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 1.3.10 1.3.
2.5 Usage .......................................................................................................................................23 2.5.1 2.5.2 2.5.3 2.6 What is Acronis Universal Deploy ............................................................................................26 2.6.1 2.6.2 2.6.3 2.6.4 2.7 Offline imaging ...........................................................................................................................................24 Online imaging.......
7.2 Creating a bootable media ......................................................................................................59 7.2.1 7.2.2 7.3 8 Creating an Acronis bootable media .........................................................................................................60 Creating a WinPE-based bootable media ..................................................................................................63 Configuring Acronis PXE Server .........................................
11.2 Groups of machines .............................................................................................................. 128 11.3 Actions on machines ............................................................................................................. 128 11.4 States and results for machines ............................................................................................ 129 12 Individual deployment settings .................................................................
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 deployment) any ready machines (event-driven 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.
1.2.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides a command-line utility that can be added to a bootable media based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). The administrator can create such media on a physical drive or place it to the PXE server. Having booted a machine into Windows Preinstallation Environment, the administrator can perform imaging or deployment in the command-line mode or execute scripts.
1.3.3 New: List of machines Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides the Machines view (p. 127). This view contains a list of all machines that you added for deployment or that have ever been deployed. In this view, you can: View and edit the list of machines. Check which machines are ready for deployment. Examine the current state of the deployment operation, and the result of the last deployment. Add machines for subsequent deployment by specifying the machines’ MAC addresses.
Scenario You saved the disks of one of your machines to a VHD file by using the Windows Backup program. Now you want to deploy that machine to other machines. When setting up the deployment, you specify the VHD file as you would specify an image file created by Acronis Snap Deploy 4. When performing the deployment, the software can change the settings for the machines being deployed. 1.3.
If the machine has more than one network adapter, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ensures that only one license is assigned to the machine. No extra license will be consumed if you add or remove a network adapter. To make sure that only one license is assigned to the machine, do not remove all network adapters at once. When using the Wake-on-LAN functionality for the machine, the software sends a special packet, called the magic packet, to all network adapters of the machine. 1.3.
1.4 Supported operating systems for imaging and deployment Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides full-featured imaging and deployment of the operating systems listed in the table that follows. For most operating systems, you can change settings such as the network name that the machines will have after the deployment. Deploying an operating system requires a license. Depending on the type of operating system, you need a server license or a workstation license.
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1) Windows Vista Home Basic (x86, x64) (No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Home Premium (x86, x64) (No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Business (x86, x64) (No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Ultimate (x86, x64) (No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2) Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Home (Any Servi
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. You may want to use this type of license if you perform deployment to the same machine once or infrequently. If deployment under a deployment license fails, you can perform another deployment under the same 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. Simply buy the full licenses and import them to the license server. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will start using a full license as soon as the corresponding trial license expires. 1.
If components are installed on different machines, upgrade the license server first, by running the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. When upgrading the license server, import the upgrade licenses. Then, upgrade other components on the machines. Upgrading Acronis PXE Server removes any components of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 that are uploaded to the PXE server. To continue using the PXE server, you need to upload the new components (p. 66) to it.
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 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. 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.
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). To perform offline imaging 1. Configure the master system. 2. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 3. Do one of the following: Create a bootable media (either an Acronis media or a WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.
To perform online imaging 1. Configure the master system. 2. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent on the master system either locally by using the setup program, or remotely by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. After Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent is installed, you can image the master system online (without restarting the machine) at any time. 4.
You must have a DHCP server or configure the network settings of the target machines manually to enable the target machines to connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. 4. Connect the console to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. Go to the Machines view. 5. Make sure that the target machines are displayed in the list and have the Ready state. This means that the machines are connected and ready for deployment. 6.
Using Microsoft System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) does not solve this problem, because Sysprep permits adding drivers only for Plug and Play devices (such as sound cards, network adapters, and video cards). As for the system Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and mass-storage device drivers, they must be identical on the source and the target machines; see Microsoft Knowledge Base, articles 302577 and 216915.
How to image a machine without restarting it? Perform online imaging (p. 69). How to prepare deployment tools? Create bootable media (p. 59) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. The machines will boot from these media. How to deploy an image to a list of specific machines? Use the The machines listed below option in the Create Deployment Task wizard (p. 103). Specify the list of machines to perform deployment to.
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.
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. Boot the machine from the bootable media you created. 4.
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.
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. The window should look similar to the following picture. Details.
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. Keep clicking Next until the template selection window appears.
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. 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. For details about the Deployment tasks view, see “Managing deployment tasks” (p. 132).
