How to get Macintosh's Netboot working with your FOG server

What this tutorial teaches

• How to turn your FOG server into a Macintosh Netboot server as well

What this tutorial does not teach

• How to create images with NetRestore or Deploy Studio
• How to use NetRestore or Deploy Studio to image Macintosh's

Getting Started

Netboot is Apple's way of booting into a network. This how-to will teach how to change your FOG server to add support for Macintosh's through Netboot.

When FOG is installed on your machine, all of the services required for Netboot are installed. Other than creating the image, all the user has to do is create some directories and edit a couple files.

• First, run these commands:

 mkdir -p /disk/0/NetBoot/NetBootSP0
 mkdir /nbi
 mkdir -p /tftpboot/macnbi-ppc
 mkdir -p /tftpboot/macnbi-i386
 printf "\n/disk/0/NetBoot   *(async,ro,no_root_squash,insecure)" >> /etc/exports
 printf "\n/nbi              *(async,rw,no_root_squash,insecure)\n" >> /etc/exports

• Now, you need to move the images you're going to use over to your FOG server. Creating a Macintosh image is out of this article's scope, so it is assumed you already have the boot image and Macintosh image created.
• DeployStudio settings assumes you have a working DeployStudio server, and have used it to create a master image and runtime netboot set

• Make sure you have the following files:

 booter
 mach.macosx
 mach.macosx.mkext

If you happen to have deleted these files, probably by accident, on your Mac, you may turn to Mac-how.net to find out how to recover deleted files mac

Note - files below depend on environment.

NetInstall-Restore.dmg 
OR
DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage

• NetInstall-Restore.dmg is the program that grabs the image from the FOG server and images the Macintosh.

• DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage loads a boot environment for DeployStudio. This file, and the 3 files above can be found in the NetBootSP0/<runtime>.nbi folder on the DeployStudio server. The 3 boot files needed from above are located in the i386 folder.

• If you are using PowerPC Macintosh's, copy booter, mach.macosx, and mach.macosx.mkext to /tftpboot/macnbi-ppc.

 cp booter mach.macosx mach.macosx.mkext /tftpboot/macnbi-ppc

• If you are using Intel Macintosh's, copy booter, mach.macosx, and mach.macosx.mkext to /tftpboot/macnbi-i386.

 cp booter mach.macosx mach.macosx.mkext /tftpboot/macnbi-i386

• Copy mach.macosx and mach.macosx.mkext to /disk/0/NetBoot/NetBootSP0

 cp mach.macosx mach.macosx.mkext /disk/0/NetBoot/NetBootSP0

• Copy NetInstall-Restore.dmg and the OSX image to /nbi

 cp NetInstall-Restore.dmg MacOSX-3-9.dmg /nbi

OR

• Copy DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage to /nbi or see dhcpd.conf for nfs mounting on DeployStudio Server

 cp DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage /nbi

• Now add the following lines to your dhcpd.conf (located in /etc/dhcp3 on Ubuntu):

  #Be sure to add authoritative or some G5's will not work.  All G4's will work without authoritative.
  authoritative;
  
  #For PowerPC Mac's
  class "AppleNBI-ppc" {
    match if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 13) = "AAPLBSDPC/ppc";
    option dhcp-parameter-request-list 1,3,6,12,15,17,43,53,54,60;
  
    filename "macnbi-ppc/booter";
    option vendor-class-identifier "AAPLBSDPC";
 
    if (option dhcp-message-type = 1) {
      option vendor-encapsulated-options 08:04:81:00:00:09;
    }
    elsif (option dhcp-message-type = 8) {
      option vendor-encapsulated-options 01:01:02:08:04:81:00:00:09;
    }
    else {
      option vendor-encapsulated-options 00:01:02:03:04:05:06:07;
    }
  
    #Replace 192.168.1.1 with the server's actual IP address.
    option root-path "nfs:192.168.1.1:/nbi:NetInstall-Restore.dmg";
  }
  
  #For Intel Mac's
  class "AppleNBI-i386" {
    match if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 14) = "AAPLBSDPC/i386";
    option dhcp-parameter-request-list 1,3,17,43,60;
  
    if (option dhcp-message-type = 1) { option vendor-class-identifier "AAPLBSDPC/i386"; }
    if (option dhcp-message-type = 1) { option vendor-encapsulated-options 08:04:81:00:00:67; }
  
    filename "macnbi-i386/booter";
  
    #Replace 192.168.1.1 with the server's actual IP address.
    #Need clarification if NetRestore works for both Intel and PowerPC
    #For DeployStudio, either copy DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage to /nbi, or use nfs share to connect to deploy studio server
    #option root-path "nfs:<deploystudio_ip>:/Volumes/<volume_label>/Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP0:<runtime_folder>/DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage";
       
       #option root-path "nfs:192.168.1.1:/nbi:DeployStudioRuntime.sparseimage";
        option root-path "nfs:192.168.1.1:/nbi:NetInstall-Restore.dmg";
  }

Restart the DHCP and NFS daemons. Hold down the N key to have your Macintosh netboot.

Known issues

• Please add any issues found with NetRestore or Deploy Studio.

Software known to work

• NetRestore 2.0.1
• Deploy Studio V1.0rc20

Additional information and links

• A more generic article on getting Linux to support Netboot[1]
• Information about Netboot[2]
• Deploy Studio[3]