Imaging with OSD

DSM OS Deployment (OSD) supports two methods for installing operating systems: the unattended installation and the installation via imaging.

The imaging method stores complete disk partitions in a file as "disk image". Disk imaging also differs from the usual backup process (used only to back up files) by reading out the raw data of the storage medium (including the boot information and the files locked by the operating system).

The computer the disk image originates from (reference computer) has to be prepared for operating system imaging. After preparing the reference computer the disk image can be installed on other computers.

Using Imaging

The OSD Imaging solution supports the following use cases:

•Create a disk image (capture)

•Create a disk image during runtime (live capture)

•Distribute a disk image to test computers (deploy)

•Distribute a disk image (unicast and multicast deploy)

To create a disk image, please assign the Drive Snapshot Capture (with WinPE) (Pre OS Actions folder) package to the reference computer. Alternatively, select the Create policy for disk image capture command from the reference computer's context menu.

To create a disk image during runtime (live capture), assign the Drive Snapshot Live Capture (OS Library folder) package to the reference computer.

To create a disk image on a test computer, please assign the Drive Snapshot Restore (with WinPE) package to it (Pre OS Actions folder). Alternatively, select the Policy for disk image restore command from the test computer's context menu. If Linux is your operating system, please assign the Drive Snapshot Restore (with Linux) package to the test computer (Pre OS Actions folder).

To distribute a disk image to several computers, please provide them with an OS Installation Set that contains the disk image. By default, the system distributes the image with the multicast method. If you specify the value 0 for the OS Config Package's installation parameter Use_Multicast, the disk image will be distributed with the unicast method.

Best Imaging Practices

•Please make sure that the reference computer's image partition is not larger than the partition of the computer where you want to roll out the image later on.

•We recommend using a reference computer that is similar to the computers you will roll the image out on.

•Also make sure that the reference computer has all mass storage drivers installed the target computers must have.

•We recommend that you provide the drivers the target computers need as driver packages in DSM and that these driver packages are assigned to the target computers automatically with the DSM driver management.

Creating a Disk Image

There are two ways of creating a disk image:

•Assign the Drive Snapshot Capture (with WinPE) package (in the software library's Pre OS Actions folder) to the reference computer or select the Create policy for disk image command fromthe reference computer's context menu.

•Assign the Drive Snapshot Live Capture package (in the software library's eScripts folder) to the reference computer.

Drive Snapshot Capture (with WinPE)

As soon as a computer logs on to the network the OSD Proxy ensures that the packages are assigned. The computer creates the disk image. During this process it is stored in the network share specified in the policy. The disk image is available there until installed later on.

Drive Snapshot Live Capture

Live capture is the process of creating a disk image while the computer is running and then storing it on the network share.

Name of the Disk Image

By default, the system creates a name for the disk image from the names of the backed up disk and partition and stores it in the disk$ DriveSnapshot variable. If the system is to back up several or all partitions of a reference computer, the disk$ must be included as variable in the file name of the disk image. The system creates one subdirectory per computer on the OSD Proxy which contains its disk images.

Preparing the Reference Computer with NIPrep

We recommend managing the reference computer with DSM, especially if you want to receive compliance statements about the installed software packages valid for the reference computer in the later disk image. In this case, please install the reference computer's operating system with DSM OS Deployment (OSD). Assign an OS Installation Set to the reference computer.

When you run NIPrep.exe later on the reference computer to prepare the disk image, DSM automatically creates an image object on the Business Logic Server (BLS).

To create the resulting Disk Image later, you need to have the role of a supervisor in the DSM environment. For the imaging, the supervisor must be entered as a user in the configuration of the OSD Proxy.

Read and Write access must be granted for the folder in which the images are stored.

For further information on how to employ NIPrep.exe, please refer to the DSM Online Help, keyword NIPrep.

DSM can only make compliance statements for software that has been assigned and installed as software packages in the DSM environment.

Please run Microsoft SysPrep after having run DSM NIPrep first.

Preparing the Reference Computer with SysPrep

When you install Windows as operating system on a computer, the system stores computer-related and user-related information. Before you can create a disk image that will be distributed to other computers, the reference computer has to be prepared, i.e. its individual configuration must be changed.

Microsoft SysPrep

Microsoft provides the SysPrep utility for preparing the reference computer.

SysPrep removes the following information:

•the computer's Security Identifier (SID),

•the computer name,

•a computer's association to a domain and

•the local administrator's user profile.

If you call SysPrep with the parameter sysprep.exe/generalize, it removes this information and also the drivers for Plug-and-Play devices, that were added during the Windows setup. Then, SysPrep specifies default values on the reference computer for different properties, computer names and SID and also degenerates hardware drivers and hardware configurations.

After running SysPrep, you can use Drive Snapshot to create a disk image of the operating system (actually of the operating system partition) and roll it out later on the respective computers.

Further Information: Please refer to the Microsoft website for further information on SysPrep: SysPrep Technical Reference

Sysprep for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

SysPrep.exe comes with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and higher. After installing the operating system, you can find SysPrep in the following directory C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe.

Sysprep for Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 (R2)

To finish the preparations, please run the SysPrep.exe (Microsoft Preparation Tool). First, unpack this executable from the \Support\Tools\Deploy.cab file. The preparation tool prevents issues if two identical computers log on to a work group or domain where the same disk image has been restored. Sysprep also ensures that all of the required drivers are available after the installation of the image and prevents identical SIDs or computer names.

You may download the Microsoft System Preparation Tool (SysPrep) from www.microsoft.com or extract it from the deploy.cab file on the installation medium.

Imaging and Unattended Operating System Installation

With imaging, the system copies only the raw data of the disk image to a medium; this method is therefore faster than the unattended installation of an operating system. Also, imaging saves you bandwidth in your network if a disk image is distributed to many computers with the multicast method. The unattended installation, however, is more flexible and can consider specific requirements of individual computers.

DSM allows you to combine both deployment methods, for example by creating a disk image with the basic configuration and by controlling individual requirements by assigning software separately.

The basic configuration of a computer may consist of:

•Operating system

•Basic software configuration (e.g. Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, virus scanner)

•Settings (e.g. HTTP proxy address, VPN dial-up access)

•Browser favorites with links to the company intranet

During runtime you can assign additional software packages to the computers automatically:

•Drivers

•Microsoft security patches

Depending on the application or the users, you can assign additional software packages automatically:

•Department-specific software (e.g. development environments , accounting software, sales database)

•Role-specific software (e.g. Microsoft Project for project managers)

Automatic assignments can be achieved, for example, by assigning software packages to static groups.

DSMC (user interface)

The DSM Console (DSMC) is the resource with which you administer DSM OS Deployment. Various wizards are provided to enable you to configure the OSD Proxy, to manage OS Packages and the installation of Operating Systems on OSD Clients as well.

Please refer to the DSM documentation for more information on how to use the DSMC and the different windows and tabs. The information in this subject mainly deals with the wizards and components (and their functionality) specific to OSD:

Disk Image Capture Wizard

This Wizard helps you to create a disk image. The creation of a disk image is carried out by an assignment (policy) to a computer and is accessed via the Organization view.

Creating a disk image of a computer

A disk image is stored as an installation file on a share. You need to specify this share during the installation of DSM OS Deployment or in the Configuration Table of the OSD Proxy (Management

Point).

Installing computers using a disk image

For the installation of a disk image you can choose from the following options:

•Assign an OS Configuration Package which references a disk image via the property Disk Image/Unattended.

•Pre OS Action Package (DriveSnapshot Restore Package), which references a disk image directly.