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Acronis patented technologies
Technologies, used in this product, are covered and protected by one or more U.S. Patent Numbers:
7,047,380; 7,275,139; 7,281,104; 7,318,135; 7,353,355; 7,366,859; 7,475,282; 7,603,533; 7,636,824;
7,650,473; 7,721,138; 7,779,221; 7,831,789; 7,886,120; 7,895,403; 7,934,064; 7,937,612; 7,949,635;
7,953,948; 7,979,690; 8,005,797; 8,051,044; 8,069,320; 8,073,815; 8,074,035; 8,145,607; 8,180,984;
8,225,133; 8,261,035; 8,296,264; 8,312,259; 8,347,137; 8,484,427; 8,645,748; 8,732,121 and patent
pending applications.
1.1.1 What is Acronis Snap Deploy 5....................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.2 Who needs Acronis Snap Deploy 5 ................................................................................................................ 7
1.2 What's new in Update 1 ............................................................................................................ 7
1.3 What's new in Acronis Snap Deploy 5 ....................................................................................... 8
1.4 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 ........................................................................... 8
1.4.1 Taking an image of the master system .......................................................................................................... 8
1.4.2 Deployment to specific machines (immediate, manual, and scheduled deployment) ............................. 8
1.4.3 Deployment to any ready machines (event-driven deployment) ............................................................... 9
1.4.7 Deployment of a disk volume and MBR ...................................................................................................... 11
1.4.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE ...................................................................................... 11
1.5 Features of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 ..........................................................................................12
1.5.1 List of machines ............................................................................................................................................. 12
1.5.2 List of deployment tasks ............................................................................................................................... 12
1.5.4 Support for the VHD format ......................................................................................................................... 13
1.5.5 Graphical user interface in WinPE ............................................................................................................... 13
1.5.6 E-mail notifications about deployment ....................................................................................................... 13
1.5.7 Compatibility with images created by other Acronis products ................................................................. 13
1.5.8 Support for multiple network adapters ....................................................................................................... 14
1.5.9 Multicast TTL and network bandwidth throttling ....................................................................................... 14
1.5.10 Encrypted communication ........................................................................................................................... 14
1.7.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses ................................................................................................ 17
1.7.2 Server licenses and workstation licenses .................................................................................................... 17
1.7.3 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 ........................................................................................................ 17
1.8 Upgrading to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 .......................................................................................18
2.3 Support for file systems and storage media ............................................................................22
2.3.1 Supported file systems .................................................................................................................................. 22
2.3.2 Supported media ........................................................................................................................................... 22
2.4 Supported types of disks and firmware interfaces ..................................................................23
2.6.2 Acronis Universal Deploy in Windows ......................................................................................................... 27
2.6.3 Acronis Universal Deploy in Linux ................................................................................................................ 27
2.6.4 Acronis Universal Deploy and Microsoft Sysprep ....................................................................................... 28
2.7 How to .....................................................................................................................................28
3 Getting started with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 .................................................................... 29
4 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5.............................................................................. 43
4.1 Supported operating systems ..................................................................................................43
4.2 System requirements ...............................................................................................................44
4.3 Used ports and IP addresses ....................................................................................................44
5 Using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console ........................................................ 56
5.1 Connecting to a machine .........................................................................................................56
5.1.1 Connect to a local machine .......................................................................................................................... 56
5.1.2 Connect to another machine ....................................................................................................................... 56
8.5 Steps of the Master Image Creator wizard ..............................................................................76
8.5.1 Disks or volumes to image ............................................................................................................................ 76
8.5.2 Image name and location ............................................................................................................................. 77
8.5.3 Options of imaging ........................................................................................................................................ 78
8.5.4 Comments and summary ............................................................................................................................. 81
9 Validating a master image .............................................................................................. 83
10 Deploying a master image ........................................................................................ 84
10.1 Files supported as master images ...........................................................................................84
10.2 Licenses for deployment ..........................................................................................................84
10.4.2 Deployment to specific machines .............................................................................................................. 104
10.4.3 Deployment to any ready machines .......................................................................................................... 110
10.4.4 Booting the target machines ...................................................................................................................... 112
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 Acronis Snap Deploy 5 (scheduled deployment, support for Preinstallation
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 5 infrastructure
Components of the Acronis infrastructure are installed on Windows machines. Managing the Acronis
infrastructure is performed by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5.
Deployment is performed in the Acronis environment or in WinPE that contains components of
Acronis Snap Deploy 5. In either environment, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 the network or is included in a network without Acronis Snap Deploy
5 infrastructure).
1.2 What's new in Update 1
Deployment to a machine running Windows can be started while the machine is online.
Support for stand-alone deployment to machines running 32-bit UEFI systems (tablets).
The 32-bit UEFI firmware interface is now supported for master and target machines.
Acronis PXE Server now supports UEFI booting.
Support for WinPE 5.0.
Automatic switch to unicast if multicast fails during deployment is disabled.
1.3 What's new in Acronis Snap Deploy 5
Updated multicast protocol that enables up to 5 times faster deployment (compared to Acronis
Snap Deploy 4) to multiple machines across a network.
Support for Windows 8.1 including Update 1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
Support for stand-alone deployment to Microsoft Surface Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro 2
tablets.
Compatibility with backups created by Acronis Backup 11.5.
Deployment of Linux to UEFI machines (no BIOS <-> UEFI migration).
The Acronis Universal Deploy feature is now included in all Acronis Snap Deploy 5 licenses.
The Acronis Universal Deploy feature is now available for Linux.
New Linux kernel version (3.11.6) in Linux-based bootable media. The new kernel makes for
better hardware support.
1.4 What you can do with Acronis Snap Deploy 5
This section describes typical usage scenarios for Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
1.4.1 Taking an image of the master system
First, you create the desired system configuration and save the image of the system hard disk to a
network folder, detachable media (such as a USB hard drive) or removable media (such as a DVD). An
image, also called a master image, is a file that contains the system in a packaged form.
Scenarios
Scenario 1
Each department in your organization, such as accounting, sales, and technical support, uses a
fixed set of applications for daily work.
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 might need to deploy the standard configuration, which is included in the image library, to
various hardware.
