Acronis Snap Deploy 4 User Guide
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Table of contents 1 Introducing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 .........................................................................................7 1.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................7 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.2 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ...........................................................................7 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 1.2.5 1.2.6 1.2.7 1.2.8 1.3 1.3.8 1.3.9 1.3.
2.5.1 2.5.2 2.5.3 2.6 What is Acronis Universal Deploy ............................................................................................25 2.6.1 2.6.2 2.6.3 2.6.4 2.7 Offline imaging .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Online imaging...............................................................................................................................................
7.3 8 Configuring Acronis PXE Server ...............................................................................................66 Creating a master image ......................................................................................................67 8.1 Preparation of the master operating system ..........................................................................67 8.2 Online vs. offline imaging ........................................................................................
13.2 Actions on deployment tasks.................................................................................................124 13.3 States and results for deployment tasks ...............................................................................125 14 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE ................................................................ 126 14.1 Command-line syntax ............................................................................................................
1 Introducing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 1.1 1.1.1 Overview What is Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is a flexible, efficient software solution for deployment of a fully configured operating system (with or without application software and any other data) to multiple machines. Because the product uses disk imaging technology, it is ideal for rapid bare-metal installations and flexible centralized provisioning. 1.1.
1.2.1 Taking an image of the master system First, you create the desired system configuration and save the image of the system hard disk to a network folder, detachable media (such as a USB hard drive) or removable media (such as a DVD). An image, also called a master image, is a file that contains the system in a packaged form. Scenarios Scenario 1 Each department in your organization, such as accounting, sales, and technical support, uses a fixed set of applications for daily work.
1.2.3 Deployment to any ready machines (event-driven deployment) You can set up deployment to start when a specific number of any machines become ready. Unlike deployment to specific machines (p. 8), this way of deployment does not require knowing the MAC addresses of the machines. The software counts how many machines have connected to the deployment server and starts deployment when the number of machines you specified (for example, 10) is connected.
Scenario 2 You want to perform deployment to a big number of machines. For one of those machines, however, you need to perform deployment to the second hard disk, rather than to the first hard disk. 1. You enter the MAC addresses of all machines so that all machines appear in the list of machines. 2. You specify an individual setting for the corresponding machine: to deploy to the second hard disk. 3. You set up a deployment operation to perform deployment to the first hard disk.
Having booted a machine into Windows Preinstallation Environment, the administrator can perform imaging or deployment in the command-line mode or execute scripts. Scenarios Scenario 1 The administrator needs to deploy a different image to each machine on the network. The administrator writes a deployment script that can read the target machine’s MAC address (for example, 01-02-03-04-05-06) and pull an image whose name matches the MAC address (for example, image-01-02-03-04-05-06.
In this view, you can: § View and edit the list of tasks, including scheduled tasks and tasks that perform deployment when a specified number of machines are ready. § § § Edit tasks; for example, to change the list of machines to perform deployment to. Start any task manually; for example, to perform deployment outside the normal schedule. Examine the current state of the task and the result of the last run of the task. 1.3.
1.3.6 New: E-mail notifications about deployment When using the command-line mode (p. 10), you can set up e-mail notifications about the result of each deployment operation. Scenario In Scenario 1 or Scenario 2 described in “Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE” (p. 10), the administrator also wants to receive e-mail notifications about deployment.
If the network restricts multicasting, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can automatically switch to the use of unicast instead. When using unicast, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 sends a copy of the deployment stream to each machine. This way, the network becomes more loaded, so the deployment process may take longer. 1.3.11 Encrypted communication Components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 communicate to each other by using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocol.
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Yes Yes Server Windows Small Business Server 2003 Yes Yes Server Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 Yes Yes Server Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions Yes Yes Server Windows 7 Home Basic (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Home Premium (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Professional (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Ultimate (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Home Basic (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Ho
1.5.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses In terms of the number of allowed deployments, a license can be one of two types: § A machine license enables an unlimited number of deployments to a particular machine. You may want to use this type of license if you perform deployment to the same machine on a regular basis. § A deployment license enables a single successful deployment to a machine.
1.5.4 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 The Acronis Snap Deploy 4 trial version has all the functionality of the full version. To use the trial version, you need to obtain a trial license. You can obtain a server or workstation trial license. A trial license enables you an unlimited number of deployments on up to five machines for 15 days. No trial license for Acronis Universal Deploy is available. To upgrade from the trial to full version you do not need to re-download the software.
1.6.2 Upgrading components Install the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 over those of Acronis Snap Deploy 3. If all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 are installed on the same machine, simply run the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 on that machine. During installation, you can add the upgrade licenses. If components are installed on different machines, upgrade the license server first, by running the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.
2 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 This section describes the components of the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure and their interaction. 2.1 Terminology The following table lists the common terms and descriptions used in this document. Master system The system to be deployed. Master image (Image) A file that contains the master system in a packaged form. The file has the .tib extension.
