IZI Boot: What It Is and How It Works
IZI Boot: What It Is and How It Works
Section titled “IZI Boot: What It Is and How It Works”IZI Boot is a separate paid product that runs server-side (typically on a TrueNAS or similar server in your club). It owns the reference disk image, delivers it to gaming PCs over the network, and enforces disk protection. It is managed from the CRM but is not part of the CRM — it is a distinct product you purchase separately.
IZI Boot vs the IZI client: Every gaming PC runs the IZI client (installed via the IZI installer), which handles sessions, balance, screensavers, and CRM communication. IZI Boot sits on a server and handles disk images and disk protection — it passes protected disk access through to each PC over the network. The two work together but are separate products.
Without a current image on the IZI Boot server, the CRM can still run sessions via the IZI client — but fast PC recovery and disk protection are not available.
If you want to understand exactly how IZI Boot works internally — this page is for you. If you need a step-by-step initial client setup process, go to IZI Client — Overview.
Disk Protection: The “Freeze” Mechanism
Section titled “Disk Protection: The “Freeze” Mechanism”The core function of IZI Boot is disk protection. The idea is simple: a club PC should look the same every day. No player should leave behind a virus, unauthorized software, or changed settings.
Technically, IZI Boot intercepts write operations at the network disk level. When protection is enabled, changes from a gaming PC do not get written back to the reference image on the IZI Boot server — they go into a temporary buffer. On reboot, the buffer is cleared and the PC returns to its locked state (the clean server image).
What this means in practice:
- A player downloaded a file to the desktop — it’s gone after reboot.
- The browser saved a password — history and passwords are cleared after reboot.
- Steam offered to update a game — if protection was on, the update was not saved.
- A virus got onto the machine — after reboot, it’s gone.
Protection can be enabled and disabled from the CRM — via the shield icon in the Hall section. The command takes effect on the next PC reboot. Details — in Disk Protection.
Reference Image: The Restore Point
Section titled “Reference Image: The Restore Point”An image is a “snapshot” of a PC’s disk at the moment it is fully ready to use: Windows is installed, the IZI client is configured, all needed games are present, launchers, antivirus, and browser with the right bookmarks are set up.
IZI Boot stores this snapshot on the server and can deploy it to a PC’s disk in minutes. This is called “PC reset” or “restore from image.”
When this is needed:
- The PC has hard-frozen and a normal reboot doesn’t help
- Someone changed system settings or installed third-party software while protection was off
- The disk is showing errors but is still readable
- A new PC in the hall — you want to deploy a standard configuration without manual installation
The image is stored on the IZI Boot server, either backed by a NAS on the local network (recommended) or cloud storage. When deploying from a local NAS over Gigabit Ethernet, restoring one PC takes 15–30 minutes. From the cloud over a 100 Mbps connection — from 2 hours.
Full image lifecycle — creation, versioning, updating — is covered in Reference Image: Creation, Maintenance, Updates.
Network Boot (PXE): How a PC Boots Without a Disk
Section titled “Network Boot (PXE): How a PC Boots Without a Disk”PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is a standard where a computer boots not from a local drive but receives a boot image over the network. IZI Boot uses PXE for two scenarios:
Initial deployment. A new PC with no OS boots over the network, IZI Boot deploys an image to it — no USB drives needed.
Emergency recovery. If a PC’s disk has failed and normal boot is impossible — PXE allows loading the machine into a recovery environment and re-deploying the image. This works even when Windows on the PC won’t start.
For PXE to work:
- Enable network boot in BIOS/UEFI — Boot Options section → Network Boot or PXE Boot.
- Set network above the local disk in boot order (or configure to boot from network only when no bootable OS is found).
- All PCs must be in the same network segment as the NAS or IZI Boot server.
If PXE is not configured — the IZI client still works for session management, but emergency recovery without a boot disk will not be possible.
