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Technical Support Every effort has been made to design this software for ease of use and to be problem free. If problems are encountered, contact Technical Support: Email: Hours: support@faronics.com 7:00 am to 5:00pm (Pacific Time) Phone: 800-943-6422 or 604-637-3333
Contact Information Web: www.faronics.com Email: Phone: Fax: Hours: Address: sales@faronics.com 800-943-6422 or 604-637-3333 800-943-6488 or 604-637-8188 7:00 am to 5:00pm (Pacific Time) Faronics Technologies USA Inc. Suite Old Crow Canyon Road San Ramon, CA 94583 USA Faronics Corporation 620 - 609 Granville St. Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G5 Canada

Last modified: May, 2007

2007 Faronics Corporation. All rights reserved. Deep Freeze, Deep Freeze Mac, Deep Freeze Linux, Faronics, Faronics Anti-Executable, Faronics Power Save, Faronics Power Save Mac, Faronics User Refresh Mac, Faronics System Profiler, FreezeX, and WINSelect are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Faronics Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contents

Deep Freeze Linux Overview....7 About Deep Freeze......7 System Requirements.....7 Important Terminology.....7 About Faronics......7 Deploying Deep Freeze.....8 Installing Deep Freeze.....8. Uninstalling Deep Freeze.....8 Configuring Deep Freeze....9 Launching Deep Freeze.....9 Boot Control Tab.....9 Partitions Tab......10 Exporting and Importing Configurations....10 Command Line Control.....11 Command Line Examples.....11 DFL Return Values.....12 Using Deep Freeze.....12 Deep Freeze Icons......12 Saving Documents.....12 Software Installation and Permanent Changes....12
Deep Freeze Linux Overview
About Deep Freeze Deep Freeze Linux provides a completely non-restrictive working environment where there is no need to be concerned about system damage or corruption; a simple restart eradicates all changes and ensures that the standard system configuration is available at all times. All changes to a machine are temporary for that working session. The need for IT professionals to perform rebuilds, re-image, or troubleshoot computers is eliminated, resulting in a reduction in IT expenditures and an increase in computer uptime. System Requirements Deep Freeze Linux requires SLED (SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 10 with the ext2 or ext3 file system running on IDE and SATA hard drives, and the KDE or GNOME desktop environments. The minimum hardware requirement is 128 MB RAM, 20GB hard drive, and a 1.5 GHz processor. Important Terminology A Frozen partition is completely restored to its exact original configuration and contents upon each restart of the machine. A Thawed partition functions normally, as if Deep Freeze was not installed. About Faronics Faronics develops and markets intelligent utilities for absolute control of multi-user computing environments. Faronics market-leading solutions have dramatically impacted the day-to-day lives of thousands of information technology professionals and computing lab managers by ensuring 100% availability of systems. Our user-driven, powerful technology innovations benefit educational institutions, healthcare facilities, libraries, government organizations and corporations. Incorporated in 1996, Faronics has two offices situated in the USA and Canada. An ambitious growth strategy and global outlook has Faronics striving to reach new markets. Future diversification of Faronics utilities will provide innovative and unique solutions that will continue to enhance user productivity.

Deploying Deep Freeze

Installation and configuration of Deep Freeze Linux requires administrative access. Installs, uninstalls, and configuration changes require a restart to take effect. Deep Freeze Linux is distributed on a CD-ROM in a media package, or as a downloadable file via the Internet. Installing Deep Freeze To install Deep Freeze Linux from the command-line: 1. In a terminal window, with root-user privileges, enter the following:
sudo rpm -i <DeepFreezeLinux.rpm>
2. Press Enter. Note that <DeepFreezeLinux.rpm> must be replaced with the exact name of the rpm file for the version of Deep Freeze Linux that is being installed. To install Deep Freeze Linux graphically: 1. With root-user privileges, double-click <DeepFreezeLinux.rpm> in a graphical window (e.g. in Konqueror). 2. Follow any prompts. Upon completion of a successful installation and after the computer has been restarted, Deep Freeze is automatically configured to put all partitions into a Frozen state. Partitions that are to be put in a Thawed state can be specified after the install. Alternatively, Deep Freeze Linux can be installed using YaST. Refer to the YaST documentation for instructions on how to do this. After installation has completed, the Deep Freeze Linux application (dfl) will be installed in /opt/dfl and a soft-link of /sbin/dfl will be created. The $PATH and $MANPATH variables can optionally be updated to provide specific users with access to the Deep Freeze Linux application (e.g. the root-user). This often requires updating the appropriate.bashrc file. Uninstalling Deep Freeze To uninstall Deep Freeze Linux from the command-line: 1. In a terminal window, with root-user privileges, enter the following:
sudo rpm -e <DeepFreezeLinux.rpm>
2. Press Enter: Note that <DeepFreezeLinux.rpm> must be replaced with the exact name of the rpm file for the version of Deep Freeze Linux that is being installed. To uninstall Deep Freeze Linux graphically: 1. With root-user privileges, launch the application used to manage application installation and removal. 2. Select the Deep Freeze Linux application and follow the usual procedure for removing the application. Alternatively, Deep Freeze Linux can be uninstalled using YaST. Refer to the YaST documentation for instructions on how to do this.

