Copyright: ImageCast Help Version 4.0, Copyright StorageSoft, Inc.
Citation: Copyright © 1998-2000 StorageSoft, Inc.


Getting Started
Getting Started with IC3

Welcome!

•	ImageCast IC3: An Introduction

•	What are the Basic Imaging Steps?

•	Suggested Uses

Using ImageCast IC3 to Multicast

•	How to Get Started in Multicasting

•	Setting up Client Workstations for Multicasting

•	The Control Center Interface

•	Imaging Steps from the Control Center

•	Managing & Tracking Tasks within the Control Center

•	Customizing the Control Center

•	Performance Issues

•	Properties Dialogs

Using ImageCast IC3 Resource Tools

•	The StorageSoft System Agent

•	Post Configuration

•	AppImager

•	Image Explorer

•	Client Builder and Client Boot Diskettes

Using the ImageCast IC3 Standalone Client

•	How to use ImageCast IC3 in Standalone Operations

Click here for more Imaging Topics.


More Topics on Getting Started
More Imaging Topics

•	Setting up a Model System

•	Partitioning and Formatting

•	How to Generate a SID for Windows NT

•	Win Nt/Win 2000 Considerations

•	Imaging Media

•	About TCP/IP

•	System Requirements

•	Removing ImageCast IC3

•	License Agreements

•	Obtaining Assistance


Welcome to ImageCast
Welcome & Steps to Imaging

ImageCast IC3 is a versatile hard drive imaging tool that can be used in a variety of ways. At the basic level, it is an easy-to-use hard drive duplication tool that creates a copy of a model hard drive (or partition) and restores the copy onto one or more target drive(s).

ImageCast IC3 goes far beyond these basic duplication operations with a set of powerful applications and utilities. A Post Configuration utility can alter the register settings on restored drives so these drives can be unique and not simply clones of the original. Application Imaging utilities can create and place images of software applications such a MS WORD or MS EXCEL onto restored drives. An Image Explorer utility can be used to restore files from the image (copy of a drive), eliminating the need to restore an entire drive when only a few files need to be replaced.

ImageCast can also be run in two ways. It can be operated from a standalone Client workstation by mapping to a network drive, using any protocol or network topology. Or, it can be operated from a Control Center to transfer images to hundreds of PCs simultaneously using TCP/IP. When the System Agent utility is installed on these workstations, operations can be remotely run on the workstations by sending commands down from the Control Center.

The steps in the imaging process:

•	Building Client boot diskettes (all model and target systems need one)

•	Setting up a model system (install OS & applications, run ImagePrep utility)

•	Connecting workstations to the control center

•	Gathering the image (create & pull image to the Control Center)

•	Setting up Post Configurations

•	Attaching Post Configurations to Clients (target workstations)

•	Distributing the image (multicast to any number of client workstations at once)

Click here to read more about the new ImageCast IC3 Control Center Task-based model.

Click here to read more about using ImageCast IC3 without the Control Center (Standalone Mode).

Click here for an overview of all ImageCast IC3 functions.


New This Release
New with Version 4.0

New ImageCast Multicast Features

•	Win2000 Compatibility - ImageCast can now gather/restore Win2000 Professional images.

•	Completely new client GUI interface.

•	Single partition restore is now possible in Multicast Mode.  From the Control Center select which partition to use out of an image file for Distribute tasks.

•	Auto-calibration of networking parameters.  This means many of the Advanced Options previously set on the Tools | Options tab have been removed.

•	Ability to identify the Client by its MAC Address.

•	Unlimted number of Multicast Clients supported (maximum was 100 previously).

•	Now choose to specify free space as % or as megabytes in Distribute Options; or you can choose to partition the free space as a specified type (one of any 255 posibilities can be selected).

Control Center GUI Improvements.

•	Distribute Task Properties now has a tabbed page for Distribute Options.

•	Automatic selection of items when mouseover on Task Resources, Client Resources, PostConfig Resorces, and Image Resources has been disabled.

•	Double-clicking on a failed Task will now display complete details of the failure.  This is so you do not need to go into the event log and view details there.

•	Added MAC Address from Client to the Client Resources and Client Properties areas.

New ImageCast Standalone Features

•	For disk-to-disk copy in standalone, FAT and NTFS partitions will now be copied natively allowing for partition resizing.  Other partition types will continue to be copied sector-by-sector.

•	The ability to copy from a disk on one machine to a disk on another machine via USB has been added.

•	The capability to set-up and view error and status logging from the GUI interface.

•	The capability to view disk, license file and image file information from the GUI interface.

•	The ability to hide or reveal partitions.

•	Support of French language in ImageCast Client.

PostConfig New Features

•	Fully Win2000 compatible. PostConfig will inject Win2000 registry modifications.

•	Added "Add Computer To Domain" button in "NT / WIN2K Network Identification" tab.  Allows you to specify the account to logon in order to add the computer.

•	Added "Add User To Domain" button in "NT / WIN2K Network Identification" tab.  Allows you to specify all user properties for the user who is be to added.

•	Added two features to the "Execute..." section.  You can now insert "Reboot" and "Delay" settings in between applications that are executed.

•	Added "Gather Settings" button at bottom of PostConfig Editor. This will gather all current system settings into the PostConfig file.

•	Added ability to run installation from floppy drive; will always install to C:\ now.

•	Added command-line switches to automate install process. If one or more of these are provided then the install will be  completely automated.  Those command-line parameters that are not specified will be set to default. The command line switches are:

/AutoRunFirstBoot=[YES | NO]

/AutoLogin=[YES | NO]  - Only used on NT installs

/UserName=[UserName]   - Only used on NT installs

/Domain=[DomainName]   - Only used on NT installs

/Password=[Password]   - Only used on NT installs

Added support for MicroSoft SysPrep for NT and Win2K systems.

Added autologin suppport for 95/98 provided user has installed Microsoft TweakUI utility.

System Agent (previously Client Agent) New Features

•	Name Changes: Renamed RBSETUP.EXE to AgentSetup.EXE; ICBOOTER.EXE to SysAGENT.EXE; ICBOOTSRV.EXE to SysAgentSRV.EXE.

•	For System Agent setup the default to update the WATTCP.CFG to YES, previously it defaulted to NO for automatic update.

•	"Discovery" of system parameters was being done at each Control Center discovery request.  This caused the floppy  drive to "thrash" every time (on 30 second intervals by default). This has been changed it so that removable drives and certain other static parameters are only checked once.  This speeds up the discovery greatly.

•	If SysAGENT.EXE is run a second time (while the first is still running) it closes the first and runs the second.

•	There is now a SNMP-capable feature available for the client agent. This is available as an addition to the standard  ImageCast release.

•	The System Agent now provides IDE or SCSI drive information.

Important Reminders!

•	If you upgrade the IC3 Control Center, you must also upgrade the Client Boot Diskettes and System Agents so all components are running the same version. If the Client diskettes are not upgraded to the new version, communication problems may result.

To upgrade Client diskettes that contain v3.0 or later, simply copy the files rserver.drv and client.exe from the ImageCast\Client directory over each of the same-named files on your existing client diskettes. If your Client diskettes contain versions prior to v3.0, please re-format them with system files and use the ImageCast ClientBuilder to rebuild them.


What Does It Do?
ImageCast IC3: An Introduction

ImageCast IC3 is a versatile hard drive duplication tool.  At the basic level, it produces exact copies of model hard drives -- including the boot track, partitions, registry settings, and applications -- and then restores these copies or “images” onto target drives. If the original drive includes an operating system, the drive receiving its image immediately becomes operable, making ImageCast IC3 an excellent deployment tool.

Operations can be performed from a central Control Center or from a standalone client workstation.

Operating from a standalone workstation, an image of a local hard drive can be created and then saved out on the network.  A local drive can also be restored with the image.

Operating from the Control Center, multiple operations can be run simultaneously over the network.  A single operation can transfer  “multicast”  one image to hundreds of PCs, using the same amount of network bandwidth regardless of the number of PCs receiving the image.

ImageCast IC3 goes far beyond basic duplication with a set of powerful utilities that enable imaging to be used in a variety of settings.  Listed below is a brief description of the IC3 utilities and examples that illustrate how they can be used:

•	The Post Configuration  Injector customizes a restored PC so it can be uniquely defined rather than be an exact clone of the original. Once a PC is restored with an image, this utility allows it to be reconfigured with its own computer name, network configuration and registry settings, enabling it to automatically reboot onto an existing network. In some situations, it can automatically log on. The utility is easy to use and readily available whether users operate from the Control Center or from a standalone Client.

•	The AppImager utilities creates images of “software installations” (e.g. MicroSoft Word™ or Lotus Notes™) to be restored onto workstations after they have been restored with the image of an operating system. These utilities enable users to specialize imaging for groups of drives.

To illustrate how application imaging works, imagine an IS group within a large hospital is assigned the task of updating all PC workstations to Windows 98. However, workstations in the accounting department have financial applications installed on them, those in administration have Microsoft Office, while data processing has database software. An operation that transfers a single hard drive image of Win 98 to all workstations would destroy existing software variations.

Application imaging offers a new and exciting solution because it allows users to multicast a base image (containing an operating system and common applications) to all PCs followed by a select group of application images.  The procedure allows hard drive restore operations to be specialized so that each department gets the Windows 98 update and its department specific applications.

•	The System Agent utility allows operations to be performed on remote workstations from the Control Center, eliminating the need for manual intervention at the local site. When the System Agent is installed on a local workstation, it runs in the background on the station awaiting commands sent down from the Control Center. Commands can be sent down to perform a variety of operations.

You can send commands to transfer files, execute programs, or reboot the workstation into Windows.  Administrators can even view the configuration of an Agent workstation from the Control Center.

One command can even reboot remote workstations into the Client program so these workstations can participate in imaging operations. Traditionally, administrators had to travel from workstation to workstation, manually rebooting each station with a Client Boot Diskette before they could participate in imaging operations.

•	Image Explorer is a standalone utility that enables users to explore the contents of an Image File, and restore or execute an individual file from it. The utility eliminates the need to restore the entire contents of an Image File when it is not needed. To illustrate how it might be used, imagine an application *.dll file was corrupted on a specific workstation. If an Image File of the drive exists, there is no need to reinstall the entire application. Using Image Explorer, the single file can be extracted from the image and restored to the drive.  For easy use, the Image Explorer can be executed directly from Windows, independent of the Control Center.

•	ClientBuilder utility builds the boot diskettes required for multicasting or Standalone operations.  It is a wizard application that prompts the user for descriptions of the target workstation, selects files and programs needed to run ImageCast at that workstation, and copies these to diskette.


Operating from the Control Center
Operating from the Control Center  Multicasting

All multicast operations are performed from the ImageCast Control Center.  The Control Center is a graphical user interface (GUI) that is installed directly from the ImageCast CD-ROM. It can be run on any network workstation running Windows 95/98 or Windows NT.  The only requirement is that TCP/IP be installed at the Control Center workstation.

The Control Center is the communications center for all workstations participating in multicast operations.  Conceptually, the Control Center is like a Dispatch Center that can only communicate with units out in the field when these units turn on their communications device.  When this device is inactive, the units operate independently.  No communication takes place.

The Control Center works in a similar manner. Once the Control Center is up and running, any client workstation on the network can communicate with it by running the ImageCast “Client” program.  This program is invoked by manually rebooting the workstation with a specially built ImageCast “Client Boot Diskette.“  The diskette contains the Client program and a TCP/IP network interface that are needed to perform all the imaging functions at the local site.

As of IC3 release 3.2, client workstations can also communicate with the Control Center by running the “System Agent” program  this program is installed at each workstation where it runs in the background awaiting ImageCast commands sent down from the Control Center.  The commands can perform a variety of operations.


Operating from a Standalone Client

In addition to multicasting from the Control Center, imaging operations can be performed from the ImageCast “Client” program interface at the local workstation.  Whenever a workstation is rebooted with the Client Boot Diskette, it displays a temporary interface on the local monitor from which operations can be performed.  The interface functions in two different ways.

In standalone operations, local imaging operations can be performed using the network interface installed at the client workstation.  Any local drive can be imaged, with that image stored locally or to a mapped network drive.  Conversely, any local drive can be restored with an image retrieved from a local or mapped network drive.  The Control Center is not involved  nor can it be accessed.

In multicasting operations, the primary function of the Client is to communicate with the Control Center to receive commands and perform multicasting functions.  This requires a “dedicated” network connection.  The Client interface in this situation can only support imaging operations that do not need the network.  So, when a workstation includes more than one drive, you can image between local drives.

The mode in which a Client operates at each workstation is determined by the type of Client Boot Diskette used to reboot the workstation.  If the workstation is rebooted with a “Multicast Client Boot Diskette,” the diskette  contains a TCP/IP interface so the Client program initializes itself for multicasting and awaits communications from the Control Center.  The network interface used in this situation is the TCP/IP shim on the diskette.

If the workstation is rebooted with a “Standalone Client Boot Diskette” that contains the local network interface, the Client initializes itself for standalone operations – operations performed independently of the Control Center.

Both types of boot diskettes are built by the ImageCast ClientBuilder program, which can be accessed from the Control Center main menu or IC3 CD-ROM.


How to Get Started in Multicasting
How to Get Started

To get your system multicasting:

Install and Launch the ImageCast IC3 Control Center

Once ImageCast is installed on the machine that you will be operating from, reboot the system and launch the Control Center.  Do this by bringing up the ImageCast program group within the Windows Start menu and selecting the ImageCast Control Center.

Note: TCP/IP protocols need to be installed on the Control Center machine.

Set up your Client Workstations so they are Communicating with the Control Center

When the Control Center is launched, it initiates a search over the network for Multicast Clients  workstations running the ImageCast “Client” program.  The TCP/IP protocol is used so ImageCast “Clients” are not visible to other networking systems.  Once a Client is discovered, it is registered with the Control Center and an icon representing it is added to the Control Center interface.  Until then, the Control Center windows remain empty.

Note: TCP/IP protocols need NOT be installed on the Multicast Clients

To set up your client workstations so they are communicating with the Control Center, you will need to build a Multicast Client Boot Diskette for each participating client workstation and then reboot each workstation with its own diskette.  The Client program on the diskette will gain control and display an interface on the local monitor to verify that an active multicast connection has been established.

These steps are described in the next Help Topic within the “Getting Started” menu.

From the Control Center Interface, verify that all your “Clients” are communicating.

Go to the Control Center and open the Client Resources window by selecting Resource | Show Client Resources from the main menu. Active clients, those currently running the ImageCast Client program will be denoted by blue icons within this window.  Please allow time for network connections to be established.

You are now ready to start imaging!

Set up your model systems and run Gather tasks to create and save images of these models.  When needed, run Distribute tasks to restore the images.

These steps are described in the Help Topic entitled “Imaging Steps from the Control Center,” which can be found within the “Getting Started” menu.


The Basic Imaging Steps

To duplicate hard drives using ImageCast IC3, users must perform these basic steps:

Set up a Model System

Before using ImageCast IC3, users must set up a model of a hard drive to include an operating system, applications and data.  If users want to post configure Clients imaged from this model, then a post configuration utility must be installed on the model at this time. Utilities such as AppImager and System Agent (remote operations) may also be installed.

Create an Image File of the Model System

Next, users must create an image file of the model and store it at a specified location. The image file contains the entire structure and content of the Model system, as well as any ImageCast utilities installed in the previous step.

Restore the Image File onto One or More Client Workstations

Finally, the contents of the Image File are distributed to one or more target systems over the network. When the image transfer is complete, the updated PCs automatically reboot.

When the image transfer is complete, the updated PCs automatically reboot. If the Post Configuration utility is present on the restored Client when it is rebooted, it is invoked to make the configuration changes sent down during the imaging process. The utility then deletes itself and reboots the workstation.

The operating system that was just installed gains control and is now unique on the network. The transfer is completely independent of hard drive characteristics.

Application imaging adds several additional steps to this procedure. These images are created during Model System Set-up and then placed onto Clients after they have been restored with an Image File


Suggested Uses

The following represent some of the ways ImageCast IC3 has been used to increase efficiency and productivity in real-world environments.

Classroom/Test Lab Environments

If you need to tear down and set up a group of systems on a regular basis, such as in a classroom or test lab, there is no substitute for ImageCast IC3. Create an image file for each lesson or test environment, and restore the appropriate one when needed. By multicasting images, you can reconfigure an entire classroom or lab in less than ten minutes.

If you have two or three different configurations, simply build a model system of each configuration and create the image files. When you are ready to restore a group of clients, multicast an image file to them. Even with two or three separate configurations, you can still have all PCs in the lab or classroom re-configured in less than thirty minutes. With Post Configuration capability, you can also make these PCs unique to the network.

When System Agent is installed on remote workstations, you can image files onto your classroom systems from the ImageCast Control Center.  Install the System Agent program on all your Model Systems so it becomes part of the Image File that is restored onto your systems. The runs in the background on restored systems, awaiting commands sent down from the ImageCast Control Center.  When it comes time to place a new Image File on your systems, schedule a Task that will automatically reboot these remote workstations into the ImageCast Client program and restore a new image onto them.  With System Agent, you can also update applications at remote workstations with complete control. The System Agent utility eliminates the need to travel from workstation to workstation.

Information Systems Departments

If you are an IS professional, consider using ImageCast IC3 as a quick way to perform software upgrades for the systems you maintain. Rather than spending tedious hours repetitively performing the same setup operation on dozens of systems, do the setup once and multicast the image as needed.

Upgrading large or small groups of people from DOS, Windows 3.1, or Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 now takes hours instead of days or weeks. Simply set up the model system including operating system, networking, and applications, then create an image of the system. Afterwards, multicast the image to all of the systems you wish to upgrade. By adding post-configuration options in the Client boot diskette (put in place by ClientBuilder) all of the systems will automatically re-boot and connect to the network.

WARNING: If you do decide to perform upgrades this way, remember that ImageCast IC3 will completely overwrite any data that exists on a target hard drive. Make sure that the people using the target machines are saving their work elsewhere on the network.

Updating Systems Between Deployments -- IS, Test Labs or Classrooms

Between deployements, use System Agent to update your systems.  When the install or application upgrade includes an automated install script, the utility can do the install directly on the remote workstation.  When such a script is not available, the utility can be used to place AppImages (application images) onto systems.

Production Facilities

By keeping an image file for each unique setup your company handles, you can quickly configure new PCs by simply restoring the appropriate image file.

ImageCast IC3 is ideally suited for you if your business is:

•	An Original Equipment Manufacturer

•	A Configuration Center

•	A Small Computer Shop

Disaster Recovery

ImageCast IC3 makes an excellent backup system that offers many features not found in dedicated backup applications. When disaster strikes, simply reset the system BIOS and restore the last backup image file. The drive will automatically be partitioned and formatted.

If the problem turns out to be hardware related, you may have to replace the original drive. If the replacement happens to be a larger drive, ImageCast IC3 scales up the partitions in order to make use of all available capacity. The scaling feature will also work the other way if you have to use a smaller drive (as long as the total amount of uncompressed data in the image file doesn’t exceed the capacity of the target drive).


About ImageCast Control Center
The ImageCast IC3 Control Center

The Control Center interface is based entirely around the idea of performing Tasks. A Task is either a group of Gather (create) operations or Distribute (multicast/restore) operations.  Users simply drag and drop objects onto the Task window to create Tasks.

To find out more about the Control Center Interface, select Help | Show Assistant from the Control Center menu to display a dialog in the lower right corner of your monitor that will guide you through your first few tasks.

Several other forms of help are available within the Control Center interface. Select Help | Contents for general help. Or, place your mouse on a menu item or Task window and press F1.

Help is also readily accessible from all Resource menus.

Click here for information on imaging Tasks that can be performed from the Control Center.


The User Interface
User Interface Overview

Click on a section of the User Interface to obtain more information on it.


Data Tree Pane
Task Library Window

Click here for information on the Task Library toolbar, menu, or status bar.

See below for information on how to create tasks and add icons to your Task Window:

Arrow below icon denotes a Gather Task.

Arrow below icon denotes a Distribute Task

Double-click on any icon in the Task Window to display its Properties. Double-click on empty white space in the Task Window to create a new Task.


Task Library Title Bar

Double-click on the green Task Library title bar to exit the ImageCast IC3 Control Center.


Status Bar

Events detected within the Control Center are reported here:

Successful event: Task completed without problems.

Warning event: Task execution continues but problems encountered. I.e., single Client in a Distribute Task fails to respond; failure to Post Configure one Client, etc.

Stopped/abnormally terminated event: Task terminated after problem encountered (i.e., Client in Gather Task failed).

Waiting Task: Task is waiting for Clients to respond.

Running Task: Task is executing.

Scheduled Task: Task is scheduled to execute. Double-click on the icon to display a list of scheduled tasks.

To clear a flashing icon from the Status Bar, right-click on the Status Bar and click on the Clear Status Indicators button.

For more information on any event, select View | Event Log from the main menu to display the Event Log.

The text within the status bar reports the state of the highlighted Task icon, see below. Click on different Task icons and watch the text change.


File Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


File Menu Options: New Image Task

Use this menu option to create a new imaging Task. A Gather or Distribute Task can be created.


File Menu Options: Open Image Task

Use this menu option to add an existing Task file (file with an *.ict extension) to the Task Library window. An Open dialog is presented so you can locate and add a Task anywhere on a mapped network drive.


File Menu Options: Put Away

Use this menu option to minimize the Control Center to an icon in Task bar.


File Menu Options: Exit

Use this menu option to exit the application.


Edit Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


Edit Menu Options: Select All

Use this menu option to select (highlight) all Tasks currently displayed within the Task Library window so they can be deleted or moved.


Edit Menu Options: Duplicate
Edit Menu Options: Duplicate Task As...

Use this menu option to duplicate a currently highlighted Task and store it under a filename that you provide in the Save As dialog box.


Edit Menu Options: Delete

Use this menu option to delete currently highlighted Task(s) within the Task Library window.


View Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


View Menu Options: Running Tasks
View Options: Running Tasks

Select this option to display the Tasks that are currently executing within the Control Center.


View Menu Options: Scheduled
View Options: Scheduled Tasks

Select this option to display the Tasks currently scheduled for execution.


View Menu Options: Waiting Tasks
View Options: Waiting Tasks

Select this option to display Tasks currently waiting for Client responses.


View Menu Options: Event Log
View Options: Event Log

Select this option to display a log of events detected in the Control Center. Events are listed by Task name, date, and timestamp. Double-click on any listed event to display more detailed information.


View Menu Options: Statistics
View Options: Statistics

Select this option to display a synopsis of Task activity. Provides total numbers of running, scheduled, waiting, successful and abnormally terminated Tasks, and a Task history.


View Menu Options: Large Icons
View Options: Large Icons

Select this option to display Task icons in large format within the Task Library window.


View Menu Options: Small Icons
View Options: Small Icons

Select this option to display Task icons in smaller format within the Task Library window.


View Menu Options: List
View Options: List

Select this option to display Tasks in a list format within the Task Library window.


View Menu Options: Details
View Options: Details

Select this option to list the Tasks in this window with their current state and execution schedule.


View Menu Options: Arrange Icons
View Options: Arrange Icons

Select this option to order icons or list entries within the Task Library window by: Task name, filename, schedule, or Task state.


Resources Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


Resources Menu Options: ShowClients
Resources Menu Options: Show Client Resources

This option opens the Client Resources window and displays Client workstations currently logged into the Control Center.


Client Resources
Client Resources window

•	What is the Client Resource window?

•	Describe its Menu and Toolbar

•	How can I add Clients to the window?

•	Tell me more about System Agents

•	Removing Clients and Reusing IP addresses

•	How can Client properties and functions be displayed?

•	What Functions can be Performed from this Window?


What are Client Resources?
What is the Client Resource Window?

The Client Resource window displays all Clients with listed IP addresses. To display this window, select Resources | Show Client Resources from the main menu.

By default, all Client workstations with known IP addresses (i.e., all Clients previously logged into the Control Center) are displayed in the Client Resources window. Active Clients, those currently booted with the ImageCast Client application are denoted by blue icons. Active System Agents, those clients currently communicating via the System Agent utility, are denoted by green icons. Inactive Clients, those previously registered but no longer communicating, are denoted by grayed icons.

Note: The Client Resources window maintains a list of IP Addresses and Computer Names for all Clients that have logged into the Control Center.  If you want to reuse an IP Address, you must highlight the Client icon and select “Remove Inactive Clients” from the menu.

To add a Client to the Control Center, boot it up with a Client Boot Diskette.  The Client program on the diskette gains control and uses a special TCP/IP interface on the diskette to communicates with the Control Center.  The Control Center automatically detects all Clients, unless the automatic discovery option in the Options dialog is disabled.  (This dialog is accessed by selecting Tools | Options from the main menu).


Client Resource Menu and Toolbar
The Client Resources Menu and Toolbar

Client-specific Toolbar Buttons:

Close Client Resources Window

Initiate Discovery of Clients

Control Center will search for Clients booted with the IC3 Client program and System Agents.

Located Clients appear as blue icons within the window. System Agents appear as green icons.

Remove inactive Clients from Control Center List

Client-specific Menu Functions:

Edit: Remove Inactive Clients

By default, all Clients with known IP addresses are listed in the window.  To remove inactive Clients from the list, select this option.

Edit: Keep Inactive Clients

Keeps inactive Clients on the Control Center list.

Click here to view common Resource menu functions.


Common Resource Menu Functions
Common Menu and Toolbar functions:

Toolbar buttons shared by two or more Resource Windows:

Open existing files on the network and add them to the window.

Use large file icons in window display.

Use small file icons in window display.

Display files using list format.

Display file details.

Menu Functions shared by two or more Resource Windows:

File Menu

File: Open Image File

Locate an existing file on the network and add it to the Resource window. This function is handy when the file is created outside the Control Center environment.

File: Close This Window

Close the Resource window.

Edit Menu

Edit: Select All

Select (highlights) all Icons within the window.

Edit: Delete from Disk

Select this option to delete a file from disk.

Edit: Remove from View

Select this option to remove a file from the Resources window (file remains on disk).

Edit: Duplicate As...

Copy highlighted file and store under new name.

Edit: Explorer

Display file contents in Windows Explorer format.

View Menu

View: Large Icons | Small Icons | List | Details

Display listed files in different formats within the window.

View: Arrange Icons by

Description

Type

Size

Creation Date

Filename

IP Address

Status

Post Configuration

View: Properties

Display the Properties Dialog of a highlighted icon.

Help Menu

Display Help options.


How Remove Clients and Reuse IP addresses
Removing Clients and Reusing IP Addresses

The Control Center maintains a list of every Client that logs into the Control Center.  Every time you boot up a Client (remotely or with a Client Boot Diskette), the Control Center adds its name and IP address to the list.

When a Client is inactive (not booted up with a Client Boot Diskette), its name and IP address remain on the list. If another Client tries to use this IP address, the Control Center will flag it in error – because it shows that the IP address is already in use. It is reserved for the original Client.

If you want to reuse an IP address, you need to remove the IP address from the Client Resources list before it becomes available again.  This is done by highlighting the Client icon and clicking on Edit | Remove Inactive Clients in the Client Resources menu. Only inactive Clients can be removed.


How Add Clients to Control Center?
How Can I Add Clients?

To add Clients using Client Boot Diskettes:

1)	Boot the Client with its client boot diskette. Once booted, remove the diskette.

2)	Go to the Control Center, open the Clients window and wait for about 30 seconds. Booted Clients will be automatically detected and icons updated in the window.

3)	If you have trouble connecting a Client to the Control Center, make sure each Client has a unique IP address.

To add remotely operable Clients, click here.


Display Client Properties and Functions
How Client Properties and Client Functions be Displayed?

Each Client has properties and functions associated with it.  Client properties include:

•	Client Name

•	IP address

•	A list of Tasks currently using this Client

•	Name of attached Post Configuration File

•	Disk Configuration at the Client workstation

•	System Agent status and remote operations

You can display the properties of a Client by double-clicking on its icon. Or, you can display both its properties and functions by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Properties.


How to Use Clients in Tasks
What Functions can be Performed?

