Acronis Snap Deploy - 4.0 Operation Manual

Acronis Snap Deploy 4

User Guide

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Table of conte nts

1 Introducing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 .........................................................................................7

1.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................... 7

1.1.1 What is Acronis Snap Deploy 4....................................................................................................................... 7

1.1.2 Who needs Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ................................................................................................................ 7

1.1.3 Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure ............................................................................................................ 7

1.2 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ........................................................................... 7

1.2.1 Taking an image of the master system .......................................................................................................... 8

1.2.2 Deployment to specific machines (immediate, manual, and scheduled deployment) ............................. 8

1.2.3 Deployment to any rea dy machines (event-driven deployment) ............................................................... 9

1.2.4 Stand-alone de pl o yme n t ................................................................................................................................ 9

1.2.5 Deployment with individual deployment settings ........................................................................................ 9

1.2.6 User-initi a te d de plo yme n t (cu st o m de p l oym e nt) ...................................................................................... 10

1.2.7 Deployment of a disk volume and MBR ...................................................................................................... 10

1.2.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE ...................................................................................... 10

1.3 Features of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ..........................................................................................11

1.3.1 New: List of machines ................................................................................................................................... 11

1.3.2 New: List of deployment tasks ..................................................................................................................... 11

1.3.3 New: Per-deployment lic e nsing ................................................................................................................... 12

1.3.4 New: Support for the VHD format ............................................................................................................... 12

1.3.5 New: Graphical user interface in WinPE ...................................................................................................... 12

1.3.6 New: E-mail notifications about deployment ............................................................................................. 13

1.3.7 New: Compatibility with Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, and Acronis Backup &

Recovery 11 backups ................................................................................................................................. 13

1.3.8 New: Support for multiple network adapters ............................................................................................. 13

1.3.9 Multicast TTL and network bandwidth throttling ....................................................................................... 13

1.3.10 New: Falling back to unicast ......................................................................................................................... 13

1.3.11 Encrypted communication ........................................................................................................................... 14

1.3.12 Password protection ..................................................................................................................................... 14

1.4 Supported operating systems fo r im a ging and deployment ...................................................14

1.5 Licensing policy ........................................................................................................................15

1.5.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses ................................................................................................ 16

1.5.2 Server licenses and workstation licenses .................................................................................................... 16

1.5.3 Lice nses for Ac ronis Univ ers al De ploy ......................................................................................................... 16

1.5.4 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ........................................................................................................ 17

1.6 Upgrading to Acronis Snap Depl oy 4 .......................................................................................17

1.6.1 Upgrading licenses ........................................................................................................................................ 17

1.6.2 Upgrading components ................................................................................................................................ 18

1.7 Technical Support ....................................................................................................................18

2 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 .................................................................................. 19

2.1 Terminology .............................................................................................................................19

2.2 Components .............................................................................................................................20

2.3 Support for file systems and storage media ............................................................................21

2.3.1 Supported file systems .................................................................................................................................. 21

2.3.2 Supported media ........................................................................................................................................... 21

2.4 Supported types of disk and firmware interface .....................................................................22

2.5 Usage .......................................................................................................................................23

2.5.1 Offline imaging .............................................................................................................................................. 23

2.5.2 Online imaging ............................................................................................................................................... 24

2.5.3 Deployment ................................................................................................................................................... 24

2.6 What is Acronis Universal Deploy ............................................................................................25

2.6.1 Acronis Universal Deploy purpose ............................................................................................................... 26

2.6.2 Acronis Universal Deploy general principles ............................................................................................... 26

2.6.3 Acro nis Universal Deploy and Microsoft Sysprep ....................................................................................... 26

2.6.4 Getti n g Acronis Univer sa l Deploy ................................................................................................................ 26

2.7 How to .....................................................................................................................................27

3 Getting started with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 .......................................................................... 28

4 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.................................................................................... 39

4.1 Supported operating systems ..................................................................................................39

4.2 Used ports and IP addresses ....................................................................................................39

4.3 Typical installation ...................................................................................................................40

4.4 Custom installation ..................................................................................................................40

4.4.1 Installation procedure ................................................................................................................................... 41

4.4.2 Common installation configurations ........................................................................................................... 42

4.4.3 Installation of components ........................................................................................................................... 43

4.5 Other ways of installation ........................................................................................................46

4.5.1 Installing components remotely .................................................................................................................. 46

4.5.2 Extracting the components of Acr onis Snap Depl oy 4 ............................................................................... 48

4.6 Upgrading Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ...........................................................................................48

4.6.1 Upgrading from a previous product version ............................................................................................... 48

4.6.2 Upgrading from the trial to full product version ......................................................................................... 49

4.7 Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 .........................................................................................49

5 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console .............................................................. 51

5.1 Connecting to a machine .........................................................................................................51

5.1.1 Connect to a local machine .......................................................................................................................... 51

5.1.2 Connect to another machine ....................................................................................................................... 51

5.2 Browsing logs ...........................................................................................................................53

5.3 Checking for software updates ................................................................................................53

6 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server .......................................................................... 54

6.1 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server ............................................................54

6.2 Adding licenses by using Acronis Sn a p Deploy 4 Management Console .................................54

6.3 Viewing information about licenses ........................................................................................55

6.4 Removing licenses....................................................................................................................56

6.5 Adding licenses in the command-line mode ...........................................................................56

6.6 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool.............................................57

7 Deployment tools ................................................................................................................ 59

7.1 Bootable components .............................................................................................................59

7.2 Creating a bootable media ......................................................................................................59

7.2.1 Creating an Acronis bootable media ........................................................................................................... 60

7.2.2 Creating a WinPE-based bootable media .................................................................................................... 63

7.3 Configuring Acronis PXE Server ...............................................................................................66

8 Creating a master image ...................................................................................................... 67

8.1 Preparation of the master operating system ..........................................................................67

8.2 Online vs. offline imaging ........................................................................................................68

8.3 Performing online imaging ......................................................................................................68

8.4 Performing offline imaging ......................................................................................................68

8.5 Steps of the Master Image Creator wizard ..............................................................................71

8.5.1 Disks or volumes to image ............................................................................................................................ 71

8.5.2 Image name and location ............................................................................................................................. 72

8.5.3 Options of imaging ........................................................................................................................................ 73

8.5.4 Comments and summary ............................................................................................................................. 76

9 Validating a master image .................................................................................................... 78

10 Deploying a master image .................................................................................................... 79

10.1 Files supported as master images ...........................................................................................79

10.2 Licenses for deployment ..........................................................................................................80

10.3 Deployment templates ............................................................................................................80

10.3.1 Creati ng a de plo ym e nt tem pl a te ................................................................................................................. 80

10.3.2 Config u ri ng de fa ult de p lo ym e nt s e tt i ngs .................................................................................................... 98

10.3.3 Managing deployment templates................................................................................................................ 99

10.4 Deployment through a deployme nt t a sk .................................................................................99

10.4.1 Prerequisites ................................................................................................................................................ 100

10.4.2 Deployment to specific machines .............................................................................................................. 100

10.4.3 Deployment to any ready machines .......................................................................................................... 106

10.4.4 Booting the target machines ...................................................................................................................... 108

10.4.5 Opera tions wi t h deploym ent tasks ............................................................................................................ 111

10.4.6 Deployment behind an NAT device ........................................................................................................... 111

10.5 Stand-alone deployment .......................................................................................................112

10.6 User-initiated deployment (custom deployment) .................................................................113

10.6.1 Understanding user-initiated deployment ................................................................................................ 113

10.6.2 Considerations when using a PXE server ................................................................................................... 115

10.6.3 Setting up the user-initiated deployment mode ...................................................................................... 115

10.6.4 Changi ng pa r ame te rs of the use r -initiated deployment mode ............................................................... 118

10.6.5 Switching off the user-initiated deployment mode.................................................................................. 118

11 Managing the list of machines (the Machines view) ............................................................ 119

11.1 Adding machines....................................................................................................................119

11.2 Groups of machines ...............................................................................................................120

11.3 Actions on machines ..............................................................................................................120

11.4 States and results for machines .............................................................................................121

12 Individual deployment settings .......................................................................................... 122

12.1 Enabling, disabling, and resetting individual settings............................................................122

12.2 List of individual settings .......................................................................................................122

13 Managing deployment tasks (the Deployment tasks view) .................................................. 124

13.1 List of deployment tasks ........................................................................................................124

13.2 Actions on deployment tasks.................................................................................................124

13.3 States and results for deployment tasks ...............................................................................125

14 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE ................................................................ 126

14.1 Command-line syntax ............................................................................................................126

14.1.1 Supported commands ................................................................................................................................ 126

14.1.2 Common parameters (parameters common for most commands) ....................................................... 128

14.1.3 Specific parameters (parameters specific for individual commands) ..................................................... 129

14.1.4 Usage examples ........................................................................................................................................... 134

14.2 Sample scenarios ...................................................................................................................134

14.2.1 Deploying images assigned to target machines ........................................................................................ 134

14.2.2 Creating images assigned to target machines .......................................................................................... 135

15 Collecting system inf o rma tion ............................................................................................ 137

1 Introducing Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.1 Overview

1.1.1 What is Acronis Snap Deploy 4

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is a flexible, efficient software solution for deployment of a fully configured operating system (with or without application software and any other data) to multiple machines. Because the product uses disk imaging technology, it is ideal for rapid bare-metal installations and flexible centralized provisioning.

1.1.2 Who needs Acronis Snap Deploy 4

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is primarily designed to be used by:

§ Small and medium-size businesses:

§ IT service providers

§ Hardware retailers

§ IT departments of larger corporations

§ Schools and universities

§ R&D and software testing labs

The enterprise features of Acro nis Snap Deploy 4 (scheduled deploy ment, support for Preinstallat io n Environment, command-line interface, and scripting, to name a few) can help automate the tasks of the IT department in large enterprise environments.

1.1.3 Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure

Components of the Acronis infrastructure are installed on Windows machines. Managing the Acronis infrastructure is performed by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

A reference image, called the master image, can be taken in Windows, in the Acronis environment, or in Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) that contains components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

Deployment is performed in the A c ronis environment or in WinPE that contains components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. In either environment, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides the graphical user interface (GUI). In addition, command-line mode and scripting are supported in WinPE.

A dedicated bootable utility enables fully-functional deployment with GUI on a stand-alone machine (a machine that is isolated from th e ne twork or is included in a network without Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure).

1.2 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 4

This section describes typical usage scenarios for Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

1.2.1 Taking an image of the master system

First, you create the desired system configuration and save the image of the system hard disk to a network folder, detachable media (such as a USB hard d rive) or removable media (such as a DVD). An image, also called a master image, is a file that contains the system in a packaged form.

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Each department in your organization, such as accounting, sales, and technical support, uses a fixed set of applications for daily work.

You create a library of master images. For example, you create one image for each department. You then deploy these images to new hardware without having to manually configure the operating system and applications.

Scenario 2

You need to deploy a standard configuration included in a master image, to machines with different hardware.

You use the separately-sold Acronis Universal Deploy add-on. This add-on configures Windows system drivers so that Windows is able to boot on dissimilar hardware. Without this add-on, the motherboard, processors, and mass-storage devices of the imaged and the target hardware must be identical. The same applies to non-Windows operating systems.

1.2.2 Deployment to specific machines (immediate, manual, and scheduled deployment)

You can perform deployment to a specific list of machines with known physical addresses (called MAC addresses). The deployment can run immediately after you set it up, on a sched ule, or when you start it manually.

These ways of deployment are also known as manual deployment and scheduled deployment. When the deployment is about to start, the software will power on the target machines with

predefined MAC addresses by usin g the BIOS Wake-on-LAN (WOL) functionality. Machines in another subnet can be woken u p through a component called Wake-on-LAN Proxy,

which is delivered with Acronis Snap Deploy 4. The machines typically boot into the PXE server that is installed in the same subnet.

Machines that do not support Wake-on-LAN can be booted into the Acron i s environment manually before the deployment starts. Such machines will also be deployed, provided that they are listed for deployment.

Scenarios

Scenario 1. An organization receives a shipment of machines from a manufacturer along with the list

of their MAC addresses. The IT department has to deploy the operating system to the new hardware. Scenario 2. An Internet café, school or university lab has 100 machines with known MAC addresses.

The nightly deployment of the initial standard image on these machines is needed.

1.2.3 Deployment to any ready machines (ev ent -driven deployment)

You can set up deployment to star t wh en a specific number of any machines become ready. Unlike deployment to specific machines (p. 8), this way of deployment does not require knowing the MAC addresses of the machines.

The software counts how many machines have connected to the deployment server and starts deployment when the number of machines you specified (for example, 10) is connected.

This way of deployment is also called event-driven deployment or deployment upon an event. You can specify a time-out period. After the time-out, deployment will start on the machines that are

ready despite the fact that the predefined number is not reached.

Scenario

Your organization receives 100 machines from a manufacturer. You want to deploy the operating system and programs to all these machines at once.

1. You set up a deployment operation that waits until any 100 machines are ready.

2. You boot each machine into the Acronis environment, by using either Acronis bootable media or

Acronis PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) Server.

3. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 uses multicasting to perform the deployment to all machines at once.

1.2.4 Stand-alon e deployment

The administrator might need to perform deployment to a machine that is isolated from a network or is included in a network without an Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infr ast ructure (such as the deployment server or the license server). A dedicated bootable utility enables a fully-functional deployment with the graphical user interface on a stand-alone machine.

The master image for deployment can be located in a network folder or on a removable drive (such as a DVD) on the machine you are performing deployment to. The image cannot be located on the local hard disk of the machine, because deployment usually involves overwriting the contents of the disk.

The Universal Deploy add-on is unavailable for stand-alone deployment.

1.2.5 Deployment with individual deployment settings

You can set up individual deployment settings (p. 122) for a machine. These settings will override the general settings of the deployment operation (the deployment template).

Scenarios

Scenario 1

You want to perform deployment to several machines. For each machine, you want to assign a specific name, rather than an automatically-generated name.

1. You enter the MAC addresses of the machines so that they all appear in the list of machines.

2. You select each machine in the list and specify an individual setting: the machine name.

3. You set up a deployment operation. Other deployment settings will be the same for all machines.

Scenario 2 You want to perform deployment to a big number of machines. For one of those machin es, h owever,

you need to perform deployment to the second hard disk, rather than to the first har d disk.

1. You enter the MAC addresses of all machines so that all machines appear in the list of machines.

2. You specify an individual setting for the correspondi n g machine: to deploy to the second hard

disk.

3. You set up a deployment operation to perform deployment to the first hard disk. Deployment to

that specific machine will be performed to the second hard disk.

1.2.6 User-initiated deployment (custom deployment)

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can be configured in such a way that users will be able to deploy and redeploy their machines with o n e click on the boot menu.

This way of deployment is also called custom deployment.

Scenarios

Scenario 1

Software testers have to deploy clean operating systems or preconfigured systems on test machines.