Administrator The person who has rights to manage the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure. User-initiated deployment mode The mode when deployment can be initiated on the side of the target machine. User The person on the side of the target machine who starts the user-initiated deployment. This term relates to the user-initiated deployment mode only. 2.
§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator is a bootable, locally controlled component that creates an image of the master system. There are two ways to load Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator on a master machine: directly from bootable media or remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.
A sizeable image can be split between multiple media automatically. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server can deploy images located: § § § § In network folders. On an internal hard disk of the deployment server. On USB and FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage devices (hard drives, flash drives) attached to the deployment server. On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the media drive of the deployment server.
2.5 Usage This section gives a general idea of using the product and does not contain the detailed instructions on how to perform operations. Nevertheless, advanced users are welcome to use this section as a step-by-step quick start guide. The details can be found in the further sections. 2.5.1 Offline imaging Offline imaging means that the master system is stopped and the master machine boots into the Acronis environment or into Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).
2.5.2 Online imaging Online imaging means that the master system is imaged live (without restarting the machine or suspending operations). Online imaging can be performed remotely whenever you need. The disadvantage is that you have to install imaging software that is included in the master image. This is not always rational. To perform online imaging 1. Configure the master system. 2. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 3.
2. Do one of the following: § Create bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. OR § 3. 4. 5. 6. Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server, and then upload Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. Depending on your choice in the previous step, boot the target machines into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent from the bootable media or from the PXE server.
2.6.1 Acronis Universal Deploy purpose An image of a system can be deployed easily on the hardware where it was created or to identical hardware. However, if you change a motherboard or use another processor version, the deployed system could be unbootable. An attempt to transfer the system to a new, much more powerful machine will usually produce the same result. This is because the new hardware is usually incompatible with the most critical drivers included in the image.
For information about purchasing Universal Deploy, visit the Acronis Snap Deploy Web page. 2.7 How to How to image a machine without installing additional software to it? Perform offline imaging (p. 68). How to image a machine without restarting it? Perform online imaging (p. 68). How to prepare deployment tools? Create bootable media (p. 59) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. The machines will boot from these media.
3 Getting started with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 This section describes how to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and perform a simple deployment. By following the procedures in this section, you will: a) Install and start Acronis Snap Deploy 4. b) Create a master image of a machine. c) Deploy the master image to the same or a different machine. Step 1. Installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 In this step, you will install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 in a typical configuration.
5. Click Add license, and then specify the license keys. You can type the license keys manually or import them from a text file. 6. Specify whether the machine will participate in the Customer Experience Program (CEP). 7. Click Install. Step 2. Starting Acronis Snap Deploy 4 On the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4: § On the desktop, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4. When Acronis Snap Deploy 4 starts, the welcome screen appears. Step 3.
1. On the Tools menu, click Create bootable media. 2. In the list of components, select Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. 3. In Network settings, in Server name/IP, specify the name of the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4. 4. Choose to create the media on a CD or DVD. Insert a blank CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW. Tip.
On the machine whose image you want to create, do the following: 1. Make sure that the CD or DVD drive has a higher boot priority than the hard disk drive. You may need to open the BIOS setup utility of the machine and adjust the boot priority setting, similarly to what is shown in the following picture. 2. Attach the USB hard disk drive to the machine. Tip. Alternatively, you will be able to save the image to a network folder, as described later in this procedure. 3.
6. Select the volumes that you want to include in the master image. You can leave the default selection, which normally includes the volumes that contain the operating system. 7. Specify a folder on the USB hard disk where you want to save the image. Alternatively, specify a network folder, and the user name and password to access that folder. 8. Keep clicking Next until the summary screen appears. Click Create in that screen. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 starts creating the image.
Preparing the target machine On the target machine, do the following: 1. Make sure that the CD or DVD drive has a higher boot priority than the hard disk drive. You may need to open the BIOS setup utility of the machine and adjust the boot priority setting. 2. Boot the machine from the bootable media you created. 3. On the boot menu, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. 4. In the pop-up window, click Cancel or wait until that window closes. 5. Make sure that the machine is ready for deployment.
After the target machine is ready, you can deploy the master image to it. Deploying the master image On the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4, do the following: 1. Attach the USB hard disk drive with the master image to the machine. Optionally, copy the image to the local hard disk of the machine. 2. Click the Machines view. Make sure that the target machine you prepared is shown in the list and has the Ready state. 3. Right-click the target machine, and then click Deploy image. 4.
Note. If you imaged a machine running a workstation operating system (such as Windows 7) but you only have server licenses (such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 for Server – Trial License), you may want to allow the software to use this type of license to deploy the machine. To do so, click Licensing in the deployment settings window, and then click Use a server license automatically.
10. When asked about when to run the deployment, select Now and type the user name and password that you use to log on to Windows. 11. Keep clicking Next until the summary window appears. Click Create in that window. 36 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
You can view the progress of the deployment both on the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and on the target machine. Viewing the deployment progress on the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Viewing the deployment progress on the target machine What you can do next In the navigation pane, you can open the corresponding views to navigate across the software. § To run the deployment again, open the Deployment tasks view, select the task you created, and then click Run on the toolbar.