Creating/Modifying Tasks

Functions can be initiated by dragging and dropping Client icons from this window to other windows:

1)	Drag Client icons from this window into the white space of the Task window to initiate a new Task.

2)	Drag a Client icon from this window onto a Gather Task icon to image the Client in that Task.

3)	Drag Client icons onto a Distribute Task to add them to the list of clients to be restored in the Task.

4)	Or, drag Client icons onto the Clients tab within any Task Properties dialog to add a Client(s) to the Task.

Attaching Post Configuration to a Client

1)	Drag Post Configuration file from the Post Configuration window onto the Client icon.

2)	Or, drag the Post Configuration file onto the Post Configuration tab in the Client Properties dialog.

Operating Remotely (only when System Agent installed at local workstation)

Click on the System Agent tab in the Client Properties. Supported operations will be displayed. Click here for more information on System Agent Operations.

Viewing Disk Drive Configuration

Click on the Disk Configuration tab in Client Properties to view the drive configuration at the Client workstation. To alter the drive used in a task, click on the Status tab and double-click on the Task name in the Task Information window.


Resources Menu Options: Image Files
Resources Menu Options: Show Image Resources

This option opens the Image Resources window and displays Image Files that can be accessed from the Control Center.


Image Resources

•	What is the Image Resource Window?

•	Describe its Menu and Toolbar

•	How Can I Add Image Files to the Window?

•	How Can Image File Properties and Functions Be Displayed?

•	What Other Functions Can Be Performed From This Window?


What are Images Resources?
What is the Image Resource Window?

The Image Resource window displays the Image Files that can be accessed by the Control Center.

The Image Files listed in this window  are created by Gather Tasks and can be restored to Clients by using Distribute Tasks.

Image files are automatically added to this window when a Gather Task is executed successfully.  If you want to add Image Files that already exist, you can do this by selecting File | Open from the Image Resources window. This is a useful feature when you need to add Image Files created by previous versions of ImageCast IC3, those created by other Control Centers, or those created by Standalone operations. You can even add Ghost image files after converting them into ImageCast IC3 Image Files. To convert these files, select Tools | Ghost Converter from the Task Library menu.


Images Resource Menu and Toolbar
Image Resources Menu and Toolbar

New Image Files cannot be created within the Image Resources window.  You must run a Gather Task.

Image-specific Toolbar Buttons:

Close Image Resources window

Image-specific Menu functions:

File: New Image File

Reminder: new Image Files are created by running a Gather Task.

File: Open Image File

Adds an existing Image File to the window.

File: Remove From View

Removes an Image File from the window.

Edit: Image Explorer

Displays the content of any highlighted Image File in a format similar to Windows Explorer. Use this display to restore files and directories from an Image File when restoring the entire drive is unnecessary.

Click here to view common Resource menu functions.


How Add Image Files to Control Center?
How Are Image Files Added to the Resource Window?

When a Gather Task completes successfully, an Image File icon is automatically added to this window and the corresponding Image Properties dialog is created.

To add Image Files created by earlier ImageCast versions or those created on other Control Centers, select File | Open from the menu, locate the file (file with an *.imc extension) and open it. An icon for this file will be added to the window.

To remove an Image File from the window, select Edit | Remove from View from the menu.  To delete an Image File from disk, select Edit | Remove from Disk.


Display Image File Properties and Functions
How can Image File Properties and Functions be Displayed?

Each Image File has properties and functions associated with it. The properties of each file are contained in the Images Properties dialog.

You can display the Properties dialog associated with an Image File by double-clicking on its icon. Right-clicking on the icon will display both its properties and functions.


How to Use Image File icons
What Other Functions can be Performed?

You can drag and drop Image File icons from this window as follows:

1)	Drag an Image File icon from this window onto the white space of the Task window to initiate a new Distribute Task.

2)	Drag an Image File icon from this window onto a Distribute Task icon to add the file.

3)	Or, drag an Image File icon onto the Image File tab within any Distribute Task Properties dialog to add it to the task.


Resources Menu Options: Post Configuration
Resources Menu Options: Show Post Configuration Resources

This option opens the Post Configuration Resources window and displays files that can be used to configure Clients in Distribution Tasks.


Post Configuration Resources

•	What is the Post Configuration Window?

•	Describe its Menu and Toolbar

•	How Can I add Post Configuration Files to the window?

•	How Can I Attach Post Configuration Files to Clients?

•	How Can Post Configuration Properties and Functions Be Displayed?

•	Tell me more about the Post Configuration process


What are Post Configuration Resources?
What is the Post Configuration Resource Window?

This window displays all the Post Configuration files created within the Control Center. Each file contains specific settings that can used to configure Clients after they are restored with an image.

To create a file, double-click on the white space within the window or select File | New Post Configuration from the Resources Window menu to display a properties dialog. From this dialog, fill in the network or registry settings that you want.

To use the files to configure Clients, two steps must be taken:

1) 	The Post Configuration Injector must be installed on the Model system that is used to create the Image File.  (The reason for this is that the utility must be part of the Image File that is restored onto the Client. When a Client is rebooted after imaging, this utility gains control and configures the Client according to the Post Configuration file contents. If the utility is not present, configuration cannot take place.)

2)	Post Configuration files must be attached to Client(s) before a Distribution Task is initiated -- to let the Control Center know which Clients are to receive which files during image distribution. To attach a file to a Client, drag and drop the post configuration icon onto a Client icon.  You can also create a generic post configuration file for all Clients in a task, and then drop the file icon on the Task icon.  This will autoincrement IP addresses and/or Computer Names.

Click here for more information on Post Configuration.


Post Configuration Resource Menu and Toolbar
Post Configuration Resources Menu and Toolbar

Post Configuration-specific Toolbar Buttons:

Create New Post Configuration File

Close Post Configuration window

Post Configuration-specific Menu Functions:

File: New Post Configuration File

Create a new Post Configuration File.

File: Open Post Configuration File

Add an existing Post Configuration File to the window.

File: Import...

Add a Post Configuration file in another format to the Resource window. Excel, ASCII and dBase formats are supported.

Click here to view common Resource menu functions.


How Add Post Configuration Files to Control Center?
How Can Post Configuration be Added?

Post Configuration files are created within the Post Configuration Resources window by selecting File | New Post Configuration from the menu. This action invokes a sequence of prompts that allow you to enter a filename and specify Post Configuration properties. Click here to view instructions on selecting these properties.

You may add existing files to this window by selecting File | Open Post Configuration from the Resource menu.


Display Post Configuration Properties and Functions
How can Post Configuration Properties and Functions be Displayed?

Post Configuration file contents can be accessed and modified at any time. The properties are contained in the Post Configuration Properties Dialog, which can be displayed by double-clicking on the Post Configuration file icon.

You can display both properties and functions associated with a file by right-clicking on its icon.


Resources Menu Options: Tile All

This option reduces available windows and arranges them in a tiled view.


Resources Menu Options: Cascade All

This option reduces available windows and overlaps them in a cascaded view.


Resources Menu Options: Close All

This option closes all opened Resource windows.


Resources Menu Options: Show All

This option opens and displays all Resource windows. A handy feature that puts all icons at your fingertips so you can drag and drop them from one window to another to create Tasks.


Tools Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


Tools Menu Options: ClientBuilder

This option invokes the ClientBuilder program, which will build the boot diskettes you need for Multicasting or Standalone operations. To ensure that the Client Boot Diskettes will give you full functionality, make sure to bind your license to the Control Center Client before running this program.

Note: Keep in mind that the Control Center and Client must still be running the same ImageCast version to communicate.


Tools Menu Options: Image Explorer

This option presents an Open dialog that allows you to locate an Image File (filename with *.imc extension) so it can be displayed in Windows Explorer-like format within the Image Explorer interface.


Tools Menu Options: Bind License Certificate

This option allows you to bind a license certificate to the Control Center Client after installation. The process appends the license to the Client.exe program (located in the C:\Program Files\ImageCast IC3\Client directory).

Once the license is bound to the Client program, it will be included on every Multicast/Standalone Boot Diskette that is created using Tools | ClientBuilder within the Control Center. The process eliminates the need to bind a license file to a Client from DOS.

Note: Keep in mind that the Control Center and Client must be running the same ImageCast version to communicate.


Tools Menu: Model Workstation Tools
Tools Menu Options: Model Workstation Tools

This option provides direct link to programs that build diskettes to install the following utilities on a Model System:

•	Post Configuration Injector

•	AppImager Setup

•	Remote... /System Agent Setup


Tools Menu Options: PostConfig Injector

This option invokes a program that builds diskettes to install the PostConfig Injector on a Model System.


Tools Menu Options: AppImager setup

Use these options to copy the Application Imaging Setup programs to floppy diskette so they can be run on a model workstation.

The AppImager setup (IASsetup) installs AppImager on a model system so an image of the application installation can be taken on the system.


Tools Menu Options: SystemAgent
Tools Menu Options: Remote Reboot/System Agent Setup

This option invokes a program to build diskettes that will install the StorageSoft System Agent on a Model System or workstation.


Tools Menu Options: Ghost Converter

This option invokes a program that will convert Ghost Image Files to ImageCast IC3 Image Files.


Tools Menu Options: Formatl
Tools Menu Options: Floppy Options...

This option allows you to format diskettes on drive A or B, or replace system files on a floppy with MS-DOS files (you must provide the MS-DOS system files).


Tools Menu Options: View IP Configuration
Tools Menu Options: View Windows IP Configuration

This option allows you to display the Windows System Parameters and IP Configuration for the Control Center machine.


Tools Menu Options: Options

This option displays the Options dialog so user preferences can be specified.


Task Library Options
Options

The Options Dialog allows you to customize Control Center display and operation. Select from four tabs:

General (Display) Preferences

Event (Global) Settings

0	Network Settings

1	Discovery Settings (Client and Agent)

2	Security Settings

3	Advanced Settings


Help Menu

Click on a menu item to find out more about it.


Help Menu Options: Show Assistant
Help Options: Show Assistant

Select this option to display an online tutorial that will guide you through the steps required to build and execute Tasks.


Help Menu Options: Assistant Preferences
Help Options: Assistant Preferences

Select this option to place the Assistant in a different location on your screen.


Help Menu Options: Help Hints
Help Options: Hint Settings

Selecting this option allows you to disable (enable) the hints presented while you construct imaging Tasks.


Help Menu Options: ImageCast on the Web
Help Options: ImageCast on the Web

Selecting this option displays these ImageCast web pages:

ImageCast Home Page

ImageCast Support

If you have an active Internet connection, simply click on a page and your built-in browser will directly link to that page and display it.


Help Menu Options: Contents
Help Options: Contents

Select this option to browse the Help file.

0	The ImageCast Help file is regularly updated so it provides extensive coverage ofIC3 functions and utilities.  You can explore topics from the Getting Started menu or click on the Help Topics button in the Help menu for complete coverage.


Help Menu Options: Search for..
Help Options: Search for Help On

Select this option to search for a particular item within the Help file.


Help Menu Options: Help on Help
Help Options: How to Use Help

Select this item if you are new to Help and need assistance navigating around its contents.


Help on Help

Any time you need more information about the interface, extensive online help is readily available. The online help covers many useful topics from installation to troubleshooting.

0	Help Topics

1	Need more detailed explanations or just want to explore help topics? Click on the Help Topics button in the  Help menu. The Help Topics dialog will appear with three tabbed pages:

•	The Contents page is a table of contents that allows you to browse help topics by categories. Each category is represented by a book icon. Double-clicking on any book icon will reveal the topics listed under it. These topics not only address interface functions, but can include New Release Features, installation guidelines, and operational hints. The time spent perusing such topics can be well worth the investment.

•	The Index page allows you to select topics from an alphabetical listing.

•	The Find page allows you to search for relevant help topics by entering keywords.

Navigating around Help Topics or Dialog Help

As you read through a help topic, you will notice that some words and phrases are underlined and colored green. These words are hyper-linked to other help topics, meaning that more related information is available. By clicking on the hyper-linked word or phrase, you can retrieve and display this information. Hyper-linked topics can be displayed in a number of ways. Short definitions are generally linked as pop-ups. Jumps are links that replace the topic in the current help window or open up a secondary window.

You may get lost after following a series of hyper-links. Use the Back button to return to the previously displayed topic. Repeat the operation until you are back to where you want to be. You can also call up the Help Topics dialog from the menu bar and navigate back to your topic.

•	To print a topic, click on the Print button. This function is not available in all help windows.

•	To copy text to the Windows clipboard, highlight the text you want and press <Ctrl>+<C> or right-click and select Copy from the context menu.


Help Menu Options: About ImageCast
Help Options: About

Selecting this item brings up the About dialog box on the ImageCast IC3 version that is currently installed.


Setting up Mutlicasting Clients
Setting Up Client Workstations for Multicasting

An Overview of the Multicast Client

Step 1: Building Multicast Client Boot Diskettes

Step 2: Launching the Multicast Client

Step 3: Verifying the Client is Communicating with the Control Center

The Multicast Client Interface

More on Client Discovery


An Overview of Client-ControlCenter Communications
An Overview of the Multicast Client

When the Control Center is launched, it initiates a search over the network for Multicast Clients  workstations running the ImageCast “Client” program.  The TCP/IP protocol is used so ImageCast “Clients” are not visible to other networking systems.  Once a Client is discovered, it is registered with the Control Center and an icon representing it is added to the Control Center interface.  Until then, the Control Center windows remain empty.

This help topic describes how to set up workstations so they can be “discovered” by the Control Center.  If your Clients exist on the same network segment as the Control Center and you will be using the same IP network (or “subnet” as the Control Center), the easiest way to begin is to follow the steps presented below.  You can link to additional pages for more information on each step.  If you are unsure how to assign IP addresses to Clients, please refer to the section entitled More on Client Discovery before proceeding.

1)	Build a Multicast Client Boot Diskette for each participating workstation by running the ClientBuilder program.

ClientBuilder copies the Client program, essential drivers and configuration files to the diskette.  The configuration files are specially built for the target workstation and include its NIC driver and IP address  this means that a unique Multicast Client Boot Diskette must be built for each participating Client.

Hint: If you have a group of workstations that all have the same NIC (network interface card) installed, there is a shortcut to making a set of multicast disks for the whole group.  First, create one “master” Multicast Client Boot Diskette and then make enough copies for the whole group. Then, update each floppy by running ClientBuilder with the Batch Diskette Update option.

2)	Manually reboot each workstation with its Multicast Client Boot Diskette to start the Client program.

When a workstation is booted up with its own diskette, the Client program on the diskette gains control, using the drivers and TCP/IP shim on the boot diskette to communicate so TCP/IP need not be installed on the client workstation.

3)	Verify the Client is Communicating with the Control Center

The Multicast Status window is displayed on the local monitor once the Client program is invoked.  Watch this screen to verify that the Control Center has discovered the Client.  Local operations that do not require the network can also be performed from the Multicast Client Interface.


General Installation Notes
Building a Client Boot Diskette

Before you can run ImageCast IC3, standalone or multicast, you will need to prepare boot diskette(s) so your Client(s) can communicate and participate in the imaging operation. These diskettes are built by running the ClientBuilder program.

ClientBuilder generates boot diskettes that contain the ImageCast IC3 Client program (Client.exe), drivers and any network protocol stacks.  When a Client workstation is booted up with this diskette, the Client program on the diskette gains control rather than the resident operating system.

If you select Create Multicast Diskettes from the ClientBuilder main menu, the generated Client diskette contains the files needed to communicate with the Control Center.  Along with the Client program, files specific to a particular workstation (a driver, special TCP/IP interface and a wattcp.cfg file containing the workstation network parameters) are copied to the diskette.  (The Client uses the interface on the diskette to communicate with the Control Center so TCP/IP does not need to be installed on client workstations, only on the Control Center machine.)

If you select Create Standalone Diskettes from the ClientBuilder main menu, the generated Client diskette contains the files needed to perform Standalone operations from a temporary interface. The IP address that you entered during the build process will be used to connect to the existing network.  Mapped drives are used for networking operations.

Select a Mode Before you Begin

Before preparing your diskette(s), decide upon an operating  mode:

Click here for instructions on building boot diskettes for multicasting operations.

Click here for instructions on building boot diskettes for standalone operations.


Building Boot  Diskettes for Multicasting
Building Client Boot Diskettes for Multicasting

Note: Before proceeding, make sure you bind the license file to the Control Center Client files.  Instructions are located on the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM.  Display them by selecting Assistance... | How to License Your Client from CD-ROM main menu.

How are Multicast Client Boot Diskettes created?

Client Boot Diskettes are built by the ClientBuilder program as follows:

1)	Select Tools | ClientBuilder from the Control Center main menu, or you may use the Windows Start Menu and select ImageCast ClientBuilder.

2)	Choose Create Multicast Diskettes from the ClientBuilder main menu.

3)	When prompted, enter the location of your (licensed) client.exe file and specify command-line parameters to be copied to the Client Boot Diskette. The switches selected here will override the task options that you select in the Control Center.

The checked switches are added to the CLIENT line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that is copied to your Client Boot Diskette. Whenever the target workstation is booted with this diskette, these switches will be executed and applied to ALL imaging operations.

A complete list of switches can be found in the switches.txt file on the CD in the [CD-ROM]:\ImageCast\Client directory.  For downloaded editions, look in the \Client folder under the ImageCast program folders.

4)	When prompted for a driver, enter the make and model of NIC that is installed at the target client workstation. If your NIC driver does not appear here, click on Browse and load it from a local directory or driver diskette. A second screen will prompt you for the NIC parameters.

Note on adding new drivers (Ethernet):  Most manufacturers include valuable information with downloaded drivers as well as on the factory diskette.  In the same location as the driver-file itself, you should find a protocol.ini file.  This file is merely an “example” and is not to be used as the actual protocol.ini file, however, it does show the “drivername” and any hardware-setting keywords that are supported by that driver.

In the New NIC Parameters panel that appears, substitute the default Internal Name with the text following the drivername= parameter, if it is not already correct (do not include the $ symbol).  Also, check the protocol.ini file for any of the four hardware-setting keywords shown.  If none are present, clear all four of the keyword check-boxes, such cards are “Plug and Play only”.

Note on adding new drivers (Token Ring):  Review the above recommendations as they also apply to a Token Ring NIC.  Also, be aware that most NDIS drivers for Token Ring require more-than-one file.  You may specify the additional file(s) in the lower area by clicking the Add button.

5)	On the next screen, specify whether the target machine and its NIC are “Plug and Play” (PnP) enabled.  As a general rule, all PCI and “PnP-ISA” cards, installed on recently-built (P55/133 and later) systems should use the default option.  Older NIC’s (ISA8/-16, using jumpers) and systems (P54/120 and earlier) should use the other option, Client NIC and System are not Plug and Play.

On laptops, PCMCIA network-adapters can go either way.  Try using the default (PnP) option first, troubleshooting any problems that may arise with Card Services, switching to the non-PnP option after all else fails.

6)	Enter the IP address and subnet mask that the target Client will use to communicate with the Control Center.

To contact Clients on another network-segment (i.e., through an IP router, gateway, or “backbone”), you will need to increase the TTL parameter.

According to TCP/IP rules, each assigned address must be unique.  In many cases, it may be convenient to make the IP address of the Client the same as the Windows workstation IP address.  When using System Agent, this convention becomes a requirement (see the Help Topic on StorageSoft System Agent).

Alternately, DHCP may be used to automatically assign IP addresses for your Clients, as well as your workstations (but only if there is an active DHCP server on your network).

Note: For best results, it is recommended that you assign your Clients the same IP network (subnet) as the Control Center.  See More on Client Discovery.

7)	When the summary screen appears, click on the Save Configuration button to save the configuration (NIC, IP, switches; all of the above).  Later, you can retrieve the configuration when you start ClientBuilder by selecting File | Load Configuration… from the menu and selecting the filename you provide here.

8)	 Insert a diskette into the floppy drive.

Select Diskette is already formatted with system (boot) files if the floppy already contains DR-DOS or MS-DOS system files (and is otherwise blank).

Or, select Format and make bootable to bring up the Windows Format Disk dialog so you can format the floppy at this time.  All you need do is select “Quick” (erase files only) or “Full/Unconditional” (scan disk for errors while formatting).  On Windows9x, it is not necessary to select Copy System Files.

By default, the system files copied to diskette are DR-DOS.  To replace these with MS-DOS files, ImageCast provides a handy utility which can be accessed by selecting Tools | Floppy Options from the Control Center main menu.

Using ClientBuilder on NT System?  A diskette formatted by Windows NT is never bootable.  Use the Format and make bootable option, every time.

Using DHCP to Assign IP Addresses

A large group of workstations can represent an arduous task when building your multicast disks.  When the network supports DHCP auto-assignment for IP addresses, it is often the preferred method.  An even-more convenient scenario is where all of the participating workstations use the same-make-and-model NIC.

Brief: You need only run ClientBuilder once to create the “master” disk, you then use DISKCOPY (or the Copy Disk… command in Windows Explorer) to produce the total number of disks.  If your group uses only a few, different-model NIC’s, you can still make one “master” disk for each model that is in-use, duplicating each as much as needed.

While making the master-disk, check the box next to Use DHCP Auto Assign (see Step #6 above).  The Unique Client Name can be left blank.  A Client does not employ the NetBIOS interface, so a unique hostname is not necessary.

If your network is already using static addresses, you can still use DHCP for your Multicast Clients: On your DHCP Server, set a block of IP addresses specifically for use with multicast disks, making sure to specify “no expire” for the DHCP leases. This way, you can track each Client by the addresses in the Control Center and not worry about which multicast disk was used.  For best results, select a range of IP addresses from the same segment as the Control Center (or vice versa!).

Tell me more about the Contents of the Client Boot Diskette


Launching Mutlicasting Clients
Launching the Multicast Client

The next step is to reboot each participating client with its boot diskette, as follows:

1)	Insert a Client Boot Diskette into each participating client (each diskette must have a unique IP address or be set up for DHCP).

2)	Boot each client workstation: (press Ctrl + Alt + Delete)

3)	Remove the diskettes from the floppy drive once the Client application is booted. The Client program automatically respond to Control Center queries with no further action required.


Verifying the Mutlicast Client is Communicating
Verifying the Client is Communicating with the Control Center

By default, the Multicast Status window is displayed on the local monitor when the Multicast Client is invoked.

The Multicast Status screen overlays the ImageCast Client menu pane.  From this menu, imaging operations can be performed that do not require the network.


Imaging Operations from the Mutlicast Client
Imaging Operations from the Multicast Client

When the Multicast Client runs on a workstation, the network interface is dedicated to Control Center communications.  However, imaging operations can be performed from the Multicast Client interface if the network is not required.  In other words, imaging operations between local drives can be performed if more than one hard drive is installed on the workstation.

All operations are done from the Client Menu, which can be displayed by clicking the Cancel button on the Multicast Status window.

The Client Interface and its Menu Options

Operations available within the Client interface depend upon the hardware configuration at the client workstation, with available options highlighted and unavailable options grayed.

Note: The imaging options and operations within the Multicast Client interface are the same as those found within the Standalone Client.  Please see Help section on the Standalone Client for more information.


More on Multicast Client Discovery
More on Client Discovery

The Control Center uses the default Windows IP address and subnet mask to communicate with MultiCast Clients.  To view the IP address (or addresses) that the Control Center is using, select Tools | Options | Network Settings from the ICCC menu.

To view the TCP/IP configuration exactly as it is set for Windows, select Tools | View Windows IP Configuration (the parameters displayed here are the same as those shown in the Microsoft TCP/IP Properties).

The Control Center attempts to “discover” Clients that are on the same network segment (or “IP subnet”).  This means that the subnet-mask that appears in the View Windows IP Configuration should match the one entered while using ClientBuilder.

To verify a match exists, display the IP address in use at any Client workstation by selecting View | Network Status from the Client interface, or use a text editor (e.g. Notepad or MS-DOS Edit) to display the contents of the wattcp.cfg file.

If the Control Center is installed under a complex network configuration, or if the machine has multiple NIC’s installed, additional IP addresses are likely appear under Tools | Options | Network Settings.  These addresses can be enabled or disabled individually for discovering and controlling Client communication.

A Brief Overview of the IP Address and Network ID

This section briefly presents a technique to determine members of whole IP network segments.  It describes how to assign an IP address to a Client so that this Client can communicate with the desired “group” of workstations.  At the base of the explanation is the fact that an IP address contains both a Network ID and a Host/Workstation ID, with only workstations with the same Network ID being able to communicate with one another.  (The host ID identifies the individual workstation so it must be unique.)

The IP Address is a 32-bit number that is organized into four octets (octet = eight bits).  It is usually depicted as four numbers separated by periods, or “dots” (e.g, 208.145.121.3), with each octet assuming a value between 0 and 255.

To separate the Network ID and a Host ID within an IP address, the IP address is broken down into its binary form.  Here, we convert the above IP address of 208.145.121.3 into binary format:

1101000  10010001  01111001  0000011

        208            145            121             3

Within this format, the network ID can occupy the first one, two or three octets (or more) depending on the complexity of the overall network.  The remaining octets specify a unique host ID.  In smaller, common networks (Class C), the first three octets are used for a Network ID.

To decipher which bits within an IP address define the Network ID, the Subnet Mask is used.  But, it must also be converted into binary format.  Within this format, a “1” denotes a bit position that defines the network and a “0” denotes bit positions that define the host ID.

In a class C network with zero subnets, the subnet mask would be:

11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000

In decimal notation, this Subnet Mask is 255.255.255.0, which means that the first three octets are used to define the network ID in this example and the last octet is used to define the host ID.

The Control Center and all of its Clients must use the same Network ID if communication is to take place.

Examples:

Under a Class C subnet, the following two addresses are considered part of the same network and may freely communicate with each other…

165 . 42 . 12 . 210

165 . 42 . 12 . 32

The next two addresses, however, are on different networks and can not communicate with each other without the help of a gateway (see below)  Notice the difference in the second octet…

165 . 42 . 12 . 210

165 . 41 . 12 . 32

It is the combination of IP address and subnet mask that determines whether workstations will be part of the same group or not.

Different IP networks need a Gateway

To communicate between different TCP/IP networks, a gateway (also called a router) is necessary to “bridge” the networks.  However, in order to work properly with ImageCast, the special multicast protocol (a.k.a. “Class D”) must be supported.

Using TTL for Multicast

As the first step to detecting Clients on other networks, the Time To Live (TTL) value must be increased for both Control Center and the respective Clients.  This adjustment is necessary so the packets sent will “survive” passing-through the gateway and out to the other network(s).

There is a small utility, included with most Windows platforms, that can help you determine the value for TTL.  At a DOS prompt (with TCP/IP installed and active), type the command tracert, followed by the IP address of the workstation on the other network (also with TCP/IP installed and active), and be sure to separate the IP address with a space.  The display that follows will give the approximate number of “hops” a packet needs to travel before reaching the other machine.  Try this several times; since a given packet may not take the same route twice.


MulticastClientRequirements
ImageCast Client Requirements

ImageCast IC3 must be run on systems that conform to the following minimum requirements:

LAN	(Only required for Local to/from Network)

File Server	Adequate storage capacity for at least one Image File.

Communications	Any network topology and protocol that supports mapping to a network drive from a DOS boot diskette.

Control Center Application

CPU	Intel 80X86/PC-ISA compatible, Pentium/200 or higher.

RAM	32 MB minimum, 64MB recommended for Windows NT.

OS	MS Windows 95/98, NT Workstation or Server 4.0 or higher.

Client Application

CPU	Intel 80X86/PC-ISA compatible, 486/16 or higher.

RAM	8 MB minimum, 16MB recommended.

OS	MS/PC DOS 5.0 and above.

Memory	475KB of available conventional memory is recommended when the Client is loaded.

Restrictions	The amount of data from the Model System cannot exceed the total hard drive capacity of the target system receiving the image.

ClientBuilder, Image Explorer, and Post Configuration Utilities

CPU	Intel 80X86/PC-ISA compatible, 486/25 or higher.

RAM	8 MB minimum. 16 MB recommended. 16 MB minimum for Windows NT.

OS	MS Windows 95/98/NT Workstation or Server 4.0, or higher.


