How to Configure IZI Boot and Disk Image

How to Configure IZI Boot and Disk Image

IZI Boot stores one reference disk image — operating system, games, and client settings — on a TrueNAS network storage device and boots every PC in your club from it over iSCSI (network boot instead of a local disk). Each time a PC restarts after a session it reverts to that clean “golden” state: no viruses, no broken settings, no accidentally deleted files. The entire setup is done through the Control Center section in IZI CRM with no manual TrueNAS configuration required. The guide below covers everything from connecting the storage to the moment your first PC boots from the image.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
TrueNAS on the club network	Version 25.04 (Fangtooth) or later. Earlier versions work but WebSocket status updates require 24.10+.
TrueNAS API token	Create it in TrueNAS under Credentials → API Keys → Add.
Storage IP addresses	External IP (for CRM to reach the API) and LAN IP (for PCs to connect via iSCSI). These can be different addresses.
Drive letter	Any uppercase letter A–Z except C:. Must be free on every PC in the club.
PC hardware	Standard gaming PCs with a network card — no special hardware required.

Make sure your IZI role includes the IZI_BOOT_MANAGE and IZI_BOOT_CONFIG_MANAGE permissions. Without them the setup wizard buttons will not appear.

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Step 1. Connect the Storage

Open the target club in CRM → Control Center → click Configure IZI Boot. The setup wizard opens. The first screen is IZI Boot — Storage Connection.

Fill in the fields:

Field	What to enter
Protocol	HTTP or HTTPS. HTTPS requires TrueNAS to have a trusted certificate; for self-signed certificates use HTTP or import the certificate first.
IP	External IP or hostname of TrueNAS — the address CRM uses to reach the API.
Port	Standard TrueNAS API port (80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS).
API Token	Token from TrueNAS. After saving it is masked; click Change Token to replace it later.
TrueNAS Local IP	LAN address that club PCs use to connect to the iSCSI target.
Drive Letter	The letter that will be used to mount the game disk on each PC (for example, D or G).
TrueNAS Pool	Pool name. If TrueNAS has a single pool, you can leave this blank for auto-detection.
Donor Disk Size (GiB)	Volume size for the donor PC. Range: 1–10 240 GiB. Allow headroom for game library growth.
Auto-Update Schedule	Schedule on which the reconciler applies a new image to idle PCs. If left blank the system uses “Always” — image rolls out as soon as each PC is free.

Click Next — IZI automatically tests the connection to TrueNAS.

If the test fails, CRM shows the exact cause: wrong token (IZI_BOOT_CONN_AUTH), unreachable host (IZI_BOOT_CONN_DNS), TLS handshake failure (IZI_BOOT_CONN_TLS), or timeout (IZI_BOOT_CONN_TIMEOUT). Fix the relevant field and click Retry.

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Step 2. Choose an Installation Mode

After a successful connection test, IZI checks whether TrueNAS already has disk volumes:

• Fresh install — no existing disks found on the storage. You need to prepare a donor PC, install Windows via iSCSI, and then capture the image.
• Migrate existing TrueNAS — IZI detects foreign disks (for example, from a previous system). IZI will offer to adopt one of them as the reference image without destroying the original.

The mode is selected automatically based on pool state. You can switch it manually if needed.

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Step 3. Select the Source

Fresh Install: Choose a Donor PC

Select the PC that will act as the donor — the source of the reference image. It must be powered on. IZI provisions an empty volume of the configured size on TrueNAS and creates an iSCSI target bound to that PC’s MAC address.

Next steps on the donor PC (outside CRM):

1. Boot the PC over the network (PXE/iSCSI) — IZI connects the disk automatically via iSCSI.
2. Install Windows on that disk normally.
3. Configure everything that belongs in the reference image: the IZI client, games, browsers, sound, screensavers.
4. Make sure the iSCSI connection settings are saved as persistent so the disk mounts again after each reboot.