Another way to add a machine to this view is to boot the machine so that it becomes ready for deployment, as described in “Preparing the target machine” earlier in this section. You can then turn off or restart the machine without performing deployment. The machine remains in the view. For details about the Machines view, see “Managing the list of machines” (p. 119). § To add more licenses for deployment, open the Licenses view and then click Add license on the toolbar.
4 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 4.1 Supported operating systems This section lists the operating systems where components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can be installed.
For a remote installation (p. 46), the TCP port 25001 is used. If you are using a firewall, you may need to set the appropriate access options. 4.3 Typical installation With typical installation, all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 that are needed for deployment and offline imaging will be installed on the same machine.
You may want to use custom installation in the following cases: § Installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent to take a master image of a machine without restarting it (p. 24) § § Installing Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy to wake up machines that are located in another subnet Installing different components on different machines, such as installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server on one machine and Acronis PXE Server on another. For examples, see “Common installation configurations” (p. 42). 4.
4.4.2 Common installation configurations Acronis Snap Deploy 4 components can be installed in various configurations, to distribute various components and features among the machines on the network. a) The minimal configuration that enables only offline imaging (p. 23) and stand-alone deployment (p.
the network (not necessarily on the master machine) makes sense. You will be able to validate (check) the integrity of your images (p. 78) by using the management agent. e) To add to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server an ability to perform deployment in another subnet (across a network switch) in configuration (b) or (c), install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy on any server in the subnet where the target machines are. No additional actions are required.
The list of components 4.4.3.1 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console is an administrative tool for local and remote access to Acronis servers and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console on any machine from which you prefer to operate.
When installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server, you can add the license keys to it. You can add license keys at a later time, either by using the management console (p. 54) or in the command-line mode (p. 56). 4.4.3.3 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server is a component that performs centralized deployment through the network with the help of bootable components called agents.
You need to install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy only if: § You are going to perform deployment to specific machines (deployment to any ready machines does not involve waking up the machines by the deployment server) AND § All or some of the target machines are in a subnet other than Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. Install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy on any server in the same subnet as the target machines. No additional actions are required.
§ § § Acronis PXE Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server 4.5.1.1 Preparation Before proceeding with remote installation, prepare the remote machines as follows: § Simple file sharing. For a successful installation on a remote machine running any version of Windows XP, the option Control panel > Folder options > View > Use simple file sharing must be disabled on that machine. § User Account Control.
5. If you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, specify the name or IP address of the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. That license server must contain at least one available license. 6. In Machine, specify the name or IP address of the machine where you want to install the component. To open the list of machines on your network, click Browse. 7.
1. 2. 3. 4. Start the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4. Click Update. If you are upgrading Acronis License Server, provide the license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4. The license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 3 remain stored on the license server. 5. If you are upgrading Acronis OS Deploy Server apart from Acronis License Server, specify the machine with the license server. 6. Review the installation summary, and then click Install.
Data remaining after uninstallation Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server does not delete license keys. If you later reinstall the license server, all license keys automatically appear on the new license server. Used licenses remain used. Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server does not delete the deployment tasks, deployment templates, the list of machines, and individual deployment settings.
5 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console 5.1 Connecting to a machine 5.1.1 Connect to a local machine When started, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console connects to the local machine if there is a manageable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 (such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server) on this machine. You can manage any Acronis server or Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent installed on the same machine without any additional actions. The welcome screen of the management console 5.
§ § Acronis PXE Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent Once connected, you can manage the Acronis server or perform operations by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent. To connect to an Acronis component, you need the administrator’s privileges on the remote machine. To connect to a component 1. On the Connect menu, click Connect. 2. In Machine, specify the name or IP address of the machine where the component is installed. To open the list of machines on your network, click Browse. 3.
No connection is needed to perform the following operations: § § Creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 63) Installing Acronis components remotely (p. 46) 5.2 Browsing logs Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server and Acronis PXE Server store the log of the operations they have performed. The view the log of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server 1. Connect the management console to the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. 2.
6 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server This section contains general information necessary for understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server and covers operations with licenses. 6.1 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is a mechanism that tracks licenses of Acronis products. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 licensing is based on the number of machines (servers or workstations) that you deploy.
3. Click Add License. 4. In the Add Licenses window, type the license key or the path to a .txt or .eml file containing the license keys; or, you can browse to the file. 5. Click Add. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server performs the operation and reports the number of newly-added licenses. The license server has 10 license keys of various types. The license corresponding to the highlighted license key has already been used for deployment. The bottom license key corresponds to 100 deployment licenses. 6.
This will display all license keys available on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. One license key can correspond to multiple licenses. The license server contains 10 server licenses and five workstation licenses 3. Right-click the column headings bar to choose the details to display: license key, import date, expiration date (for trial licenses), the total number of licenses assigned to each license key, how many of them are available (that is, free), and how many are used.