About ImageCast Control Center
Overview of Imaging Steps

Before proceeding, make sure all participating client workstations are running the Client  program so they are communicating with the Control Center.  Click here to verify that your Clients are logged into the Control Center.  If so, you are ready to perform the following steps.

Preparatory Step:

Set up a Model System

From the Control Center:

1)	Create an Image File of the Model System by performing a Gather Task

2)	Create and Attach Post Configuration Settings (Optional)

3)	Restore the Image File to one or more Clients by performing a Distribute Task

After Clients are restored, they are automatically configured and rebooted.


Verifying Clients are Logged into the Control Center
Verifying Clients are Logged In

To verify that all participating clients are logged into the Control Center, open the Client Resources window by selecting Resource | Show Client Resources from the main menu.  All clients participating in the current imaging operation will be active (blue).  If a client is inactive (grayed), check to make sure it was booted properly.

Note: Whenever a client workstation is first detected, its IP address and Client Name are added to a list maintained by the Control Center and an icon representing this IP address is added to the Client Resource window.  Active clients, those currently running the ImageCast Client program are denoted by blue icons and inactive clients, those previously logged in but no longer active, are grayed.  (If you are running StorageSoft System Agents, the icons are denoted by green icons.)

If you want to reuse an IP Address, you will need to remove it from the list (see the Client Resources menu options) and then it can be assigned to another workstation.


Gather Task: Create Image File
Create Image File: Gather Task

1)	The easiest way to create a Gather Task is to:

a)	Open the Clients window by selecting Resources | Show All from the main toolbar.

b)	Drag the Client icon that you want to image and drop into the empty space in the Task window. This client should contain your Model system.

Note: You can also create a Gather Task by selecting File | New from the Task menu.

2)	When the New Imaging Task dialog appears:

a)	Select “Gather” for Task Type.

b)	Enter a filename and descriptive name (this name will appear below the task icon).

3)	When prompted:

a)	Enter a path and filename for your new image file

b)	Click Set Name.

4)	Select read methods and drive number from the Gather Options tab and execute your task from the Scheduling tab.

5)	As the Task runs, an “R” is displayed above its icon.

6)	When the Task completes, you have valid Image File to send out to as many Clients as you like.

7)	To add the Image File to the Image Resources window, select File | Open from Resource menu and locate your file.

8)	Double-click on the Image File icon to display its properties.


Attaching Post Configuration Settings to Client
Creating and Attaching Post Configuration Settings to Client(s)

Proceed with the following steps only if you installed the Post Configuration Injector utility on the model system so it would be included in the image file restored onto clients ---  restored clients cannot be post configured unless this utility is installed on the Model. If this has been done, continue:

1)	Create a Post Configuration File

a)	Open Post Configuration Resources by selecting View | Open all from the Control Center main menu, and double-clicking on the empty window.  (You can also select File | New Post Configuration from the menu).

b)	When the New Post Configuration dialog appears, select the appropriate settings for your situation.

2)	To attach a Post Configuration file to a Client.  The process simply tells the Control Center which post configuration file to transmit to a client when it is restored with an image file.

a)	Open Post Configuration Resources and Clients window.

b)	Drag and drop a file icon from the Post Configuration Resources window onto a Client icon in the Clients window as shown below:

When a Client is imaged during a Distribute task, these settings will be sent down from the Control Center. The Post Configuration utility restored on the client will read the file and configure the system accordingly.

Or,

2)	You can also attach a post configuration file to a task.  When there are a number of similarly configured clients in a task, you can create a generic post configuration file, drop its icon onto the Distribute Task icon, and autoincrement the IP addresses and/or Computer Names that are placed on the clients.

Note: If you fail to create or attach a file to a client that has the Post Configuration utility installed on it, the Post Configuration utility on each destination client workstation will prompt you to enter the parameters manually.


Distribute Task: Restore Image File
Restore an Image File: Distribute Task

The Distribute Task pushes an Image File from the Control Center to any number of Client workstations at once.

1)	The easiest way to create a Distribute Task is to:

a)	Open the Images Resource window by selecting Resources | Show All from the main toolbar.

b)	Drag the icon of the Image File that you want to use from the Image Resources window and drop it onto the white space in the Task Library window.

Note: You can also create a Distribute task by selecting File | New from the Task menu.

2)	When the New Imaging Task dialog appears, enter a filename and descriptive name (this name appears below task icon).

3)	When the Task Properties dialog is displayed, select the Client Listtab and drag the icons of the destination workstations onto this tab.

If you only want to restore selective partitions in this task, you will need to select these partitions from the Image File tab and select the partitions to be overwritten by

4)	Select the Distribute Optionstab and specify desired options.

5)	Select the Schedule tab to execute your task.

6)	When ImageCast IC3 has distributed an image file to selected Clients, the Clients will reboot.  If an operating system was newly installed, it becomes active.


Automatic Processing After Distribution
Automatic Processing After Image Distribution

Once the Image File has been restored onto a Client workstation, several default actions take place.  First, the system is rebooted.

If the Post Configuration utility is present on the imaged Client when it is rebooted, it gains control by default and makes the changes specified by the Post Configuration file that is sent down during imaging. The utility then deletes itself and reboots by default.

When Client reboots, the operating system that was just installed gains control and is deployed.

Note 1: If an execution script was specified via the post configuration file, this script is also executed after post configuration.

Note 2:  All the above default actions can be overridden.  Task reboot options are specified in the Task Properties dialog.  Post Configuration options are specified in the Post Configuration Properties dialog and/or during the Post Configuration Injector installation.


Properties Dialogs
Objects and Properties Dialogs

Properties Dialogs are associated with Objects found in the Task and Resource windows. Double-click on any object icon in a window and its properties will be displayed. Click on any Properties dialog below for more information:

Task Properties for the Gather/Distribute Task

Client Properties

Image File Properties

Post Configuration Properties


Task Properties dialog
Task Properties

To display the Task Properties dialog, right-click on the Task icon and select Properties.

1)	The Summary tab identifies the Task and lists any conditions detected during task execution.

2)	The Gather Options tab presents options to create Image Files.

The Distribute Options tab presents options to restore Image Files.

3)	The Clients List lists Client workstations used in the Task. It also displays the drive configuration at each workstation, allowing you to select a specific drive to be used in the Task.  By default, Drive 0 within a workstation will be selected for use in the Task.

4)	The Image File (Distribute Task only) specifies the Image File to be placed on clients in a Distribute Task.  Use this tab to restore selected partitions within an Image File.

5)	The Scheduling tab specifies how and when the task is to be executed.

6)	The Events tab lists actions to occur at Task completion. Select events to occur at successful or failed Task end: message, email, sound, and/or flashing icon.


Task Prperties Gather Options
Task Properties: Gather Options

The following parameters can be set from the Gather Options tab:

Read Methods

Optimal Read is the default. FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS partition types supported. When a non-NTFS or non-FAT partition type is encountered, it is read sector by sector.

Select Force Sector by Sector to image drives with OS/2 FAT partitions or when you want to image an encrypted drive. The entire drive will be copied exactly as it is (this includes all unused space within partitions).

Note: Use sector by sector only when target drive is the same size or larger than Model drive.

Post Create Action

Specify the action to be taken after the task completes.

(Back to menu returns you to menu at local Client interface.)

Image File Options

The Compression Level default is the high setting.  This setting will result in a slower Gather (image file creation) and faster Distribute (restore) operation, which is recommended for very small Image Files.  Select Low Compression for faster Gather and slower Restore.

Use the CRC option to calculate Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) values for copied sectors and saves these values with the Image File.  Keep in mind that CRC calculation slows down image file construction so you will only want to turn it on to make sure the file contains no corruption (corrupt files, directories, partitions, etc.)

Network Settings

The Network Timeout option specifies how long the Client workstation will wait for a Control Center response before terminating the Gather.


Task Prperties Gather Options
Task Properties: Distribute Options

The following parameters can be set from the Distribute Options tab:

Partitions

Select one of the Partition Sizing options when the model and target drives are not the same sizes:

•	Dynamically Adjust Partitions: Select this option if you want target partitions to retain the same percentage of total drive space as partitions on the Model drive.

•	Keep Partition Sizes Same: Select this option if you want to retain exact sizes and target drive is the same size or larger than Model drive.

Use the Free Space option to create an extra partition or allocate free space at the end of the drive.  If the Create extra partition... box is checked, specify the partition size in percentage or MegaBytes.  Then, select how this partition is to be formatted using the drop-down box to the right.

Note: If you are creating the extra partition for the StorageSoft System Agent in Windows NT, this partition needs to be a Type 6.

Post Restore Action

Specify the action Clients are to take after this task. (Back to menu returns to local Client menu.)

NT Security Identifiers (SID)

Use the same SID as that in the image file (i.e., the SID on the Model System), or generate a unique SID for each Client after it is restored with the Image File and before it reboots.

If you are using MicroSoft’s NT SysPrep to prepare your restored clients, you will want to check the Keep SID the same as image option.

Network Settings

The Network Timeout option specifies how long the Client workstation will wait for a Control Center response before terminating the Gather.


Task Properties Image File
Task Properties: Image File

Use this Task Properties tab to identify the Image File or Partition within this Image File to be restored in the Task.

Image File

This tab presents characteristics of the Image File to be used in this task.  Replace the file by pressing the Select Image File... button.  Or, simply drop the icon of a new Image File onto this tab.

Partitions

Do you want to restore the contents of the entire Image File or simply restore a selected partition within this Image File?  Click on the appropriate button.  If Select which partition ... is selected, you must also highlight the specific partition to be restored.  Then, you will need to specify which partition on the destination drive is to be overwritten.


Task Properties Clients List
Task Properties: Clients List

The Clients List displays the drive configuration at the Client workstations used in the Task. By default, Drive 0 within each workstation is used in the Task.

To select another drive within the workstation, highlight a Client workstation and click on the Expand All button to display its drive configuration/characteristics (or double-click on the workstation icon). Then, highlight the drive that you want to use in this Task.  (To verify a Client drive configuration, double-click on the Client icon in the Client Resources window to display the Client Properties dialog and select the Disk Configuration tab.)

To select a partition within a drive to be restored in a Distribute task, highlight the desired partition icon within the expanded list.  The words “SELECTED” will appear next to the icon. The contents of this partition will be overwritten by the Image of a partition.

The Select Clients button allows you to add additional Client workstations to the Task.  (Or, just drop the client icons onto the open space within this tab).

Use the Remove Client button to delete a highlighted Client workstation from the Task.

Use the Remove ALL Clients button to remove all the Clients in this Task.

Use the Remove PostConfigs button to remove the Post Configuration files from all the Clients in this Task.

Use the Expand All button to display the drive configuration at Client workstations. Use the display to specify the drive to be used in the current task. Drive 0 is used by default.


Task Properties Schedule and Run
Task Properties: Scheduling Tab

Enable Task for Execution, then:

Run Task immediately or Schedule for later, or run at repeated intervals

Select number of Clients that must respond before task is run.

Select whether participating Clients are to be remotely rebooted before the Task is initiated. (The SYSTEM AGENT program must be installed and running on these Clients and the Reboot into the ImageCast Client operation must be supported.)


Events at Task End

To set up events to occur at the end of this Task, you must first enable general Event Functions for your Control Center (see below) and then specify how these events are to be used in this particular Task.

Use the Task Properties Events Tab to request an event at the end of a specific Task

1)	Right-click on the Task icon and select Properties to display its Task Properties dialog.

2)	Select the Events tab.

3)	Select Configure Success Events... to request actions if the task completes successfully; select Configure Failure Events... to request actions if the Task abnormally ends.

4)	The Events dialog is displayed. From it, you can request specific actions.

To enable global Event Functions for your Control Center:

1)	Select Tools | Options from the main menu.

2)	Select the Event Settings tab.

3)	Use this tab to set up Event sounds, E-Mail or an Event Log:

•	Select type of Event Sound and whether it is to be continuous or discrete.

•	Define the SMTP E-mail server. This must be defined for e-mail to be sent.

•	Default Event Log: Define a path and filename for the Event Log.

To clear the flashing icon from the status bar, right click on it and click on the Clear Status Indicators button.


Client Properties

To display the Client Properties dialog, double-click on the Client icon or right-click on it and select Properties.

1)	The General tab identifies the Client by name and IP address.

2)	The Status tab reports whether a Client is active/inactive and the Tasks that contain the Client. Double-click on any Task name to access its properties.

3)	The Post Configuration tab lists the post configuration file that is attached to the Client. Drag a Post Configuration file icon from the Post Configuration Resource window onto this tab to attach a file to this Client.

4)	The Disk Configuration tab displays the drive configuration on the Client workstation. To view the parameters of a drive, click on + box to the left of its number. (To use a specific drive in a Task, you must select the drive from the Task Properties dialog.)

5)	The System Agent tab allows you to perform operations at remote workstations.

Note: The Control Center must have identified the Client as running the SYSTEM AGENT utility for these operations to be available.


Image File Properties

This tab displays the characteristics of the Image File and also provides a link to the Image Explorer the contents of the file can be view or a file within it restored.


Post Configuration Properties

Use the Post Configuration Properties dialog to alter network or registry settings placed on a Client restored with an Image File. Operating systems supported include: Windows 95/98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000.

Please note that the Post Configuration file is limited to 4KB size. This poses no problem under normal circumstances, however it does prohibit the number of registry settings that you can specify on the Registry tab.

1)	The Summary tab on the Post Configuration dialog allows you to select injection options, create execution scripts, and specify the Operating system to be placed on the target client: Window 95/98, Windows NT or Windows 2000.

2)	The Network Identification tab allows you to uniquely define the restored Client to the network. By default, the Client network identification is set to the identification in the Image File. To change these settings, uncheck the boxes on the right of this tab and enter your selections.

In Windows NT, click on the Add computer/user to NT Domain.. buttons to add the computer/user to an existing domain.

3)	The Network Components/Protocols tab allows you to configure a network on the restored Client. Highlight a network from those presented in the list box and click on the Properties button to set the network parameters.

4)	The User Defined Registry Entries  tab allows you to modify user defined registry settings placed onto a restored client.

5)	The Registry Settings tab allows you to customize the Windows serial number, install date and Time Zone. Default is to use standard settings. To alter these, uncheck the Use settings in this image file button and enter your changes.

To add registry settings, click on the Add button to display the Replace Registry String dialog and enter registry string replacements within that dialog.   All replacements will be listed on the Registry Settings tab.

6)	The Text File Editor tab allows you to append lines to the end of text files placed onto restored Clients (e.g., autoexec.bat and *.ini files).  For example, the c:\autoexec.bat file placed onto the restored Client could be appended with a SET line that places temporary files on Drive D.

Use the buttons at the bottom of the left window to add/remove a path and filename. Then, highlight the filename and use the buttons below the right window to add the text lines. All text is entered via an auxiliary dialog.

7)	The NT/2000 NTSysPrep Tool tab allows you use Microsoft’s NT System Preparation Tool to prepare NT 4.0 workstations prior to imaging and duplication.

8)	The Expert Settings tab allows you to alter the way a restored system behaves. The changes affect registry and/or system files.

The Gather Settings button gathers all the settings from the current computer and inserts it into this Post Configuration file.

Click here for more information on Post Configuration.


Post Configuration Summary Tab
The Post Configuration Summary Tab

Important: Before proceeding, make sure to identify the Type of operating system that will be restored in this operation.  The operating system you check here determines the tabs and parameters offered within the dialog.

Specify a Name and Description for this file.  The name appears below the file icon in the Post Configuration window.

Specify Post Configuration Injection Options, actions to be taken by the Post Configuration Injector.  (You must install the Injector on the Model System used to create the Image File so that it is included in the Image restored onto clients.  Its function is to configure the restored client with the settings in this file.)

By default, the Post Configuration Injector removes itself and reboots the client after injecting settings. Override these defaults by unchecking the appropriate boxes.

Use the Execute button to create execution scripts to be run after the Post Configuration settings are injected onto a restored workstation (see below).

The Post Configuration Execute Dialog

Use this dialog to execute programs after post configuration settings are placed onto clients.

Execution scripts are created by using the Insert... buttons on the right of the dialog.  Enter a delay value or type in the name of a program and then click on this button to add the command to your script.  Then, modify entries within the script by highlighting an item and using the buttons to the right; the edit button moves a highlighted item back into the Execute File text box.

Use the Add Environment Variable to pass parameters such as “New Computer Name,” or “New IP Address” to your external program when it runs.

Note: Executables require a file extension, e.g. c:\Sysinternals\newsid.exe.”


Post Configuration User Defined Registry
The Post Configuration User Defined Registry Entries Tab

Use this tab to modify the registry keys or values restored onto a client.

To specify registry changes, double-click on the “My Computer” icon on this tabbed page and a skeleton registry (folders are empty) will be displayed. Enter a key or value by right-clicking on a folder and selecting New.  Right-click on values within the window and a standard Windows RegEdit dialog appears, allowing additions or modifications.

Right-click on registry settings that you want to alter.  Add new keys or alter key values in the right screen.

To use settings from an existing (*.reg) file click on Import Registry File...

To save registry settings in an external file, click on the Export Registry File... button.


Post Configuration NT System Preparation
The Post Configuration NT/Win2K System Preparation Tab

The Win NT SysPrep tool prepares NT 4.0 workstations prior to imaging and duplication.  The option is made available to ImageCast users when the Post Configuration Injector is installed onto a model system; the Injector installation wizard allows you to install the MicroSoft’s NT System Preparation tool at that time  if you have your own copy on diskette.  (Copies are available to all licensed users.)

Note: See Post Configuration Injector Installation for information on installing NT SysPrep tool.

The primary purpose of the SysPrep tool is to “prepare” a model system so that workstations restored with the image of the model can receive their own unique SID (security ID).  The process typically involves some set up before imaging.  What is important to note is the all SysPrep processing takes place before the ImageCast Post Configuration Injector is run on the restored target.

Another important thing to note about SysPrep is that only the Administrator and Guest accounts are updated.  All other accounts will not be updated with the new SID.  Also, ACL’s (Access Control Lists) on NTFS volumes will not be updated with the new SID, so you should not setup these permissions or other local users until after the SysPrep tool runs.

If you choose to install the SysPrep tool on your model system, the parameters specified on this tab will be passed to it when it is activated.  Its requirements include:

•	Computer ID and Organization name must be specified.

•	Any bitmaps entered for OEM Logos must reside in the c:\sysprep directory.

•	Multiple lines within the OEM Banner text must be separated with the “*” character.

You must also turn off the SID Generator in the Distribute Task Properties dialog (check “Keep SID the same as image”) or on the client disk’s command-line (-ns).  Microsoft does not support the SysPrep tool if another SID changing utility is run during the imaging process.

Important:  You must set the Administrator password on the model system to a blank password before creating the image.  SysPrep will give an error when it runs if this is not the case.


Post Configuration Expert Settings
Post Configuration Expert Tab

Different tabs appear on this page for Windows NT and Windows 95/98 operating systems.

•	Security Settings

•	Miscellaneous

•	95/98 Boot Settings

•	95/98 Specific Settings

•	NT4 Specific Settings


Post Configuration Expert Security Settings

This tab allows you to specify which icons and functions will be made available on the restored computer.  For example, the first item allows you to hide the Desktop icons on the restored system.  The next items allow you to remove  Find, Shut Down (NT) and Run functions and/or the Taskbar from the Start Menu, however the system must be rebooted before these options takes effect.  (When Run is removed no applications can be started from the Start Menu).

The list also allows you to remove the Map/Disconnect Network Drive functions from My Computer and Explorer (requires Service Pack 2 or higher in NT), remove Program Groups common to all users, and hide the Network Neighborhood icon on the Desktop.  When the Network Neighborhood icon is hidden, the UNC (Universal Naming Convention) capability is disabled within the Explorer.  This affects the ability to locate UNC paths normally activated via Desktop icons, the Run option in the Start Menu, etc.  Again, the system must be rebooted before these options take effect.

Most items in the list are self explanatory, however a few deserve more explanation. These items are listed below:

•	Checking Deny remote administrator access to CD-ROM devices allocates the CD-ROM drive to the user during the logon process so only he can access it.  This means that administrators and remote users cannot access the drive until the current user logs off  the computer.  Unchecking this option results in it being shared as an administrative share on the network

•	Checking Deny remote administrator access to floppy drive devices allocates the floppy drive to the user during the logon process so only he can access it.  See above item.

•	Checking the Remove right click functionality from all components of Task Bar* hides context menus for the Taskbar components: Start button, System Tray, Tab control, and Clock. (The option requires Service Pack 2 or higher in NT.)

•	Checking Remove right click functionality from Desktop and Explorer's results panes hides the context menu from appearing when the user right clicks on the Desktop or results pane in Explorer window.

•	Checking Remove, Control Panel, Printers and My Computer* from Explorer and Start Menu hides these items from Settings in the Start Menu.

•	Checking Clear document history from Start Menu at each reboot clears the document history from the Start Menu every time the computer boots up.

•	Checking Remove last user name from logon dialog clears the user name field each time it is displayed at the Windows logon prompt.

*System must be restarted for these options to take effect.


Post Configuration Expert Miscellaneous Settings

This tab allows you to specify additional functions or features to be placed on the restored computer.  Use the tab to enable the Windows 95/98 or NT auto play feature, remove shortcut arrows from icons,  turn off Windows Animation, display bitmap (*.bmp) files as thumbnails, or remove “~1” from long DOS names (they will be still be used when the name of  a second file uses the same first eight characters). The Click here to begin animation that appears on the Taskbar when the computer is booted can also be disabled.

Most items in the list are self explanatory, however a few deserve more explanation.

•	Checking Show inherent DLL icons in Explorer controls the icon used to display *.dll (Dynamic Link Library) and *.cpl (Control Panel applet) files. Unchecked, Windows displays the Windows default system gear and wheel icons. Checked, it displays the contained icon which denotes the application association.

•	Checking Place “Open With” on right-click menus places a new option on the right-click menu associated with files in the Explorer. The option allows the file type to be re-associated with a new program. When the new file type is non-registered, it will appear alongside the old one.  (MS Office toolbar is affected.)

•	Checking the Enable Explorer launch from My Computer allows a double-click on My Computer to launch the Explorer rather than the My Computer display.

•	Checking Force Program Menu to be alphabetical forces an alphabetical listing of the programs on the Programs Menu (accessed from Start Menu).

•	Checking Speed up Window’s Refresh Rate results in Windows updating the Desktop and Explorer automatically whenever either has changed.

•	Specify a larger Icon cache size.* The default size is 512KB, but will need to be increased when there are too many icons in the cache. Symptom: Windows begins to redraws each of your icons at completion of a boot cycle.

*System must be restarted for these options to take effect.


Post Configuration Expert 95/98 Boot Settings
Post Configuration Expert 95/98 Boot Settings Tab

Use this tab to specify Windows 95/98 Boot Settings.  These include starting in DOS 7.x or Safe Mode, issuing warning when booting in Safe Mode, enabling double-buffering for SCSI controllers, disabling Scandisk on reboots, or delaying the start of Win 95/98 or the Startup Menu.  You can also display the Win 95 animated boot logo.

A few items are elaborated below.

•	Checking Display the Boot Menu at boot up displays the boot menu when the system starts before Window 95/98 or DOS 7+ is loaded.  To start the Start Menu when Starting Windows 95/98 displayed, F8 is pressed.

•	Checking Enable F4, F5, F6, F8 as boot keys enables these keys as boot keys: starting previous version of MS-DOS (F4), starting Windows in Safe Mode (F5), starting Windows in Safe Mode with networking (F6), or displaying the Windows Start Menu (F8).   When this option is disabled, the delay at start-up, delay at Starting Window 95/98 notification, display of Boot Menu,  and starting/networking with Safe Mode options are ignored at boot time.

•	Checking Allow dual-booting enables a dual boot to a previous version of MS-DOS, Windows 3.x or Windows 95/98.  When this option is enabled, pressing F4 or F8 will enable starting your previous operating system from the Startup Menu unless Enable F4, F5, F6 F8 as boot keys is disabled.

•	Checking Start Win 9.x at boot by default selects Windows 95 as the default operating system in a dual boot system with MS-DOS 5 or 6.x. If this option is disabled and there is no operable DOS, the system will hang. If this option is disabled in a dual boot system and Start Win 9.x by default at boot  is enabled, the previous operating system will boot.

•	Checking Load DBLSPACE.BIN at boot automatically loads the DBLSPACE.BIN file so you can access your compressed drive (if it was compressed with DoubleSpace).  If your Win 95/98 files were compressed with DRVSPACE.BIN, you will want to disable this option and enable Load DRVSPACE.BIN at boot..

•	For an explanation of the Load DRVSPACE.BIN at boot, please see previous item.


Post Configuration Expert 95/98 Specific Settings
Post Configuration Expert 95/98 Specific Settings Tab

Use this tab to specify settings specific to Windows 95/98.  You can remove favorites from the Startup Menu, ignore Desktop changes made between reboots, inform users of the server that validated their login, or enable an additional options on the right-click menu for printing (right clicking on a directory allows ‘Print directory’ or ‘Print Directory Tree’ to be printed).  A right click menu that enables users to jump to DOS can also be created.


Post Configuration Expert NT 4.0 Specific Settings
Post Configuration Expert NT4 Specific Settings Tab

Use this tab to specify settings specific to Windows NT4.  Actions associated with these Win NT 4.0 items are described below.

•	Checking Always launch 16bit apps in their own VDM launches all 16 bit applications in their own virtual DOS machine. Unchecked, they run within same Win32 system.

•	Checking Force apps to shut down when shutting down closes applications at shut down that  do not respond to the close command or Close/End Task dialog.

•	Checking Increase application performance during print jobs reduces the time slice of print units so that more units can be threaded through the system (more print jobs can be run concurrently).

•	Checking Suppress server print notification messages disallows notification messages from the print server to appear on client workstations. Unchecked, a client receives a notification message if it is logged in with the same username as the owner of the print job.

•	Checking Change Workstation size cache to Server size cache forces system-cache to  receive priority over the processes cache at the workstation.

•	Checking Do not allow Desktop to load while logon script finishes prevents items in the Startup group from starting within a shell until the logon script is entered.

•	Checking Disable automatic machine account password changes disables the need for weekly changes to the machine account password.

•	Checking Allow power down when you shut down powers your computer down when left at the "It is now safe to shut off your system" message (requires BIOS  support). System normally waits at message.

•	Checking Clear Page file at shut down  wipes the page file clean at shut down.

•	Checking Force double pane Explorer launch forces the Explorer to use a double pane format to display the Control Panel, My Computer on the Desktop, or the Printer's Folder.

•	Checking Force NumLock on at reboots boots the system with the NumLock key on. Default is off.

•	Checking Enable X-Mouse supports X-Mouse style window activation.

•	Checking Ghost persistent connections enables ghosted connections (network connections at logon)  if Remote Access Services (RAS) is not installed.

•	Checking Keep RAS connections alive all RAS connections opened during a session will not close when logging off.

•	Checking Disable parsing of autoexec.bat disallows parsing the AUTOEXEC.BAT file during startup so that the path statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file will not be appended to the system path.

•	Checking Restrict remote registry access  disallows remote access to the registry from a user or service, eliminating administrator access over the Network. Be aware that some services need access to the registry to function correctly so you will need to give these accounts access so they can run.  One example is a network printer that requires access  for spooling services.

•	Checking Disable Last Access time stamps on files (NTFS only) disallows updating the last access time for “read only” files to increase performance.

•	Checking Do not allow kernel & driver code to be paged to disk keeps drivers and the kernel in physical memory so they cannot be paged to disk when idle.

•	Checking Default printer spool directory  allows users to change the drive and directory where print files are spooled.


Managing Tasks within the Control Center

•	Tracking Task Activity from the Status Bar

•	Tracking Task Activity from the Event Log

•	Viewing Running/Scheduled Tasks

•	View Task Statistics

•	Setting up Events to Occur at Task Completion

•	Password Protecting Your Image Files

•	Running Tasks at Control Center Startup


Tracking Tasks from the Status Bar
Tracking Task Activity from the Status Bar

The Status Bar, which is located at the bottom of the main interface, reports detected Task conditions. The text within the status bar reports the path and filename of the highlighted Task icon and its current state. Highlight the Task icons and watch the text change.

