Before you set up NetInstall on your server, familiarize yourself with your network configuration, including the DHCP services it provides. Be sure you meet the following requirements:
You’re the server administrator.
You’re familiar with network setup.
You know the DHCP configuration.
You might need to work with your network staff to change network topologies, switches, routers, and other network settings.
Client computer requirements
All computers supported by OS X Yosemite can use NetBoot to start from an OS X Yosemite disk image on a server. At the time of this publication, this includes any Intel-based Mac computer.
You must install the latest firmware updates on all client computers. Firmware updates are available from the Apple Support website: www.apple.com/support/.
Client computer RAM requirements
NetBoot client computers must have at least 2 GB of RAM.
Network Install client computers must also have 2 GB of RAM.
Software updates for NetBoot system disk images
You must use the latest system software when creating NetBoot disk images. New Macintosh computers require updates of system software, so if you have new Macintosh clients you must update your NetBoot images.
To update an OS X Yosemite disk image, you must re-create the image. New images can easily be re-created by running a saved image creation workflow. For more information, see System Image Utility Help.
Ethernet support on client computers
NetBoot is supported only over built-in Ethernet connections. Multiple Ethernet ports aren’t supported on client computers. Clients must have at least 100-Mbit Ethernet adapters.
Network hardware requirements
The type of network connections you must use depends on the number of clients you expect to boot over the network:
For booting 1–50 clients (100-Mbit switched Ethernet)
For booting more than 50 clients (Gigabit Ethernet)
These are estimates for the number of clients supported.
Network service requirements
Depending on the types of clients you want to boot or install, your NetInstall server must also provide the following support services.
Service provided by NetInstall server | For booting Mac computers with hard disks | For booting Mac computers without hard disks |
|---|---|---|
DHCP | Optional | Optional |
NFS | Required if no HTTP | Required if no HTTP |
AFP | Not required | Required |
HTTP | Required if no NFS | Required if no NFS |
TFTP | Required | Required |
DHCP service is required for NetInstall, but it’s listed as optional because it can be provided by a server other than the NetInstall server. Required services must be running on the NetInstall server.
NetBoot and AirPort
Booting clients using NetBoot with AirPort isn’t supported by Apple.
Capacity planning
The number of NetInstall client computers your server can support depends on how your server is configured, when your clients routinely start, the server’s hard disk space, and a number of other factors. When planning for your server and network needs, consider these factors:
Ethernet speed: 100Base-T or faster connections are required for client computers and the server. As you add clients, you might need to increase the speed of your server’s Ethernet connections. Ideally, you want to take advantage of the Gigabit Ethernet capacity built into your Mac server hardware to connect to a Gigabit switch. From the switch, connect Gigabit Ethernet or 100-Mbit Ethernet to each NetInstall client.
Hard disk capacity and number of images: Boot and installation images occupy hard disk space on server volumes, depending on the size and configuration of the system image and the number of images being stored. Images can be distributed across multiple volumes or multiple servers. For more information, see Performance and load balancing.
Hard disk capacity and number of users: If you have a large number of diskless clients, consider adding a separate file server to your network to store temporary user documents. Because the system software for a disk image is written to a shadow image for each client booting from the disk image, you can get a rough estimate for the required hard disk capacity required by multiplying the size of the shadow image by the number of clients.
Number of Ethernet ports on the switch: Distributing NetInstall clients over multiple Ethernet ports on your switch offers a performance advantage. Each port must serve a distinct segment.