Using ImageUltra Builder - IBM Redbooks

A hardware-specific image is similar to a portable-sysprep image, but the differences are:
– It does not have the ability to append itself with additional modules. It is essentially a
“snapshot” of a source computer hard disk after the Microsoft Sysprep program has
been run.
– When deployed to a target computer, the hardware-specific image performs a limited
hardware query, but the hardware it can support is limited to the device drivers that
were provided by the source computer.
– A hardware-specific image requires that the source and target computers contain the
exact same hardware with little or no variations. It also requires that any variation in
applications be handled separately from the image-deployment process and
image-installation process.
1.5.3 The use and importance of Microsoft Sysprep
If you intend to use portable-sysprep images or hardware-specific images, you must have a
thorough knowledge of the Microsoft Sysprep tool. Unlike ultra-portable images,
portable-sysprep images and hardware-specific images are based on images created from a
source computer that has gone through a Windows setup operation. Therefore, specific user
and hardware information must be removed from the source computer using the Sysprep tool
before the image can be deployed to other computers. In contrast, ultra-portable images are
created from modules provided by IBM and are installed via a Windows unattended process.
If you intend to use ultra-portable images only, the Sysprep tool is not used.
1.5.4 Which image type is best for you?
You can use one or all methods depending on your company infrastructure. Here are some
examples:
► To maintain existing PCs for which you already have images, you might choose to convert
existing hardware-specific monolithic images into modules that can be stored and
deployed using the ImageUltra Builder program.
► If you are planning to install assorted models of IBM PCs and ThinkPads, you might
consider developing ultra-portable images that can be used across the IBM product line
regardless of hardware variations.
► If you plan to install a mix of PCs from various manufacturers, consider using the
ImageUltra Builder program in conjunction with third-party image-cloning software to
create portable-sysprep images that enable the installation of application or device-driver
modules so that the image can be deployed across a wider range of PCs. Because Smart
Images support all three types of images, you can use combinations of images within a
single base map.
All three image types can be used by a corporation, as can any combination of the image
types.
Figure 1-2 outlines the basic differences between the three image types.
Chapter 1. ImageUltra Builder 11