Click on any flashing icon in the status bar to obtain more information about the detected condition.

To turn off a flashing icon in the Status Bar, right-click on the status bar and click on the Clear Status Indicators button.


View Running/Scheduled Tasks
Viewing Running/Scheduled Tasks

Viewing Information on a specific Running Task

To view the on-going progress of a Task, display its Task Progress dialog.  The elapsed time, packet and retry counts are updated in real time. A Stop Task button allows the Task to be cancelled.

•	Access the Task Progress dialog by clicking on the Running Task icon that appears in the Status Bar of the main window.  When the Running Tasks dialog appears, double-click on the Task name to display its Task Progress dialog.

Viewing Lists of Scheduled/Running Tasks

To display a list of currently running/ scheduled tasks, select View | Running (or View | Scheduled) from the main menu. A Running Tasks dialog will be shown. From this dialog you can:

•	Stop Task: highlight a Task entry and press this button to cancel the Task.

•	Stop All: press this button to cancel all running Tasks.

To turn off a flashing icon in the Status Bar, right click on the status bar and click on the Clear Status Indicators button.


Viewing Task Statistics and History
Viewing Task Statistics and Task History

Tasks can be monitored in several ways within the ImageCast IC3 interface.

1)	To view the status of an individual task, display its Task Properties dialog by double-clicking on its Task icon.

2)	To display the status of tasks that are currently running or are scheduled, select View | Running or View | Scheduled from the main menu.

3)	To view the status and history of all tasks run or scheduled from the interface, select View | Statistics from the main menu.


Password Protecting An Image File

Image Files can be password protected:

•	Display the Gather Task Properties dialog by double-clicking on its Task icon, select the Client List tab, and click on the Set Image File button.

•	Select Password from the Image File for Gather dialog, type in a password (32 character limit), and click OK.

•	From the Image File for Gather dialog, click on Set Name to save the password.

The Image File is now password protected. This is indicated by the presence of a padlock on the Image File icon, as shown below:

To use this Image File in a Task executed from the Control Center, the password must be provided on the Image File tab within the Distribute Task Properties dialog. This tab includes an input box for a password (but only when the Image File in the Task is password protected). Enter the password to unlock the Image File and click on the Verify button. The button is a useful feature that enables you to check the validity of the password prior to scheduling a Task.

Passwords can also be used to protect the Image Files used in standalone operations. This is done by using batch commands.

Note: Once an Image File is password protected, the password cannot be removed.


Advanced Steps from Control Center
Customizing the Control Center

•	Display Preferences

•	Network Preferences

•	Discovery Preferences

•	Control Center Security Preferences

•	Advanced Preferences

•	Adding and Removing Clients and their IP Addresses

•	Running a Task at Control Center Startup


Control Center Display Preferences
General (Display) Preferences

These preferences are set by selecting Tools | Options: General from the main menu. They allow you to specify how the ImageCast IC3 Control Center displays itself when launched.

By default, the Control Center interface is displayed on system start-up. Options on this tab allow you to minimize the Control Center and display its icon in the system tray within the Windows Taskbar.

Options also allow you to auto-load the designated resources at system startup and display their icons in the appropriate Resource window.


Control Center Network Preferences
Network Settings

Select Tools | Options from the main menu and select the Network tab to specify network settings for the Control Center.

IP Interface

Select IP addresses for the Control Center to use to communicate with booted Clients. You can specify several IP addresses, allowing you to multicast to computers in different network segments (Class C segments). Turn these IP addresses on or off when you want to restrict multicasting to relevant (Class C) Clients only.


Control Center Discovery Preferences
Discovery Settings

By selecting Tools | Options from the main menu and then selecting the Discovery tab, you can specify how the Control Center will search for Clients and System Agents.

Client Discovery Parameters (these parameters control detection of Clients booted with ImageCast Client Boot Diskettes)

Specify the number of seconds that the Control Center will wait for a Client response when it searches for Clients booted with Client boot diskettes.  Also, specify whether the Control Center is to automatically check for ImageCast Clients and the intervals at which the Control Center will invoke these checks.

Agent Discovery Parameters (these parameters control detection of System Agents -- Clients running the System Agent utility).

Enable (disable) support for ImageCast Windows Agent Support to interact remotely with System Agents (clients running the System Agent program).  Specify whether the Control Center is to automatically check for System Agents and the intervals at which the Control Center will invoke the checks. Specify a Broadcast Address.

Click here for more information on the parameters that control System Agent discovery.  These are the parameters specified on the embedded tabs.

Discovery Export parameters  (these parameters allow you to configure a text file that collects information every time a DOS Client and/or System Agent is discovered).

Set up separate logs for each discovery operation.  Information is appended.  If a file does not exist, it will be created. By default, the text within each file is comma delimited (i.e., “text field1”, “text field2”, “... ).

Note: If you choose to disable automatic checking for Clients and System Agents, you can manually invoke a discovery operation from the Client Resources window. Discovered Clients will be denoted by blue icons there; System Agents will be green.


Control Center Security Settings Preferences
Security Setting Preferences

These preferences allow you to password protect your ImageCast IC3 Control Center, by requiring a password be entered whenever the Control Center is launched or has been idle (no key press or mouse click) for a specified prompt time. The preferences are set by selecting Tools | Options: Security from the main menu.

By default, password security is disabled.

To protect your IC3 by requiring all users to enter a password before they access the Control Center:

•	Check off (enable) the Control Center Security option

•	Type in a password and verify it

Passwords are case-sensitive. Special characters are supported.

•	Specify a prompt time in minutes.

Anyone attempting to access the Control Center will be prompted for the password if the Control Center has been idle (no key press or mouse click) for the specified prompt time.

Users will also be prompted to enter the password whenever Control Center is launched.


Control Center Advanced Settings
Advanced Settings

The Advanced tab allows you to tune network performance. It is accessed from the main menu by selecting Tools | Options.

Settings for Distribute Tasks

Packet Time to Live (TTL)

How many routers the packet will "live" through (the number of accessible network segments). For example, if all of your casting is within a single segment, set the value to 1. If you are attempting to cast across a single router, set the value to 2.

Note: The TTL value is saved in the Wattcp.cfg file on the Client Boot Diskette.

Settings for Gather and Distribute Tasks

Give Up Time (GUT)

The time that the Control Center will wait for a Client to respond before canceling a Gather Task (in milliseconds).


Running a Task at Control Center Startup

A task can be loaded and run at the startup of the ImageCast Control Center by running the Control Center from the command-line and adding command-line switches.  The syntax follows:

ICCC /RUNTASK=“Path\filename”

By default the task will be run immediately.  To defer execution, the following switch can be added:

ICCC /RUNTASK=“Path\filename” /WAIT=XX

where XX is the number of minutes (1 to 60) that the task is deferred until it is run.  When the minutes run out, the task reboots all agents and then waits for the Clients to come alive before running.  It’s as if the task were “scheduled” from the Task Properties Schedule tab, with the parameters Run when... and Run Reboot.... on this tab set accordingly.

In the following example, the task “NewTask4.ict” is scheduled to run 30 minutes after the Control Center is invoked:

ICCC /runtask=“C:\Program Files\ImageCast IC3\Tasks\NewTask4.ict” /wait=30

Click here for more information on how to use command-line switches.


Adding Clients and Their IP Addresses
Adding and Removing Clients & IP Addresses

The Control Center maintains a list of workstations that log into the Control Center  adding their Computer Names and IP addresses to a list.  Whenever a workstation becomes inactive, its name and IP address still remain on the list. If another workstation tries to use this IP address, the Control Center will flag it in error – because it shows that the IP  address is in use.  It is still reserved for the original client.

If you want to reuse an IP address, you need to remove the address from the list in Client Resources window before the IP address can be reused.  Do this by clicking on Edit | Remove Inactive Clients in the Client Resources menu.  Only inactive clients can be removed.

Clients can be logged in at any time. By default automatic discovery of DOS Clients is enabled, however you can manually initiate a search by pressing the Re-discover clients button in the Client Resources toolbar.  Automatic discovery of System Agents is also enabled by default.  The Control Center simultaneously supports both types of clients within the Client Resources window, with clients running the Client program represented by blue icons and System Agents represented by green icons. Inactive clients are grayed.


Updating the Control Center to a New Version

The ImageCast program is constantly being updated to include new functionality and these updates are made available to you over the web.

ImageCast updates are easy to install, however you must remember that every time you upgrade the Control Center to a new version, you must also upgrade all the ImageCast components with which it communicates.

It means that the Control Center and all client files must be running the same version. This even applies to minor upgrades such as v3.01 and v3.02. If your Client Diskettes contain v3.0 or later, simply copy the files Rserver.drv, Client.exe, and Dis_pkt9.dos from the ImageCast Client directory over each of the same-named files on your existing client diskettes.

If your client diskettes contain versions prior to v3.0, please re-format them with system files and use the ImageCast ClientBuilder to rebuild them.

If you are running System Agent programs on your workstations, you will have to update both the Client files and the System Agent files. See Technical Support on the ImageCast web site for the latest suggestions on upgrading remotely operable workstations.

Note: To update from ICBOOTER (v3.06 or earlier) to System Agent (v3.1 or later), all Client files and System Agent files must be updated so they are running the same version as the Control Center.


Event Log

•	What is the Event Log?

•	How do I use it?

•	Tell me about the toolbar functions

•	Tell me about the menu functions


What is EVENTLOG?
What is the Event Log?

The Event Log monitors Task activity and reports detected conditions. The entries denote Task successes, Task failures, Client failures, etc. All entries are time-stamped and include the Task name, an error description, and a status indicator.

The Event Log is displayed by selecting View | Event Log from the main menu.

Setting up the Event Log

To define the characteristics of your Event Log, select Log | Log Settings... from the menu in the Event dialog.

Use the EventLog Settings dialog to override the Event Log size and processing defaults. Every time events are saved to the log, they are appended to those previously entered. When the log reaches its maximum size, the default is to overwrite existing entries starting at the beginning of the file. Several other options can be specified:

•	When the log is full, overwrite old entries starting at the beginning of the file.

•	Disallow wrap-around unless existing entries are older than a specified number of days.

•	Do NOT overwrite log entries. This means the log must be cleared manually.


How does EVENTLOG Work?
How do I use it?

Click on any status indicator in the toolbar (the exclamation icons) and the entries associated with this indicator will be displayed. Click on additional status indicators to add their entries to the display. To clear status indicators, click on the Clear Status Indicators button on the toolbar.

Obtaining Information on Individual Task Conditions

To obtain more information about the problems encountered during the execution of a Task, double-click on the Task entry line in the Event Log and conditions of the event will be displayed in an Event Details dialog.


EVENTLOG Toolbar
The Event Log Toolbar Functions

In addition to the common Save and Open functions, the Event Log Toolbar includes the following buttons:

Successful event (blue): Task completed without problems.

Warning (yellow): Task execution continues but problems were encountered. Such problems typically involve a single Client when task includes multiple Clients (i.e., one Client fails in a Distribute Task; one client could not be Post Configured in a Distribute Task.)

Stopped/abnormally terminated (red): Task terminates after problem encountered (i.e., Client containing Model System failed in Gather Task).

Clear Status Indicators: Clears flashing icons from status bar in main interface. Also cancels continuous loop audio notification.

Display Task Statistics


EVENTLOG Menu Funcitons
The Event Log Menu Functions

Log: Open

Displays the open dialog.

Log: Save As..

Displays the save dialog.

Log: Clear Event Log

Removes all entries from the Event Log.

Log: Settings

Displays the EventLog Settings dialog, from which log characteristics can be set.

Log: Close

Closes the application.

View | Clear Status Indicators

Continue with the configuration process.

View | Success/Warning/Stop/All Events

The indicated events are toggled from display.

View | Detail

Show details of highlighted entry. You can also double-click on the entry line to display its details.

Help | Event Log/Search for Help On..

Accesses online Help.


Scheduling Tasks
Scheduling/Executing Tasks

A Task can be executed in two ways.

If you want to execute a Task immediately, the most direct way is to right-click on the Task icon and then select Run Now from the object menu.

If you want to schedule a Task to run later, double-click on its Task icon to display the Task Properties dialog. Then, select the Scheduling tab, enable the Task and specify an execution time.


Specifying User Preferences
Specifying Event Preferences

A large or small set of events can be set to take place at the end of either successful or unsuccessful tasks. Probably the most powerful of these is the ability to e-mail a particular party the results of task operations. This allows the system to be set up with a huge number of tasks and the administrator to be kept up to date with the results of the tasks via e-mail as the tasks complete.

Additionally, applications may be launched, messages displayed, commands executed, and log files generated with the successful or unsuccessful result.

Email is set up from the Task Properties dialog as follows:

1)	Double-click on any Task icon displayed in the main window.

2)	Select the Events Tab when the Task Properties dialog appears.

3)	You may set up tasks to run immediately, scheduled for later, or recurring. Recurring tasks are those repeated daily, weekly, or monthly.


Performance
Performance Issues

There are many factors that affect the efficiency of an imaging operation: speed and number of CPUs, memory, network speed (10 Mbit, 100Mbit, etc.), hard disk size and type (IDE, Ultra IDE, SCSI, RAID, etc.), and file system on image storage hard drives. Below, suggestions are offered to enhance efficiency and eliminate potential bottlenecks in some areas. The obvious factors, such as CPU speed and the amount of memory at each workstation, are not discussed.

Image File Composition

Image File Compression

Image File Location

Target Drive Processing Speeds and Transfer Rates

Network Throughput

Suggestions for Maximizing Restoration Efficiency

•	Clean up hard drives when sector by sector copy is to be used.

•	Determine the best balance between the degree of compression and the time it takes to restore the file on the target machine. Because every system is different, this will be a trial-and-error process.

•	Store your Image Files on the Control Center workstation.

•	Group Clients by the capabilities of the Client hardware—first multicasting to faster machines, then to the slower ones. The multicast can only go as fast as the slowest machine on the target list.

•	Maximize transfer rate at each target workstation by consulting the manufacturer’s documentation for the specific hardware on each target system.

•	Avoid multicasting when other data traffic is on the network. Even if there is adequate bandwidth on the network, data collisions can still occur and slow down


System Agent
The StorageSoft System Agent

•	Overview of System Agent

•	Setting Up System Agent

•	System Agent Discovery (Communicating from the Control Center)

•	Password Protecting System Agent --- Control Center Communications

•	Viewing the Configuration of an Agent Workstation

•	Logging System Agent Activity at the Agent Workstation

•	Including System Agents in Gather and DistributeTasks

•	Installing System Agent from the Command-line

•	Running system Agent from the Command-line

•	Examples of System Agent at Work

•	Upgrading System Agent

•	Deactivating and Removing the System Agent


System Agent Overview
Overview of System Agent

Operations can be performed on remote workstations from a central location using the StorageSoft System Agent program.  The program runs in the background at each remote workstation to receive and process commands sent over the network, eliminating the need to enter these commands at the local workstation monitor.

If the System Agent program on a workstation is installed with ImageCast Control Center Support, it responds to commands sent down from the Control Center.  If the System Agent program is installed with the SNMP protocol, it responds to commands issued by enterprise management software such as CA-Unicenter, HP-Openview and IBM Tivoli.  System Agent as an SNMP Agent is covered in a separate manual.

The System Agent program supports a number of ImageCast commands.  Commands can be sent from the Control Center to transfer files, execute programs on a workstation, and even shutdown or reboot the workstation into Windows.  It is even possible to check system parameters on a workstation from the Control Center.  The open architecture of System Agent makes it an excellent tool to be used between deployments.

There is even a command to reboot workstations into the ImageCast Client program so these workstations can participate in multicasting operations.  The command totally eliminates the need to travel from workstation to workstation to insert ImageCast Multicast Client Boot Diskettes.

To set up workstations so they can be operated remotely from the ImageCast Control Center, ImageCast Control Center Support must be selected during System Agent installation so the required files can be set up in a local directory.  To reboot a workstation into the ImageCast Client program so it can be included in multicasting tasks, the ImageCast DOS Client programs must also be installed.  In Windows NT or Windows 2000, the Client programs require their own partition.

All System Agent programs can either be installed manually at a workstation or they can be installed on a Model System so they become part of an image file that is distributed to participating PCs.

Once System Agent is installed, a workstation is rebooted to start the program.  The program is invisible at the workstation, except for an Agent icon which can be optionally displayed in the system tray (this icon can also be hidden).

When all participating workstations are running System Agent, no more local intervention is required  all ImageCast operations can be run from the Control Center.  Every time the Control Center is launched, just check the Client Resources window to make sure all your Agents are communicating.  Active Agents are denoted by green icons within this window.

From the Control Center, you can send commands to individual workstations or commands to groups of workstations.  System Agents can also be set up so they automatically reboot before a scheduled Gather or Distribute Task   but only if the Client programs were installed on the participating workstations.


Setting Up System Agent

If all your clients are configured with similar hardware (operating system, NIC, etc.), it is easiest to install the System Agent program on a Model System so it is part of the Image File that is restored onto client workstations.

If your client workstations are uniquely configured (they do not share the same operating system, hardware drivers, NIC cards, etc.), then it may be easiest to manually install the System Agent utility at each individual workstation.

•	Setting Up the System Agent via a Model System

•	Setting Up the System Agent on a Local Workstation

•	Running the System Agent at the Local Workstation


Installing System Agent on Model System
Setting Up the System Agent via the Model System

To set up the System Agent using a Model System:

1)	Install the System Agent program directly on the Model System using the steps for an Individual Workstation.

2)	Create an Image File of the Model System by running a Gather Task.

3)	Distribute the Image File to all participating Clients.

4)	Reboot each Client workstation to invoke its resident Agent program.


Setting Up the System Agent on a Workstation

To install the System Agent on an individual workstation, these steps are required:

Step 1:  Copy  the System Agent Installation program to diskette or network share

Do you want to install System Agent from a network share or floppy diskette? To copy the System Agent Setup (AgentSetup.exe) to a floppy, go to the main menu in the Control Center, select Tools | Model Workstation Tools | Remote Boot/System Agent Setup, and choose copy to floppy when prompted. To install from a network share, copy the program to a shared drive instead of a floppy.

Step 2:   Perform Preparatory Steps if the workstation is to be Rebooted into ImageCast Client

Do you want to be able to reboot this workstation into the ImageCast Client program so it can participate in multicasting operations? If so, you will need to perform extra steps before installing the System Agent.

a)	Build a Multicast Client Boot Diskette for the this particular workstation by selecting Tools | ClientBuilder from the Control Center main menu.  ClientBuilder copies the Client program, system files, and a network configuration for the target workstation to floppy diskette.

Note: Make sure the NIC interface on this diskette is the same as that on the target workstation. Also, make sure the IP address and Client Name are the Windows IP Address and Client Name at the workstation. (If you need to change the IP address or Name later, you can edit the WATTCP.CFG file on the Client Boot Diskette using any text editor).

b)	Is the operating system on the target workstation Win NT or Win 2000? If so, you must create an extra primary FAT16 bootable partition on the primary drive. This partition (Type 6) will hold the Client program and its support files (during installation, these files will be copied from the boot diskette into this partition).

If free space exists on the primary hard drive, you can create and format a partition using the NT Disk Administrator, which is accessed by selecting Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | Disk Administrator from the Windows Start menu.  Make sure you make your partition is large enough to force the creation of a FAT16 (Type 6) partition.

Note: During System Agent installation, the size and format of all detected partitions are reported on the Select Partitions dialog. Make sure your partition is FAT16- DOS, primary... If not, you may have to increase the partition size and reboot before installing System Agent.

If no free space exists on the target primary hard drive, try resizing an existing partition to free up space.  Do this by creating an Image File of the drive and then restoring the image using the dialog tab to the right.  An extra partition can be created during the restore.

Simply check Create extra partition at end of drive and select a size of 8MB.  Choose Type 6 partition type from the drop-down menu, as shown. Once drive is restored and the extra partition is created, format it using FDISK.

Step 3:  Go to the workstation and run the System Agent Installation program

Run AgentSetup.exe from floppy diskette or network share.  Then follow the prompts:

a)	If Microsoft SNMP services are installed on your local machine, you will be given the option of installing files to support this feature.

b)	When prompted to install ImageCast Control Center support, check the Enable ImageCast Control Center Support box.  Then, check operations to be supported at the workstation.  Do NOT check Reboot this computer into the ImageCast Client unless a Multicast Boot Diskette  – and an extra partition if OS is WinNT / Win2000 –  was created for this workstation.

If the Query this computer’s parameters option is disabled here, you will not be able to remotely view the computer’s parameters from the Control Center (the View Agent Configuration command for this workstation will be disabled at the Control Center).  However, you can still view these parameters on the local monitor by double-clicking on the Agent icon in the system tray.  This displays the StorageSoft System Agent dialog.

Checking the Allow user to modify ImageCast configuration options box allows users to change ImageCast support at the local workstation – but only if the Agent icon is displayed in the system tray  (an install option when the Agent is run from Windows Start menu).  Users click on this icon and change options explained below.  If this option is disabled here, the settings on this tab will be “locked” and System Agent must be reinstalled to reset the ImageCast configuration options at the workstation..

i)	If the Allow user to modify ImageCast configuration is enabled and the Agent icon is present in the system tray, users can click on this icon to display the StorageSoft System Agent dialog.  By selecting the Options button, the System Agent configuration dialog is displayed.

ii)	From the ImageCast tab, users can spontaneously enable (or disable) support for various ImageCast operations.  Of course, the option to enable/disable Reboot this computer into the ImageCast Client will not be available unless it was included on the original installation.

If installed, SNMP and S.M.A.R.T. can also be configured from this dialog.

c)	When prompted, enter a password to protect the “Control Center-System Agent” communications.  Leave the text boxes blank if no password is desired.

Note: If you specify a password here, it must match the Agent password specified for the Control Center or the System Agent will not be logged into the Client Resources window.

d)	Follow remaining prompts.

Upon completion, System Agent will be installed into the designated directory. If Reboot this computer into the ImageCast Client was selected in step b and the operating system is Win NT / Win 2000, the Client programs are installed into the extra primary partition..  In Windows 95/98, these programs are installed into the System Agent directory.

The System Agent program (SysAgent.exe) processes ImageCast commands and invokes non-imaging operations (e.g., sending and executing files, viewing configuration).  If the Client program is also installed at the workstation, it can also reboot the workstation into this program so imaging operations can be run.


Running System Agent at the Local Workstation

Once the System Agent program is installed, reboot the client workstation to start the program.  An Agent icon should appear in the system tray if the Agent is run from the Windows Start Menu and you selected this install option.  If you selected to hide the Agent or run as a Windows Service, the icon is hidden.

The System Agent icon is interactive.  It not only indicates that System Agent is running, but also provides local configuration information or System Agent status (when the Query this computer’s parameters feature is selected during installation, see step #1 above). Try right-clicking on the icon to display the available options.


System Agent Discovery

Once the System Agent program is running at participating workstations, set discovery parameters within the Control Center to “discover” the Agents:

Open the Client Resources window and select Tools | Discovery Option.  Note: This tab can also be accessed from the Control Center main menu by selecting Tools | Options | Discovery.

Before continuing, make sure ImageCast Windows Agent Support is enabled.

1)	Click on the Automatic Discovery tab to enable automatic discovery and specify how often the Control Center is to search for active Agents (workstations running the System Agent program).  By default, a new search launched every 60 seconds.

Note:  If automatic discovery is disabled here, searches can be  initiated by pressing the Discovery button in the Client Resources toolbar.

2)	Use the Timeout tab to specify how long the Control Center is to wait for an Agent to respond. The default is 45 seconds.

3)	If a Password was entered when the System Agents were installed on remote workstations, enter the same password here.  During System Agent discovery, this password will be compared to that entered at the local workstation.

Note: In System Agent versions 3.12 or later, an icon for the System Agent will not appear in the Client Resources window if the passwords do not match OR a password was not specified at either end.  This is purposely done for security reasons.

4)	Click on the Discovery Scope tab to specify which IP Addresses are to be contacted in discovery searches:  Enter a “range” of IP addresses by specifying a Broadcast Address or enter individual IP addresses into an IP Address List.

a)	Calculate an appropriate Broadcast Address range for your site by pressing the Calculate button on this tab.  Verify that the IP address and subnet mask listed on the Calculator identify your Control Center.  Click Get Broacast  and a corresponding broadcast address will be inserted into the Discovery Scope tab.  This address is used to contact all workstations on the same network segment as the Control Center.  See next section for more information.

b)	Press the Point-to-Point IP Addresses button to add Agent IP addresses that lie outside your Control Center network segment.  The list of IP Addresses is stored in a text file called AGENTIPS.CFG in the ImageCast IC3 main folder and can be manually edited by using any text editor.

5)	Click OK to apply the specified parameters.

6)	Open the Client Resources window to view discovered Agents, allowing time for discovery.  Any responding Agents will be logged in here –  an icon for each Agent is added to Client Resources window and its IP address and Client Name are added to a list maintained within the Control Center.  Active Agents are denoted by green icons; inactive Agents  those previously logged but now unresponsive  are grayed.

Verifying that the Broadcast Address includes BOTH the Control Center and System Agents

During Agent searches, ImageCast broadcasts to a range of IP addresses from the highest IP address on a single network segment (Broadcast Address) down to the lowest IP Address on this segment.  Active Agents whose IP addresses fall within the broadcast range respond and are logged into the Control Center.

The default Broadcast Address used in these searches makes two basic assumptions: 1) the Control Center resides on the same network segment as the System Agents, and 2) the network segment is a Class C network (a small network with only one segment). Using these assumptions, ImageCast generates a Broadcast Address using the Control Center Windows IP Address with an “assumed” subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (this mask denotes a small network with only one segment).

If your Control Center is such a network, the default Broadcast Address will work well for you.  Just make sure that your System Agents are on the same network segment as your Control Center.  This means that all System Agents (and the Control Center) should be using the same subnet mask, and that all IP addresses have the same Network ID.

If you are using ImageCast on a larger network, such as a Class B network, or a Class C with multiple subnets, you will need to recalculate the Broadcast Address to contact your Agents.

****************************

HOW TO DERIVE THE NETWORK ID  FROM AN IP ADDRESS

**************************

To verify that the Control Center and workstations are on the same network segment:

1) Make sure the Control Center and System Agents are using the same subnet mask.

2) Make sure the Network ID within all IP addresses is the same.

Convert the Control Center IP Address and subnet mask to binary form, as shown below:

IP Address:       9.  9.255.3         =    00001001.00001001.11111111.00000011

Subnet Mask:  255.255.255.0  =    11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000

The “one” bits in the subnet mask indicate which bits in the IP address denote the Network ID.  Extracting the Network ID within the above IP address yields:

               Network ID    =    00001001.00001001.11111111

Extract the Network ID from each non-communicating Agent.  These should match; only workstations using the same Network ID can communicate.


Password Protecting System Agent-Control Center Communications
Password Protecting Control Center – System Agent Communications

To password protect  Control Center  System Agent communications, two passwords must be specified.  One password is for the Control Center to use to contact System Agents. This password is set from the Discovery tab, which can be accessed by selecting Tools | Discovery Options from the Client Resources window. The other password is for a System Agent to use when contacting the Control Center and it is set when System Agent is installed at the workstation.

Please note that the password set here is not the password used to protect the Control Center interface.  That password is set from the Security tab within the Tools | Options main menu.

Before communications commence, ImageCast automatically compares this password with the System Agent password and, if a match exists, the workstation icon is activated within the Client Resources window.

Note: In System Agent versions 3.12 or later, an icon for the System Agent will not appear in the Client Resources window if the passwords do not match OR a password was not specified at either end.  This is purposely done for security reasons.


Viewing Configuration of an Agent Workstation
Viewing the Configuration of an Agent Workstation

The configuration of an Agent workstation can be accessed from 1) the StorageSoft System Agent dialog on the local monitor, or 2) the Control Center if the View and Query this computer’s parameters operation is enabled at the Agent workstation.  If viewed from the Control Center, keep in mind that Windows limitations prohibit the true number and size of drives on the workstation from being detected accurately.  Thus, this information is best viewed locally using the System Agent dialog.

