9.5 Imaging Devices

ZENworks Configuration Management includes a preboot service that enables you to perform tasks on devices before their operating systems boot up. Using Preboot Services, you can automatically or manually do the following to a device when it boots up:

  • Run ZENworks imaging scripts containing any commands that you can issue at the bash prompt

  • Take an image of the device’s hard drives and other storage devices

  • Restore an image to the device

  • Take part in a session where an existing image is applied to multiple devices via multicast

  • Take or restore a WIM image by using ImageX

  • Take or restore a Ghost image by using Symantec Ghost

To accomplish some of these tasks automatically, you simply need to have PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) enabled on your devices, then configure prebootable tasks in ZENworks Control Center and assign them to the devices. Then, the devices can automatically implement these tasks when they boot.

To manually implement the tasks, you can configure devices to require user intervention during bootup.

Using ZENworks Control Center, you can also replicate the tftp directory changes from a Primary Server to other Imaging servers (Primary Server or Satellite device with the Imaging role).

9.5.1 Setting Up Preboot Services

To use Preboot Services, you need to complete the tasks in the following sections:

Enabling PXE on a Device

Preboot Services requires PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) to be enabled on any managed device where you want to take or apply an image.

To check if PXE is enabled on a device, restart the device and select the boot option (F12 on most devices). PXE is enabled if there is a network boot option.

If PXE is not enabled on a device, edit the device BIOS to enable it. In order to ensure that the PXE environment is available each time the device starts, you can also change the boot order so that the NIC (Network Interface Card) option is listed before the other boot options.

Setting Up an Imaging Server

The Imaging Server is the PXE server that a device’s PXE engine connects to. To enable a ZENworks Server to function as an Imaging Server, you simply need to start the Novell Proxy DHCP Service on the ZENworks Server. When you start the service, you should also change the startup type from Manual to Automatic so that it starts whenever the server reboots.

Configuring the Third-Party Imaging Settings

If you want to use the third-party imaging solutions, you must configure the Third-Party Imaging Settings in ZENworks Control Center. ZENworks supports the following third-party imaging tools:

  • Microsoft ImageX that uses the WIM image file format and WINPE as the distro

  • Symantec Ghost that uses the Ghost image file format and WINPE as the distro

The ZENworks third-party Imaging supports only PXE as the boot mechanism.

To configure the Third-Party Imaging settings:

  1. Install ZENworks Configuration Management on your Imaging Server.

    For more information on how to install ZENworks 2020, see Installing a ZENworks Primary Server on Windows in the ZENworks Server Installation.

  2. Configure the third-party Imaging settings in ZENworks Control Center.

    1. Ensure that Microsoft Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) or Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (WADK)is installed on the device running ZENworks Control Center.

    2. In ZENworks Control Center, click Configuration tab.

    3. In the Management Zone Settings panel, click Device Management > Preboot Services > the Third Party Imaging Settings panel.

    4. For 32 Bit Upload Settings:

      Upload WinPE Base Distribution (Requires Windows AIK / Windows ADK): Click the Browse icon icon to upload the WIM Imaging file. In the Upload WIM Imaging Files dialog box, do the following:

      1. To upload a 32-bit winpe.wim file:

        From WAIK: Browse to the Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86 folder under the installed directory, then select the winpe.wim file.

        From WADK: Browse to the Windows Kits\<version>\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\x86\en-us folder under the installed directory, then select the winpe.wim file.

        Where <version> is a Windows Operating System version.

        NOTE:Re-uploading the winpe.wim file overwrites the previous instance of this file from the server.

      2. Click OK.

        This downloads the imaging files from the server to the device where you access ZENworks Control Center and rebuilds winpe.wim with imaging files and then uploads files from the device to the server. The progress of the download and upload files is displayed in the Status field.

      Upload ImageX Files to Support WIM Imaging (ImageX.exe):

      1. Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select the Microsoft Imaging engine (imagex.exe) on the device where you can access ZENworks Control Center.

      2. After configuring the third-party imaging settings, click Apply.

      3. Click Status to view the status of content replication across all Primary Servers and Satellites with the Imaging role in the management zone. Ensure that you start the Imaging operation only when the status is Available.

        NOTE:If you are uploading both 32-bit and 64-bit ImageX files, ensure that you do so in different instances.

      Upload Ghost 11.5 or Higher Files to Support Ghost Imaging (Ghost32.exe):

      1. Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select the Symantec GHOST engine (ghost32.exe) on the device from where you can access the ZENworks Control Center.

      2. After configuring the third-party imaging settings, click Apply.

      3. Click Status to view the status of content replication across all Primary Servers and Satellites with the Imaging role in the management zone. Ensure that you start the Imaging operation only when the status is Available.

