Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2005. All rights reserved.
Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks and copyrights referred to are the property of their
respective owners.
Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited
without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
Distribution of this work or derivative work in any standard (paper) book form
for commercial purposes is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from
the copyright holder.
DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED «AS IS» AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE
EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID.
2
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
BY ACCEPTING, YOU (ORIGINAL PURCHASER) INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE
OF THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THE PRODUCT UNDER
THESE TERMS, YOU MAY CHOOSE NOT TO ACCEPT BY SELECTING "I
decline..." AND NOT INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE.
Acronis Snap Deploy (the software) is protected by copyright © Acronis, Inc.,
2000-2005. All rights are reserved. The original purchaser is granted a license
to use the software only, subject to the following restrictions and limitations.
The license is to the original purchaser only, and is not transferable without
prior written permission from Acronis.
The original purchaser can use the software on a single computer owned or
leased by the original purchaser. You may not use the software on more than
a single machine, even if you own or lease all of them, without the written
consent of Acronis.
The original purchaser cannot engage in, nor permit third parties to engage
in, any of the following:
Providing or permitting use of or disclosing the software to third parties.
Providing use of the software in a computer service business, network,
timesharing or multiple-user arrangement to users who are not individually
licensed by Acronis.
Making alterations to or copies of any kind of the software (except as
specifically permitted above).
Attempting to un-assemble, de-compile or reverse engineer the software in
any way.
Granting sublicenses, leases or other rights to the software to others.
Making copies, or verbal or media translations, of the user’s guide.
Making telecommunication data transmission of the software.
Acronis has the right to terminate this license if there is a violation of its terms
or default by the original purchaser. Upon termination for any reason, all
copies of the software must be immediately returned to Acronis, and the
original purchaser shall be liable to Acronis for any and all damages suffered
as a result of the violation or default.
ENTIRE RISK
The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is with you
the purchaser. Acronis does not warrant that the software or its functions will
meet your requirements or that the operation of the software will be
uninterrupted or error-free or that any defects will be corrected.
NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
In no event shall Acronis or its vendors be liable for any damages whatsoever
(including, without limitation, damages for the loss of business information, or
any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or inability to use the
software, even if Acronis has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS......................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INFORMATION................................................................................................6
1.1. KEY FEATURES .......................................................................................................................................6
1.2. ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY ARCHITECTURE................................................................................................. 7
1.3. HOW ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY WORKS .................................................................................................... 7
1.4. SOFTWARE USAGE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ...........................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2. INSTALLATION AND OPERATION.................................................................................9
2.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .........................................................................................................................9
2.2 SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS........................................................................................................... 9
2.3 SUPPORTED FILE SYSTEMS AND MEDIA ................................................................................................... 9
2.4 USED PORTS AND IP ADDRESSES .......................................................................................................... 10
2.5 LICENSE POLICY....................................................................................................................................10
2.6 ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY COMPONENTS INSTALLATION .........................................................................10
2.7 ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY COMPONENTS EXTRACTION ............................................................................ 12
2.8 USING ACRONIS LICENSE SERVER MANAGEMENT TOOL .......................................................................12
2.9 USING ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY TRIAL VERSION.................................................................................... 13
2.10 RUNNING ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY........................................................................................................13
2.11 COMPONENTS MODIFICATION ...............................................................................................................14
2.12 REPAIRING COMPONENTS......................................................................................................................15
2.13 REMOVING COMPONENTS ..................................................................................................................... 15
2.14 TECHNICAL SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................16
CHAPTER 3. USING ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY MANAGEMENT CONSOLE................................17
3.1 KEY FEATURES ..................................................................................................................................... 17
3.2 CONNECTING TO A REMOTE COMPUTER ................................................................................................18
3.3 INSTALLING ACRONIS COMPONENTS ON A REMOTE PC.........................................................................19
3.4 BROWSING LOGS................................................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 4. PRE-DEPLOYMENT OPERATIONS...............................................................................22
4.1. CREATING MASTER IMAGE.................................................................................................................... 22
4.1.1. OS preparation for disk duplication process...............................................................................22
4.1.2. Running Acronis Master Image Creator..................................................................................... 23
4.1.3. Selecting disks.............................................................................................................................24