Viewing the Workstation Configuration from the Control Center

To view the configuration at a System Agent workstation, right-click on a Agent icon within the Client Resources window and select View Agent Configuration from the pop-up menu.  Or, double-click on the Agent icon to display the Client Properties dialog, click on the Agent tab and select View Configuration.

Note: Some information will not be available due to OS and hardware limitations. .

Viewing the Agent Workstation Configuration from the System Agent

The workstation configuration can also be viewed from the System Agent dialog. Simply click on the Agent icon in the system tray to show the StorageSoft System Agent dialog and select the System Information tab.

For information on a specific parameter, click on the item and press F1.

To specify the frequency with which System Information is collected, select the Welcome tab on this dialog, and press the Options button to display the StorageSoft System Agent Configuration dialog.  Polling frequency is set on the General tab.


Logging System Agent Activity at the Agent Workstation
Logging System Agent Activity

The System Agent activity at each participating workstation can be logged locally – if the Agent icon is displayed in the system tray.  To enable status logging at such a workstation, click on the Agent icon in its system tray and check the Enable Status Log button on this tabbed page.

Note: The Log is not available unless an Agent icon is displayed.


Rebooting System Agents into Gather or Distribute Tasks
Including System Agents in Gather or Distribute Tasks

To include System Agents in Gather or Distribute Tasks, follow these steps:

1)	Display the Task Properties dialog by double-clicking on the Task icon.

2)	Select the Client List tab and drag the desired Agent icon from the Client Resources window to this tab.

3)	Select the Scheduling tab and check Reboot Clients.

The Control Center will send commands to reboot all participating clients into the ImageCast Client program just before the task is run.  Make sure machines are running and connected to the network (if you plan to run your Imaging Tasks overnight, make sure to ask employees or students to leave their workstations operational and exit all applications.)


Installing System Agent from the Commandline
Installing System Agents from the Command-line

The System Agent can be installed from the command-line using the parameters below.  If any one (or more) of these parameters are present at run-time, no dialogs will be displayed and all unspecified parameters will be set to the defaults listed below.

ImageCast Settings    1= ON; 0= OFF

/I1=1	Enable ImageCast Control Center support

/I2=1	Allow user to change ImageCast options

/I3=1	Shut down and restart computer into Windows allowed

/I4=1	Query of this computer’s parameters allowed

/I5=1	Send this computer files allowed

/I6=1	Execute files on this computer allowed

/I7=1	Send this computer messages allowed

/I8=1	Reboot computer into ImageCast Client allowed

SNMP Settings    1= ON; 0= OFF

/S1=1	Enable SNMP support

/S2=1	Allow user to change SNMP options

/S3=1	Remote view and query of computer parameters allowed

/S4=1	Reboot this computer into the ImageCast Client

Common Settings    1= ON; 0= OFF

/PW= (no default) Agent Password

/PART=1	NT Client Partition

/EXEC=1	Run System Agent as Executable (1) or Service (0)

/HIDE=0	Hide System Agent from user (Do not show in Tray)

/ID=1	Change WATTCP.CFG file to match current settings

/DIR=”C:\SYSAGENT”  Install Directory, must be in quotes

In the following example, the System Agent is installed with SNMP disabled, ImageCast enabled and run as an executable from the Windows Start menu with the Agent icon displayed.  The user cannot change the ImageCast options.  All unspecified parameters are set to the defaults.

AGENTSETUP.EXE /SNMP=0 /I2=0 /PART=0 /HIDE=1

Don’t forget to restart your system after installation to invoke the Agent.


Running System Agent from the Command-line
Running System Agents from the Command-line

System Agent program can be run from the command-line.  This includes the System Agent program invoked from the  Windows Start menu (SysAgent.exe) or that invoked as a Windows NT Service  (SysAgentSRV.exe).

Running the System Agent as an Executable from the Command-line

If your Agent is operating on a workstation with a number of SCSI devices, SCSI discovery can often delay System Agent initialization on system start-up.  If this is the case on your system, consider running System Agent from the command-line using the following parameter.

SYSAGENT.EXE /DISABLESCSI

Running the System Agent as  an NT Windows Service from the Command-line

The following parameters can be used to  run System Agent as an NT Windows Service (SysAgentSRV.exe) from the command-line:

/I	Set up the service for manual startup

/A	Set up the service for automatic startup

/D	Install the service as disabled

/R	Set up the service as enabled

/?	Help

In the following example, the System Agent runs as a NT Windows Service with the service enabled and with automatic startup.

SysAgentSRV.exe /A /R


Sending Commands to System Agents
Sending Commands from the Control Center

All direct communications between the Control Center and System Agents take place from the Client Resources window.  Simply right-click on any Agent icon (or group of icons) within this window to display a pop-up menu with supported operations.  System Agents can also be included in Gather and Distribute Tasks.

Sending Commands to Groups of System Agents

To perform actions on a group of System Agents, highlight the group of Agent icons and right-click on the group.  Then, select an operation from the pop-up menu. In addition to the operations installed at the workstation, the following operations are supported:

Remove from list: Removes the Client IP addresses from the list maintained by the Control Center.

Remove Post Config: Unattaches the Post Configuration files from the highlighted Clients.

Wake Up NIC Option:  If an Agent icon is put into suspend mode (the client is put to “sleep” due to inactivity), its icon will be grayed within the Client Resources window.  To wake this client, select the Wake up NIC operation from the pop-up menu.

Note:The Wake On LAN specification must be supported on the remote network card and mainboard.  ImageCast can NOT detect this – the easiest way to discern support is to just try the option when a client becomes inactive (grayed).

Additional Send Files Options

The send files command supports two options: 1) execute the file immediately after it is transferred, or 2) replace the file on next reboot if it is in use.  The last option allows you to defer file transfer if the file is currently in use and unavailable at the time the operation is issued.

Additional Windows Shutdown Options

Two Windows shutdown options are available: Shut-down or Restart. The options are presented whenever the Shutdown icon is selected from the Agent tab or the Agent pop-up menu.

Sending Commands to Individual Agents

To perform actions on an individual System Agent, you can right-click on the Agent icon and select an operation from the pop-up menu, as shown in the previous section.  Or, you can operate from the Client Properties dialog.  To do this, double-click on the Agent icon and select the Agent tab to display all supported operations, see below.

Select an operation by double-clicking on an operation icon.  The Reboot into ImageCast Client icon results in immediate action.  Double-clicking on the remaining icons display dialogs to collect or show information.

Only the operations you installed at the remote Agent workstation will be available here.

Note: The Wake Up NIC command is only accessible from the pop-up menu, see previous section.


Examples of System Agent at Work

Updating Applications Between multicast Deployments in any Environment

Situation #4:  An IS department within a small corporation purchases a new anit-virus application   four weeks after it just deployed its 80 computers with Windows 98.  By now, everyone has added data and applications to their machines.  It is impossible to create a new image file that includes the operating system and distribute this onto target machines without overlaying the data that has been added on each workstation.

Solution #A

The Anti-Virus Application Includes an “Automatic Install Script”

Use the new System Agent to update after deployment by sending the anti-virus installation package from the Control Center down to the remote workstations. Then, install right on the workstations.  The “automated install script” included with the antivirus install program enables installation to take place without local intervention.

Assumptions

The example assumes that all participating workstations are running the System Agent program and the anti-virus installation program is a self-extracting, compressed program file with an automatic install script.

To begin, the anti-virus Install Package is downloaded from its company web site to the ImageCast Control Center.  Then, the communications between the Control Center and participating System Agents is established.

•	From the ImageCast Control Center, open the Client Resources window to view all participating System Agent workstations.  They are denoted by green icons.

•	Select the “group” of System Agents to receive the upgrade by highlighting the applicable System Agent icons.  Right-click on the highlighted group to display the popup menu and click on Send File to Selected Agents... .

•	From the Send File dialog, specify the path and filename of the downloaded Install Package (on the Control Center computer).  Then, type in the destination drive and folder on the targeted workstations.  In this example, it is assumed that the program is to be placed in the Program Files directory on the primary drive, so “C:\Program Files\AVirus3” is entered.  (The folder “AVirus3” is a new folder so it will be created.)  The file is sent.

Once the program is resident on the target workstations, the program is executed remotely. First, the program files are extracted from the Install Package:

•	Again, right-click on the highlighted group and select Execute File on Selected Clients... from the popup menu.  Enter the path and filename to the Install Package. Click on the Execute button to extract the anti-virus program files into the AVirus3 folder.

Note: If your installation package supports command-line switches that allow you to extract and install in one unattended step, add these switches to the Execute Remote File dialog in this step. This eliminates the need for the following step.

Once the anti-virus install program is extracted, execute the install program:

•	Right-click on the highlighted group and select Execute File on Selected Clients... from the popup menu. Type the path and filename to the Install Package into the Execute Remote File dialog.  In this example, a command-line switch that invokes the “automated install script” is also entered here.  (This script eliminates all prompts so the install can take place unattended.)  The program is executed.

In a final step, the workstations are rebooted into Windows by right-clicking on the group and selecting Reboot Selected Agents to Windows from the popup menu.

The procedure saves time and money because it eliminates the need to travel from workstation to workstation to install the program. If just 10 minutes is saved per workstation, the total time exceeds thirteen hours!  And, this does not include the amount of work time you save employees by not tying up their machines during the install.  But, the real advantage is that the procedure ensures that identical changes are placed on each workstation, leaving user data and settings unaltered.

Solution #B

The Anti-Virus Application requires Installation Intervention

Use System Agent along with the AppImage utility to install the anti-virus on deployed PCs.  Use the AppImage utility to create an image of the application installation and then convert this image to a self-extracting file.  Use the System Agent program to send the self-extracting file down to relevant PCs and execute the file at local workstations.

Assumptions

The assumptions in this example are equivalent as those in Example #A.

To begin, set up a model of the deployed systems. In this example, a PC originally deployed with the operating system is used even though some new data had been added since deployment.  (If such a system is not available at your site, simply recreate the model system by restoring the deployed image file onto an available PC).

Note: An AppImage only records system “changes” that occur during an application installation --- and the AppImage is only operable when placed over the same system configuration on which is was constructed. To illustrate the type of problems that can arise when the system bases differ, imagine that a database application had been installed on one of the workstations in our example.  The install added several new *.dll files.  If this system is then used to create the AppImage, problems may arise.  When the anti-virus application is installed on this system and the system “changes” are recorded, these*.dll  files will not be added because they already exist on the system. This means they will not be included in the AppImage (no change to the system).  When the anti-virus AppImage is then placed  onto machines that don’t have the same database application, the *.dll files may not be present so the anti-virus will not be able to run on those machines. For this and other reasons, it is important that the model system used to set up your AppImage be the same as that originally deployed to your systems.

Once the model system is set up, the AppImager utility is installed on the system and the system “changes” are recorded.  This is done by comparing the system states “before” and “after” the anti-virus is installed.  The steps to do this follow:

•	Take a “before” snapshot by installing and running the AppImager program (Appimager.exe) on the Model System.  Select “Before Snapshot” from the AppImager main menu and specify which drive to scan, registry root keys and files to include. In this example, the defaults were used.  Click on the Take Snapshot button to record the initial system state.

•	Install the anti-virus application.

•	Take an “after” snapshot of your system by running the AppImager program again and selecting Take After Snapshot button from the AppImager toolbar. When the snapshot is complete, the After Snapshot Options dialog appears with a synopsis of differences between the “before” and “after” snapshots. After verifying file and registry differences, the AppImage is created.

In the next step, the AppImage is converted into a self-extracting program file.  This file is an executable program which can be run by double-clicking on its icon within Windows Explorer or running it from the Start Menu. When run, it unfolds much like WinZip to update files and directories.  To make a self-extracting AppImage:

•	Run the AppImager program again and select Tools | Create Self-Extracting AppImage from the main menu. Enter the path and filename of the newly created AppImage when prompted and create the file when ready.

Once the self-extracting AppImage file is created, it can be distributed to any number of workstations.  To do this, bring up the ImageCast Control Center and open the Client Resources window.

•	Select the “group” of System Agents to receive the self-extracting file by highlighting the applicable System Agent icons.  Right-click on the highlighted group to display the popup menu and click on Send File to Selected Agents... .

•	From the Send File dialog, specify the path and filename of the self-extracting AppImage file.  Type in a destination drive and folder on the workstation.  In this example, it is assumed that the program is to be placed in the Program Files directory on the primary drive of workstation so “C:\Program Files\AVirus3” is entered. (The folder “AVirus3” is a new folder so it will be created.)  Send the file.

In the last step, execute the self-extracting AppImage file:

•	Right-click on the highlighted group, Execute File on Selected Clients... and, when the Execute Remote File dialog appears, enter the path and filename to the resident self-extracting AppImage file.

The anti-virus program files and directories are placed into the target workstation folder and the corresponding registry settings are updated. To reboot the workstations into Windows, right-click on the group and select Reboot Selected Agents to Windows from the popup menu.  The application is ready to be run.


Upgrading System Agent
Updating System Agent

To update System Agents to a new version, follow these steps:

1)	Run the new version of AgentSetup.exe on each workstation. AgentSetup will automatically shut down System Agent at the workstation (on some systems a dialog prompts for shutdown verification)

2)	Follow the prompts presented in the Install program.

3)	Reboot to reactivate System Agent (if not running from a floppy, a Reboot Button is presented at the end of the Install sequence).

If you are running SysAgent.exe (version 3.06 or earlier) on your workstations and want to upgrade them to System Agent, you must update all the SysAgent.exe workstations with the new “System Agent” program.  Please see Technical Support on the ImageCast web site for the latest suggestions on upgrading.


Deactivating or Removing System Agent
Deactivating and Removing the System Agent

Right-click on the System Agent icon in the system tray to display this menu and select from the following options:

•	View Communications Details

•	Deactivate Remote Boot on this client.

•	Uninstall from Startup (you have to manually remove the System Agent programs).

To deactivate the System Agent program when the Agent icon is not displayed and it is running as an executable, just cancel the SysAgent task.  In other words, enter Ctl+Alt+Del at the keyboard, highlight the SysAgent within the Windows Close Program dialog, and select End Task.  Then, you can remove the program and its directory if wanted.


Post Configuring Drives
Post Configuring Clients

What is Post Configuration and How Does it Work?

Installing and Using the Post Configuration Injector

Specifying or Editing Post Configuration Settings when Injector is Invoked

Creating and Attaching a Post Configuration File

AutoIncrementing Post Configuration Files in a Task

Configuring Restored Client Workstations in Standalone Mode

Running the Post Configuration Injector from the Command-Line

Installing the Post Configuration Injector from the Command-Line


Creating a Post Configuring File from Control Center
What is Post Configuration and How does it Work?

The ImageCast Post Configuration utilities facilitate workstation setup by altering the network parameters, registry keys and values placed onto imaged workstations.  Such configuration can be done for Win 95/98, Win NT Server/Workstation, and Win 2000.

Once a client is post configured with unique network parameters, it can automatically reboot into an existing network (assuming the target NIC as the same as that on the Model System).  In some operating systems, a client can also automatically log on.

Several steps are required to post configure clients using ImageCast IC3:

1)	Install the Post Configuration Injector on your Model System.  You cannot post configure without this utility installed.  The utility gains control after a client is imaged and the system reboots. Its primary function is to read the Post Configuration settings passed down from the Control Center, or read those passed from a Standalone Client, and configure the computer accordingly.

The Injector utility is installed from the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM or from floppy diskettes built from the Control Center.  It is optionally installed with the MicroSoft Windows NT System Preparation tool, which can be set to run before injection.  Execute scripts can be set up to run afterwards (see the Summary tab on the Post Configuration dialog).

2)	Create Post Configuration files containing the network and registry settings to be placed on a client. These files are created within the Control Center. (Keep in mind that the configuration settings in the Image File will be restored onto clients first; the Post Configuration settings you enter here will only alter these settings.)

3)	Attach each Post Configuration file to a client.  If you are multicasting, drag each Post Configuration file icon onto a client icon (or drag a file onto a task) in the Client Resources window. This step tells the Control Center which client is to receive which post configuration file during the restoration process.

If you are operating in Standalone mode, the Client interface will prompt you for a Post Configuration filename when you perform a Restore operation.

4)	Once a restore (a Distribute Task) is executed and the clients are restored with the Image File, the default is to reboot each client, invoke the resident Post Configuration Injector, read the Post Configuration file sent to it, and configure the client accordingly.

If the Post Configuration Injector was installed on a drive but you failed to define a Post Configuration file for that client, settings can be entered when the Injector gains control on the client if you choose to run the Injector as a normal program on first boot.

5)	By default, the Post Configuration Injector removes itself when it is finished and reboots the imaged client.


Installing the Post Configuration Injector
Installing and Using the Post Configuration Injector

The Post Configuration Injector utility is installed on the Model System and becomes part of the Image File that is restored onto client(s). When a client reboots after it receives the Image File, the Injector utility is invoked by default.  Its function is to read the Post Configuration file that is sent to the client and configure it.

Injector Installation

The Post Configuration Injector can be installed from the IC3 CD or a floppy diskette:

Insert the ImageCast IC3 CD into a CD-ROM drive on the Model workstation and select PostConfig Injector from the Install screen. This will copy the installation program IPCSETUP.EXE directly onto the root of the C: drive (C:\).

Or, build a floppy diskette that will install the utility by selecting Tools | Model Workstation Tools | PostConfig Injector from the Control Center’s main menu.  Select “Yes” to copy the injector program onto a floppy diskette. Then, insert this floppy diskette into the Model machine and run IPCSETUP.EXE.

Running IPCSetup in Windows 95/98.

Run the Post Configuration Injector Installation program (IPCSETUP.EXE) from the C: drive or diskette.  In Windows 95/98, the Injector is installed to run on the first boot.  If MicroSoft TweakUI tools are installed, it can also log a workstation into the network when booted.  After installing the Injector, you should immediately reboot the system into the ImageCast IC3 Client floppy boot diskette and take an image of the system.

When the Control Center restores an image onto a workstation, the restored workstation is booted into Windows and the Injector is invoked to alter the settings on that workstation.  By default, the Injector will be removed and the workstation rebooted again.

Note: Override injection defaults using the Summary tab within the Post Configuration dialog.  Use the Execute button on this tab to run programs after the settings are injected.

Running IPCSetup in Windows NT/2000

Log on with administrative privileges before you install.  Then, run the Post Configuration Injector Installation program (IPCSETUP.EXE) from the C: drive or diskette.

1)	When prompted, select to install the ImageCast PostConfig Injector with/without the Microsoft Windows NT System Preparation tool.  An NT SysPrep diskette is required. The tool prepares the model system so when its image is restored onto a target, the target receives its own unique security ID (SID) and desktop settings.  Set parameters for the NT SysPrep tool on the WINNT/WIN2K System Preparation Tool  tab within the Post Configuration dialog.

2)	Then, select to a) run the Injector automatically on the first boot, and/or b) automatically log the workstation in on the first boot. The User Name and password must be entered if the second option is selected.

3)	Insert your NT SysPrep floppy when prompted.

After installing the Injector, you should immediately reboot the system into the ImageCast IC3 Client floppy boot diskette and take an image of the system.

When the Control Center restores the image onto a workstation, the workstation will be booted into Windows and the Windows NT SysPrep tool will gain control (if installed).  The NT SysPrep tool sets up the workstation according to parameters supplied on the NT/WINDOWS 2000 System Preparation tab within the Post Configuration file (the file passed down to the workstation during the distribute task).  The system then reboots into Windows and the Post Configuration Injector is invoked to place registry and configuration settings onto the workstation.  The workstation reboots again and automatically logs onto Windows (if this option was selected during Injector installation).

Note: Override injection defaults using the Summary tab within the Post Configuration dialog.  Use the Execute button on this tab to execute programs after settings are injected.


Specifying or Editing Post Configuration Settings before injection
Specifying or Editing Settings when the Injector is Invoked

When the Post Configuration Injector gains control on a restored client, it configures the client according to the settings in the Post Configuration file that was sent down to the client during the Distribute Task.

You can elect to delay injection on a newly restored client for a specified number of seconds, see the Summary tab in the Post Configuration Properties. During this delay, the “Suspend” dialog is displayed on the client monitor allowing you to intervene in the Post Configuration process. You can change settings, suspend processing, or continue.

To suspend the injection process momentarily, click on the “Suspend” button. Request Edit Post Configuration and the Post Configuration Properties dialog will be displayed so you can enter or change settings at this time.

Creating a Post Configuration File when the Injector Runs on a Restored Client

If a Post Configuration file is not attached during a restore/distribute task, the Post Configuration Injector will suspend processing and allow you to specify the file  or input the settings.  You can input the entire file contents of the Post Configuration Properties dialog at this time.


Post Configuration File
Creating and Attaching a Post Configuration File

To create a Post Configuration file, open the Post Configuration Resources within the Control Center. Either double-click on the white space within the window or select File | New from its menu. A Post Configuration Properties Dialog is displayed, from which you can specify the settings that you want placed on a client.

Associate the newly created file with a client in one of in two ways.  If you are operating in Standalone mode, the Client interface will prompt you for a post configuration file during a restore operation.  If you are multicasting, attach the Post Configuration file to a client within the Control Center. Do this by opening all Resource windows and drag a Post Configuration icon onto a client icon. If you forget to create or attach a file, the Post Configuration Injector will prompt you for these settings when it is invoked after the client is imaged and rebooted.


AutoIncrement Post Configuration Files
AutoIncrementing Post Configuration Files in a Task

When a Distribute Task has multiple clients, one Post Configuration file can be assigned to the task  rather than one file to each client. This is done by creating a generic Post Configuration file for the client group, and dragging and dropping the its icon onto the Task icon. The Multiple Post Configuration dialog appears.

Using this dialog, a unique Computer Name and/or IP Address can be assigned to multiple clients.  Simply type in a starting parameters and these will be automatically incremented and assigned to clients in the task.


Running Post Configuration from the Command-line
Running the Post Configuration Injector from the Command-line

The Post Configuration Injector (PostConfig.exe) can be run from the command-line, as shown below.  Just add a parameter to specify the *.IPC text file.

POSTCONFIG C:\Temp\MYPOSTCONFIG.IPC

In this example, the Injector is launched and automatically opens the Post Configuration file with the path and filename of C:\Temp\MYPOSTCONFIG.IPC.


Running Post Configuration from the Command-line
Installing the Post Configuration Injector from the Command-line

The Post Configuration Injector can be installed from the command-line using the parameters below.  If any one (or more) of these parameters are present at run-time, no dialogs will be displayed and all unspecified parameters will be set to the defaults shown below:

/AutoRunFirstBoot=[YES | NO]

/AutoLogin=[YES | NO]

/UserName=[UserName]

/Domain=[DomainName]       -  Only used on NT installs

/Password=[Password]

In the following example, the Post Configuration Injector install is executed using the specified User and Domain Names with all other parameters set to the defaults (e.g., AutoRunFirstBoot=YES, etc.).

   IPCSETUP.EXE /UserName=SamualH /Domain=Valhalla


Using the Image Explorer
The Image Explorer

Image Explorer is a standalone ImageCast IC3 Windows application that enables you to display the contents of an Image File in a format similar to Windows Explorer ---  and then restore individual files from FAT partitions in this display. (Files cannot be altered within the image.) No longer do you need to restore a complete drive when you are only interested in restoring a few individual files.

Image Explorer is automatically added to your system when you select a Complete or Typical setup during ImageCast IC3 Control Center installation. If you want to install Image Explorer as an individual component, insert the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into a mapped network drive, select Install... from the main menu, select ImageCast IC3 from the Install menu, and then select Custom for Type of Setup. When you are prompted to select components to install, uncheck all components but Image Explorer.

Launching the Image Explorer

As a standalone application, Image Explorer can be invoked in several ways.

From the Control Center main menu: Select Tools | Image Explorer to display a window of available directories. Click on any Image File name/icon within a directory (a file with *.imc extension). Image Files that are created within the Control Center will be located in the Images subdirectory; however, you can open an Image File from any directory within this interface. Simply double-click on the file name/icon to display its content in Image Explorer.

From the Image Resources window: Right-click on any Image File icon to display the Image Properties dialog and click the Image Explorer button.

Within any Windows Explorer directory: Double-click on any filename with an *.imc extension.

Navigating within the Image Explorer Interface

The Image Explorer displays the contents of Image Files in partitions. Simply click on any partition directory to open it and the directories and files within it will be displayed.

Using Menu Options to Restore Files

Files can be restored, viewed, or executed from the Image Explorer menu. Highlight the file that you want to restore and select File | Extract. You can restore a file to any new location on the Control Center computer. To display the properties of an Image, partition, directory or file, double-click on it. To execute a file, highlight it and select File | Execute.

Other menu options provide you with a Quick View of the file contents or allow you to copy the entire Image File details to a text file.

Image Explorer Command-line Parameters

Image Explorer can also be run from a command-line parameter, as illustrated below:

ICEXP C:\Temp\MYIMAGE.IMC

In this example, the Image Explorer is launched and automatically opens the Image File with the path and filename of “C:\Temp\MYIMAGE.IMC.”


Using Application Images to Multicast
The AppImager

Select from the topics below to learn more about creating and restoring images of software applications.

Application Imaging Overview

Installing AppImager

How are AppImages Created?

Placing AppImages onto Restore Clients

Converting Previous AppImages to a Self-Extracting AppImage File

Clearing the AppImage Catalogs

Installing the AppImage from the Command-line

Running Self-Extracting AppImages from the Command-line


Application Imaging Overview

Application Imaging creates images of software applications. These images are placed onto clients after they are restored with a base Image File, an image file that contains an operating system and applications shared by all workstations.

AppImager creates an image by recording the state of the Model System before and after a software application is installed. Then, it compares the two states to determine differences in registry, files, and configuration. The differences are recorded and saved as an image (*.ica) file. You can create as many application images as you want.  Application images are made into Self-Extracting files and placed onto clients.

AppImager must be installed on your Model System. Do this directly by inserting the  ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into a CD drive on the Model machine and selecting AppImager from the Install screen. Or, build diskettes to install AppImager by selecting Tools | Model Workstation Tools: AppImager Setup from the Control Center main menu.


Installing AppImager

AppImager must be installed on your Model System. Do this directly by inserting the  ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into a CD drive on the Model machine and selecting AppImager from the Install screen. Or, build diskettes to install AppImager by selecting Tools | Model Workstation Tools | AppImager Setup from the Control Center main menu.  Then, run AISetup.exe from diskette on the model station.


How to Build AppImages
How are AppImages Created?

AppImages are constructed right on the Model system.

1)	The first step in AppImaging is to set up a Base Model System.

Set up Model System with operating system and common applications (those applications that are to be shared by all target clients).  This system will constitute your base Model System.

2)	Install the AppImager program on your Model System. ).  The interface will differ slightly for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT/2000.

3)	Execute the AppImager program installed in the previous step.

Click on the highlighted button in the toolbar to take a “before” snapshot when prompted to do so.  The Before Snapshot Configuration dialog will be displayed.

a)	Specify general parameters on page one of the Before Snapshot Configuration dialog:

Drive to Scan: Select the drive that is your Model System (the drive on which you will install applications).

Select Registry Root Keys to include in the Scan: Check the root keys to include in the application image. Root keys not checked will be excluded.

Click on the Next> button to proceed.

b)	Define the file content of your application image on the second page:

Specify Files Types that you do want to omit from the application image.

Specify Specific Files to omit from the  application image.

Specify whether you want AppImager to search through the .BAT, .INI and Config.sys files on your model system, pick up line-by-line changes, and place these changes on the restored Client. ONLY the line items within the selected files will be added.

Click on the Take Snapshot button to record the system state. This records the state of the system (everything installed on your base Model System, the registry and AppImager.

Note: The settings you select in the above steps can be saved and loaded so you do not have to manually reenter them each time you create an application image.

4) 	Install the software of choice and reboot if needed.

5)	Execute the AppImager program again to take the “after” snapshot of your system. From the interface, select the  button on the toolbar (the function is also available by selecting Create | After Snapshot from main menu).

