Skip to content
IZI

IZI Boot — network boot and disk image

Published: · Updated: (11 days ago)· IZI Team

IZI Boot — network boot and disk image

Section titled “IZI Boot — network boot and disk image”

IZI Boot is a separate paid server-side IZI product built on TrueNAS. The IZI Boot server sits in the club’s local network and stores the reference image — a snapshot of a perfectly configured PC with the OS, games, and required software. When a PC powers on, it receives its disk from the Boot server over iSCSI and boots from that image rather than from its own physical drive. After the session, the PC’s disk rolls back to the server image — the next guest gets a clean, identical environment every time.

IZI Boot is managed from IZI CRM: enabling or disabling disk protection, updating the image on the server, and rebooting machines are all done remotely from the IZI Boot panel in the Control Center section. Full product details: IZI Boot product page.

IZI Boot is a separate paid product, not a built-in module of CRM. It is purchased and installed independently.

Each gaming PC has the IZI client (IZI agent) installed via the IZI installer — a separate application for managing sessions, tariffs, player balance, and the CRM connection. The IZI client and IZI Boot are different products.

How it works

Section titled “How it works”

IZI Boot uses the iSCSI protocol to deliver disks over the network: when a gaming PC powers on it contacts the Boot server (TrueNAS) and mounts the disk image as if it were a local drive. The OS boots from that image regardless of the state of the physical disk.

Key components:

  • Boot server (TrueNAS) — sits in the club’s local network; stores the reference image and delivers disks to all PCs over iSCSI
  • Disk protection — blocks permanent saving of session changes; the PC’s disk rolls back to the server image on every reboot
  • IZI client (IZI agent) — installed on each PC via the IZI installer; manages sessions, tariffs, and player balance (a separate product from Boot)

For reliable operation every PC needs a fixed network address — a static IP or MAC reservation in DHCP.

Zones and multiple images

Section titled “Zones and multiple images”

One club can maintain several images on the Boot server — useful when club zones differ in configuration (VIP zone with a different game library, console zone with a separate OS). Each zone maps to its own image; updating one does not affect others.

Managing from the CRM

Section titled “Managing from the CRM”

In the Control Center section the admin sees the IZI Boot panel: each device’s status, date of the last server image, and storage configuration. Available remote commands:

  • Enable / disable disk protection
  • Reboot a PC
  • Power on a machine via Wake-on-LAN
  • Push an image update to a single device or the entire fleet
Section titled “Related”

Frequently asked questions

What is IZI Boot?

IZI Boot is a separate paid server-side IZI product built on TrueNAS. The server sits in the club's local network, stores the reference disk image, and delivers it to all gaming PCs over iSCSI. Nothing specific to Boot is installed on individual PCs — each PC simply boots from the disk the Boot server provides over the network. IZI Boot is managed through a dedicated panel inside IZI CRM.

Is a server required for IZI Boot?

Yes — IZI Boot is itself a server-side product. It runs on a TrueNAS server in the club's local network, which stores the reference image and delivers disks to PCs over iSCSI. Without a TrueNAS server IZI Boot cannot function.

What happens to a customer's files after a session?

On the next reboot the PC receives the current reference image from the Boot server. All session changes — downloaded files, altered settings, installed software — are discarded. The next guest starts from a clean, identical environment.