Wake-on-LAN + IZI Boot: Remote Machine Management
Section titled “Wake-on-LAN + IZI Boot: Remote Machine Management”Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is a feature where a PC powers on via a network command without pressing the power button. Combined with IZI Boot, this provides complete remote management:
- Administrator clicks “Power On PC” in the CRM.
- WoL packet is sent to the PC’s MAC address — the machine powers on.
- The PC boots, the IZI client brings up the agent and registers the device as active in the CRM.
- Administrator starts a session or sends an image reset command — all from the browser.
This works provided: the PC is connected by cable, WoL is activated in BIOS, the network card receives standby power.
Monitoring and CRM Communication
Section titled “Monitoring and CRM Communication”In addition to disk management, the IZI client constantly sends status signals to the CRM:
- online / offline
- current client version
- metrics: CPU, RAM, temperature, network (if monitoring is connected)
This data is visible in the Devices section → “Version” column and activity status. If a PC disappears from the CRM — first diagnostic step: check whether the IZI client is alive (reboot the machine, check autostart).
Auto-Update of the Client
Section titled “Auto-Update of the Client”The IZI client updates automatically when the Auto-update client parameter is enabled in the device card. When a new version is released, the client downloads it in the background and applies it on the next PC reboot. No manual intervention needed.
Current version — in the Devices section, “Version” column. If different machines have different versions — this is normal during a transition period: they synchronize with planned reboots.
What to Do When the Client Fails
Section titled “What to Do When the Client Fails”If a PC stopped appearing in the CRM:
- Reboot the PC physically.
- Ensure the IZI client is in Windows autostart (Task Manager → Startup).
- If that didn’t help — reinstall the IZI client: create a new pairing code in the Devices section → run the IZI installer again with the new code.
More details — in PC Recovery After Crash.
Related
Section titled “Related”- IZI Client — Overview — how to connect the first PC to the club step by step
- Disk Protection — how to enable and disable protection from the CRM
- Reference Image: Creation, Maintenance, Updates — full image lifecycle
- IZI System Requirements — hardware and network requirements
- PC Recovery After Crash — what to do when a PC won’t boot
See Also
Section titled “See Also”Frequently asked questions
How is IZI Boot different from disk protection?
IZI Boot is a separate paid server-side product (running on a server such as TrueNAS) that owns the reference disk image, delivers it to PCs over the network, and enforces disk protection by controlling what gets written back to the server image. Disk protection is one of IZI Boot's core functions — think of IZI Boot as the system, and disk protection as one of its tasks.
Can IZI be installed without disk protection?
The IZI client can be installed and used without IZI Boot — it handles sessions, balance, and CRM connectivity independently. Disk protection requires IZI Boot. Without it, any player can accidentally (or deliberately) change the system: install third-party software, modify settings. Disk protection is the key reason hundreds of clubs use IZI Boot.
What happens to player data (saves, settings) when the disk is reset?
Everything stored in Steam Cloud, Epic Games Cloud, or other cloud services is preserved. Local files (saves on the desktop, in the Documents folder, downloaded files) are reset on reboot. This is standard behavior — players should not store personal data on a club PC.
Does internet access need to be available during a disk reset from an image?
Depends on where the image is stored. If the image is on a NAS on the local network — no internet needed at all. If the image is stored in the cloud — a stable connection is required. Recommended: store the image locally for speed and independence from the ISP.
How often should the reference image be updated?
There is no fixed schedule. Practice: update the image after adding new games, major updates to the Steam/Epic client, Windows updates, or IZI client updates. Once every 1–3 months is a reasonable target for active clubs.
Can a PC be rolled back to an image without physical access to the machine?
Yes — with Wake-on-LAN and PXE network boot configured. The administrator sends a command from the CRM: the machine powers on, boots over the network from the IZI Boot server, applies the image, and reboots. No physical access required.
Is IZI Boot the same as Acronis?
No. Acronis and similar tools are general-purpose backup utilities. IZI Boot is integrated with the CRM: disk reset commands, image switching, status monitoring — all managed from a single interface, not through a separate console.