Acronis Universal Deploy configures Windows or Linux so that the system is able to boot on
dissimilar hardware.
1.4.2 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 schedule, 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 turn on the target machines with
predefined MAC addresses by using the BIOS Wake-on-LAN (WOL) functionality.
Machines in another subnet can be woken up through a component called Wake-on-LAN Proxy,
which is delivered with Acronis Snap Deploy 5. 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 bootable environment manually
before the deployment starts. Such machines will also be deployed, provided that they are listed for
deployment.
Machines that are always turned on before the deployment starts can be configured to reboot
automatically into the bootable environment. This feature is called online deployment (p. 115).
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 cafй, school or university lab has 100 machines with known MAC addresses.
The nightly deployment of the initial standard image on these machines is needed.
1.4.3 Deployment to any ready machines (event-driven
deployment)
You can set up deployment to start when a specific number of any machines become ready. Unlike
deployment to specific machines (p. 8), this way of deployment does not require knowing the MAC
addresses of the machines.
The software counts how many machines have connected to the deployment server and starts
deployment when the number of machines you specified (for example, 10) is connected.
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
3. Acronis Snap Deploy 5 uses multicasting to perform the deployment to all machines at once.
1.4.4 Stand-alone 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 5 infrastructure (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.
1.4.5 Deployment with individual deployment settings
You can set up individual deployment settings (p. 131) 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 machines, however,
you need to perform deployment to the second hard disk, rather than to the first hard disk.
1. You enter the MAC addresses of all machines so that all machines appear in the list of machines.
2. You specify an individual setting for the corresponding machine: to deploy to the second hard
disk.
3. You set up a deployment operation to perform deployment to the first hard disk. Deployment to
that specific machine will be performed to the second hard disk.
messes up the machine (for example, deletes a file or changes configuration), the student can
choose a self-restore option from the boot menu.
1.4.7 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 system volume, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 will automatically repair the bootability of
the deployed system.
1.4.8 Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 provides a command-line utility that can be added to a bootable media based
on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). The administrator can create such media on a
physical drive or place it to the PXE server.
Having booted a machine into Windows Preinstallation Environment, the administrator can perform
imaging or deployment in the command-line mode or execute scripts.
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 the PE and includes both scripts in the startnet.cmd file. On
booting into the PE, both operations will be performed automatically.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 provides the Machines view (p. 128). This view contains a list of all machines
that you added for deployment or that have ever been deployed.
In this view, you can:
View and edit the list of machines.
Check which machines are ready for deployment.
Examine the current state of the deployment operation, and the result of the last deployment.
Add machines for subsequent deployment by specifying the machines’ MAC addresses.
Specify individual deployment settings (p. 10).
Set up deployment for one or more machines.
Organize machines into groups.
1.5.2 List of deployment tasks
Centralized deployment is performed by a deployment task. Acronis Snap Deploy 5 provides a list of
deployment tasks in the Deployment tasks (p. 133) view.
In this view, you can:
View and edit the list of tasks, including 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.
1.5.3 Per-deployment licensing
In addition to per-machine licensing, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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. 17).
Scenario
You provision machines to end users 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.
In addition to using its own format for an image, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5. When performing the deployment, the software can change the settings
for the machines being deployed.
1.5.5 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. 11) for performing imaging
and deployment.
1.5.6 E-mail notifications about deployment
When using the command-line mode (p. 11), 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. 11), the
administrator also wants to receive e-mail notifications about deployment.
The administrator includes in the deployment script a command that sets 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 corresponding machine and whether the deployment has been
successful.
1.5.7 Compatibility with images created by other Acronis products
As a master image, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can use a disk-level backup created by the following
products:
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 network adapter, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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.
1.5.9 Multicast TTL 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 deployment.
1.5.10 Encrypted communication
Components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 communicate to each other by using the Secure 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 5 are installed, encrypted communication between the
components is enabled automatically.
The contents of the master image are transferred unencrypted.
1.5.11 Password protection
Master images taken with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can be protected with a password to prevent
unauthorized deployment.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 also supports password-protected backups created by Acronis True Image,
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, Acronis Backup & Recovery 11, or Acronis Backup 11.5.
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 bootable component. No password is required to start the operating
system on the machine.
1.5.12 Online deployment
You can configure (p. 115) Acronis Snap Deploy 5 to automatically make turned-on target machines
(running Windows) ready for deployment every time the deployment starts. Thereby, manual
rebooting of the target machines into the bootable environment is not required.
Windows Server 2008 R2
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Server 2008 (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Server 2003 (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Server 2003 R2 (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Small Business Server 2011
(No Service Pack)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Small Business Server 2003
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Storage Server 2003 R2
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Server
Windows 8 (x86, x64)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 8.1 (x86, x64) (including Update 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 8 Pro (x86, x64)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 8.1 Pro (x86, x64) (including Update 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 8 Enterprise (x86, x64)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
deployment
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 provides full-featured imaging and deployment of the operating systems listed
in the table that follows.
For most operating systems, you can change settings such as the network name that the machines
will have after the deployment.
Deploying an operating system requires a license. Depending on the type of an operating system, you
need a server license or a workstation license. For details about licensing, see “Licensing policy” (p.
Windows 8.1 Enterprise (x86, x64) (including Update 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 7 Home Basic (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 7 Home Premium (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 7 Professional (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 7 Ultimate (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack or Service Pack 1)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows Vista Home Basic (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows Vista Home Premium (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows Vista Business (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows Vista Ultimate (x86, x64)
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows XP Home
(Any Service Pack or no Service Pack)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows XP Professional
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2, or Service
Pack 3)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
(No Service Pack, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2)
Yes
Yes
Workstation
Windows 2000 Server
(Any Service Pack or no Service Pack)
Yes
No
Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
(Any Service Pack or no Service Pack)
Yes
No
Server
Windows 2000 Professional
(Any Service Pack or no Service Pack)
Yes
No
Workstation
Windows NT/4.0 Server
Yes
No
Server
Windows 98/Me
Yes
No
Workstation
Linux (kernel 2.4.9 and later)
Yes
No
Workstation
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 enables imaging and deployment of any PC-based operating system. However,
for certain operating systems, some operations or options will not be available. For example,
Windows 98/NT/ME, NT/4.0 Server, Windows 2000, and Linux (kernel 2.4.9 and later) can be
deployed only as is; on-the-fly settings adjustment is not performed.