3. Run the following command: LicenseServerCmdLine --import-file In this command: § is the name of the machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is installed. § is the name of the .txt or .eml file with the license keys. For the complete syntax of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool, see “Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool” (p. 57). Example The following command adds the license keys from the file C:\
--import-file Imports license keys from a .txt or an .eml file. --help Shows usage information. 58 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
7 Deployment tools Before deployment, each target machine must boot into a dedicated bootable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. An example of such component is Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. The machine can boot into the component in either of these ways: § From a physical media (such as a DVD or a USB drive) that contains the component. Such media is called a bootable media. § Over the network, by using Acronis PXE Server with the component uploaded to it.
7.2.1 Creating an Acronis bootable media Acronis bootable media is a physical media (CD, DVD, USB flash drive, or other media supported by the machine’s BIOS as a boot device) that contains bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. You can create an Acronis bootable media containing one or more of the following bootable components (p.
§ No autostart: The Acronis loader will display the boot menu and wait for someone to select whether to boot the operating system or one of the Acronis components. § Start operating system: The operating system, if present on the booting machine’s hard disk, will start after the time-out. This option is designed to make the target machine boot into the deployed operating system after deployment. The main usage scenario is as follows.
Settings for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent The option to save the agent’s log to the deployment server is designed primarily for troubleshooting. The log will be available on the deployment server in the following folder: %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\Acronis\DeployServer\AgentsLogs 7. Select the type of bootable media to create. You can: § Create a CD, a DVD, or other media such as a USB flash drive if the hardware BIOS allows for booting from such media.
8. [Optional.] Protect the components being uploaded to the PXE server with a password to prevent the components from unauthorized execution. The password prompt will come up when selecting a bootable component. No password is required to start the operating system on the machine. Protecting the bootable components with a password 9. Click Create. After you create the disc, mark it and keep it in a safe place.
§ Performing deployment in the command-line mode (p. 126); for example, to deploy different master images to different target machines (p. 134) § Sending e-mail notifications about deployment 7.2.2.1 Components included in the bootable media Each WinPE-based bootable media contains the following bootable components (p. 59): § § § Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Command-Line Utility The media also contains the Acronis Universal Deploy (p.
To create a bootable media based on WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2. On the Tools menu, click Create PE image. 3. Do one of the following: § If you do not have a PE image to base the media on, click Create Windows PE 2.x or 3.0 automatically. § If you want to base the bootable media on a specific PE image, click Use WinPE files located in the folder I specify, and then specify the folder with the WIM file of the image. 4.
5. Check your settings in the summary screen, and then click Create. 7.3 Configuring Acronis PXE Server You can configure Acronis PXE server: § § When creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 63). When creating a bootable media for user-initiated deployment (p. 115). Alternatively, you can use direct server configuration, as follows. To perform a direct configuration of the PXE server 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2.
8 Creating a master image To be able to deploy a system, you need to create the desired system configuration and then to save an image of the system’s hard disk or volume to a network folder, detachable media (such as a USB drive) or removable media (such as a DVD). This section describes how to create a master image by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4.
8.2 Online vs. offline imaging You can create the master image in either of these ways: § In Windows, by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent installed on the master machine. This type of imaging is called online imaging. § By using a bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator, or by using the command-line utility in a WinPE-based bootable media. This type of imaging is called offline imaging.
Tip: While creating the bootable media or uploading Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator to the PXE server, you can configure the image creator to start automatically after a time-out. 3. Configure the master system. 4. Depending on your choice in step 2, boot the master machine into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator from the bootable media or from the PXE server. The boot menu appears on the master machine. The boot menu on the master machine 5.
The manual configuration is needed if automatic configuration is not possible (no DHCP server on the network) or does not succeed. To configure the network connections manually, click OK in the prompt window. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator configuration: network settings Set the preferable values and click OK. 70 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
7. When Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator starts, it displays the Master Image Creator welcome window. Master Image Creator Wizard: welcome window 8. In this window, click Next, and then follow the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard (p. 71). 8.5 Steps of the Master Image Creator wizard This section describes the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard in the order that they appear. Use the Next and Back buttons to go between steps. 8.5.
Important: An operating system includes a loader: a small program that loads the main part of the operating system. The loader and the rest of the operating system may reside on different volumes. For example, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 place the loader on a hidden volume called System Reserved. If your operating system and its loader reside on different volumes, always include both volumes in the image. A volume with the loader is usually marked as the active volume and is shown with the Act.
§ On a DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blue-ray Disc (BD-R, BD-RE) that is loaded in the media drive of the master machine A sizeable image can be split between multiple media automatically. Select the image location in the device tree. In File name, type the file name of the image. To generate a file name that is unique in the selected location, click Generate a name for the file. Selecting the image location 8.5.