4.1.4. Selecting image location .............................................................................................................25
4.1.5. Selecting image file size ..............................................................................................................26
4.1.6. Selecting data compression level ................................................................................................27
4.1.7. Providing comments.................................................................................................................... 28
4.1.8. Image creation script ..................................................................................................................29
4.2. CHECKING MASTER IMAGES..................................................................................................................30
4.3. CREATING BOOTABLE MEDI A WITH ACRONIS SNAP DEPLOY AGENT ....................................................31
4.4. BOOTABLE DISKS CREATION .................................................................................................................32
4.5. INITIAL SETUP AND BOOTUP..................................................................................................................33
4.6. CONFIGURING ACRONIS PXE SERVER..................................................................................................34
CHAPTER 5. DEPLOYMENT....................................................................................................................36
5.1 MANAGING DEPLOYMENT.....................................................................................................................36
5.1.1 Selecting target computers ..............................................................................................................36
5.1.2 Selecting template mode..................................................................................................................37
5.1.3 Selecting a master image to deploy.................................................................................................39
5.1.4 Adding user information..................................................................................................................39
5.1.5 Computer name ............................................................................................................................... 40
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Table of Contents
5.1.6 Network settings ..............................................................................................................................41
5.1.7 DNS settings ....................................................................................................................................42
5.1.8 Change security identifiers..............................................................................................................43
5.1.9 Transferring files............................................................................................................................. 44
5.1.10 Executing applications................................................................................................................ 44
5.1.11 Providing comments.................................................................................................................... 45
5.1.12 Deployment options.....................................................................................................................46
5.1.13 Deployment Script.......................................................................................................................46
5.2 MANAGING TEMPLATES........................................................................................................................ 48
CHAPTER 6. REMOTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS....................................................................49
6.1 FILE MANAGEMENT ON A REMOTE PC ..................................................................................................49
6.2 EXECUTING APPLICATIONS ON A REMOTE PC .......................................................................................51
6.2.1 Creating scheduled task...................................................................................................................51
6.2.2 Managing scheduled tasks...............................................................................................................57
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 5
General information
Chapter 1. General information
Acronis Snap Deploy is a comprehensive solution designed for simultaneous
remote deployment of a fully configured operating system with application
software to target PCs over a network from a previously created image file.
Acronis Snap Deploy also provides configuration management tools to
configure system settings, manage files, and execute applications on systems
throughout the network.
During deployment, the process deploy server multicasts an image archive
created from a master PC to networked target computers.
The master image contains everything the system needs to run — the
operating system and application software.
Usually, company departments, such as accounting, sales or technical support,
use a set of applications for daily work. With Acronis Snap Deploy, you can
create images of commonly used applications and use them as a standard t o
deploy to target PCs. Because it uses disk-imaging technolo gy that creates an
image of an entire hard disk drive, it is ideal for rapid bare-metal installations
and for disaster recovery operations on computers.
Save money
Businesses today face increasing challenges when it comes to configuring and
deploying new PCs in a distributed enterprise environment. IT staff are
constantly looking for new solutions that can quickly and efficiently deploy
new systems that comply with established policies and can be managed from
a central location under an environment where budgets are tight, but service
level improvements are expected. Having a deployment solution in place that
enables businesses to create a number of standardized configurations quickly
and efficiently can save money.
Fastest simultaneous deployment
OS installation and configuration, even on a single PC, is slow and tedious. But
it’s nothing compared to doing it on dozens of brand new PCs. Acronis Snap
Deploy reduces maintenance costs by providing fast, simultaneous
deployment of new systems.
1.1. Key features
Remote simultaneous deployment of master image to target PCs,
including:
User accounts management
Network settings management
Domain settings management
Transferring files to all target computers after deployment
Executing applications on all target computers after deployment
Managing deployment templates
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
General information
Master image creation
Master images checking
Logs viewing
Remote PXE Server management
File management on a remote PC
Application execution on a remote PC
Installing Acronis components to a remote computer (requires appropriate
access rights)
User-friendly Windows XP-like interface with full mouse support
Comprehensive wizards simplify even the most complex operations
Support a variety of IDE, SCSI, USB and PC Card (formerly PCMCIA)
storage media
Support for all hard disks, regardless of capacity
Support backup images created with Acronis True Image
1.2. Acronis Snap Deploy architecture
Acronis Snap Deploy includes the following components:
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console is the primary tool for
remotely managing Acronis OS Deploy Server, Acronis PXE Server and target
PCs. It also allows you to create and check master images on remote
computers.
Acronis OS Deploy Server provides master image deployment on target
PCs.
