Patent ID: 8533304

Claim:
A computer system comprising: a client workstation; a central processing unit (CPU) included in said client workstation; a memory coupled to said CPU; a computer-readable, tangible storage device coupled to said CPU, said storage device containing instructions that when carried out by said CPU via said memory implement a method of automatically customizing remotely deployed workstation images, said method comprising: receiving, at a first partition of a data storage unit coupled to said client workstation, a deployment of a single workstation image from a server computing system as a result of multiple deployments of said single workstation image from said server computing system to a plurality of client workstations that includes said client workstation, said single workstation image originally cloned from a donor workstation and including a plurality of pre-defined customization scripts for customizing said plurality of client workstations, wherein said plurality of pre-defined customization scripts includes a pre-defined customization script for customizing said client workstation; subsequent to said receiving said deployment of said single workstation image and based on said server computing system being configured as a device that boots first for said client workstation via a network, booting said client workstation via a remote boot by said server computing system on said network, wherein said booting said client workstation via said remote boot includes a shared partition of said data storage unit coupled to said client workstation receiving an identifier of said pre-defined customization script from said server computing system, wherein access to said shared partition is shared by said server computing system and by said first partition of said data storage unit coupled to said client workstation; and rebooting said client workstation subsequent to said booting said client workstation via said remote boot, wherein said rebooting includes: said first partition of said data storage unit coupled to said client workstation retrieving said identifier of said pre-defined customization script from said shared partition; based on said retrieved identifier of said pre-defined customization script, said client workstation selecting said pre-defined customization script from among said plurality of pre-defined customization scripts included in said single workstation image; and subsequent to said receiving said deployment of said single workstation image, a processor of said client workstation executing said selected pre-defined customization script, wherein said executing said selected pre-defined customization script results in an automatic and remote customization of said client workstation after said receiving said deployment of said single workstation image, based on said identifier of said pre-defined customization script retrieved from said shared partition, and without said client workstation running communication software.