SVISTA Disk Image Utility README May 15, 2005 This README contains information about SVISTA Disk Image Utility. CONTENTS ________ 1.0 Description 2.0 Usage of SVISTA Disk Image Utility 3.0 Copyrights and contact info 1.0 Description ________________ SVISTA Disk Image Utility (DIU) is a tool to manage harddisk images for Serenity Virtual Station (virtual machine). It is based on the famous DFSee technology and distinguishes from other tools by post-processing capabilities. Features of DIU: * Intuitive graphical user interface; * Allows add additional space to existing image (Expand); * Allows create new disk image from HDD partitions - support of "compatibility" partitions (FAT, HPFS and NTFS); - support of LVM/JFS partitions; - support of Boot managers; * Automatical post-processing of image; System requirements: * Windows, Linux or eComStation operating system; * Free space for grabbed image; Restrictions of DIU: * Do not use DIU as backup tool, This is the image tool; * Sometimes User should make manual corrections to image; Differences: * Windows and OS/2 language files differ a bit. Linux version uses native localization mechanism. 2.0 Usage of SVISTA Disk Image Utility ________________________________________ This section describes grabbing function. a) Preparation You are going grab disk image to file. This may require the same actions that would be needed if you would image/restore or MOVE those partitions on a real disk, and will require similar tools to fix them. Please, "simplify" the system configuration before starting Disk Image Utility. Of course the disk-grabbing does NOT provide any support to allow the operating system to work with the (different) hardware environment seen by the operating system when running in the VM! OS/2 id very flexible in that, certainly when the SciTech drivers are used for video, but even there you will probably have to update things like screen resolution, network-driver, sound-drivers and so on. Windows will be more difficult on other hardware, it may not even boot correctly in the VM die the these changes. People that are more familiar with Windows, may be able to use utilities like SYSPREP BEFORE making the grabbed-image to work arround that. Linux could be similar. There is not exact information about this OSes. There are very 'generic' kerenls with most hardware support compiled in (or dynamically loaded) and there are 'tuned' kernels that only work with the hardware installed. Any OS that is installed in the first PRIMARY will most likely still work in the image, since the location stays the same. b) Using SVISTA Disk Image Utility Start SVISTA Disk Image Utility application and follow the Wizard. c) How SVISTA Disk Image Utility works It will automatically grab the MBR, the first track where bootmanagers might be and then any selected primary or logical partition contents after that. It also includes the LVM-information, and updates that to match the different layout in the image compared to the real disk. (just as the partition-tables) The Disk Image Utility supports partitions created by Windows FDISK. The only non-standard thing that it adds to disks is the "NT-signature" in an MBR, and the MBR-code will be taken from the real disk INCLUDING this NT-signature. It should be transparent to most bootmanagers as long as they live completely in the MBR, the first track (usually 63 sectors) or in a real partition (that should be grabbed by the user then). If the bootmanager contain configuration information about the location of partitions to boot, you may need to update that before being able to use it inside the VM. d) Post-processing It is automatic, can not even be turned off with an option. This means small fixes to the completed image to fix minor inconsistencies in filesystems caused by the different locations they are in the image compared to the disk. The only effect you will see in the GUI is that the final progress text you see ("finalizing image") will stay up for a bit longer than it otherwise would. Actually, for a HUGE image with Windows in NTFS that could be almost the same time as the actual imaging (worst case). e) Manual modifications of the image. Boot the SVISTA virtual machine and make necessary modifications to image. In most cases, the corrections that may be needed are the same ones that would be needed if you would image/restore or MOVE those partitions on a real disk, and will require similar tools to fix them. Examples: Windows installation CD/ERD/Recovery Console, Linux bootdisk, perhaps even PartitionMagic or DFSee. All these tools should be run INSIDE the virtual machine, operating on what they think is a "real disk". Other stuff that users may need to do is assign driveletters the way thay want them (in Windows-NT/2000/XP) since it will probably assign those new when booting in the image. 3.0 Copyrights and contact info ________________________________ Homepage: http://serenityvirtual.com Serenity Virtual Station is a registered trademark of Serenity Systems International. Copyright (C) 2003-2004 Serenity Systems International web site: http://www.serenity-systems.com e-mail: info@serenity-systems.com The DFSee technology is developed by FSYS Software web site: http://www.dfsee.com/ e-mail: info@fsys.nl The GUI front-ends are created by eCo Software web site: http://ecomstation.ru/ecosoft e-mail: svista@ecomstation.ru The curator of ImageTool is 6PAC Consulting AG web-site: http://www.6pac-ag.com e-mail: info@6pac-ag.com