A test team leader creates a custom bootable media or a PXE package that provides a fixed set of choices on the target side. A test team member reboots a test machine and selects what to deploy from the boot menu with one click. The deployment starts immediately. The choices can be various operating systems, various editions of the same operating system, the same operating system with various settings or various applications, to name a few. The deployment proceeds independently on each machine.

Scenario 2

In a university or school lab, switching between exercises requires reconfiguring the machine entirely. Students can switch or restart exercises without the teacher’s assistance. If a student messes up the machine (for example, deletes a file or changes configuration), the student can choose a self-restore option from the boot menu.

1.2.7 Deployment of a disk volume and MBR

You do not necessarily have to deploy the entire disk. Provided that the master and the target disks have a similar partitioning scheme, you can image and deploy only the system volume or only the data, depending on your needs.

When deploying a volume, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can also deploy the master boot record (MBR) of the disk on which the original volume is located.

1.2.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides a com mand-line utility that can be added to a bootable media based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). The administrator can create such media on a physical drive or place it to the PXE server.

Having booted a machine into Windows Preinstallation Environment, the administrator can perform imaging or deployment in the command-line mode or execute scripts.

Scenarios

Scenario 1

The administrator needs to deploy a different image to each machine on the network. The administrator writes a deployment script that can read the target machine’s MAC address

(for example, 01-02-03-04-05-06) and pull an image whose name matches the MAC address (for example, image-01-02-03-04-05-06.tib) The image can be located in any convenient location, such as a network share.

The administrator then runs the script on any number of target machines to deploy the corresponding image to each of them.

Scenario 2

The administrator needs to start imaging or deployment automatically each time a machine boots from the PXE server.

The administrator creates an imaging or deployment script, adds the script to the PE and includes the script in the startnet.cmd file. On booting into the PE, the operation will be performed automatically.

Scenario 3

The administrator needs to automatically execute pre-deployment operations (disk partitioning, for example) on the machines on the network.

The administrator creates a script that performs pre-deployment operations, adds the script along with deployment script to t he PE and includes both scripts in the startnet.cmd file. On booting into the PE, both operations will be performed automatically.

1.3 Features of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.3.1 New: List of machines

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides the Machines view (p. 119). T his view contains a list of all machines that you added for deployment or that have ever been deployed.

In this view, you can:

§ View and edit the list of machines.

§ Check which machines are ready for deployment.

§ Examine the current state of the deployment operation, and the result of the last deployment.

§ Add machines for subsequent deployment by specifying the machines’ MAC addresses.

§ Specify individual deployment settings (p. 9).

§ Set up deployment for one or more machines.

§ Organize machines into groups.

1.3.2 New: List of deployment tasks

Centralized deployment is performed by a deployment task. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides a list of deployment tasks in the Deployment tasks (p. 124) view.

In this view, you can:

§ View and edit the list of tasks, i n cluding scheduled tasks and tasks that perform deployment

when a specified number of machines are ready.

§ Edit tasks; for example, to change the list of machines to perform deployment to.

§ Start any task manually; for example, to perform deployment outside the normal schedule.

§ Examine the current state of the task and the result of the last run of the task.

1.3.3 New: Per-deployment licensing

In addition to per-machine licensing, Acronis Snap Depl oy 4 supports per-deployment licensing. A deployment license enables you a single successful deployment to a particular machine. A machine

license enables you an unlimited number of deployments to a particular machine. For more details, see “Licensing policy” (p. 15).

Scenario

You provision machines to end use rs by deploying the operating system with the necessary software to a machine and then shipping the machine to the end user. Because you are planning to perform deployment to each machine only once, you want a cheaper license for the machine.

You buy a number of deployment licenses based on the number of machines that you want to provision. A deployment license becomes used only if the deployment to the corresponding machine has been successful.

1.3.4 New: Support for the VHD format

In addition to using its own format for an image, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can perform deployment from a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file. Such file stores contents of one or more disks. It can be created in Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7.

Scenario

You saved the disks of one of your machines to a VHD file by using the Windows Backup program. Now you want to deploy that machine to other machines.

When setting up the deployment, you specify the VHD file as you would specify an image file created by Acronis Snap Deploy 4. When performing the deployment, the softwa re c an change the settings for the machines being deployed.

1.3.5 New: Graphical user interface in WinPE

A bootable media based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) now provides a graphical user interface (GUI) similar to that in an Acronis bootable media.

By using the GUI, you can take a master image and perform deployment. You may want to use a WinPE-based media if the Acronis media cannot recognize a specific device,

such as an exotic storage device. A WinPE-based bootable media also provides a command-line utility (p. 10) for performing imaging

and deployment.

1.3.6 New: E-mail notifications about deployment

When using the command-line mode (p. 10), you can set up e-mail notifications about the result of each deployment operation.

Scenario

In Scenario 1 or Scenario 2 described in “Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE” (p. 10), the administrator also wants to receive e-mail notifications about deployment.

The administrator includes in the deployment script a command that set s up the parameters of the e-mail notifications, such as the administrator’s e-mail address and the parameters of the mail server.

An e-mail notification is sent after each deployment command. Each notification contains the MAC address and IP address of the corres p onding machine and whether the deploy ment h a s been successful.

1.3.7 New: Compatibility with Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 backups

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can use as a master image a disk-level backup created by the Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, or Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 product family.

1.3.8 New: Support for multiple net work adapters

A machine license is bound to the machine’s network adapter (also known as network interface card, NIC).

If the machine has more than one netwo rk adapter, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 ensures that only one license is assigned to the machine. No extra license will be consumed if you add or remove a network adapter.

To make sure that only one license is assigned to the machine, do not remove all network adapters at once.

When using the Wake-on-LAN functionality for the machine, the software sends a special packet, called the magic packet, to all network adapters of the machine.

1.3.9 Multicast T TL and network bandwidth throttling

Deployment configuration has a parameter that specifies time to live (TTL) for multicast packets. By using this setting, you can limit the distribution of multicast packets via gateways.

By setting the permitted bandwidth, you can limit the network usage during d eployment.

1.3.10 New: Falling back to unicast

To make deployment to multiple machines faster, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 multicasts the contents of the master image (the deployment stream) across the network. This way, deployment can run simultaneously on all machines ev en though the deployment stream is sent only once.

If the network restricts multicasting, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can automatically switch to the use of unicast instead.

When using unicast, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 sends a copy of the deployment stream to each machine. This way, the network becomes more loaded, so the deployment process may take longer.

1.3.11 Encrypted communication

Components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 communicate to each other by using the Sec u r e Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocol. Encryption starts on the first (earliest) stage of the connection attempt, so all data transferred in the next steps (including data required for client authentication) is encrypted.

After the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 are installed, encrypted communication between the components is enabled automatically.

The contents of the master image are transferred unencrypted.

1.3.12 Password protection

Master images taken with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can be protected with a password to prevent unauthorized deployment.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 also supports password-protected backups created with the Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 product family.

To prevent Acronis bootable components from unauthorized execution, the bootable components in the Acronis boot menu can also be protected with a password. The user will be asked for the password when selecting a bootabl e component. No password is required to start the operating system on the machine.

1.4 Supported operating systems for imaging and

deployment

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides f u l l-featured imaging and deployment of the operating sys tems listed in the table that follows.

For most operating systems, yo u can change settings such as the name that the mac hines will have after the deployment.

Deploying an operating system requires a license. Depending on the type of operating system, you need a server license or a workstation license. For details about licensing, see “Licensing policy” (p.

15).

Operating system Imaging and

deployment

Changing

settings

License type

Windows Server 2 0 08 R2 Yes Yes Server Windows Server 2008 (x86, x64) Yes Yes Server Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (x86, x64) Yes Yes Server Windows Server 2003 R2 (x86, x 64) Yes Yes Server

Windows Small Business Server 2011 Yes Yes Server Windows Small Business Server 2003 Yes Yes Server Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 Yes Yes Server Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions Yes Yes Server Windows 7 Home Basic (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Home Premium (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Professional (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows 7 Ultimate (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Home Basic (x 86, x 64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Home Premium (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Business (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows Vista Ultimate (x86, x64) Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Home Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Professional Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Professional x64 E dition Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Professional Service Pa ck 2 Yes Yes Workstation Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 Yes Yes Workstation Windows 2000 Server Yes No Server Windows 2000 Advanced Server Yes No Server Windows 2000 Professional S ervice Pack 4 Yes No Workstation Windows NT/4.0 Server Yes No Server Windows 98/Me Yes No Workstation Linux (kernel: 2.4.9 – 2.6.x) Yes No Server

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 enables, with certain limitations (some operations or options will not be available), imaging and deployment of any PC-based operating system. For example, Windows 98/NT/ME, NT/4.0 Server, Windows 2000, and Linux (kernel: 2.4.9 – 2.6.x) can be deployed only as is; on-the-fly settings adjustment is not performed.

The Acronis Universal Deploy option is not applicable to the Win dows 2000, Windows 98/NT/ME, and Windows NT/4.0 Server oper ating systems.

1.5 Licensing policy

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 licensing is based on the number of machines (servers or workstations) that you deploy. For example, to deploy a system on 100 machines, you need 100 licenses.

1.5.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses

In terms of the number of allowed deploym ents, a license can be one of two types:

§ A machine license enables an unlimited number of deployments to a particular machine. You

may want to use this type of license if you perform deployment to the same machine on a regular basis.

§ A deployment license enables a single successful deployment to a machine. You may wa nt to

use this type of license if you perform deployment to the same machine once or infrequently. If deployment under a deployment license fails, you can perform another deployment under the same license.

You can obtain a license key that corresponds to a number of deployment licen ses . When setting up a deployment o peration, you can choose (p. 94) whether a deployment license can

be automatically used instead of a machine license, or conversely.

1.5.2 Server licenses and workstation licenses

In terms of the operating system you can deploy, a license can be one of two types:

§ A server license enables deploying a server operating system.

§ A workstation license enables deploying a workstation operating system. A workstation license is

needed to deploy a disk or volume that does not contain an operating system, if the target machine has not been assigned a machine license before.

Linux is considered as a server operating system. See also the complete list of supported server and workstation operating systems (p. 14).

If Acronis Snap Deploy 4 fails to identify the type of operating system, the operating system is considered as a workstation operating system.

When setting up a deployment o peration, you can choose (p. 94) whether a server license can be automatically used instead of a workstation license for deploying a workstation operating system.

1.5.3 Licenses for Acronis Universal Deploy

Acronis Universal Deploy is an add-on to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and has its own license keys . The Acronis Universal Deploy licenses are counted, used and upgraded i n the same way as the

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 licenses:

§ Acronis Universal Deploy has licenses for server and workstation operating systems.

§ A Universal Deploy license can be per-machine (allowing an unlimited number of Universal

Deploy steps) or per-deployment (allowing a single Universal Deploy step).

You need one Universal Deploy license per target machine. You do not need a license to install Universal Deploy. However, do not forget to add the Universal

Deploy licenses to the license server before starting the deployment. If the licenses are not found during deployment, the Universal Deploy step will be skipped.

1.5.4 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

The Acronis Snap Deploy 4 trial version has all the functionality of the full version. To use the trial version, you need to obtain a trial license. You can obtain a server or workstation trial

license. A trial license enables you an unlimited number of deployments on up to five machines for 15 days. No trial license for Acronis Universal Deploy is available. To upgrade from the trial to full version you do not need to re-download the software. Simply buy

the full licenses and import them to the license server. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will start using a full license as soon as the corresponding trial license expires.

1.6 Upgrading to Acronis Snap Deploy 4

To upgrade from Acronis Snap Dep l oy 3 to Acronis Snap Deploy 4, upgrade both the licenses and the software components.

1.6.1 Upgrading licenses

To upgrade the licenses of Acronis Snap Deploy 3, buy the necessa ry number of upgrade licenses and import them to the license server.

You should buy one upgrade license for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 (ASD4) per eac h l icense for Acronis Snap Deploy 3 (ASD3) that you have. After you import the upgrade licenses to the license server, you will be able to perform deployment to any machine by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

It does not matter whether the ASD3 license is itself an upgrade license for an even earlier version. The following table illustrates how the various combinations of licenses will be upgraded. Use this

table to calculate the number of upgrade licenses that you need.

You have You buy and import You now can

ASD3 full license Available ASD3 full license Assigned to Machine1 ASD3 upgrade license

License(s) for an earlier version Available ASD3 upgrade license

License(s) for an earlier version

ASD4 upgrade license Perform deployment to any ta r g et machine

ASD4 upgrade license Perform deployment to any target machine

Assigned to Machine1 No license ASD4 full license Perform deployment to any ta r g et machine

1.6.2 Upgradi ng compo nen ts

Install the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 over those of Acronis Snap Deploy 3. If all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 are installed on the same machine, simply run the setup

program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 on that machine. During installation, you can add the upgrade licenses.

If components are installed on different machines, upgrade t h e license server first, by running the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. When upgrading the license server, import the upgrade licenses. Then, upgrade other components on the machines.

Upgrading Acronis PXE Server remov es any components of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 th a t ar e uploaded to the PXE server. To continue using the PXE server, you need to upload the new components (p. 66) to it.

Components of versions of Acronis Snap Deploy earlier than 3 are incompatible with Acronis Snap Deploy 4. You need to remove those components before installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

1.7 Technical Support

Maintenance and Support Program

If you need assistance with your Acronis product, please go to http://www.acronis.com/support /

Product Updates

You can download the latest updates for all your registered Acronis software products from our website at any time after logging into your Account (https://www.acronis.com/my) and registering the product. See Registering Acronis Products at the Website (http://kb.acronis.com/content/4834) and Acronis Website User Guide (http://kb.acronis.com/content/8128).

2 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4

This section describes the com pon ents of the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure and their interaction.

2.1 Terminology

The following table lists the common terms and descriptions used in this document.

Master system The system to be deployed.

Master image (Image)

Online imaging Taking a master image while the master system is in a production state (the operating

Offline imaging Taking an image while the master machine is bo oted into the Ac r onis environment or

Deployment Transferring the operating system, applications, and data from t he master image file to

Stand-alone deployment

Target disk The physical disk to be deployed to (an internal hard disk of the target machine).

A file that contains the master system in a pack aged form. The file has the .tib extension.

system is running on the master machine).

Windows Preinstallation Environment.

a physical hard disk (see “Target disk”). In most cases, deployment is performed by multicasting th e master image t hrough the net work.

Deployment to a machine isolated from a network or included in a network without Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure. Stand-alone deployment is performed locally by using a bootable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

Target machine (Target)

Deployment template (Template)

The hardware to perform deployment to.

Configuration parameters of the deployment operation:

§ Path to the master image

§ The operation mode, such as whether to use multicast or unicast and how to handle

the target disk free space

§ Settings to be applied to the deployed systems, such as machine names and user

accounts

§ Operations to be performed on the deployed systems, such as transferring files,

running applications, shutting down, or restarting

Once you save a deployment template, you can use it in the future.

Administrator

User-initiated deployment mode

User

The person who has rights to manage the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure.

The mode when deployment can be initiated on the side of the target machine.

The person on the side of the target machine who starts the user-initiated deployment. This term relates to the user-initiated deployment mode only.

