Two methods (native and clone) are used for installing software, such as an operating system, on client system(s) booting from shared storage. The native installation method configures an interconnection network to create an exclusive communication zone between the client system and the shared storage system and installs the operating system on the client system using the exclusive communication zone. After the software is installed, the method terminates the exclusive communication zone. The clone installation method utilizes a point-in-time copy feature of the shared storage system to clone an operating system drive instantaneously. After the drive is cloned, it is logically attached to a new client and the operating system is customized for that client.