Capturing Linux images

You can capture a Linux system to create a reference image that can be deployed to bare metal targets.

To capture a Linux system use the Linux System capture task (ID 201).

Linux OS Resource

You must have previously imported a Linux OS Resource. If you are capturing a RedHat Enterprise Linux system, the OS resource must be RHEL Version 7, even if you are capturing a version 6 system. For SUSE Enterprise Linux systems, you must specify a SLES Version 12 OS resource. To import a Linux OS Resource, see Managing Linux OS Resources and Deployment Media.

Destination folder on network share

Specify the folder on the network share where the files created by the capture task are stored. The network share folder must be specified in the form //<IP Address>/<drive_name>, for example //192.168.1.232/shared. The task creates the following files:

• The image files from the captured system (.lim)
• The file containing information about the captured image (.imageinfo, such as operating system, service pack number, and locale, among others.
• The partition information of the captured system (.ini). This information is displayed in the bare metal profile, in the Partition editor section.

User for Network Share

Specify the user to access the network share

Password for Network share

Specify the password to access the network share

Security mode

Select the authentication protocol that must be used to access the network share. The default is ntlm.

Boot time hardware parameters

Specify any boot time parameters to be provided to the installer.

After you have successfully captured your Linux system, you must import the image into the Image Library, and create a bare metal profile to deploy the captured image. For further details, see Importing images, and Creating Bare Metal Profiles for Linux Images.