2.2 Components

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 includes the following components:

Components for Windows

These are components that are installed on machines running Windows a nd pro vi de Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console is an administrative tool for remote access to

Acronis servers and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent. When disconnected from the Acronis components, the console allows only for the installation of

product components on remote machines and for the creation of bootable media.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server (the deployment server) is a component that performs

centralized deployment t hro u gh the network with the help of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agents. The deployment server is installed with the Acronis Universal Dep lo y add-on, which enables hardware-independent deployment of an operating system.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent is a component that takes an image of the master

system in Windows environment und er the administrator’s control through Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

§ Acronis PXE Server allows booting machines over the network into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent,

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator, or Windows Preinstallation Environment. The machines must support PXE. Using Acronis PXE Server considerably reduces the time required for booting multiple machines as compared to using bootable media. It also eliminates the need to have a technician onsite to install the bootable media into the system that must be booted.

§ Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy is a component that enables Acro n i s Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy

Server to wake up the target machines located in another subnet.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Licens e Server is a component that tracks licenses of Acronis products.

Bootable components

These are components that are available in the Acronis environment or Windows Preinstallation Environment. A machine must boot into the corresponding compone nt w hen you need to perform imaging or deployment.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent is a bootable component that performs deployment to a target

machine under the control of Acronis S nap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. There are two ways to load Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent on target machines: locally from

bootable media or remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator is a bootable, locally controlled component that

creates an image of the master system. There are two ways to load Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator on a master machine:

directly from bootable media or remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility is a bootable component that enables fully-functional

deployment with a GUI on a stand-alone machine (a machine isolated from the network or included in a network without Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastruct u r e).

The only way to load Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility is from an Acronis bootable media.

§ Acronis System Report is a bootable component that collects information about the machine

and saves this information to a locally-attached USB drive. There are two ways to load Acronis System Report: directly from an Acronis bootable media or

remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.

2.3 Support for file systems and storage media

2.3.1 Supported file systems

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 provides f u l l-featured imaging and deployment of the following file systems:

§ FAT16

§ FAT32

§ NTFS

§ Ext2

§ Ext3

§ Ext4

§ ReiserFS

§ Reiser4

§ Linux SWAP

§ XFS

§ JFS

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can perform imaging and deployment of corru pted or unsupported file systems by using a sector-by-sector approach. This approach usually leads to a bigger size of the master image and makes the imaging or deployment process longer. A volume with an unsuppor te d file system cannot be resized during deployment.

2.3.2 Supported me dia

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Imag e Creator and Acronis Snap D eploy 4 Management Agent can save an image:

§ In a network folder.

§ On an internal hard disk of the master machine.

§ On USB and FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage devices (hard drives, flash drives) attached to the

master machine.

§ On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the

media drive of the master machine.

A sizeable image can be split between multiple media automatically. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 O S Deploy Server can deploy images located:

§ In network folders.

§ On an internal hard disk of the deployment server.

§ On USB and FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage devices (hard drives, flash drives) attached to the

deployment server.

§ On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the

media drive of the deployment server.

The best practice is keeping images on the deployment server’s hard d i sk. This minimizes network traffic during deployment.

The image created on removable media has to fit into one media disk. To deploy an image spread over two or more CDs, DVDs or other media, copy all parts of the image to the same folder on the deployment server or to a network folder.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility can deploy images located:

§ In network folders.

§ On USB and FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage devices (hard drives, flash drives) attached to the

managed machine.

§ On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the

media drive of the managed machine.

2.4 Supported types of disk and firmware interface

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can perform imaging and deployment of basic disks whose partitioning scheme is master boot record (MBR). Such disks are also called basic MBR disks.

You can perform deployment to a basic MBR disk or to an empty, uninitialized disk. Dynamic disks and disks whose partitioning scheme is GUID Partition Table (GPT) are not supported

for imaging and deployment. To be able to boot into the operating system after the deployment, the machine must have the basic

input/output system (BIOS) firmware interface. Booting a machine that has the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) mode enabled is not support ed.

Tip: To perform imaging and deployment of UEFI-enabled machines or of dynamic and GPT disks, you can use the Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 product. Namely, you can “image” the machine by creating a disk-level backup of it, and then perform “deployment” to the target machine by recovering data from the backup. This way, you can image a supported operating system on a BIOS machine and deploy it to a UEFI-enabled machine. For more information, including the list of supported operating systems, refer to Help for Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 (look for “UEFI”).

2.5 Usage

This section gives a general ide a of using the product and does not contain the detailed instruction s on how to perform operations. Never theless, advanced users are welcome to use this section as a step-by-step quick start guide. The details can be found in the further sectio ns.

2.5.1 Offline imaging

Offline imaging means that the master system is stopped and the master machine boots into the Acronis environment or into Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).

To perform offline imaging

1. Configure the master system.

2. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

3. Do one of the following:

§ Create a bootable media (either an Acronis media or a WinPE-based media) with Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.

§ Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server and upload Acronis Snap

Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.

4. Depending on your choice in the previous step, boot the machine i n to Acronis Snap Deploy 4

Master Image Creator from the bootable media or from the PXE server.

5. On the master machine, follow the instructions of the Master Image Creator wizard to configure

and launch the imaging operati on. The image can be saved in a network folder, on detachable media (such as a USB drive), or removable media (such as a DVD). To access the network from the bootable environment, you must have a DHCP server or configure the network settings of the master machine manually.

Offline imaging

2.5.2 Online imaging

Online imaging means that the master system is imaged live (without restarting the machine or suspending operations). Online imaging can be performed remo te l y whenever you need. The disadvantage is that you have to install imaging software that is included in the master image. This is not always rational.

To perform online imaging

1. Configure the master system.

2. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent on the master system either locally by using

the setup program, or remote ly by us ing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Manageme nt Conso le. After Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent is installed, you can image the master system

online (without restarting the machine) at any time.

4. Connect the console to the master system, click Create image -> Next -> A master ima ge . Follow

the instructions of the Master Image Creator wizard to configure and launch the imaging operation. The image can be saved in a network folder, on detachable media (such as an USB drive) or on removable media (such as a DVD).

Online imaging

2.5.3 Deployment

This section illustrates the Acronis components functionality by the example of deployment that you start manually. For details about the ways of deployment, see “Deploying a master image” (p. 79).

This procedure presumes that you have installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console and created a master image.

To perform deployment

1. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. Import licenses to the license server. Install Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

2. Do one of the following:

§ Create bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap

Deploy 4 Agent.

§ Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server , and then upload Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Agent.

3. Depending on your choice in the previous step, boot the targe t mac hines into Acronis Snap

Deploy 4 Agent from the bootable media or from the PXE server. You must have a DHCP server or configure the network settings of the target machines manually

to enable the target machines to connec t to A cronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

4. Connect the console to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. Go to the Machines view.

5. Make sure that the target machines are displayed in the list and have the Ready state. This

means that the machines are connected and ready for deployment.

6. Select th e mach in es , clic k Deploy image on the toolbar, and then follow the Create Deployment

Task Wizard instructions to configure and launch the deployment operation. When prompted about when you want to run the deployment, select Now.

Deployment that starts manually

2.6 What is Acronis Universal Deploy

This section describes the Acronis proprietary technology that helps you to deploy and boot Windows on dissimilar hardware. Acronis Universal Deploy saves you from configuring a new master system for each make of hardware you need to perform deployment to.

If you plan to deploy Windows to multiple machines that are identical to each other but differ from the master machine hardware, deploy the master image to one of the identical machines by using Acronis Universal Deploy. This will adjust Windows to the dissimilar hardware. Then, create a master image of the adjusted system and d eploy that image to the identical machines.

The Acronis Universal Deploy option is not available in the stand-al one deployment (p. 9) mode.

2.6.1 Acronis Universal Deploy purpose

An image of a system can be deployed easily on the hardware where it was created or to identical hardware. However, if you change a motherboard or use another process or version, the deployed system could be unbootable. An attempt to transfer the system to a new, much more powerful machine will usually produce the same result. This is because the new hardware is usually incompatible with the most critical drivers included in the image.

Using Microsoft System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) does not solve this problem, because Sysprep permits adding drivers only for Plug and Play devices (such as sound cards, network adapters, and video cards). As for the system Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and mass-storage device drivers, they must be identical on the source and the target machines; see Microsoft Knowledge Base, articles 302577 and 216915.

Acronis Universal Deploy techn ology provides an efficient solution for hardware-independent system deployment by adding the crucial Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and mass-storage device drivers.

2.6.2 Acronis Universal Deploy general principles

Automatic HAL and mass-storage drivers selection

Acronis Universal Deploy searches the Windows default driver storage folders (in the master image being deployed) for HAL and mass-storage device drivers and installs drivers that better fit the target hardware. You can specify a custom driver repository (a network folder or a CD) which will also be used for driver searches.

Tip: The Windows default driver storage folder is determined by the DevicePath value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion registry key. This storage folder is

usually WINDOWS\inf.

Manual selection of mass-storage device driver

If the target hardware has a specific mass-storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for the hard disk, you can install the appropriate driver manually, bypassing the automatic driver search-and-install procedure.

Installing drivers for Plu g an d Pla y dev ic es

Acronis Universal Deploy relies on built-in Plug and Play discovery and configuration process to handle hardware differences in devices that are not critical for the deployed system startup, such as video, audio and USB. Windows tak es control over this process during the logon phase, and if some of the new hardware is not detected, you will have a chance to install drivers for it later manually.

2.6.3 Acronis Universal Deploy and Microsoft Sysprep

Acronis Universal Deploy is not a system preparation tool. You can apply it to any system image created by Acronis products, but you cannot apply it to images of systems prepared with Microsoft System Preparation Tool (Sysprep).

2.6.4 Getting Acronis Universal Deploy

Acronis Universal Deploy is an add-on to Acronis Snap Deploy 4. It is purchased separate ly and has its own license.

For information about purchasing Universal Deploy, visit the Acronis Snap Deploy Web page.

2.7 How to

How to image a machine without installing additional software to it?

Perform offline imaging (p. 68).

How to image a machine without restarting it?

Perform online imaging (p. 68).

How to prepare deployment tools?

Create bootable media (p. 59) with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. The machines will boot from these media.

How to deploy an image to a list of specific machines?

Use the The machines listed below option in the Create Deployment Task wizard (p. 102). Specify the list of machines to perform deployment to.

How to deploy an image to a number of any machines?

Use the Any machines ready for deployment option in the Create Deployment Task wizard (p.

106). Specify the number of machines to wait for.

How to deploy an image in the absence of a network connection?

Use Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility (p. 112).

How to enable users to start deployment on t he ir own?

Set up user-initiated deployment (p. 113).

How to view the status of mass deployment?

Open the Deployment tasks view (p. 124).

How to view the list of machines?

Open the Machines view (p. 119).

How to add or remove licenses for de ployment?

Open the Licenses view (p. 54).

3 Getting started with Acronis Snap Deploy 4

This section describes how to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and perfo rm a simpl e deployment. By following the procedures in this section, you will:

a) Install and start Acronis Snap Deploy 4. b) Create a master image of a machine. c) Deploy the master image to the same or a different machine.

Step 1. Installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4

In this step, you will install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 in a typical conf i guration. For the complete description of installation methods and procedure s, see t he installation section (p. 39).

Before installation, make sure that:

§ You have a machine running a modern version of Windows, such as Windows 7 Professional. For

the list of operating systems where you can install Acronis Snap Deploy 4, see “Supported operating systems” (p. 39).

§ You have the setup program . You can download the setup program from t h e Acro n i s product

download Web page.

§ You have one or more license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4. You can buy full license keys or

obtain trial ones by going to the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Web page. The type of license (“for Server” or “for Workstatio n”) determines the type of operating system that you can deploy.

On the machine where you want to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4, do the followin g:

1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.

2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

4. Click Typical.

5. Click Add license, and then specify the license keys. You can type the license keys manually or

import them from a text file.

6. Specify whether the machine will participate in the Customer Experience Program (CEP).

7. Click Install.

Step 2. Starting Acronis Snap Deploy 4

On the machine where you installe d Acronis Snap Deploy 4:

§ On the desktop, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

When Acronis Snap Deploy 4 starts, the welcome screen appears.

Step 3. Creating a bootable media

In this step, you will create a bootable media that enables creating master images and performing deployment.

On the machine where you installe d a n d started Acronis Snap Deploy 4, do the fol l owing:

1. On the Tools menu, click Create bootable media.

2. In the list of comp onents, s elec t Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master

Image Creator.

3. In Network settings, in Server name/IP, specify the name of the machine where you installed

Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

4. Choose to create the media on a CD or DVD. Insert a blank CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW.

Tip. If no CD-RW, DVD-RW, or a similar optical disc drive is present on the machine, you can choose to create an ISO file that you can later burn to an optical disc on another machine. You can also create the media on a USB drive. For details, see “Creating a bootable media” (p. 59).

5. Click Create.

Step 4. Creating a master image

In this step, you will create an image of a machine and save the image to a USB hard disk. Choose a machine whose image you want to create. No license is required for imaging the machine.

However, a server or a workstation license will be used for deploying the machine, depending on whether the machine is running a server operating system (such as Windows 2008 Server or Linux) or a workstation operating system (such as Windows 7). For the list of server and workstation operating systems, see “Supported operating systems for imaging and depl oyment” (p. 14).

On the machine whose image you want to create, do the following:

1. Make sure that the CD or DVD drive has a higher boot priority than the hard disk drive. You may

need to open the BIOS setup utility of the machine and adjust the boot priority setting, similarly to what is shown in the followi ng p i cture.

2. Attach the USB hard disk drive to the machine.

Tip. Alternatively, you will be able to save the image to a network folder, as described later in this procedure.

3. Boot the machine from the bootable media you created.

4. On the boot menu, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.

5. In the pop-up window, click Cancel or wait until that window closes.

6. Select the volumes that you want to include in the master image. You can leave the default

selection, which normally inclu des the volumes that contain the operating system.

7. Specify a folder on the USB hard disk where you want to save the image.

Alternatively, specify a network folder, and the user name and password to access that folder.

8. Keep clicking Next until the summary screen appears. Click Create in that screen.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 starts creating the image.

After the image is created, the machine will restart.

Step 5. Performing deployment

In this step, you will deploy the created master image to a single machine (the target machi ne ).

Tip: For getting started, we recommend performing deployment to the same machine from which you created the image, or to a machine with identical hardware. This way, no extra steps, such as using the Universal Deploy option, are required.

Preparing the target machine

On the target machine, do the followin g:

1. Make sure that the CD or DVD drive has a higher boot priority than the hard disk drive. You may

need to open the BIOS setup utility of the machine and adjust the boot priority setting.

2. Boot the machine from the bootable media you created.

3. On the boot menu, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent.

4. In the pop-up window, click Cancel or wait until that window closes.

5. Make sure that the machine is ready for deployment. The window should look similar to the

following picture.

Details. The target mac hine becomes ready for deployment wh en it conne cts to A cron is Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. This server is part of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. If the machine does not connect to the server, you may need to adjust network settings, as described in “Booting the target machines” (p. 108).