Compression Defines the compression level for the image. The preset is: Normal A higher compression level may lead to a smaller size of the image, but creating the image will take longer. The default Normal level is recommended in most cases. Selecting the data compression level Process priority This option is available only for online imaging (p. 68). The preset is: Low Defines the priority of the imaging process. 74 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
The priority of any process running in the operating system determines the amount of CPU usage and system resources allocated to that process. Decreasing the image creation priority will free more resources for other programs. Increasing the image creation priority could speed up the imaging by taking resources from the other running processes. The effect will depend on the total CPU usage and other factors.
Alternatively, you can click Always, into the files of fixed size and type the desired file size or select it from the list. The image will then be split into multiple files of the specified size. This comes in handy when creating an image that you plan to burn to multiple discs later on. You can enter the file size in bytes (B), kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes (TB).
The imaging operation starts and its progress is displayed. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is taking the master image 77 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
9 Validating a master image You can ensure that the master image is not damaged by validating it. To validate a master image 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2. Connect the management console to a machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent is installed. 3. On the Action menu, click Validate image. 4. Select the master image that you want to validate. 5. Click Validate in the summary window. The validation operation starts.
10 Deploying a master image This section describes how to deploy a master image to one or more machines. Caution: Deployment to a machine involves deleting some or all data that is currently stored on that machine. Make sure that you are performing deployment to the correct machines and to the correct disks on those machines. 10.
If the VHD file is split into two or more parts, make sure that all these parts are in the same folder. To specify the VHD file, select any one of these parts. 10.2 Licenses for deployment Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server performs deployment to a machine by using an available machine license or deployment license (p. 16). Once used by one machine, the license cannot be reused by another machine. A machine license becomes used when the first deployment to the machine starts.
10.3.1.1 Master image selection In this step, specify the following: § § The master image The user name and password for the network folder if the image is on the network.
The image created on removable media has to fit into one media disc. To deploy an image spread over several CDs, DVDs or other media, copy all parts of the image to the same folder on an external drive or to a network folder. Selecting a master image 82 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
10.3.1.2 Disk and volume selection If the image contains more than one disk, specify the disk that you want to deploy, and then click Next. You can select only one disk. Selecting a disk from the master image 83 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
If the disk you selected contains more than one volume, specify the volumes that you want to deploy. You can select one or more volumes. Selecting disk volumes to deploy The further steps will depend on how many volumes you select. § If you deploy only one volume, it is assumed that the target disk has volumes, so you can select the target volume, to deploy over it. Other volumes will remain untouched in this case.
Most settings are related to configuring the operating system of the target machine. Such settings are unavailable if the volumes you selected do not contain an operating system for which changing settings is supported (p. 14). You always can specify general settings such as the disk to perform the deployment to. These settings can be overridden by individual settings (p. 122) for a machine.
§ Replace all volumes: All existing volumes on the target disk will be deleted, and the entire disk space (including the currently unallocated space) will be available for the volume you are deploying. § Replace volume: Only the volume with the selected number will be deleted. If the target disk contains only one volume, the entire disk space (including the currently unallocated space) will be available for the volume you are deploying.
be 100 GB and 200 GB in size, respectively. If either volume contains too much data to be reduced to the respective size, the deployment will fail. § As in the master image: Each deployed volume will have the same size as in the master image. Any excess available space on the target disk will become unallocated. If the target disk does not contain enough available space for placing the volumes, the deployment will fail.
By default, all deployed machines will have the same name as the machine in the master image. Alternatively, you can specify a name pattern for the machines. Specify whether the machine will be a member of a workgroup or an Active Directory domain. If you have selected the domain membership, specify the user name and password of a domain administrator. Name patterns A name pattern determines the names that the target machines will have after the deployment.
Machine{2,3}{5,4} This pattern generates the names Machine25, Machine26, Machine27, Machine28, Machine35, Machine36, Machine37, Machine38, Machine45, Machine46, Machine47, Machine48 Name{0}{0,10} This pattern generates the names Name00, Name01, …, Name09, Name10, Name11, Name12, …, Name100, Name101, and so on. Each machine will have a unique name.
§ Specify a range of static IP addresses, a subnet mask, and a default gateway for the target machines. You may want to use this option if your network does not have the DHCP capability. Each machine will be assigned an IP address from the range. Make sure that the range is big enough. If there are more target machines than IP addresses in the range, deployment to the remaining machines will fail.
2. Under Account Policies, click Password Policy. Security identifiers This setting determines whether Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will generate unique security identifiers (SIDs) for the target machines. The preset is: Generate a unique SID for each target machine Generating unique SIDs should normally be enabled. We recommend not to change the SID only if you are deploying the image to the same machine from which the image was created.
Files to transfer This setting determines the list of files, such as installation files, to be transferred to all target machines after the deployment. Each file must be located in a network folder. When adding the file, specify the credentials to the network folder. The destination of each file must be on one of the volumes you are deploying. To run the file after it is transferred, select the Run the file on target machines check box. The file will run when Windows first starts on the target machine.