    5. For 64 bit Upload Settings:

      Upload WinPE Base Distribution (Requires Windows AIK / Windows ADK): Click the Browse icon icon to upload the WIM Imaging file. In the Upload WIM Imaging Files dialog box, do the following:

      1. To upload a 64-bit winpe.wim file from WADK, browse to Windows Kits\<version>\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation environment\amd64\en-us folder under the installed directory, then select the winpe.wim. file.

        Where <version> is a Windows Operating System version.

      2. Click OK.

        This downloads the imaging files from the server to the device where you access ZENworks Control Center and rebuilds winpe.wim with imaging files and then uploads files from the device to the server. The progress of the download and upload files is displayed in the Status field.

      Upload ImageX Files to Support WIM Imaging (ImageX.exe):

      1. Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select the Microsoft Imaging engine (imagex.exe) on the device where you can access ZENworks Control Center.

      2. After configuring the third-party imaging settings, click Apply.

      3. Click Status to view the status of content replication across all Primary Servers and Satellites with the Imaging role in the management zone. Ensure that you start the Imaging operation only when the status is Available.

        NOTE:If you are uploading both 32-bit and 64-bit ImageX files, ensure that you do so in different instances.

      Upload Ghost 11.5 or Higher Files to Support Ghost Imaging (Ghost64.exe):

      1. Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select the Symantec GHOST engine (ghost64.exe) on the device from where you can access the ZENworks Control Center.

      2. After configuring the third-party imaging settings, click Apply.

      3. Click Status to view the status of content replication across all Primary Servers and Satellites with the Imaging role in the management zone. Ensure that you start the Imaging operation only when the status is Available.

  3. Enable PXE on the device.

  4. Ensure that you have a standard DHCP server, either on your Imaging Server or on another network server.

Configuring Third Party NTFS Driver Settings

You can download the latest high performance NTFS driver and save it on your system.You can view content replication status across all Primary and Satellite Servers with the Imaging role in the management zone. You can start the Imaging operation by using the Third Party NTFS driver when the status is Available.

To configure these settings, click Configuration in the left pane to display the Configuration tab. If it’s not expanded, click Management Zone Settings, then click Device Management > Preboot Services to display the Preboot Services page.

9.5.2 Taking an Image

You can take and restore ZENworks images on a device by using ZENworks Imaging and third-party images by using the ZENworks Third-Party Imaging utility. This utility allows you to take an image and restore it on a local device or server by using Windows Imaging format (WIM) or Ghost Imaging format.

  1. In ZENworks Control Center, click the Devices tab.

  2. Navigate the Servers or Workstations folder until you locate the device whose image you want to take.

  3. Click the device to display its details.

  4. In the task list located in the left navigation pane, click Take an Image to launch the Take an Image Wizard.

  5. On the File Information page, fill in the following fields, then click Next.

    For ZENworks imaging, specify the following:

    Image Format: Select the format of the image to be taken for the device

    Server and File Path: Click the Browse icon icon to display the Server and Path Information dialog box. Configure the following options.

    • Server Object/IP/DNS: Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select the object, IP address, or DNS name of the Primary Server or the device that is promoted to the Imaging Server role.

    • File Path on Server: Click the Browse icon icon to browse for and select an image file. The image file must have the .zmg filename extension, meaning it is a valid ZENworks image file.

      NOTE:You cannot browse to the specified file system if multiple search domains with DHCP are configured for Linux and if the server is on Windows.

    For Third-Party Imaging, specify the following:

    Shared Network Path for Image File: Specify the shared-network path where you want to save the .wim or .gho files. The directory must be a Windows share or a Linux SMB or CIFS share.

    If you have not installed the Novell File Upload extension on this device, you must do so before you can browse to and upload directories to be installed.

    Image Filename: Specify the filename to save the .wim or the .gho file. This option is displayed only for the Windows Imaging Format (.wim) and Ghost Imaging Format (.gho).

    Network Credential: Click Browse icon to browse for and select the network credentials to be used for accessing the device having .wim files. This option is displayed only for the Windows Image Format (.wim) and Ghost Image Format (.gho).

    Use Compression: Compression is required. Choose one of the following:

    • Balanced: Automatically balances compression between an average of the reimaging speed and the available disk space for the image file. This option is displayed only for the ZENworks Image format

    • None: This option is displayed only for the Windows Image format and Ghost Image format.

    • Optimize for Speed: Optimizes the compression to allow for the fastest reimaging time. Use this option if CPU speed is an issue.

    • Optimize for Space: Optimizes the compression to minimize the image file’s size to conserve disk space. This can cause reimaging to take longer.

    Balanced is the default option for the ZENworks Image format and Optimize for Speed is the default option for the Windows Image format and Ghost Image format.

    Create an Image Bundle: Leave this field deselected.