After the target machine is ready, you can deploy the master image to it.

Deploying the mast e r image

On the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4, do the following:

1. Attach the USB hard disk drive with the master image to the machine. Optionally, copy the image

to the local hard disk of the mac h i n e.

2. Click the Machines view. Make sure that the target machine you prepared is shown in the list

and has the Ready state.

3. Right-click the target machine, and then click Dep lo y i ma ge.

4. Keep clicking Next until the template selection window appears. Click Create new in that

window.

5. Click Create a new template, and then click Next.

6. Select the master image (the .tib file) that you created, and then click Next.

7. In the deployment settings window, click Next.

Note. If you imaged a machine running a workstation operating system (such as Windows 7) but you only have server licenses (such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 for Server – Trial License), you may want to allow the software to use this type of license to deploy the machine. To do so, click Licensing in the deployment sett i n gs window, and then click Use a server license automatically.

Alternatively, you can add a workstation license before starting the deployment, by opening the Licenses view and clicking Add license on the toolbar.

8. Keep clicking Next until the summary window appears. Click Save in that window.

Details. You have created a deployment template. It determines how to perform deployment. You can reuse this template in other deployment tasks.

9. Select the deployment template you created, and then click Next.

10. When asked about when to run the deployment, select Now and type the user name and

password that you use to log on to Windows.

11. Keep clicking Next until the summary window appears. Click Create in that window.

You can view the progress of the de ployment both on the machine where you installed Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and on the target machine.

Viewing the deployment progress on the machine with Acronis Snap Depl o y 4

Viewing the deployment progress on the target machine

What you can do next

In the navigation pane, you can open the corresponding views to navigat e across the software.

§ To run the deployment again, open the Deployment tasks view, select the task you creat ed, and

then click Run on the toolbar. For details about the Deployment tasks view, see “Managing deployment tasks” (p. 124).

§ To add more machines, open the Machines view and then cli ck Add machines. You can add

machines by their physical addresses, known as MAC addresses.

Another way to add a machine to this view is to boot the machine so that it becomes ready for deployment, as described in “Preparing the target machine” earlier in this section. You can then turn off or restart the machine wit hout performing deployment. The machine remains in the view.

For details about the Machines view, see “Managing the list of machines” (p. 119).

§ To add more licenses for deployment, open the Licenses view and then click Add license on the

toolbar. Clicking Obtain license opens the Acronis Sn ap D eploy 4 Purchasing Web page. For details about managing licenses, see “Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server” (p. 54).

For information about license types, see “Licensing policy” (p. 15).

§ To set up network booting of machines (instead of booting them from a media), open the PXE

server view, click Upload components to PXE, and then follow the steps similar to those

described in “Creating a bootable media” earlier in this section. For details about setting up the network booting, see “Configuring Acronis PXE Server” (p. 66).

4 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

4.1 Supported operati ng s yst e ms

This section lists the operating systems where components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can be installed. Any components for Windows can be installed in the following operating systems:

§ Windows Server 2008 R2

§ Windows Server 2008 (x86, x64)

§ Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (x8 6, x6 4)

§ Windows Server 2003 R2 (x86, x64)

§ Windows Small Business Server 2011

§ Windows Small Business Server 2003

§ Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions

§ Windows 7 Professional (x86, x64)

§ Windows 7 Ultimate (x86, x64)

§ Windows Vista Business (x86, x64)

§ Windows Vista Ultimate (x86, x64)

§ Windows XP Profe ss ional

§ Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

§ Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3

In addition to the above-listed operating systems, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent can be installed in any of the following operating

systems:

§ Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium

§ Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium

§ Windows XP Home

4.2 Used ports and IP addresses

The Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deplo y Server and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console components use the following po r ts and IP addresses for remote operation:

§ UDP port: 9876

§ TCP port: 9876. If this port is busy, the deployment server and the ma nagement console choose a

port at random

§ IPv4 multicast addr ess: 239.255.21 9.45

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Managem ent Console UDP port: 9877. If this port is busy, the

management console chooses a port at random

Acronis PXE Server uses the following ports and IP addresses:

§ UDP port: 67, 68, 69

§ Broadcast address : 255.255.255.2 55

For a remote installation (p. 46), the TCP port 25001 is used. If you are using a firewall, you may need to set the appropriate access options.

4.3 Typical installation

With typical installation, all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 that are needed for deployment and offline imaging will be installed on the same machine.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will be installed with the following functionality:

§ Performing deployment through the network

§ Booting of the target machines over the network

§ Managing the deployments by using the management console

§ Creating a bootable media for deployment

§ Creating a bootable media for taking a master image

§ Storing and managing licenses of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

The following components will be installed on the machine:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server (including the Acronis Universal Deploy (p. 25) add-on)

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

§ Acronis PXE Server

To install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent or Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy, and for more flexible installation, use custom installation (p. 40).

To install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 (typical installation)

1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.

2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

4. Click Typical.

5. Click Add license, and then type the license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 or import them from

a file. You must provide at least one license key (either a machine license or a deployment license).

Note: The licenses will not be used until you start deployment.

6. Specify whether the machine will participate in the Customer Experience Program (CEP).

You will be able to change this setting at a later time by starting Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and clicking Help -> Customer Experience Program (CEP).

7. Click Install.

4.4 Custom installation

With custom installatio n , you can select which components of Acronis Sn a p Deploy 4 to install. You can also specify additional parameters. For example, you can change the default folder for installation.

You may want to use custom installation in the following cases:

§ Installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent to take a master image of a machine

without restarting it (p. 24)

§ Installing Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy to wake up machines that are loca te d in another subnet

§ Installing different components on different machines, such as installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4

OS Deploy Server on one machine and Acronis PXE Server on another. For examples, see “Common installation configurations” (p. 42).

4.4.1 Installation procedure

Preparation

To be able to install Acronis Snap D eploy 4 OS Deploy Server, you need to have at least one machine license or deployment license on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. The license can be trial or full.

§ If you are installing both Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS

Deploy Server on the same machine, you will be able to provide the license keys during installation.

§ If Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is installed on a different machine, load the license keys

to that license server before installing the deployment server.

The license key just needs to be available on the license server. It will not become used until you start deployment.

Installation of other components does not require licenses.

To install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 (custom installation)

1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.

2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

4. Click Custom.

5. In the list of components, select the componen ts tha t you wan t to insta ll. For det ail s about

installing the componen ts, see “Installation of components” (p. 43).

6. If you selected Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server for installation, provide the license keys of

Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

7. If you selected Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server without selecting Acronis Snap Deploy 4

License Server, specify the name or IP address of the machine where the license server is installed.

8. Specify the folder where the components will be installed.

9. If prompted, specify the following:

§ Whether to install the components for all users on the machine (recommended) or only for

the current user

§ Whether the machine will participate in the Customer Experience Program (CEP). You will be

able to change this setting at a later time by starting Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and clicking Help -> Customer Experience Program (CEP).

10. Click Install.

4.4.2 Common installation configurations

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 components can be installed in various configurations, to distribute various components and features a mong th e machi nes on the network.

a) The minimal configuration that enables only offline imaging (p. 23) and stand-alone deployment

(p. 9) consists of:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

b) The minimal configuration that enables offline imaging, stand-alone deployment, and

deployment through the network with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Serv e r consists of the

following components:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

On the target machines, no Acronis components are required.

c) The configuration that adds the network boot of the target m achines to the functionality

described in (b):

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4License Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

§ Acronis PXE Serve r

The components can be installed all on the same machine, or on different ma chines. On the target machines, no Acronis components are required.

This is the recommended elementary configuration that enables most of the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 functionality. This is the configuration for typical installation (p. 40).

If physical access to the powerful server is limited, you can install the console on a separate machine. Another common co n f iguration is:

Workstation:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

Server:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

§ Acronis PXE Serve r

Generally, you can install all Acronis servers on separate machines. In this case, you will have to connect the management console to each server separately to manage the server. With all servers on one machine, only o ne console connection is needed.

d) To add to any configuration (a)–(c) the onlin e ima g ing (p. 24) ability and the abili ty to validate

images integrity, install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent.

Online imaging means that the master system is imaged live (without restarting the machine or suspending operations). You can perform online imaging remotely, by connecting the console to the management agent installed on the master machine. The management agent will be included in the master image and deployed to all target machines.

However, having excess software in the master image is not always rational. We recommend that you create a master image by using the bootable component called Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. Nevertheless, having at least one management agent on

the network (not necessarily on the master machine) makes sense. You will be able to validate (check) the integrity of your images (p. 78) by using the management agent.

e) To add to Acr onis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server an abil ity to perform deployment in another

subnet (across a network switch) in configuration (b) or (c), install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy

on any server in the subnet where the target machines are. No additional actions are required. Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy has to be installed only if:

§ You are going to perform deployment to a specific list of machines.

AND

§ All or some of the target machines are in a subnet other than Acronis Snap Deploy 4 O S

Deploy Server.

4.4.3 Installation of components

The setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 includes the following components and component features:

§ OS Deploy Server, which includes:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

§ Acronis Universal Deploy

§ License Server, which inc l udes :

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ The Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Lic ense Server Management Tool command-line utility

§ Management Console, which i ncludes:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

§ Media builders for creating an Acronis bootable media and a WinPE-based bootable media

§ PXE Server

§ Management Agent

§ Wake-on-LAN Proxy

The list of components

4.4.3.1 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console is an administrative tool for local and remote access to Acronis servers and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent. Install Ac ro nis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console on any machine from which you prefer to operate.

Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console also includes the media builders for creating an Acronis bootable media and a bootable media based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).

Once Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console is installed, you can install other components remotely (p. 46).

4.4.3.2 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is a component that tracks licenses of Acronis products. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server on a machine accessible to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. Consider installing both products on the same machine.

Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server also includes Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool. This is a command-line utility for controlling the license server. Alternatively, you can control the license server by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

Note: If you have already installed a license server that came with another Acronis product, you will still need to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. You can install both license servers on the same machine. The machine will then act as a common license server for all Acronis products.

After installation, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server launches automatically as a Windows service.

When installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server, you can add the license keys to it. You can add license keys at a later time, either by using the management console (p. 54) or in the command-line mode (p. 56).

4.4.3.3 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 O S Deploy Server is a component that pe r fo rms centralized deployment through the network with the help of bootable components called agents.

Before installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, you need to install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server (p. 44) and import license keys to it. You can install both servers on the same machine.

If Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is not installed on the machine where you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, the setup program will ask you to specify a license server. Browse to the server, or enter its name or IP address.

Note: We recommend specifying the license server by its machine name. If you specify the license server by its IP address, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server will not be able to find the license server if this address changes.

Installation of the deploymen t server does not decrease the number of licenses. The software just checks the availability of the licenses and stores the specified parameters of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server to be able to access the license server at the time of deployment.

Important: If you are planning to use more than one deployment server, make sure that each particular machine is deployed only by one of them. Otherwise, each deployment server may use a separate license for the machine.

4.4.3.4 Installation of Acronis PXE Server

Acronis PXE Server allows network booting of the target machines for performing deployment. Using Acronis PXE Server considerably reduces the time required for booting the machines as

compared to using bootable media. It also eliminates the need to have a technician onsite to install the bootable media into the system that must be booted. This allows for unattended scheduled deployment.

Using Acronis PXE Server makes sense if there is a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server in your network, so that the machines can automatically obtain IP addresses at boot. Without a DHCP server, you cannot boot machines from PXE.

We recommend that you have only one PXE server within a subnet to ensure predictability of the booting machines’ behavior.

Acronis PXE Server starts running as a service immediately after installation. It will automatically launch at each system restart. You can stop and start this service in the same way as other services.

4.4.3.5 Installation of Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy

Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy enables Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server to wake up the target machines located in another su bn et.

You need to install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy only if:

§ You are going to perform deployment to specific machines (deployment to any ready machines

does not involve waking up the machines by the deployment server)

AND

§ All or some of the target machines are in a subnet other than Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy

Server.

Install Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy on any server in the same subnet as the target machines. No additional actions are required.

Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy runs as a service immediately after installation. Later on it will automatically launch at each system restart. You can stop and start this service in the same way as other services.

4.4.3.6 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent

Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Ag e nt adds the online imaging ability and the ability to validate integrity of the master images.

Online imaging means that the master system is imaged live (without restarting the machine or suspending operations). You can perform online imaging remotely by connecting the console to the management agent installed on the master machine. The management agent w ill be included in the master image and deployed on all target machines.

However, having excess software in the master image is not always rational. We recommend that you create a master image by using the bootable component called Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. Nevertheless, having at least one management agent on the network (not necessarily on the master machine) makes sense. You will be able to validate (check) the integrity of your images (p. 78) by using the management agent.

4.4.3.7 Installation of Acronis Universal Deploy

Acronis Universal Deploy is an add-on to Acronis Snap Deploy 4. It is installed automatically when you install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server (p. 45).

Universal Deploy requires a separate license (p. 16).

Note: You do not need a license to install Acronis Universal Deploy. However, do not forget to add the Acronis Universal Deploy licenses to the license server before starting deployment. If the licenses are not found during deployment, the Acronis Universal Deploy step will be skipped.

4.5 Other ways of installation

4.5.1 Installing components remotely

By using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console, you can install the following components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 remotely:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent

§ Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy

§ Acronis PXE Serve r

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

4.5.1.1 Preparation

Before proceeding with remote installation, prepare the remote machines as follows:

§ Simple file sharing. For a successful installation on a remote machine running any version of

Windows XP, the option Control panel > Folder options > View > Use simple file sharing must be disabled on that machine.

§ User Account Control. For a successful installation on a remote machine running Windows Vista

or later, User Account Control (UAC) must be disabled. To access this option, go to Control panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings.

§ File and Printer Sharing must be enabled on the remote machine. To acces s this option:

§ On a machine running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows 2003 Server: go to

Control panel > Windows Firewall > Exceptions > File and Printer Shari ng.

§ On a machine running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or Windows 7: go to Control

panel > Windows Firewall > Network and Shar ing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

§ Ports. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 uses TCP ports 445 and 25001 for remote installation. Make sure

that these ports are added to exceptions in the firewall settings on the remote machines. TCP port 445 is added to exceptions automatically by Windows Firewall when you enable File and Printer Sharing.

To add a port to exceptions:

§ In Windows XP, Windows 2003 S erver, and Windows Vista: go to Contr ol panel > Windows

Firewall > Exceptions > Add Port

§ In Windows 7: go to Control panel > Windows Firewall > Adv anced settings > Inbound

Rules > New Rule > Port

Tip: If the remote machines are members of an Active Directory domain and use no firewall other than Windows Firewall, you can add TCP port 25001 to exceptions by using Group Policy. On a domain controller, create a Group Policy object, then go to Administrative Templates > Network > Network

Connections > Windows Firewall > Domain Profile > Windows Firewall: Define port exceptions (or: Define inbound port exceptions), and then add the following port exception: 25001:tcp:*:enabled:Acronis remote install

You can exclude both ports from exceptions after the remote installation is complete.

4.5.1.2 Installation procedure

To install a component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 remotely

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. On the Tools menu, click Install components remotely.

