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Possible Duplicate:
How do I make my own customized Ubuntu version?
How to customize live Ubuntu CD?
Can I build a Ubuntu ISO from a manifest?

Preface: My initial thought process/approach may totally be the wrong way to go about what I'm trying to accomplish, so please feel free to modify this post moderators.

In my excitement of discovering how amazing Ubuntu is, I have been installing it on every computer I own, as well as installing and configuring it for friends and family. One thing that is unique about this process is that I've been doing the exact same thing with every installation (installing the same software and configuring the same tweaks such as specific icons, cursors, themes, etc).

Initially, I got tired of how long this process was (several hours), so I documented the procedure and the involved steps, which reduced the necessary time considerably. However, I would like to simplify this even further by somehow incorporating the functions of imaging and redeploying. I initially considered tools like ReMasterSys, UCK, etc, but these are all limited (particularly that they limit the user by only being able to create a single disc ISO, at least from what my research has shown).

My goal is that I could install and configure Ubuntu exactly the way I want it to be, and then somehow redeploy this perfected installation over and over again to other computers without any fuss. Since my completed Ubuntu setup takes up much more space than a DVD, my plan would be to incorporate an external usb hard drive to help facilitate this "redeploy". This is also why I named my question using "unlimited iso"; I wasn't sure if I could possibly convert the entire system to a very large ISO file (or some kind of image file) that could be read by another installer. This ISO file could be 20GB+ in size, based on the files I've added/installed to the base machine.

I hope the description of my goal hasn't been conveyed in a confusing way. Again, in a nutshell, I'd like to setup an Ubuntu system, configure everything the way I want it, then "snapshot" this system and/or combine it with some kind of installer that can be used to redeploy this exact installation to other computers without any problems. Is this possible?

Zanna
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John 'Shuey' Schuepbach
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    So why not create a initial image of the disk where the installation was done and deploy that image to other computers? – Bruno Pereira Jan 16 '12 at 20:50
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    FWIW, I agree with jrg, it is best to customize the iso. You can also look at http://askubuntu.com/questions/83617/can-i-build-a-ubuntu-iso-from-a-manifest/89859#89859 , if is larger then 700 Mb you simply burn it to DVD, there is no size limitation and you would be hard pressed to go over 4 Gb – Panther Jan 16 '12 at 21:14

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Try clonezilla or norton ghost. You can use this to make a 1-to-1 copy of an existing image/Installation and copy it to a portable hard drive; then your friends computer.

kill-9
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  • Thanks kill-9. I'll try CloneZilla and see how that works. I think I'll also give bodhi.zazen's tip a try as well, just to test the DVD size limit. Thank you to everyone who replied, I really appreciate the feedback. – John 'Shuey' Schuepbach Jan 17 '12 at 01:00