


You can host multiple images at once, but the image set as default will be the one your Macs try to boot from if you start them while holding down the N key.Introducing the Apple T2 chip, our second-generation custom Mac silicon. Once you've configured your options and enabled an image, the service will turn itself on automatically, at which point your NetBoot images will be visible in the Startup Disk preference pane on other Macs on your network. HTTP is the default, and you're less likely to run into firewall problems if you stick with it.Īfter choosing a protocol, you can then set up MAC or model-based restrictions on individual images-this is in addition to the global access restrictions you can configure in the service's Settings tab. Check the box under Availability and choose whether to distribute your images using the NFS or HTTP protocol. Return to Server.app and double-click the newly created Mavericks image to configure it for distribution.
How to netboot macbook license#
Agree to the license agreement and the System Image Utility will automatically dump a NetBoot image in our NetBootSP0 folder from earlier (or anywhere else you specify, if the computer you're creating the image on won't actually be serving it). Name the image whatever you want, create an Administrator account if you'd like, and click Create. This will save home users a couple of configuration steps, but it's more useful for businesses that use a local administrator account on all of their computers for use when troubleshooting or fixing things. One handy addition in Mavericks that wasn't present in Mountain Lion is the ability to create an Administrator account that will be configured automatically on every Mac that installs OS X from your image. Third, you have NetRestore images, which can dump a custom OS X image directly to your Mac's hard drive.
How to netboot macbook install#
Second, there are NetInstall images, which are more or less network-hosted versions of OS X install media. To store user files, NetBoot images can use space on the local Mac's hard drive, or they can be "diskless" images that store user data on the server and allow the built-in hard drive to be completely unmounted-useful for disk imaging and diagnostics.
How to netboot macbook full#
Apple provides tools for the creation of bootable images, though third parties like DeployStudio also use the technology to simplify OS X imaging and deployment for larger numbers of computers.Īpple distinguishes between three different kinds of bootable volumes: first are NetBoot images, which allow computers to boot to a full OS X installation hosted on a server. NetInstall forms the backbone of the Internet Recovery feature that lets newer Macs download a fresh copy of OS X from Apple's servers the difference is that with NetInstall you can serve up your own OS X bits locally. This is usually done for the purposes of recovering files, running diagnostics, or installing clean or pre-configured OS X images on Macs.īooting from a networked volume can be initiated either by holding the N key as your Mac starts up or by selecting a network volume in the Startup Disk preference pane. The NetInstall service, known in older OS X Server versions as NetBoot, is a BOOTP-based system that allows Macs to boot from network volumes.