3. Select the location from which the installation packages of the components will be taken.

The selection The registered components corresponds to the default folder: %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Acronis\SnapDeploy\RemoteInstall

4. Select th e co mpon en t that you wan t to insta ll.

5. If you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, specify the name or IP address of

the machine with Acronis Snap De p l oy 4 License Server. That license server must contain at least one available license.

6. In Machine, specify the name or IP address of the machine where you want to insta ll the

component. To open the list of machin es on your network, click Browse.

7. To allow restarting the remote machine if it is required for installation, select the Restart the

machine automatically when requi red check box. If you clear this check box, you may need to restart the remote machine later for the component to start working.

8. In User name and Password, specify the user name and password of an administrator on the

remote machine.

9. Click Install.

Updating a component

To update a component on a remote machine, perform the same procedure.

4.5.2 Extracting the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

When you install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console, all installation files (.msi files) of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 components are placed in the %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Acronis\SnapDeploy\RemoteInstall folder. As a result, you will be able to install a component remotely (p. 46) by using the management conso l e; or install, modify, or repair a com p onent by using the msiexec program.

To extract one or more components

1. Run the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 setup program.

2. Click Extract instal lation files.

3. Select the check boxes for the components whose installation files you want to extract.

4. Select a location for the installation files, and then click Extract.

4.6 Upgrading Acronis Snap Deploy 4

This section describes how to u pgrade Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

4.6.1 Upgrading from a previous product version

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the upgrade fr om a previous version of Acronis Sna p Deploy, make sure that you have one or more license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4. These can be either standard license keys or upgrade license keys.

An upgrade license key enables yo u to continue using a license key for t he previous version (“old” license key). The old license key cannot be reassigned to a different machine.

You need at least one license key for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 (no matter which type) to be able to upgrade Acronis OS Deploy Server. This license key will remain available.

To upgrade from Acronis Snap Deploy 3

Perform the following steps on eac h machine where any component of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 is installed. Start with the machine where Acronis License Server is installed.

1. Start the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

3. Click Update.

4. If you are upgrading Acronis License Server, provide the license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

The license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 3 remain stored on the license server.

5. If you are upgrading Acronis OS Deploy Server apart from Acronis License Server, specify the

machine with the license server.

6. Revi ew th e installation summary, and then click Install.

Upgrading Acronis PXE Server removes all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 3 that are uploaded to the PXE server. To continue using the PXE server, you need to upload the new components by connecting to the PXE server and clicking Upload components. For details, see the “Configuring Acronis PXE Server” (p. 66) section of the built-in Help.

Upgrading from older versions

Components of versions of Acronis Snap Deploy earlier than 3 are incompatible with Acronis Snap Deploy 4. To perform the upgrade:

1. Prepare a list of license keys that includes the license keys for the older version, and standard or

upgrade license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

2. Uninstall all components of the older version.

3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4. For example, you can perform a typical installation (p. 40). When

prompted, specify all license keys from your list.

4.6.2 Upgrading from the trial to full product version

To upgrade from the trial to a full version of the software, buy the full licenses and import the license keys to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server.

To upgrade to the full product version

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Click Licenses. If prompted, specify the machine where the license server is installed.

3. Click Add license, and then provide the full license keys.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will start using the full licenses as soon as the trial ones expire.

4.7 Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4

To uninstall Acronis Snap Deploy 4, you should use the setup program.

To uninstall some or all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1. Start the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

3. Do one of the following:

§ To uninstall all components, click Remove.

§ To uninstall individual components, click Modify, and then clear the check boxes for the

components that you want to uninstall.

4. Proceed with the uninstallation.

Data remaining after uninstallatio n

Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server does not delete license keys. If you later reinstall the license server, all license keys automatically appear on the new license server. Used licenses remain used.

Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server does not delete the deployment tasks, deployment templates, the list of machines, and individual deployment settings. If you later reinstall the deployment server, this data will be available to the new deployment server.

5 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management

Console

5.1 Connecting to a machine

5.1.1 Connect to a local machine

When started, Acronis Snap De plo y 4 Management Console connects to the local machine if there is a manageable component of Acronis Sn a p De p l oy 4 (such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server) on this machine. You can manage any Acronis server or Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent installed on the same machine without any additional actions.

The welcome screen of the management console

5.1.2 Connect to another machine

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console can connect over the netw ork to a machi ne wh er e one or more of the following components are installed:

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

§ Acronis PXE Serve r

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent

Once connected, you can manage the Acronis server or perform operations by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent.

To connect to an Acronis compone n t, you need the administrator’s privil eges on the remote machine.

To connect to a component

1. On the Connect menu, click Connect.

2. In Machine, specify the name or IP address of the machine where the component is installed. To

open the list of machines on your network, click Browse.

3. In User name and Password, specify the user name and password of an administrator on that

machine.

4. To save the password for the user name, select the Save password check box.

Alternatively, you can co nnec t to the corresponding component when you open the Machines, Deployment tasks, PXE server, or Licenses view. In the welcome screen, you will be asked to connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server if this component is not installed on the local machine.

Connecting to a component on a remote machine Connection to a component is needed to perform the following operations:

§ Managing deployment (p. 79): connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Dep loy Server.

§ Creating a master image of a machine without restarting it (p. 68): connect to Acronis Snap

Deploy 4 Management Agent.

§ Validating a master image (p. 78): conne ct to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent.

§ Managing licenses (p. 54): connect to Acronis S nap Deploy 4 License Server.

§ Configuring Acronis PXE Server (p. 66): connect to Acronis PXE Server.

No connection is needed to perform the following operations:

§ Creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 63)

§ Installing Acronis components remotely (p. 46)

5.2 Browsing logs

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server and Acronis PXE Server store the log of the operations they have performed.

The view the log of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

1. Connect the management console to the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

2. Do either of the following:

§ In the left pane, click Deployment tasks, and then click Log on the too lbar.

§ On the Help menu, click View log.

3. In the left pane, select a log. In the right pane, examine the events recorded in the log.

The left pane shows up to 50 log entries. If there are more log entries, you can browse the list by using the buttons with the left and right arrows.

To delete a log entry, select it and click the Delete the selected log entry button. If any step was terminated by an error , the corresponding log entry will be marked by a red circle

with a white “X” inside. The right window shows the list of events contained in the selected log entry. The three buttons to

the right control message filters: the white “X” in the red circle filters error messages, the exclamation sign in a yellow triangle filters warnings, and the “i” in a circle filters information messages.

To select columns to display (su ch as the date and time of an event), right-click the table header, and then select the columns.

To sort the events by a particular column, click the desired column name. To reverse the sort order, click the column again.

You can also change column width by dragging the borders.

To view the log of Acronis PXE Server

1. Connect the management console to the machine with Acronis PXE Server.

2. In the left pane, click PXE server.

3. Examine the log entries in the lower part of the view.

5.3 Checking for software updates

Each time you start the management console, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 checks whether a new version of the software is available on the Acronis Web site. If so, the software provides a link for downloading the setup program of the new version.

To check for updates manually, start the management console and then click Help -> Check for update. In that window, you also can di sable the automatic checks for updates.

6 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

This section contains general information necessary for understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server and covers operations with licenses.

6.1 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is a mechanism that tracks licenses of Acronis products. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 licensing is based on the number of machines (servers or work sta tions) that you deploy. For example, to deploy a system to 100 machines, you need 100 licenses.

Acronis Universal Deploy (p. 25) is an add-on to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 and has its own license key. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Se rver tracks the licenses using a MAC address, which is unique for

each network interface card (NIC). Although a MAC address is usually hardwired to the NIC, some operating systems offer a way to change it. It is important to note that attempting to change the MAC address on a system may impede the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server operation and prevent you from other deploym ents to the same machine.

When installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, you need to specify a license server. After the license server is found, the software checks for available licenses on the server and stores its network address to be able to access the license server later, when deployment is launched.

When starting a deployment, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server checks for available licenses on the license server. If an appropriat e license is available for a machine, the deployment operation will run on the machine. The number of available licenses will decrease by the number of systems being deployed.

If deployment under a deploymen t license has failed, that license becom es available again. A machine license remains used by the machine regardless of the result of deployment.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server can import multiple license keys from .txt or .eml files, saving you from the time-consuming procedure of typing each number.

When upgraded, recovered or reinstalled, the license server keeps all the imported licenses intact. However, it is recommended that you copy the files with license keys to removable media, or create a hard copy of those files and keep it in a safe place. This ensures that you have license data available in case of hardware failure.

6.2 Adding licenses by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4

Management Console

You can add the licenses when you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. After the license server is installed, you can add licenses by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console, as follows.

To add one or more license keys to the license server

1. Run Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Click Licenses. If the license server is installed on a different machine, click Connect to Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 License Server, and the n ty p e the name or IP address of that machine.

3. Click Add License.

4. In the Add Licenses window, type the license key or the path to a .txt or .eml file containing the

license keys; or, you can browse to the file.

5. Click Add. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server performs the operation and reports the number

of newly-added licenses.

The license server has 10 license keys of various types. The license corresponding to the highlighted license key has already been used for deployment. The bottom license key corre sponds to 100 deployment licenses.

6.3 Viewing information about licenses

To view information about licenses

1. Run Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Click Licenses. If the license server is installed on a different machine, click Connect to Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 License Server, and the n ty p e the name or IP address of that machine.

This will display all license keys available on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. One license key can correspond to multiple licenses.

The license server contains 10 server licenses and five workstation licenses

3. Right-click the column headings bar to choose the details to display: license key, import date,

expiration date (for trial licenses), the total number of licenses assigned to each license key, how many of them are available (that is, free), and how many are used. For example, if one license corresponds to one license key, Total=1, Available=1, Used=0 (if the license is free) or Available=0, Used=1 (if the license has been allocated).

6.4 Removing licenses

To completely remove a license from Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server, select the corresponding license key from the list, and then click Remove license on the toolbar.

The following licenses cannot be removed:

§ Used licenses

§ Trial licenses

When a trial license expires, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will use an available full license of the corresponding type.

6.5 Adding licenses in the command-line mode

As an alternative to the graphical user interface, you can add licenses in the command-line mode, by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool.

To add licenses in the command-line mode

1. Run cmd.exe to open the Command Prompt window.

2. Go to the folder where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is installed. By default, the folder

name is: %Program Files%\Acronis\SnapDeploy\LicenseServerConsole

3. Run the following command:

LicenseServerCmdLine --import-file <server name> <file name> In this command:

§ <server name> is the name of the machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server is

installed.

§ <file name> is the name of the .txt or .eml file with the license keys.

For the complete syntax of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool, see “Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool” (p. 57).

Example

The following command adds the license keys from the file C:\Licenses.txt to the license server mymachine:

licenseservercmdline --import-file mymachine c:\Licenses.txt

6.6 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

Management Tool

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server Management Tool is a command-line utility for controlling Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server. The tool is the LicenseServerCmdLine.exe file located in the installation folder. By default, the folder name is %ProgramFiles%\Acronis\SnapDeploy\LicenseServerConsole.

The management tool uses the following syntax: LicenseServerCmdLine <command> <option1> <option2> … The management tool supports the fo l lowing commands and parameters:

--list

Displays the list of license servers found on the local network.

--status <server name or IP address>

Displays the status of the specified license server, which is the number of total and available licenses for each Acronis prod uct.

--import <server name> <lic ense key>

Adds a new license key. You can specify multiple license keys by separating them with a space.

--import-file <server name> <file name>

Imports license keys from a .txt or an .eml file.

--help

Shows usage information.

7 Deployment tools

Before deployment, each target machine must boot into a dedicated bootable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. An example of such component is Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent.

The machine can boot into the component in either of these ways:

§ From a physical media (such as a DVD or a USB drive) that contains the component. Such media

is called a bootable media.

§ Over the network, by using Acronis PXE Server with the component uploaded to it.

This section describes how to create a bootable media or configure the PXE server.

7.1 Bootable components

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 has a number of bootable components that can perform operations on any PC-compatible hardware, including bare metal and machines with unsupported file systems.

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent boots on a target machine to enable deployment performe d by

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server (p. 99).

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator boots on a master machine and creates an image

of the syst em (p. 68).

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility boots on a target machine and performs deployment

on its own (p. 112).

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Command-Line Utility provides a command-line interface (p. 126) for

performing imaging and deployment, and for sending e-mail notifications about deployment.

§ Acronis System Report boots on a machine, collects information about the machine, and saves

this information to a removable USB drive (such as a USB flash drive). For details, see “Collecting system information” (p. 137).

7.2 Creating a bootable media

You can create two types of bootable media:

§ Acronis bootable media (recommended in most cases) is based on a Li nu x kernel and contains

bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. To create this type of media, use the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Bootable Media Builder wizard (p. 60).

§ WinPE-based bootable media is base d on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) and

contains bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4. To create this type of media, use the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE Builder wizard (p. 63).

Both types of media provide similar graphical user interface but differ in the set of bootable components they contain. Generally, you can use an Acronis medi a. You may want to use a WinPEbased media if the machine’s hardware, such as network adapters, is not properly recognized from the Acronis media, or if you need to us e t he command-line interface.

You can create a bootable media on a physical media, such as a DVD or a USB drive. Acronis PXE Server with uploaded bootable components can also be thought of as a kind of bootable media. That is why you can create a bootable media or upload bootable components to the PXE server by using the same wizards. Alternatively, you can configure the PXE server directly (p. 66).

7.2.1 Creating an Acronis bootable media

Acronis bootable media is a physical media (CD, DVD, USB flash drive, or other media supported by the machine’s BIOS as a boot device) that contains bootable com pon ents of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

You can create an Acronis bootable media containing one or more of the following bootable components (p. 59):

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility

§ Acronis System Report

To create a bootable media

1. Start the management console.

2. On the Tools menu, click Create bootable media.

3. Select the bootable components that will be placed on the media.

For example, if you select Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator, you will be able to use such bootable media to perform deployme nt by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, and to create a master image.

Selecting bootable components

4. Under When booting from the media, automatically start, select the component that will start

automatically after a time-out you specify. Such component is also referred to as the default boot menu item. The possible choices are the following:

§ One of the components on the media: The component will start after the time-out.

§ No autostart: The Acronis loader will display the boot menu and wait for someone to select

whether to boot the operating system or one of the Acronis components.

§ Start operating system: The operating system, if present on the booting machine’s hard disk,

will start after the time-out. This option is designed to make the target machine boot into the deployed operating system after deployment. The main usage scenario is as follows.

You use this wizard to configure the PXE server for deployment on a schedule (p. 100). You set up Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent to start automatically. After the de p l oyment is completed, the target machine reboots into the agent again and might be de p lo ye d by another deployment operation. How to avoid this situation?

To ensure that the target machine boots into the deployed operating system after the deployment, choose the Start operating system option in this step of the wizard. To ensure that the target machine boots into the agent befo re the deploym en t, tune the PXE server to work with your deployment server when setting up the deployment (p. 102).

5. Under Start automatically after, specify the time-out interval in seconds. For example, if you

choose to automatically start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent, and set this parameter to 10, the agent will launch 10 seconds after the boot menu is displayed.

