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If there is one feature of OS X server that isn’t used enough it’s [NetBoot]. It’s a feature of OS X server that’s simple, powerful and built-in for free. Most of all it’s underused. Even Apple have only just started to fully embrace it’s potential after over a decade since it’s release. In my workplace it’s an invaluable tool without which hours would be lost each day. Granted that’s a fairly unique situation. Still, there are a number of uses for NetBoot which simply aren’t considered or understood.

NetBoot is very simple. Use System Image Utility to copy a bootable disc onto your server¹. Start the NetBoot service in Server Admin.

Plug any Mac it into your network with an ethernet cable and reset the PRAM to make sure the interface is set to DHCP. Hold the n key on startup to boot to that OS.

That’s it! You can further complicate matters if you wish, but you really don’t need to. NetBoot can work from a PPC server to Intel Macs or vice versa. I even run an OS 9 NetBoot image from my 10.6 Intel server.

Now, even without a hard drive installed, your MacBook can boot to a Snow Leopard installer or a full 10.6.4 OS with your own software installed. Feel free to change anything you want because when you restart it will all go back to how it was when you first booted (it’s read only).

The beauty of this is that it works with both bootable OS’ (NetBoot images) and bootable installers (NetInstall images). A company can make a digital copy of the installer disks that came with their Macs that can’t be scratched and are backed up as part of the regular server backup.

If a Mac then has an issue it can be booted to that install disk to re-install the OS, repair permissions or drives, even reset a password. Anything you can do with the install DVD you can do with a NetInstall image. The only difference is that you can do it quicker, and to multiple machines at once².

Of course, you can also have a NetBoot OS to boot to. This means you can start up to another volume to run data recovery software, disk repair software, or any number of other uses. The very process of booting to another volume is handy for troubleshooting startup issues. You can have your own software installed and even clone the OS to a local disk so all client machine start out with the same basic config.

NetBoot is very customisable, but the real value is in it’s simplicity. You can have many machines booted to a single image at once, have many images available to boot to at once, you don’t need a local drive at all to boot, and don’t need to manage the DVDs that you inevitably loose anymore. All this for 2 minutes setup and a lifetime of effortless control.

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1. That will create a read-only, bootable OS in an *.nbi (NetBoot Image), stored in the directory /Library/NetBoot/NetBootSP0.
2. 10.4 with optional installs for example can install in as little as 120 seconds. That’s a full OS install in less than 2 minutes.

Posted at 7:50am.

Formula 1 is always changing, that’s the nature of being the pinnacle of a sport and an industry. Over the years we have seen some massive changes, but the biggest for me was the return of the BBC a couple of years ago.

Since their return the BBC have made some huge improvements to the coverage of Formula 1. One of their key tactics has been the VT. VT’s are pre-recorded and edited inserts into a live show. Emotional, evocative and informative, there is always something to keep you interested and I always wonder what they will come up with next. From montages accompanied by expressive music to technical explanations to interviews with the likes of Sir Stirling Moss. VTs add real drama and depth to a show essentially consisting of people standing around and talking about one event.

The team that has been built up has also found a real sweet spot. Martin Brundle and Jonathan Ledgard make a great commentary team, both flowing with stats and updates, but also with inside knowledge and great analytical skill. Equally, Ted Kravitz and Lee McKenzie keep feeding the main presentation team with information, updates and inside rumours covering every angle of the off-track goings on from pit-lane incidents, to opportune driver interviews, to stewards meetings.

Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard are an odd pairing for sure, but work in a funky kind of way. DC provides analytical analysis from a drivers perspective. He appears to have really ingrained himself in teams, understanding the ramifications of all actions and he’s able to explain that well just as Brundle always has. Eddie on the other hand may be quirky and odd, but he brings an entirely different point of view, one you may not agree with but one which makes you think every time.

The whole thing feels like a big family event, held together brilliantly by new guy Jake Humphrey. Jake appears to be a genuinely nice guy who really wants to do the best he can for the fans. Always available through twitter, his blogs and email, he really seems to want to interact. It makes all the difference to have someone who can take a slightly odd, spur of the moment interview with the likes Nicole Scherzinger (who is always a little loopy) in his stride and then get back on track. It just feels natural with Jake at the helm.

Of course, the producers have done a great job. I’m positive the interaction, much of the ideas, the freshness and so on are down to them in much the same way that Top Gear isn’t all about Clarkson, Hammond and May but really the producers. Still, the chemistry found in the on-camera team is phenomenal. Oh, and let’s not forget the mad cameramen who keep up with these guys in some crazy spur of the moment trips down the pit lane.

All in it feels like a great young team, full of energy & enthusiasm & ideas, and long may it continue. Thanks guys!

Posted at 6:23pm.