Using the Unicast transfer mode, the server sends a copy of the data to each recipient. This can significantly reduce the deployment speed. For example, suppose that you have a bandwidth of 100 MB per second, and you want to deploy a system to 10 target machines. § With the Unicast mode, the server divides the speed among 10 machines. Therefore, the data transfer speed will be 10 MB per second for each target machine.
configured. The specific information on configuring any particular router or network switch is usually available in the documentation provided with the hardware. If there is no IGMP-capable hardware (or you cannot configure it correctly) in the network, use the Unicast data transfer mode. Licensing This setting determines which type of license to use for deployment to a target machine and what to do when no appropriate license is available on the license server.
a machine). Based on the operating system you are deploying, a workstation license or a server license will be used. If no appropriate license is available on the license server, the software can either stop deployment to the machine, or use an alternative license. Tip: To force a machine license to be used for a particular machine, you can specify the Licensing setting as an individual setting (p. 122) for that machine. When you deploy a workstation operating system (p.
other mass-storage device than in the imaged system. For detailed information, see “What is Acronis Universal Deploy” (p. 25).
Adding a driver storage 3. [Optional] Specify the mass-storage driver. If the target hardware has a specific mass-storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for the hard disk, explicitly specify the appropriate driver for that controller. The driver will be installed in any case, bypassing the automatic driver search-and-install procedure. Use this option only if the automatic search-and-install procedure was unsuccessful.
10.3.1.5 Summary window Check your settings in the summary window, and then click Save. The summary window 10.3.2 Configuring default deployment settings In the Default Deployment Settings window, you can specify the values that will be used by default when you create a deployment template (p. 80). To view or change the default deployment settings 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2. On the Tools menu, click Configure default settings.
§ Disk space utilization (p. 86) The preset is: Extend or reduce the volumes being deployed, according to the available space on the target disk § Machine name and membership (p. 87) The preset is: The same as of the master system § TCP/IP properties (p. 89) The preset is: The network settings of the master system § User accounts (p. 90) The preset is: Create no additional user accounts § Security identifiers (p.
§ Deployment as soon as a specified number of any machines become ready for deployment (p. 106). You (or users in your organization) will need to make the machines ready. A machine becomes ready for deployment after it boots to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent from a bootable media or a PXE server, and then connects to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. In addition, you can run any deployment task manually from the Deployment tasks view (p. 124).
or by selecting Local Area Connection -> Status -> Support -> Details (in Windows 7, you can access this option from the Network and Sharing Center). MAC addresses for bare metal are usually supplied by the hardware manufacturer. You can get the MAC address of any PC-compatible hardware by entering the network configuration menu of any Acronis bootable component, such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.
§ Upload a Preinstallation Environment (PE) image to the PXE server by clicking Upload PE image to PXE. For information about creating a PE image (a WIM file), see “Creating a bootable media based on WinPE 2.x or 3.0” (p. 64). When uploading the agent or the PE image: § § Set Start operating system as the default boot menu option. Set up a reasonable time-out so that the operating system can start automatically. You can leave the default setting for the time-out.
The target machines turn on, boot into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent from Acronis PXE Server, and connect to the deployment server. When all (or some, depending on your choice) target machines connect, the deployment server starts deployment. Deployment is usually performed by multicasting. The following picture illustrates deployment to specific machines within a single subnet. If the target machines are located in another subnet, you may need to perform additional steps (p.
b. Specify the name or the IP address of the machine with Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy, and the user name and password of an administrator on that machine. 8. Click Next. 9. Create a deployment template (p. 80) or select an existing one. 10. Specify when to run the task (set up the deployment schedule): § § § § § § Now: The task will run immediately after you create it. Once later: The task will run once at the specified date and time.
Start condition for deployment 12. Review the task summary, and then click Create to create and save the task. The task appears in the Deployment tasks view. When the task is started, the connected machines’ IP addresses and the task progress are displayed in that view. When the task is finished, its log entries will be available in the log of the deployment server. 10.4.2.
§ Install the PXE server in Subnet 2 and configure that PXE server. This way, only machines in Subnet 2 can boot to the PXE server. OR § Install the PXE server in Subnet 1. Enable this PXE server to also work in Subnet 2 by configuring the network switch to relay the PXE traffic. The PXE server’s IP addresses are configured on a per-interface basis using IP helper functionality in the same way as DHCP server addresses. For more information, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/257579.
OR § 2. 3. 4. 5. Connect the management console to Acronis PXE server and upload Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent (p. 66). Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. In the welcome screen, click Deploy image. If prompted, specify the machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy server is installed. In Deploy the image to, select Any machines ready for deployment. Select the condition that triggers the deployment: § § Specify the number of machines that you need to deploy; for example, 70 machines.
9. Boot the target machines (p. 108) into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 from the bootable media or the PXE server. As the target machines connect to the deployment server, they appear in the Machines view with a state of Ready. While the deployment server is waiting, you are able to cancel the deployment by selecting the task and then clicking Stop on the toolbar. As soon as the triggering condition arises, the available machines become engaged in the deployment, and their state changes to Running. 10.4.