Deploying an unrecognized operating system or a disk without an operating system requires a
workstation license.
Acronis Universal Deploy is not applicable to the Windows 2000, Windows 98/NT/ME, and Windows
NT/4.0 Server operating systems.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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.
1.7.1 Machine licenses and deployment licenses
In terms of the number of allowed deployments, 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 want to
use this type of license if you perform deployment to the same machine once or infrequently. If
deployment under a deployment license fails, you can perform another deployment under the
same license.
You can obtain a license key that corresponds to a number of deployment licenses.
When setting up a deployment operation, you can choose (p. 98) whether a deployment license can
be automatically used instead of a machine license, or conversely.
1.7.2 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 workstation operating system. See also the complete list of supported server
and workstation operating systems (p. 15).
If Acronis Snap Deploy 5 fails to identify the type of operating system, the operating system is
considered as a workstation operating system.
When setting up a deployment operation, you can choose (p. 98) whether a server license can be
automatically used instead of a workstation license for deploying a workstation operating system.
1.7.3 Trial version of Acronis Snap Deploy 5
The Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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.
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 5 will start using a full
license as soon as the corresponding trial license expires.
ASD4 upgrade license
License(s) for an earlier version
Available
ASD5 upgrade license
Perform deployment to any target machine
ASD4 upgrade license
License(s) for an earlier version
Assigned to Machine1
ASD5 upgrade license
Perform deployment to Machine1
No license
ASD5 full license
Perform deployment to any target machine
To upgrade from Acronis Snap Deploy 4 to Acronis Snap Deploy 5, upgrade both the licenses and the
software components.
1.8.1 Upgrading licenses
To upgrade the licenses of Acronis Snap Deploy 4, obtain the necessary number of upgrade licenses
and import them to the license server.
You should obtain one upgrade license for Acronis Snap Deploy 5 (ASD5) per each license for Acronis
Snap Deploy 4 (ASD4) 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 5.
It does not matter whether the ASD4 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.
1.8.2 Upgrading components
Install the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 over those of Acronis Snap Deploy 4.
If all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 are installed on the same machine, simply run the setup
program of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 on that machine. During installation, you can add the upgrade
licenses.
If components are installed on different machines, upgrade the license server first, by running the
setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 5. When upgrading the license server, import the upgrade
licenses. Then, upgrade other components on the machines.
Upgrading Acronis PXE Server removes any components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 that are uploaded
to the PXE server. To continue using the PXE server, you need to upload the new components (p. 71)
to it.
Components of versions of Acronis Snap Deploy earlier than 4 are incompatible with Acronis Snap
Deploy 5. You need to remove those components before installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
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 (http://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).
A file that contains the master system in a packaged form. The file has the .tib
extension.
Online imaging
Taking a master image while the master system is in a production state (the operating
system is running on the master machine).
Offline imaging
Taking an image while the master machine is booted into the Acronis environment or
Windows Preinstallation Environment.
Deployment
Transferring the operating system, applications, and data from the master image file to
a physical hard disk (see “Target disk”). In most cases, deployment is performed by
multicasting the master image through the network.
Stand-alone
deployment
Deployment to a machine isolated from a network or included in a network without
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 infrastructure. Stand-alone deployment is performed locally by
using a bootable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
Target disk
The physical disk to be deployed to (an internal hard disk of the target machine).
Target machine
(Target)
The hardware to perform deployment to.
Deployment template
(Template)
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.
This section describes the components of the Acronis Snap Deploy 5 infrastructure and their
interaction.
2.1 Terminology
The following table lists the common terms and descriptions used in this document.
The person who has rights to manage the Acronis Snap Deploy 5 infrastructure.
User-initiated
deployment mode
The mode when deployment can be initiated on the side of the target machine.
User
The person on the side of the target machine who starts the user-initiated deployment.
This term relates to the user-initiated deployment mode only.
2.2 Components
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 includes the following components:
Components for Windows
These are components that are installed on machines running Windows and provide Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 infrastructure.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console is an administrative tool for remote access to
Acronis servers and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 OS Deploy Server (the deployment server) is a component that performs
centralized hardware-independent deployment through the network with the help of Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 Agents.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent takes an image of a machine running Windows or
enables Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server to start deployment on the machine while it is
online.
Acronis PXE Server allows booting machines over the network into Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent,
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy
Server to wake up the target machines located in another subnet.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License 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 component when you need to perform
imaging or deployment.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent is a bootable component that performs deployment to a target
machine under the control of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server.
There are two ways to load Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent on target machines: locally from
bootable media or remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 Master Image Creator on a master machine:
directly from bootable media or remotely by using Acronis PXE Server.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can perform imaging and deployment of corrupted 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 unsupported
file system cannot be resized during deployment.
2.3.2 Supported media
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Master Image Creator and AcronisSnap Deploy 5 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 5 OS 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 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 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 5 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.
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 an
external drive or to a network folder.
2.4 Supported types of disks and firmware interfaces
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can image and deploy basic disks that use the master boot record (MBR) or
GUID Partition Table (GPT) partitioning scheme. Deployment to uninitialized disks is also supported.
Dynamic volumes (in Windows) can be deployed as basic volumes only. MD devices and logical
volumes (in Linux) are not supported for imaging and deployment.
Tip: To perform imaging and deployment of disks and volumes that are not supported by Acronis Snap Deploy 5,
use the Acronis Backup products.
Both basic input/output system (BIOS) and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware
interfaces are supported for master and target machines.
2.5 Usage
This section gives a general idea of using the product and does not contain the detailed instructions
on how to perform operations. Nevertheless, advanced users are welcome to use this section as a
step-by-step quick start guide. The details can be found in the further sections.
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).
Create a bootable media (either an Acronis media or a WinPE-based media) with Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 Master Image Creator.
OR
Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server and upload Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 Master Image Creator.
4. Depending on your choice in the previous step, boot the machine into Acronis Snap Deploy 5
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 operation. 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 remotely 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.
4. Connect the console to the master system, click Create image->Next->A master image. 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. 84).