Migration: Choose an Existing Disk

In migration mode IZI lists the disks found on TrueNAS. Select the one you want — IZI copies its contents into an independent reference image without touching the original.

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Step 4. Capture the Reference Image

When the donor is ready, go back to CRM and click Capture Reference on the Image Preparation step.

What happens at this point:

1. IZI takes a snapshot of the donor’s disk in TrueNAS — this becomes the reference image (baseline).
2. The image is assigned a timestamp identifier in the format YYYY-MM-DD_HH:MM:SS.
3. The reconciler receives a task: switch all club PCs to the new baseline on their next idle reboot.

After the capture the donor loses its special role and becomes a regular club PC that also reverts to the reference image like all the others.

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Step 5. Select PCs for IZI Boot

The next wizard screen shows all club PCs that support Boot. Check the ones that should boot via IZI Boot; uncheck any that should not (for example, racing simulators with non-standard configurations).

Click Save — IZI records the selection and starts the provisioning process.

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Step 6. Installation on PCs

After saving, each selected PC installs the IZI Boot client automatically — on its next idle startup. Progress is visible in CRM: a counter shows how many PCs are online out of the total.

You do not have to wait for all PCs to finish. Click Finish Now to close the wizard. PCs that are busy or powered off will install automatically as soon as they are free.

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PC Statuses After Setup

In the PCs with Boot section each PC displays one of the following statuses:

Status	Meaning
ONLINE	PC is booted from the reference image and working normally.
OFFLINE	IZI Boot is not receiving a heartbeat from the PC (powered off or client not installed).
PENDING	The reconciler has queued the PC to receive the new image.
APPLYING	The switchover to the new image is in progress.
READY	Ready to reboot into the new image.
BROKEN	Problem with the iSCSI connection or image. Requires investigation.

If a PC shows OUTDATED — it has not yet rebooted after the new image was applied. The reconciler will reboot it automatically on the first idle window.

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Updating the Reference Image

To update games or system settings:

1. Select a PC marked as capturable (capturableAsReference).
2. Make your changes on that PC.
3. In CRM: club → Control Center → IZI Boot section → Capture Reference.
4. The reconciler applies the updated image to all PCs on schedule automatically.

The Capture Reference button is only available when the PC is free (no active session and no hold). If the PC is occupied CRM returns IZI_BOOT_DEVICE_BUSY.

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Apply Image Manually

To roll back a specific PC to the reference image immediately without waiting for the schedule:

• Open the PC in the PCs with Boot section → click Apply Image.
• This forces the current reference to be applied to that PC on its next reboot.
• An active session blocks the operation — the system does not interrupt players mid-session.

To apply to all PCs at once use Apply to All — the reconciler queues every PC for an immediate pass.

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Common Errors and Causes

Error	Cause and fix
IZI_BOOT_DRIVE_LETTER_UNAVAILABLE	The chosen letter is in use on one or more PCs (system drive, page file, or local volume). CRM lists the conflicting machines. Choose a different letter.
IZI_BOOT_INSUFFICIENT_POOL_CAPACITY	Not enough free space on TrueNAS (threshold is approximately 80% pool capacity). Free space or expand the pool.
IZI_BOOT_CLUB_BUSY	Another IZI Boot operation is already running for this club (image apply, reconcile). Wait for it to finish and try again.
IZI_BOOT_NOT_PROVISIONED	The PC does not have an iSCSI volume on TrueNAS yet. Add the PC to the Boot device list and wait for the reconciler to provision it.
IZI_BOOT_UNSUPPORTED_DEVICE_TYPE	The device type does not support IZI Boot (for example, a payment terminal or printer). Only gaming PCs are supported.
IZI_BOOT_CONN_TLS	TLS handshake with TrueNAS failed. Check the certificate or switch to HTTP.

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Related Pages

• IZI Boot Overview — how network boot works
• Reference Image — what it contains and how to update it
• Recovering a PC after a failure
• How to replace a PC in a club