Configuring Deep Freeze

If all partitions are Frozen on a machine, a user can create, save, change, and delete files. However, all changes are temporary, unless a Thawed partition is being utilized. The complete contents of a Frozen partition are restored at restart. All changes made in Deep Freeze only take effect after a restart. Launching Deep Freeze To launch Deep Freeze, click the Deep Freeze icon in the kicker panel and select Configure Deep Freeze:

Alternatively, enter su -c dfl
in a terminal window and press Enter.
Deep Freeze appears, with two tabs: Boot Control and Partitions. On all tabs, the OK button saves and closes the Main Screen; the Apply button saves any changes but does not close the Main Screen; the Cancel button closes the Main Screen, but displays a warning prompting the user to save any unsaved changes (if they exist) prior to doing so. Boot Control Tab Deep Freeze appears with the Boot Control tab selected.
The Boot Control tab contains radio buttons used to change the status of Deep Freeze on a machine: To set the machine to a Frozen state, choose Boot Frozen To set the machine to a Thawed state for a specified number of restarts, choose Boot Thawed on next and specify the number of restarts (the number entered must be between 1-99) To set the machine to a Thawed state, choose Boot Thawed
To restart the machine after making changes, click Restart. The following configuration options are available: To hide the Frozen icon, check the Hide Frozen Icon in Kicker Panel checkbox To hide the Thawed icon, check the Hide Thawed Icon in Kicker Panel checkbox Partitions Tab When the Partitions tab is selected, Deep Freeze searches the machine and lists the supported partitions present on a machine. The partitions listed can be put into a Frozen state or a Thawed state.
All partitions on the machine are initially Frozen by default. To Thaw a partition, uncheck the corresponding box in the Frozen? column. To Freeze a partition, check the corresponding box in the Frozen? column. Removable media such as external FireWire or USB hard drives or keychain drives are not displayed and cannot be Frozen. Exporting and Importing Configurations A file containing the configuration information set in Deep Freeze can be exported to an XML file. The resulting XML file can be imported into Deep Freeze on the same or alternate computers. To export the configuration information, click Export and save the file to a preferred location. To import a configuration file, click Import and browse to the location of the saved file. The computer must be restarted for any changes to take effect from the imported file.

Command Line Control

Deep Freeze can be optionally configured and controlled through the command line. Command line control (dfl) offers network administrators increased flexibility in managing Deep Freeze machines and works in combination with third-party enterprise management tools. The dfl man page lists the set of available command line options. Commands are available to root-privileged users only, unless noted in the table below:

Syntax

-?, --help -b, --boot <frozen|thawed> [numRestarts]

Description

Displays the command line usage. Available to all users. Boots the system in the Frozen or Thawed state. If numRestarts is provided, boots the system Thawed for that number of restarts. numRestarts is ignored if frozen is specified. Exports the configuration settings to an XML file. The specified file name will be appended with.xml. Freezes the specified partition. Launches the graphical user interface of Deep Freeze Linux. Hides (or reveals if false is specified) the kicker panel icons representing the Frozen or Thawed status of the machine. Imports the configuration settings from a specified XML file. Restarts the system immediately. The partitions will be Frozen or Thawed according to the last Freeze or Thaw command applied to them. Displays the current Deep Freeze status of one or more partitions. Status is returned as either Frozen or Thawed. Displays the current Deep Freeze system status. Status is returned as either Frozen or Thawed. Available to all users. Thaws the specified partition. Displays the version of the installed Deep Freeze Linux application. Available to all users. All output from the above commands, except -g, is displayed in XML format. Available to all users.