3. Select Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent in the boot menu. You can skip this step if you configured the agent to start automatically. 4. [Optional.] Choose whether you want to configure the agent. The agent configuration includes the network settings and the address of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. A dialog box comes up suggesting that you configure the agent.
When Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent starts and the target machine is ready for deployment, the target machine displays the following window: Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent: ready for deployment 110 Copyright © Acronis, Inc.
10.4.5 Operations with deployment tasks Once a deployment task is created, it appears in the Deployment tasks view. List of deployment tasks To edit a task (for example, to change its schedule), select it and click Edit. Editing is performed in the same way as creation; but, the previously selected options are already set, so you need to enter only the changes. Any task stays on the deployment server until you delete it. To delete a task, select the task and then click Delete.
1. Set up port forwarding for the NAT device: § If Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy is installed in that subnet, forward the TCP and UDP ports 9876 to the machine with the Wake-on-LAN proxy. § If Acronis PXE Server is installed in that subnet, forward UDP ports 67, 68, and 69 to the machine with the PXE server. 2. When creating the deployment task, specify the IP address of the NAT device when asked about the address of the PXE server and/or of the Wake-on-LAN proxy.
3. Configure the master system. 4. Boot the master system into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. Create an image of the master system and save it to a network folder, detachable media, or removable media. You should not save the image to an internal hard disk of the target machine, because it cannot be accessed during the stand-alone deployment. 5. Boot the target machine into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility. 6. If you saved the master image to a media, attach or insert the media.
Users who need to redeploy their machines boot the machines from the bootable media or the PXE server, and select the template by name from the boot menu. The deployment starts immediately and proceeds independently on each machine. User-initiated deployment mode: a user starts deployment. In software testing labs, the choices can be various operating systems, various editions of the same operating system, or the same operating system with various settings or applications.
Important: If the user-initiated deployment uses a PXE server, machines that are deployed through deployment tasks (p. 99) will not be able to boot from that PXE server. However, deployments to such machines will be possible if they boot from a bootable media. The user-initiated deployment mode is primarily intended for continual work without the administrator’s assistance. Only users (the ones on the target side) will be able to initiate deployment.
3. Create the deployment templates (p. 80) according to your organization’s needs. Assign to each template a name that can be easily understood by the users. Select one or more templates to be added to the boot menu. Adding templates to the boot menu 4. Select how to display the boot menu. For example, you can choose to start a particular deployment template automatically after a time-out. 5.
6. Review the operation summary and then click Switch on to proceed. The software creates the media with the custom boot menu. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server switches to the userinitiated deployment mode. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server in the user-initiated deployment mode In the Machines view, the administrator can see the status of the user-initiated deployment for each machine.
The user who requested deployment sees the following screen while the deployment is in progress. User-initiated deployment in progress: view on the target machine’s side 10.6.4 Changing parameters of the user-initiated deployment mode To change the templates or the boot menu password used in the user-initiated deployment mode, you need to reconfigure the user-initiated deployment mode. 1.
11 Managing the list of machines (the Machines view) The Machines view shows a list of machines for which you can set up deployment by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. A machine is determined by the MAC address of its network adapter. A MAC address is a set of six hexadecimal numbers, such as: 01-35-79-BD-F1-23. The list of machines includes: § The machines that you added to the list. For example, you can add machines by using a file with MAC addresses.
In either case, the label that you provide is unrelated to the network name of the machine. If no label is provided, the Machine column will contain the MAC address of the machine. Tip: Make sure that you specify the MAC address correctly. Any set of six hexadecimal numbers is recognized as a valid MAC address of a machine, even if a network adapter with that address does not actually exist. 11.2 Groups of machines Using groups helps you to organize the list of machines.
§ Allow deployments: Undoes the exclusion of the selected machines that was previously done by the Deny deployments action. § Set label: Sets the label that is shown in the Machine column. For example, you can use the network name of the machine as the label. If no label is provided, the Machine column shows the MAC address of the machine. 11.4 States and results for machines The State column shows the current state related to deployment.
12 Individual deployment settings By using individual settings for a machine, you can override one or more deployment settings (p. 84) of a deployment template. Example. You created a deployment template to perform deployment to 100 machines. For one of those machines, however, you need to perform deployment to a different hard disk than the one prescribed by the template. You override the Target disk layout (p. 85) setting for that machine. By default, all templates recognize individual settings.
§ TCP/IP properties (p. 89) If you choose to use a specific (static) IP address, specify that address in IP address. Because this is an individual address, use of IP address range is not available. § § § § User accounts (p. 90) 123 Security identifiers (p. 91) Action after deployment (p. 91) Licensing (p. 94) By selecting the Use machine license check box, you force using a machine license for the machine, even if the template prescribes using deployment licenses.