Acronis PXE Server allows you to boot target PCs remotely, without using
bootable media. In order for PXE Server to wor k properly, network com puters
must support PXE.
Acronis Snap Deploy Agent boots up target PCs to establish a connecti on
with Acronis OS Deploy Server. There are two ways to load Acronis Snap
Deploy Agent on target computers: directly from bootable media or from
Acronis PXE Server.
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Agent must be installed on a remote
PC to perform the following operations: create master images, manage files,
execute applications.
Acronis Master Image Creator boots up a master computer and allows you
to create a master image from it. There are two ways to load Acr onis Master
Image Creator on a master computer: directly from bootable media or from
Acronis PXE Server.
Acronis License Server allows you to manage your Acronis enterprise
product licenses from a single location.
1.3. How Acronis Snap Deploy works
Deployment of a target PC takes six steps:
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 7
General information
1. Create a master PC configuration, including the operating system,
applications and settings.
2. Create a master image and save it using Acronis Master Image Creator.
3. Create bootable media with Acronis Snap Deploy Agent or install and
configure Acronis PXE Server.
4. Boot the target PCs with the bootable media or with PXE.
5. Specify target PC settings (TCP/IP settings, domain/workgroup settings,
computer name and user name) in the Acronis Snap Deploy Management
Console and launch the deployment process.
6. Deployment server begins transfer of the master image to the bare
systems. Once the transfer is complete, the target PCs are ready to use.
No installation of the operating system or applications is required -- the
image contains everything the system needs to run.
1.4. Software usage terms and conditions
The conditions for Acronis Snap Deploy software usage are described in the
«License agreement», included with this package. The supplied registration
card is the confirmation of your legal purchase and usage of Acronis Snap
Deploy on your system. Each registration card has a unique registration
number.
Under current legislation, the «License agreement» is considered a contract
between a user (you) and a software manufacturer (Acronis Inc.). The
contract is legally binding and its violation may result in litigation.
Illegal use and/or distribution of this software will be prosecuted.
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
Installation and operation
Chapter 2. Installation and operation
2.1 System requirements
For Acronis Snap Deploy components installation:
Pentium processor or higher
128MB RAM
keyboard
mouse (recommended)
PXE support
Floppy disk drive, CD-R/RW drive or another drive (USB hard drive, Zip
drive, Flash drive etc.)
For target computers:
Pentium processor or higher
128MB RAM
keyboard
mouse (recommended)
Floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive, any other drive (USB hard drive, Zip
drive, flash drive, etc.) or PXE support
DHCP Server (recommended)
2.2 Supported operating systems
Acronis OS Deploy Server:
Windows NT/2000/XP Professional
Windows NT 4.0 Server/2000 Server/2000 Advanced Server/2003 Server
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console:
Windows NT/2000/XP Professional/XP Home Edition
Windows NT 4.0 Server/2000 Server/2000 Advanced Server/2003 Server
Windows 98/Me
Operating systems for deployment:
Windows NT/2000/XP
Windows NT 4.0 Server/2000 Server/2000 Advanced Server/2003 Server
Windows 98/Me
2.3 Supported file systems and media
Acronis Snap Deploy supports the following file systems:
FAT16/32
NTFS
Ext2/Ext3
ReiserFS
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 9
Installation and operation
Reiser4
Linux SWAP
XFS
JFS
Supported media
Acronis Snap Deploy supports any local, network and removable media,
including:
Local and networked hard drives
IDE and SCSI RAID controllers of any level
CD-R/RW drives
DVD+R/RW, DVD-RW (DVD burning software required)
USB and FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage devices
Magneto-optical media, Iomega ZIP/Jaz, etc.
2.4 Used Ports and IP addresses
The Acronis OS Deploy Server and the Acronis Snap Deploy Management
Console use the following ports and IP addresses for remote operation:
UDP port: 9876
TCP port: 9876, if port number is already in use, a random port is
obtained
IPv4 multicast address: 239.255.219.45
IPv6 multicast address: FF05::fAA5:741E.
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console UDP port: 9877, if port
number is already in use, a random port is obtained
The Acronis PXE Server uses following ports and IP addresses:
UDP port: 67, 68, 69.
Broadcast address: 255.255.255.255
If you are using a firewall, you might have to set the appropriate access options
2.5 License policy
Acronis Snap Deploy licensing is based on number of computers to manage
with Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console. The number of deployments,
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console, Acronis OS Deploy Server, Acronis
PXE Server, Acronis Snap Deploy Management Agent installations is not
counted.