--graphics,

-e, --export <file>
-f, --freeze <partition> -g, --graphics -h, --hideStatusGraphic <frozen|thawed> <true|false> -i, --import <file> -r, --restart
-s, --status <partition>

-S, --systemStatus

-t, --thaw <partition> -v, --version

-x, --xml

Command Line Examples 1. A sample command using the boot
sudo dfl -b thawed <frozen>

command is shown below:

In this example, the computer will boot into the Thawed state the next time it is restarted. 2. A sample command using the freeze <partition> command is shown below:

sudo dfl -f sda2

In this example, the partition named sda2 will boot in the Frozen state the next time the system is restarted. Note that the CLI does not recognize partitions identified by their mount point names.
DFL Return Values On completion of any dfl command, dfl returns the following values:
0 -1 -2 EACCES EINVAL ENOENT ENOSPC ENXIO EPERM
Command succeeded System must be Thawed to perform desired operation The application has expired Insufficient permission to execute the command Invalid option detected on the command line Partition or configuration file does not exist No space left on partition No such device or address. Deep Freeze could not contact the kernel. Operation not permitted

Using Deep Freeze

After Deep Freeze has been installed and a configuration has been assigned to a partition, the computer can be operated as usual. The only visual evidence that Deep Freeze is installed on a machine is the presence of a Deep Freeze icon in the kicker panel (if configured). Users can make changes to the machine, including renaming or deleting files and folders, downloading files from the Internet, changing the desktop, and more. However, the Frozen partitions are completely restored to their original configurations and contents at restart. Deep Freeze Icons When Deep Freeze is installed, the polar bear icon appears in the kicker panel, if the icon has been configured to appear: The Frozen polar bear icon The Thawed polar bear icon indicates that the machine is currently Frozen. indicates that the machine is currently Thawed.

Saving Documents On a machine that is Frozen, a user can permanently save documents to a Thawed partition on the machine, a network location, or onto a CD, USB keychain drive, or external hard drive. Software Installation and Permanent Changes Permanent changes and software installations can only be made to a Thawed machine or a Thawed partition. If a machine is in a Frozen state, any software that has been installed will be gone after a restart. A newly installed application should be run at least once while the machine or partition is Thawed in order to create a preference file, dismiss registration dialogs, and initialize various values. A newly installed application may require the computer to be restarted for setup to be completed. If this is the case, it is recommended to restart the computer in a Thawed state, and then log in with the same user account, run the application once, and then log out before setting the machine to restart in a Frozen state.

Faronics Deep Freeze and the University of Kentucky

Case Study

September 15, 2008
Intelligent Solutions for ABSOLUTE Control
Tel: 1-800-943-6422 Fax: 1-800-943-6488