This procedure presumes that you have installed Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console and
created a master image.
To perform deployment
1. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server. Import licenses to the license server. Install Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server.
2. Do one of the following:
Create bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 Agent.
OR
Install Acronis PXE Server, connect the console to the PXE server, and then upload Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 Agent.
3. Depending on your choice in the previous step, boot the target machines into Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 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 connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server.
4. Connect the console to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 the machines, click 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
Acronis Universal Deploy is the Acronis proprietary technology that helps deploy and boot up a
Windows or a Linux operating system 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 an operating system 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 the operating system to the dissimilar hardware.
Then, create a master image of the adjusted system and deploy that image to the identical machines.
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 processor 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 technology provides an efficient solution for hardware-independent system
deployment by adding the crucial Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and mass-storage device drivers.
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 Plug and Play devices
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 takes 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 in Linux
Acronis Universal Deploy can be applied to Linux operating systems with a kernel version of 2.6.8 or
later.
When Acronis Universal Deploy is applied to a Linux operating system, it updates a temporary file
system known as the initial RAM disk (initrd). This ensures that the operating system can boot on the
new hardware.
Acronis Universal Deploy adds modules for the new hardware (including device drivers) to the initial
RAM disk. As a rule, it finds the necessary modules in the /lib/modules directory of the operating
system you are deploying. If Acronis Universal Deploy cannot find a module it needs, it logs the
module’s file name.
Acronis Universal Deploy may modify the configuration of the GRUB boot loader. This may be
required, for example, to ensure the system bootability when the new machine has a different
volume layout than the original machine.
Acronis Universal Deploy never modifies the Linux kernel.
Reverting to the original initial RAM disk
You can revert to the original initial RAM disk if necessary.
The initial RAM disk is stored on the machine in a file. Before updating the initial RAM disk for the
first time, Acronis Universal Deploy saves a copy of it to the same directory. The name of the copy is
the name of the file, followed by the _acronis_backup.img suffix. This copy will not be overwritten if
you run Acronis Universal Deploy more than once (for example, after you have added missing
drivers).
Specify the copy in the initrd line of the GRUB boot loader configuration.
2.6.4 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).
2.7 How to
How to image a machine without installing additional software to it?
Perform offline imaging (p. 74).
How to image a machine without restarting it?
Perform online imaging (p. 74).
How to prepare deployment tools?
Create bootable media (p. 64) with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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. 107).
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.
110). Specify the number of machines to wait for.
How to deploy an image in the absence of a network connection?
Use Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Standalone Utility (p. 116).
How to enable users to start deployment on their own?
This section describes how to install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 and perform a simple deployment.
By following the procedures in this section, you will:
a) Install and start Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
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 5
In this step, you will install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 in a typical configuration. For the complete
description of installation methods and procedures, see the installation section (p. 43).
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 5, see “Supported
operating systems” (p. 43).
You have the setup program. You can download the setup program from the Acronis product
download Web page.
You have one or more license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 5. You can buy full license keys or
obtain trial ones by going to the Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Web page. The type of license (“for
Server” or “for Workstation”) determines the type of operating system that you can deploy.
On the machine where you want to install Acronis Snap Deploy 5, do the following:
1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.
2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.
2.In the list of components, select Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Master
Image Creator.
3. In Network settings, in Server name/IP, specify the name of the machine where you installed
Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
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. 64).
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 deployment” (p. 15).
On the machine whose image you want to create, do the following:
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 machine).
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 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.
2. Boot the machine from the bootable media you created.
This section lists the operating systems where components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can be installed.
It does not matter which Service Pack (if any) is installed in the operating system.
Any components for Windows can be installed in the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2012 Foundation
Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation
Windows Server 2012 Essentials
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Windows Server 2012 Standard
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
Windows Server 2012 Datacenter
Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 (x86, x64)
Windows Server 2003 (x86, x64)
Windows Server 2003 R2 (x86, x64)
Windows Small Business Server 2011
Windows Small Business Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
Windows 8 Pro (x86, x64)
Windows 8.1 Pro (x86, x64)
Windows 8 Enterprise (x86, x64)
Windows 8.1 Enterprise (x86, x64)
Windows 7 Professional (x86, x64)
Windows 7 Ultimate (x86, x64)
Windows Vista Business (x86, x64)
Windows Vista Ultimate (x86, x64)
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
For local management only, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console and Acronis Snap Deploy
5 Management Agent can be installed on a machine running any of the following operating systems:
Windows 8 (x86, x64)
Windows 8.1 (x86, x64)
Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows XP Home
CD-R/RW,
DVD-R/RW, or
BD-R/RE for
creating bootable
media
1024x768 screen
resolution
Mouse (required)
OS Deploy Server
66 MB
33 MB
Management Agent
66 MB
33 MB
PXE Server
38 MB
19 MB
Wake-on-LAN Proxy
18 MB
9 MB
License Server
40 MB
20 MB
Media type
Memory
ISO image size
Based on Windows PE 3/4
512/1024 MB
163 MB
Linux-based
256 MB
545 MB
Components for Windows
Minimum memory requirements for a component are the same as for the Windows operating
system where it is installed.
Network interface card is a common requirement for all the components.
Bootable media
4.3 Used ports and IP addresses
The Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
components use the following ports and IP addresses for remote operation:
UDP port: 9876
TCP port: 9876. If this port is busy, the deployment server and the management console choose a
port at random
IPv4 multicast address: 239.255.219.45
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management 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:
For a remote installation (p. 52), the TCP port 25001 is used.
If you are using a firewall, you may need to set the appropriate access options.
4.4 Typical installation
With typical installation, all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 that are needed for deployment
and offline imaging will be installed on the same machine.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5
The following components will be installed on the machine:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
Acronis PXE Server
To install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent or Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy, and for more
flexible installation, use custom installation (p. 45).
To install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 (typical installation)
1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.
2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
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 5 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 5 and
clicking Help->Customer Experience Program (CEP).
7. Click Install.
4.5 Custom installation
With custom installation, you can select which components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 Management Agent to take a master image of a machine
without restarting it (p. 24) or to enable online deployment on the machine (p. 115).
Installing Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy to wake up machines that are located in another subnet.