2.6 Acronis Snap Deploy components installation
You can install all the Acronis Snap Deploy components (Acronis Snap Deploy
Management Console, Acronis OS Deploy Server, Acronis PXE Server, Acronis
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
Installation and operation
Snap Deploy Management Agent and Acronis License Server) on one PC or
each component on a separate networked computer.
Before installing other Acronis components, you need to install the Acronis
License Server and import license serial numbers to it (see section 2.8 of this
Guide).
The installation procedure may differ from the one described below,
depending on the component.
To install an Acronis Snap Deploy component:
1. Run AcronisSnapDeploy.exe.
2. In the Install Menu, select the component that you are going to install
on a current PC. Available options are: Acronis Snap Deploy Management
Console, Acronis OS Deploy Server, Acronis PXE Server, Acronis Snap
Deploy Management Agent or Acronis License Server.
3. Read and accept the terms of the license agreement, then click Next.
4. In the Specify License Server window, you should specify the License
Server for license validation. It can be found automatically on the local
network or can be specified manually.
5. In the Choose setup type window, choose setup type:
Typical -- installs most common program features (recommended for
most users).
Custom -- allows users to choose program features to install and select
a location for setup (recommended for advanced users).
Complete -- all program features will be installed (requires the most
disk space).
6. In the Select Administrators Options window, choose Install for all
users or Install for the currently logged-in user, then click Next.
7. Click Proceed to begin installation.
Figure 1. Acronis Snap Deploy Install Menu
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 11
Installation and operation
2.7 Acronis Snap Deploy components extraction
Advanced users may save the files needed for the installation of Acronis Snap
Deploy components on a local or network drive for the further manual
installation of the program. To do this, the following steps are necessary:
1. Run AcronisSnapDeploy.exe file
2. In the Install Menu, click the right mouse button on the program and
select the setup file you want to extract
3. In the context menu, select Extract item
4. Select location for setup files and click Save button
2.8 Using Acronis License Server management tool
The Acronis License Server allows you to manage your Acronis enterprise
product licenses from a single location. The license server must be installed
before installing other Acronis components (see section 2.6 of this Guide).
After purchasing product you will receive serial numbers for license validation.
It is recommended that you save these serials in a text file and place it in the
same folder, where Acronis License Server is installed.
You can import these serial numbers to the license server manually one at a
time or import them all at once from the saved file.
The Acronis License Server includes a special command-line utility
LicenseServerCmdLine.exe which allows you to manage license information.
After the Acronis License Server installation LicenseServerCmdLine.exe will be
located in the installation folder, e. g. C:\Program Files\Acronis\License
Server.
To import serial numbers to the Acronis License Server:
1. After the Acronis License Server installation run the
LicenseServerCmdLine.exe in the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe).
2. If you want to import all serial numbers at once type following command:
LicenseServerCmdLine --import-file [computername] [filename]
where:
computername – name of the computer with Acronis License Server
installed
filename – name of the saved file (*.txt or *.eml) with serial numbers
Example:
LicenseServerCmdLine --import-file MyServer serials.txt
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3. If you want to import serial numbers manually type the following
command:
LicenseServerCmdLine --import [computername] [serial1]
[serial2] …
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
Installation and operation
where:
computername – name of the computer with Acronis License Server
installed
serial – license serial number
For example:
LicenseServerCmdLine --import MyServer NL6ER-HDVVY-2ZJ27RRMMH-AH7Q7
LicenseServerCmdLine.exe commands reference
LicenseServerCmdLine.exe uses the following syntax:
LicenseServerCmdLine [option] [parameter1]
[parameter2]LicenseServerCmdLine.exe supported options and usage:
--list
Displays the list of the License servers available in the local network
--status [server name or server IP-address]
Displays specified License Server status
--import [server name] [serial key]
Adds information about new license (new serial key). It is possible to
specify multiple serial numbers at once (space separated)
--import-file [server name] [filename]
Imports license serial keys from .txt or .eml file
--help
Displays help information
2.9 Using Acronis Snap Deploy trial version
If you have not acquired a software license for Acronis Snap Deploy yet, you
may still try the full-featured trial version of the product, limited with 15-days
period or 5 successful deployments. To use the trial version, add the following
serial number to the License Server list before the product installation:
NL6ER-HDVVY-2ZJ27-RRMMH-AH7Q7
Use the LicenseServerCmdLine.exe utility. See section 2.8 for details.