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. It does not matter which Service Pack (if any) is installed in the operating system.
Complete installation 485 MB 271 MB Management Console 386 MB 193 MB CD-R/RW, DVDR/RW, or BD-R/RE for creating bootable media 1024x768 resolution screen Mouse (required) OS Deploy Server 54 MB 27 MB Management Agent 38 MB 19 MB PXE Server 30 MB 15 MB Wake-on-LAN Proxy 12 MB 6 MB License Server 24 MB 12 MB Minimum memory requirements for a component are the same as for the Windows operating system where it is installed.
4.4 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.
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). 4.5.1 Installation procedure Preparation To be able to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, you need to have at least one machine license or deployment license on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. The license can be trial or full.
Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console b) The minimal configuration that enables offline imaging, stand-alone deployment, and deployment through the network with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server consists of the following components: Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server On the target machines, no Acronis components are required.
You are going to perform deployment to a specific list of machines. AND 4.5.3 All or some of the target machines are in a subnet other than Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.
4.5.3.1 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.
Installation of the deployment server does not decrease the number of licenses. The software just checks the availability of the licenses and stores the specified parameters of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server to be able to access the license server at the time of deployment. Important: If you are planning to use more than one deployment server, make sure that each particular machine is deployed only by one of them. Otherwise, each deployment server may use a separate license for the machine. 4.5.3.
management agent installed on the master machine. The management agent will be included in the master image and deployed on all target machines. However, having excess software in the master image is not always rational. We recommend that you create a master image by using the bootable component called Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. Nevertheless, having at least one management agent on the network (not necessarily on the master machine) makes sense.
Ports. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 uses TCP ports 445 and 25001 for remote installation. Make sure that these ports are added to exceptions in the firewall settings on the remote machines. TCP port 445 is added to exceptions automatically by Windows Firewall when you enable File and Printer Sharing.
remotely (p. 47) by using the management console; or install, modify, or repair a component by using the msiexec program. To extract one or more components 1. 2. 3. 4. Run the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 setup program. Click Extract installation files. Select the check boxes for the components whose installation files you want to extract. Select a location for the installation files, and then click Extract. 4.7 Upgrading Acronis Snap Deploy 4 This section describes how to upgrade Acronis Snap Deploy 4. 4.7.
2. Uninstall all components of the older version. 3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4. For example, you can perform a typical installation (p. 41). When prompted, specify all license keys from your list. 4.7.2 Upgrading from the trial to full product version To upgrade from the trial to a full version of the software, buy the full licenses and import the license keys to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. To upgrade to the full product version 1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 2.
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.
Installing Acronis components remotely (p. 47) 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. Do either of the following: In the left pane, click Deployment tasks, and then click Log on the toolbar. On the Help menu, click View log. 3.
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.
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:\Licenses.
Shows usage information.
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. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 bootable media supports both BIOS and UEFI architecture. You can create an Acronis bootable media containing one or more of the following bootable components (p.
One of the components on the media: The component will start after the time-out. 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. You use this wizard to configure the PXE server for deployment on a schedule (p. 101). You set up Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent to start automatically.
If not configured in either way, the deployment server will be found automatically. The agent will start the search after the number of seconds you specify in Timeout (sec). 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.
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. Note: Components on an Acronis bootable media are based on a Linux kernel and are equipped with the Linux system and device drivers. Acronis regularly supplements the driver set with drivers for new devices.
Sending e-mail notifications about deployment Note: PE-based bootable media cannot be started in the UEFI mode. 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. 26) add-on. 7.2.2.
3. Attach the flash key or insert the DVD in the media drive of a machine running Windows. 4. Select to install the following (Internet connection is required): Deployment tools Windows Preinstallation Environment. 5. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. Creating the bootable media A bootable media based on WinPE 2.x requires at least 256 MB of memory to work. The recommended memory size for such media is 512 MB. A bootable media based on WinPE 3.0 or 4.
9. Check your settings in the summary screen, and then click Create. 10. If you have chosen to create an ISO file, burn the file to a DVD by using a third-party tool, or write the file to a USB drive. 7.2.2.4 Uploading a PE image to Acronis PXE Server You can upload a WIM file of WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0 to Acronis PXE Server. Such file is called a PE image. We recommend creating the WIM file by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE Builder (p. 64). To upload a PE image 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Enable PXE Server: Enable the previously disabled PXE server. Two bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 are uploaded to the PXE server.
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.
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. This section describes imaging with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.
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. In the boot menu, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. 6. The master image creator establishes a network connection to be able to save the image in a network folder.
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.
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. 72). 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.
