asr with afp or http

[m53rd]

hello all,
i didn't quite know where to put this, since it deals with the terminal but not really with UNIX since asr (apple system restore) is apple software. Anyway, we're trying to find the fastest method of reimaging Macs here in the lab. On the PCs, we do it via the network with ZenWorks. This produces what at the start of the year would have been called blasingly fast reimaging time. One of my projects is to find the mac equivalent. The approach I'm looking at involves booting OS X off a CD into the root account. Terminal is then opened and the command

asr -source http://www/compserv/students/image.dmg -target /Volumes/MacHD -erase

is executed. I've also tried an afp url. Both urls are valid, since they work in the gui (either a browser for http or Command-K for afp), but command line asr (apple system restore) just chokes. What am I doing wrong? Is there a UNIX or linux based reimaging solution that will work well on the mac?
Thanks.

 

[HateEternal]

Are you using a Mac OS X boot CD or the OS X install CD?

I tried doing the same a while ago from an install disc and never got it to work, I want to say that network is not loaded at that point. If you are using a BootCD I honestly don't know why it doesn't work. Like I said, i never got it to work either. What I did get to work, was NetRestore off of a OS X BootCD.

It works, but it sucks because of how long the BootCD takes to load.

I take it you guys don't have an OS X server, if that were the case you should be able to do net boot.

 

[m53rd]

Thanks for your reply! The thing is, the command doesn't even work under normal conditions (ie, booting off a firewire drive). Did they drop support for these protocals for command line asr in 10.4 or something?

I wish we did have an OS X server, but its the same old story. My boss is a mac fan, but his boss likes to forget about macs. I take it NetRestore will only work with an OS X server?