When the snapshot is complete, the After Snapshot Options dialog appears with a synopsis of differences between the “before” and “after” snapshots. By default, all recorded changes will be included in the application image file.

a)	Click on the File Explorer tab to verify or alter the file differences:

A checked box to the immediate right of a folder or file includes it in the application image. Unchecking the box excludes it.

b)	Click on the Registry Explorer tab to verify or alter the registry differences:

Click on the box to left of each entry to expand(contract) its contents.

A checked box to the immediate right of a folder or file includes it in the application image. Unchecking the box excludes it.

c)	Click on the Summary tab to create the application image.

Enter a name for the image (or replace an existing image by browsing).

Click on the Create Image button to create the image.

The Creation Statistics box tracks the creation of the image.

6)	Click on the OK button after the application image is created to return to the AppImager interface.

Note: You may save the “before” and “after” snapshots as AppImage Catalog entries and then reuse these entries rather than returning the computer to its original state by reimaging. To Save or Open AppImage Catalog entries, access the File options on the main menu.


Placing AppImages on Restored Clients

AppImages are made into self-extracting files.  It is either installed on the Model System so it becomes a part of the Image File that is restored to groups of clients, or it is copied on a restored client and executed then.


Self-Extracting AppImages
Converting a Previous AppImage to a Self-Extracting File

ImageCast allows you to convert the AppImage into a self-extracting file. Once it is placed onto the restored client, it can be executed by either double-clicking on its icon within Windows Explorer or running it from the Start Menu. When run, it unfolds much like WinZip to place files and directories onto the system. The program also updates the registry settings.

The procedure to make your AppImage into a self-extracting file follows:

1)	Run the AppImager program (the same program used to create the AppImage). Select Tools | Create Self-Extracting AppImage from the AppImager main menu.

1)	A wizard is invoked to assist you.  Click Next> to continue.

1)	When prompted, enter the path and filename of the application image that you want to make into a self-extracting file. Or, you can browse for the file. By default, your application image was placed into the same directory as the AppImager program with the *.imc file extension.

1)	The following screen allows you to input information that will be stored with the application image. The information entered here can optionally be displayed in a dialog on the monitor when the self-extracting application image is executed (see step 5) at a Client workstation.

1)	Select whether to display a dialog when the self-extracting file is invoked. By default, the dialog is not displayed.

1)	Create the self-extracting file by pressing the Create button to begin creating your file

Once the self-extracting AppImage is created, it can be moved to the restored client and executed it directly. You simply double-click on its icon within Windows Explorer to run it (or run it from the Start Menu). When run, it place files and directories onto the system and updates the registry settings.


Clearing the AppImage Catalog
Clearing Your Catalogs

The AppImager places catalog files within the AppImager directory when it creates its before and after snapshots. Periodically, you may find it necessary to restart an after shot   or simply do housecleaning.  By selecting Tools | Clear Catalogs from the AppImager main menu, you can remove these files from your directory.


Running AppImage from the Command-line
Running Self Extracting AppImages from the Command-line

The following command-line parameters can be used with self-extracting AppImages:

/REM 	Removes itself after injection

/REBOOT	Reboots after injection

/NOREBOOT	Does not reboot after injection

/INSTANT	No wait (delay ignored) before injection


About Client Boot Diskettes
The ClientBuilder and Client Boot Diskette Contents

The ClientBuilder utility is accessed by selecting Tools | ClientBuilder from the Control Center main menu or from the IC3 CD-ROM.  It is a wizard-like application that prompts the user for descriptions of the target workstation as it selects required files and copies them to a Client Boot Diskette.

Client Boot Diskette Composition

All Client Boot Diskettes must contain DOS system, startup and memory manager files (AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, COMMAND.COM, lo.sys and msdos.sys), as well as the ImageCast IC3 programs (CLIENT.EXE, Rserver.drv and Dis_pkt9.dos). The diskettes also contain network interface files, which are discussed below.

Multicast Mode Client Files

The purpose of a Multicast Client is to perform the commands sent by the Controller. The Client communicates with the Control Center via TCP/IP protocols over an Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or Token Ring network. The required network interface includes the hardware, associated software driver, and protocols.  Several types of files follow:

A special TCP/IP packet-driver shim.

The client.exe program and support files.

A NIC (Network Interface Card) DOS driver; NDIS or NDIS2 type.

Autoexec.bat, a DOS “startup” file that automatically starts client.exe and may be easily modified with command-line switches.

A Wattcp.cfg file that contains the workstation network parameters such as a subnet mask, unique IP address, and workstation ID.

In multicast mode, the Client Boot Diskettes are set up with all the network interface files required for communication. ClientBuilder copies the files required by a specific client workstation to diskette during the build process. It prompts users to specify the NIC (network interface card) present on the workstation and then copies the network/media driver and any required configuration files to the boot diskette. It also copies ImageCast-provided TCP/IP protocols. These files, along with the DOS and Client programs mentioned above, allow the boot diskette to communicate with the IC3 Control Center  independent of the local computer interface. This means that TCP/IP does not have to be installed on Client machines. It need only be installed on the IC3 ImageCast Control Center machine.

More on the Network Interface in Multicasting Mode

ImageCast supports multi-protocol network drivers through an interface that includes the manufacturer’s NDIS driver and our supplied Packet Driver shim. The interface is diagrammed below:

NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) is Microsoft’s multi-protocol network interface. It is a popular standard that is supported by most network manufacturers. When you purchase a network card today, an NDIS driver is usually provided with driver updates made available over the Internet on a regular basis.

The ImageCast IC3 Client cannot directly support NDIS drivers because it is a Packet Driver Application. Such applications typically require a driver that conforms to the FTP Software’s Packet Driver standard, however Packet Drivers are less popular than NDIS drivers and ImageCast IC3 uses some TCP/IP features that didn’t exist when many Packet Drivers were written.

The ImageCast solution is to insert a translating layer between the ImageCast application and the NDIS driver. This layer is popularly termed a “Packet Driver Shim.”  By using an NDIS to Packet Driver shim, ImageCast gets the best of both worlds. The shim can be used with readily available NDIS drivers and also provide required TCP/IP Packet Driver features.

When Multicast Client Boot Diskettes are built by the ClientBuilder, a recently updated Packet Driver shim is copied to each ImageCast IC3 boot diskette. This shim includes all required TCP/IP protocols  eliminating the need for users to install TCP/IP at each client workstation.

Multicast File Breakdown

In addition to the DOS system, startup, and memory manager files mentioned previously, the following files are required for Multicast Clients.

•	NDIS Related Files

PROTMAN.DOS and PROTMAN.EXE: Microsoft’s NDIS Protocol Manager (version 2.x or later). PROTMAN.DOS is the first file to be loaded in CONFIG.SYS (after the memory managers). PROTMAN.EXE is automatically loaded by PROTMAN.DOS. The /i switch tells PROTOMAN.DOS to look in PROTOCOL.INI for configuration information.

PROTOCOL.INI: Editable Initialization (configuration) file for Protocol Manager.

NDIS.DOS (substitute NDIS with the real name): NDIS driver for the specific network interface card.

•	Packet Driver Related Files

DIS_PKT9.DOS: The ImageCast Packet Driver-to-NDIS shim.

NETBIND.COM: A program that binds the shim to the NDIS driver

•	TCP/IP Related Files

WATTCP.CFG: Editable TCP/IP configuration file. The Client program has an internal TCP/IP library that calls on this file for information such as host name and IP Address.

The contents of a sample WATTCP.CFG file is shown below. The settings within your file will be determined by the input you provide to the ClientBuilder program. The settings may be edited using any text editor such as Microsoft Notepad.

[Sample Content]

MY_IP=9.9.255.1

HOSTNAME=LLH001

NETMASK=255.255.255.0

MULTICAST-TTL=1  (Number of Routers)

Standalone Mode Client Files

The purpose of a Standalone Client is to create and/or restore image files at local workstations, with the option of saving these files to or restoring them from a network server. The local network interface is copied to the Client Boot Diskette and used for all networking operations. The TCP/IP network interface used to perform multicasting operations is not copied to Standalone Boot Diskettes. ClientBuilder builds a specialized boot diskette for each type of standalone operation, copying only required files to the boot diskette. For example, boot diskettes made to perform local imaging operations will only contain the DOS system files (AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and COMMAND.COM) and the Client programs (CLIENT.EXE and Rserver.drv). No network interface files will be included.

When standalone operations utilize the network, the files copied to the Client Boot Diskettes depend on 1) the local network interface, and 2) the location of the Client programs. ClientBuilder prompts users to provide both items of information. The location of the Client programs is specified on the Standalone Parameters screen by selecting a 1-Disk or 2-Disk operation. If 1-Disk is selected, the Client programs will be run off the Network Server so the files are not copied to diskette. Only one boot diskette is required, and it contains the DOS system, startup, and network interface files. If 2-Disk is selected, the Client program will be copied to a second boot diskette and run from that diskette.

ClientBuilder also prompts users to specify the NIC (network interface card) present on the client workstation and the drives that need to be mapped. The network/media driver and any required configuration files are then copied to the boot diskette during the build process. Different network interface files are copied for each network interface.

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Using ImageCast from a Standalone Workstation
Using ImageCast IC3 from a Standalone Client workstation

•	Standalone Overview

•	Building and Running from a Standalone Client Boot Diskette

•	Standalone vs. Multicast Client Interfaces

•	The Client Interface and Its Functions

•	Setting up a Model System

•	Creating an Image File from the Client

•	Restoring an Image File from the Client

•	Post Configuring from the Client

•	Internal Disk to Disk operations

•	Enabling USB

•	Imaging with Command-line Switches and Scripts


Operating from Standalone Client
Standalone Overview

Standalone operations are performed from a client workstation rather than the Control Center.  A workstation is rebooted with an ImageCast Client Boot Diskette and the “Client” program on this diskette gains control.  All operations are performed from the Client interface displayed on the workstation monitor.

From this interface, image files can be created or restored with the only restriction being that the source or destination drives used in the operations must exist on the local workstation. If the network is available, image files can optionally be saved to (or retrieved from) a mapped network drive.

The Client

The ImageCast Client program is the workhorse of imaging operations. It runs on all workstations that participate in ImageCast operations to perform the basic imaging functions such as copying, compression, and data transfer.  The program is invoked when a workstation is rebooted with a Client Boot Diskette to run in one of two modes: multicasting or standalone.

In multicasting mode, the primary function of the Client is to communicate with the Control Center, receive commands and perform multicasting functions.  The only imaging operations performed over the network in this mode are those initiated by the Control Center.  Some local imaging operations are supported.

In standalone mode, the Client responds only to commands entered at the local workstation. Commands can image or restore drives, optionally transferring image files over the network using the workstation network interface.  The Control Center is not involved.

The mode in which a Client operates at each workstation is determined by the type of Client Boot Diskette used to reboot the workstation.  If the workstation is rebooted with a Multicast Client Boot Diskette that contains a TCP/IP network interface and support files, the Client will initialize itself for multicasting and await communications with the Control Center.  (Imaging operations that do not require the network can also be run in this mode.)

If the workstation is rebooted with a Standalone Boot Diskette that contains the local network interface, then it will initialize itself for standalone operations.  Both types of boot diskettes are built by the ImageCast ClientBuilder program.


Building Boot  Diskettes for Standalone
Building and Running a Standalone Client Boot Diskette

You can create Standalone boot diskettes from the Control Center or from CD-ROM.

Note: To be fully operational, the Client.exe program copied to the boot diskette in this step must be bound with your ImageCast license certificate.  Select Assistance.. from the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM main menu for instructions. Or, select Tools | Bind License Certificate from the Control Center Menu.

To create a Standalone Client Boot Diskette from the Control Center:

1)	Go to the Control Center main menu and select Tools | ClientBuilder.

2)	Select a Standalone operation from those presented on the first screen.

3)	Follow the prompts. If you have any questions during the build process, press F1 and a help screen will assist you in making a decision.

To create a Standalone Client Boot Diskette from the IC3 CD-ROM:

1)	Go to any machine, boot it to Windows and insert the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into the CD drive. If AUTORUN is enabled, the IC3 menu will be displayed automatically. If AUTORUN is disabled, click on Windows Start and select Run. When the Run dialog appears, locate ICAL.exe and click OK.

2)	Select Image... from the main menu and then select an operation from the Image... menu. The ClientBuilder utility will be invoked to build a boot diskette.

What’s copied onto the Standalone Client Boot Diskette?

•	The ClientBuilder program selects files to be copied to the boot diskette. For Standalone operations, the following files are included:

•	The Client program and support files (if you selected not to use the Client on a server over the network).

•	A driver to interface with the local workstation NIC (this Network Interface Card is the one installed on the workstation that will use this boot diskette).

•	An Autoexec.bat file with the command-line switches requested during the build process

How to launching the Standalone Client

To invoke the Client application at a client workstation:

1)	Insert the Standalone Client Boot Diskette into the machine that you want to operate from and reboot it.

2)	When the Client interface is displayed, remove the diskette.

The Client interface will be displayed on the workstation monitor.


Introduction to the Client
Standalone vs. Multicast Client

The Client program displays a “temporary” GUI interface on the local monitor when it is invoked (the interface is temporary in that all evidence of the Client program is removed from the workstation when the Client is exited.)

The interface is the same in multicasting and standalone modes  — the primary difference lies in the availability of functions within the interface, with relevant functions highlighted and active; and irrelevant functions grayed.  Also, the initial display screens for the two modes differ for user convenience.  In multicast mode, the initial display features the status of multicasting operations at the workstation.  In standalone mode, the display features an Image Wizard that allows users to select imaging operations.  Both these screens are accessible from the Client menu.


The Client Interface
The Client Interface and Its Functions

Upon launching the Client from a Standalone Client Boot Diskette, the ImageCast Client Splash screen will be briefly displayed and then the ImageCast Image Wizard overlays the ImageCast Client Menu pane.

The Image Wizard gives you immediate access to Standalone operations, however these operations can also be accessed from the Client Menu File option.

•	Image Disk to Disk: Sets up an operation to copy the contents of one internal IDE hard drive to another within the same workstation. The operation lets you make an exact duplicate of your hard drive (including data, applications, hidden files, and operating system files) without creating an Image File. OR, it can copy the local IDE hard drive sector-by-sector.

•	Disk to Image File: Sets up an operation to create an Image File of a local hard drive (or partitions contained therein) and then save this file to a second hard drive within the same client workstation or to a mapped network drive.

•	Image File to Disk:  Sets up an operation to restore an Image File from one hard drive to a second within the same workstation (or partitions within the Image File to partitions on a local drive). The operation can restore an image file stored on CD-ROM, a ZIP or IOMEGA drive, or a mapped network drive.

The Client Menu View option displays system status, error/status logs, and information on imaging resources and workstation drives.

The Client Menu Tools option provides utilities that prepare drives and/or partitions for imaging or fine tune the status and error collection process.  Advanced options allow global (not operation specific) switches to be set without having to do so from the command-line.  The utilities include:

•	Prepare Non-Dos prepares a non-FAT or non-NTFS model drive before operating systems and applications are installed on this model. The tool should also be used on a FAT model system if Sector-By-Sector copying is to be used.  The utility writes zeroes on every sector on the drive in order to eliminate “junk” data that would be copied into the Image File in a sector-level copy operation.

•	Important Note: Because this utility wipes out the entire hard disk, use it before installing operating systems and applications on the model system.

•	Tools | Wipe Partition Table can be used to partially wipe a drive when it has been left in an unsettled state (aborted image restore, file system failure, etc.). It zeroes out track zero, wiping clean the master boot record and partition tables. It is not a good substitute for Prepare Non-DOS when the drive will be sector-by-. sector copied because it does not zero out the whole drive in preparation for OS installation and image creation

•	Hide/Reveal a Partition  allow specific partitions to be hidden so they are not viewable under the operating system once the system is rebooted. These partitions will still be visible to the ImageCast Client.

•	Switch Configuration sets command-line switches without having to do so from the Client command.   Switches checked here will apply to all imaging operations performed at the workstation (i.e., the switches are not operation specific).

•	Use Tools | Status Logging to configure a status file on a local or mapped network drive. The default is A:\ floppy drive.  Check the Save status to file (-STATUS=) box to enable recording.  Information will be recorded at regular intervals throughout imaging operations.

•	Use Tools | Error Logging to configure a local or mapped network drive.  The default log is set to A:\ floppy drive.  Check the Save errors to file (-ERROR=) box to record problems encountered during imaging.

The Client Menu Help option

Help options provide an up-to-date list of the command-line switches.


 Setting Up a Model System

Before an Image File can be created, a Model System must be set up. A Model System is a hard drive that contains the operating system, applications and data that is to duplicated.  (If you are performing a back-up operation, the model system is the drive that is to be backed up.)

1)	Install operating system, applications and data onto the hard drive

If the Model System will contain a non-FAT partition, you should use the Prepare Non-DOS feature on the model drive prior to installing the operating system and applications on any partition on the drive.

Optional Steps:

2)	If you plan to post configure a client after it is imaged from this model, do not forget to install and run the Post Configuration Injector utility on the Model System. You cannot post configure without this utility installed.

To install the Post Configuration utility on your model, insert the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into the Model System and select Install... | PostConfig Injector.


Create an Image File from a Standalone Client
Creating an Image File from the Client Interface

To create an Image File from a Standalone Client Workstation:

1)	Insert the Client Boot Diskette into the client workstation that you wish to operate from and re-boot the system.

2)	Select Image | Save Disk to Image File from the main menu (you can also invoke the Image Wizard and select Disk to Image File).

3)	Follow the remaining prompts.

When the Client is finished creating the Image File, it can be restored whenever you like. The Image File can also be copied over to a network location that the Control Center has access to for use in Multicast operations


Restore an Image File from Standalone Client
Restoring an Image File from the Client Interface

To create an Image File from a Standalone Client Workstation:

1)	Insert the Client Boot Diskette into a computer that you wish to restore to and re-boot the system. Remove the diskette when ImageCast starts.

2)	Select Image | Restore Image File to Disk from the main menu (you can also invoke the Image Wizard and select Image File to Disk).

3)	Two type of restore operations can be performed:

•	Restore Entire Image

If this option is selected, you are allowed to select a post configuration file to be placed onto the restored drive.  This post configuration (*.ipc) filemust be created within the Control Center and be available on a local or mapped network drive. Remember that this file will have no effect unless the Post Configuration Injector is installed on the Model System.

•	Selectively Restore a Partition  within an image file.

When the restoration is complete, the system will automatically reboot, unless otherwise specified by the Post Imaging Action in Client Menu Tools | Options.

Note: Images can only be restored onto local drives.  Make sure that this drive has adequate capacity to receive the image.


PostConfiguring in Standalone
Post Configuring a Client in Standalone

There are three ways that you can Post Configure a client in standalone operations. However, none of these methods will work unless you install the Post Configuration Injector utility on your Model System before it is imaged.

The first method is described above in step #6 above.  A Post Configuration file is created within the Control Center and stored out on the network.  During a restore operation, you locate and attach this file from the Client interface.

In the second method, you enter configuration settings at the client workstation itself after the Post Configuration Injector gains control. The Injector utility gains control right after a client receives an Image File and is rebooted. At that time, it displays a “Suspend” screen and pauses briefly. Simply click on the Suspend button and select Edit Post Configuration. You can enter the settings you want as the Post Configuration Properties dialog is displayed.

The third method is to specify a post configuration parameter on a Batch command to the client.


Internal Disk to Disk Operations
Internal Disk to Disk

Use this option 1) to copy the contents of a selected partition from one disk to another within the same workstation using logical read methods, or 2) to copy the contents of one disk to another using a sector-by-sector copy.  The first method is recommended for FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS partition types.  The sector-by-sector copy is used when the drives contain non-NTFS | FAT partition types (e.g., OS/2 FAT) or when you want to image an encrypted drive. In this case, the complete contents of every sector is copied, regardless of whether the sector contains valid data or not.

The required steps to perform an internal copy follow:

1)	Insert the Client Boot Diskette into the client workstation that you wish to operate from and re-boot the system.

2)	Select Image | Internal Disk to Disk from the main menu (you can also invoke the Image Wizard and select Image Disk to Disk).

3)	Two types of operations can be selected:

•	Create Duplicate Drive images one drive to another, with all duplication performed sector by sector.

This option allows users to specialize the copy operation.  By default, the partition sizes will be resized so that their size on the destination is the same percentage as that on the source drive. A unique SID will be created (for WIN NT/WINDOWS 2000), a fingerprint created and FAT cluster will retain same size as original.  These can be overwritten.

•	Selectively Copy Partitions images a specific partition within a workstation.

When the restoration is complete, the system will automatically reboot, unless otherwise specified by the Post Imaging Action in Client Menu Tools | Options.


Enable/Disable USB
Enable USB

Use this option to image between two workstations connected by a Universal Serial Bus (USB).  You can 1) copy the contents of selected partitions from the drive on one workstation to a drive on another using logical read methods, or 2) copy the contents of one drive to another using a sector-by-sector copy.  Once the USB connection is established, the Internal Disk to Disk operation is invoked.

To image using a USB connection:

1)	Insert the Client Boot Diskettes into the client workstations that you wish to operate from and reboot the systems.

2)	Select Image | Enable USB from the main menu on both computers.

3)	Once “handshake” dialogs transpire, a dialog prompts you to specify which client is to be the “Master” and which client the “Slave.”

4)	The Image Wizard appears on the monitor at the Master client, where the Internal Disk to Disk operation can be invoked in USB to USB mode.  From this operation interface, drives or partitions on the Master Drives can be copied to the Slave drives or partitions.  (The local drives on the Master client appear in the “From” drives drop down list; and the remote Slave drives appear in the “To” drives drop down list.)

The Slave client assumes a passive role during the operation, displaying the status of the USB to USB transfer on its monitor.  The network is unavailable during this operation.


Imaging with Command-line Switches and Scripts
Imaging with Script and Command-line Parameters

•	Using Command-line Switches and Scripts

•	ImageCast IC3 Command-line Switches

•	Command-line Switches for Cloning Partitions within Hard Drives

•	Constructing Script Files

•	Examples

•	Examples using both Scripts and Switches on the Command-line


Using Command-line Switches
Using Scripts and Command-line Switches

In addition to a menu driven Standalone interface, ImageCast IC3 supports using scripts and command-line switches to image drives. First, build a Client boot diskette, then modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on this diskette by adding a script filename and/or command-line switches to the CLIENT line.

To illustrate, the CLIENT line in the following AUTOEXEC.BAT file (Standalone Client boot diskette) was altered to execute a series of command-line switches that restore an image file to drive 1:

@ECHO OFF

REM [AUTOEXEC.BAT : Created by ImageCast ClientBuilder 0/9/98]

prompt $p$g

LSL.COM

3C90X.COM

IPXODI.COM

VLM.EXE

pause

Þ client  /mode=f /src=f:\images\imagefile.imc /tgt=1

The CLIENT line can also be modified to execute a script file rather than a series of command-line switches:

Þ client  /SCRIPT=a:\scriptfile.ics

In essence, a script file contains English-language equivalents of command-line switches. Whenever a script file name is encountered on the AUTOEXEC.BAT command line, the file is read and the equivalent command-line switches are executed.


Command-line Switches
ImageCast IC3 Command-line Switches

ImageCast IC3 command-line switches are specified below. To view an up-to-date set of switches activate the Client interface in DOS and go to the directory containing CLIENT.EXE. From this directory, enter the following line at the DOS prompt (drive A is assumed in this example) to display online Help:

A:\> CLIENT /?     (or, CLIENT /h)

A complete listing of command-line switches can also be found on the newer releases of the ImageCast CD-ROM. See Switches.txt in the Imagecast\Docs directory.

To use ImageCast IC3 switches in imaging operations (e.g., Create or Restore), append the following command-line with additional switches from the table below.

CLIENT  -MODE=[D|F|L] [command-line switch]...

When setting general parameters for the Client program (e.g., -TBS, -NOX13), use the following format. These parameters apply to all jobs run by the Client program.

CLIENT  [command-line switch] ...

Note: The command-line switches presented in the table below are preceded by a “-,” however a “/” can also be used. Brackets denote options and are not to be included in the actual commands.

Command-line  Switches and their Functions

-MODE=	[D/F/P/L] These switches specify the mode of operation to CREATE or RESTORE from/to a hard drive:

   [D] = Disk to Image File

   [F] = Image File to Disk

   [P] = Image File Partition To Disk Partition

   [L] = Lock client while waiting for Control Center (multicast only).

E.g., CLIENT -MODE=L

CLIENT -MODE=F -SRC=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC -TGT=2

CLIENT -MODE=L

CLIENT -MODE=D -SRC=2 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

CLIENT -MODE=P -SRC=f:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC\1 -TGT=2:3

-SCRIPT=	Path\Filename of script file.  Script files must be created with a text editor and can contain one switch or script command per line. Command-line switches provided along with script file will over ride same settings in script file. E.g., CLIENT -SCRIPT=MyScript.txt

-BLKSIZE= or  -TBS=

Set the block transfer read size in Kbytes. Default is 16 for 16 KiloBytes. E.g.,

CLIENT -BLKSIZE=32 -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=IMAGE.IMC

-COMP=	Set compression level. Range is from 0 (no compression to a maximum of 9). Default is 9.

-CRC= or  -CRC

If CRC is specified without a parameter, a CRC value is calculated during image file creation and the value is saved with the image file. To print the CRC status of an existing image file, supply the filename.  CRC calculation is used to assure no image file corruption has occurred since the image file was created. The default is not to calculate a CRC value.

E.g., CLIENT -MODE=D -SRC=2 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

      CLIENT -CRC=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-ERROR=	Path\Filename of error log file to be appended. It will be created if it does not exist.  E.g., CLIENT -ERROR=J:\error.log

-EXC=	Path\Filename of file containing a list of files and folders to exclude from the gather or distribute task. The file must be a text file with one entry per line. The wildcard “*” may be used in file and folder names.

Filename examples: d:\wxy.*, d:\*.imc, d:BOOTLOG.TXT

-FREE=	Amount to leave unpartitioned at end of drive, specified as xxMB or yy%. If less than 3 digits without symbol are specified, % is assumed; otherwise, MB assumed. Option can be used when drives are same-size.

E.g., CLIENT -FREE=100MB -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=F:\IMAGE.IMC

-H= or -?	Displays command line switches in Client help.  E. g., CLIENT -H

-LDUMP=	Path\Filename of file to dump license certificate to.

E.g., CLIENT -LDUMP=MyLic.lic

-LIC=	Path\Filename of license file to bind to client.exe. Use to unlock the features you have purchased before using the client.  All clients on the network must have the same license certificate bound to them.  If license is not bound to the client, it runs in evaluation mode.

E.g. C:\>CLIENT  -LIC=c:\CWD59764.LIC

-LOCK=	Lock client keyboard while waiting for Control Center (same as MODE=L).  Should NOT be used in Standalone (multicast only). Path\Filename of file to dump license certificate to.

E.g., CLIENT -LOCK -NOLIC A:\WATTCP.CRG

-NB=	Do not reboot at end of RESTORE; return to main menu (also see -PIA).

E.g., CLIENT -NB -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-NE	No expansion, keeps partition sizes same as image file when writing image to drive.  Default is to resize partitions  to fill entire drive.  Also see FREE switch.

E.g., CLIENT -NE -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-NOCOMP	Turn Compression Off.  Default is maximum.

E.g., CLIENT -NOCOMP -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-NOLIC	Disables displaying license information on startup.

E.g., CLIENT -NOLIC

-NOLMG=	Suppresses leaving multicast group, forces reboot after imaging (overrides -PIA=).  This switch should be used if your clients are not rebooting after imaging in multicast mode. E.g., CLIENT -NOLMG

-NOSIG=	Do not write fingerprint to hard drive. YES is the default. The fingerprint is a stamp that ImageCast puts on every hard drive it sends an image to.  This allows you to determine if the hard drive was cloned by ImageCast in the future.

E.g., CLIENT -NOSIG -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-NOX13=	Disable use of Extended INT13 calls.  Defaults to YES if not specified.

