Organization’s PCs (when we taking them on service) setup to boot from network first.
We make Comodo Backups. (now we calling backup process - “Comoding” )
(ITSM agent have functionality) or (separate agent) works at local PC as PXE booting service.
When we need fully (re)install OS we send comand to this PXE agent to be prepared - soon one of PCs will reboot and will request PXE.
PXE-Booting Comodo Supertool (CST )
CST have Remote access software, can restore backup image, have some diagnostic utils, antivirus tool. Embedded like-MSDART functionality - fantastic.
Our lazy asses just reinstalled OS without going anywhere
We provide one-time remote help. 25% of orders we can’t do remotely because OS is not starting or working wrong. We dreaming about util that can be booted from USB-flash (or network) and let us to install or repair customer’s not starting OS remotely. This can be SUPERIOR tool.
For non-corporate customers we can use same scheme - at one of home PCs starting PXE service util, and doing all described above.
I understand that developing CST have very low probability, but like russian says: “Hope dies last”
Thank you for the suggestions, this indeed sounds like a very useful tool in the situation you presented.
We have forwarded your request for further analysis and we will let you know in an e-mail if the project is going to be implemented and if so when that would be.
I am thinking that being able to boot a computer from a USB stick that could be mailed out (or given to them when you were last there) would allow them to boot up a computer in a way that we could remote in and have a look at it without needing to be onsite, and having integrated backup (file and system images) could allow us to remotely restore a computer over the phone would be fantastic.
it would be like, plug in this USB stick and this external HDD (or have the storage drive bootable) and turn on the computer and then we can kick off a restore if required.
The other thing that I had thought of doing but was waiting for Linux support was to set up a small computer that you set up as a caching/monitoring box that you connect up a a customers site that that can be used to storing backups like a NAS, hosting installers or updates and be a place that you can hook into to do network scans etc, this could be something that could be used with the PXE idea and hold system images and backed up files as well
I was thinking the USB would just be the bootable OS required to allow remote access to the computer and have either a server/NAS set up (ideally the system mentioned above) or a external USB drive with the image on it
Not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for but we use Veeam Endpoint Backup free which allows something very similar.
Create daily/weekly/monthly system snapshots/full images to local/network/NAS/shared drive…etc
Create a bootable USB for Baremetal recovery that embeds lan drivers…etc. for native over network/NAS/shared drive system restore
simply put if there is a central NAS/Server/Storage that you run incremental daily image backups to and the backed up system crashes you can simply insert the USB and Baremetal recover (or recover to a completely different hardware if needed)
the incremental image backups also supports file by file recovery if needing to only recover a file etc…
we actually find the bootable USB very useful as it comes with other tools like one click administrator password reset for lost passwords
I am looking more at some options that I have have a cheap computer or sorts loaded up with a specific set of tools that I can just drop into a network that will provide local storage to cache updates and software installers and have some storage for possibly backing up a computer and be used for monitoring local systems and report the details back into C1.
Then in the event that there is an issue with an end PC, a user can either network boot or USB boot their computer, then from C1 I would have a recovery console of sorts that will allow me to inspect/repair/recover the computer without ever needing to go onsite.
There are probably a lot of tools that could do this and when I have time will look at a few options but if there was more that hooked into C1 that would be brilliant
Looking back at this post I appear to have complete glossed over your reply, I had been reading about Veeam Endpoint Backup free and I am pretty sure that it has PowerShell support so that may have a way of automating the process, I will have to do some looking
Is it possible to create live CD with needed Comodo software that we can run at OS-down machine? Remote software, Acronis agent (for restore image), some system and dignostic tools, HDD surface test tools, etc…
Also Supertool PC can be like control panel for other customer’ PCs. For example, it may wake needed PCs for us by comand “Wake up device” from ITSM device list. If end user turned off PC.
I believe you could use something like Clonezilla Server Edition on a box that is set up as a backup server. I personally don’t have too much experience with Clonezilla Server, so I’m not familiar how hands-on it would have to be.
And we want single tool for all jobs. There are many tools that can do different jobs better than C1 tools. But this is big ZOO. Need solid work system. And C1 (for now) has no alternatives.
Not going to argue that fine point. Being new to even using C1, and never having used Acronis before, I could only speak of my experience with what I have used before, which was Clonezilla. I DO plan on giving Acronis a spin. I hear that it is a very good addition to anyone’s toolkit.
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