Installing different components on different machines, such as installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5
OS Deploy Server on one machine and Acronis PXE Server on another. For examples, see
“Common installation configurations” (p. 47).
4.5.1 Installation procedure
Preparation
To be able to install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server, you need to have at least one machine
license or deployment license on Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server. The license can be trial or
full.
If you are installing both Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS
Deploy Server on the same machine, you will be able to provide the license keys during
installation.
If Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 (custom installation)
1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program.
2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.
4. Click Custom.
5. In the list of components, select the components that you want to install. For details about
installing the components, see “Installation of components” (p. 48).
6. If you selected Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server for installation, provide the license keys of
Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
7. If you selected Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server without selecting Acronis Snap Deploy 5
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 5 and clicking
Help->Customer Experience Program (CEP).
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 components can be installed in various configurations, to distribute various
components and features among the machines 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 5 Management Console
b)The minimal configuration that enables offline imaging, stand-alone deployment, and
deployment through the network with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server consists of the
following components:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
On the target machines, no Acronis components are required.
c) The configuration that adds the network boot of the target machines to the functionality
described in (b):
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
Acronis PXE Server
The components can be installed all on the same machine, or on different machines. On the
target machines, no Acronis components are required.
This is the recommended elementary configuration that enables most of the Acronis Snap Deploy
5 functionality. This is the configuration for typical installation (p. 45).
If physical access to the powerful server is limited, you can install the console on a separate
machine. Another common configuration is:
Workstation:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
Server:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
Acronis PXE Server
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 one console connection is needed.
If the target machines do not support PXE, you can install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent on
them and turn on the machines before starting the deployment.
d)To add to any configuration (a)–(c) the online imaging (p. 24) ability and the ability to validate
4.5.3.1 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console is an administrative tool for local and remote access to
Acronis servers and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5
Management Console on any machine from which you prefer to operate.
Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 Management Console is installed, you can install other components
remotely (p. 52).
4.5.3.2 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server is a component that tracks licenses of Acronis products. Install
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server on a machine accessible to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy
Server. Consider installing both products on the same machine.
Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server also includes Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 License Server launches automatically as a Windows service.
When installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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. 59) or in the command-line
mode (p. 61).
4.5.3.3 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server is a component that performs centralized deployment
through the network with the help of bootable components called agents.
Before installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server, you need to install Acronis Snap Deploy 5
License Server (p. 49) and import license keys to it. You can install both servers on the same machine.
If Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server is not installed on the machine where you are installing
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 OS Deploy Server will not be able to find the license server if this address
changes.
There is one exception to this recommendation: if your license server machine has non-English characters in its
host name, you need to specify license server by IP address. Currently Unicode is not supported in Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 communication between components, so Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server will not be able to
resolve the license server name properly if it contains non-English characters (i.e. if it contains Unicode
symbols).
Installation of the deployment server does not decrease the number of licenses. The software just
checks the availability of the licenses and stores the specified parameters of Acronis Snap Deploy 5
License Server to be able to access the license server at the time of deployment.
Important: If you are planning to use more than one deployment server, make sure that each particular
machine is deployed only by one of them. Otherwise, each deployment server may use a separate license for the
machine.
4.5.3.4 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.
4.5.3.5 Installation of Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy
Acronis Wake-on-LAN Proxy enables Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server to wake up the target
machines located in another subnet.
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 5 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.
4.5.3.6 Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent
Installation of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent adds the ability for online imaging, the
ability to validate integrity of the master images, and enables Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy
Server to start deployment on the machine while it is online.
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 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 5 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. 83) by using the management agent.
When installing the management agent on target machines in the environment with several
deployment servers, do the following:
1. Turn off all of the deployment servers.
2. On each target machine, do the following:
1. Install the management agent.
2. Add the ManagementAgent key to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Acronis\SnapDeploy
3. Add the Server string value.
4. In the Server string value, specify the IP address of the desired deployment server.
5. If you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server, specify the name or IP address of
the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 install the
component. To open the list of machines 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 required 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.
4.6.2 Extracting the components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5
When you install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console, all installation files (.msi files) of
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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. 52) by using the management console; or install, modify, or repair a component by using
the msiexec program.
To extract one or more components
1. Run the Acronis Snap Deploy 5 setup program.
2. Click Extract installation 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.
4.7 Upgrading Acronis Snap Deploy 5
This section describes how to upgrade Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
4.7.1 Upgrading from a previous product version
Prerequisites
Before proceeding with the upgrade from a previous version of Acronis Snap Deploy, make sure that
you have one or more license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 5. These can be either standard license
keys or upgrade license keys.
An upgrade license key enables you to continue using a license key for the 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 5 (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 4
Perform the following steps on each machine where any component of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 is
installed. Start with the machine where Acronis License Server is installed.
1. Start the setup program of Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
2. Click Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
3. Click Update.
4. If you are upgrading Acronis License Server, provide the license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
The license keys for Acronis Snap Deploy 4 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. Review the installation summary, and then click Install.
Upgrading Acronis PXE Server removes all components of Acronis Snap Deploy 4 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. 71) section of the built-in Help.
Upgrading from older versions
Components of versions of Acronis Snap Deploy earlier than 4 are incompatible with Acronis Snap
Deploy 5. 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 5.
2. Uninstall all components of the older version.
3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5. For example, you can perform a typical installation (p. 45). When
prompted, specify all license keys from your list.
4.7.2 Upgrading from the trial to full product version
To upgrade from the trial to a full version of the software, buy the full licenses and import the license
keys to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server.
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 uninstallation
Uninstalling Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 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.
When started, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console connects to the local machine if there is
a manageable component of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 (such as Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy
Server) on this machine. You can manage any Acronis server or Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 Management Console can connect over the network to a machine where one
or more of the following components are installed:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis PXE Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent
Once connected, you can manage the Acronis server or perform operations by using Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 Management Agent.
To connect to an Acronis component, you need the administrator’s privileges on the remote
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 connect 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 5 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. 84): connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server.
Creating a master image of a machine without restarting it (p. 74): connect to Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 Management Agent.
Validating a master image (p. 83): connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent.
Managing licenses (p. 59): connect to Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server.
Configuring Acronis PXE Server (p. 71): connect to Acronis PXE Server.
