec
Ghost but could be used with other
network-aware DOS tools.
The software uses MS DOS and the
Windows batch file language.
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MOTIVATION
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When deploying new network clients to a
campus, any amount of time saved can be
used for other tasks.
I want my software to be used by IT
professionals to streamline their client
deployments and save time and/or money.
Boot floppies are the common way to load
the Symantec Ghost client, but they are
slow and unreliable.
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MOTIVATION
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I have worked in the Technology
Department at Laurel County Schools
during the summer for the past 3 years
and have assisted in deployment of many
new network clients.
I wanted the process of loading the right
NDIS2 (network) driver for each computer
to be imaged to be faster and easier.
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INTRODUCTION
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During my time at Laurel County, I
disassembled many Symantec Ghost boot
floppy disks in an effort to reverse-engineer
them into a more beneficial form.
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I learned exactly what DOS requires for
networking.
I applied what I learned to create a tool that
automates the process of loading network
support for Symantec Ghost.
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INTRODUCTION
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Previously, I created a version of
Multicaster that supports multiple
network interface cards via a menu
system.
The new version that I developed for
this project automatically loads network
support for the detected NIC.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
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It was observed that floppy disks could take
over a minute to completely load network
support for a single client.
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CDs and DVDs are faster yet fragile.
When a collection of boot floppies are used
constantly, one in 25 disks will physically fail
within an hour of use. This is especially true
when switching the disks among multiple
computers.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
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Multiple discs must be carried by the
technician if several different clients
with different NICs need software.
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Multiple discs take up more storage space
than a USB flash drive in a technician’s
toolkit.
Misplacing or accidentally damaging a disc
can cause loss of time.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
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If a single Ghost floppy disk is used on
multiple computers, computer name
conflicts will occur unless the disk’s
configuration is edited before each use
after the first one.
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PROPOSED SOLUTION
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To solve this problem, Multicaster was tried
on different media during its development.
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Floppy disks: Placing multiple drivers onto a single
disk was attempted, but floppies are slow and
fragile.
CDs: They are faster and hold more data, but are
generally more fragile than floppy disks.
The best media for Multicaster is USB flash.
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It is faster, more durable, physically smaller, and
holds more data than CDs or floppy disks.
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IMPLEMENTATION
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A USB flash drive was prepared for boot
using a format utility from HP and
Multicaster was created.
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DOS and all required support programs
were loaded onto the drive.
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PCIScan.exe is the program that allows
Multicaster to automatically load the NIC.
Config.sys and Autoexec.bat were edited to
run the necessary routines for network
support.
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IMPLEMENTATION
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PCIScan (by Bart Lagerweij of www.nu2.nu)
looks at the PCI bus and uses a database file
called ndis.map to identify the installed hardware
based on vendor and device codes.
Ndis.map links the vendor and device codes with
the proper driver name.
Ndis.map tells PCIScan to return the driver name
for the first detected network interface card to a
system variable that is used in Autoexec.bat
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IMPLEMENTATION
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A DOS program called Change.com
modifies a file inside of Multicaster based
on a command in Autoexec.bat to
temporarily change the computer’s
network name to a random string of five
numbers.
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The text for the name depends on another
program called Random.com
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IMPLEMENTATION
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Multicaster was tested on as many different
computers (with different NICs) as possible.
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The required drivers were downloaded from the
manufacturer if the ones already collected were
incompatible.
PCIScan’s ndis.map file was updated as
needed.
Autoexec.bat and config.sys were edited as
needed.
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IMPLEMENTATION
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Functionality of Multicaster was verified by
running Symantec Ghost after network
support finished loading on each test
computer.
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Ghost was initialized into GhostCast mode so
it would retrieve a DHCP assigned IP address
and display it on screen.
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RESULTS
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Multicaster successfully boots
from a USB flash drive and loads
full network support
automatically.
The same USB drive containing
Multicaster can be used on
multiple computers without name
conflicts or any configuration
changes.
The success rate is currently
80%, but downloading more
drivers and editing ndis.map will
drive this higher.
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CONCLUSIONS
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Multicaster is practical for use in a live
network environment because is saves
time and simplifies the process of
imaging multiple computers over a
network using Symantec Ghost.
This tool could be used for many
network-aware DOS applications.
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FUTURE WORK
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Some possible extensions for this project
include support of wireless networking,
support of multiple NICs, DNS, and
conversion from Batch file language to C.
A more advanced version of this software
may one day be patented.
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CONTACT ME
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Any questions or suggestions may be sent to:
[email protected]
Please place the text “MULTICASTER” in all
caps (without the quotes) somewhere in the
subject line of your message.
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