Installing FCP: How can I make it go faster?

I teach a documentary filmmaking class, and we've recently moved to a new facility with a new Mac lab. We're big-time now; I have a new multi-seat license of FCP, and 10 machines to install it on.

If I do it via DVDs, I'm afraid it will be 2010 and Studio 3 will be released before I'm finished.

All the machines are networked. Has anyone tried making .dmg's out of the DVDs, and installing that way?

Is there any way to install FCP all-at-once - i.e. tell it where ALL of the .dmg's are, and set-it-and-forget-it, Ronco-style?

Help?

Yes, actually. That's all you need to do. Well, mostly. Mount all the disk images at once, then just run the Final Cut installer off the image that corresponds to the first DVD. FCP will find and install all the bits and pieces for you. It's much faster than installing from disc, doubly so if you've got it on a fast filesystem on your network. My disc images are all stored on a hundred-terabyte RAID array that's available via gigabit ethernet, and we get a consistent hundred-megabytes a second to the edit systems. It takes about fifteen minutes to install the entire Final Cut Studio suite with all the options.

Mike,

This is very simple. I believe in teaching troubleshooting as an integral part of filmmaking. I would use this opportunity to teach these kids that it's a necessary evil to know how to install the software themselves. Seat one kid at each station and have them all install at once.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Yeah I'm with the copy to a server install from there. Or simply make an image of a system hard drive with FCP installed and place that on all systems.

Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
Editors Store- Gifts and Gear for Editors: [www.editorsstore.com]

I'm not sure the system drive image approach is very practical - the same serial number would be on all machines, and I don't know of any way to change FCP's registration on a machine after it's been installed.

For pure simplicity, how about put all the DMGs on a portable FW drive and take it to each machine? If you can get the install to look there for all of the "disks" you're in business; if not, copy them all to the local machine temporarily for install.

Scott

Volume License.

-Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
Editors Store- Gifts and Gear for Editors: [www.editorsstore.com]

It's possible to install FCP in a way that defers licensing it until it's first launched. I don't remember how off the top of my head, but if you're managing a whole lab and want an automated install solution, that's an option.

Does Apple offer educational site-licenses?

Ours is a single serial number.

Thanks for all the tips - I will certainly dmg the disks and get them loaded. I feel like I just saved hours!

Thanks again.

-MW

Quote
a couple of comments:
Volume License.
Ours is a single serial number.

If that works, fine. But 2 machines on the same network trying to run the same S/N of FCP doesn't work under ordinary circumstances.

Scott

Yeah it does if it's a volume license- that's the whole point of getting one. Only single user licenses will fail if you try to run two on the same network.

Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
Editors Store- Gifts and Gear for Editors: [www.editorsstore.com]

I didn't know FCP Volume Licenses existed. I was always told I can install one license on a tower & the same one on a laptop but cannot run them together on the same network (Serial Error). Good to know...will look into this further.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.