Systemback is a winning deployment tool!

[John Hupp]

Two thumbs up for Systemback!

See http://sourceforge.net/projects/systemback/ and 
https://launchpad.net/systemback for simple instructions to install it 
from a PPA.

Systemback is designed for several purposes (system restore points and 
backup) but I have tested it and like it as a deployment tool. Set up a 
one-user model system just the way you want it, create a Live System 
from that, then write that to USB flash drive or DVD. Now boot that on 
another machine that you want to deploy to, run Systemback again and it 
will automatically prompt to install the system on that machine with 
user credentials and host name that you enter.

It will install with all of your custom settings and added programs.

There is an option to capture the user files in the Live image.

The developer Kendek is very active and responsive.

In my case I set up a Lubuntu 14.04.1 32-bit desktop and then used a 
Live DVD to install on Intel and an AMD test machines.

Just a couple special notes to date:

1) If you have an older video card the program may not start initially.  
Just run it again.  See https://bugs.launchpad.net/systemback/+bug/1413661

2) The program is QT5 and downloads a bunch of dependencies.

3) The Live DVD does not boot nearly as quickly as the Lubuntu Live 
DVD.  (I also created a Live USB flash drive, but my test targets did 
not support USB boot.)

Apart from those quibbles, I have found nothing else like this program!

Thanks to Eric Bradshaw for reporting on his own usage of the program, 
which set me on this path.