Ok so I can't use the clone solution anymore (without creating a serialization file etc.,) which we used to deploy using Casper.
So using the 3.1 enterprise deployment tool I have created the install pkg, and loaded it to Casper Admin and ran an install and gave up after 40mins. Checked and made sure I was installing over AFP not SMB and gave up again after 40 mins and CS6 is still not installed.
Today I rebuilt the pkg, to ensure I hadn't made any obvious errors, and decided to test it over ARD to see whether I had made a mistake in Casper. So far as with Casper remote, ARD hits 95% in around 10 mins then starts to slow down and has now been chundering on 97% for 35 mins so far 'running package scripts'.
Up till CS6 we have been imaging a fully installed and configured Mac (including all software, CS5, Office, Fetch, Citrix etc, drivers and printers) at a users desk or in the workshop in 20 to 25 mins from netboot depending on how busy our network or servers are.
Installing CS6 over ARD has just completed in 45 mins (and I will now transfer the pkg to Casper), this is exactly the reason I switched to cloning a configured HD in the first place.
So now I have to inform our users (and 'the business') that our plans to rollout CS6 will take over twice as long and we may now need to find the resources to rollout 'out of hours' instead of re imaging divsions/depts while they are in their weekly meetings as we have done with every version so far. I'm afraid our users have been used to going to a meeting or lunch, returning and logging straight in and working, this will no longer be an option.
...Arrrrgh, rant over.
Cheers
Phil