Also, machines with UEFI architecture have a special ESP partition (EFI System partition). If you are deploying a UEFI machine image to another UEFI machine, you should deploy ESP partition as well. Otherwise, the target machine will be non-bootable after deployment. When deploying a UEFI machine image to a BIOS machine, it is not necessary to deploy the ESP partition.
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. Note: Acronis bootable media uses NetBIOS networking protocol to resolve Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server in a network. NetBIOS protocol uses ANSI characters for host names.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 15). You always can specify general settings such as the disk to perform the deployment to. These settings can be overridden by individual settings (p. 130) for a machine.
be available for the volume you are deploying. Otherwise, only the space that was occupied by the selected volume will be available for the volume you are deploying; currently unallocated space will remain unallocated. Note: The active volume of the target disk will remain active. Even if you deploy an active volume side by side with an already present active volume, the newly deployed volume will not become active.
Resize volumes to fit target disk: The software will proportionally extend or reduce each of the deployed volumes according to the available space on the target disk. The following examples assume that you have a 300-GB target disk that already contains two volumes: the first volume is 50 GB in size, and the second volume is 250 GB in size. Example 1. You are deploying a single 100-GB volume. In Target disk layout, you selected to replace all volumes on the target disk.
The preset is: The same name and membership as those of the machine in the master image 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.
{start,count} Generates count consecutive numbers starting with start. For example, the pattern {1,5} generates the names 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Similarly, the pattern {8,5} generates the names 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Make sure that the value of count is big enough. If the number of target machines exceeds count, deployment to the remaining machines will fail. You can use two or more of these wildcards. See examples later in this section. In the wildcards, the value of start must be 0 or greater.
Set up the target machines to obtain IP addresses automatically from a DHCP server. 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.
1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy. 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.
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. 130) 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. 26).
Specify a driver storage to search for HAL and storage device drivers during the automatic search-and-install procedure. You can add network locations and enable a search of removable media for drivers. 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.
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. 81). 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.
The preset is: Extend or reduce the volumes being deployed, according to the available space on the target disk Machine name and membership (p. 88) The preset is: The same as of the master system TCP/IP properties (p. 90) The preset is: The network settings of the master system User accounts (p. 91) The preset is: Create no additional user accounts Security identifiers (p. 92) The preset is: Generate a unique security identifier (SID) for each target machine Action after deployment (p.
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. 132). A deployment task runs according to a deployment template (p. 81). When creating the task, you can create a deployment template or specify an existing one. 10.4.
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. An administrator can execute a script that collects the MAC addresses of all machines on the network and saves the MAC addresses to a text file.
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. Without a PXE server, you will need to boot the target machines manually (p. 108) before the deployment task starts. Setting up a machine to boot from PXE For bare metal, it is enough that the machine BIOS configuration supports network booting.
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. 106) before creating the deployment task. Deployment to specific machines within one subnet To create a deployment task for specific machines 1. Make sure that you have completed the preparation steps (p. 101). 2. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console. 3. In the welcome screen, click Deploy image.
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. Daily: The task will run at the selected times every day or every few days. Weekly: The task will run on the selected days every week or every few weeks. Monthly: The task will run on the selected day every month. Manually: The task will run only when you start it manually.
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. 10.4.2.3 Deployment in another subnet Machines in another subnet (behind a network switch or router) can be woken up through the Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy component.
10.4.3 Deployment to any ready machines Deployment to any ready machines starts when a specified number of machines becomes ready. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server counts how many machines have connected to it, and starts deployment when a specified number of machines is reached. Deployment is usually performed by multicasting. You can specify a time-out period. After the time-out, deployment will start anyway on the machines that will be ready at that moment.
If you specify a time-out, the deployment will start either when any 70 machines connect, or when the time runs out and at least one machine is connected. If no machine is connected, the task will stop. 6. 7. 8. 9. Triggering conditions for the deployment Click Next. Create a deployment template (p. 81) or select an existing one. Review the deployment operation summary and click Create to create and save the deployment task. You can see the task in the Deployment tasks view.
To perform deployment to the specific machines (p. 101) that do not support the Wake-on-LAN functionality You can boot the machines by using a bootable media or Acronis PXE Server. To boot a target machine 1. Do one of the following: Create a bootable media (p. 60) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. OR Connect the management console to Acronis PXE Server and upload Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent (p. 66).
To load the agent with the default configuration (recommended in most cases), click Cancel or wait until the dialog box disappears after the time-out. To configure the agent before loading (recommended if your network does not have a DHCP server), click OK. Prompt for configuring the agent on the target machine’s side With the default configuration, the agent: Takes the network settings, such as the IP address, from the DHCP server (uses DHCP auto configuration).
