NetRestore sometimes sets computer name correctly, sometimes doesn't

I'm creating a number of NetRestore images using SIU. The images themselves apply correctly, but something is broken in the naming of the machines. I've had intermittent success getting the workflow component to work that is supposed to name machines based on Ethernet MAC address. I found the format of the .txt file, but I can't figure out why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
To be clear, if an image "works," every Mac that is imaged by it gets named correctly (I'm filtering MAC addresses using NetBoot service in Server Admin). But if an image doesn't work, it never works on any of the Macs that it is supposed to name. Everything else seems to work fine.
Does anyone have any tips for how to make this work more consistently? Is there something finicky about the .txt files that I missed? I created them in TextWrangler, if that makes any difference.

Hi Benjamin,
You may find clues in the system log on your target machines.
Look for messages from NetBootClientHelper.
Here is an earlier discussion:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10720808&#10720808

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HELP Add-Computer -FULL
You need to start learning script somewhere. We can help but we will not write scripts for you.
Start here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/dd793612.aspx
Look here:
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/site/search?f%5B0%5D.Type=RootCategory&f%5B0%5D.Value=hardware&f%5B0%5D.Text=Hardware&f%5B1%5D.Type=SubCategory&f%5B1%5D.Value=basichardware&f%5B1%5D.Text=Basic%20Hardware%20and%20Firmware
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Setting computer name on a VM created from template (SCSM, SCVMM and SCORCH)

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I've got the Guest OS Profile partially working, but frustratingly, it doesn't seem to be applying all of the settings.
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2. Orchestrator Runbook gets the existing OS Profile, creates a new one based on the VM, and uses the parameter -ComputerName to pass the name of the VM to the Guest OS Profile. The new Guest OS PRofile is showing up correctly in VMM, with the right settings.
3. The runbook then deploys the new VM from template, using the newly set up Guest OS Profile. The machine is set up correctly, and will boot. Not all of the settings from the Guest OS Profile transfer over, however. The Domain Join and KMS portions work
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[SOLVED] Set computer name (?)

Hey,
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Last edited by foreveraloneguy (2012-01-26 00:30:35)

foreveraloneguy wrote:
I admit I haven't read the beginners guide. I didn't think that I will run into so many 'walls'.
I actually tried changing hostname, just forgot to reboot.
... good old reboot. Sometimes it even helps in unix systems...
Good ol' reading/searching/wiki-ing - it helps no matter what system you have

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Hi,
I highly recommend asking this question in the MDT forum, since this question is very MDT-specific:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=mdt&filter=alltypes&sort=lastpostdesc
Perhaps someone who is familiar with MDT will see this, but I still think you stand a much better chance at getting a good answer over in the MDT forum.
Good luck.
Don't retire TechNet! -
(Don't give up yet - 12,700+ strong and growing)

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I had the same problem. I solved it. I use an Apple Airport Extreme. I had connected my computer to the Airport Extreme using an ethernet cable and I also activated WiFi on my computer. My computer kept changing names. To correct this i deactivated WiFi on my computer, connecting to the internet only through the ethernet cable attached to the Airport Extreme. No more name changing.

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OK, let me give you a similar scenario regarding computer record names.
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Here I also have an iMac that since installing Snow Leopard, approx. once a week, changes it's name to add a (2) at the end.
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My suspicion is that this might be caused by the Bonjour Sleep Proxy functionality introduced with Snow Leopard, since for that, the iMac delegates it's identity to the Time Capsule to handle incoming requests while it's sleeping.
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15.10.09 15:33:56 mDNSResponder[17] mDNSCoreReceiveResponse: Received from FE80:0000:0000:0000:021C:42FF:FE00:0008:5353 1 Peter's\032iMac.net-assistant.udp.local. TXT
15.10.09 15:33:56 mDNSResponder[17] mDNSCoreReceiveResponse: Reseting to Probing: 25 Peter's\032iMac.net-assistant.udp.local. SRV 0 0 3283 Peters-iMac.local.
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15.10.09 15:33:57 mDNSResponder[17] mDNSCoreReceiveResponse: ProbeCount 2; will rename 25 Peter's\032iMac.net-assistant.udp.local. SRV 0 0 3283 Peters-iMac.local.
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Thank you,
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Hi
B.Gandomkar,
Would you please tell us the purpose by doing this ? If you want to rename the computer from this tab.
Here are several links may be helpful:
Rename-Computer
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh849792.aspx
Set Computer Name using PowerShell
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/7824.set-computer-name-using-powershell.aspx
How to Rename Computers Using PowerShell and a CSV File
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/2243.how-to-rename-computers-using-powershell-and-a-csv-file.aspx
Best regards

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Hi
I'm not sure if anyone else is facing this issue, but I have been unable to find anything in the forums.
I have setup a number of client machines on Lion Server, all using 10.7.4. I used WGM and Remote Desktop to make some changes and deploy software
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Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can fix this issue?
Thanks
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Issue resolved. It turns out none of my changes caused the issue as much as Google Chrome Autoupdates. The new version constantly checks for updates which makes clients on Lion Server go haywire. Solution to turn off auto-updating:
Open a Terminal window:
defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0
Relaunch Chrome.

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It's moved to Computer / Preferences / Login / Options. The checkbox says "Set computer name to computer record name".

OSD Computer Name

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Why does the "Computer Name" sometimes change?

                Not a big deal, just curious, why does the "computer name" sometimes change?
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                                        Thanks.

Can also occur after your computer is put to sleep and then wakes back up or after your computer is force quit and immediately restarted. Sometimes the router 'believes' the computer is still connected when it actually isn't. When that computer re-establishes a connection the router 'tells' the computer that a computer with that name already exists so it has to change its name. By default a computer running MacOS adds a number (or increments its number) when this happens.

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NetRestore sometimes sets computer name correctly, sometimes doesn't

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