E.g., CLIENT -NOXINT13 -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=IMAGE.IMC

-NS	When specified, no new NT SID (Security IDentifier) will be created when restoring an image. Default is to create a new NT SID.

E.g., CLIENT -NS -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-NTO=	Network TimeOut period (in seconds) to report network failure. If your clients are dropping off before the CREATE or RESTORE is complete then try increasing this value. Multicast only.

E.g., CLIENT -NTO=5

-PC	Path\Filename for Postconfiguration file.  PostConfig file must be created using the Control Center in PostConfig Resources window.

E.g., CLIENT -PC=PostConf.ipc -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=IMAGE.IMC

-PIA=	Post Imaging Action: [R]eboot, back to Client [M]enu, [E]xit to DOS.  Default is [R]eboot for RESTORE, [M]enu for CREATE. If clients do not reboot as expected after the image transfer in multcast mode see -NOLMG. E.g. PIA=R

-PW or-PW=

To password protect an image file from the command line, specify the password.  To have the client prompt you with a password entry box, specify no password.  Passwords are case-sensitive.

E.g., CLIENT -PW,

      CLIENT -PW="Mary Had A Little Lamb"

-RDELAY= 	To allow a time delay in seconds before rebooting after a restore operation is complete. Allows client reboots to be staggered when post-configuration injection is being used to prevent multiple computers with the same IP address or computer name being present simultaneously on a network. Applicable to Client v3.06 or higher.

-SHARE	When specified, the Client identification is put into shared error log file, defaults to NO if not specified.  Only applies when using ErrorFile/Error=.

E.g., CLIENT -SHARE -ERROR=J:\error.log

-SPAN	To allow large image files to be spanned into multiple files on JAZ/ZIP drives.

-SPC128or -F64

To allow NT FAT system's clusters to become 128 sectors in size.  If the source image had 64K cluster sizes the switch is automaticlly set.

E.g., CLIENT -SPC128 -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-SPLIT=	Specifies file size (xxx in MB) to be used in spanning large image file across JAZ/ZIP drives. E.g. CLIENT -SPLIT=500

-SRC=	Specifies Physical Disk Number (1-9) for CREATE or output Filename for RESTORE.

E.g., CLIENT -MODE=D -SRC=2 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

-SS	Force sector by sector copy for all partitions. Defaults to NO if not specified.

E.g., CLIENT -SS -MODE=D -SRC=1 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

-TGT=	Physical Disk Number (1-9) for RESTORE or Image Filename for CREATE.

E.g., CLIENT -MODE=D -SRC=2 -TGT=F:\OUTPUT.IMC

-TRO=	Test RESTORE Only.  Client will transfer data, but will not write or destroy data on the target drive.

E.g., CLIENT -TRO -MODE=F -TGT=1 -SRC=F:\IMAGES\IMAGE.IMC

path\filename	Specify path & filename for WATTCP.CFG multicast configuration file only. Defaults to WATTCP.CFG in the folder that the client is running from. E.g., CLIENT A:\WATTCP.CFG

Rules for Using Command-line Switches

The examples below show how switches can be used in the CLIENT line. Type them in on CLIENT line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the Client boot diskette.

The general rules governing construction of command line switches follow:

•	Either “-” or “/” can be used to denote command-line options.

•	Standard delimiter between switches is a space.

•	Upper or lower case letters can be used.

•	Be sure to add the .IMC extension when specifying an Image File and use the .IPC extension when specifying a Post Configuration file.


Create Scripts
Constructing Script Files

Add a -SCRIPT command switch to the CLIENT line to execute a script file. Script files are simply text files that contain script commands, such as this one:

MODE=RESTORE

TARGETDRIVE = 1

SOURCEFILE = I:\IMAGES\WIN95.IMC

FREESPACE=20%

A partial list of ImageCast IC3 script file commands are listed below. To view a complete list of script commands, insert a Client boot diskette into your machine and change the DOS prompt to the directory containing CLIENT.EXE. Then, enter CLIENT /? after the prompt (i.e., A:\> CLIENT /?).

Two ImageCast IC3 script commands are used to modify the batch operations:

Create an Image File	MODE=CREATE

Restore an Image File	MODE=RESTORE

Script

Command	Mode	Options, Function

MODE=	S,CC	'D'isk to file (Create operation);'F'ile to disk (Restore operation)

TargetFile =	S,CC	Target Image file for Create operation.    I.e. TargetFile=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

TargetDrive = 	S,CC	Target drive number for RESTORE operation (1,2,etc.). I.e. TargetDrive=1

SourceFile = 	S,CC	Source Image File for RSTORE operation. I.e. SourceFile=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

SourceDrive =	S,CC	Source drive number for CREATE operation (1,2,etc.). I.e. SourceDrive=1

FreeSpace = 	S,CC	Leave specified amount of drive unpartitioned. Can be specified as yy% or xxMB (e.g., FreeSpace=50MB). If less than three digits is specified without symbol, % is assumed; otherwise MB. If you use the '%' with more than 3 digits, an error is reported.

Post Imaging Action =	S,CC	Same defaults as -PIA

SectorCopy =	S,CC	Force copying sector by sector (YES or NO). Default is NO. I.e., SectorCopy=YES.

CreateNTSID =	S,CC	Create new SID when restoring an NT image (YES or NO). Default is YES. I.e., Createntsid=no

ResizePartitions =	S,CC	Resize partitions to fit destination drive (YES or NO). Default is YES. I.e., Resizepartitions = no

PostConfig =	S,CC	Path\Filename of Post Configuration file I.e., PostConfig = f:\postconf\postc1.ipc

ErrorFile = 	S,Opt	Path\Filename to error file. File is created if it does not exist and appended during normal processing. I.e., errorfile = f:\error\allerror.log

SharedFile =	S,Opt	Set to YES to put Client identification into shared error log file. Default is not shared.

CheckMode 	S,Opt	Add this at beginning of the Script file to enable script file checking, not meant for production use.

Password	S,CC	Dialog prompts for Image File password. In Create operation, entered password file protects Image File. In Restore operation, password unlocks Image File.

Password=	S,CC	Use specified password for this operation. . In Create operation, entered password file protects Image File. In Restore operation, password unlocks Image File.

CC = Control Center Controls Opt = Command Line with Control Center S = Standalone Client Controls

General Script Rules

In constructing script files, follow these general rules:

•	A script file is a text file that can be created by any text processor (i.e. Notepad, etc.).

•	Within a script file, only one script command or command-line parameter may be specified on each line of the file.

•	Upper or lower case letters can be used.

•	Some script commands can only be used with Standalone Client boot diskettes; others can be used in MultiCast mode.

•	Use an .IMC extension when specifying an Image File and use the .IPC extension when specifying a Post Configuration file.

•	When using script files in imaging operations , specify the script filename as the first command line parameter on the CLIENT line. (eg. —SCRIPT= Path\filename).


Command-line Switches Compatible With Existing Products
Command-line Switches for Cloning Partitions within Drives

ImageCast supports the use of the following command-line switches to CREATE an image file of a partition; or RESTORE an image file to a partition. The command form is shown here. Switch options are explained in the table.

CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=[DUMP] [LOAD] [PDUMP] [PLOAD],

SRC=[source drive:partition | source image],

DST=[destination image | destination drive: partition]

Note: Brackets are used to denote options and are not to be included in the actual commands. Commas are used to separate the command-line switches.

Command-line Switches and their Functions

MODE=	Use this switch to CREATE or RESTORE an image to/from a drive or individual partition:

[DUMP] = CREATEs image file of drive specified by SRC parameter in DST location.

[LOAD] = RESTOREs image file specified by SRC parameter to DST drive.

[PLOAD] = Load specified SRC image partition into DST location.

[PDUMP] = Creates image file of specified SRC partition at DST location.

E.g., CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=LOAD,SRC=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC,DST=2

      CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=DUMP,SRC=2,DST=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

DST=	Specifies Physical Disk Number (for RESTORE). Use D:P to specify partition P within drive, starting at D=1.

SRC=	Specifies Physical Disk Number (CREATE) or output Filename (RESTORE). Use D:P to specify partition P within drive D, starting at D=1.

E.g., CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC= F:\OUTPUT.IMC:2,DST=2:3

SZEn=	The command allows partitions to be resized during a restore operation, with  n = partition number:

[xxP]   (Resize partition to occupy xx percentage of drive space.)

[xxM] (Resize partition to occupy xx MBs of space.)

[F]      (Do not resize parition; keep original size.)

[V]      (The default: Variable resizing. ImageCast resizes partitions

             proportionately to occupy available drive space.)

Rules for Using Compatible Command-line Switches

The examples below show how switches can be used in the CLIENT line. Type them in on CLIENT line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the Client boot diskette.

The general rules governing construction of command line switches follow:

•	-Clone precedes each command line, followed by a comma.

•	Mode=  follows the Clone parameter to specify type of operation.

•	Standard delimiter between switches is a comma.

•	Upper or lower case letters can be used.

•	The switches can only be used in Standalone Mode.

•	Be sure to add the .IMC extension when specifying an Image File and use the .IPC extension when specifying a Post Configuration file.


Command-line Switch and Script Examples
Examples Using Command-line Switches and Scripts

Example #1: Copy disk #2 to an Image File. Drive numbers start at 1.

CLIENT -MODE=D -SRC=2 -TGT=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=DUMP,SRC=2,DST=TGT=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC

Example #2: Restore disk #2 from Image File. Drive numbers start at 1.

CLIENT /MODE=F /SRC=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC /TGT=2

CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=LOAD,SRC=F:\IMAGES\OUTPUT.IMC,DST=2

Example #3: Allow NT FAT 16 clusters to become 128 sectors in size when sending image to larger hard drive than model system.

CLIENT -SPC128 or -F64

Example #4: A password entered from the command-line during a Create operation protects the Image File; a password entered during a Restore operation, unlocks the Image File.

CLIENT -PW=Mary Had A Little Lamb

Example #5: Prompt for password from dialog box. A password entered during a Create operation will lock (file protect) the Image File; a password entered during a Restore operation will unlock the Image File.

CLIENT —PW

Example #6: A license file, which is located in root directory on Control Center computer, is attached to the Client executable (command is entered at DOS prompt within Client directory).

CLIENT –LIC=c:\CWD59764.LIC

Example #7: Restore partition #2 from file to disk #2, partition #3.

CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC=F:\OUTPUT.IMC:2,DST=2:3

Example #8: Set the buffer read size to 10KB. Default is 16 for 16KB.

CLIENT -TBS=10 (or -BLKSIZE=10)

Example #9: Disable Extended Interrupt 13h support or install DOS 6.xx.

CLIENT -NOX13

Example #10:  Resize partitions during restore operation so partition #1 is 1000MB; partition #2 is size of original partition; partition #3 is 25% of destination drive; partition #4 is as large as possible given the OS  and available drive space.

CLIENT -CLONE,MODE=LOAD,SRC=F:\OUTPUT.IMC,DST=2,SZE1=

1000M, SZE2=F,SZE3=25P,SZE4=V

Note: If you want to COPY partitions or drives in ImageCast IC3 select the partition or drive from the Client Interface when you perform a CREATE operation.

Sample Script

In the following example, an imaging operation is performed using a sample script named "Script1.ics"

First, the sample script file is created and stored under the name of "Script1.ics." The contents of this file follow:

Mode = RESTORE

SourceFile = f:\images\set05287.imc

TargetDrive = 1

FreeSpace = 40%

ErrorFile = f:\error\allerror.log

The CLIENT line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (on the Client boot diskette) was altered as follows:

CLIENT -SCRIPT=r:\imagecast\script1.ics

Then, the script was executed by rebooting the Standalone Client with this altered boot diskette: the Image File name 'set05287.imc' was restored onto target drive 1, leaving 40% of the space on that drive unpartitioned.


Using Switches and Scripts on the Command-line
Using both Scripts and Switches on the Command-line

The examples below illustrate how script files and command-line switches can be combined on the CLIENT line. The switches are used to supplement the commands in the script file or to override them. Specify the script file name as the first command line parameter.

Example #1: Use script file to instruct ImageCast IC3 Client, append errors to error log.

CLIENT -SCRIPT=f:\scripts\set04372.ics -ERROR=f:\errors \error.log

Example #2: Use script file, append errors to error log, write status to status file.

CLIENT /SCRIPT=f:\myscript.ics /ERROR=f:\error.log

Example #3: Use script file but override the CreateNTSID option in the script.

CLIENT -SCRIPT=f:\scripts\set08234.ics —NS

Example #4: Use script file, append errors to error log, write status to status file.

CLIENT /SCRIPT=f:\myscript.ics /ERROR=f:\error.log

Example #5: Use script file, but override the CreateNTSID option in the file.

CLIENT -SCRIPT=f:\scripts\set08234.ics —NS


Image File Composition

It’s obvious that the larger an Image File is, the longer it will take to restore it. What isn’t so obvious are some of the hidden factors that make an Image File large.

ImageCast IC3 copies FAT and NTFS volumes at the logical level and copies only what is needed for restoration. However, non-FAT, non-NTFS and OS/2 volumes are copied at the physical level; their contents are copied sector by sector.  This means that the complete contents of every sector is copied, regardless of whether it contains valid data or not.

The presence of invalid data (garbage) within a sector is common and is a natural by-product of normal operations. When you delete a file, it is not really being physically erased. What happens is that the operating system flags the file’s directory entry as being deleted, then updates the file system table to reallocate the space occupied by the deleted file as free. The data belonging to the deleted file remains intact at the sector level until it is overwritten by another file. Because ImageCast IC3 sees non-FAT/non-NTFS volumes at the sector level, any dead file fragments will be copied into an Image File along with valid data. Garbage sectors significantly reduce compression and slow down restoration.

To eliminate dead file fragments so they do not clutter up an Image File, the Model System hard drive should be wiped clean before any software is set up on it. Do this with the Client’s Prepare Non-DOS function. Prepare Non-DOS zeros out the contents of every sector on the drive. Note that performing a high-level format on a volume only rewrites the file system’s allocation tables—the data areas will not be affected at the sector level. By using Prepare Non-DOS first, any area in a volume that hasn’t been allocated to data will only contain long sequences of zeros. Long repetitive sequences are desirable because they are most effectively compressed. Better compression enables smaller Image Files and (usually) faster restorations.

To partially wipe a drive when it has been left in an unsettled state (aborted image restore, file system failure, etc.) invoke the Wipe Partition Table utility from the Standalone Client or the CLEARDRV.exe in the ImageCast\Addons\ directory on the IC3 CD-ROM. It zeroes out the first few cylinders of a hard disk.  It is not a good substitute for Prepare Non-DOS when the drive will be sector-by-sector copied because it does not zero out the whole drive in preparation for OS installation and image creation.

If you cannot get to this program from the Client interface, go to the directory within which IC3 is installed on the client computer and execute it directly.


Image File Compression

The Compression Level option that you select to create an Image File can also affect performance. In gist, the higher the compression level, the slower the Gather operation (Image File creation) but the faster the Distribute (restore) operation.

Whether you choose to compress an Image File or not should depend on the space available to store an Image File and the capabilities of your target machines. Although decompressing a file takes up CPU cycles, the effect is negligible on a faster machine, such as a P90 or better. In this case, restoring a compressed file is faster than restoring an uncompressed one because the CPU can outpace the rate at which the drive can read the Image File. Conversely, it may be a better option to leave the Image File uncompressed if you know you will be restoring it to a machine with a less capable processor, say a P75 or older.


Image File Location

It is most efficient to retain Image Files on the Control Center workstation. Operations using such Image Files only use a single data path. When a Gather Task is executed, Image File data is directly transferred from a Model workstation to the Control Center. In a Distribute Task, Image File data is transferred from the Control Center workstation to targeted Clients.

When an Image File is stored at a remote network location, an additional transfer step must be performed because data is brought into the Control Center workstation and then sent back out again. In a Gather Task, data is transferred from the remote Model System to the Control Center and then from the Control Center over the network to the remote Image File location. Similarly, when an image is restored from a remote Image File location, data must be transferred to the Control Center and then out to targeted Clients.


Target Drive Processing Speeds and Transfer Rates

Target drive capabilities can greatly impact imaging performance. It is the capability of a target drive that determines the speed at which a Client application can process the contents of an Image File and figure out the proper placement of data on the drive. The Control Center actually does not place much of a load on the machine running it, although running other applications simultaneously can have an adverse affect.

A disparity in Target drive capabilities can especially impact performance in Distribute Tasks because the rate at which data is sent over the network is determined by the slowest of the targeted drives. This drive is assigned the role of Master (the other drives become Slaves). When a single packet of data is transferred over the network during a Distribute Task, ImageCast IC3 waits for the Master to respond before it sends out the next packet. If the Master drive in the Task is substantially slower than the others, it will slow down the entire operation. For this reason, one might not want to group one 486 system with four P240s in a Distribute Task.

To obtain transfer information on a particular task, select View | Running Tasks from the main menu to display a list of running tasks and double-click on your Task entry. A Task Progress dialog will be displayed that shows the IP address of the Master Client, packets sent and retry count. If the Master dies during a Task, ImageCast IC3 will reassign the Master role to the slowest of the remaining target Clients.

You can improve throughput at each individual workstation by making sure that the hard drive, controller, and system BIOS are all properly set up to maximize the capabilities of the drive. For instance, if the drive is IDE, make sure that the best PIO or DMA transfer mode is enabled.


Network Throughput

The overall network capabilities can be a potential bottleneck to overall restoration speed. You can identify bottlenecks by knowing your network. Is the network rated at 10Mbps or 100Mbps? How much bandwidth is available? Do all the target machines have the same speed capabilities? If not, the multicast can only proceed as fast as the slowest machine in the operation.


File Restoration and Partition Size
Partitioning and Formatting

Click here to see examples on restoring partitions.

Partition Restoration and Resizing

By default, ImageCast IC3 dynamically resizes restored FAT and NTFS partitions. Non-FAT and non-NTFS partitions are not resized. In general, here’s how dynamic resizing works:

Only the FAT or NTFS partitions on a target drive are resized.

By default, ImageCast IC3 attempts to restore partitions onto the target drive so they occupy the same percentage of total drive space as the partitions on the Model system.

However, when target partition size is capped by FAT limits, these partitions are resized to the maximum allowable limit and then the remaining partitions are resized so they fill in the available drive space.

When a combination of FAT/NTFS and non-FAT/non-NTFS partitions are on the Model drive (i.e., HPFS, Novell, and UNIX), the non-FAT/non-NTFS partitions will be copied sector by sector and then the FAT/NTFS partitions will be resized based on the remaining drive space.

To disable automatic scaling of partition sizes and keep the Model System’s original partition sizes, select Keep Partition Sizes Same from the Distribute Options tabbed page in the Distribute Task Properties dialog. (This dialog is accessed by right-clicking on the Task icon in the Task Library window and selecting Properties).  Or, from a standalone client, use -NE or -FREE on the command line.

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Note: The addressing schemes used by different hard drive interfaces and BIOS types limit drive capacities. The primary problem is the length of the address field that a particular interface or BIOS uses to access data on a drive (or, the fixed number of bits within this field that are allocated to access cylinders, heads and sectors on the drive). On IDE FAT16 drives both the BIOS and interface contribute to limit access to (4096 cylinders x 16 heads x 63 sectors x 512 bytes/sector  =) 2.1GB. On IDE FAT32 drives, the BIOS limits drive access to 8.4GB. An enhanced BIOS for the SCSI interface limits access to 7.88GB.

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Examples of Partition Resizing

The following examples illustrate how partitions are restored and resized under different situations:

The target and Model drives are the same size: FAT and NTFS partitions will automatically retain the same partition size.

Target and Model drives are different sizes: FAT and NTFS partitions on target drives will either be expanded or contracted so they occupy the same percentage of total drive space as partitions on the Model system. If the target drive is larger than the Model drive, ImageCast IC3 attempts to use all space on the target drive. If the target drive is smaller than the Model drive, partitions are reduced in size just as long as the total amount of bytes contained in the Image File does not exceed the capacity of the target drive.

To illustrate how restored FAT and NTFS partitions on a target drive occupy the same ratio of space as the Model System, let’s say a Model System is a 1GB drive occupied by two FAT16 partitions of equal size—500MB each. If the target drive has a 2GB capacity, then it will be restored with two 1GB partitions. Resizing of partitions works all the way up to the 2.1GB DOS (FAT16) limit.

Because of the 2.1GB limit, resizing cannot always be done by proportion. Let’s use the example of a Model System that uses a 2.5GB drive with two FAT16 partitions, one partition occupying 2.1GB and the other .4GB. The target drive is 3GB. Because the first partition on the Model System is already at the 2.1GB DOS limit, the restored partition will also be the same. ImageCast IC3 will detect this limiting condition and expand the second partition to fill in the remaining capacity. Note that if all partitions had been resized up to the 2.1GB limit on the target system, any capacity left over would have been unpartitioned. FDISK must be run to reclaim this space.

Non-FAT and non-NTFS partitions are restored to the target drive: they are not resized. Instead, they are restored sector by sector with all sectors, including those containing fragments of dead files, copied into the Image File. Because the junk data in unused sectors can adversely affect performance, it is recommended that Prepare Non-DOS be used before creating the Model System (see previous section).

Drive capacity can be lost during a sector by sector copy when the target drive is larger than the Model drive. For example, if a 2GB Model drive with two 1GB partitions is copied sector by sector and then restored on a 4GB target drive, each restored partition would occupy 1GB each, leaving 2GB of unused space. Then, the remaining free space can be partitioned by FDisk.

Both FAT/NTFS and non-FAT/non-NTFS partitions are on the Model System and restored to the target drive: the non-FAT/non-NTFS partitions are restored sector by sector onto the target drive and then the FAT and/or  NTFS partitions are resized based on the remaining space. ImageCast IC3 automatically detects the partition types employs the appropriate read method.

If you have an OS/2 FAT partition somewhere on the drive, the drive must be copied sector by sector.

To illustrate how partitions are restored when the Model System contains mixed partitions, consider a 2GB Model System with an HPFS partition occupying 1GB and two FAT16 partitions occupying .5GB each.

If the target drive in this situation is 4GB, the HPFS partition would be restored sector by sector so it retains its 1GB size. The FAT16 partitions would then be resized based on the remaining space so they would occupy 1.5GB.

If the target drive in this situation is 8GB, FAT16 size limits prevents partition resizing to utilize all remaining drive space. The HPFS partition would be copied sector by sector as in the previous example, occupying 1GB. However, each FAT16 partition could only be resized up to the 2.1 limit, leaving 3.8GB of unallocated space. FDISK must be run to reclaim this space.

Both FAT16 and FAT32 partitions are restored to the target drive: partitions are resized within FAT limitations. Consider an 1.2GB Model drive with a 400MB FAT16 partition and 800MG FAT32 partition. When the target drive is 8.4GB, the FAT16 partition size will be capped at 2.1GB. All remaining space will be allocated to the FAT32 partition, yielding a 6.3GB FAT32 partition.

Model is restored to target drive, leaving 50% of the target drive space free: partitions are resized according to the available space on the target drive. Assume a 2GB Model drive with two 1GB FAT32 partitions. The target drive is 8.4GB, and the administrator wants to restore an operating system onto the drive using only half the drive space; the other half is to be reserved so a second operating system can be installed. To do this, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is edited and the following command-line parameter is added to request that 50% of drive be left unpartitioned:

-FREE=50

After the target drive is restored, it would contain two 2.1GB partitions, with 4.2GB of unpartitioned space.

Special Considerations: Sectors Per Cluster considerations in partition restoration

ImageCast IC3 automatically scales target drives using the Sectors Per Cluster (SPC) on the Model System. Thus, if a Model drive has 64 sectors per cluster or less, the target drive will be restored with 64 sectors per cluster maximum This cluster size limits partitions to 2.1GB.

If you are restoring NT and want to change from 32 sectors per cluster on the Model System to 128 sectors per cluster on the destination drive, you will have to force this by using the -SPC128 parameter in the Client command-line. This parameter requests a Sector per Cluster size of 64KB (128 * 512 bytes/sector):

 -SPC128

Note: The switch is only needed if the Model System was not using 64KB clusters.

Special Considerations: Corrupted partitions in partition restoration

If there are any corrupted partitions of any kind on a client system, the hard disk may need to be wiped before ImageCast IC3 can restore images to this drive. You can use Diskedit or MicroHouse’s DrivePro to wipe out the master boot record or use Prepare Non-DOS, a  feature that writes zeros to every sector of the hard disk. If you use Prepare Non-DOS, there is no need to wait for the entire process to complete. Simply let it run for a minute or so, then abort the operation.

Special Considerations: Restoring Partitions of Different Operating Systems

ImageCast IC3 supports imaging of DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98 (including FAT32), Windows NT (NTFS), OS/2 (HPFS), Novell, and UNIX file systems.

Special Considerations: DOS, Windows 95/98, Windows NT (FAT/NTFS)

Native support for FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS is included with ImageCast, with FAT16 partitions limited to 2.1 GB. Only the portion of the drive containing data is placed within the imaged file.  The files are fully defragmented as the image is built, resulting in completely defragmented disks on the destination systems. FAT16/32 and NTFS partitions are automatically scaled to the size of the destination hard drives, unless the “Keep Partition Sizes” option is selected on the Distribute Options tab of the Task Properties Dialog or the -SPC switch is included on the command line.

Special Considerations: HPFS, Novell, and UNIX

The HPFS, Novell, and UNIX file systems are supported by ImageCast IC3 using sector-by-sector copying.  (For UNIX systems, the geometry of the model and target drives must be identical). The target drive must be greater than or equal to the capacity of the model drive. (OR, the sum of the partition sizes on the model must be less than or equal to the capacity of the smallest destination drive.)  Non-FAT and non-NTFS partitions on a Model System always stay the same size when transferred to one or more destination drives. Since all sectors must be copied, and compressed if compression is used, we advise utilizing the Client’s Prepare Non-DOS feature prior to setting up the Model System.  Prepare Non-DOS simply writes zeros to every sector of the hard disk.  When the operating system and applications are placed on the hard disk, the remainder is left with this zero pattern.  When the image is created optimal compression is achieved for the zeroed portion of the disk (that which does not contain usable data files).  This results in faster image creation and distribution.

Special Considerations: OS/2 FAT

When creating an Image File from a drive that is set up with the OS/2 FAT file system, use the Client’s Prepare Non-DOS feature prior to setting up the Model System as recommended above. Then, use the Force sector by sector read method to avoid losing attributes stored by OS/2. OS/2 uses extended attributes within its FAT implementation that are not reproduced with the DOS-based methods that ImageCast IC3 uses to copy normal FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS partitions. To force sector by sector read, right-click on the Gather Task icon to display the Task Properties dialog. Select the Options tab and check Force Sector-by-Sector copying.


Examples that Restore Partitions
Examples to Illustrate How Partitions are Restored

These examples assume a common situation:  A larger, faster drive is to be installed at each business workstation. The new drive is to be installed as the primary (master) drive, with the old drive at each workstation becoming the secondary (slave).  The business had also planned to update its OS and thought this might be a good time.

Before a new drive is added to each workstation, an image file of the entire “contents’ of the old drive is gathered.  A model system is then set up with a new OS and updated applications; then an image file of this model system is created and saved.  Once this is done, the new drive is installed as the primary drive at each workstation (with the old drive becoming secondary) and the image file is restored onto the primary drive.  As the last step, the secondary drive is repartitioned and formatted, then the users data contained in a partition on his/her original drive is restored.

Example 1:  Restoring the Users Partition from the Control Center

The example shows how the data partition can be restored from the Control Center.  It assumes the partition that contains the user’s data was copied into the saved Image File, and that this image file was added to the Image Resources window within the Control Center.

1)	Open the Control Center and all Resources Windows.  Create a Distribute Task by dragging the Image File icon from the Image Resources window onto the Task Library window.   The Task Properties dialog will be displayed at the end of this operation.

2)	Specify wanted parameters on the Distribute Options tab and then select the Image File tab.  Verify that the Image File listed is the one wanted (if not, press the Select Image File button to choose a new file).

3)	Select the Partitions tab, click on Select which partition to restore: and highlight the partition to be copied.  In our example, partition #2 contains the users data.