6. If you are placing Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent on the media, specify wheth er th e agent will

connect to a particular Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. This setting allows you to have multiple deployment servers that perform different functions on the same network.

To specify a deployment server, type its name or IP address in Server name/IP. The deployment server (along with the network settings for the agent) can also be specified

onsite (on the target machine’s side) when booting the agent. To be able to configure the agent onsite, set up a reasonable delay before the default network settings will be applied. For details, see “Booting the target machines” (p. 108).

If not configured in either way, the deployment server will be found automatically. The agent will start the search after the number of seconds you specify in Timeout (sec).

Settings for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent The option to save the agent’s log to the deployment server is designed primarily for

troubleshooting. The log will be available on the deployment server in the following folder: %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\Acronis\DeployServer\AgentsLogs

7. Select the type of bootable media to create. You can:

§ Create a CD, a DVD, or other media such as a USB flash drive if the hardware BIOS allows for

booting from such media.

§ Create an ISO image of a bootable disc to burn it later onto a blank disc or writing it to a USB

flash drive.

§ Upload the selected com ponent s to Acronis PXE server. The previously uploaded

components will be deleted from the PXE server before uploading the newly selected ones.

Note: Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility can be placed on a physical media only. This component is not designed to boot from a PXE server.

If you have chosen to create a physical media, insert a blank disc (so the software can determine its capacity) or attach a USB flash drive.

If you have chosen to create an ISO image of a bootable disc, specify the name of the ISO file and the folder in which to place it.

If you have chosen to upload the components to a PXE server, specify the name of the machi n e with the PXE server and provide the user name and password of an administra tor on that machine.

8. [Optional.] Protect the components being uploaded to the PXE server with a password to prevent

the components from unauthor ized execution. The password prompt will come up when selecting a bootable component. No password is required to start the operating system on the machine.

Protecting the bootable components with a password

9. Click Create. After you create the disc, mark it and keep it in a safe place.

Note: Components on an Acronis bootable media are based on a Linux kernel and are equipped with the Linux system and device drivers. Acronis regularly supplements the driver set with drivers for new devices. However, there may be a chance of drivers being incompatible with your hardware, so a bootable component cannot start, stops responding or cannot access the necessary device. In this case, consider creating a WinPE-based bootable media (p.

63) instead.

7.2.2 Creating a WinPE-based bootable media

Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a minimal Windows system based on the Windows Vista, the Windows Server 2008, or the Windows 7 kernels. WinPE is commonly used by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and corporations for deployment, test, diagnostic and system repair purposes.

Similarly to creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60), you can create a bootable media that is based on WinPE and includes bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.

You may want to use a WinPE-based media instead of an Acronis bootable media for the following purposes:

§ Performing imaging or deployment to machines whose hardware is not properly recognized from

the Acronis bootable media (whi ch is based on a Linux kernel)

§ Performing deployment in the command-line mode (p. 126); for example, to deploy different

master images to different target machines (p. 134)

§ Sending e-mail notifications about deployment

7.2.2.1 Components included in the bootable media

Each WinPE-based bootable media contains the following bootable components (p. 59):

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator

§ Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Command-Line Utility

The media also contains the Acronis Universal Deploy (p. 25) add-on.

7.2.2.2 Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE Builder

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE Builder is a dedicated tool for creating a WinPE-based bootable media. The PE Builder is installed with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

The PE builder creates the bootable media by adding components of Acronis Sn ap Deploy 4 to a source file called a PE image.

A PE image is normally a .wim file. The PE builder can create a PE image automatically or use a PE image you provide. The PE image can be based on WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0.

The term “image” in “PE image” is unrelated to the notion of “master image.”

7.2.2.3 Creating a boota ble m edia ba sed on Win PE 2 .x or 3. 0

Installing Windows AIK

To be able to create a bootable media based on WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0, you must have Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) installed. For this purpose, install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console on a machine where W indows AIK is installed. If you do not have such machine, do the following:

1. Download Windows AIK; for example, from the Windows AIK 3.0 Web page.

2. Burn the AIK to a DVD or write it to a USB flash drive.

3. Attach the flash drive or insert the DVD in the media drive of a machine running Windows.

4. From this kit, install:

a. Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (NETFXx86 or NETFXx64, dep ending on your hardware). b. Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 5.0 or 6.0. c. Windows AIK.

5. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

Creating the bootable media

A bootable media based on WinPE 2.x requires at least 256 MB of memory to work. The recommended memory size for such medi a is 512 MB. A bootable media based on WinPE 3. 0 requires at least 512 MB of memory to work.

The PE builder supports only 32-bit (x86) WinPE 2.x or 3.0. These WinPE distributions can also work on 64-bit (x64) hardware.

To create a bootable media based on WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. On the Tools menu, click Create PE image.

3. Do one of the following:

§ If you do not have a PE image to base the media on, cli c k Create Windows PE 2.x or 3.0

automatically.

§ If you want to base the bootable media on a specific PE image, click Use WinPE files located

in the folder I specify, and then specify the folder with the WIM file of the image.

4. In Network settings, s pecify whether Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent will connect to a particular

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

5. In Autostart, specify whether to start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent automatically after a time-

out.

6. Select how you want to create the bootable media.

§ If you want to create a physical media, select ISO ima ge . The software will create an ISO file

that you can later burn to a DVD or write to a USB drive.

§ If you want to upload the bootable components to Acronis PXE server, select Acronis PXE

Server.

§ If you want to create a PE image (a WIM file) to later upload it to the PXE server (p. 65),

select WIM image. You may want to select this setting if you are planning to use Preinstallation Enviro nment for unattended deployment to specific machines (p. 100) . If so, make sure that you have selected to start the agent automatically (see the previous step).

Tip: The setting WIM image enables you to create a PE image for any future purpose, such as for adding other tools in addition to Acronis components.

7. Do one of the following:

§ If you have chosen to create an ISO or a WIM file, specify the full path to the resulting file,

including the file name.

§ If you have chosen to upload the com p onents to Acronis PXE Server, spec ify the machine

with the PXE server and provide the user name and password of an administra tor on it.

8. [Optional.] Specify the storage controller drivers and/or network adapter drivers that you want

to add to the media. Click Add and s pecify the path to the necessary .inf file for a corresponding SCSI, RAID, SATA controller or a network adapter. You will have to repeat this procedure for each driver you want to be included in the bootable media.

9. Check your settings in the summary screen, and then click Create.

10. If you have chosen to create an ISO file, burn the file to a DVD by using a third-party tool, or write

the file to a USB drive.

7.2.2.4 Uploading a PE image to A cron is P XE Server

You can upload a WIM file of WinPE 2.x or WinPE 3.0 to Acronis PXE Server. Such file is called a PE image. We recommend creating the WIM file by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE Builder (p. 64).

To upload a PE image

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Click PXE se rve r. If prompted, specify the machine where Acronis PXE Server is installed.

3. Click Upload PE image.

4. Specify the path to the WIM file of WinPE 2.x or 3.0 that you want to upload.

5. Check your settings in the summary screen, and then click Create.

7.3 Configuring Acronis PXE Server

You can configure Acronis PXE server:

§ When creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 63).

§ When creating a bootable media for user-initiated deployment (p. 115).

Alternatively, you can use direct server configuration, as follows.

To perform a direct configuration of the PXE server

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. In the navigation pane, click PXE server.

3. If the PXE server is installed on a different machine, click Connect to the PXE server, and then

specify the name or IP address of t hat machine. In logon settings, specify the user name and password of an administrator on that machine.

When connected to the PXE server, you can perform the following operations by clicking the corresponding butto ns on the toolbar:

§ Upload components: Upload bo otable components (p. 59), such as Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent,

in the same way as when creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 60). The previously uploade d components will be deleted from the PXE server before uploading the newly selected ones.

§ Upload PE image to PXE: Upload the Preinstallation Environment (PE) image (a .wim file) that

was previously created with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 PE builder. For details, see “Uploading a PE image to Acronis PXE Server” (p. 65).

§ Remove: Remove a component or PE image from the PXE server.

§ Disable PXE Server: Disable the PXE server. The service does not stop, but no longer responds to

incoming requests.

§ Enable PXE Server: Enable the previously disabled PXE server.

Two bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 are uploaded to the PXE server .

8 Creating a master image

To be able to deploy a system, you need to create the desired system configuration and then to save an image of the system’s hard disk or volume to a network folder, detachable media (such as a USB drive) or removable media (such as a DVD).

This section describes how to create a master image by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4. In addition, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can use any of the following files as a master image:

§ Backups created with the Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 , and Acronis Backup

& Recovery 11 product family, including password-protected backups

§ Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files

For information about deploying an image, see “Deploying a master image” (p. 79).

8.1 Preparation of the master operating system

In the Acronis environment and Window s Preinstallation Environment (any case except the command-line mode (p. 126)), Acronis Snap Deploy 4 automatically configures each of the deployed systems by using the deployment settings you specify.

Alternatively, you can prepare a master operating system by using the Microsoft System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) before creating the image of the system. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 does not configure the deployed systems in this case.

The Sysprep tool is designed for corporate system administrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and others who need to deploy and automatically configure operating systems on multiple machines.

After an operating system that wa s prepared with Sysprep is deployed to machines, Sysprep configures settings that are normally unique to each machine. In particular, Sysprep does the following:

§ Generates a unique security identifier (SID) for the new machines

§ Initiates Windows mini-setup for Plug and Pl ay devices

§ Applies the machine name, doma i n or workgroup membership, and other sett ings specified in

the Sysprep.inf answer file

You can either download Sysprep from the Microsoft Web site, or extract it from the deploy.cab file, which is located on the installati on disk of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Wi ndows XP, and Windows Server 2003. In Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7, the Sysprep tool is located in the folder Windows\System32.

Important: If you are planning to use Sysprep, we strongly recommend that you read articles about Sysprep and disk duplication in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

8.2 Online vs. offline imaging

You can create the master image in either of these ways:

§ In Windows, by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent installed on the master

machine. This type of imaging is called online imaging.

§ By using a bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap

Deploy 4 Master Image Creator, or by using the command-line utility in a WinPE-based bootable media. This type of imaging is called offline imaging.

This section describes imaging with Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. For information about imaging in the command-line mode, see “Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE” (p. 126).

8.3 Performing online imaging

To perform online imaging

1. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Configure the master system.

3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent on the master system either locally by using

the setup program, or remotely by using Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Managem ent Console. Once Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent is installed, you can image the master system online (without a restart) at any time.

4. Start the Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

5. Connect to the master machine.

6. Click Create image -> Next -> A master image.

Tip: The alternative selection, A bootable media, enables you to create a bootable media (p. 60) for offline imaging (p. 68).

7. Follow the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard (p. 71).

8.4 Performing offline imaging

Offline imaging means that the master system is stopped and the master machine boots into the Acronis environment or into Windows Preinstallation Environment.

To perform offline imaging

1. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Do one of the following:

§ Create a bootable media (p. 59) that contains Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.

§ Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server (p. 66), and upload Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator. Make sure that network booting is enabled on the master machine (p. 102).

Tip: While creating the bootable media or uploading Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator to the PXE server, you can configure the image creator to start automatically after a time-out.

3. Configure the master system.

4. Depending on your choice in step 2, boot the master machine into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master

Image Creator from the bootable media or from the PXE server. The boot menu appears on the master mac h i n e.

The boot menu on the master machine

5. In the boot menu, click Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator.

6. The master image creator establishes a network connection to be able to save the image in a

network folder. A dialog box appears asking whether you want to configure the network connection that will be used by the image creator.

By default, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator uses DHCP auto configuration. Ignore the prompt (click Cancel) if there is a DHCP server on the network or the image has to be placed on a local hard disk or a removable media.

Prompt for configuring the master image creator The master image creator can be preconfigured to apply the default network settings

automatically after a time-out.

The manual configuration is needed if automatic configuration is not possible (no DHCP server on the network) or does not succeed. To configure the network connections manually, click OK in the prompt window.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator configuration: networ k sett i ngs Set the preferable values and click OK.

7. When Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator starts, it displays the Master Image Creator

welcome window.

Master Image Creator Wizard: welcome window

8. In this window, click Next, and then follow the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard (p. 71).

8.5 Steps of the Master Image Creator wizard

This section describes the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard in the order that they appear. Use the Next and Back buttons to go between steps.

8.5.1 Disks or volumes to image

Select the disks or volumes that you want to include in the master image. You can select any set of disks and volumes. The master boot record (MBR) will be also included in

the image.

Important: An operating system includes a loader: a small program that loads the main part of the operating system. The loader and the rest of the operating system may reside on different volumes. For example, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 place the loader on a hidden volume called System Reserved. If your operating system and its loader reside on different volumes, always include both volumes in the image. A volume with the loader is usually marked as the active volume and is shown with the Act. flag in the list. The volumes must also be deployed together; otherwise, there is a high risk that the operating system will not start.

Selecting disks and volumes to image

Limitations

The following disks, and a ny volumes on such disks, cannot be includ ed in the master image:

§ Dynamic disks

§ Disks whose partitioning scheme is GUID partition table (GPT)

8.5.2 Image name and locat ion

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator can save an image in any of the following locations:

§ In a network folder

§ On an internal hard disk of the master machine

§ On a USB or FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage device (such as a flash drive) that is attached to the

master machine

§ On a DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blue-ray Disc (BD-R, BD-RE) that is loaded

in the media drive of the master machine

A sizeable image can be split between multiple media automatically. Select the image location in the device tree. In File name, type the file name of the image. To

generate a file name that is unique in the selected location, click Generate a name for the file.

Selecting the image location

8.5.3 Options of imaging

You can set up the following options for creating the master image. Protection

Defines whether to protect the master image with a password. You may want to use this option to prevent unauthorized depl oyment.

The preset is: No password To specify a password, type it in the Enter the password and Confirm the password fields. Setting up a password does not lead to encrypting the contents of the image.

Compression

Defines the compression level for the image. The preset is: Normal A higher compression level may lead to a smaller size of the image, but creating the image will

take longer. The default Normal level is recommended in most cases.

Selecting the data compression level

Process priority

This option is available only for online imaging (p. 68). The preset is: Low Defines the priority of the imaging process.

The priority of any process running in th e operating system determines the amount of CPU usage and system resources allocated to that process. Decreasing the image creation priority will free more resources for other programs. Increasing the image creation priority could speed up the imaging by taking resources from the other running processes. The effect will depend on the total CPU usage and other factors.

Setting up the process priority

Splitting

Defines how to split a sizable image into two or more files that together make up the original image.

The preset is: Only when it is required With this setting, the program will act as follows. When creating the image on a hard disk

If the selected disk has enough space and its file system allows the estimated file size, the software will create a single image file.

If the storage disk has enough space, but its file system does not allow the estimated file size, the image will automatically be split into two or more files. Such might be the case when the image is placed on FAT16 and FAT32 file systems that have a 4-GB file size limit.

If free space on the disk runs out while creating an image, the operation will stop with an error.

When creating an image on a CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Disc (BDR, BD-RE)

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Master Image Creator will ask you to insert a new disc when the previous one is full.