No connection is needed to perform the following operations:
Creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 65) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 68)
Installing Acronis components remotely (p. 52)
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server and Acronis PXE Server store the log of the operations they
have performed.
The view the log of Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server
1. Connect the management console to the machine with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server.
2. Do either of the following:
In the left pane, click Deployment tasks, and then click Log on the toolbar.
On the Help menu, click View log.
3. 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 (such 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 5 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 disable the automatic checks for updates.
This section contains general information necessary for understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License
Server and covers operations with licenses.
6.1 Understanding Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server is a mechanism that tracks licenses of Acronis products. Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 licensing is based on the number of machines (servers or workstations) that you
deploy. For example, to deploy a system to 100 machines, you need 100 licenses.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server 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 5 License Server operation and
prevent you from other deployments to the same machine.
When installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 OS Deploy Server checks for available licenses
on the license server. If an appropriate 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 deployment license has failed, that license becomes available again. A
machine license remains used by the machine regardless of the result of deployment.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5
Management Console
You can add the licenses when you are installing Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server. After the
license server is installed, you can add licenses by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console,
as follows.
To add one or more license keys to the license server
1. Run Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console.
2. Click Licenses. If the license server is installed on a different machine, click Connect to Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 License Server, and then type the name or IP address of that machine.
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 5 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.
6.3 Viewing information about licenses
To view information about licenses
1. Run Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console.
2. Click Licenses. If the license server is installed on a different machine, click Connect to Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 License Server, and then type the name or IP address of that machine.
This will display all license keys available on Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 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 5 License Server is installed. By default, the folder
name is: %Program Files%\Acronis\SnapDeploy\LicenseServerConsole
<server name> is the name of the machine where Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 License Server Management Tool, see “Using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server Management Tool” (p. 62).
Example
The following command adds the license keys from the file C:\Licenses.txt to the license server
mymachine:
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server Management Tool is a command-line utility for controlling
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 License Server. The tool is the LicenseServerCmdLine.exe file located in
the installation folder. By default, the folder name
is %ProgramFiles%\Acronis\SnapDeploy\LicenseServerConsole.
Before deployment, each target machine must boot into a dedicated bootable component of Acronis
Snap Deploy 5. An example of such component is Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 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 5 Agent boots on a target machine to enable deployment performed by
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server (p. 103).
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Master Image Creator boots on a master machine and creates an image
of the system (p. 74).
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Standalone Utility boots on a target machine and performs deployment
on its own (p. 116).
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Command-Line Utility provides a command-line interface (p. 135) 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. 146).
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 Linux kernel and contains
bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5. To create this type of media, use the Acronis
Snap Deploy 5 Bootable Media Builder wizard (p. 65).
WinPE-based bootable media is based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) and
contains bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5. To create this type of media, use the
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder wizard (p. 68).
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 media. You may want to use a
WinPE-based media if the machine’s hardware, such as network adapters, is not properly recognized
from the Acronis media, or if you need to use the 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. 71).
Acronis bootable media is a physical media (CD, DVD, USB flash drive, or other media supported by
the machine’s BIOS as a boot device) that contains bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 bootable media supports both BIOS and UEFI architecture.
You can create an Acronis bootable media containing one or more of the following bootable
components (p. 64):
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. 104).
You set up Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent to start automatically. After the deployment is
completed, the target machine reboots into the agent again and might be deployed 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 before the deployment, tune the PXE
server to work with your deployment server when setting up the deployment (p. 107).
Note:When booting from media, automatically start option does not apply when Acronis bootable
media loads in the UEFI mode.
5. Under Start automatically after, specify the time-out interval in seconds. For example, if you
choose to automatically start Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 Agent on the media, specify whether the agent will
connect to a particular Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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.
Note: Acronis bootable media uses NetBIOS networking protocol to resolve Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS
Deploy Server in a network. NetBIOS protocol uses ANSI characters for host names. So, machines that have
non-English characters in their names cannot be accessed from Acronis bootable media. If the name of the
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server machine contains non-English characters, use the machine's
IP-address to specify it in the network.
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,
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. 68) instead.
7.2.2 WinPE-based bootable media
Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a minimal Windows system. 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. 65), you can create a bootable media that is based
on WinPE and includes bootable components of Acronis Snap Deploy 5.
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 with hardware that is not properly recognized by
the Acronis bootable media (which is based on a Linux kernel)
Performing deployment in the command-line mode (p. 135); for example, to deploy different
master images to different target machines (p. 143)
Sending e-mail notifications about deployment
Note: WinPE-based bootable media of versions earlier than 4.0 do not support UEFI booting.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder is a dedicated tool for creating a WinPE-based bootable media. The
tool is installed with Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder creates the bootable media by adding components of Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 to a source file called a PE image.
The term “image” in “PE image” is unrelated to the notion of “master image.”
A PE image is normally a .wim file. Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder can create a PE image
automatically or use a PE image you provide.
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder also creates the <AcronisMedia>.sdi file, along with the PE image. This file
must be in the same location as the PE image if you plan to use the image for online deployment (p. 115).
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder supports WinPE distributions that are based on any the following
kernels:
Windows Vista (PE 2.0)
Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 (PE 2.1)
Windows 7 (PE 3.0) with or without the supplement for Windows 7 SP1 (PE 3.1)
Windows 8 (PE 4.0)
Windows 8.1 (PE 5.0)
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder supports both 32-bit and 64-bit WinPE distributions. The 32-bit
WinPE distributions can also work on 64-bit hardware. However, you need a 64-bit distribution to
boot a machine that uses Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).
PE images based on WinPE 4 require approximately 1 GB of RAM to work.
7.2.2.3 Preparation: WinPE 2.x and 3.x
To be able to create or modify PE 2 or 3 images, install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
on a machine where Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) is installed. If you do not have a
machine with AIK, prepare it as follows.
To prepare a machine with AIK
1. Download and install Windows Automated Installation Kit.
Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows Vista (PE 2.0):
You can find system requirements for installation by following the above links.
2. [Optional] Burn the WAIK to DVD or copy to a flash drive.
3. Install the Microsoft .NET Framework from this kit (NETFXx86 or NETFXx64, depending on your
hardware).
4. Install Microsoft Core XML (MSXML) 5.0 or 6.0 Parser from this kit.
5. Install Windows AIK from this kit.
6. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console on the same machine.