13 Managing deployment tasks (the Deployment tasks view) The Deployment tasks view contains the list of deployment tasks (p. 99) that you previously created on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. To open the Deployment tasks view 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2. Click Deployment tasks. If prompted, specify the name or IP address of the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, and the user name and password of an administrator on that machine. 13.
The actions are the following: § § Create: Starts the Create Deployment Task Wizard (p. 99). § Stop: Stops the selected task. The machines whose deployment finished by the time you stop the task remain deployed (the last result (p. 121) for such machines is Succeeded). § § § Edit: Edits the task in the Create Deployment Task Wizard. Run: Starts the selected task. The task will wait for machines to become ready and then will perform deployment to them.
14 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE Having booted a machine in Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE), the administrator can perform imaging or deployment in the command-line mode or execute scripts. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Command-Line Utility is included in a WinPE-based bootable media that you can create by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console (p. 63). The section “Sample scenarios” (p. 134) provides examples of using the command-line utility. Limitation.
deploy Deploys disks and volumes, including the master boot record (MBR), from an image /filename: /password: /net_user: /net_password: /oss_numbers /reboot /log: /log_net_user: /log_net_password: /harddisk: /partition:- /target_harddisk: /target_partition: /start: /fat16_32 /size: /type:
14.1.2 Common parameters (parameters common for most commands) Parameter Description Image location Access to images /filename: Specifies the full path to the image, including Any the file name /password: Specifies the password for the image (if required) Any /net_user: Specifies a user name for accessing the network drive Network drive /net_password: Specifies a password for accessing the network drive Network drive Sets the image type to incremental.
General options /oss_numbers If this parameter is specified, the numbers of Any the volumes in the /partition parameter are adjusted for the MBR partition table. This means that primary volumes have numbers 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4 (a disk cannot have more than four primary volumes); logical volume numbers start with 1-5. If this parameter is not specified, consecutive volume numbering must be used.
/partition: Specifies the volumes to include into the image file. Volume numbers are specified as -, for example: /partition:1-1,1-2,3-1 See also the /oss_numbers parameter (p. 128). To view the list of available volumes, use the /list command. /raw Use this parameter to create an image of a volume with an unrecognized or unsupported file system, or of a disk that contains such volume.
/restore_bootable: deploying a volume (when deploying a disk, MBR is always deployed): § auto: Deploy the MBR only when deploying an active volume that contains an operating system. Use this setting to ensure that the operating system can boot. § on: Deploy the MBR when deploying any active volume, no matter whether the volume contains an operating system or not. § off: Do not deploy the MBR.
The following parameters related to licensing are effective only when booting from Acronis PXE Server. You do not need to use these parameters when booting from a physical media. Deployment is performed by using a deployment license or a machine license (p. 16). By default, the software uses a machine license only if no appropriate deployment license is found on the license server.
list /filename: Displays the image content. When listing image content, volume numbers may not coincide with those in the list of disks and volumes if the image does not contain all the volumes. For example, if the image contains only volumes 2-3 and 2-5, they will be listed as 2-1 and 2-2. If the deploy /partition command cannot find a volume in the image by its physical number, use the list command to obtain the volume number in the image.
email_n_test Use this command instead of the email_n command, with the same set of parameters, to test the configuration of e-mail notifications. 14.1.4 Usage examples Example 1. The following command creates an image arc.tib of hard disk 1, and places the image to the network folder \\server1\folder. The operation log file log1.log is saved in another network folder: \\server2\dir\. Credentials for both network folders are provided: asdcmd /create /harddisk:1 /filename:\\server1\folder\arc.
Sample script setlocal SET IMG_PATH=\\image_server\images SET TMP_DRV_LETTER=h: net use %TMP_DRV_LETTER% %IMG_PATH% echo off for /f "tokens=1-13 delims= " %%a in ('ipconfig /all') do ( IF %%a EQU Physical ( for /f "tokens=1-3 delims= " %%a in ('echo %%l') do ( IF EXIST %TMP_DRV_LETTER%\%%a.tib ( echo DEPLOYMENT IMAGE file: %%a.tib asdcmd.exe /deploy /filename:%TMP_DRV_LETTER%\%%a.tib /harddisk:1 /target_partition:c goto end ) ELSE ( echo THE IMAGE FILE %IMG_PATH%\%%a.
The images can be deployed to the corresponding target machines (p. 134). Sample script setlocal SET IMG_PATH=\\image_server\images SET TMP_DRV_LETTER=h: net use %TMP_DRV_LETTER% %IMG_PATH% echo off for /f "tokens=1-13 delims= " %%a in ('ipconfig /all') do ( IF %%a EQU Physical ( for /f "tokens=1-3 delims= " %%a in ('echo %%l') do ( echo IMAGE FILE: %%a.tib asdcmd.exe /create /filename:%TMP_DRV_LETTER%\%%a.
15 Collecting system information The Acronis System Report tool collects information about a machine and saves this information to a file. You may want to provide this file when contacting Acronis technical support. The tool is available: § On a machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console is installed. The tool collects information about that machine. § Under an Acronis bootable media.