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 111 Copyright © Acronis International GmbH, 2002-2012
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.
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. 100) 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. 81) 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.
10.7 BIOS-based systems to UEFI-based and vice versa Acronis Snap Deploy 4 starting from Update 1 supports transferring Windows operating systems between BIOS-based hardware and the hardware that supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Important: When migrating systems to UEFI-based hardware, use Linux-based bootable media. PE-based bootable media and Acronis PXE Server do not support UEFI. 10.7.
Disk: MBR BIOS Disk: MBR Disk: GPT - + + Additional steps OS: convertible BIOS OS: nonconvertible Disk: GPT + The convertible OS will be automatically Solution 1. Before recovery, converted to turn off the UEFI Recover the support UEFI mode in BIOS operating system to booting. an MBR disk. 2. Perform the recovery under the bootable media. Solution or Recover the operating system to an MBR disk. After recovery, turn off the UEFI mode in BIOS. Otherwise, the operating system cannot be booted.
When a source disk contains one or more operating systems and all of them are convertible, the boot mode can be automatically changed. Depending on the current boot mode, the target disk may be initialized either to GPT or to MBR partitioning style.
the disk space will be Additional steps Limitation: only 2 TB available for use. of the disk space will Turn off the UEFI be available for use. mode in BIOS after recovery* Additional steps Possible issue Turn off the UEFI mode in BIOS after If target machine recovery* does not support BIOS, the system will not boot after Possible issue recovery. If target machine does not support BIOS, the system will not boot after recovery.
Specifically, when you deploy Linux volumes, it is sometimes necessary to apply fixes or make booting changes so that Linux can boot and load correctly. Below is a summary of typical situations that require additional user actions. Why a deployed operating system may be unbootable The machine BIOS is configured to boot from another HDD. Solution: Configure the BIOS to boot from the HDD where the operating system resides.
10.8.1 How to reactivate GRUB and change its configuration Generally, you should refer to the boot loader manual pages for the appropriate procedure. There is also the corresponding Knowledge Base article on the Acronis Web site. The following is an example of how to reactivate GRUB in case the system disk (volume) is deployed to identical hardware. 1. Start Linux or boot from the bootable media, press F11 in Acronis boot menu, remove word “quiet” and press OK.
umount /mnt/system/dev/ umount umount /mnt/system/ reboot /mnt/system/proc/ umount /mnt/system/boot/ 13. Reconfigure the bootloader by using tools and documentation from the Linux distribution that you use. For example, in Debian and Ubuntu, you may need to edit some commented lines in the /boot/grub/menu.lst file and then run the update-grub script; otherwise, the changes might not take effect. 10.8.
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.
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. For example, you can create a separate group for each department in your organization. You can then perform deployment to some or all machines of a department by selecting them in the corresponding group.
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. The state can be one of the following: Not ready: The machine is not connected to the deployment server; for example, the machine is turned off. For deployment to specific machines (p.
12 Individual deployment settings By using individual settings for a machine, you can override one or more deployment settings (p. 85) 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. 86) setting for that machine. By default, all templates recognize individual settings.
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. 131 User accounts (p. 91) Security identifiers (p. 92) Action after deployment (p. 92) Licensing (p. 95) 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. 100) 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.
Create: Starts the Create Deployment Task Wizard (p. 100). Stop: Stops the selected task. The machines whose deployment finished by the time you stop the task remain deployed (the last result (p. 129) 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. Delete: Deletes the task from the deployment server.
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. 142) provides examples of using the command-line utility. Limitation.
/filename: /password: Deploys disks and /net_user: volumes, including the /net_password: master boot record /oss_numbers (MBR), from an image /reboot deploy /harddisk: /partition:- /target_harddisk: /target_partition: /start: /shutdown /fat16_32 /log: /size: /log_net_user: /type: /log_net_password:
14.1.
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.
number>- Specifies the volumes to include into the image file. /partition: Volume numbers are specified as -, for example: /partition:1-1,1-2,3-1 See also the /oss_numbers parameter. 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.
/patching_sid Generates a unique security identifier (SID) for the target machine. Without this parameter, the target machine will have the same SID as the master machine. 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).
/ud_driver: Specifies using Acronis Universal Deploy, and the mass-storage driver to be installed. The driver is specified as an .inf file. 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.
/email_encryption: example: /email_encryption:tls Without this parameter, no encryption is used. 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.
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 /target_partition:c goto end ) ELSE ( echo THE IMAGE FILE %IMG_PATH%\%%a.
The images can be deployed to the corresponding target machines (p. 142). 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.