After the specified period or number of deployments expires, the product will
cease to function. Having purchased a required number of licenses, you can
return the program to the full functionality.
2.10 Running Acronis Snap Deploy
After installation, Acronis OS Deploy Server and Acronis PXE Server are
launched automatically as Windows services.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 13
Installation and operation
You can run Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console by clicking Start →
All programs → Acronis → Snap Deploy → Acronis Snap Deploy
Management Console.
2.11 Components modification
You can modify features of the installed components.
To customize component features,
1. Run AcronisSnapDeploy.exe.
2. In the Install Menu, click on the component you are about to customize.
3. Click Modify in the Modify, Repair or Remove Installation window.
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Figure 2. Modify, repair or remove installation
4. In the Custom Setup window, click on the feature:
Will be installed on a local hard drive -- selecting this option
installs the selected component feature on your computer’s disk drive.
Entire feature will be installed on a local hard drive -- selecting
this option installs the selected component feature, as well as all
features and subfeatures in the product tree below the selection on
your computer’s disk.
Entire feature will be unavailable -- selecting this option removes
the feature from your computer’s disk drive.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
Installation and operation
Figure 3. Custom setup
5. Click Next to apply changes.
2.12 Repairing components
During maintenance periods, you may need to repair (or restore) Acronis Snap
Deploy components.
To repair a component:
1. Run AcronisSnapDeploy.exe.
2. In the Install Menu, click on the component you want to repair.
3. Click Repair in the Modify, Repair or Remove Installation window.
2.13 Removing components
You can remove any Acronis Snap Deploy component separately.
To remove a component from the Control Panel:
1. Run Control Panel.
2. Select Add or remove programs.
3. Click the Remove button on the Acronis Snap Deploy component.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen.
You can also remove Acronis Snap Deploy components in the Install Menu.
To remove a component from the Install Menu:
1. Run AcronisSnapDeploy.exe.
2. In the Install Menu, click on the component that is about to be removed.
3. Click Remove in the Modify, Repair or Remove Installation window.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 15
Installation and operation
2.14 Technical support
Users that have legally purchased and registered their copy of Acronis Snap
Deploy will receive free e-mail technical support from Acronis. If you have
problems installing or using the system that you cannot resolve with the help
of this guide, please e-mail technical support. You will also need to provide
the registration number of your Acronis Snap Deploy supplied with this
package.
Support URL:
http://www.acronis.com/support/
E-mail: support@acronis.com
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
Pre-deployment operations
Chapter 3. Using Acronis Snap Deploy
Management Console
3.1 Key features
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console is the primary administrative tool
for Acronis OS Deploy Server, Acronis PXE Server and remote computers. It
also allows you to create and check master images on remote PCs.
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console enables you to perform the
following:
Deploy master images to target PCs simultaneously, including:
o Creating user accounts
o Managing TCP/IP settings
o Managing network identification of target PCs (computer name,
domain or workgroup membership)
o Transferring files to all target computers after deployment
o Executing applications on all target computers after deployment
Manage deployment templates
Create master images
Check master images
Create bootable media
Configure Acronis PXE Server
Manage files on remote PCs
Execute applications on remote PCs
Figure 4. Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console main window
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006 17
Using Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console
3.2 Connecting to a remote computer
With Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console, you can establish connection
with remote computers to perform management operations. To perform
certain operation you should be connected to proper computer, for example:
To manage deployment, you need to connect to a computer with
Acronis OS Deploy Server installed.
To manage Acronis OS Deploy Server, you must be a member of the
Administrators or Power Users groups.
To configure PXE Server, you need to connect to a computer with
Acronis PXE Server installed.
To configure Acronis PXE Server, you must be a member of the
Administrators or Network Configuration Operators groups.
To create master images, manage files and execute applications, you
need to connect a remote computer with Acronis Snap Deploy
Agent installed.
Use View → Computers to access the list of machines to which you can
connect.
Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console is automatically suggest you to
establish connection with a remote computer, when you selecting operations.
But you can instantly connect to proper computer.
To establish connection with a remote PC
1. Select New connection in the Remote management sidebar section of
the Acronis Snap Deploy Management Console main window or the
associated menu or toolbar items. You can also establish a connection
using a context menu invoked by right-clicking the desired machin e name
in the View → Computers list.
2. Specify PC network name or select a PC by pressing the Browse…
button.
3. Enter an administrator or backup operator user name and password.
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2006
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