Image + Software Mass Deployment - Question for the Group

[PJC]

All,

I am interested in how most people deploy their images and software to
their target XP embedded devices in the field.

We need to deploy finished, sealed software to devices in the field
from a USB CD Rom (actually - a USB key that emulates a USB CD-ROM).

In the past, I have accomplished this in a number of ways, Norton
Ghost from DOS, ImageX from WinPE and PE2.0. We have experimented with
Acronis. SDI images do not work due to lack of compression (target
image size is 1GB).

How does everyone deploy their images to devices in the field? How
about in manufacturing? Do you use network shares and imaging
software? What are the most popular methods?

Thanks for any feedback and I look forward to hearing how we all have
solved this problem.

PJC

 

[Bing.Chen]

Dear PJC,

Ghost is also the most popular one in XPE.

You are able to recover one HD by ghost, and use copying machine to mass
deploy to others.

--
Best Regards,
Bing Chen
Advantech Co., Ltd.
Microsoft eMVP

?? - ???????????????
http://www.advantech.com.tw/epc/newsletter/ATW/2005MS/

 

[PJC]

Anyone else? Anyone using WinPE 2.0 and ImageX ?

 

[Richard]

After I create my golden Image on CF I copy the entire compact flash, sector
by sector with all the partitions and mbr with Linux using DD. (Free Fedora
6 on an old Pentium).

Once this is done, I insert new CF cards and use DD to copy the exact image
to the CF by using a small script. It works awesome and is very fast.

My Linux box has a true IDE to CF adapter in it. When I boot it I always
has the same size and make CF Card in the slot. I then hot swap them after
each copy.

Several hundred made this way with speed and ease. The CF are then are sent
out to be deployed.

Scripts can be supplied if you like.

Richard

 

[gschaden]

We use a small linux booted via PXE. During this process also the S/N
is written to the flash.

But we have problems with different flashes, we need an image for each
of them.