Next, identify the partition to be overwritten in the operation.  Select the Client List tab and add the destination client workstation by dragging its icon from the Client Resources window onto this tab.

4)	Then, display the configuration at this workstation by pressing the Expand All button  or you can double-click on the workstation icon to display the configuration.  Highlight the destination drive and then the destination partition.

Finally, schedule the operation to be run immediately or later.

Example 2 Restoring Partitions from the Client Interface

This solution is similar to the previous one, with the operations being performed from the Client interface. It assumes that an image file of the entire “contents’ of the original drive is created and saved on the a mapped network drive.  It also assumes that a model system is set up with a new OS and updated applications; and an image file of this model system is created and saved out on the network. Once this is done, the new drive is installed as the primary drive at each workstation (with the old drive becoming secondary) and the image file is restored onto this primary drive.  As the last step, the secondary drive is repartitioned and reformatted, then the users data contained in a partition on his/her old drive is restored onto this drive from the Client interface.

The example shows how the data partition can be restored from the Client interface.  It assumes the partition that contains the user’s data was copied into an Image File and saved out on the network.

To begin, the workstation is booted with a Standalone Client Boot Diskette and Image | Save Disk to Image File is selected from the Client menu.

1)	Check Selectively Restore Partition  to restore a partition within an Image File.

2)	Then, enter the path\filename to the Image File that you wish to restore.

3)	Next, the partitions contained within this Image File are displayed.  Check the partition to be copied.

4)	When the screen on the right appears, select the drive and the partition within this drive to be overwritten.


Imaging Media

Imaging across Different Hard Drive Interfaces in WIN NT/ WINDOWS 2000

The hard drive interface must be consistent on model and target drives in WIN NT/ WINDOWS 2000 only. This means that if an Image File is gathered from an IDE drive, it can only be distributed to IDE drives; it cannot be distributed to SCSI drives. Similarly, if an Image File is collected from a SCSI drive, the target drives restored with this image must be SCSI.

Image File Distribution on CD-ROM or Removable Media

If you don’t have network connectivity for large image distribution, try copying the Image File to removable media such as IOMEGA, JAZ or ZIP, or burning it to CD-ROM. Then, add DOS media drivers to your Standalone Client Boot Diskette.


Windows NT / Windows 2000 Considerations
Window NT / Windows 2000 Considerations

Generating a SID for WIN NT/ WIN 2000

ImageCast IC3 can automatically assign unique Security Identifier numbers (SIDs) to Windows NT workstations cloned within a Distribute Task. The option is selected from the Distribute Options tab in the Task Properties dialog.

Note: In order for post-imaging customization to work, a Windows NT Model System must be set up with the FAT file system.

ImageCast's integrated SID creator works well for NT machines running under the NTFS file system. However if you prefer to use another utility for NTFS SID generation (e.g., SysInternal’s NEWSID program), you can have the Post Configuration Injector automatically launch this utility after it places settings on restored clients.

The Post Configuration Injector has the capability to launch an application after it injects a drive with the registry and network settings, whether you operate from the Control Center or from a standalone workstation. If you are operating from the Control Center, display the Post Configuration Properties dialog, select the Summary tab, and click on the Execute button to enter the path and filename of your utility. If you are using NT internals NEWSID program, you would start with the full path and then add "newsid /a". For example:  "c:\newsid\newsid /a").

Disabling IC SID Generator

SID generation can be disabled from the Distribute Task Properties dialog (check “Keep SID the same as image”) or on the client disk’s command-line (-ns).

Using the Windows NT System Preparation Tool

The Windows NT System Preparation tool is installed on a Model System during Post Configuration Injector installation. Its purpose is to prepare the model system so  when the image of this model is restored onto a target, that target can receive its own unique security ID (SID) and desktop settings License information can also be input.

Note: See Post Configuration Injector Installation for information on installing NT SysPrep tool.

If you choose to install the SysPrep tool on your model system, you will need to set up parameters that will be passed to the SysPrep when it is activated.  Such parameters are set on the NT/2000 NTSysPrep Tool tab within the Post Configuration file, see the chapter on Post Configuration for more information.


License Agreements

Please note that you are responsible for maintaining the terms of the license agreements of any software you make images of. It is strongly recommended that you review the agreements for all software installed on the original system prior to making an image.

Instructions on “How to License your Client” is included on the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM.  To view these instructions, select Assistance... from the main menu.


Controller Removal
Removing the IC3 Control Center

1)	Start Windows.

2)	Go to the Control Panel and select “Add/Remove Programs.”

3)	Select ImageCast IC3 from the list of applications.

4)	Click on the “OK” button.


Automatically Assign Unique Windows NT SIDs
Generating a SID for Windows NT

ImageCast IC3 can automatically assign unique Security Identifier numbers (SIDs) to Windows NT workstations cloned within a Distribute Task. The option is selected from the Distribute Options tab in the Task Properties dialog.

Note: In order for post-imaging customization to work, a Windows NT Model System must be set up with the FAT or NTFS file system.

ImageCast's integrated SID creator works well for NT machines running under the NTFS file system. However if you prefer to use another utility for NTFS SID generation (e.g., SysInternal’s NEWSID program), you can have the Post Configuration Injector automatically launch this utility after it places settings on restored clients.

The Post Configuration Injector has the capability to launch an application after it injects a drive with the registry and network settings, whether you operate from the Control Center or from a standalone workstation. If you are operating from the Control Center, display the Post Configuration Properties dialog, select the Summary tab, and click on the Execute button to enter the path and filename of your utility. If you are using NT internals NEWSID program, you would start with the full path and then add "newsid /a". For example:  "c:\newsid\newsid /a").


Setting Up a Model System

The Model System constitutes the input to the imaging task.  It is the drive on a computer workstation that contains the content to be copied into the Image File. Because the Image File created from this system will be distributed to numerous clients, make sure it contains content to be shared.

If you are backing up a drive, the Model System is the drive that contains the content you want to back up.

If you want to create a new Model, the shared content must be installed onto a Model hard drive. To post configure clients restored with this image, you will also need to install network components on this Model System. This will place the network configuration (drivers, CONFIG.SYS, etc) into the Image File so the network configuration can be restored onto clients along with the content.

To illustrate the process, assume that you plan to configure restored clients for a TCP/IP network. In this case, you will need to install the TCP/IP protocol and the appropriate adapter on the Model System. Similarly, if you wanted to configure restored clients for a Netware Server, you would need to install the IPX/SPX protocols and the appropriate adapter. Click herefor more information on setting up hardware and related software.

Once the Model System content and network configuration is set up, you are ready to install optional ImageCast IC3 utilities:

1)	Install the Post Configuration Injector utility on your Model drive if you want to post configure clients restored with an image of this Model. This utility actually performs the post configuration functions.

a)	Generate the diskettes that install this utility by i) running the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM and selecting ImagePrep from the Install screen, or ii) selecting Tools | Model Workstation Tools | PostConfig Injector from Control Center main menu. (You can install the Post Configuration utility directly onto your Model system from the CD-ROM if you have a CD player on your model machine.)

b)	Insert the utility diskette into the Model system and run IPCSetup.exe.

2)	Set up the System Agent on your Model drive if you want to operate restored clients remotely.  Click herefor more information.

a)	Generate diskettes to set up the System Agent by selecting Tools | Model Workstation Tools | Remote Reboot/System Agent setup from Control Center main menu.

b)	Insert the diskette into the Model system and run AgentSetup.exe.

3)	You are ready to create an Image File.

If you plan to create AppImages for this Model System, the Image File will be your “base image.”  To create AppImages, you install applications on top of the base image.  Click here for more information.


Setting Up Hardware on a Model System
Setting Up Hardware and Related Software on a Model System

The Model System must be set up with hardware interfaces that match the hardware on targeted Client workstations.

Setting up NICs (Network Interface Cards) on Model Systems

The NIC on your Model system is configured with specific settings that become part of the Image File that is copied onto all Clients (e.g., the image file includes the network information that specified in the Control Panel Settings). The expectation is that the hardware set up on each restored Client workstation will be exactly the same as that on the Model workstation. This means that the same devices will be expected to exist on both Model and target Clients, with the interface cards for these devices residing in the same slot.

Suppose that the NIC in your Model System is located in slot #1, but the Client’s NIC is located in slot #3. When the Image File is restored to the Client, the installed operating system will look for the NIC in slot #1. Some operating systems can readily detect new locations for existing devices; others have problems. The easiest way around the problem is to make sure that your NICs are in the same slot on both Model and target Clients. Another solution in Windows 98 (only) is to remove the NIC prior to Image File creation. This forces Plug-n-Play to detect the new location.

Setting up Other Hardware on Model Systems

In addition to NICs, your Model system may be set up with hardware that includes sound cards, video cards, modems, etc. These hardware configurations also become part of the Image File that is copied onto Clients. When the hardware on a restored Client do not match those on the Model workstation, a number of problems can arise.

When the Model and Target workstation hardware is dissimilar, it is best to limit the Model workstation so it includes only “shared” hardware. I.e., remove any hardware on the Model system that is not present on all restored Clients. After Clients are imaged, you can then go in and configure them for additional devices. For example, if your Model workstation is configured for an IDE CD-ROM drive, but the target Client is configured for a SCSI CD-ROM drive, you would want to remove the IDE drive from the Model workstation before you create an Image File. Then, configure the SCSI drive on the targeted Client after it receives the Image File.

Including Drivers on Model Systems

If you have systems with differing network cards and other hardware such as video, sound, mouse, etc. copy the operating system setup files, such as Windows 95/98’s .CAB files, to the Model System before creating the Image File. This way, configurations can be changed easily on each affected PC after imaging. You can also create a directory containing all the drivers you may need for the target systems.

Setting up a DHCP Model System

If you are going to use DHCP to generate IP addresses on the imaged clients, the Model System must be set up to use DHCP. Post Configuration from IP to DHCP is not allowed.

Setting up OS/2 FAT, UNIX, or a Novell Server (Non-FAT and non-NTFS) Model System

If the Model System contains either a non-FAT, non-NTFS, or OS/2 FAT operating system, use the Prepare Non-DOS function to prepare the drive prior to setting it up with the operating system and applications.

Non-FAT, non-NTFS and OS/2 FAT partitions must be copied sector by sector, which means that even sectors that contain fragments of dead files are copied into the Image File. This junk data in the unused sectors adversely affects performance by reducing compression ratios and taking more time to process. Using Prepare Non-DOS before creating the Model System ensures that invalid data within sectors is replaced by zeros, making the overall image more compressible.

After Prepare Non-DOS is complete, partition the drive and install the operating system(s) and applications desired on all of the systems the image will be restored/copied to.

Installing Applications that are not shared by all Clients

When target Clients applications vary slightly, a single image can be used to restore to the group. Set up a Model System with all the applications that may be needed by your end-users. After imaging, you can remove applications that aren’t needed on a case-by-case basis. It’s generally faster and easier to uninstall an unneeded application than install a needed one.

The other option is to create images of the different applications and place these onto Clients after they have been restored with a base image (an image with an operating system and shared applications).

CD-ROM Image File Distribution

If you don’t have network connectivity for large image distribution, try burning an Image File to CD-ROM. Add DOS CD-ROM drivers to your standalone Client boot diskette. CD-ROMs are just a suggestion — you can substitute any large removable-media to transfer Image Files.

Systems with OS/2 FAT, UNIX, or a Novell Server (non-FAT and non-NTFS Model System)

If the Model System contains either a non-FAT and non-NTFS partitions such as OS/2 FAT, use the Prepare Non-DOS function to prepare the drive prior to setting it up with the operating system and applications. After Prepare Non-DOS is complete, partition the drive and install the operating system(s) and applications desired on all of the systems the image will be restored/copied to.

Non-FAT and non-NTFS partitions such as OS/2 FAT must be copied sector by sector, which means that even sectors that contain fragments of dead files are copied into the Image File. This junk data in the unused sectors adversely affects performance by reducing compression ratios and taking more time to process. Using Prepare Non-DOS before creating the Model System ensures that invalid data within sectors is replaced by zeros, making the overall image more compressible.

Setting up NT Model Systems with IDE and SCSI drives.

If you are setting up a Windows NT Model System and will have both IDE and SCSI target systems, the best scenario is to make an image from an IDE machine and another image from the SCSI machine. If you choose to have one image for all machines, install NT on an IDE drive and then add the SCSI adapter and drive to the system. On the next boot the NT machine should pick up the SCSI devices and enable the drivers for them. Make sure that you can access the SCSI drive in NT and then you can create an image of that system. With both drivers loaded, the image will boot from the appropriate type of drive.


Install Control Center
Installing the ImageCast IC3 Control Center or Components

The following instructions apply to the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM. They do not apply if you downloaded ImageCast IC3 from the Internet.

1)	Go to the appropriate machine and boot it to Windows:

If you are installing the Control Center, go to the machine from which you plan to direct all imaging operations and boot it to Windows 95/98/NT Workstation or Server. If you are installing the Post Configuration utility, boot your Model System into Windows 95/98/NT workstation or Server.

2)	Insert the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM into a drive.

3)	If AUTORUN is enabled, the ImageCast IC3 installation program will run automatically.

If AUTORUN is disabled:

a)	Click on Windows Start and select Run.

b)	When the Run dialog appears, locate ICAL.exe on the CD-ROM drive and click OK.

4)	When the following menu is displayed, select Install...

5)	From the Install screen, select from the options:

a)	Select ImageCast IC3 to install the ImageCast IC3 Control Center and all its sub-components. The ImageCast IC3 Control Center can either be installed on a Windows NT server or a Win 95/98/NT workstation.

Also, select this option if you want to install a standalone ImageCast IC3 utility, such as Image Explorer. During the install prompt sequence, select Custom Install and make sure to check the wanted utility. Make sure all other options are unchecked (i.e., the Control Center components) if you do not want them installed.

b)	Select ImagePrep to install the ImageCast IC3 utilities directly onto a Model System. (If a CD-ROM drive is not available on your Model System, this option will also build a set of diskettes to install the utility. Or, you can build the diskettes by selecting Tools | ImagePrep from the ImageCast IC3 Control Center main menu.

6)	Follow all prompts to completion.


Installing ImageCast Utilities on Your Model System
Installing IC3 Utilities on Your Model System

The process required to install a utility on the Model System follows:

1)	Go to your Model System and boot it to Windows: If you are installing the Post Configuration utility or AppImager utility, boot your Model system into Windows 95/98/NT workstation or Server.

2)	Insert the ImageCast IC3 CD-ROM and license floppy diskette into the drives.

3)	If AUTORUN is enabled, the ImageCast IC3 installation program will run automatically.  If AUTORUN is disabled:

a)	Click on Windows Start and select Run.

b)	When the Run dialog appears, locate ICAL.exe and click OK.

4)	When the main menu is displayed, select Install...

5)	When the Install... screen, select ImagePrep to install the Post Configuration Injector directly onto a Model system.

(If a CD-ROM drive is not available on your Model system, you can build a set of diskettes to install the utility. Build the diskettes by selecting Tools | ImagePrep from the ImageCast IC3 Control Center main menu.)

6)  Follow all prompts to completion.


Troubleshooting/Frequently Asked Questions

For the latest troubleshooting information, visit SUPPORT on our web site at http://www.imagecast.com.


About IP Addresses
About TCP/IP Stacks

The information in this topic is for those who may not be familiar with setting up the TCP/IP communications that are required to use ImageCast IC3 in Multicast mode. Keep in mind that you only need to install TCP/IP stacks on the Control Center Client. The TCP/IP stacks required for Clients to communicate with the Control Center are copied to the Client Boot Diskettes by ClientBuilder.

What is TCP/IP?

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is a standard that allows computers to communicate regardless of the hardware platform. TCP/IP is the language of the Internet.

The term “stack” means that TCP/IP is a series of layered protocols, with each higher layer relying on services provided by the one underneath. It is easiest to look at this relationship from the top down. We’ll use an ImageCast IC3 multicast as an example.

1)	On the sending end, the ImageCast IC3 Control Center is at the highest level of the stack. It takes the image file and sends it to the TCP layer.

2)	TCP takes the image file and breaks it up into manageable chunks. Each file fragment is now a self-contained transmission unit, meaning that each piece is transported across the network independently. These transmission units are called “datagrams“ or “packets.” The system that transports the datagram is unaware of the file it belongs to until it reaches the TCP layer on the receiving end, which knows how to put the file back together. The TCP layer hands each datagram down to the IP layer.

3)	The IP layer is responsible for choosing the path the datagram takes to get to the intended recipient. Addressing information is contained in the sections below. The IP layer appends addressing and routing information to the datagram, then sends it to the Ethernet  network interface, which is the physical network. TCP/IP can be used on a variety of physical networks, but ImageCast IC3 requires Ethernet because it uses a broadcast mechanism to transmit information.

4)	The Ethernet interface correlates the IP address with an Ethernet address from a table compiled during network initialization. It appends the datagram with this information and broadcasts it out on the network. The information on the network is seen by all members of the network, but only those that the information is addressed to will receive it.

5)	The IP layer strips off the addressing information from the datagram and sends it up to the TCP layer.

6)	The TCP layer examines the datagram, determines where it belongs in the data stream. It reassembles the file and sends it up to the Client.

7)	The Client processes the file and uses the information to restore the original image file.

About IP Addresses

Each member of a network that communicates with IP needs a unique identifier, the IP Address.  There are specific rules governing the assignment of IP addresses, the basics of which are covered here.

The IP Address is a 32-bit number that is organized into four octets (octet = eight bits) and usually depicted as four numbers separated by periods, or “dots”.  (e.g:  200.100.100.100)  Each octet can be a value between 0 and 255, but selecting the correct values is critical to having ImageCast work properly.

The IP address actually contains two identifiers: one for the network and one for the specific machine within the network, known as the host.  The Network ID portion of an IP address will be the same for every host (machine) in a subnet (explained later).  Looking from left to right, the Network ID is the first part of the address.  For example, if a network has an ID of 200.100.100, two hosts in the same subnet may have the addresses 200.100.100.101 and 200.100.100.102.  It’s like a street address on the network, where every house on the street has a different number.

The Network ID would occupy the first one, two or three octets, depending on the size of the overall network.  The trade-off is that when more octets are used for the network address, fewer octets are available for Host IDs.  Following are the classifications for different ranges of Network ID’s – or “domains” - as determined by the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC).  The address-ranges given would apply to just the first octet of the IP Address.

For the largest networks, only the first octet is used for the Network ID. This type of address, called Class A, is used for a small number of huge networks that can have millions of hosts.  Class-A addresses would be in the range from 1 to 126.

Mid-size networks, known as Class B, use the first two octets for the network address.  Class B network addresses can be in the range from 128 to 191. The rest of the octets are used to provide addresses for up to tens-of-thousands of hosts.

The smallest, most common networks use a Class C address. These networks use the first three octets for the network address in the range from 192 to 223. This type of address provides for 254 hosts.

Class	Network ID Range	Host ID Range
A	1.x.x.x – 126.x.x.x	x.1.1.1-x.254.254.254
B	128.1.x.x – 191.254.x.x	x.x.1.1 – x.x.254.254
C	192.1.1.x – 254.254.254.x	x.x.x.1 – x.x.x.254
The numbers 0 (zero) and 255 in the last (fourth) octet are reserved and cannot be used for a host address.  Additionally, the numbers 127 and 224-254 in the first octet are reserved by InterNIC and should not be used.

Internet domains are assigned by the InterNIC.  If, however, a network is not connected to the Internet, it can use any address valid within TCP/IP rules.

Subnets and Subnet Masks

TCP/IP allows you to divide an address into subnets, typically found as sub-divisions within a Class C domain.  A subnet is defined by a combination of the IP Address and the Subnet Mask; a 32-bit number divided into four octets (similar to IP Address).

A Subnet defines the point where the Network ID ends and the Host ID begins.  In any-given IP domain, it divides all hosts into a certain number of groups, based on their respective IP Addresses.

The following bit sequence would be used in a Class C domain; where n is a bit used to identify the network portion of the address and h is a bit used to identify the host portion of the address:

nnnnnnnn . nnnnnnnn . nnnnnnnn . hhhhhhhh

When a subnet is created, a portion of the bits formerly used for the host ID is now used for the subnet, represented by s:

nnnnnnnn . nnnnnnnn . nnnnnnnn . sshhhhhh

Technically, the subnet mask is applied using Binary Logic notation.  The subnet mask is a bit sequence, combined with the IP address using the AND operation.  The resulting bit sequence is the network ID. Although the subnet mask duplicates the structure of the IP address, it seems easier to work in terms of bits rather than decimal values.

To illustrate, the default values (no subnets defined) for the subnet mask are as follows:

Class	Subnet Mask	Binary Representation
A	255.0.0.0	11111111.00000000.00000000.00000000
B	255.255.0.0	11111111.11111111.00000000.00000000
C	255.255.255.0	11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000

Let’s use our fictitious Class C IP address of 200.100.100.101 as an example.  First, convert both the IP address and default subnet mask into bit sequences:

(IP) 200.100.100.101 =

11001000 . 01100100 . 01100100 . 01100101

(Subnet) 255.255.255.0 =

11111111 . 11111111 . 11111111 . 00000000

Next, apply a logical AND operation on the two bit-sequences:

11001000 . 01100100 . 01100100 . 01100101

AND

11111111 . 11111111 . 11111111 . 00000000

=

11001000 . 01100100 . 01100100 . 00000000

Converting the subnet ID octets back into decimal notation yields 200.100.100.0, which is the network ID. So in essence, the default Class C subnet-mask just leaves the Network ID in the same location.

If you want to define a subnet, you will first need to determine how many subnets you want and how many hosts you want on each subnet.  After you figure out what you need, you simply apply the appropriate subnet mask to all the IP addresses you wish to exist in the subnets. A trade-off will occur because the Subnet ID needs to take a portion of the Host ID’s.  The more subnets that are defined, the fewer the total number of IP addresses will be available in the overall domain.

Because the subnet mask simply moves the Network ID a number of bits to the right, the bits taken for this purpose will be the ones that are the highest order (most significant) in the Host ID.

For a Class C network, you theoretically have a choice of eight numbers to use in the subnet mask: 128, 192, 224, 240, 248, 252, 254, and 255. Going by the number of bits used by each of these values, the number of subnets created increases on a geometric scale: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128.

However, according to IP addressing rules, not all addresses are available for use.  The first and last IP addresses are not used.  According to this rule, you can see that using 254 in the last octet of a Class C subnet mask leaves no usable Host ID’s.  The first address in a subnet is used to identify the subnet (Subnet ID), and last number is used as the broadcast address for the subnet (Broadcast ID) leaving no available addresses for any Host ID’s.  By this rule, you can see that using 255 in the last octet of a Class C subnet mask would also leave no usable Host ID’s.  Looking at the table below should help you see the pattern:

Class C (binary)	Subnet Mask (decimal)	Subnets Available	Hosts/Subnet
00000000	[255.255.255].000	1	254
10000000	.128	2	126
11000000	.192	4	62
11100000	.224	8	30
11110000	.240	16	14
11111000	.248	32	6
11111100	.252	64	4
11111110	.254	N/A	N/A
11111111	.255	N/A	N/A
As an example, let’s use a subnet mask of 255.255.255.224 on a Class C address, this would yield six usable subnets containing thirty hosts each.  The table below shows the available address ranges using this scheme:

Subnet	Subnet ID	Host ID Range	Broadcast ID
1	0	1-30	31
2	32	33-62	63
3	64	65-94	95
4	96	97-126	127
5	128	129-158	159
6	160	161-190	191
7	192	193-222	223
8	224	225-254	255
Therefore, for our fictitious network 200.100.100, the IP addresses of hosts on Subnet 1 (at address 200.100.100.0) can be between 200.100.100.1 and 200.100.100.30. For Subnet 2 (at address 200.100.100.32), they can be between 200.100.100.33 and 200.100.100.62, etc.

What You Really Need to Know About IP Addresses and Subnet Masks

You probably are reading this section because you just want to plug in some numbers that will make Multicast work.  The most important rule about IP addresses used for ImageCast is that the Controller and all Clients have to be on the same IP Network (Network ID).  Also, remember to assign unique host addresses to each Client, as well as the Controller.  There are basically two ways to assign IP addresses to ImageCast components: dynamically and statically.

Using Dynamic IP Addresses

ClientBuilder will set-up dynamic addressing for you on the Client side, it is designed to use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).  The Windows NT 4.0 Server system can be configured to provide DHCP Service.

If you do not have this capability, you will need to assign static IP addresses to your Controller and all Clients.  Consult your Network Administrator or the documentation for your Network Server System to determine whether you can use DHCP.

Using Static IP Addresses

If you have an existing IP network using static addresses, you can use the same addresses for ImageCast. If you need to create an IP network that will not be connected to the Internet, such as a simple Windows 95/98 peer-to-peer setup, you can assign any arbitrary addresses as long as they conform to the same IP Network. The ones used as examples in this appendix will work. Remember to make all addresses unique and don’t use the reserved addresses.

Subnets and ImageCast

For ImageCast purposes, it is not necessary to divide your network into subnets.  The Controller and all Clients would need to be on the same subnet, but using the default subnet mask (zero) for the domain-class of your network will ensure this anyway.

However, let’s say you wanted to use ImageCast on a subnet of your existing Class C network. You would first select a subnet mask that allows enough Host ID’s in the subnet to accommodate the Controller and all Clients.  If you needed to multicast to forty Clients, then subnet mask 255.255.255.224 would not be appropriate (it only allows 30 hosts/subnet).  In this case, a more-appropriate choice would be to use subnet mask 255.255.255.192, allowing up to 62 hosts in each subnet.

If you need to multicast to more than 253 Clients (Remember, one Host ID is used by the Controller), you cannot use just a Class C domain.  Instead, pick a Class B domain and the default subnet mask for that class.

NOTE:  As long as your network isn’t connected to any public networks (the Internet), you can use any valid IP Domain you wish.


Obtaining Assistance

If you have a problem using ImageCast IC3, visit our support web pages at http://www.imagecast.com for the latest troubleshooting information. You may also e-mail us at imagecast@imagecast.com or you can print out a problem report form and fax it to us.

Please ensure the following before calling Technical Support:

•	Double-check that you have correctly installed all hardware. Ensure that any software used to boot a DOS client to a network server is installed properly. The examples provided in this manual apply to a specific network. Refer to the documentation provided by your network software vendor for correct installation instructions. We can only offer support on the ImageCast IC3 program, not on the installation of network hardware and software components.

•	We can only give support to valid customers. You must have the filename of your license certificate on hand.

•	If you received a registration card, send it in today!  Registration ensures that you get prompt support and lets us keep you informed about the latest product updates. You can also register directly via the World Wide Web at www.imagecast.com .

Contacts for Technical Support

StorageSoft, Inc.

361 Centennial Parkway, Suite 150

Louisville, Colorado 80027

Support	303-381-2681

Fax	303-381-2660

E-mail	support@imagecast.com

WWW	www.imagecast.com

Contacts for all other IC3 Issues

Innovative Software

7040 N. Port Washing Rd., Suite 440

Milwaukee, WI 53217

Sales	800-817-5119

Fax	414-540-1608

E-mail	sales@innovativesoftware.com

WWW	www.innovativesoftware.com

Visit the ImageCast web site at www.imagecast.com for the latest information on ImageCast.


Problem Report Form

To send in a Problem Report, please print this form out and fill in as much information as possible. Please fax to 303-381-2681   attn: Technical Support.

Please read the important information at the bottom of this page.

Application: ImageCast IC3

Identify program Version.________________________________________________

Identify program build#._________________________________________________

Enter a brief but concise description of the problem.

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Exact sequence of steps to reproduce and/or complete explanation (please be specific).

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Please be as descriptive as possible.

The more information you provide the better we will be able to reproduce your findings and track down the problem/suggestion.

If you feel that a screen capture is important to help us reproduce the bug please either:

1) Print it out and attach it to this document or

2) E-mail it to support@imagecast.com.

Thank you for taking the time to help us improve ImageCast IC3.


Revision

ImageCast IC3 Help Version 4.0

Revised 5 November 99