Alternatively, you can click Always, into the files of fixed size and type the desired file size or select it from the list. The image will then be split into multiple files of the specified size. This comes in handy when creating an image that you plan to burn to multiple discs later on.

You can enter the file size in bytes (B), kilob y tes (KB), meg ab y tes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes (TB).

Note: Creating images directly on CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, or record able Blu-ray Discs usually takes more time than it would on a hard disk.

Error handling

Defines how to handle errors that may occur during imaging. Ignore bad sectors

The preset is: Disabled When the option is disabled, the software will display a pop-up window each time it comes

across a bad sector and ask for a user decision as to whether to continue or stop imaging.

Enable silent mode (no prompts during imaging)

The preset is: Disabled With the silent mode enabled, the software will automatically handle situations requiring

user interaction (except handling bad sectors, which is define d b y the Ignore bad sectors option). If an operation cannot continue without user interaction, it will fail. Details of the operation, including er ro rs, if any, can be found in the operation log.

In case of error, re-attempt in (minutes)

The preset is: 5 When a recoverable error occurs, the software re-attempts to perform the unsuccessful

operation. You can set the time interval between attempts. The attempts will be stopped as soon as the operation succeeds.

For example, if the location of the image on the network becomes unavailable or not reachable, the software will attempt to reach the destination every five minutes. The attempts will be stopped as soon as the connection is resumed.

Additional settings

Check the image when it is created

The preset is: Disabled If enabled, the program will check t he integrity of the just-created image. You c an perform this check after imaging (p. 78).

8.5.4 Comments and summary

We recommend providing a comment for easy identification of the master image. After you click Next, the summary of the imaging procedure appears. Check the settings and then

click Proceed.

The imaging operation starts and its progress is displayed.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is taking the master image

9 Validating a master image

You can ensure that the master image is not damaged by validating it.

To validate a master image

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. Connect the management console to a machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management

Agent is installed.

3. On the Action menu, click Validate image.

4. Select the master image that you want to validate.

5. Click Validate in the summary window.

The validation operation starts. You can stop the ope rat i on if need be, by clicking Cancel. After the validation is complete, the software shows the result.

10 Deploying a master image

This section describes how to deploy a master image to one or more machines.

Caution: Deployment to a machine involves deleting some or all data that is currently stored on that machine. Make sure that you are performing deployment to the correct machines and to the correct disks on those machines.

10.1 Files supported as master images

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 can perform deployment from any of the following files:

§ A master image created by Acronis Snap Deploy 4 or by an earlier version of the software

§ A disk-level backup created by the Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, or Acronis

Backup & Recovery 11 product family

§ A Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file

Support for Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 backups

These Acronis products save the disks and volumes of a machine to a file called a backup. Similarly to master images, backups are stored as .tib files. You can specify such file as you would the

master image. Some backups (known as incremental a n d d i fferential backups) depend on oth er backups. To ensure

that Acronis Snap Deploy 4 finds all of the backups it needs, we recommend le aving the backup in the location where it was created by your Acronis product.

If the backup is split into two or more parts, make sure that all these parts are in the same folder. To specify such a backup, specify a n y one of these parts.

The backup can contain disks o f various types, but only basic disks whos e partitioning scheme is master boot record (MBR) are available for deployment.

Support for VHD files

These files store disks and volumes of a machine. Such a file can be created by the following programs:

§ Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP 1.0, Windows Virtual PC, and Microsoft Virtual Server

§ Windows Backup (in Windows 7 )

§ Acronis True Image Home 2010 and later

You can perform deployment from a VHD file that contains both basic and dynamic volumes. However, any dynamic volumes, such as simple or spanned volumes, will be deployed as basic volumes. You can deploy only disks whose partitioning scheme is master boot record (MBR).

Important: If you created the VHD file by using the Windows Backup program, we recommend leaving such a file in its original location. If you must move the VHD file to a new location, make sure to move the entire folder containing this file, including subfolders and supplementary files such as .xml files. Otherwise, the deployment operation may fail.

If the VHD file is split into two or more parts, make sure that all these parts are in the same folder. To specify the VHD file, select any one of these parts.

10.2 Licenses for deployment

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server performs deployment to a machine by using an available machine license or deployment license (p. 16). Once used by one machine, the license cannot be reused by another machine.

A machine license becomes used w hen t h e first deployment to the machine starts. The licen se remains used regardless of the result of deployment.

Normally, a deployment licens e becomes used if the deployment has bee n successful. If the deployment has failed, Acroni s Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server can use the license for another deployment to the same machine or to a different machine.

In some cases, a deployment license becomes used even if the deployment ha s failed . Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server will use the license for the next deployment to the same ma chi ne.

10.3 Deployment templates

A deployment template is a set of configuration parameters of the deployment operation. These parameters include:

§ A path to the master image.

§ The operation mode (multicast or unicast, how to handle the target disk free space, and so on).

§ Settings to be applied to the deployed systems (for example, machine names and user accounts).

§ Operations to be performed o n the deployed systems (transfer fi les , run applications, shut dow n,

restart).

All deployment templates are saved on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server. You can use a saved template in the future.

When setting up a deployment o peration (deployment task), you must specify a deployment template. You can simply select a saved template and set up the condition for starting deployment. Alternatively, you can create a new template.

Templates also enable user-initiated deployment (p. 113). In this mode, users can perform one-click deployment to their machines without the administrator’s assistance. To set up this mode, the administrator must create one or more deployment templates.

To view or edit the list of saved templates, open the Templates window (p. 99).

10.3.1 Creating a deployment template

You can create a deployment template when you create a deployment task or set up user-initiated deployment (p. 115).

Alternatively, you can create a deployment template in the Templates window (p. 99). This section describes how to use the Create Deployment Template Wizard.

10.3.1.1 Master image s election

In this step, specify the following:

§ The master image

§ The user name and password for the network folder if the image is on the network. The best

practice is to map the network folder as a local drive (on the desktop, right-click Computer or My Computer, and then click Map Network Drive)

In addition to images created by Acronis Snap Deploy 4, you can perform deployment from disk-level backups created by Acronis True Ima ge, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, Acronis Backup & Recovery 11, and from Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files. For details, see “Files supported as master images” (p. 79).

Image location

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 O S Deploy Server can deploy an image located:

§ In a network folder.

§ On the internal hard disk of the deployment server.

§ On a USB or FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage device (such as a flash drive) attached to the

deployment server.

§ On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the

media drive of the deployment server.

The best practice is keeping images on the deployment server’s hard disk. This minimizes network traffic during deployment.

The image created on removable media has to fit into one media disk. To deploy an image spread over several CDs, DVDs or other media, copy all parts of the image to the same folder on the deployment server or to a network folder.

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Standalone Utility can deploy images located:

§ In a network folder.

§ On a USB or FireWire (IEEE-1394) storage device (such as a flash drive) attached to the managed

machine.

§ On DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, or recordable Blu-ray Discs (BD-R, BD-RE) loaded in the

managed machine’s media drive.

The image created on removable media has to fit into one media disc. To deploy an image spread over several CDs, DVDs or other media, copy all parts of the image to the same folder on an external drive or to a network folder.

Selecting a master image

10.3.1.2 Disk and volume selection

If the image contains more than one disk, specify the disk that you want to deploy, and then click Next. You can select only one disk.

Selecting a disk from the master image

If the disk you selected contains more than one volume, specify the volumes that you want to deploy. You can sel ec t one or more volumes.

Selecting disk volumes to deploy The further steps will depend on how man y volumes you select.

§ If you deploy only one volume, it is assumed that the target disk has volumes, so you can select

the target volume, to deploy over it. Other volumes will remain untouched in this ca se.

Alternatively, you can choose to delete all volumes that currently exist on the target disk.

§ Deploying more than one volume will delete all volumes on the target disk. Only the newly

deployed volumes will exist on the disk after deployment.

The master boot record (MBR) is always deployed from the image regardless of your choice.

10.3.1.3 Deployment settings

In this step, specify the deployment settings. The default values for these settings are taken from the default settings (p. 98).

Most settings are related to configuring the operating system of the target machine. Such settings are unavailable if the volumes you selected do not contain an operating system for which changing settings is supported (p. 14). You always can specify general settings such as the disk to perform the deployment to.

These settings can be overridden by individual settings (p. 122) for a machine.

Target disk layout

This setting determines the target disk for deployment, and what space on the target disk will be available for deploying the master image.

The preset is: Default disk The selection Default disk means that the image will be deployed to the hard disk whos e number in

the BIOS is 1. (Note for advanced users: for such disk, the hexa dec imal value known as the physical drive number is 0x80.)

You can specify a different disk by clicking Disk number in BIOS and then typing or selecting the d i sk number.

Selecting the target disk and volume If you selected a single volume (p. 83) for deployment, specify how to place that volume on the

target disk:

§ Replace all volumes: All existing volumes on the target disk will be deleted, and the entire disk

space (including the currently unallocated space) will be available for the volume you are deploying.

§ Replace volume: Only the volume with the selected number will be deleted. If the target disk

contains only one volume, the entire disk space (including the currently unallocated space) will be available for the volume you are deploying. Otherwise, only the space that was occupied by the selected volume will be available for the volume you are deploying; currently unallocated space will remain unallocated.

Note: The active volume of the target disk will remain active. Even if you deploy an active volume side by side with an already present active volume, the newly deployed volume will not become active. Therefore, you need to deploy an active volume to an active volume if you want to boot from the deployed volume.

Tip: To deploy a single volume to unallocated space or bare metal, first create a target volume of a desired size by using a third-party partitioning tool, such as Microsoft Disk Management or Acronis Disk Director.

In either case, the size of the deployed volume will depend on the setting in Disk space utilization (p.

86).

The When deploying a single volume setting is not effective when you deploy multiple volumes. In this case, all existing volumes on the target disk are always deleted, and the entire disk space is available for the volumes.

Disk space utilization

This setting determines whether to change the size of the volumes you are deploying according to the available space on the target disk. The available space depends on the size of the target disk and on whether you selected to replace all volumes or only a particular volume (see the Target disk layout (p. 85) setting).

The preset is: Resize volumes to fit target disk The settings are the following:

§ Resize volumes to fit target disk: The software will proportionally extend or reduce each of the

deployed volumes according to the available space on the target disk. The following examples assume that you have a 300-GB target disk that already contains two

volumes: the first volume is 50 GB in size, and the second volume is 250 GB in size.

Example 1. You are deploying a single 100-GB volume. In Target disk layout, you selected to replace all volumes on the target disk. In this case, the size of the deployed volume will be 300 GB.

Example 2. You are deploying a single 100-GB volume. In Target disk layout, you selected to replace the second (250-GB) volume on the target disk. In this case, the size of the deployed volume will be 250 GB. The first volume on the target disk will remain intact.

Example 3. You are deploying two 50-GB volumes. Because you are deploying more than one volume, all volumes on the target disk will be deleted; see “Target disk layout” (p. 85). Each of the deployed volumes will be 150 GB in size.

Example 4. You are deploying a 10-GB volume and a 20-GB volume. All volumes on the target disk will be deleted. The deployed volumes will be 100 GB and 200 GB in size, respectively.

Example 5. You are deploying a 1000-GB volume and a 2000-GB volume, both of which contain little data. All volumes on the target disk will be deleted. The deployed volumes will

be 100 GB and 200 GB in size, respectively. If either volume contains too much data to be reduced to the respective size, the deployment will fail.

§ As in the master image: Each deployed volume will have the same size as in the master image.

Any excess available space on the target disk will become unallocated. If the target disk does not contain enough available space for placing the volumes, the deployment will fail.

Settings preference

The Settings preference setting determines whether individual deployment settings of a machine (p.

122) can override the deployment settings in the template.

When the Settings preference setting is enabled and you set up an indivi d ual setting for a machine, deployment to that machine will be performed with the individual setting, ignoring the corresponding setting in t he t emplate.

When the Settings preference setting is disabled, deployment to all machines will be performed with the settings in the template, ignoring any individual settings.

Machine name and membership

This setting determines the machine names, also known as NetBIOS name s, of the target machines; it also determines the name of the workgroup or the Active Directory domain to which the target machines will be added after the deployment.

The preset is: The same name and membership as those of the machine in the master image

By default, all deployed machines will have the same name as the machine in the master image. Alternatively, you can specify a name pattern for the machines.

Specify whether the machine will be a member of a workgroup or an Active Directory domain. If you have selected the domain membership, specify the user name and passwor d of a domain administrator.

Name patterns

A name pattern determines the names that the target machines will have after the deployment. To specify a single name for all target machines, type that name in Machine name pattern. For

example, type: DeployedMachine To generate different names for the target machines, include either of the following wildcards or

their combination. {start}

Generates consecutive nu mb ers sta rtin g with start. Each machine name will have its unique number.

For example, the pattern {1} generates the names 1, 2, 3, and so on up to the number of target machines. Similarly, the pattern {5} generates the names 5, 6, 7, and so on.

It makes sense to use only one such wildcard in the pattern.

{start,count}

Generates count consecutive numbers starting with start. For example, the pattern {1,5} generates the names 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Similarly, the pattern {8,5}

generates the names 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Make sure that the value of count is big enough. If the number of target machines exceeds count,

deployment to the remaining machines will fail. You can use two or more of these wildcards. See examples later in this section.

In the wildcards, the value of start must be 0 or greater. The value of count must be 1 or greater. You can use the wildcards alone or accompany them with text, as in the following examples.

Examples

Machine{1}

This pattern generates the names Machine1, Machine2, …, MachineN, where N is the number of target machines.

Name{1,3}

This pattern generates the names Name1, Name2, and Name3.

{1,3}{1,4}

This pattern generates the names 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23, 24; 31, 32, 33, and 34

{1,9}{0,10}

This pattern generates 90 names: 10, 11, 12, …, 19; 20, 21, 22, …, 29; …; 90, 91, 92, …, 99

Machine{2,3}{5,4}

This pattern generates the names Machine25, Machine26, Machine27, Machine28, Machine35,

Machine36, Machine37, Machine38, Machine45, Machine46, Machine47, Machine48

Name{0}{0,10}

This pattern generates the names Name00, Name01, …, Name09, Name10, Name11, Name12, …, Name100, Name101, and so on. Each machine will have a unique na me.

Considerations when using name patterns

Patterns are most effective when you need to easily create different names for the target machines, no matter which machine gets which name. If you need to specify a particular name for a particular machine, you may want to use an individual deployment setting (p. 122) for that machine instead.

There is no order in which the names from the pattern are assigned to the machines. The same machine may be assigned a differen t name the next time you perform deployment.

TCP/IP properties

This setting determines the network settings for the target machines, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

The preset is: The network settings of the master system You have the options to:

§ Use the network settings of the master system.

§ Set up the target machines to obtain IP addresses automatically from a DHCP server.

§ Specify a range of static IP addresses, a subnet mask, and a default gateway for the target

machines. You may want to use this option if your network does not have the DHCP capability. Each machine will be assigned an IP address from the range. Make sure that the range is big enough. If there are more target machines than IP addresses in the range, deployment to the remaining machines will fail.