  6. Review the information on the Image File Summary page, click Finished, then click OK.

    Because imaging tasks are completed by Preboot Services, the image of the device is taken the next time the device reboots. The Imaging Work panel, located on the device’s Summary page, shows that the work is scheduled. When the work is completed, the task is removed from this panel.

  7. To reboot the device immediately and initiate the imaging work, click Reboot/Shutdown Workstation (or Reboot/Shutdown Server) in the left navigation panel.

    The time required to take the image depends on the size of the device’s drives.

9.5.3 Applying an Image

To apply an image to a device, you use the Create New Bundle Wizard to create an Imaging bundle. The bundle contains the image you want to apply. In addition to helping you create the bundle, the wizard also lets you assign it to devices. After creating the Imaging bundle, you then initiate the imaging work.

Watch the following videos to learn about deploying Windows 7 images and Linux images to devices:

Creating the ZENworks Image Bundle

To restore ZENworks images on a device, you must create the ZENworks Image bundle.

  1. In ZENworks Control Center, click the Bundles tab.

  2. In the Bundles panel, click New > Bundle to launch the Create New Bundle Wizard.

  3. On the Select Bundle Type page, select Preboot Bundle, then click Next.

  4. On the Select Bundle Category page, select ZENworks Image, then click Next.

  5. Complete the wizard using information from the following table to fill in the fields.

    Wizard Page

    Details

    Define Details page

    Specify a name for the task. The name cannot include any of the following invalid characters: / \ * ? : " ' < > | ` % ~

    Select ZENworks Image File page

    To select the image file:

    1. Click Browse icon to display the Server and Path Information dialog box.

    2. Fill in the following fields:

      Device Object, IP, or DNS: Select the ZENworks Server where you stored the image.

    3. Click OK.

    Summary page

    Click Next to continue with the wizard and assign the bundle to the target device.

    Bundle Groups page

    You should not assign the image bundle to any groups. Click Next to bypass this page.

    Add Assignments page

    Select the device where you want to apply the image.

    Schedules page

    You should not assign a schedule to the image bundle. Click Next to bypass this page.

    Finish page

    Click Finish to create the bundle and assign it to the selected device.

Creating the Third-Party Image Bundle

To restore the third-party images, you must create the Third-Party Image bundle.

  1. In ZENworks Control Center, click the Bundles tab.

  2. In the Bundles panel, click New > Bundle to launch the Create New Bundle Wizard.

  3. On the Select Bundle Type page, select Preboot Bundle, then click Next.

  4. On the Select Bundle Category page, select Third-Party Image, then click Next.

  5. Complete the wizard using information from the following table to fill in the fields.

    Wizard Page

    Details

    Define Details page

    Specify a name for the task. The name cannot include any of the following invalid characters: / \ * ? : " ' < > | ` % ~

    Select a Third-Party Image File page

    To select a third-party image file:

    1. Select the type of the image to be used in the bundle.

      In ZENworks Configuration Management, only the Windows Image Format (.wim) and GHOST Image Format (.gho) are available.

    2. Specify the shared-network directory containing the .wim or .gho files. The directory must be a Windows share or a Linux SMB or CIFS share.

    3. Click Browse icon to browse for and select the network credentials to be used for accessing the device having .wim or .gho files.

    4. If you want to use the WIM bundle as an Add-on image, select Restore WIM as Add-on, and configure the following options:

      Image Number (WIM Only): Select the index number of the image to be restored.

      Path to Restore the Add-on Image: Specify the location on the device where you want to restore the Add-on image.

    5. Click OK.

    Summary page

    Click Next to continue with the wizard and assign the bundle to the target device.

    Bundle Groups page

    You should not assign the image bundle to any groups. Click Next to bypass this page.

    Add Assignments page

    Select the device where you want to apply the image.

    Schedules page

    You should not assign a schedule to the image bundle. Click Next to bypass this page.

    Finish page

    Click Finish to create the bundle and assign it to the selected device.

Initiating the Imaging Work

  1. In ZENworks Control Center, click the Devices tab.

  2. Navigate the Servers or Workstations folder until you locate the device where you want to apply the image.

  3. Click the device to display its details.

  4. In the task list located in the left navigation pane, click Apply Assigned Imaging Bundle to schedule the work.

    Because imaging tasks are completed by Preboot Services, the image is applied to the device the next time the device reboots. The Imaging Work panel, located on the device’s Summary page, shows that the work is scheduled. When the work is completed, the task is removed from this panel.

  5. To reboot the device immediately and initiate the imaging work, click Reboot/Shutdown Workstation (or Reboot/Shutdown Server) in the left navigation panel.

9.5.4 Where to Find More Information

For more information about imaging and Preboot Services, see the ZENworks Preboot Services and Imaging Reference.