Chapter 5: Implementing Deployment Solutions - 9 Questions

Question 1

What are the advantages of using NetBoot?

Answer 1

Because NetBoot unifies and centralizes the system software that NetBoot clients use, software configuration and maintenance are reduced to a minimum. A single change to a NetBoot image propagates to all client computers on the next startup. NetBoot also decouples the system software from the computer, decreasing potential software troubleshooting.

Question 2

What are three ways to configure the network startup disk?

Answer 2

A client can select a network disk image from the Startup pane within System Preferences, by holding down the N key at startup to boot from the default NetBoot image, or by pressing the Option key.

Question 3

Which network protocols are used during the NetBoot startup sequence? What components are delivered over each of these protocols?

Answer 3

NetBoot uses DHCP, TFTP, NFS, and HTTP during the NetBoot client startup sequence. DHCP provides the IP address, TFTP delivers the boot ROM (“booter”) file, and NFS or HTTP delivers the network disk image.

Question 4

What is a NetBoot shadow file?

Answer 4

Because the NetBoot boot image is read-only, anything that the client computer writes to the volume is cached in the shadow file. This allows a user to change the boot volume, including setting preferences and storing files; however, when the computer is restarted, all changes are erased.

Question 5

What are the major differences between NetBoot, NetInstall,

and NetRestore?

Answer 5

NetBoot allows multiple machines to boot into the same environment. NetInstall provides a convenient way to install operating systems and packages onto multiple machines. NetRestore provides a way to clone an existing image to multiple machines.