It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the help documentation supplied with Windows
AIK. To access the documentation, select Microsoft Windows AIK -> Documentation from the start
menu.
7.2.2.4 Preparation: WinPE 4.0 and WinPE 5.0
To be able to create or modify PE 4 or 5 images, install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console
on a machine where Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) is installed. If you do not have a
machine with ADK, prepare it as follows.
To prepare a machine with ADK
1. Download the setup program of Assessment and Deployment Kit.
Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8 (PE 4.0):
6. Select how you want to create the bootable media.
If you want to create a physical media, select ISO image. 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. 71),
select WIM image. You may want to select this setting if you are planning to use
Preinstallation Environment for unattended deployment to specific machines (p. 104). 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 components to Acronis PXE Server, specify the machine
with the PXE server and provide the user name and password of an administrator on it.
8. [Optional] Specify the Windows drivers to be added to Windows PE.
Once you boot a machine into Windows PE, the drivers can help you access the device where the
image is located. Add 32-bit drivers if you use a 32-bit WinPE distribution or 64-bit drivers if you
use a 64-bit WinPE distribution.
Also, you will be able to point to the added drivers when configuring Universal Deploy. For using
Universal Deploy, add 32-bit or 64-bit drivers depending on whether you are planning to deploy a
32-bit or a 64-bit Windows operating system.
To add the drivers:
Click Add and specify the path to the necessary *.inf file for a corresponding SCSI, RAID, SATA
controller, network adapter, or other device.
Repeat this procedure for each driver you want to be included in the resulting WinPE
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.
7.2.2.6 Uploading a PE image to Acronis PXE Server
You can upload a PE image created by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder (p. 70) to Acronis PXE
Server.
When creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 65) or a WinPE-based bootable media (p. 68).
When creating a bootable media for user-initiated deployment (p. 120).
Alternatively, you can use direct server configuration, as follows.
To perform a direct configuration of the 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 that 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 buttons on the toolbar:
Upload components: Upload bootable components (p. 64), such as Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Agent,
in the same way as when creating an Acronis bootable media (p. 65). The previously uploaded
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 5 PE builder. For details, see “Uploading a PE
image to Acronis PXE Server” (p. 71).
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 5 are uploaded to the PXE server.
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 5.
In addition, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 can use any of the following files as a master image:
Backups created by Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, Acronis Backup &
Recovery 11, or Acronis Backup 11.5, including password-protected backups
Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files
8.1 Preparation of the master operating system
In the Acronis environment and Windows Preinstallation Environment (any case except the
command-line mode (p. 135)), Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 5 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 was 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 Play devices
Applies the machine name, domain or workgroup membership, and other settings 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 installation disk of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 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 5 Management Agent installed on the master machine.
By using a bootable media (either Acronis media or WinPE-based media) with Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 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 5 Management Agent and Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 Master Image Creator. For information about imaging in the command-line mode, see
“Command-line mode and scripting under WinPE” (p. 135).
8.3 Performing online imaging
Online imaging means that the master system is imaged live (without restarting the machine or
suspending operations). Online imaging can be performed remotely 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.
3. Install Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent on the master system either locally by using
the setup program, or remotely by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Console. Once
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent is installed, you can image the master system online
(without a restart) at any time.
4. Start the Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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. 65) for offline
imaging (p. 74).
7. Follow the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard (p. 76).
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.
7. When Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Master Image Creator starts, it displays the Master Image Creator
welcome window.
8. In this window, click Next, and then follow the steps of the Master Image Creator wizard (p. 76).
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.
Also, machines with UEFI architecture have a special ESP partition (EFI System partition). If you are deploying a
UEFI machine image to another UEFI machine, you should deploy ESP partition as well. Otherwise, the target
machine will be non-bootable after deployment. When deploying a UEFI machine image to a BIOS machine, it is
not necessary to deploy the ESP partition.
Selecting disks and volumes to image
8.5.2 Image name and location
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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.
Note: Acronis bootable media uses NetBIOS networking protocol to resolve Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy
Server in a network. NetBIOS protocol uses ANSI characters for host names. So, machines that have non-English
characters in their names cannot be accessed from Acronis bootable media. If the name of the Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server machine contains non-English characters, use the machine's IP-address to specify it
in the network.
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 deployment.
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.
The priority of any process running in the operating system determines the amount of CPU usage
and system resources allocated to that process. Decreasing the image creation priority will free
more resources for other programs. Increasing the image creation priority could speed up the
imaging by taking resources from the other running processes. The effect will depend on the
total CPU usage and other factors.
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 (BD-R,
BD-RE)
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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), kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or
terabytes (TB).
Note: Creating images directly on CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, or recordable 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 defined by the Ignore bad sectors
option). If an operation cannot continue without user interaction, it will fail. Details of the
operation, including errors, 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.
WinPE-based media
This option is available only for online imaging (p. 73).
Defines whether to place a WinPE-based bootable media created by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5
PE Builder on the master image. If you plan to perform deployment to online machines (p. 115)
with hardware that is not properly recognized by the Acronis bootable media (which is based on
a Linux kernel), these machines can be booted into the media included in the master image. This
speeds up the deployment and reduces the network load because the media is not transmitted
to the machines over the network.
Additional settings
Validate the image when it is created
The preset is: Disabled
If enabled, the program will check the integrity of the just-created image.
You can perform this check after imaging (p. 83).
8.5.4 Comments and summary
We recommend providing a comment for easy identification of the 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 5 can perform deployment from any of the following files:
A master image created by Acronis Snap Deploy 5 or by an earlier version of the software
A disk-level backup created by Acronis True Image, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, Acronis
Backup & Recovery 11, or Acronis Backup 11.5
A Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file
Support for backups created by the Acronis products
Some backups (known as incremental and differential backups) depend on other backups. To ensure
that Acronis Snap Deploy 5 finds all of the backups it needs, we recommend leaving 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 any one of these parts.
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 built-in backup utilities (starting with Windows 7)
Acronis True Image Home 2010 and later
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 5 OS Deploy Server performs deployment to a machine by using an available
machine license or deployment license (p. 17). Once used by one machine, the license cannot be
reused by another machine.