TCP/IP propert ies If you have not selected to preserve the network settings of the master system settings, you can

specify the DNS server. You can specify the IP address of the DNS server, such as 192.168.0.1; or the network name of the DNS server in Host name and Domain name, such as dns and example.com respectively if your DNS server is dns.example.com.

You will be able to change the network settings later when you start the operating system on the deployed machine.

User accounts

This setting determines the local user accounts that will be created on the target machines in addition to the accounts that exist in the master system.

Each user account can be added to the Administrators, Power Users, or Users group. Here you have an opportunity to add a unifie d a d ministrator’s account to all the systems, if needed. The Remove and Remove all buttons are provid ed to remove the accounts you speci f ied.

The password complexity has to meet the password policy set for the master machine. To view or edit the password policy on the master machine:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy.

2. Under Account Policies, click Password Policy.

Security identifiers

This setting determines whether Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will generate unique security identifiers (SIDs) for the target machines.

The preset is: Generate a unique SID for each target machine Generating unique SIDs should normally be enabled. We recommend not to change the SID only if

you are deploying the image to the same machine from which the image was created. You can keep the SID unchanged if there is no machine with the same SID in the same work gro u p or

domain. Such is the case when the master machine is no longer on the network.

New SIDs will be generated for the target machines.

Action after deployment

This setting determines what to do with the target machines after the deployment is complete. The preset is: Shut down Choose whether to shut down or restart the target machine after the deployment and all associated

operations, such as transferring files (p. 92), are completed.

Files to transfer

This setting determines the list of files, such as installation files, to be transferred to all target machines after the deployment.

Each file must be located in a network folder. When adding the file, specify the credentials to the network folder.

The destination of each fil e must be on one of the volumes you are deploying. To run the file after it is transferred, select the Run the file on target machines check box. The file

will run when Windows first starts on the target machine.

Example

You want the target machines to use a particular Plug and Play device driver, such as a video adapter driver, so that Windows automatically recognizes the device at boot. In this case, do the following:

1. Create a network folder, such as \\server\share, and place the driver files to it. Driver files usually

include an .inf file and a .sys file.

2. Specify both files in the Files to transfer setting, with the following p a ths in the Destination field:

§ For the .inf file: C:\Windows\inf

§ For the .sys file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers

If the operating system in the master image resides on a different volume, change the drive letter in these paths accordingly.

During the deployment, the files are placed in the corresponding folders. When starting on the target machine, Windows discovers the new device and finds your driver for it.

Applications to run

This setting determines the applications, such as service applications, that will run on the target machines after the deployment is complete.

To add an application, click Add, and then specify the path to the application and the parameters the application will run with.

The application must be locat ed on one of the volumes you are deploying. The application will run when Windows first starts on the target machine.

Network utilization

This setting determines the data transfer mode for the deployment. The preset is: Multicast With the Multicast transfer mode, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server sends data to a group of

recipients simultaneously. When the Switch to unicast if multi cast fails during deployment check box is selected, the

deployment server will automatically switch to using the unicast transfer mode if the network hardware, such as a router, does not allow multicasting or limits the distribution of multicast packets across the network. Switching to unicast may take up to one minute. After switching to unicast, the deployment server continues deployment.

Using the Unicast transfer mode, the server sends a copy of the data to each recipient. This can significantly reduce the deployment speed.

For example, suppose that you have a bandwidth of 100 MB per second, and you want to deploy a system to 10 target machines.

§ With the Unicast mode, the server divides the speed am ong 10 machi nes. Ther e fore, the data

transfer speed will be 10 MB per second for each target machine.

§ With the Multicast mode, the server sends one copy of dat a to a multicast address, and each

client will receive data at a speed of 100 MB per second.

Multicast configuration has a parameter that specifies the time to live (TTL) for multicast packets. Use this parameter to limit multicast packets distribution via gateways.

The default value is 15. In practice, this enables the packets to pass up to 15 hops which may be treated as an unlimited distance. The minimal value 1 will limit the packets circulation to one subnet.

By setting the permitted bandwidth, you can limit the network usage during d eployment. The default value is 1 gigabit (Gbit) per second.

Adjusting network utilization settings Acronis Snap Deploy 4 uses Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) for multicasting. Therefore,

all network hardware (such as routers or network switches) must be IGMP-capable and correctly

configured. The specific information on configuring any particular router or network switch is usually available in the documentation provided with the hardware.

If there is no IGMP-capable hardware (or you cannot configure it correctly) in the network, use the Unicast data transfer mode.

Licensing

This setting determines which type of license to use for deployment to a target machine and what to do when no appropriate license is available on the license server.

The preset is:

§ Use a deployment license of the corresponding type (a server license or a workstation license)

§ If no such deployment li cense i s found, use a machine license of the same type

§ Stop deployment other wise

Specifying licensing settings Based on your selection, the software will use a deployment license (which enables a single

successful deployment) or a machine license (which enables an unlimited number of deployments to

a machine). Based on the operating system you are deploying, a workstation license or a server license will be used.

If no appropriate license is available on the license server, the software can either stop deployment to the machine, or use an alternative license.

Tip: To force a machine license to be used for a particular machine, you can specify the Licensing setting as an individual setting (p. 122) for that machine.

When you deploy a workstation operating system (p. 14) and you selected the Use a server license automatically option, the software will use a server license if no workstation license can be used.

The Licensing setting also applies to the Acronis Universal Deploy licenses independently from the main licenses. For example, if a workstation license for performing deployment is found, but a workstation license for applying Acronis Universal Deploy is not, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 may use a server license for Acronis Universal Deploy, but still use a workstation license for performing deployment.

Example

Suppose that you are deploying a work station operating system. Consider the following settings:

§ During deployment: Us e deployment licenses

§ If there are no deployment licenses: Use a machine license automatically

§ If the license server is out of workstation licenses: Use a server license automatically

With these settings, the software will use a license based on the following priority:

a) Deployment workstation license b) Machine workstation license c) Deployment server license d) Machine server license

If you change the second settin g f ro m Use a machine license automatically to Stop deployment, the software will use only deployment licenses. The software will use the following priority:

a) Deployment workstation license b) Deployment server license

10.3.1.4 Using Acronis Universal Deploy

Specify whether you want to use Acronis Universal Deploy during dep lo yment. Acronis Universal Deploy is an add-on to Acronis Snap Deploy 4. It requires a separate license. Skip this section if either of the following is true:

§ You do not have a license for Acronis Universal Deploy.

§ You want to deploy an image that does not contain Windows.

To configure this setting:

1. Select whether to use Acronis Universal Deploy.

Acronis Universal Deploy will help you to create a bootable Windows clone on different hardware by automatically installing the necessary system drivers. Use Acronis Universal Deploy when deploying Windows to a machine with a dissimilar processor, different motherboard or

other mass-storage device than in the imaged system. For detailed information, see “What is Acronis Universal Deploy” (p. 25).

Select whether to use Acronis Universal Deploy Acronis Universal Deploy uses three sources for drivers:

§ The Windows default driver storage folder (in the master image being deployed)

§ The driver repository, which is one or more network folders or removable media

§ The mass-storage device driver specified by the user

The software will find the most suitable drivers of all available drivers and install them into the deployed system. However, the driver defined by the user will have the priority. It will be installed, with appropriate warnings, even if the software finds a better driver.

2. [Optional] Specify the driver repository.

Specify a driver storage to search for HAL and storage device drivers during the automatic search-and-install procedure. You can add network locations and enable a search of removable media for drivers.

Adding a driver storage

3. [Optional] Specify the mass-storage driver.

If the target hardware has a specific mass-storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for the hard disk, explicitly specify the appropriate driver for that controller. The driver will be installed in any case, bypassing the automatic driver search-and-install procedure.

Use this option only if the automatic search-and-install procedure was unsucc essful.

Tip: When deploying the system to a virtual machine that uses SCSI hard drive controller, make sure to specify SCSI drivers for the virtual environment. For example, VMware requires Buslogic or LSI logic drivers. Use drivers bundled with your virtualization software or download the latest driver versions from the software manufacturer’s Web site.

10.3.1.5 Summary window

Check your settings in the summary window, and then click Save.

The summary window

10.3.2 Configuring default deployment settings

In the Default Deployment Settings window, you can specify the values that will be used by default when you create a deployment template (p. 80).

To view or change the default deployment settings

1. Start Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console.

2. On the Tools menu, click Configure default settings. If prompted, specify the name or IP address

of the machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server is installed, and the user name and password of an administrator on that machine.

Each default setting has a preset value. To reset all default settings to their preset values, click Reset

all.

List of default settings

The following is the list of default deployment settings and their preset values.

§ Target disk layout (p. 85)

The preset is: Perform deployment to the first hard disk in th e BIOS

§ Disk space utilization (p. 86)

The preset is: Extend or reduce the volumes being deployed, according to the available space on the target disk

§ Machine name and membership (p. 87)

The preset is: The same as of the master system

§ TCP/IP properties (p. 89)

The preset is: The network settings of the master system

§ User accounts (p. 90)

The preset is: Create no additional user accounts

§ Security identifiers (p. 91)

The preset is: Generate a unique security identifier (SID) for each target machine

§ Action after deployment (p. 91)

The preset is: Shut down the machine after the deployment

§ Network util ization (p. 92)

The preset is:

§ Perform deployment by us ing m u l ticast

§ Switch to unicast if multicast fails

§ Licensing (p. 94)

The preset is:

§ Use a deployment license of the corresponding type (a server license or a workstation

license)

§ If no such deployment li cense i s found, use a machine license of the same type

§ Stop deployment other wise

10.3.3 Managing deploymen t templ ates

In the Templates window, you can create, view, edit, and delete the deployment templates that are saved on Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

To open this window, click Actions -> Manage templates. If prompted, specify the name or IP address of the machine with the deployment server, and the user name and passwor d of a n administrator on that machine.

To create a deployment template

1. Connect the management console to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Dep lo y Server.

2. On the Actions menu, click Manage templates.

3. Click Create new, and then follow the steps of the Create Deployment Template Wizard (p. 80).

10.4 Deployment through a deployment task

By using a deployment task, you can perform deployment in either of these ways:

§ Deployment to a specified list of machines (p. 100). Acronis Snap Deploy 4 will use the Wake-on-

LAN functionality to wake up the machines that are turned off and thus are not ready for deployment.

§ Deployment as soon as a specified number of any machines become read y for deployment (p.

106). You (or users in your organization) will need to make the machines ready.

A machine becomes ready for deployment after it boots to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent from a bootable media or a PXE server, and then connects to Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server.

In addition, you can run any deployment task manually from the Deployment tasks view (p. 124). A deployment task runs according to a deployment template (p. 80). When creating the task, you can

create a deployment template or specify an existing one.

10.4.1 Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the deployment, make sure that:

§ You have installed the following components: Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console,

Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server, Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server, and (optionally) Acronis PXE Server. All these components are already installed if you performed a typical installation (p. 40).

§ You imported a sufficient number of licenses (p. 15) to Acronis S nap Deploy 4 License Server.

§ You created a master image by using either bootable media (offline imaging (p. 68)) or Acronis

Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent (online imaging (p. 68)).

Procedures in this section assume that you have performed these steps.

10.4.2 Deployment to specific machines

Deployment to a specified list of machines can run immediately, manually, or on a schedule. When the deployment is about to start, the software uses the Wake-on-LAN (WOL) functionality of

the BIOS to wake up (turn on) the machines in the list. Acronis Snap Deploy 4 wakes up each machine by sending a special packet, called the magic packet,

to all network adapters of the machine. Machines in another subnet can b e woken up through the Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy component,

which is delivered with Acronis Sn a p Deploy 4. The woken up machines then boot into Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Agent. You can manually boot machines that do not support Wake-on-LAN, before the task starts. Such

machines will also be deployed, provided that they are listed for deployment. A best practice for this type of deployment is to use Acronis PXE Server for booting the machines.

Alternatively, you can boot the machines by using a bootable media.

10.4.2.1 Preparation steps

This section describes how to prepare deployment to a specified list of machines.

Getting MAC addresses

Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a 48-bit physical (hardware) address of a network device. In Windows, the physica l address can be obtained by running the command ipconfig /all

Acronis Snap Deploy - 4.0 Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

1 Introducing Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.1 Overview

1.1.1 What is Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.1.2 Who needs Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.1.3 Acronis Snap Deploy 4 infrastructure

1.2 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.2.1 Taking an image of the master system

1.2.2 Deployment to specific machines (immediate, manual, and scheduled deployment)

1.2.3 Deployment to any ready machines (ev ent -driven deployment)

1.2.4 Stand-alon e deployment

1.2.5 Deployment with individual deployment settings

1.2.6 User-initiated deployment (custom deployment)

1.2.7 Deployment of a disk volume and MBR

1.2.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE

1.3 Features of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.3.1 New: List of machines

1.3.2 New: List of deployment tasks

1.3.3 New: Per-deployment licensing

1.3.4 New: Support for the VHD format

1.3.5 New: Graphical user interface in WinPE

1.3.6 New: E-mail notifications about deployment

1.3.7 New: Compatibility with Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 backups

1.3.8 New: Support for multiple net work adapters

1.3.9 Multicast T TL and network bandwidth throttling

1.3.10 New: Falling back to unicast

1.3.11 Encrypted communication

1.3.12 Password protection

1.5 Licensing policy

1.5.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses

1.5.2 Server licenses and workstation licenses

1.5.3 Licenses for Acronis Universal Deploy

1.5.4 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.6 Upgrading to Acronis Snap Deploy 4

1.6.1 Upgrading licenses

1.6.2 Upgradi ng compo nen ts

1.7 Technical Support

2 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 4

2.1 Terminology

2.2 Components

2.3 Support for file systems and storage media

2.3.1 Supported file systems

2.3.2 Supported me dia

2.4 Supported types of disk and firmware interface

2.5 Usage

2.5.1 Offline imaging

2.5.2 Online imaging

2.5.3 Deployment

2.6 What is Acronis Universal Deploy

2.6.1 Acronis Universal Deploy purpose

2.6.2 Acronis Universal Deploy general principles

2.6.3 Acronis Universal Deploy and Microsoft Sysprep

2.6.4 Getting Acronis Universal Deploy

2.7 How to

3 Getting started with Acronis Snap Deploy 4

4 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

4.1 Supported operati ng s yst e ms

4.2 Used ports and IP addresses

4.3 Typical installation

4.4 Custom installation

4.4.1 Installation procedure

4.4.2 Common installation configurations

4.4.3 Installation of components

4.4.3.1 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Console

4.4.3.2 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 License Server

4.4.3.3 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 OS Deploy Server

4.4.3.4 Installation of Acronis PXE Server

4.4.3.5 Installation of Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy

4.4.3.6 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 Management Agent

4.4.3.7 Installation of Acronis Universal Deploy

4.5 Other ways of installation

4.5.1 Installing components remotely

4.5.1.1 Preparation

4.5.1.2 Installation procedure

4.5.2 Extracting the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4

4.6 Upgrading Acronis Snap Deploy 4

4.6.1 Upgrading from a previous product version