Ghost Course Syllabus

Big Bang LLC offers three-day open enrollment courses, on-site training, and implementation consulting services.

Our standard course covers the basics of Symantec Ghost 11.5 in DOS and WinPE, and then moves on to the Ghost Console and Auto Install functions in days two and three. In addition to the topics below, we will cover planning and troubleshooting at all stages.

Day One Covers the Non-Console Aspects and Utilities of Symantec Ghost:

DOS Boot Disk Creation:
Create network boot media (CD, USB, etc.) for Symantec Ghost. Review of DOS driver requirements, and creation and modification of new driver templates.
Gdisk Utility:
Create, delete, hide and activate new partitions.
Local & Peer-to-Peer Imaging:
Store a backup image on another hard drive or other partition. Direct imaging across a network from IP to IP. No multicasting involved.
Ghost Walker Utility:
Change the machine name and assign a new Security ID (SID).
Ghost Explorer Utility:
View, and modify a compressed image. Re-size that image to fit onto CD's.
Ghostcasting:
In depth use of Ghostcasting, and review of Symantec Ghost 11.5 options for Multicasting, Directed Broadcast, and Unicasting. Multicasting network trouble-shooting is also discussed.
Symantec Ghost Switches:
Customize imaging functionality through the use of Ghost's DOS command line switches.

Days Two and Three Cover the Console Functions of Symantec Ghost Ghostcasting:

Ghostcasting:
Review of multicasting functionality - Simultaneously deploying an image across a network to multiple PCs.
Console Installation and Setup:
Stresses the setup requirements for the Ghost Console so Symantec Ghost can add machines to a domain and handle other network settings correctly.
Ghost Client Setup:
The Ghost Client is a service that runs on the client machines and communicates with the Console, allowing it to execute its various tasks.
Boot Partition/Virtual Partition:
This DOS based partition is the third and final part of the Ghost Console setup. The partition can be permanent or created on the fly, and we will explain the pros and cons of each option.
Image Creation and Deployment:
Create and deploy images through the Console, and review of Symantec Ghost's interaction with Microsoft's Sysprep utility.
Universal Image Creation:
Universal Imaging Utility for creating a single image for multiple hardware platforms. A detailed discussion on setting up a Master Image.
Configurations:
Using the Ghost Console to add clients to a domain/workgroup, change machine names and IP addresses.
User Migration:
Work through the Ghost Console to capture users, and their data and settings. Migrate them to a different machine, and to a different operating system - XP to Vista.
Multiple Ghost Consoles:
Symantec Ghost is designed as a "Single console" system. Look at two options for multiple console scenarios.
Transfer Files and Execute Commands:
How to change the Symantec Ghost Console/Client association. How to capture and deploy local client images through the Ghost Console.
Console Inventory:
Have the Ghost Console pull the hardware and software inventory from the client machines, then use that data for reports, queries, and creating dynamic machine groups.
Auto Install:
Creation of a software installation package, and software uninstall package for deployment. Deploy and remove AI packages manually and through the Ghost Console.
Backup Regime:
Create and restore backups using the Ghost Console. The Backup Regime creates a full image backup, and then a series of incremental backups using the Move-the-User functions.