A machine license becomes used when the first deployment to the machine starts. The license
remains used regardless of the result of deployment.
Normally, a deployment license becomes used if the deployment has been successful. If the
deployment has failed, Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 has failed. Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server will use the license for the next deployment to the same machine.
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 on the deployed systems (transfer files, run applications, shut down,
restart).
All deployment templates are saved on Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS Deploy Server. You can use a saved
template in the future.
When setting up a deployment operation (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. 118). 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. 103).
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. 120).
Alternatively, you can create a deployment template in the Templates window (p. 103).
This section describes how to use the Create Deployment Template Wizard.
10.3.1.1 Master image selection
In this step, specify the following:
The master image
The user name and password for the network folder if the image is on the network. The 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 5, you can perform deployment from disk-level
backups created by other Acronis products and from Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files. For details, see
“Files supported as master images” (p. 84).
Image location
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 OS 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
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 5 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.
If the disk you selected contains more than one volume, specify the volumes that you want to deploy.
You can select one or more volumes.
Selecting disk volumes to deploy
The further steps will depend on how many volumes you select.
If you deploy only one volume, it is assumed that the target disk has volumes, so you can select
the target volume, to deploy over it. Other volumes will remain untouched in this case.
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.
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.
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. 102).
Most settings are related to configuring the operating system of the target machine. Such settings
are unavailable if the volumes you selected do not contain an operating system for which changing
settings is supported (p. 15). You always can specify general settings such as the disk to perform the
deployment to.
These settings can be overridden by individual settings (p. 131) for a machine.
Online deployment
This setting determines how to deploy the master image to the target machines that have the Online
(p. 130) state in the Machines view.
Reboot into
Specify into what bootable media the target machines will reboot to connect to the deployment
server and become ready for deployment.
The preset is: Acronis media
Acronis media
Select this option if you deploy the master image to BIOS-based or 64-bit UEFI-based
machines.
WinPE-based media
Select this option if you deploy the master image to 32-bit UEFI-based machines or to the
machines with hardware that is not properly recognized by the Acronis media (which is
based on a Linux kernel).
Select Use the media from the master image if you specified the media in the WinPE-based media (p. 78) setting when creating the master image. Otherwise, specify a local or a
network path to the media that was created by using Acronis Snap Deploy 5 PE Builder.
If selected and Acronis Snap Deploy 5 Management Agent is not installed in the system that the
master image contains, the management agent will be installed on a target machine after the
master image is deployed to it.
Having the management agent installed on a machine enables the online deployment on this
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 whose number in
the BIOS is 1. (Note for advanced users: for such disk, the hexadecimal 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 disk
number.
Selecting the target disk and volume
If you selected a single volume (p. 87) 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
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.
91).
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.
Converting the target disk to GPT
This setting determines whether a target disk larger than 2 TB should be converted to GPT.
This setting is available only when the operating system stored in the image allows changing the boot
mode from BIOS to UEFI. These are the following:
64-bit versions of all Windows operating systems starting with Windows Vista x64 SP1
64-bit versions of all Windows Server operating systems starting with Windows Server 2008 x64
SP1
The preset is: Convert disk to GPT if target disk is larger than 2 TB
MBR disks have a size limitation of 2 TB. If an image of an MBR disk is deployed to a target disk that is
larger than 2 TB, only 2 TB of the disk capacity will be used. To get around this issue, Acronis Snap
Deploy 5 can automatically change the target disk partitioning style to GPT. However, in order to
boot from a GPT disk, the target machine must support the UEFI boot loader. If the target machine
does not support UEFI, clear this check box.
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. 90) 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. 90). 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.
131) can override the deployment settings in the template.
When the Settings preference setting is enabled and you set up an individual setting for a machine,
deployment to that machine will be performed with the individual setting, ignoring the
corresponding setting in the template.
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 names, 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 password 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 numbers starting 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.
This pattern generates the names Name00, Name01, …, Name09, Name10, Name11, Name12, …,
Name100, Name101, and so on. Each machine will have a unique name.
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. 131) 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 different 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 properties
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 unified administrator’s account to all the systems, if needed. The Remove
and Remove all buttons are provided to remove the accounts you specified.
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.
This setting determines whether Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 workgroup or
domain. Such is the case when the master machine is no longer on the network.
Note: SID will not be changed if master image contains a server with Domain Controller role enabled: D omain
Controller server stores domain SID which should be the same on all domain machines and therefore is not
supposed to be altered.
Action after deployment
This setting determines what to do with the target machines after the deployment and all associated
operations, such as transferring files (p. 96), are completed.
The preset is: Shut down
Files to transfer
This setting determines the list of files, such as installation files, to be transferred to all target
machines after the deployment.
Each file must be located in a network folder. When adding the file, specify the credentials to the
network folder.
The destination of each file must be on one of the volumes you are deploying.
To run the file after it is transferred, select the Run the file on target machines check box. The file
will run when Windows first starts on the target machine.
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 paths 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 located 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 5 OS Deploy Server sends data to a group of
recipients simultaneously.
Using the Unicast transfer mode, the server sends a copy of the data to each recipient. This can
significantly reduce the deployment speed.
For example, suppose that you have a bandwidth of 100 MB per second, and you want to deploy a
system to 10 target machines.
With the Unicast mode, the server divides the speed among 10 machines. Therefore, the data
transfer speed will be 10 MB per second for each target machine.
With the Multicast mode, the server sends one copy of data 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 deployment. The default
value is 1 gigabit (Gbit) per second.
Adjusting network utilization settings
Acronis Snap Deploy 5 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 license is found, use a machine license of the same type
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. 131) for that machine.
When you deploy a workstation operating system (p. 15) and you selected the Use a server license
automatically option, the software will use a server license if no workstation license can be used.
Example
Suppose that you are deploying a workstation operating system. Consider the following settings:
During deployment: Use 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 setting from 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 deployment.
To configure this setting:
1. Select whether to use Acronis Universal Deploy.
Acronis Universal Deploy will help you to create a bootable Windows or Linux clone on different
hardware by automatically installing the necessary system drivers. Use Acronis Universal Deploy
when deploying the operating system 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. 26).
Select whether to use Acronis Universal Deploy
In Windows, 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