Reference image: definition and use in IZI Boot
Reference image — the core tool for managing a club’s PC fleet
Section titled “Reference image — the core tool for managing a club’s PC fleet”A reference image — a configured copy of the operating system and all installed software, stored on the server and deployed to all club computers via IZI Boot. The single point of control over what is installed on every machine.
Definition
Section titled “Definition”A reference image is a “snapshot” of a perfectly configured PC. It includes:
- The operating system with the required settings and updates
- All installed games and game launchers (Steam, Epic, Battle.net, and others)
- The IZI client and supporting software
- Antivirus, security settings, user permission restrictions
- Performance-optimized settings for the club’s hardware
After creation, the image is uploaded to the server. During deployment IZI Boot transfers the image over the network to each PC — all machines receive an identical, clean environment.
Key property: the image is the single source of truth for the state of every PC in the club. Everything that existed before the image is irrelevant. Everything a player did during a session is reset to the image on the next boot.
Where it is used in IZI
Section titled “Where it is used in IZI”The reference image is the central element of IZI Boot — the PC boot management module. The entire lifecycle revolves around the image:
- Creation — an administrator configures one reference PC and creates a snapshot
- Storage — the image is uploaded to the IZI Boot server, accessible to all network machines
- Deployment — a new PC or a machine after reset receives the image over the network
- Update — when needed the image is updated (added a new game → created a new image)
- Reset — at the end of a session the PC returns to the reference state
Why this matters for the club
Section titled “Why this matters for the club”Without a reference image, fleet management becomes chaotic:
- Every PC is “unique” — one is missing a game, another has incorrect settings
- Recovery after a virus or failure takes hours per machine
- No guarantee that the next player gets a clean environment
With a reference image:
- New PC deployment — minutes over the network, not hours manually
- Recovery after a problem — overwrite the image, done
- Cleanliness guaranteed — every player starts with an identical environment
- Centralized updates — add a game once in the image → all machines get it automatically
Image lifecycle
Section titled “Image lifecycle”Creating the reference PC: one machine is selected and a full installation and configuration of all software is performed. This is time-consuming, but done once.
Updating the image: with every significant change (new game, IZI client update, security policy change) the image is updated. It is recommended to keep the last 2–3 image versions — in case a rollback is needed.
Deployment: after the image is updated, all club PCs receive the new version on the next reboot. You can deploy to all machines at once or one at a time.
Related
Section titled “Related”- IZI Boot — the PC boot and image management module
- Devices in IZI — managing the PC fleet
- Club zones — different zones may have different images (e.g., a VIP zone with a different game set)
- Disk protection — the mechanism for resetting changes to the image on reboot
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Frequently asked questions
What is a reference image in a computer club?
A reference image — a configured copy of the operating system with all installed software (games, launchers, antivirus, IZI client) stored on the server and deployed to all club computers via IZI Boot.
Why is a reference image needed?
Without a reference image, each PC must be configured manually — hours of work during initial deployment and after every failure. With an image: one computer is configured as the reference, the rest receive an exact copy over the network in minutes.
How often should the reference image be updated?
With every significant change: installing a new popular game or launcher, updating the IZI client, changing security settings. Typically once every 1–2 months or event-driven (major release drops). It is recommended to keep the last 2–3 versions of the image.
What happens to changes the player made during a session?
IZI Boot resets the PC to the reference image at the end of the session. All changes made by the player (downloaded files, changed settings, saves not in the cloud) are deleted. This guarantees the next player gets a clean environment.
How do you create a reference image in IZI?
Fully configure one reference PC: OS, drivers, games, IZI client, security settings. Via IZI Boot create a snapshot of that PC and upload it to the server as an image. After that the image can be deployed to all other machines.