www.faronics.com

Tel: +1-604-637-3333 Fax:+1-604-637-8188
Faronics Corporation. All rights reserved. Faronics, Faronics Anti-Executable, Deep Freeze, Deep Freeze Mac, Deep Freeze Linux, Faronics Device Filter Mac, Faronics Insight, Faronics Power Save, Faronics Power Save Mac, Faronics System Profiler, and WINSelect are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Faronics Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Background The University of Kentucky was founded in 1865 as a land-grant institution adjacent to downtown Lexington, nestled in the scenic heart of the unique Bluegrass region of Kentucky. With only 190 students and 10 professors in its early beginnings, UKs campus now covers more than 716 acres and is home to over 26,000 students and nearly 11,000 employees. University of Kentuckys technological environment includes over one thousand student lab workstations spread across fourteen different locations, which are managed by three servers. Problem Paul Glenn, UKs Student Lab System Administrator, faced numerous problems in his day-to-day operations. Student workstations were constantly going down due to user activityboth innocent and malicious. Our students love to tinker with computers, especially our computer science students, says Mr. Glenn. In addition to having to repair corrupted computers, we were getting reports of computers being infected with keyloggers. Keyloggers represent a serious threat to patron privacy and security since a user on an infected machine would be unaware that their keystrokes were being recorded. Keyloggers make it easy to steal a users login credentials for email, online banking, instant messengers, etc. Paul recalls that because so many machines would regularly become unusable, IT was not able to repair all the workstations immediately. It often took a few days for a damaged system to be reimaged, which is understandable given the heavy workload that IT was already burdened with. In some of UKs busy student labs, even having a few machines down meant students had to wait for a computer to use. Solution
With over one thousand computers, enterprise control was crucial to us.
I first heard about Deep Freeze from a security officer on campus, says Mr. Glenn. I immediately downloaded and tested Deep Freeze, and loved it. Faronics Deep Freeze helps eliminate workstation damage and downtime by making computer configurations indestructible, even when users have full access to system software and settings. Once Deep Freeze is installed on a workstation, any changes made to the computerregardless of whether they are accidental or maliciousare never permanent. Users get to enjoy a pristine and unrestricted computing experience, while IT personnel are freed from tedious helpdesk requests. When Paul originally tested Deep Freeze, only the Standard edition was available. Impressed with Deep Freezes ability to prevent workstation configuration drift, but anxious for a way to centrally manage his Deep Freeze deployment, Paul called Faronics back to find out his options. Thats when he found out that Faronics was developing an Enterprise version, and that a beta version was ready. I joined the beta program for Deep Freeze Enterprise, and was thrilled that I could now Freeze and Thaw my Deep Freeze machines from a central console, recalls Mr. Glenn. With over one thousand computers, enterprise control was crucial to us. We didnt want to have to touch each machine every time we needed to perform a system update. The beta of Deep Freeze Enterprise went extremely well, and although we did evaluate some competing productssuch as Fortres Clean Slatewe were so impressed by Deep Freeze Enterprise that we quickly purchased the full version when it became available. Weve been Deep Freeze users ever since.
Evaluation Ever since we installed Deep Freeze, our trouble calls have dropped by 90%, says Paul. According to Mr. Glenn, over the last few years UKs IT staff have noticed that more programs are requiring elevated user rights in order to function properly. These rights, of course, give users the ability to modify system settings and configurationsa concept that the IT staff were not comfortable with. Giving students administrator rights meant that they could install games or programs much more malicious than keyloggers. Although one could try and restrict user activity through the use of Group Policies, Mr. Glenn is quick to point out that this takes countless hours and can often impair a users workstation productivity. Since Deep Freeze is able to ensure computers remain consistent reboot after reboot without restricting users rights, the students of UK can enjoy total workstation freedom while the IT personnel are assured that the computers will not deviate from their optimal configuration. UK has configured their student workstations to reboot when the student logs out at the end of their session, creating a pristine computer that is ready for the next user.

Key Benefits

Absolute Protection Deep Freeze guarantees UK with 100% workstation recovery on restart. Flexible Configuration Options UK is able to schedule automatic Restart/Shutdown times, and schedule Thawed Maintenance periods to perform Windows and application updates. Improved User Experience Deep Freeze provides the students and teachers of UK with a positive computing experience, free from accidental problems, malicious actions, and system downtime. Students can count on computers
being available for their school In 2008 the University of Kentucky began incorporating use, and teachers can focus on Microsoft Application Virtualization (also known teaching in computer labs rather than as App-V and formerly called SoftGrid) into their troubleshooting workstation issues. computing environments. We were running into situations where one program was conflicting with another, says Paul. What App-V gives us is the ability to run individual applications inside a selfcontained environment, which keeps the programs from interfering with each other or the operating system itself.
Ever since we installed Deep Freeze, our trouble calls have dropped by 90%.
Deep Freeze and App-V work hand-in-hand and complement each other in UKs computer labs. Deep Freeze prevents any configuration drift from taking place, and App-V manages the program environments. If program data needs to be preserved, administrators have the option to either create a ThawSpace (an unprotected area where data can be preserved across sessions) or modify the registry settings to have App-V redirect the data to an alternate local or network drive.
App-V applications are sequenced and then placed on a central server so that they can be synchronized with the workstation copies, says Mr. Glenn. In the past if we needed to update the workstation applications in a student labeven if it was just one programwe would have to install the application on a clean image and then re-image the entire lab. Now, we just Thaw the machines, logon to the systems to retrieve the updated program(s), and then return the computers to their Frozen state. This should give us the most stable yet flexible environment to datewere very excited.
Faronics delivers software that helps manage, simplify, and secure desktop computers. Our products ensure users enjoy a trouble-free computing experience, and have freed IT personnel from tedious helpdesk requests. Faronics products benefit educational institutions, healthcare facilities, libraries, government organizations, and corporations in over fifty countries worldwide.

Contact Us

Web: Email: Phone: Fax: Hours: Address: www.faronics.com sales@faronics.com 800-943-6422 or 604-637-3333 800-943-6488 or 604-637-8188 7:00am to 5:00pm (Pacific Time) Old Crow Canyon Road San Ramon, CA 94583 USA
Granville Street Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G5 Canada

Copyright

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